One: Back in the Feudal Era
It started out just like any other day.
I awoke to the sounds of the chirping birds, the rustle of the leaves in the trees, and the cool, soft wind on my cheeks. I was sleeping on a tree branch, obscured to the world in a small forest in Oregon. This is where I lived, I breathed, I hunted. But things weren't always this way.
I used to have a family. No one knew where they went or if they died or were hunted down for genetic experimenting. All I knew was they weren't with me.
Rubbing my eyes, I yawned and stretched, searching for a mouse or a squirrel with my… unique senses.
I had it. I had the scent and I could hear a very fast and very tiny heartbeat.
My tail flicked at the air as I searched for the delicious creature. Pouncing off the branch and at the mouse, I unsheathed my claws and struck it at the throat with one blow, killing it. I sunk my teeth into it's juicy flesh and knew that it wasn't much, but it was something to keep me going for a while, so I gobbled up the rest of it and set out for the beach.
The beach was completely crowded. Ah, I love the summer. No school, no jerks. Livin' the dream.
Sort of. I fixed my baseball cap so it would hide my ears and tucked up my tail so I could appear… human.
The rental for boats and inner tubes and… other floaties was open, and the spare change I found kickin' around the forest was just itching to be spent.
Since I really don't like the water but it was really hot and I wanted to feel the cool breeze, I rented a rubber water mattress. It had all sorts of colors, and even a little plastic window so you could see the fish or whatever was under you.
Just walking up to the sea made me feel cooler. I looked at the sea and put the mattress down in it, then carefully got on it being extra careful of the water.
It was so relaxing floating on water. I was so tired being out hunting until almost midnight before, that I didn't get much sleep and well, I rose with the sun. So I was pretty grateful for that time.
And that was when I fell asleep.
When I opened my eyes, all I could see was ocean. "I must've fallen asleep." I mumbled. "That's odd." I said when I couldn't hear any small children squealing or loud adults laughing with their friends.
I tried to turn my head around to see what was going on, but stopped half way. I had the most horrible kink in my neck. The next time, I tried it again, but slower so it didn't hurt so bad.
I gasped. The beach was gone.
I was in the middle of the ocean.
No land in sight except for a somewhat large boulder.
I let out a horrible scream and started to cry. "I'm in the middle of my worst natural enemy without any food or water that's not all salty or warmth and… aaaaaargh!" I wailed.
Just then, the mattress quivered and I saw a shadow beneath the water. I looked in the plastic window that let me see underwater and a large fish tail swam under me.
I did a double take. "It's okay Jacquie… just a… really big fish. That's what it is. Heh heh… yeah…" I say to myself.
"So that's your name. Jacquie. Quite odd, don't you think?"
I turn around slowly and see eyes that look like sparkling emeralds staring at me from behind the boulder. As she came out, I could tell that she looked like a human girl. She had super long, soft pink hair and she looked about my age, maybe a year older. But how could she survive way out here, just swimming in the water?
I wonder, until she says, "What are these?" and lifts up my legs.
"Um… they're called legs. Don't you have legs?" I ask.
"No le-gz, as you say, only fin." she replies, sitting on the rock and holding up an enormous fish tail where there would normally be legs. It was sparkling white with little hints of every color of the rainbow where the light reflected off of it in the sun.
My mouth hung open. "You're a mermaid."
"No, siren, dummy." she said starting to giggle. "Now come on. We gotta go before Feibraira gets a hold of ya."
"You have got to be kidding me. Into the water? No way that's gonna happen. See, I'm only half human meaning I'm also half tiger and you know how much cats cannot STAND the water! AND WHO THE HELL IS FEIBRAIRA!"
She started laughing her head off.
"What's so funny?" I asked, starting to get annoyed.
"You!" she replied, coming over and squeezing my tiger ears. "What're these? Oh, and this?" she said trying to grab my tail, but I instantly flicked it away. "And this flotation device… how do I get on it? Ooh! Ooh! And this…"
I was starting to get a bit pissed off with all the questions and I think she understood because her face turned solemn and she said, "I'm sorry. I've just never seen you're kind up close before. Animal demon, right?" I nodded. "See, there's only two animal demons where I come from, brothers. They're white dogs. But any time I try to get close to one of them, they just vanish. Right there in front of ya."
"Interesting. Sounds like you're dealing with the rare Elusive Light Demon. These kinds of demons have the power to seem to vanish, but in truth, they hide in the wherever there is a very bright light. Kind of like a backwards Doctor Who." I said, spacing off about David Tennant.
"Who?" she seemed confused.
"Don't tell me you guys don't have cable!" I said. She cocked her head to one side. "Dude, what year are you from, like, nineteen twenty-five?" I laughed.
"No… um… this is fourteen eighty-two."
"Okay, you mean to tell me that I'm in the feudal era? Not likely. What kind of sick joke is this anyway!"
"It's no joke. What year are you from? Wow. Don't get to ask that question much."
"Two thousand ten!"
"Whoa. You're a long way from home aren't ya? Good. That's part of the prophesy too. Now come before Feibraira gets here." She took my hand and tried to pull me into the water, but I ended up digging my claws into the floatie and popping it.
"Ah, damn! Look what you made me do! Well, since I'm going to sink here anyway, I might as well go with- wait a minute! I can't breathe underwater and-"
"Fen's Blessing," she said in a whispery voice, as her eyes glowed a bright yellow and I couldn't breathe. I knew I would have to get in the water or I would die, so I quickly dove in.
"WHAT THE HELL!" I yelled, somehow being able to hear myself say it instead of it coming out as, "Wubl ehw!"
She took my arm and dragged me deeper and deeper. "Tailahn." she said in the same strange voice. A light glowed from her hand and she tapped the water three times like it was a wall. "Anihacaydra, Curse of the Siren Village." A blinding light shone and a beautiful paradise appeared. "This is Sieni, my home, Jacquelynn."
There was a huge granite castle with quartz pillars and garnet bridges. Below was the village with houses of all shapes and sizes made of stones and woods. There were even some made from sea plants such as seaweed and coral. They all had some sort of shiny pebbles or crystals around the entrances or on the roofs. It all looked like it was traditional Japanese, so I figured I must've been in feudal Japan. All I could think of to say was, "Wow," and I kind of felt stupid for saying just that.
"By the way, I'm Nikoli. Welcome. OH! You should come meet my family!"
"O-okay…" I replied nervously.
We set out around town, everyone staring at me with my awkward doggy-paddle-type-thingy and, of course, my tigerness. Everyone had brightly colored hair in pretty much any color you could think of. The path we were following was made of cobblestones and sand and it led straight to the castle.
The door to it was huge. Nikoli knocked three times then flicked her tailfin in the third crack where the wood came together to the right side of the door and yelled, "It's Nikki and guest!" so they knew who we were.
The inside of the castle was even more beautiful than the outside. The main hall had gold chandeliers with huge pearls hanging from them and quartz pillars and flooring. The walls were made of coral with plants sticking out of it. Then I noticed someone was standing in the doorway. A girl in her late teens with lavender hair that was spiked up in the back. "Who's you're friend little sis?" she asked.
"Temari!" Nikoli yelled, running into the girls arms and hugging her.
"I missed you too. It's been a long time since I came home from searching for that vile twin of yours." Temari said. "But about this girl…"
"Oh, yes! This is Jacquelynn, she's an animal demon, just like the Dog Brothers." said Nikki eagerly. I assumed the Dog Brothers were the dog demons that seemed to always be disappearing.
"Nikoli, you are never ever allowed to go near them, especially after what they did."
"But what if it was a mistake! What if…"
Ah, sisterly love. They went on arguing about whatever the doggies did, and I started to get so annoyed that I used the trick I learned while I was breaking up a fight at my school once.
I snapped my fingers in a special way between them, making them instantly cover their ears in pain. "What was that for!" said Nikki irritably.
I remembered how I'd never had any siblings or anyone to love me. That I couldn't stand siblings fighting, even though they actually had each other. "No reason. The loudness was just… getting on my nerves, that's all." I lied, deciding not to bore them with my sad life story. "So, anyway, got any other family I could bother?"
"Oh… heh heh heh… You're gonna love my brothers. Especially Gaara." she grinned evilly.
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