Chapter 18: Fox of the Moon
A/N: Fiddlesticks, I had too much to do these last three weeks..sorry for the long update!
"Here you are Ivan, dead at 17." Ivan mumbled in his head. He wasn't concentrating on his flute playing so he missed a note or two on a song that he was working on. He found a comfortable spot to lay his back onto on a tree and continued playing. He tried not to think about the people he loved and left behind.
"Rescue, what direction is the music coming from?" Sheba asked, looking around.
The djinni flew into a northeast direction leaving a bright trail of lilac psynergy. She followed him through some tall grasses and a few rocks.
"Thanks Breath." She hugged the djinn and embedded him back into her soul. She walked slowly toward the willow tree she then began to jog a little faster. She tripped over a rock sticking out of the ground and fell flat on her face.
"What was that?" Ivan looked across the grass to see what made all that noise. He jumped into the grass, "Hey...Sheba are you..All right?" He helped the girl up.
"Ivan...." Her eyes began to water as she embraced him.
" I can still feel the same pain from your last dream." Ivan could feel a negative power that began to grow bigger inside her. He knew it was still small enough to be taken out permanently.
"I'm really sorry what happened back there." He hugged her close.
"I don't want to think about it" She said, lowering her head.
"I can tell your spirit is broken. I can mend that for you." He placed his hands on her shoulders. " I know the perfect place."
"Take me there."
"Falcon!" Ivan whistled. A mighty gryphon appeared from the sky. Its mane was silver along with its giant wings. It beared the crest to protect its eyes and head. She landed on the grass, making it blow fiercely.
"How did you get this gryphon?" She looked up at it.
"Falcon was a gift for me. I'll explain more about her later." He scratched Falcon's head and climbed on. Sheba never rode a gryphon before.
"To the Sakura Forest Falcon." He commanded her, "quickly now."
Falcon started to take off. Her mighty wings beat the ground with wind. Sheba wrapped her arms tightly around Ivan, she felt like she was going to fall off already.
"It won't take long, hang on Sheba!" Ivan shouted over the beating wings of Falcon. She took off to the skies, leaving the ground down below.
"I don't like being this high," Sheba looked down at the clouds, "I might fall!"
"You won't fall." Ivan chuckled, "unless I.."
Ivan commanded Falcon to perform a flip in the air.
"IVAN!!!!!!" Sheba shouted, hanging on to him for dear life. @.@
"Ah, come on Sheba." He turned his head back to look at a rather dizzy eyed Sheba. " That's nothing compared to our sky dive!"
Ivan purposely jumped off of Falcon's back. Sheba began to freak out as she saw him flip around. But as soon as Ivan fell far down, Falcon dived down at an incredible speed, and caught him with her back.
"Good girl." Ivan gave Falcon a treat. "You really should try that sometime with me!"
"Don't scare me like that!"
"You're scared of everything. Spiders, large owls, bugs, wolf people." Ivan continued.
"So what if I don't like those things!" Sheba said, laughing. "At least I'm not afraid of talking trees."
"Hey! I am not afraid of talking trees!" Ivan said, arguing back playfully. "We're here, land Falcon!"
The gryphon landed smoothly and gracefully onto the ground. Sheba got down to look at the place. The forest was filled with cherry blossom trees, there was a small river nearby, partly filled with blossom petals. Falcon had disappeared, waiting until the next time she will be summoned.
"Is this it?" Sheba turned to Ivan. "Sakura Forest?"
"What other place would it be?" Ivan took her by the hand. "Now shall we stroll along?"
"Sure." Sheba smiled, " to where?"
"There should be a nice place just up the river."
"What will you do to me?" She asked suddenly after five minutes of silence.
"Cure you of a broken spirit of course!" He looked at her, "why, do you not feel trust toward me?"
"It's not that I don't trust you or anything." Sheba shook her head. "I just want to know what will happen."
"It is nothing that will hurt you." Ivan picked off a blossom petal off her hair.
"If you say so...." Sheba went along with him.
A giant tree stood in the middle of all the small cherry blossom trees. It's great branch arms spread out like its roots that were far under the deep ground. Its massive size shaded a large portion of the area.The bark of the tree had a glowing symbol carved into the heart of it. Nearby grass was covered in the soft petals of this tree, leaving a soft surface to sit on. Ivan took her to the tree and told her to place her left hand onto on side of the tree. Then he put his right hand on the other side of the tree.
"Ok Sheba, cover the symbol of the tree with your hand." He guided his hand to hers. "Just close your eyes and relax. All your sorrow will depart from your spirit into the tree.
She followed the instructions without a word. Both of them didn't speak up for a long time. Sheba felt much of her sadness disappear from her and into the giant tree. Once she felt every ounce of negative energy out of her system, she finally opened her eyes back open again.
"Feel better?"
"It seemed to have worked." She looked up at the tree, finding a good size recluse crawling down from it.
"EAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!" She shrieked as the recluse came in direct view of her. She quickly scrambled near another tree.
"Ivan, don't let that thing near me!!" Sheba whined.
"It's nothing but nice little recluse, isn't that right?" Ivan petted the Recluse and let it crawl on his arm, "she isn't going to bite you."
"But..but Recluses are slimy and icky!" She said when behind the tree. She suddenly felt a hairy creepy leg touch her head. She looked up and another Recluse appeared.
Sheba screamed even louder than the first time. This time she tried to run away, only to trip over a fuzzy ball.
"Are you alright?" Ivan put the recluse back and got her back up and her feet.
"You should see what you tripped over." Ivan pointed out the creature who was standing there. The creature was about a foot tall. It's eyes were dark and big, used for seeing at night. A tail of soft black tipped feathers touched the floor. Soft bunny like ears stood straight up, while the other six, 3 on each side of it's face were shorter and more dull. A red gem glowed on its forehead, containing the powers of the moon. It had no arms, but long legs to bounce with.
"It's such a cute little thing!" Sheba smiled and picked it up. The silver creature didn't look too happy. As Sheba picked it up, the creature kicked her straight into the face.
Sheba fell back, her face red from the kick.
"Hey, why did you do that!?" Ivan glared at the creature.
"It's alright I'll be fine." Said a weary tear-eyed Sheba.
The creature's mood suddenly changed again. As Sheba backed away from it, it would follow her.
"Why should I let you follow me if you are going to hurt me?" Sheba spoke, still upset. She then picked up a signal that was coming from the creature to her mind.
"I only did it to exchange the amount of pain you gave while you tripped over me."
"oh, is that it?
"Of course, but for now on, you are my master. I was sent to you as a Guardian Force." The creature replied mentally, I am Kurai, the fox of the moon."
"I guess I can take along with me Kurai!" She picked up Kurai with no problem.
"So you are taking the creature along? I thought you didn't like him."
"Her!" Sheba corrected him, "she happens to be my Guardian Force."
"Guardian Force..." Ivan repeated the name, "Falcon is one."
"Ivan I feel sleepy." Sheba yawned, crawling to a pile of petals and holding onto Kurai like a stuffed animal. "I'm taking a nap."
"The side affect of the tree therapy seems to be taking place." Ivan soon became sleepy and cuddled up into a ball next to Sheba.
A/N: Fiddlesticks, I had too much to do these last three weeks..sorry for the long update!
"Here you are Ivan, dead at 17." Ivan mumbled in his head. He wasn't concentrating on his flute playing so he missed a note or two on a song that he was working on. He found a comfortable spot to lay his back onto on a tree and continued playing. He tried not to think about the people he loved and left behind.
"Rescue, what direction is the music coming from?" Sheba asked, looking around.
The djinni flew into a northeast direction leaving a bright trail of lilac psynergy. She followed him through some tall grasses and a few rocks.
"Thanks Breath." She hugged the djinn and embedded him back into her soul. She walked slowly toward the willow tree she then began to jog a little faster. She tripped over a rock sticking out of the ground and fell flat on her face.
"What was that?" Ivan looked across the grass to see what made all that noise. He jumped into the grass, "Hey...Sheba are you..All right?" He helped the girl up.
"Ivan...." Her eyes began to water as she embraced him.
" I can still feel the same pain from your last dream." Ivan could feel a negative power that began to grow bigger inside her. He knew it was still small enough to be taken out permanently.
"I'm really sorry what happened back there." He hugged her close.
"I don't want to think about it" She said, lowering her head.
"I can tell your spirit is broken. I can mend that for you." He placed his hands on her shoulders. " I know the perfect place."
"Take me there."
"Falcon!" Ivan whistled. A mighty gryphon appeared from the sky. Its mane was silver along with its giant wings. It beared the crest to protect its eyes and head. She landed on the grass, making it blow fiercely.
"How did you get this gryphon?" She looked up at it.
"Falcon was a gift for me. I'll explain more about her later." He scratched Falcon's head and climbed on. Sheba never rode a gryphon before.
"To the Sakura Forest Falcon." He commanded her, "quickly now."
Falcon started to take off. Her mighty wings beat the ground with wind. Sheba wrapped her arms tightly around Ivan, she felt like she was going to fall off already.
"It won't take long, hang on Sheba!" Ivan shouted over the beating wings of Falcon. She took off to the skies, leaving the ground down below.
"I don't like being this high," Sheba looked down at the clouds, "I might fall!"
"You won't fall." Ivan chuckled, "unless I.."
Ivan commanded Falcon to perform a flip in the air.
"IVAN!!!!!!" Sheba shouted, hanging on to him for dear life. @.@
"Ah, come on Sheba." He turned his head back to look at a rather dizzy eyed Sheba. " That's nothing compared to our sky dive!"
Ivan purposely jumped off of Falcon's back. Sheba began to freak out as she saw him flip around. But as soon as Ivan fell far down, Falcon dived down at an incredible speed, and caught him with her back.
"Good girl." Ivan gave Falcon a treat. "You really should try that sometime with me!"
"Don't scare me like that!"
"You're scared of everything. Spiders, large owls, bugs, wolf people." Ivan continued.
"So what if I don't like those things!" Sheba said, laughing. "At least I'm not afraid of talking trees."
"Hey! I am not afraid of talking trees!" Ivan said, arguing back playfully. "We're here, land Falcon!"
The gryphon landed smoothly and gracefully onto the ground. Sheba got down to look at the place. The forest was filled with cherry blossom trees, there was a small river nearby, partly filled with blossom petals. Falcon had disappeared, waiting until the next time she will be summoned.
"Is this it?" Sheba turned to Ivan. "Sakura Forest?"
"What other place would it be?" Ivan took her by the hand. "Now shall we stroll along?"
"Sure." Sheba smiled, " to where?"
"There should be a nice place just up the river."
"What will you do to me?" She asked suddenly after five minutes of silence.
"Cure you of a broken spirit of course!" He looked at her, "why, do you not feel trust toward me?"
"It's not that I don't trust you or anything." Sheba shook her head. "I just want to know what will happen."
"It is nothing that will hurt you." Ivan picked off a blossom petal off her hair.
"If you say so...." Sheba went along with him.
A giant tree stood in the middle of all the small cherry blossom trees. It's great branch arms spread out like its roots that were far under the deep ground. Its massive size shaded a large portion of the area.The bark of the tree had a glowing symbol carved into the heart of it. Nearby grass was covered in the soft petals of this tree, leaving a soft surface to sit on. Ivan took her to the tree and told her to place her left hand onto on side of the tree. Then he put his right hand on the other side of the tree.
"Ok Sheba, cover the symbol of the tree with your hand." He guided his hand to hers. "Just close your eyes and relax. All your sorrow will depart from your spirit into the tree.
She followed the instructions without a word. Both of them didn't speak up for a long time. Sheba felt much of her sadness disappear from her and into the giant tree. Once she felt every ounce of negative energy out of her system, she finally opened her eyes back open again.
"Feel better?"
"It seemed to have worked." She looked up at the tree, finding a good size recluse crawling down from it.
"EAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!" She shrieked as the recluse came in direct view of her. She quickly scrambled near another tree.
"Ivan, don't let that thing near me!!" Sheba whined.
"It's nothing but nice little recluse, isn't that right?" Ivan petted the Recluse and let it crawl on his arm, "she isn't going to bite you."
"But..but Recluses are slimy and icky!" She said when behind the tree. She suddenly felt a hairy creepy leg touch her head. She looked up and another Recluse appeared.
Sheba screamed even louder than the first time. This time she tried to run away, only to trip over a fuzzy ball.
"Are you alright?" Ivan put the recluse back and got her back up and her feet.
"You should see what you tripped over." Ivan pointed out the creature who was standing there. The creature was about a foot tall. It's eyes were dark and big, used for seeing at night. A tail of soft black tipped feathers touched the floor. Soft bunny like ears stood straight up, while the other six, 3 on each side of it's face were shorter and more dull. A red gem glowed on its forehead, containing the powers of the moon. It had no arms, but long legs to bounce with.
"It's such a cute little thing!" Sheba smiled and picked it up. The silver creature didn't look too happy. As Sheba picked it up, the creature kicked her straight into the face.
Sheba fell back, her face red from the kick.
"Hey, why did you do that!?" Ivan glared at the creature.
"It's alright I'll be fine." Said a weary tear-eyed Sheba.
The creature's mood suddenly changed again. As Sheba backed away from it, it would follow her.
"Why should I let you follow me if you are going to hurt me?" Sheba spoke, still upset. She then picked up a signal that was coming from the creature to her mind.
"I only did it to exchange the amount of pain you gave while you tripped over me."
"oh, is that it?
"Of course, but for now on, you are my master. I was sent to you as a Guardian Force." The creature replied mentally, I am Kurai, the fox of the moon."
"I guess I can take along with me Kurai!" She picked up Kurai with no problem.
"So you are taking the creature along? I thought you didn't like him."
"Her!" Sheba corrected him, "she happens to be my Guardian Force."
"Guardian Force..." Ivan repeated the name, "Falcon is one."
"Ivan I feel sleepy." Sheba yawned, crawling to a pile of petals and holding onto Kurai like a stuffed animal. "I'm taking a nap."
"The side affect of the tree therapy seems to be taking place." Ivan soon became sleepy and cuddled up into a ball next to Sheba.