Saki

  I barely had time to even consider the insanity of that statement when the first wolf hit me from behind. I was so lost in thought I hadn't noticed it coming.

  In a panic I rolled before it could trap me and summoned a foxfire bolt. Before I could cast it however, another wolf bit my wrist, causing the bolt to go wide and miss!

  Panic further filled me and it started to consume my mind. Then a voice cut through my thoughts: "Nya! Don't panic, you panic, you die!"

  Tama's voice was everywhere and nowhere at once. I could hear it, and yet it was clear the wolves couldn't. How had she done that?!

  Once again lost in confusion at Tama, I didn't notice the third wolf as it pounced directly on top of me. I tried to scream in pain, but the landing knocked the air out of me. Why were wolves so heavy?! They were lithe creatures, yet they weighed a ton!

  I forced myself to try and think, only for the pain and fear to drown out my thoughts. I felt the corners of my vision start to shift purple and my panic skyrocketed. "Tama, Tama I can't do this!" I screamed with what little breath I had left.

  "Saki is fine. Tama will not let you die. Tama watches over you like sensei watched over Tama when she was training." Her voice once again came from everywhere and nowhere at once. Her words, albeit simple, gave me pause and allowed me to relax. Of course Tama wouldn't let me die!

  Saki began to shift, white hair growing all over her body as she shrank. Moments later, she was a small albino fox.

  Her form started to grow, but it did not lessen the hairsif anything, they increased. Suddenly Saki was just over five feet tall. Eight tails grew from the first, creating nine long fox tails that seemed to grow and expand.

  Her eyes glowed red and she opened her mouth. Foxfire flame leapt from her throat and she sprayed it in front of her by moving her head left to right. Three wolves died instantly, however a fourth jumped on her back and its claws cut into her.

  Sharp pain resonated through her but she grit her teeth and used two of her tails to grab the wolf. She threw it forcefully at the one coming at her from the front, but another wolf bit her ankle, causing her to collapse.

  Rage filled her and she used her tails to grab that wolf and throw it into a tree. There were so many! I couldn't win this fight... I thought before once again Tama's voice sprang out: "Nya! Four down, three to go!"

  She was keeping count?! I called upon my element of Earth and my nine tails were coated in a layer of earth. Since it was my own essence, I made it light and sharp.

  Using three of my tails, I attempted to stab the wolves all at once. All three dodged and one of them bit into my foreleg, causing me to fall forward as my leg was pulled from under me.

  The two other wolves jumped on my back. Their crushing weight was too much. I felt one of their mouths lock onto my neck and felt my death coming. Then the wolf's jaw loosened and I felt as if the wolves simply fell off of me with three thuds.

  I realized what happened as Tama landed in front of me, sheathing Serenity. "Good first try. Next time you will get it!"

  I stared up at her, my red fox eyes boring into her sapphire blue ones. She simply smiled back and whispered to me, "Do you have breasts in that form?"

  I froze at her words, then I began to shift back to my Foxkin form. I started to laugh before I had even finished transforming. I was already on my knees holding my stomach.

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  My right wrist and right ankle were both ravaged and I was decently sure the wrist was completely shattered. Yet despite the pain, I was laughing.

  "Dammit, Tama, this is a serious moment. What's with the question? I swear you have no filter at all, do you?!" I said between choking fits of blood that I coughed up. Clearly internal bleeding.

  Tama looked at me for a moment with a serious look on her face. Then she smiled and giggled as well. Then she stepped forward and did something I had never seen her do. She healed me.

  I watched as she put her hands on my naked body. At first I thought she was trying to grab my breasts, but no water formed on her hands and covered my body. It felt cool and refreshing as it covered my body.

  I watched in amazement as my wounds slowly closed, the pain receding. I knew water primaries could heal, but for some reason I had never taken Tama as a healer. With how casually she killed, many would agree.

  Still, I had known her primary element was Waterafter all, she used it consistently with Serenity in and out of combat. But healing?

  I mean, I had never actually seen her badly hurt or even cut up aside from the fight with Talia, and even then, now that I thought about it, she had healed extremely fast from that.

  I originally thought it was due to her being so much stronger, but in retrospect, that didn't make sense.

  Based on the healing speed, it made sense why she hadn't healed us in combat before. And other than the goblin fight, she never really needed to. Mix that with the goblins having captured us she probably didn't want to anger them... but that didn't seem right? The goblins were scared of Tama. There was no way she didn't notice their fear?

  "Umm, Tama, if you could heal, why didn't you heal us back at the goblin camp?" I asked, suddenly curious. There had to be some reason, right?

  "Oh nya! Tama forgot she could heal others. She does that sometimes!" was her nonchalant reply.

  I stared at her for a long, indescribable moment of pure unadulterated disbelief. She... she... she FORGOT?!

  "Please tell me you are joking, Tama, please..." I pleaded with the insane Nekojin. "You must have had some reason. You didn't leave Tera and I with possible concussions unconscious in a damn cage and multiple internal injuries because you 'forgot.'"

  Tama's smile faded and she sighed. "Well, to be honest, Tama forgot the same way Tama's sensei forgot to heal her after training each day. Pain is important, it teaches a lesson to those who receive it. That is what sensei told Tama every day." She didn't make eye contact and instead looked down. "Tama is sorry, but she can't just heal you every time you are hurt. It would make the lesson not stick."

  Her words struck me like an anvil falling on my head. I fell to my knees at the absurdity of that statement. I had thought her sensei a great swordsman, and perhaps he was.

  But he most certainly was not a kind man. The more I learned of Tama, the more I realized just how horrible her life had truly been. Why? Why would he do this to her?

  What had Tama done to be tortured by that man? You could say his training paid off, and one might even go so far as to say it was a necessary evil.

  But tell that to the girl who thought healing, one of the most integral parts of her primary element, was anathema to becoming stronger.

  I felt my rage bubbling inside of me at the cruelty. I understood whyI didn't accept it. I was almost glad he was dead. I wasn't sure if I wouldn't have attacked him on sight after all this.

  Then Tama continued and I realized I was mistaken. "Sensei was always kind and caring in his own way. Tama would always heal herself after every fight. Sensei didn't like that. He said healing was important and shouldn't be wasted easily. He told Tama that water was life-giving, and using it freely when it wasn't needed was dangerous. Saki and Tera were not in danger in the cage. Saki and Tera at most had concussions and internal pain. The goblins can heal that stuff. Tama healed you because you were bleeding and would have died. That is important to health, that is why Tama healed."

  I felt ashamed at my earlier comments. The man had been forceful in his training, but as Tama said, he was never unkind about it. Tama was living proof that despite his sometimes questionable tactics and reasoning, he had a big heart and went out of his way to raise someone like Tama. I could only imagine dealing with her my entire life.