Obscure Reality…

The sun hung high in the sky, scorching the barren lands of the brown sea. Weeds and critters were slowly buried by the ever shifting sands. Signs of an ancient civilization persisted, leaving stone columns and scattered bricks all over the sandy ground.

Moonlight clambered up another hill. This place was nothing like Payon…it was so hot…so dry…she wasn't even able to sweat properly…

Water…she desperately needed water…even if she couldn't die, the pain was driving her insane…there had to be a river…a pond…even a puddle would do…just one sip of water…it was all she wanted now…

A blurry image formed in her eyes. Even though the desert made her vision sway side to side, it was more than miraculous to be mistaken. A river…no, an entire ocean was in front of her…what luck!

Moonlight ran as fast as she could, ignoring the stinging blisters on her feet. She would drench herself in the cool liquid, imagining how good it would feel…she'd be sipping fresh water soon…it was only so far away….

But she never even came close to the ocean. It remained where it was, flickering in and out in the desert heat. Despite all the running, all the effort she put in, it was all for nothing…she never even had a single gulp…

Moonlight suddenly felt very light headed…her eyes were heavy and her limbs felt like they were about to collapse…she held onto her bell, clinging onto it for support. Its metal shell seared straight into Moonlight's skin, burning and blistering it instantly. Moonlight flinched, backing away from the bell. The sleepy feeling returned, forcing her to fall on the floor and faint. She tried desperately to fight it, but she was exhausted. She was hungry, thirsty and dead tired from the running. The heat was helping either; it made her feel like she was having a heat stroke…her life dwindled in front of her once, then everything went blank…

Moonlight peeled open her eyelids, leaning her head to the side. It was evening, and the sky darkened to a light shade of orange. The desert around her was much cooler, and she was lying down on something soft…

A small force stroked her head gently…so soft…tender…

Moonlight sprung away from whoever it was, crouching low in an angry kitten position.

"Oh! You're awake already?" a person said, "You were fast asleep when I found you two hours ago. And…what're you doing?"

The person wore a pinkish-brown leather jacket, a white shirt inside and a large dress. Her hands were gloved and she wore a pair of Jack Be Dandies above her eyes. She was kneeling beside a cart, staring at Moonlight with a curious glint in her eyes.

'This girl…saved me?' Moonlight thought. Remembering her manners, Moonlight straightened her back and came to sit beside her. "I'm sorry, but I'm not very used to meeting strangers…"

The blonde raised an eyebrow questioningly, "Well, I could see that. Your, um, response to my hand was, rather…" She pondered for an inoffensive word, "…extravagant, perhaps?"

Moonlight bowed her head, unable to give an apology. She pawed the sandy ground awkwardly, not knowing what to say or do.

"Oh," The girl said, "This must be yours." She pushed her cart, revealing Moonlight's bell inside. "It's really heavy…I don't know how it ended up with you, or how you even managed to move that thing with your bare hands…"

Moonlight took her bell with on hand, laying it gently beside her. Her bell was still intact at least…she had one mean of protection again.

"So…umm…" The girl said again, eyeing Moonlight's two ton bell suspiciously, "What….what's your name?"

Moonlight looked up, finally allowing herself to stare into the girl's eyes. "I'm Sakura…I mean, Moonlight Flower," Moonlight said quickly. She still couldn't get her old name out of her head…too many memories have stained it to be left so easily…

"Moonlight Flower? That's a nice name," the girl said sweetly, "I'm Felia, a pleasure to meet you." Felia…so her name was Felia? That sounds nice too…it was so different from what regular people of Payon would call their daughters…

Felia turned back to her cart, taking out two bottles containing a strange blue liquid…Felia pulled out the cork from one of the bottles, handing it to Moonlight. "Need a straw?" She asked. Moonlight stared blankly back at her. Straw? Like harvested wheat? What for…?

Felia handed her a long round tube, made up of a shiny bendable material…it had a large hole in the inside of the straw…like a pipe.

Moonlight took the 'straw', examining it further with the bottle in her other hand. In her scrutiny, she glanced at Felia, who sucked up the blue liquid with the straw…so that's what it was used for!

Moonlight mimicked her, putting the straw into the bottle. She slowly sucked up the blue potion, trying it once. It was sweet…and surprisingly refreshingly. Moonlight felt herself get more energetic…more alert too. This thing was amazing…

Felia watched as the kitty girl sucked up the blue potion rapidly. Her face seemed so soft and content…like any other cat she's met…they were always content as long as they were fed well.

Moonlight finished the last drops of her drink, smacking her lips, not wanting to miss any bit of the beverage.

"That…was amazing…" Moonlight remarked, "What was it? I've never tasted anything so good…not even Yggdrassil leaves match up!"

Felia let out a small chuckle. She must be a foreigner, one living very far away… "It was a special blend of blue herbs and honey; specially made by my dear sister," Felia took a look at Moonlight's attire, then asked, "So…you must be a long way from home, judging from your…uh…clothes…Payon, perhaps?"

It was a joke, but Moonlight looked at her solemnly, then looked at the floor again, "Yes…" Moonlight answered. Her face was sad again, eyes drooping and her mouth tightened, as if restraining her thoughts.

Felia quickly changed the subject, "Uh…so, what's that you're wearing…? It's not very…decent…although it looks cute on you…"

Moonlight looked at Felia again; her eyes looked as if they were about to burst… "This was the skin of my friend…Ninetails…she died…I killed her…along with everybody else in Payon…they didn't deserve to die…and I didn't mean to kill them all…" She broke in to tears, crying and sobbing helplessly into her paws. She was so happy a second…and now this…

Felia didn't know what to do. Her conversation went the wrong way…she wasn't sure what she did would ever help Moonlight anymore…

Moonlight saved her the trouble. She wrapped herself around Felia, fitting smugly in the embrace. Felia choked a little, partially from the suddenness of Moonlight's appeal for her and also because her strength was a little too much for her to handle…

But she patted Moonlight, out of pity for her and in hopes she would calm down. Moonlight gave Felia a tighter hug, then released Felia slightly; just enough to let her breathe again.

Moonlight's fur was very soft…Felia wondered how she got it…it must be worth a fortune in Morroc…nothing so soft could ever be found easily…

Felia's merchant instinct kicked in, calculating how much such a rarity would be worth…judging by the best fabric available now…at least thirty million zeny…Moonlight must be either very lucky or very rich…

Felia continued to stroke her friend. If things worked out fine, she'd be bathing in the shiny golden coins of zeny soon enough…