vitreous adj. 1. Pertaining to, resembling, or having the nature of glass; glassy. 2. Obtained or made from glass. 3. Of or pertaining to the vitreous humor. Latin vitreus, from vitrum, glass
Inu Yasha and all characters within are property of Rumiko Takahashi.
Vitreous
chapter I: water
A drop of ink can penetrate water and taint the entire cup
- Hateshi, Dark Reflections
There are days when the sky seems like it could go on forever. Everything seems more alive, and even the air you breathe smells cleaner, fresher, better. Time means nothing on a day like this; a day perfect for camping in the wilderness surrounded by the two people who mean the world to you - the two people who are the world to you.
Sunlight danced though the treetops, casting kaleidoscope shadows on the beaten-down path, changing every so often when the wind whistled through the trees. The air held the perfume of nature, of trees and dirt, flowers and mountain water. There was also the smell of fish being cooked over a small fire, alerting a certain daydreamer from her cloud gazing, butterfly-chasing, discover the secret of where exactly that frog was hopping off to adventures.
"Rin-chan!"
Rin perked up at the sound of her mother's voice and knew that Papa must have finished grilling their lunch. She carefully gathered together her newfound treasures that she discovered on her exploration of the small grassy area, deciding that she couldn't possibly live without the perfect pinecone or that smooth rock that looked like a pancake. Scampering to where her parents had set up camp, she gave a toothy grin and held out her hands to show Mama her riches. Her mom smiled and gave her a hug, twirling her bundle of energy of a child into the air. Papa looked up and grin at the site of his wife and daughter together, smiling and laughing. Mama set Rin on the ground again, grabbing an extra baggy for her to store her precious objects in before discovering that her daughter was a mess.
"Rin-chan, let's get you cleaned up for lunch. It looks like you had quite an adventure."
"Uh-huh! I found this squirrel who was gathering nuts and I decided to find out where he lives, only he lives in a high tree and so I couldn't follow him up there because I am too little and the tree was THIS TALL!" Rin stretched her arms as far as they would go, emphasizing her point.
Mama smiled as they went over to the stream. "I'm glad. I wouldn't want my little Rin getting hurt because she tried to climb up a tree. That can be very dangerous."
Rin nodded seriously. Mama took out a bar of soap and handed it to Rin.
Rin looked up at her mother worried. "Mama, will the soap make the fishes sick? Sensei says it's wrong to dump chemicals into drains that lead to the ocean where it could poison the fishes, causing the people who eat them to get sick, creating a shortage of food which would lead to hunger, making people hunt for food and then war will brake out and people will die. Rin doesn't want to kill people!"
Her mother sweat-dropped as she looked down, amazed at her daughter's sudden knowledge of the environment. "Your teacher told you that!"
"Uh…" Rin looked deep in thought. "Rin can't remember exactly."
Mama nodded, deciding not to press the politics of preschool teaching. She knew her daughter spoke in third person when she was overly emotional about something. "Well, it's okay because this is special bio-degradable soap that Papa bought especially for camping."
Rin stared blankly at her mother, who smiled. "It means that it is specially made and won't harm the fishes or the water in general."
"OH" was Rin's reply as she accepted the soap and placed her hands in the water, shrieking and giggling. "IT'S COOOOLD."
Mama helped Rin lather her hands before realizing that the child was barefoot- again. "Rin, you need to keep your shoes on. What if you step on something sharp and hurt yourself?"
"Oops?"
"Oh no, not 'oops' Missy. You know the rule." Mama sighed as she pulled out her handkerchief and dipped it in the water before scrubbing her daughter's feet and legs. Rin stood still as she was cleaned, the warm sun keeping her warm as the icy cloth ran against her bare skin.
"Mama, why is the water so cold if the sun is out?"
"Because this stream is made of melt water from Fuji-san. As the ice melts from the mountain, it enters the stream, making it extremely cold."
"OH."
Mama finished her task and replaced the soap in its little container; setting it in the pouch she carried around her waist. "Alright kiddo, let's go eat. Papa is waiting for us."
Rin nodded before letting out a squeak as her mother picked her up, wanting to protect her daughter's newly clean feet from the ground. Mama was right. Papa was waiting, and the three of them sat down on the picnic blanket as he began to serve the food. They ate the food with zest, content to be surrounded by Nature's wonders. Everything was great.
The rain was unexpected. The family, who had decided to do a little hiking through the woods, was protected by the treetops. Rin's father looked up and squinted, trying to get a sense of how long the rain planned to last. Realizing the intense pewter gray of the clouds only meant trouble, he turned his eyes back to his family to alert them that they were heading back to camp. What he didn't expect was the look on his wife's face as she grabbed Rin and put the oblivious girl behind her. Wondering what was going on he followed his wife's fearful gaze and discovered the source of her alarm.
They were far away, but it was obvious that they were coming closer. Though they moved slowly and stealthily, their low growls echoed through the eerily quiet forest until they reached the family's ears. Wolves- and from the sound they emitted, they were hungry.
It was a blur what happened next. Knowing that they were in the middle of nowhere, the only place to hide would be in one of the trees, with hope that by climbing too high the wolves wouldn't reach them. Papa grabbed Rin and lifted her high, instructing her to reach out and grab the lowest limb. Rin, who failed to notice the seriousness of the matter, thought it was a game and happily complied, wondering if she would meet a squirrel.
"Look Mama! I'm a squirrel!" Rin giggle and made her rendition of a squirrel noise. Her mother gave a strained smile, trying to mask her fear. "That's great baby! Now why don't you see how high you can climb."
Rin nodded happily before recalling her mother's words from earlier. "But I thought it was dangerous to climb trees."
"Don't worry. Mama and Papa will be right there with you." Her words came out in a rush - she was beginning to lose her cool. Rin's father realized this and placed his hand on her shoulder before helping her up into the tree. Rin began climbing higher as her mother joined her, thinking that it must be okay if Mama was climbing too. Papa waited until they reached the next branch before he began to climb the tree, cursing softly at the thickness of the tree trunk, finding it hard to get a holding for his hands and feet. Glancing back, his eyes widened. They were too close, and they were running closer.
A hand suddenly came out of nowhere and he looked up to see his wife extending herself from a nearby branch to help him. He accepted her hand and struggled to pull himself up higher as the wolves reached the base of the tree. Higher in the branches was Rin, who looked down at the growling noise that seemed to manifest itself out of thin air. Eyes bugging out, she screeched with fright as her father struggled to evade the wolves' jaws. It wasn't a game anymore.
Papa scampered up, gasping as he held his wife close, before motion for them to continue up to meet their daughter. The rain fell harder, agitating the wolves more as they watched their prey strive to get away.
Rin was scared. She climbed higher as the rain beat down her body and caused her to slip a little. Kicking a bit, she regained her footing but lost a shoe in the process. She gasped as her sock began to soak up cold water as it stood firmly on a bough. Below, her parents were having similar troubles. Though they were stronger that Rin, their bodies were older, less flexible. Not to mention they were bigger and had to be more cautious about which limb they stepped on, lest it give out from under them. Which it did.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH"
Rin nearly lost her balance again at the unearthly cry that ripped through the sounds of heavy rain and gnashing teeth. Looking down she saw her mother dangling from a tree branch, kicking her legs wildly in an attempt to regain her footing. Papa was trying desperately to reach her in time.
"Oh God, don't let me fall!" she cried shutting her eyes, trying to contain her tears. Rin's own lip began to tremble. "MAMA!"
Papa turned and shouted a warning for Rin to stay put as he made his way down to his panicking wife. Wrapping his legs around the branch, he pressed his torso against the wood and grabbed his wife's arms. "Pull yourself up! I got you. Just don't look down."
A shaky nod was her only reply as she swung her legs to the tree trunk and tried to scale it sideways. She began to gain ground when her foot slid across the wet surface, causing her to dangle in the air once again. Papa, who wasn't expecting her sudden drop, slipped on his grip of her, losing a few inches before he renewed his efforts and gripped her tighter.
"AGAIN! Try again!"
She grunted and tried again, growling as she found the task nearly impossible but damn it she wasn't trying her hardest.
"MAMA!"
She looked up to look for Rin, and cursed nightfall. Where was she? Was she all right? Lightening streaked across the sky and suddenly Rin was in sight, clinging to the tree, tears streaking her face- or was it the rain? If she hadn't been crying before, the lightening surely did it as a sob emitted from the small child.
Down below, the wolves were getting antsy. The lightening caused them to cry out, weakening their resolve to hunt down dinner and instead return to the cave. The boom of thunder that rolled across the forest instigated yips from the wolves as they danced around, ready to leave. Rin let go of the tree and covered her ears, trying to block out the horrible sounds.
"RIN, DON'T LET GO OF THE TREE! JUST STAY THERE, MAMA'S COMING!"
Rin's father turned from his wife to see his daughter in a dangerous position. However, his shift of attention cost him dearly as his wife slipped through his loosened grip. She fell to the ground with a sickening crunch and blacked out.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Rin's father shimmed down the tree without a second thought and grabbed the nearest branch to try and fend off the wolves from attacking his wife. It was a losing battle.
…
She couldn't see what was going on down there. It was too dark. Lightening stuck again, closer this time and Rin saw a glimpse of hell. The wolves, too scared to stay and devour their prey, dragged the carcasses back to their home, leaving a trail of blood that washed away with the rain. Her father, still half-alive, was screaming as his body racked with searing pain and he struggled to get free. The roll of thunder covered the sound of one of the wolves breaking the man's neck and when it passed, the forest was quiet.
She was alone.
Rin didn't know what to do. She couldn't cry out, her voice was caught in her throat, afraid that if she spoke, they would come back for her. So she sat there, and waited, praying that her father would come back for her, that it was all just a nightmare. Shivering violently, Rin leaned her back against the tree and tucked her knees to her chest, hoping to shelter herself from the downpour. Resting her head against her knees, she wept quietly, her eyes shut tightly, trying desperately to block out the images that flashed through her mind. She stayed like this for hours, refusing to disobey her mother and move from that spot. It was then that her body went limp from the stress and she collapsed against the tree.
…
It would be three days before she was discovered.
This concludes the first chapter. Please leave a review to tell me what you think. I was also looking to see if anyone would be interested in editing new entries. Think of it as a way to get a sneak peak.