Knock, knock knock.

Black cat ears laid against an equally black and furry head, yellow eyes squinted at the antique wooden door. Its little window was too clouded to see through and the rounded old door was too big for the newer stainless steel frame, which kept anyone from seeing in. Or out, as it be.

Sighing and grumbling, the figure knitting at the steel table under a cold fluorescent light stood from her small, red steel chair, black cat's tail trailing behind her as she forced herself over to the door. Her clothes had been much nicer in a different life, but now they were in bleached tatters that hung over her black furred body, hardly able to adequately cover her. Coming to the door, her warped, clawed hand reached for the iron door handle. Her whole arm strained against the weight of the door, yet she was still able to pull it loose from the tight frame.

She stared at the neko on the other side of the door and sighed, stepping aside and gesturing for her daughter to walk in. The woman was more straight-backed than her mother, standing to her full height and walking like an aristocrat. Appearing mostly human, her warped hands, a black tail and black cat's ears were the only evidence to show that she was of neko blood. Her mother detested her daughter for her appearance- being much more beautiful than she -but she had comfort in knowing the girl's mouth was full of cat's teeth, not human teeth, rendering her close to mute.

"What have you brought me, Ashenai?" The old neko asked, the familiar name rasping off her tongue in a hostile manner, yellow eyes scrutinizing her daughter. Ashenai's single, red eye glared at her mother as she crossed the room, her black boots clanking against the steel floor. She stopped by the table and reached inside her brown jacket, her black claws gripping onto the cap of a vial that she set on the table as her mother sat down by her knitting.

"Father," Ashenai said, her vowels being lost in a rough, purring strain. Her sharp canines were obvious as she spoke in her awkward lilt, incisors being lost behind her black lips. Her mother looked up in surprise, taking the vial in her own clawed hand and holding it before her face, staring at the sand-colored ashes within. The surprise was evident, as her ears swiveled back and her eyes widened in surprise. She looked to be about to say something, her muzzle twitching, but she was at a loss for words. She felt rather than saw Ashenai sit in the chair opposite of her, waiting for her shock to subside long enough to tell the tale.

The old wooden clock ticked from the steel wall, being the only decoration aside from the table and chairs in the cold, silver room. It chimed fifteen times, clicks still being heard underneath the minor tones of brass bells. Five ticks after the chiming resided, the vial fell onto the floor and yellow, accusing eyes rose to meet Ashenai's. A nearly voiceless, angry, accusing rasp echoed from the depths of the old woman's body:

"How did you know?"