Call of the Moon
Chapter 10 – The Truth in Moonlight
(A note from the authoress: I'm so very, very, very, very sorry for this opening scene. It was killing me to write it, but I felt it was relevant D: )
Okami's eyes shot open and she looked around furiously as she stood up. Her body was aching, but she did her best to ignore it. The wolf youkai squinted as her eyes adjusted to the fog surrounding her. She was standing in a rocky plain. Many blades were impaled on the ground, but they lined an eerily familiar cobblestone pathway. Okami followed it, fear encroaching in the pit of her stomach.
She had a bad feeling about this. A very, very bad feeling. Okami swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat and continued to walk down the path. The number of swords impaled in the ground became fewer and fewer in number as Okami proceeded. She came across what seemed to be the ruins of a gate, and at her feet, was a broom. Okami looked at it and noticed a stain of blood at the handle, and a trail of blood leading forward.
The wolf youkai's stomach fell as she saw the broom. It looked painfully familiar, but Okami continued to walk forward. The fog thickened as she followed the trail of blood. Okami tripped over something on the ground, and when she turned to look at it, she nearly threw up.
Lying on the ground was the mangled body of Nazrin. Her throat was ripped out, her eyes were open in a horrified stare and a pool of blood leaked out of her mouth.
Okami's hand flew to her mouth as nausea and horror weakened her stomach. Tears started to form in the young wolf's eyes. She tore her eyes away from Nazrin, but her eyes widened even more upon what she saw ahead.
"No…"
Okami was speechless. Tears fell freely down her face as she stared at the dead bodies of Ichirin, Shou, and Mamizou. Okami fell to her knees. Had this happened because of her? Because she was foolish enough to let this all happen?
"Hey, kid," a voice spoke. Okami looked up, tears blurring her vision. She saw the ghostly form of Murasa floating in front of her. "How have you been?" she asked sadly.
"What happened here? What happened to everyone?" Okami wailed, her voice shaking.
Murasa didn't respond, only looking behind her at the bodies of her slain friends. "Things didn't go so well after you left, kiddo."
Okami forced herself to stand, and she moved forward. The fog cleared, and Okami heart fell as she saw the ruins of the Myouren Temple. And in front of it, were the corpses of Nue… Byakuren… and Kyouko.
Okami let out a cry of anguish as she kneeled by the bodies of her fallen friends. She let tears fall down her face as uncontrollable sobs shook her body.
"I'm sorry… I can't believe I let this happen," Okami sobbed.
"All your fault…" a voice echoed. "All your fault."
The voice came closer. Okami turned around and saw a figure that was coming closer and closer. "Your fault… they died because of your weakness!"
Kamiko appeared from the fog, clutching the sword in her hand. Okami stared blankly at Kamiko, her puffy, tear stained eyes directed right at Kamiko's glowing red eyes.
Okami fell to her knees again. She glanced to her side as Kamiko placed her blade level with Okami's neck. The moonlight youkai drew the blade back and swung.
"…up!" a voice called. "Please wake up!"
Okami's eyes flew open, sweat drenching her forehead, and her breathing heavy. There was a youkai shaking her vigorously. Okami sat up, looking around in a panic. She was in a dimly lit cavern. She let out a soft sigh. It was just a nightmare… but still… could it actually happen?
"I'm so glad you're okay, Okami," the youkai next to her spoke.
"Yes, but… how do you know my name?" Okami asked, frowning as she looked at the youkai. The youkai had long black hair and warm brown eyes. A pair of wolf ears sat atop her head, and the youkai wore a red dress with white sleeves. Behind her a wolf tail swished around. The more Okami looked at her, the more familiar she seemed. She seemed like a distant memory…
"How? I can't go on forgetting my own daughter's name now, can I?" the youkai smiled.
Okami stared at the youkai for several long moments before it dawned on her. "…mom?"
The youkai nodded slowly. This was Okami's mother, Tsukiyo Kobayashi, the youkai sealed several days after Okami's birth. Okami's eyes started to tear up and she sniffled. The young wolf youkai hugged her mother tightly and sobbed.
"Mom, so much has happened! Just… I… I don't know what to do anymore," Okami cried. Tsukiyo gently petted her daughter's head.
"Tell me everything," she spoke.