Kettu from the future

Kettu followed behind a group of adventures as they made their way towards this mysterious farm.

She'd hidden her silver tail and fox ears with a common illusion so that she looked more like the Catkin folk in town. A disguise that led the group to think she was nothing more than a porter willing to carry things for them in exchange for coin.

Whatever worked. All she needed to do was get close to the farm and talk some sense into her... Friend? No that wasn't quite the correct way to describe her relationship with the one she'd raised since just after her birth. Kettu hoped she would consider her a friend, it would make retrieving her easier.

Greed radiated off the group ahead of her as they got deeper into the forest. They weren't going to trade with the farm even though that was the reason they got it's location in the first place. Bunch of fools in the guild didn't vet them well enough nor check their equipment before they left.

Of the three adventures there was one healer, one archer and one swordsman. A balanced small team that should have needed more people for the prey they were going for. But that was mute when Kettu found the Dragon-slaying great sword strung across the leaders back, almost the size of his body.

They weren't here to trade. They wanted to kill and sell parts of the Dragon living there even against the reverse bounty she had on her. The guild really had screwed up on this one.

This was all made worse by the emotional superiority she could feel from the leader with traces of lust coming through.

Kettu was an empath. She could feel others emotions if she were close enough and she really, really didn't like these people. Not that they were going to live much longer.

"Alright." The archer said as their default tracker and map reader. "This path should lead directly to the farm now."

Good. Kettu thought. She didn't need them any more and by extension they didn't need her to cover their fake story.

Greed, lust and the thrill of doing something that they knew was wrong but that they would get away with ran through them all in a wave. Kettu didn't think this was their first time and she didn't care.

"Well then porter. I think your service is complete." The one with the sword called out with a sneer so evil she was surprised anyone would trust him.

"I think so as well." Kettu replied letting her illusion fall away and revealing her long silver ears and nine tails.

She used their surprise to strike first targeting the healer. She didn't use weapons herself as they were bulky and hard to carry around, instead she thrust her claws through his throat and pulled his head from his shoulders.

One down.

The archer was quick to react to her change and sent an arrow towards her own head just shy of being able to save his friend. Kettu shifted her head to the side like she was simply curious about a sight she had seen as the arrow passed harmlessly only brushing her fur.

With a humph she flicked her wrist and the archer crumbled to the ground cut into three perfect pieces.

"What the hell!?" The last survivor yelled clutching his blade as he looked at the corpses of his friends.

Kettu would normally taunt people like him in their last moments and savor making them relive all the mistakes they made that led them here. Buuuut she had other plans for today and someone very powerful that had warned her that failure wasn't an option.

Stepping close the swordsman swung aiming for a slash against her midsection but she caught it with ease. A beast-kins strength wasn't even comparable to her own even without magical assistance.

So she shattered the sword with a single hand, breaking the Dragon slaying enhancement and stabbing the remaining blade through his head.

"Pitiful." Was all she said before vanishing into the underbrush. She already knew where the farm was but wanted to get rid of the pests, hopefully it would show her charge why she should return.

She made her way to the boundary line already seeing the wispy lines that should stop intruders. The last time she had been here these had blocked her no matter how much she pushed against it but this time? Apparently it would be different.

Without really believing it Kettu stepped past the line feeling something brush over her like it was searching for something before it found it. The Kitsune was surprised as the barrier revealed itself to be searching for her status as a Livestock and because it was happy to find it she could go through.

"Interesting. Last time I came past it refused me. But why have something so simple as the metaphorical key?" Her question went unanswered as she cloaked herself again in illusions. She couldn't risk being spotted just yet.

That proved to be impossible as she came out of the forest and into the flatland of the farm itself. It didn't take an empath like herself to feel the curiosity of a Dragon when one looked in her direction. Especially one that knew her and her tricks.

[My love please excuse me. I have something that just reminded me of a task that needed doing.]

Kettu watched the human say something in return that she couldn't make out and take a Centaur off in a different direction.

Tarakona then watched them leave before she was enveloped in a white light and her Dragon body disappeared replaced by a draconic humanoid one that flew over to stand in front of Kettu even with her invisibility.

[It has been too long Kettu. I smelt you the other day but you didn't seem to have stuck around, glad you decided to say hi this time.]

Kettu dropped her invisibility with her hands on her hips. She tried to hold a stern face but couldn't be mad no matter how much she tried when Tarakona's excitement bled off her in waves that drowned out anything else. The Kitsune was just as happy to finally see the Dragon again.

"Tarakona. It's been so long ago since you left the nest. I was at least expecting you to visit maybe once a year to say hi and tell me how you were doing. And look at you, when did you gain the ability to turn into a Draganoid?"  Kettu praised reaching out to touch the side of the frost Dragons face.

Kettu had originally been a slave heading towards the market so many years ago by a Master that had thought he had her power contained. Before Tarakona herself had hatched in fact.

That had all come to an end when Tithalia had ambushed the convoy and killed everyone but her without any mercy in nothing but fire and ash. The fire Dragon had then offered her a choice.

Run. And live the rest of her life however she could with a high likelihood that she would be captured again by someone else because she was weak.

Or.

Submit to her right then and Tithalia would show her the true strength that coursed through her veins. So long as she served.

It wasn't much of a choice and Kettu had agreed to kneel before the fire Dragon. What she hadn't expected was that all Tithalia wanted her to do in return for the knowledge was help raising her daughter.

Ignoring the fact she had laid an egg containing a frost Dragon Kettu had taken to her task with a dedication that had pleased Tithalia and granted her much of the strength that was promised.

That deal had ended when Tarakona had left the nest of her own volition.

Kettu hadn't blamed Tithalia when she stopped teaching her and the Dragon mother had been as present as she could be during Tarakona's early years, but always at a distance unable to touch. Her job had always been to bridge that gap.

[This form is a gift from my mate and as for why I never returned? Well I wanted to live my own life and I was sure my mother would release you from her service when I was gone.]

Kettu felt the wave of love Tarakona let out with her words and let out a involuntary smile that tickled the tips of her tails.

"Well your mother always assumed you would return and I was required to wait for that day." Kettu laughed at the memory. "You know how she gets. There was no argument I could have made that would have changed that."

Tarakona hummed her own laugh as she could invision the scene.

[Then what are you doing here? If my mother has sent you to persuade me to return then I must deny her that luxury.]

Kettu tried to hide the annoyance at that.

"Well that is part of why I'm here." Kettu admitted as one of her tails came around so she could run her hand through it. A nervous habit she was trying to break.

[And the other part?]

"Weeeeelllll I'm a Livestock like yourself and trying to understand what that means."

Tarakona just looked at her with thinly veiled disappointment. Kettu didn't even need to use her empathy to know Tarakona didn't believe her. It was written all over her.

[Kettu. You were never a Livestock. Why lie?]

"Now look here missy." Kettu's hands went to her hips in her traditional scolding attitude. "I didn't use to be one but your mother has made sure that if you don't return I will be forced to live alongside you no matter what. Call it her parental protection."

[My mother can make Livestock?]

"And remove them." Kettu said with a nod. "She experimented a lot since the last time she visited you so that she could free you from this."

[I do not wish to be free.]

"But you could be a real Dragon. Not bound to this tiny part of the land for the rest of your..."

Kettu cut herself off when she felt unbridled disgust coming off Tarakona.

[I'm not a real Dragon because I am mated to Clovek?]

"That's not what I meant." Kettu tried to backtrack. "I was just meaning you could have a better life if you weren't shackled."

[I know.]

Tarakona didn't break eye contact even even as she stepped forward causing Kettu to take one back.

[I know that's how my mother thinks but you should know. Dragons mate for life. I will not disgrace myself like my father has and leave him so long as I live and I want you to return that message to my mother.]

Kettu opened her mouth to try and speak some sense into her but Tarakona continued.

[No Kettu. If my mother had offered this to me before I joined Clovek then I would have accepted but now? I'm happy and I'm safe, that should be enough for her.]

The Kitsune let out a defeated sigh. Tarakona was radiating defiant pride. There was no way she was going to change her mind.

"Then I will return your message to her." She offered as some type of peace offering.

It was enough to placate the Dragon.

[Good. And if my mother is as unaccepting as we both know she is? I would be honored to introduce you to my mate Clovek. I can at least make your life as a Livestock as comfortable as I possibly can. You might even find you like it.]

"That would require a lot. More that you could know." Kettu let out.

[Well since you don't know much about Livestock and Deed owners I'll give you your first lesson.]

There was some humor in her tone as usually it would have been the reverse with Kettu explaining something to Tarakona.

[Deed owners can impregnate any Livestock on their farm regardless of species.]

Kettu's tails all twitched.