Upon hearing the hasty request of the man kneeling between them, Gris and Luna momentarily stopped chewing.
They looked at Kilian for a second, their small faces a mix of surprise and the lingering fear from their sister's approaching fury.
Then, their eyes met, a silent understanding passing between the two siblings.
With a quick, shared nod, they immediately scrambled to their feet, pastries still clutched in their hands, and bolted towards the rapidly nearing woman.
They ran with surprising speed, their little legs pumping, closing the distance to their older sister who was only about 30 meters from Kilian and Elara.
The woman, still charging forward with a face contorted in fierce determination, didn't seem to register their approach until they were almost upon her.
The moment they reached her, Gris and Luna flung themselves at her, clinging tightly to each of her legs, effectively bringing her to a jarring halt.
They hugged her with all their might, their small bodies pressing against her as they tried desperately to speak, their words muffled and garbled by the mouthfuls of bread and pastry they still held.
"Mmph! S'op! We're s-s-afe!" Gris tried to yell, a spray of crumbs escaping his lips. "They not hu' us! Big sis!"
Luna, equally frantic and even more muffled, piped up, "Mmmph! Save us! G-gave food! Lis'en!"
Her white cat ears were flattened against her head, her eyes wide as she looked up at her sister's furious face.
"They... they saved us earlier!"
Gris managed to articulate a little more clearly, pulling at her shorts.
"They even gave us food to eat! Big sister, listen to us!"
Elara, witnessing the older sister's initial furious charge and the chaotic scene with the children, felt a knot of distress tighten in her stomach. Her breath hitched.
"What do we do, young master?" she asked, her voice tight with concern, a tremor evident in her tone.
Kilian, his gaze still fixed on the rapidly unfolding scene before him, answered without looking at her.
His voice was low, calm, but held an undeniable edge of command.
"Elara, keep your distance from me for now."
"Don't try and do anything and don't run towards me, okay?"
Elara, caught between her rising fear and her master's unusual command, froze.
She didn't move, nor did she offer a verbal reply, her eyes wide with uncertainty.
A beat of silence passed, filled only by the muffled pleas of Gris and Luna.
Kilian, sensing her hesitation, didn't turn.
His voice dropped, sharper now, leaving no room for argument.
"That's an order, Elara. Do it now."
Hearing the sharp command, Elara, though still visibly reluctant and her eyes darting nervously between her young master and the approaching fury, decided to trust Kilian's unusual instruction.
She slowly began to put some distance between them, taking hesitant steps to the side and back, her focus unwavering on the unfolding drama.
Now with just about a dozen meters separating Kilian from the rampaging woman, his mind raced.
"Is this woman gone crazy?!"
"Her siblings are literally next to her, getting dragged along while she's charging straight towards me!"
"What to do, what to do, Ethan, think, think!"
"What can make her stop right now? Ah!"
Then, just as the feline woman was mere meters away, her eyes burning with unrestrained anger, Kilian took a deep breath and shouted, projecting his voice with surprising force.
"Stop! I can save your mother!"
The effect was instantaneous and startling.
The feline woman, whose fist was already drawn back, hurtling towards Kilian's face, froze mid-motion.
Her momentum carried her forward a fraction more, her clenched fist stopping just inches before connecting with his nose.
Her breath hitched, and her wide, furious eyes locked onto his.
"What... what did you just say?" she gasped, her voice thick with disbelief and lingering rage.
It was then, finally, that she seemed to truly register the small, insistent tugging and muffled shouts coming from her legs.
She looked down, her gaze focusing on the two small, food-covered figures clinging to her.
Before she could fully process their presence or utter a word to them, both Gris and Luna, in a desperate attempt to get their sister's attention, simultaneously bit down hard on her thighs.
A sharp, high-pitched sound erupted from the woman, a mix of pain and surprise.
"Nyaa-ow!" she squealed, her legs buckling slightly.
She dropped to her knees with a grunt, abandoning all thoughts of an attack, scrambling desperately to dislodge the two small, surprisingly strong jaws clamped onto her.
She screamed in pain, her cat ears flattened against her head, her black-tipped tail lashing frantically against the alley ground.
"Aieee! Get off! Get off me, you brats!" she cried, trying to pry Gris and Luna from her legs.
Kilian, seeing the chaotic scene, let out a low, amused chuckle.
He leaned down, a wide, almost impish smile playing on his lips, enjoying the sight a little too much.
"Don't stop, kids!"
Kilian called out, his voice dripping with a mocking, almost theatrical amusement.
"Make sure she understands what she did is wrong!"
"She was going for the kill before asking questions? Is that even fair?"
"She's basically doing the same thing the vendor did to the both of you!"
Gris and Luna, still clinging to their sister's thighs, heard Kilian's words.
Their small brows furrowed as they processed his accusation.
The memory of the rough vendor, combined with their hunger-fueled fear, solidified his logic in their young minds.
With a renewed sense of righteous indignation, they bit down harder.
"NYAAARGH!" the older sister shrieked, a much louder, more pained cat-like moan escaping her.
Still desperately trying to shake them off, her eyes, now teary from the combined pain and humiliation, shot up to Kilian.
Her earlier fury was completely gone, replaced by utter desperation.
"Please! Make them stop! I get it! I'm sorry!" she pleaded, her voice cracking, on the verge of outright crying.
Elara, who had finally put enough distance between them, watched the exchange.
A long, weary sigh escaped her.
He truly was unlike anyone she had ever known.
Without hesitation, Elara walked back towards Kilian, stopping respectfully by his side.
"I think you should stop playing, young master," she said, her voice calm amidst the chaos.
"I think she gets it already."
Kilian's gaze shifted from Elara's concerned face to the already tear-streaked woman on the ground, still flailing weakly as Gris and Luna held fast.
A small, satisfied smirk touched his lips.
He then gently tapped both kids on their thighs, right next to where they were latched onto their sister.
"Alright, alright," he said, his tone no longer mocking, but soft and clear.
"Gris, Luna, you can stop now. I think she gets it now."
At his words, the children released their grips, their tiny jaws unclenching.
Kilian then deftly reached down, holding each child by the backs of their clothes, much like a mother cat might carry her kittens.
He lifted them effortlessly, one in each hand, and set them down next to their older sister.
The woman immediately scrambled away, pushing herself back a few inches on her knees, desperately rubbing her sore thighs.
She winced, tears welling in her eyes as she inspected the angry red marks left by their sharp teeth marks that looked painful and would certainly leave a bruise, if not a temporary scar.
Seeing her discomfort, Kilian looked at Elara, his expression now entirely serious.
"Did you bring vials of potions like I asked you to?" he inquired.
"Give me one of the small ones, perfect for her bites."
Without a word, Elara immediately reached into her elegant satchel.
Her hand reappeared holding a small, slender vial that faintly shimmered with a soft, ethereal red light.
She presented it to Kilian, her movements swift and practiced.
Kilian took the vial.
Without asking for permission, or even a glance at the stunned woman, he uncorked it with a flick of his thumb and poured the glowing, viscous liquid directly onto one of the girl's bitten thighs.
Seeing the faintly shimmering, slightly warm viscous liquid slowly pouring onto her thigh, the feline girl's eyes immediately widened in recognition.
Her face, still tear-streaked from the pain, instantly shifted to one of pure panic.
This wasn't just any liquid, she knew enough to recognize the unmistakable glow of a potent, expensive healing potion.
"What are you doing?!" she cried, her voice high-pitched with alarm.
She tried to scramble backward, desperate to get away from the flowing liquid.
"You don't have to! That must be expensive! I don't have money to pay for that!"
Seeing the girl on the ground trying to escape, Kilian's voice cut through the air, sharp and decisive.
"Elara, get behind her and hold her down."
Without a single word of reply or hesitation, Elara moved with swift efficiency.
She was instantly behind the sitting girl, her hands gently but firmly gripping the girl's shoulders, preventing her from moving further.
The feline girl strained, pushing against Elara's hold, unable to comprehend why she couldn't break free from this seemingly ordinary human.
She didn't realize that the earlier frantic outburst, combined with the sheer amount of running she had done, had utterly exhausted her body.
Kilian, however, knew precisely this.
He knew her strength had been temporarily depleted, leaving her unable to escape their combined effort.
***
/I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If its alright, please drop a comment or a powerstone to help me keep making this world bigger!