Chapter 4 More Tiny Nekos?

An excerpt from The White Lion Unicorn Series Book 1: A Colony of Tiny Nekos

Silver Moon had been driving for quite some time, when she pulled over for a lunch break. She turned off the engine and stood up. She quickly went to the kitchenette to prepare lunch for the three of them. White Lion continued to look outside. He saw shapes flitting from behind a fence. He stood up and pressed his face against the glass.

There they were again! They looked like cats, but they seemed to be closer to White Lion’s size. He continued to watch, unaware that Black Wolf was watching him. Black Wolf looked out the window and saw the cats move quickly on the other side of the fence.

Silver Moon finished preparing lunch and set the food on the table. Black Wolf turned to her and filled up his plate. She looked to her son.

“What is it, darling? What do you see?”

“They look like cats, but they look to be my size.”

“Oh?” She looked out the window in the same direction.” Then she saw them. “Dear, they may be nekos, like you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you’re not the only one on Platinum. I don’t know how many exist, but you’re the only one I know of that is tiny.”

“Oh! Let’s go meet them!”

“Okay, after we eat.”

White Lion jumped up and climbed onto his chair. His mama sat down next to him and the three ate together. No one spoke while they ate. There was nothing to say. The little neko was hungry and just wanted to finish eating as soon as he could so he could go see the other nekos.

Black Wolf was deep in thought. He kept receiving more urgent messages which required him to go back home. He ate and looked at Silver Moon in a different light. What had attracted him to her in the first place? He had no idea. Now, he was beginning to find her annoying. It seemed to him she catered to her son too much. What about Black Wolf? Wasn’t he important to her?

Why hadn’t they gotten married yet? Black Wolf sighed. She was domestic enough, but yet she kept telling him she wasn’t ready to get married yet. Or was it she wasn’t ready for something else? Something he had been waiting for from her. That must be it. He finished eating. He was getting tired of cleaning up. Why couldn’t she do all the housework for a change?

He got up and collected the dishes. He washed them in the sink. He rinsed them and wiped them dry. He was beginning to think it would be easy to leave them behind. The relationship wasn’t going the way he thought it should by now. She was too slow and he wasn’t sure he could get her to move any faster.

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Claira Jaen was still watching the tiny neko on the other side of the fence. The free one who couldn’t have been much taller than she was. Was that her brother? There was an elf and a human with him. Last night she finally was able to get on a computer and she tried looking for any information on tiny nekos out in the world.

She found pictures of one. Only one. One who looked too much like her lost brother. That tiny neko who was traveling with an elf named Silver Moon Unicorn. She was a bard who was just gaining popularity and a decent income. Claira Jaen wasn’t quite sure what it all meant, but here they were on the other side of the fence! She watched them for as long as she could.

She wasn’t alone. The other tiny nekos were watching as well. They all wondered who he was and why he wasn’t with them. Everyone was quiet when they saw the trio leave the trolley and walk towards the fence. Some just wanted to hide when they could smell the werewolf. A few started to hiss when he got too close to the fence.

The werewolf stepped back and seemed occupied with his phone again. The nekos stopped hissing. But the elf and the tiny neko got right up to the fence and looked to see where the nekos were hiding.

She couldn’t stand it anymore. She was the first one to step up to the fence. Claira Jaen spoke in the neko language to White Lion. He answered back in the same language. Poor Silver Moon couldn’t understand them, but could see they were talking in a friendly way.

“Hello,” said Silver Moon.

Claira Jaen answered, “Hello.”

“Oh! You can speak two languages?”

“Yes, we all can. We learned to speak from Him.”

“Him?”

“Our Creator. He won’t tell us his name, but insists we must worship him.”

“Oh, I see. Why are you locked in?”

“He won’t let us out. Do you know the Guardians?”

“I know a couple of them who still act as Guardians even though they became vampires. The rest have granted me unlimited access to their archives.”

“Please help us!” Claira Jaen whispered.

“What do you need?”

“I want to know how to read.”

“Oh, I can help you learn. I taught White Lion.”

“Really? That would be great. I don’t know if anyone else wants to learn, but I know we all want to be free of Him. From what He says, I think the Guardians would help us.”

“They would if they could prove you are being oppressed.”

Claira Jaen looked at White Lion. “I think he is my younger brother.”

“What makes you think that?” asked Silver Moon.

“He looks like him, but he was lost years ago. When he was still a kitten he snuck out under the fence and I was too big to go after him. Our mother died not too long before he ran off.”

“Oh! I wish the Guardians were here. They could scan both of you to see to confirm if you are related. Although, I’d say it’s highly likely because I think he’s the only tiny neko in public view.”

“That’s what the computer says. I was on last night when He wasn’t around.”

“He doesn’t let you use a computer?”

“No. He would be very angry if he ever found out. But I don’t know how else I can learn about the world outside of here.”

“I don’t see how you could either.” Silver Moon looked at the two nekos. She could see some similarities. “Here, let me take your picture and then I can send it to the Guardians I know. They should be able to help you in some way.”

“Okay.”

Claira Jaen told the other nekos what Silver Moon was going to do. They all stood back as the elf took Claira Jaen’s picture. Silver Moon sent it off immediately.

“I don’t know how long it will take, but they will do something. I know they will investigate, so you probably will see them coming out here to see you.”

“We’ll be looking for them. What do they look like?”

“Well, they could be anyone. Elves, fairies, werecreatures, vampires, nymphs, centaurs, or even nekos, but the taller ones.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, you’re the tiny versions, but you’ll probably be able to talk to them just like you and White Lion can talk to each other.”

“Good.” Claira Jaen told the other nekos. Some purred in response. “Okay, we will be watching and waiting. I hope you can come back as well.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

White Lion and Claira Jaen talked some more before he went back to the trolley with his mama and Black Wolf.

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Leon stood on his terrace. He had just finished watering and tending to his garden. He looked out over the canal. He watched the boats come and go. He thought of his Guardian partner to be. He had finally learned her name. She was none other than Silver Moon Unicorn. She was a writer who was being claimed by the Guardians to be their spokesperson.

She had a tiny neko for a son. Leon didn’t care that is was an adoption. He didn’t have feelings one way or another for her being a mother. He just knew and cared that they would be able to work together and get their work done. That was more important to him.

But what about her partner, Black Wolf? Leon sighed. He could sense something was wrong between them, but he didn’t want to get in the middle of it. He knew he would support her no matter what she had decided about the werewolf. Leon felt he had no right to tell her how she should live her life. All he could do was ask her to work with him.

He wondered when he would meet her and how she would react to his request.