World of the Beasts
Kristal silently slipped past the windows, and by chance she glanced out one. Down the road there was a great carriage coming with a large tail of dust following behind. Kristal almost stopped to stair at the site, but remembering her orders, proceeded to the main room.
She got there early and looked around. The walls were a soft pink color with vases of flowers placed in different corners. A staircase led to the upper rooms and there where a few doors to the back. Amber walked in then, her ears tied back into her hair. "Did you have a nice look around?"
"It was fine." Kristal's ears laid down again as she felt small in font of this woman. She wasn't sure what it was though and shook it off. Her tail swung softly from side to side. She felt quiet relaxed though the air around her was becoming uneasy. "Ok Neko," Kristal picked up her ears at the mention of the title, "I need you to obey my orders and if you must speak, then call me Elaine, understood?" Kristal gave a bow in understanding and then stood straight in attention. She felt like it was examination day back at home, only she wasn't getting graded on how straight and orderly she stood.
The sounds of a carriage coming to a stop drifted in through the large doors. "Just stay close and alert and you'll do fine." Amber smiled at Kristal. Kristal gave her a shaky smile. Her stomach seemed to be spinning on its top. It was like she was waiting for some great huge thing to happen. "It's behind the door!" she thought as her tail began to sway a little more rapidly.
Amber took in a deep breath and then stood awaiting her guests. The door soon creaked open and two dog men held the doors open. Then came an elderly couple. They were human and the man hunched on a cane while the wife looked as if she would fall if even the smallest breeze crept past. When Kristal managed to stop gawking inwardly at the small couple, she stopped cold at the next sight that met her. "Race!" the inaudible whisper escaped her.
He walked in as a soldier does fallowing his commander. Tall, brilliant and terrible, his eyes saw all but seemed clouded by a mysterious fog. Kristal wanted to run. She wanted to scream. She wanted to hug him and tell him to come home with her at last, that mother and father are waiting, but she didn't. Besides her lips, Kristal had not moved a muscle and had become completely ridged when Race had entered the room.
"Why don't we head to the sitting room?" Amber's voice cut through the mist that had formed in Kristal's mind. She followed without realizing what she did. She stood near Amber's seat and just stared off. Here he was. Here was Race, but he wasn't there too. What to do?
"So, how are the plans for the this year's party coming?" the old man asked in a shaky voice. "Shouldn't we have tea before we start our discussion?" the woman asked. "Of course! How foolish of me not to think of it. Neko, fetch some tea for us." Amber waved dismissively towards the door to the far right of the room.
"Yes, Elaine," Kristal bowed at the waist and turning on heal, walked through the door. It was a small kitchen. One little stove, under an open window. The sun and the breeze came gently through the window giving the room a blissful feel. No one was there though, and Krystal had no idea how to use a stove. She didn't even know what one was for that matter. She looked around for someone and then with a sigh, started looking for the teapot.
The door swung open and Kristal was up at attention, the door to the cabinet she had been looking in still open. Her tail went rigid and her ears fell back as she realized it was Race who had walked in. He calmly opened a upper cabinet near the door. Kristal watched in owe as he got water from the tap and then set it on the stove to heat. She watched for a while as Race leaned back on the cabinet.
"So...Race...how have you been?" Kristal managed finally to ask the solid figure. He merely stared forward out the window. "Don't you remember me? It hasn't been so long that you would forget your sister has it?" she turned pleading eyes up to him. He glanced down at but still said nothing. They stood in silence until the whistle from the kettle called out. Race calmly grabbed it and headed back into the main room after placing cups, sugar, tea bags, and the kettle onto a tray which he took with him. Kristal stared after him in dismay.
