Snowy, an anthropomorphic war cat, ran as fast as she could across the rocky snow covered ground high in the Razor’s Mountains. Looking over her shoulder, the black-winged angel still followed her. She kept running and looked over her shoulder again. Now two white-winged angels had joined the chase.

Her courage had failed her. For years, she'd waited for this moment. Now it had come, and she found she couldn’t face Kita. After years of wanting to die, she suddenly wasn’t ready.

Instead, she’d chosen to run. In her heart, she knew trying to outrun Kita would be like trying to outrun death itself. Still, there was always a chance death would pass you by.

The ground in front of her exploded, throwing Snowy backward. Chunks of dirt and rock pelted her. A strong wind cleared the air. Kita stood in the center of the explosion, her back to Snowy. Looking over her shoulder, Kita gave Snowy an impish grin.

“Hey baby, did you miss me?”

“Kita…” Snowy managed just above a whisper.

“At least you still remember my name,” Kita retorted with a laugh as she turned to face Snowy.

Kita's face remained the same beautiful face Snowy had fallen in love with, minus those gorgeous blue eyes. Now a black bandana covered them. She had grown. She used to be 5'6, but now she was an inch short of six feet. Her blonde hair had grown out. It reached just below her waist.

Kita’s wore a simple black bodysuit and new bracers with a checkered pattern of short spikes, that covered her entire lower arms and hands. She maintained her favorite spiked choker and oversized belt that held her assassin's toys. Gone was the leather armor pieces replaced with black pads on her thighs and upper arms. In her thigh pads, she carried several rows of throwing stars. Snowy could see Dusk, Dawn, and her bow Midnight on her back.

The missing hood startled Snowy. Had Kita abandoned being the Fallen Angel? A small glimmer of hope.

“Kita, I…please, I know you're mad, but let me explain. I don’t want to suffer like the others,” Snowy stammered out, trying not to break out into tears. She didn’t want to go in any of horrible ways she’d seen Kita dispatch the wicked.

“What are you babbling about?” Kita asked amused.

“You’re here as the Fallen Angel to punish me for destroying your Legion and for all the innocents I’ve killed,” Snowy blurted out, unsure why Kita hadn’t started punishing her yet.

Throwing her head back, Kita let out a laugh that echoed off the mountainside.

“You silly cat. I only come for the wicked and the evil. Not the stupid,” Kita said when she finished. “The moment I died, the Legion became yours. As far as the innocent, you’re the type who’ll do my work for me.”

A wave of relief washed over Snowy. Three years of fear suddenly vanished. She wished Kita had been a little more kind in delivering it.

Behind Kita, two new angels landed gracefully. Snowy stared for a few moments. “Who are they?"

Kita turned to the new arrivals. “These are my girlfriends, Sarin, and Anthrax.”

The same height as Kita, Sarin had almost platinum blonde hair, but her ice blue eyes chilled Snowy. She could only describe the girl as perfect physical and aesthetic specimen and wore a blue bodysuit revealing a lot of skin with a white belt holding a pair of zai. She had similar pads and bracers to Kita, except in white. A light pistol was strapped to a thigh pad.

Anthrax had burnt red hair and big green eyes. A couple of inches shorter than Kita and Sarin, her body looked just as enviable. Her outfit mirrored Sarin’s except it was green, her bracers were red, and an odd metal tube hung from her belt.

Looking between the four of them, Snowy, lithe and graceful as always, felt suddenly very frumpy.

Kita continued her introductions, “Sarin, Anthrax, meet my estranged partner, Snowy.”

“Oooh, you’re so right, Kita, she’s adorable,” Sarin cooed. “I’d love to have one at the foot of my bunk back at the station.” Sarin thought for a moment, “But can we make her a little smaller so she doesn’t take up the whole bed?”

“You can always make her sleep on the floor,” said Anthrax.

Snowy looked at the pair. Where they seriously talking about her as if she were some kind of pet? And Kita was laughing with them. Snowy pushed down her anger. If Kita was giving her a chance to make it up to her, she didn’t want to blow it by getting angry. Or maybe she wasn’t? She had said they were her girlfriends…

“Are you sleeping with them?” Snowy asked timidly.

“Oh, no, yuck.” Anthrax stuck out her tongue, as the other two laughed.

Sarin looked at Kita longingly, “Oh, I wish…”

Kita just laughed, “No. Unlike someone I’ve been faithful, until I get a chance to talk to you. We’ll see who I take to bed afterward.”

Snowy’s face fell. Kita knew. How she knew, Snowy would never know. The world seemed to whisper everything into Kita’s ears.

“Since we’re on the subject, and you’re in an explaining mood, why don’t you explain this?” Kita held out her hand, and an image appeared. The image started to play and then paused.

Kita reached onto her belt and pulled out a tiny little ball. She pushed a button and threw it into the air. The ball expanded revealing a blue lens, some small appendages, and a float generator.

“Hello Omega, you’re just in time. Snowy’s going to explain what she was thinking that night,” said Kita.

“Ugh. I was hoping to miss this part. Do you know you set her recovery back four months, Fuzzy? You little hussy. We put up with a month of tears, followed by two months of not eating, topped off by a month of nothing but anger and resentment toward everyone and thing. I hope you’re happy,” Omega scolded.

Snowy didn’t know what to say. She had no way of defending herself because she didn’t remember what happened that night. All she could do was apologize and hope Kita would give her a chance to explain. Looking up she watched the image playback.

“So what’s-his-name enters the tent,” said Sarin narrating. “Now we switch to thermal imaging. You’re the one with the tail, in case you forgot. Kita you mind skipping through this part? I can sum it up, he gives you something, and you kiss him, jump on him, and drag him to the back.”

Snowy looked up to see Kita’s hard face, wishing she could see Kita’s eyes and hoped Kita was looking into her eyes. She made no attempt to hide the shame and sorrow she felt, even as she hated listening to Sarin.

“Now this is the good part," Sarin continued. "You definitely know how to work that tail…”

“Enough,” Snowy snapped as her anger at Sarin boiled over. “I don’t have to take this from you, Kita yes, but not you. I don’t even know you. This is between Kita and me.”

Sarin laughed then cooed, “Ah, did I hurt the poor little kitty cat’s feelings? Don’t worry we know you were just in heat.”

Snowy’s hackles raised, and she snarled. “I do not go into heat.”

“Oh, so you really are a cheater then? Guess that means Kita’s mine,” Sarin said with a happy smile.

Snowy snarled, bared her fangs, and extended her claws in an open show of aggression.

“Ah, kitty cat’s got claws,” Sarin took out her zai and spun them in her hands. “This birdie’s got talons. Bring it, you mangy alley cat.”

***

Kita watched with amusement. Sarin had better know what she’s doing because Snowy looks mad enough to kill. Studying Snowy for a few minutes as the pair fought, she impressed Kita with the incorporation of her cat-like back feet into her attacks. The claws weren’t as long, but could strike more power. Snowy attacked much more aggressively using combat techniques rather than the hunting techniques she’d used before. It was possible Jeffrey had taught her something useful? The thought mulled around in her mind for a few moments. She doubted it. Jeffrey wanted only one thing. Kita wondered what had changed.

Snowy and Sarin exchanged blows and cuts, but Sarin was losing. Snowy proved to be too fast and much stronger than she appeared.

Trying to escape into the air, Sarin flapped her wings hard and gained ten feet. Jumping after her, Snowy caught a leg and dug her claws in. Sarin continued to try to fly, slowly moving upward. Pulling herself up, Snowy bit down on Sarin’s ankle. The girl shrieked as the bones crushed under Snowy’s augmented jaw muscles and metal teeth.

Kita winced at Snowy’s bite. Sarin would be unable to walk for several hours, luckily she could still fly. Kita sighed at the setback.

Using her claws, Snowy climbed up Sarin’s body leaving a bloody trail. Sarin stabbed Snowy with her zai, but the wounds didn’t bother her. With a well-placed jab of a claw into each of Sarin’s shoulders, the zai dropped from her hands to the ground below. Raising the heels of her hands in last ditch effort, Sarin aimed at Snowy’s face.

“If you use your gas, I’ll finish you, permanently,” Kita called from the ground below.

Distracted by Kita, Sarin didn’t know what to do. Snowy didn’t hesitate. Reaching behind Sarin’s head, she sliced through the top of a wing.

“Birdie’s going to fall down and go boom,” Snowy hissed.

Sarin plummeted thirty feet to the ground in an ungraceful heap with a loud crunch. Snowy landed and rolled to her feet. Spinning around, she spotted her prey and started to pounce. A large black wing knocked her sideways.

“That’s enough. I won’t have you killing each other today,” said Kita.

Getting up, Snowy glared first at Kita then menacingly at Sarin.

Kita and Anthrax walked over to check on the wounded angel. While Sarin withered in pain, Anthrax did her best to calm her and set the breaks.

“I told you they weren’t ready.” Omega commented, coming up to Kita from behind.

“I thought it would be more even, but Snowy appears to have gained some new tricks,” Kita said with a smile and a sideways glance at the sulking cat.