Tears of the Neko by Taylor Ryan Page B

spot under the table to see the
large brown and white-haired neko striding into the room.
    Kayden ducked closer to the floor, quickly
chowing down on the piece of chicken he had in his hand in case the
older neko was coming to take his food.
    He easily recognized this older neko. It was
the only other neko he'd seen inside the manor house, but Kayden
couldn't remember his name, just his smell, like freshly chopped
wood. He vaguely remembered seeing him carrying logs through the
kitchen. He glanced at the fireplace, seeing a stack of logs, and
suddenly realized how they got there.
    Kayden watched warily as the huge neko
carried a broom, scoop, and bucket into the room. The older neko,
who had seemed very formal, even nervous, around his master, seemed
very relaxed right now. When the older neko strode by the table
without noticing him into the washroom, Kayden breathed a sigh of
relief. He reached blindly above him to the table for another piece
of food, not caring what it was.
    When the loud clank of the metal bucket
dropped to the floor, Kayden jumped, banging his head on the bottom
of the table, causing the dishes to clatter.
    "What the--!" the brown-haired neko shot out
of the washroom, his tail standing out and his ears arched
forward.
    Kayden scooted back against the wall near the
table as quickly as he could, worried what the other neko would do
to him. Just because he'd been nice once didn't mean he would be
again.
    "Oh, jeez," the neko breathed. And Kayden
stared at the older neko who was holding his hand over his heart as
if he were the scared one.
     
    ****
     
    "You scared me," Ellis said, and Kayden
frowned at him from under the cascade of his ebony bangs. "I didn't
realize you were still in here."
    Kayden pressed back further into the wall
when he approached. Ellis froze, apparently suddenly realizing that
he was scaring the young one.
    "Hey, there. I'm Ellis. Do you remember me?"
he said softly, and Kayden watched him squat down to eye level.
"It's okay. No one is going to hurt you."
    Ellis could have sworn he heard a small choke
from the boy, and briefly wondered back to the time he'd stood
guard outside the boy's bath. He knew he smelled blood on the boy,
but he hadn't seen any obvious cuts on him, just the scrapes. And
of course the boy wouldn't say anything, or couldn't...
    "It's okay," he soothed again, creeping
closer and holding out his hand. He hadn't seen anyone so
ridiculously skittish before, even really young kits usually
outgrew their timid side within a few seasons.
    "I'm just here to clean up the room," Ellis
continued, lowering ears and dipping his head non-threateningly,
dropping as low to the ground as possible.
    He saw Kayden's head tilt in confusion at his
submissive display, and he smiled.
    "Come on out and finish eating," Ellis
continued, as he managed to get almost right next to the boy.
    Instead of reaching to touch him this time,
Ellis held his hand out, waiting for the kit to come to him. He
knew that reaching towards the boy would just make him feel more
trapped in the corner.
    It seemed like it took forever, but it was
probably only a few minutes, before he watched the tense little
body relax slightly and uncurl. The sleek black ears that had been
pinned back in fear slowly turned upwards, and the tip of the boy's
tail flicked as it unwound from against his feet.
    Ellis smiled, nodding as Kayden seemed to
unfold himself from the wall. But the boy still didn't take his
hand, so Ellis backed slowly away, allowing the tiny neko some
room.
    "Come on, finish your food," Ellis urged
again, rising slowly as he backed away.
    As he retreated, he watched as Kayden warily
eyed him while reaching up to the table to grab a roll. Ellis
chuckled as he returned to the washroom to finish cleaning.

Chapter 8

    Damien straightened his waistcoat, taking a
deep breath to get himself together after the little episode of
watching Kayden play in his shaving cream. He hadn't had so much
amusement in a long