Kallista had wandered away from the fluffy cat she had met earlier, and now didn't know what to do. Some cycles had passed since then, and she hadn't the courage to approach anyone else. As always, she kept her eye peeled out for any sign of Todd, but she never did find him. At this point, she had basically given up. Had he died? She really hoped not, but she didn't know what else could have caused his sudden disappearance.

She walked now with her head down, feeling her paws drag across the ground. Her fur was an absolute mess, as she never bothered to clean it. What was the point? It's not like anyone looked at her anyway. She was practically invisible. And she liked it that way.

A flash of tan and orange caught her eye, and she looked up. Immediately, she froze. Her gaze raked over the cat, and she instantly knew who it was. It was the cat who had saved her life, all those cycles ago. The cat who had refused to kill her, and then shoved her away so she could escape. She didn't approach the cat now, wondering if she would even want to see her. Was Imperia nearby? She hadn't stayed long enough to see if she had been successfully separated from the caracal. She didn't see them, and couldn't smell them either. But what if it was a trap? What if Imperia had succeeded in getting her to stay? What if they had killed Todd?

She watched from a distance, too scared to approach. She looked around, moving her head wildly to account for the loss of an eye, but still couldn't see Imperia. Maybe it was okay? She still didn't want to approach, though. She decided to let the cat approach her if she so wanted. She sat and watched, eye narrowed slightly.

---

She approached. Kal watched, and made no movement aside from giving a small smile in turn. She was still wary, worried that Imperia was still nearby, but she wouldn't do anything to show that. As she spoke, she let out a small chuckle. "Yes, I am alive. And it appears so are you. Did you beat Imperia?" She could at least voice her worry, without directly saying it.

After speaking, she looked more closely at Li's fur. Was that...ash? And burns? Her wariness came flooding back. Had she used fire magic recently? Had Imperia done that to her? Maybe Imperia was nearby! She desperately wanted to look around more, but didn't want to seem scared. So she decided to ask about it instead.

"What happened?" she asked, motioning towards the ash and burns on the cat's fur.

---

Kal could tell that Li was hiding something, but she ignored it. She didn't want to ask about it when she obviously didn't want to dwell on it. When attention was direct to her fur, her ears lowered. Maybe she should have groomed before Li came up to her...She didn't get much of a chance to think about that however when she suddenly felt a tongue swiping over her fur.

Her eye widened, and she soon realized Li was grooming her. She protested weakly at first, but eventually stopped. The feeling was nice, and she realized she didn't want it to stop. She was sat, with Li practically around her, and was being thoroughly groomed. A slight purr found its way out, and she closed her eyes in bliss. It reminded her of any times Todd would groom her, and she leaned slightly into the larger cat.

---

Kal continued to purr, but it stopped completely in her throat as Li spoke the second time. She froze, and then leaned away a bit, disrupting the hybrid's grooming. She opened her mouth, hesitated, and closed it, only to open it again a moment later. "Why...Why did..," she paused. Taking a deep breath, she tried again. "Why did you save me? You risked your life by refusing to. What if Imperia had killed you? All because you tried to save me, someone you don't even know?" She looked up at Li, head tilted.

---

Li's response didn't exactly soothe Kal's nerves. In fact, they seemed to do the opposite. She was quiet for a moment, looking down. When she looked like that...Absolutely terrified...And she was. She was terrified of Imperia, and she had been terrified of Li then. But now...she didn't know what to think of the hybrid. A thought occurred to her that sent a chill down her spine, and she was afraid to voice it. But she had to know.

"So if I hadn't looked absolutely terrified," she started hesitatingly, "if I looked ready to fight for my life, would you have killed me?" She now stepped fully away from Li, staring at her with her eye narrowed, and tail tip slightly flicking.

---