"How can you carelessly touch a space fissure like that? Weren't you taught how dangerous that is?"
Luca scolded as its humongous body looked over to make sure the child is not injured. The little girl lay under a tree, unconscious but seemingly free from any injury.
'Tsk, we've been hiding here silently but this kid just had to be so stupid and touch a torn space!'
Torn spaces allow one to enter Toradashi directly however without training and proper timing, one could get caught inside a torn space and have their body pulled apart. Since torn spaces are not stable, even space magisters need to be careful when dealing with it. And it's not even a space magister to begin with. What would happen if the rip in space suddenly closed? It shook its head to stop imagining.
Luca then moved its gaze and found the injured Lisa nearby. It shrieked in worry and carried her hurriedly towards the tent. Once it laid her down, it shrank back to its cat form and went to check their things to look for something to aid her. As it did so, its little paws trembled in fear. Lisa saw the little black cat's anxiety and she held its paws to calm it down.
"I'm okay. Bring the young batari over." Luca gave her a grieving look.
"You're already injured! Where would I find the time to care for others! As if they're related to me." The little black cat snorted but still threw a glance at the kid that passed out on the tree.
"Go." Lisa chuckled as she urged it. Finally able to find a gauze and bandage, the little black cat carefully wrapped her wounds as it sniffled its tears.
"You said you'd be careful. How is this being careful? You'd die before we can even go back. So silly." It continued to rebuke. Lisa pursed her lips to prevent any sound from escaping her mouth as she waited for the pain to subside. She looked towards the house, the tears in space have already closed and the ground is now back to its previous state.
"Get the young batari." She insisted. It may look safe now that the fissures have closed but one can never know. Luca grunted but it went out anyway, dragging the little girl with its mouth back to their tent.
"I think the gateway has closed, Luca." Unable to keep the truth from her friend, Lisa blurted out after making sure the child is okay. Luca stared at her for a long time before it responded.
"I know. I'm your spirit beast after all." It gave her a miserable smile.
"I'm sorry." Lisa looked away from its lonely face. She was able to put more heat scanning device around the house when she went out earlier and as she looked at the screen, there were no movements around the area. She pursed her lips.
"This young batari may help us" She spoke again after a long time of silence. Luca lied down on the floor and kept its eyes closed but its furrowed eyebrows told her that it's listening.
"The child is able to pass through a slice in space. If this happens again, we may be able to get into Toradashi without looking for a gateway." She continued to explain.
"Also, her family might be looking for a way to bring her back so if we stay by her side, our chances of going back is higher." She continued to explain but even she finds it hard to believe her own words. Higher chances? Who knows when the gateway will open again? She's only deceiving herself and the cat. Luca felt her restless heart and it opened its eyes.
"Okay. I trust you. But first you have to get well. Let's rest now." It said and closed its eyes again. After all, if he had not appeared earlier, she would not have to leave Toradashi. Lisa sighed and when she caught sight of the sleeping girl on the side, she also closed her eyes.
Little Sasha woke up in a small and unfamiliar space. She stayed silent and did not move, only surveying the room with her little round eyes. The room is simple, there's a small table on the side and a wooden chest beside it. A thick mattress is laid down on the floor and a woman is sleeping on it. Her shoulder is covered with a bandage and a bruise can be seen from her arm.
She moved her gaze further and saw a fluff of black ball carefully placed by her side. Slowly, she sat up and scratched her eyes. When she opened them to focus, a pair of big black eyes is now staring down at her. She looked up and saw a big, black cat staring down at her.
Little Sasha moved her lips but can't find a word to say. She gulped down and stared back. Then she turned to look at the sleeping woman. And she's still asleep.
'Hik'
Unable to control it, she hiccuped. The big black cat slowly walked towards her. It lowered its head and sniffed her neck. Little Sasha involuntarily shrank her shoulders to avoid it. Then, acting like a human, it looked at it again, rolled its eyes and walked back to the sleeping woman, disdain clearly written on its face.
She then heard someone chuckling and saw that the sleeping woman has now awaken. She grabbed onto the big cat's fur and let it pull to sit her up. Once comfortable, she looked at her again and smiled.
"Hello." She greeted her.
The woman has a beautiful face and clear eyes. She wore a black suit and her tied hair looks a little bit messy as it framed her face. She leaned to one side as she laid her injured shoulder on the black cat's body. The big black cat just gave her a once-over and looked away again.
"I can't believe that's a batari." She saw it opened its big mouth and out came the words she heard. Her eyes widened in shock, pulling her away from her still sleepy state. What is that? The woman seemed to understand her shock and she smiled apologetically to her.
"I'm sorry if it shocked you. We're not going to hurt you, don't worry." And this sentence made little Sasha's worry go up even more. Luca looked at Lisa in disbelief. What a wonderful way to scare a kid even more. Can't she choose her words carefully?