Nightscapes
* * * Chapter One: Sleeping * * *
The rabbit's breath came in short gasps as he ran forward, plunging deeper into the darkness. He had no idea how he had gotten there or why, he only knew that something horrible was behind him and would catch him if he stopped.
In front of him, shadows stretched into darkness, darkness faded into blackness, blackness became oblivion. The rabbit squinted into the darkness, hoping to see some sort of end to this –a 'light at the end of the tunnel', so to speak. He couldn't see anything at all, but that didn't keep him from running on.
Strange noises echoed all around him, though he couldn't see their sources. Not that this was necessarily a bad thing, the rabbit told himself. Whatever was causing those screams and wails was not something he wanted to meet. Ethereal fingers reached out for him from the darkness, brushing against his fur, and he bit back a scream: it felt like someone was pressing ice against him. The darkness was so cold, so unbearably cold…
It was closing in on him. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't cry.
The shadows reached out, enveloped him, held him. His body froze: he couldn't move, couldn't run anymore. Whatever it was that was chasing him came closer and closer, until he could feel it behind him, a cold chill that froze his body even past the numbness.
He found himself able to move, but only his head, and he looked over his shoulder at the blackness. Something long and sharp gleamed in the darkness, and was raised into the air by ethereal hands.
Hare found his voice. "Genki, where are you?" he whispered, his voice soft, weak.
The silver light lanced down toward his unprotected, unresisting back. Hare's eyes widened, and he screamed mentally…
* * *
"…re…"
"Hare, wake up!"
"Get up-chi!"
"Huh?" Hare forced open his eyes and stared up into the faces of the others. Genki, Holly, Suezo, Mocchi and Golem were looking down at him, and they all looked awfully worried. Shaking his head to clear it, he looked up at them and asked, "What is it, you guys?"
"You cried out while you were sleeping," Holly explained. Her soft brown eyes were filled with worry, and she asked, "Are you alright?"
"Yes," Hare answered quickly, a little too quickly to be reassuring. Holly glanced at the others, obviously recognizing that his reply was a little too fast and automatic to be real. Genki frowned, not too thrilled by that possibility.
Golem's eyes were solemn as he looked down at the little rabbit. He knew that it was probably not a good idea for them to push for a more believable answer right then. Picking Hare up from the ground, he rumbled, "It is late now. We can talk in the morning."
"Yeah, you're probably right, Golem," Genki yawned, stretching his arms. Beside him, Mocchi mimicked the gesture and leaned against his side.
Hare looked up at Golem, grateful for the reprieve. He curled up in the stone giant's hands and tried to will himself back to sleep.
Holly leaned up against Suezo, her eyelids drooping closed as she snuggled closer to her friend. However, Suezo wasn't as tired as she was. The eyeball monster stared over at where Hare was sleeping, thinking hard.
I know I felt something earlier, he said to himself. Something brushed up against my mind…like…like the fluttering of a moth's wing.
…Where the heck did that come from? Suezo smirked, startled by the strange image that brought to him. But his eye was much more solemn than the expression on his face, and he kept thinking darkly to himself as the stars glittered over the treetops above them.
* * *
Everything is going according to plan.
The other rebels have no idea that I'm doing this to the little rabbit. And even if they did figure it out, how could they stop me?
The little rabbit certainly has a strong will. But then, he proved that back when we fought before…He's much stronger than those pathetic Evil Hares were. I'm amazed that any of those fools made it out alive.
But…no matter. My spell will soon take complete effect over him. And then I'll have all the time in the world to take control.
Mwa ha…ha ha HA ha…mwa ha HA ha Ha hA HA HAH ha hA Ha HA…ha hA HA Ha ha ha HA HA HA HA HA!
* * *
The darkness from before had changed into a village, and Hare stood in the center square in a sort of stunned stupor, gazing around at the destruction raging about him. Fires leaped into the air, flaming tongues reaching into a crimson sky. Smoke billowed from crumpled ruins, blocking out the sun. Monsters and people swarmed around him, panicking, racing into muddy streets to die at the fangs and claws of Moo's forces. Blood pooled at his feet, but he remained untouched, a passive spectator to the horrors unfolding on every side.
And the others were there, too, but unlike him, they were caught up in this scene from a nightmare, playing out their own roles. He saw Golem, using his Tornado in a futile attempt to protect the others, only to be torn apart while his stone body separated, his pieces blown to the far winds. Genki, huddled behind the temporary cover of what remained of the stone giant's back, sobbing as he cradled what had once been Mocchi in his arms, the lost disc nearly breaking under the force of his grip. Suezo, screaming as a spear lanced into his pupil, writhing in agony as he was pinned to the ground. Holly, calling out Moo's name, begging him to leave her friends alone and just take her, that she would gladly join him if he would just spare her friends.
And Tiger of the Wind, sprawled out in the mud, golden eyes staring blankly, his chest torn wide open by the enemy. Hare stared at the blue wolf, choking on his own tears, and told himself that this couldn't be real. For he had seen who had dealt the final blow to the warrior of wind, and it simply wasn't possible.
Grey Wolf had been the one to tear Tiger's body apart.
But that can't be! Hare's mind shrieked. Grey Wolf is dead, Naga killed him. Grey Wolf is dead, he's dead, he's dead…
His fingers tightened in a vise-like grip around the Phoenix's Tear, and the thoughts surged into his mind.
This isn't real! It's a nightmare, a dream…
I AM DREAMING!
* * *
Hare jolted awake, drenched in his own sweat. His paw still gripped his pendant, which was glowing faintly. Trembling, he leaned against Golem's palms, taking comfort in the safety they afforded him. From Golem's hands he could see where the others were, and he gave the group the once-over.
Genki and Mocchi were curled up together, like always.
Holly was leaning against Suezo's back, her soft brown eyes closed, breathing gently. Suezo looked like he was okay, too.
As always, Tiger was sleeping some distance away from the others, his back turned in Hare's direction. Even in his sleep, the blue wolf didn't seem to be truly relaxed.
Hare sighed, slumping down in a near collapse. At least the others were okay. It had only been a nightmare…
* * *
Suezo awoke with a slight cry, although the sound thankfully didn't wake up Holly. The eyeball monster felt tears run down his face, and he attempted to shake off the images he had just felt flooding into his own mind.
It was hard, so hard. He had a clear mental image of himself, dying. Suezo quivered: Where had that come from? Trembling, he tried to force himself back to sleep, tried to forget the sight burned so vividly into his mind.
But he knew that sleep was not going to come easily tonight.
* * *
How could he? How could he break the spell, the little idiot?
Well, no matter. He'll fall back asleep again soon enough. I'll just have to strengthen my spell a little bit…
* * *
"All right, everybody, let's go get that Moo!" Genki cheered.
Suezo groaned, slowly getting up. "What a night," he mumbled, shooting a dark look over at Genki for waking him. Next to him, Holly yawned and got to her feet.
Tiger of the Wind yawned and stretched his entire body out, almost like a cat would. He glared over at Hare and growled, "Thanks a lot, Hare. Your screaming kept me up last night."
"What?" Genki looked over at Tiger. "What are you talking about?"
"After you guys went back to sleep, that stupid rabbit started screaming your names in his sleep," Tiger informed them. "I would have woken him up, but Golem was holding him a little higher than I was willing to climb. Golem, you sleep like a rock."
Genki and the others looked back at Hare, who seemed genuinely startled by Tiger's words. Golem looked a little contrite, too, and Suezo seemed a little disturbed by what the blue wolf had said.
"Hare…did you have another nightmare?" Holly guessed. The rabbit didn't reply, but he bowed his head guiltily and let his ears droop over his face, hiding his expression. "Hare…"
"What was it about-chi?" Mocchi piped up. Again Hare didn't reply, but he glanced at Mocchi with such a sorrowful look on his face that it sent chills down Genki's spine. The boy unconsciously moved a little closer to the pink monster.
"Maybe we should forget it, guys," Suezo interrupted. The others stared at him, and he hurriedly plunged on, saying, "We have to keep looking for the Phoenix, right, you guys?"
"Right," Genki chimed in, and he turned to face Holly. "What does the Magic Stone say?"
As Holly checked the Magic Stone, Suezo glanced over at Hare, trying to read the younger monster's expression. The little rabbit was clutching the Phoenix's Tear again, his wide eyes clearly troubled. Suezo wondered: could the image he had seen last night have something to do with whatever Hare had dreamed?
The glow from the Magic Stone faded, and Genki started off in the direction it had pointed. Mocchi was right on his heels, and Holly and Suezo followed after the little pink monster. Tiger loped along on the edge of the group, and Golem and Hare walked at the end of the group. Suezo glanced around them: it looked like they were heading deeper into yet another forest. Just how many forests were there on this planet, anyway?
* * *
Tiger of the Wind kept glancing back at Hare as they walked, his thoughts as dark as the expression on his face. The little rabbit noticed the looks, and he shivered, drawing a little closer to Golem. Growling to himself, Tiger looked back to the path ahead of them.
He still couldn't believe that his little brother was dead. He had known, of course, that he would probably have ended up killing Grey Wolf anyway, but what he had learned at Grey Wolf's fortress was somehow even worse than he had imagined. Grey Wolf was dead, but it wasn't by his own paws. Instead, he had discovered that Naga had murdered his brother and had been controlling his warriors through the means of an illusion.
Tiger felt empty inside. Oh, he'd killed the monster that had deceived him for so long, using his love for his little brother against him, but that hadn't stopped this pain from growing inside of him. Tiger wondered briefly what hurt more: the fact that his little brother was dead, or the fact that he had been played for a fool for so long.
He couldn't explain to the others what he was feeling. After all, he was supposed to be the strong one, the one without emotions, without weaknesses. And yet the very emotions he kept hidden for so long had nearly gotten him killed. If Hare hadn't shown up and dispelled the illusion when he had…
But he had, and there was no sense in dwelling on it now. All Tiger could do was move on with his life…and murder that damned Naga for deceiving him like this. Revenge was often the only way for the blue wolf to deal with his problems, and it worked just fine for him now.
* * *
Hare snapped his head back up, forcing his eyes open. He felt so tired, so tired…he hadn't been able to get much sleep that night. After having that horrible dream about the village being attacked, he'd been too upset to sleep.
Why in the world is this happening to me? Am I having another vision like before? Is it a warning?
His feet nearly slipped out from under him, and Hare quickly shook his head to clear out the fog. It wouldn't do for him to fall asleep now, not while they were continuing their search for the Phoenix. The others needed him awake, so he could make plans for them and be ready to fight if necessary. Plus, if he fainted now, it would just be another chance for Tiger to get on his case again.
Gritting his teeth, Hare forced his head up again and stared at the path ahead. His vision blurred, and he shook his head to clear it. He could feel himself start to stumble again, and he struggled to keep his feet beneath him and moving.
* * *
Now…now it truly begins. Soon I will have complete control over the Phoenix's Tear.
Don't bother to resist me, little rabbit. Submit to your destiny…to surrender your body and powers to me!
Now, little rabbit…now!
* * *
I'm so dizzy…I'm weak…
Hare's breath was coming harder mow, and he was finding it more difficult to keep walking forward. The ground seemed to slip under his feet, and he nearly stumbled again. The others were a little ways ahead of him; when had they started walking so fast?
I'm so much weaker than everyone else is…Genki has so much energy…they all do.
Hare coughed, nearly collapsing, and his vision blurred. It was getting harder to see the road ahead.
Everyone's so strong, expect for me…they're all so powerful…
I'm dizzy…I'm weak…
What use am I to them? I'm just in the way…
I'm so tired…I need to rest…I can't go on…
Hare's legs buckled beneath him, and he collapsed to the ground. Through blurring vision, he could see the others continuing on, unaware that he had just fallen.
They don't need me anymore…I'm useless…
I just need to sleep…it feels so good…
Let me sleep…I just need to rest a little bit…
Whatever you do, don't wake me up…
Don't wake me up!
* * *
Tiger of the Wind glanced over his shoulder again, glaring at Hare.
Only the rabbit wasn't there anymore. The blue wolf could just barely make out Hare's crumpled body, laying some distance behind them. His startled exclamation caused the others to turn, and they all saw it as well.
"Hare?" Genki cried out, running back to the rabbit's side. As the others ran up behind him, Suezo felt a sudden wave of fear sweep over him. Somehow he knew that this wouldn't end well.
"Hare? HARE!" Genki called, kneeling down by Hare's side. The little rabbit made no move to respond, his eyes closed, breathing gently, fast asleep with no sign of getting up…