I nodded. "Tama doesn't know why you like clothes. Tama hates them, they are so uncomfortable!"

  I watched as her face softened, and she stepped forward and reached out, petting my head. I smiled, and my tail flicked back and forth in pleasure. I loved being petted; Sensei had done so rarely and only when I had truly deserved it.

  "Hey Tama, we need to get our badges, come on!" I heard Saki say behind me. I ignored her as I continued enjoying the feeling of being petted. But after a moment the petting stopped, and I returned to reality.

  Smiling up at Teranthia, I spoke excitedly. "Tama hopes we can hang out again, and maybe..." My eyes grew big as I said the next part. "You can pet Tama more?"

  Teranthia just laughed and nodded. "Of course, Tama, come by any time for head pats." I jumped up and down excitedly as I turned to Saki. "You hear that, Saki! Head pats whenever I want!"

  Saki smiled at me and rolled her eyes. "Yes, Tama, I am glad you're getting your head pats." She sounded like she was holding back laughter, but I didn't care! I was gonna go get my badge, then... MORE HEAD PATS.

  Talia brought us to a door at the back of the guild next to the first window. It was slightly ajar, and the wood was shattered next to it where I had been punched across the room into it. Looking at it caused me to wince inwardly. My ears drooped slightly, and my tail gave a small flick. A silent reminder that I needed to be stronger, always stronger.

  "Tama thinks you fight pretty good, but Tama went easy on you!" I said with an almost casual smile, my tail swishing gently behind me. Talia turned to look at me with a raised eyebrow. "Is that so? Would you like to go another round then?"

  I froze as I considered her words for a moment, my ears twitching in hesitation. The likelihood of me surviving was slim. But admitting I was weak would be an insult to my sensei. "Nya, not right now. Tama needs to help Saki first!" I said, trying my best to make myself look uninterested. Even as my tail twitched with a mix of resolve and playful defiance.

  Talia simply smirked at me and nodded before turning back around. "Then let's get you that badge, shall we?" she said as she walked through the door. I followed behind her, with Saki trailing closely. Her fox ears flicked with alertness as her tail curled gracefully. We entered a short hallway, only around fifty or so feet in length. I could have easily blinked this in an instant. But Talia stopped me and stated, "While I know you and I can travel in an instant, your friend can't go as fast as you or me." I looked over at Saki, noticing her ears flatten in a moment of bashful irritation. "Saki, Talia says you can't go down this hall quickly!" I was upset that Talia would just openly insult my friend like that.

  When did she become my friend? The thought was momentary, causing me to pause as Saki responded, her tail curling softly at her side. "Not everyone is as fast as you, Tama. Some of us have what's known as regular walking and running speeds."

  I was pulled out of my thoughts as I considered for a moment before it hit me. "It's because your breasts are bigger, huh? They must slow you down!"

  Talia laughed at my words. I turned to her frowning, my tail twitching in mild annoyance, wondering what had struck her as so funny. Saki looked like she was holding back laughter, her fox ears quivering in amusement. I didn't know what they found so funny about what I said!

  "Nya! What's so funny? Tama was simply stating an observation!" That broke the dam, and Saki fell to her knees and held her stomach as she laughed maniacally, her tail whipping around with each burst of giggles. I stared at her angrily as she laughed. After a long moment, she finally stood up and answered me:

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "Tama, you were trained by a world-class ninja. What is normal speed for you is extremely fast to the rest of us. My... special parts... are not the reason I am slower than you. Also, you need to stop commenting about people's bodies. It's very bad and inappropriate." Her fox ears drooped just a bit as she spoke, emphasizing her frustration.

  "Tama doesn't understand, but if you say so, Tama will stop commenting. But Tama still wants to know why!" I said with a raised eyebrow, my tail flicking insistently as if urging for more explanation.

  Saki sighed and shook her head before looking at Talia. I looked at Saki, she looked uninterested in the conversation, so I looked back at her. She looked irritated at Talia before responding to me, "Tama, my breasts, and other women's breasts are bigger because puberty made them bigger. They aren't any different from yours, just a size increase." She gave a sad smile, and her tail curled in a gentle, self-conscious motion as if apologizing. "Can Tama make hers bigger?" I asked with sincerity, my ears perking up with genuine curiosity.

  Saki once again shook her head. "It's just a natural part of life. Besides, they cause lots of problems when you get older. Like they make your back hurt and stuff." Her fox ears drooped further as she spoke, underscoring her matter-of-fact tone.

  I frowned at that. "You just said they didn't make a difference!" My tail swished sharply, punctuating my disbelief.

  Saki took a deep breath, clearly finding the comedy less funny after her explanation. "Look, we can discuss this later. Right now we need badges. Just please stop undressing people and asking about their private areas, and especially do not touch them without permission." Her ears flicked back in a mix of irritation and finality.

  I looked at her for a moment. "Can Tama..."

  "No," was Saki's immediate response. "You may not, now let's go." Her stance was firm, with her tail wrapped around her slightly as she stood her ground.

  I looked at her pleadingly, giving the same look I gave Sensei when I wanted extra rations for food. "Pretty please? Just once?" My ears tilted forward in a hopeful appeal as my tail wrapped around my leg.

  Saki glared at me for a long moment, hands on her hips. Finally, after a moment, she sighed and looked away saying, "If it will make you stop, then yes, but not now, maybe somewhere more private and in the future. Okay?" Her fox ears drooped in reluctant concession.

  "Thank you, Saki! Tama really appreciates it!" I said earnestly, my tail giving a little joyful swish. Behind me I heard Saki say, "Maybe, if we can find you a boyfriend, the two of you can explore each other and leave me out of it." I felt my ears twitch in confusion.

  I turned around to ask her what a boyfriend was, but before I could say anything, Talia coughed loudly. "Excuse me, ladies, can we get a move on? I don't believe a cramped hallway is the best place to talk about your thoughts of sex and dating."

  Even more confused, I went to ask Talia a question, only to be stopped by Saki who stepped forward and took my shoulder. Her gentle grip was accompanied by a slight nod, and her fox ears remained attentive. I looked back to see her look me in the eyes and shake her head. Later, the meaning was clear.

  I sighed and nodded. We took a few steps, and I went to blink instinctively, but I felt a strong grip suddenly holding my hand. I looked down and saw Talia was holding my hand in a vice grip. Not too much to hurt, but enough that I couldn't pull away without exerting immense force. My cat ears flattened as I registered the tight hold.

  I looked up at her, and she smiled down at me and said, "Just making sure you don't try blinking ahead. But you weren't gonna do that after I asked you not to, were you?"

  I froze at her words before quickly responding, "Uh, no, Tama would never, Tama was just walking slow like Saki!" My tail wrapped momentarily around my leg in indignation as I spoke. I heard Saki grumble under her breath behind me, "I'm not slow, you are just an insane speed demon monster." Her fox ears perked up at the retort.

  I wondered if she knew I heard her as my ears perked up and my tail wrapped around my leg even tighter.

  Talia closed one of her eyes and opened it quickly before leaning in and whispering, "Some people just don't like being second place."

  "You know I can hear you!" Saki said loudly at us, indignation in her voice, her fox ears flaring in protest. I once again opened my mouth to respond but was once again stopped as we finally reached a large wooden door at the end of the small hallway.