Old nemesis…
Payon Forest, Payon border, a few days after chapter 1
Sakura…no her name was Moonlight Flower now…
Moonlight jumped onto the next branch, sniffing the air and glancing around. This place was so different from her last trip into the forest…the trees were more closely packed together and it was much darker than before…even the smell was unlike anything in Payon…
Moonlight never had a chance to fully explore the whole of her home; she was always busy and the only part of the forest she went through was the road leading to the local port. She spent most of her life in the underground caverns of Payon city, helping the citizens and organizations within the stony walls of the village. She rarely ventured out.
And Ninetail's skin…it was as if it was her own now; she was able to retract or unsheathe Ninetails claws naturally, and she could feel the fur brushing against the wind.
Another Poring scrambled away from her as she hoped onto another tree. It was so cute, the way it bounced slowly away from her. Feeling a little mischievous, she leapt down, landing just behind the little blob.
The Poring bobbed away even faster, only to meet the side of a large boulder; it had hit a dead end. It shivered helplessly on the spot, hoping its end would be a quick one.
Moonlight squatted down, touching the small little ball of jellopy with a gentle paw. The Poring squirmed away from her slightly, but bumped into the rock behind. It's shivering grew even more violent, becoming more and more afraid every second.
Moony patted the poor little thing, hoping it would provide it some comfort. She retracted her claws, just in case her little friend was a tad too soft. It was a nice feeling, having a lump of gel run through your fingers, just without the mess.
The Poring seemed to have calmed down too. It closed its eyes, as if it actually enjoyed it. Moonlight smiled as it wiggled its way closer to her. It took a bite at her pouch, tugging at it lightly.
Moonlight opened it up. Inside were the apples she picked from an orchard, all red and juicy…except for one; it was still green and unripe.
The Poring immediately jumped into the bag, grabbing the unripe apple with its mouth. It chewed slowly on it, savouring its raw taste. Moonlight had tried one of the unripe apples earlier. I tasted disgusting; how could this little fellow stand it?
Oh well, people wouldn't understand why she liked to chase rabbits so much either. Maybe it was a similar case? Just a minor misunderstanding of what was fun or tasty to others…
The unripe apple disappeared mysteriously into the Poring's translucent body. It made a small sound, like a burp and snuggled up onto Moonlight's lap. It was adorable, like a baby holding his mother…
It snored softly, its little mouth opening and closing, drawing in breath. Its change of heart was very sudden, but Moonlight welcomed it…she desperately wanted a new friend, someone who would comfort her now…
Moonlight's bell jingled merrily as she walked down the road with her new friend.
The Poring wasn't able to climb trees, so she decided to walk with it. She wasn't used to this habit at all…even though everyone in Payon does it. Moonlight was more accustomed to just leap to her destination. People must be very patient to spend so much time walking…
A Poison Spore jumped by, ignoring the duo. It was moving in a hurry, hoping away from something as if in panic. What could have scared it like that?
Oh well, whatever it was, Moonlight could sense anyone coming their way. The air smelled the same. She couldn't hear anything out of the ordinary either. Just a few birds flying off into the distance…
Moonlight's Poring nudged at her ankle. It must be hungry again, judging by the sad look on its face. "Alright, alright. We'll stop and rest for lunch, okay, Poring?"
As if understanding this, the Poring nodded…well…moved its whole body up and down in recognition. They sat under the shade of a tree, chewing on apples Moonlight picked earlier. Poring tried to eat three apples at once, but only managed to stuff two in. With an almighty gulp, the apples vanished into it.
Moonlight laughed softly; as greedy as it was, Poring was also very cute. It bounced toward the apple it missed, mercilessly devouring it in revenge.
Moonlight reached out for it, making sure it doesn't go too far from her. Just as her paw touched the Poring's head, a huge force slammed into it.
Gasping from the suddenness and the pain, Moonlight turned around. Her paw was underneath a gigantic tiger's foot…and underneath was the bits and pieces left of the Poring.
Moonlight to see who had killed her friend. The orange and black radiated off the fur. Its claws were so long it could go through somebody's throat with one swipe. A pipe hung from its razor sharp teeth. Its big orange head looked down at the pathetic creatures below him, grinning broadly at the stunned look of Moonlight.
She realised who the Poison Spore was running from.
This was Eddga…the one that murdered the children's father a few hundred years ago…he was the one who slaughtered countless citizens of Payon and burnt the trees of Payon's grove…and yet, it was still alive…here in front of her…
Eddga drove Moonlight's paw deeper into the ground. The pain returned to her and she snapped back to reality. This bastard killed her people…her friend…and now he wanted to kill her…
Never.
Moonlight reached for her bell in her other hand, slamming the two ton hunk of steel into the Eddga's chest. It flew back a metre away, skidding another two feet. It let out a low growl and stood up again. Eddga let out a roar of challenge, smashing a boulder beside it into bits.
Moonlight wasn't one bit intimidated by its acts. She gripped her bell, running straight toward the giant lion. Her movements were too fast for Eddga to track. She slammed her bell into the brute as much as she could, flail and whacking as hard as her paws would let her.
But the Eddga only got up again. It continued to track Moonlight as she made another attack on its flank. Moonlight let out a wail as she descended upon the Eddga's head…
This time, it was ready. Eddga grabbed hold of the bell, tossing it aside. The bell rang loudly, sending a shockwave throughout the forest.
Eddga approached Moonlight, claws raised and teeth bare. This wasn't like the last time she fought it…she remembered how easy it was to defeat it…how did it get so strong suddenly?
Eddga lunged at its prey, eyes filled with frenzy and saliva impatiently waiting for blood to stain the mouth. It tasted dirt instead; Moonlight had leapt into the air, landing on Eddga's back. She clung onto its neck, scraping it futilely with her own claws. This was no use…nothing she did actually did any real harm to it…what could it possibly take to kill this beast…?
Eddga roared in fury, grabbing Moonlight's arm. With a mighty swing, she was headed on a one-way trip back to her bell. The bell let out another clash as Moonlight's skull impacted onto its exterior. Doubling the pain, the sound made her feel very dizzy too…
Dizzy…?
Moonlight grabbed her bell. She dashed toward Eddga again, this time with a plan. Eddga was about to slash her with its paws, but moonlight swung her bell straight at Eddga…
The bell met Eddga's paw for the second time. It produced a loud gong, piercing Eddga's sense of hearing instantly. Moonlight had already expected this, and stuck her fingers into her own ears.
The gong lasted for another split second more, sending a long reverberation throughout the forest. Then, as soon as it came, silence descended the battlefield.
Eddga was still standing, but its head was spinning wildly, its sense of balance lost to the endless ringing in the speck of brain it had left in its oversized head.
Moonlight took this chance, aiming carefully at Edgga's weak point. With the final blow heading straight for Eddga, she yelled a victory cry into her helpless opponent's face.
The bell landed on Eddga's soft face, nose first. It dented it and caved in its teeth, tearing its own flesh inside-out of its body. The eyes were released from the sockets like a pair of birds set free from their cage. The blood came shortly after, splashing all over Moonlight's skin. The warmth felt good, knowing justice has been served.
But even with Eddga's death, no sense of victory came. She killed it, didn't she? But her friends…they were all still dead…no, this battle was meaningless. Nothing could be done to resurrect her people…murder for murder solved nothing.
Moonlight slumped down, tired and emotionally hurt. Her new friend, Poring…the people of Payon…everyone…even Eddga…they were dead…they were all killed…by her or because of her…
Leaving the carnage, she crept back to the remains of her friend, Poring. She gathered up the small pieces of jelly left on the floor, burying them along with a spare unripe apple. "Even if our friendship has only been for a while," Moonlight whispered, "it reflects everything I've done…I'm sorry I couldn't protect you either….but I'll do my best…if I ever get a next time…"
She stood up again, wiping her tears away. With her bell in hand, she walked off, heading wherever the forest ends. She repented her sins, but she could never forgive herself for what she has done.
She looked at her paw; Ninetail's skin felt as if it grew into her, not just around her anymore…was this punishment her dear pet and friend was giving? For failure to keep a promise to her people? It must be the old legend about Ninetails…anyone who killed the great Ninetails fox will be cursed with a thousand-year spell…
If it would take a thousand years to be rid of her crimes, then she would gladly wait for that thousand years. She looked up into the sky, seeing the clearest day of her life here on this world. She would be seeing much more things for the long time she would banish herself to.
Suddenly, walking didn't seem so bad after all…
