-1The forest was mercifully calm. Pale afternoon light still shone down through the bare branches, the dappled golden patches still dancing feebly amongst the thick layer of leaves. And for a few hours, there was little more movement than the rush of the wind and rustle of smaller animals as they foraged. It was autumn, and there were a mere few days to go before the harsh winter struck Nippon, and Kamui again became little more than a frozen wasteland. It was cold - incredibly so. Moments before, the first few flakes of winter snow had begun to fall, and there would soon be no greenery on the forest floor.
It was high in the branches of an oak tree where the poncle sat, still and lifeless as a statue. The tiny creature rested higher than the ever-falling leaves, at the tips of branches where frost had begun to develop in intricate, glimmering webs of white. The wind, which had begun to flow down from the mountain peaks in chilling drafts, buffeted the branches, causing Issun to shiver briefly.
He had been there for days now. Several had come, friends and family alike, in attempts to reason with him. Even his grandfather had come, and near begged Issun to return home, but eventually, he too returned empty-handed to Ponc'tan. The young poncle would simply not comply, and it was not long before they all gave up, merely hoping that he would have the sense to come back before winter hit. Issun had treated each of them in the same manner - a cold comment, or a dry, toneless order to go away. He did not want to be in Ponc'tan, not now. Not on this day. So he sat, high above the ground, his brush in one hand and a single piece of parchment in front of him. The ink was splattered carelessly into a vague figure, smudged and too messy to identify. But he did not care, for his talent had long since deserted him.
Just like her, Issun thought idly, leaning back against the trunk. Guess she just wasn't worth the effort, either. With a soft sigh, his eyes wandered upwards, towards the sky where the last few streaks of colour faded into the darkness of night. Clouds swathed together in the darkness, heavy and grey, so that he could no longer see the moon, or stars. The forest fell into shadow, pitch black and lonely. The scuffling sounds, which had been comforting moments ago, became unnerving, the whistling of the wind eerie and unnatural.
Issun felt the hair on the back of his neck stand, and an involuntary shiver ran down his spine. Shifting slightly on the branch, he gazed around, bewildered as to why he was suddenly so nervous. The limb beneath his feet swayed suddenly, causing Issun to cling to a twig for dear life. And then, with a sudden lurch, the bough snapped completely. With a hoarse cry of alarm, Poncle and branch plummeted towards the ground, landing with a crash.
It was then, as he groggily pulled himself from beneath the mess, that Issun realised just how dark it truly was. He could now only faintly make out the lines of the trees, and the Guardian Sapling upon the highest peak was just a blurry black shadow. Frowning, Issun pulled himself to his feet, quickly climbing back up the tree to get a better look at the sky.
From the tips of the frosted branches, he could make out the sakura tree more clearly. It swayed steadily in the wind, which was becoming colder by the minute, a silhouette against the coal black sky. There was no longer any sign of the moon or stars, nor the heavy clouds. The entire night was swathed in inky-black shadow.
"Issun!"
The cry made his heart skip a beat, and Issun spun around to see the faint yellow glow of his grandfather. Ishako leapt towards him, climbing with surprising agility through the leaves, until he stood on the shaking bough beside Issun. His cloak billowed in the gale, allowing Issun to see the sword he had strapped to his belt, gleaming and unsheathed.
"Issun, we must get to the Guardian Sapling!" he cried, over the fierce roar of wind, taking the younger poncle forcefully by the arm. "Come!"
"Wha-!?"
But his question was drowned out by a terrible, high pitched sound. The noise was like nothing Issun had ever heard before; it was a screech of unearthly tone, ear-splitting, that sent chills down the poncle's spine once more. It was a cry of death, and of evil, and in the split second that he heard it, Issun feared for his life. He screwed his eyes shut, clamping his hands over his ears in an attempt to block the sound, just wishing it would stop. And when it did, he felt incredibly weak. His knees shook with the effort of supporting him, and he gasped for breath. He tentatively opened his eyes, squinting into the darkness, trying to regain his bearings.
What he saw made him want to shut his eyes again, and wish he could just awaken from the nightmare. Yet, somehow, he could do nothing but stare in horror, and listen to his grandfather shriek his name over and over again.
Beside the Guardian Sapling, was another silhouette. It had a long, snake-like body, and would have most certainly towered about the trees if it stretched to full height. Horns jutted from the back of it's head, and jagged spikes could be seen, flowing down it's spine. But the part that terrified Issun the most was the pure, absolute, darkness. The creature made the jet-black sky behind it seem grey, the guardian sapling almost glowing in comparison. He had never seen anything so sombre, so ominous.
And then he saw it's eyes.
The first thing he noticed about them was how agonizingly bright they were. They glowed so vividly that Issun was sure they would blind him, and yet, they gave off no light against the shadows, no reflection on the ground or snow. They shone so brightly that Issun could not be sure of the colour, but they seemed to be a shocking, inhuman shade of green.
The silhouette opened it's mouth again, letting out another shrieking cry. With wide eyes, Issun and Ishako watched as it reared onto it's hind legs, the sound of it's voice still echoing in the darkness. Swirled markings, in a sickly purple colour, began to glow upon it's body, gleaming green eyes narrowing to slits. The markings grew brighter and brighter, until Issun had to squint just to see what was happening.
Then, the creature opened it's mouth once again, and roared.
If the previous sound had been painful, Issun did not know how to describe this one. It penetrated deep in his skull, and he threw his hands over his eras once more, feeling as though his head was going to explode. Light danced in front of his eyes, and he shut his eyes, falling back to land in the dirt. The pain grew steadily, as the roars became continuously louder. Heart pounding in his chest, Issun struggled to his knees, keeping his hands firmly over his ears. Cracking open his eyes, he tried to focus on the blinding shape.
The beast opened it's mouth once more, patterned body flaring with colour, threw back it's head, and breathed. Terrible, black fire shot from the creature's mouth, engulfing the Guardian Sapling in jet-black flames that danced and licked at the trunk. And with that, thee was silence. The wind stopped whistling, though Issun could still feel the cold air rushing against his face. The leaves no longer rustled, his grandfather no longer shouted. The shadowed beast was silent.
Yet, he could still hear the sound of the sakura burning, the blossoms shrivelling, and the bark crackling. He could see it clearly, the black inferno blazing, letting off a strange, darkness of it's own, and he could still see the fading purple glow of the monster's intricate markings. And he watched, frozen with pure horror, as the Guardian Sapling burned to the ground.
Then he heard the terrible sound again, the screech of terrible darkness, the sound of death. White-hot pain exploded inside his head, and with a feeble cry of pain, Issun fell to the ground, red light washing over his vision.
And it was then that the beast chose to leave, slinking away silently into the shadows, sickly green eyes still blazing in the shadows.
'…Issun…'
He shifted to the side, shutting his eyes tighter. He was comfortable here, and oh-so peaceful. He had not slept so easily since that time, so long ago.
'My dear Issun…'
Go away, Issun thought irritably, burying his face in his arms. Leave me alone.
'Awaken, Issun… you must wake…'
No, he thought back groggily, attempting to block out the voice. Yet, at the back of his mind, he felt a tug. Something about this was familiar. He slowly opened his eyes, and was momentarily blinded by the sunlight. A figure towered over him, and he felt something cold and wet nudge him in the side.
Who…?
'Up, Issun, it is time to rise.'
Now the voice was more commanding. And so, with painful slowness, Issun pulled himself upright, into a sitting position, rubbing at his eyes. He raised his head, looking up at the one who had roused him. The 'person' was hauntingly familiar, a sight that Issun had not seen for four years, nor planned to ever see again.
And rage flooded into him. With a cry, he leapt to his feet, giving a furious yell.
"You!"
Amaterasu doubled back in shock, head tilted to one side. She stepped forwards again, lowering her muzzle to his height.
'Issun, what-?'
"You!" he spat again, drawing his sword in one smooth motion, pointing it at the white she-wolf. "What are you doing here!? What do you want!?"
'Issun, it is me-!'
"I know who you are, Amaterasu!" Issun snarled, jabbing his sword forwards slightly. "And I want to know what the hell you think you're doing here!"
A/N:
Haha, I have more, but I had to cut it off here, or it made no sense. I hope to update every few days, but knowing me, that will more than likely be a fortnightly thing. xD I'm sorry this was so short, but I haven't had much time to write. But soon, I'll have eight and a half weeks of summer holidays to write in. ;D Review, people, review!