Chapter XII
Deep Deep Forest
(5 Years Later) Year 9 After Midgar
"Honestly, Bibble!" I said as I walked up to her, "Don't you ever get tired of reading the same letter over and over again?"
Ever since we left New Figaro, Bibble had been getting Mognet letters from Rumple. They'd been writing each other back and forth for the past five years. Since Mognet was still fairly new at the time, the letters took at least a week to get from sender to recipient.
It basically worked with the moogles' telepathy. Over at Mognet Central, the home base of Mognet, they had a machine constantly scanning the entire world. When a moogle wanted to send a letter, he or she had to mentally tell Mognet Central about it, which I'd dubbed "summoning the mailman," because after that, a mail moogle would come and take the letter to Mognet Central. There, they used the machine to locate the recipient and deliver it to them.
One funny thing about it was that aside from the mail moogles, nobody ever knew where Mognet Central actually was. I guess maybe they didn't want anyone blabbing to non-moogles where the place was.
It didn't really bother me not knowing where it was, as long as it was working and Bibble was happy, and happy she was. It seemed with every letter, her smiles got bigger. She just giggled at this particular letter. King Edgar had just gotten married to Terra, the white mage that healed me. He was also getting ready to announce the location he had chosen to move New Figaro.
We were on a ship heading to a large island on the far south, south of the Eastern Continent. It was the island where Mideel was before a creature called Ultima Weapon turned it into a gigantic crater. This made it the only place in the world where the Lifestream was exposed to the open air. Some skeptics still thought that it was something else, and that the Lifestream was just a fairy tale. Whether it actually existed or not was irrelevant, because that was where we were going.
I looked down at Bibble, who was sitting on one of the cots in our little room, reading her letter from Rumple for the hundred-thousandth time. She had already sent her reply letter and was waiting for the next letter.
"Hello? Moira to Bibble!"
"Kupo!" Bibble jumped, startled. "Oh, Miss Moira. I don't ever get tired of reading letters from Rumple, kupo. It always makes me so happy."
"Why don't you just tell the guy that you love him and get it over with? I'm sure he feels the same way about you but won't say."
"Oh no, but I can't, kupo. That'll only make me miss him more."
"Ok, whatever." I replied as I started walking out of the room, "You just keep reading. I'm gonna go down and check on Jamie."
"Ok, kupo."
I shut the door behind me and headed over to the deck of the ship where the livestock was kept. This deck included a stable for chocobos, and that was where Jamie was being kept. I went in and walked up to the stall where Jamie happily slept.
Jamie was starting to get old, so his flying skills weren't what they used to be. He could still carry me along the ground easily enough, but his wings just didn't have the strength for the both of us anymore. So whenever we wanted to go anywhere overseas, we took a boat. And in the case when the boat wasn't very crowded, I kept my hood down. This was such a case.
I looked down at him from the other side of the stall door, which only went up to my waist. His feathers had gotten a little scruffy in the past five years, and the nice yellow coloring had started turning dull and brownish, which were the most obvious signs of an aging chocobo.
"It won't be too long before I'll have to retire you, my friend," I said as he slept.
He ruffled his feathers and kept sleeping, as if I wasn't even in the room.
I backed away from the stall and went back up to my room. When I walked in, I noticed Bibble putting her letter away in a bag Rumple sent her not long after we'd left New Figaro.
"Had enough reading?" I smirked, knowing very well that wasn't the case.
"Of course not, kupo, and you know it. The captain just announced that we're almost there, so I'm getting ready, kupo."
"Good," I replied, "After we look around what's left of Mideel again, we'll grab the next boat back to the mainland."
"I know Mideel was Mr. Raven's hometown, kupo, but wouldn't you think it'd be a little strange if he actually came back here?"
"It's worth a shot. I don't really think Raven would've come back here between the last time we were here and now, but it doesn't hurt to look."
"Ok, kupo."
We then walked back down to the stables again to get Jamie. He was again this time. I guess the movement from the ship preparing to dock woke him up.
"Hey, Jamie. We're almost there," I said as I opened the stall.
"War-r-r-rk," he ruffled and got up.
We all walked up to the top deck so we could watch as the boat docked. It wasn't very exciting, especially since we'd already taken many other boats before this. Being on deck when it docked made getting off the boat that much quicker.
When the boat finally did dock and lower the ramp, we started our way off the boat. When we were almost at the bottom of the ramp, a mail moogle appeared in front of us.
"Holly Bibble, kupo?" He said, holding a letter in his hands.
"Kupo! A letter from Rumple!" She squealed as she gladly received the letter and immediately started reading it.
"Uh, not exactly, kupo," he replied, "It's from Chief Poku from Kupo Village."
"Oh no!" She gasped as she read the letter. "This is terrible, kupo!"
"What? What happened?" I asked, curious as to what was going on.
"This is an urgent message to all moogles that are abroad, kupo," she read out loud, "Everyone must come home immediately. It's an emergency."
"What's the emergency?" I wondered out loud.
"Do you know what's happened, kupo?" Bibble asked the mail moogle.
"No. We at Mognet don't know either, kupo," he answered, "But we've been instructed to send this letter to every moogle out of the village, and then we are to go home ourselves when we finish. No one knows why, kupo."
"Well, let's go," I said as I turned around to get back on the boat.
"Wait, kupo," Bibble called and stopped me.
"What? Don't you WANT to go back to your village?"
"Yes, kupo, but we don't have to get back on the boat."
"Oh? And why is that?"
"Because it's right in this forest," she answered as she pointed to the forest that covered almost the entire island.
"Oh," I replied and turned back around and got off the ramp with Jamie walking right next to me. "That's convenient."
"You've sent letters to everyone, right kupo?" Bibble asked the mail moogle.
"Yes, kupo. Everyone who isn't in the village."
"Even Rumple?"
"Yes, kupo. Him too. He should be on his way right now. Oh, and that reminds me, kupo. I have to give this to you before I leave."
He shuffled in his bag and pulled out another letter.
"This one is from Rumple, kupo," he said and handed it to Bibble.
"Oh, thank you, kupo."
"You're welcome, kupo." He said as he started flying away, "I'll go deliver the rest of the letters and be on my way home soon."
"Ok, kupo. Bye," she said as she stuffed Rumple's newest letter in her bag.
"You're not going to read it?" I wondered.
"Right now, getting to Kupo Village is more important, kupo. I have to know what this emergency is."
"Alright," I said as I put my hood on, "Lead the way."
She nodded and started flying inland. Jamie and I followed close behind. We started out walking along the path to Mideel, but then she turned off and started going into the woods. There was no path in the forest, so it was difficult to follow Bibble from this point. Nonetheless, we managed to somehow keep up as she swerved and weaved seamlessly through and around all the trees that were giving Jamie and me a hard time.
After what seemed like an eternity of swerving and weaving, we arrived at what, at first, looked like a clearing. When we walked in, I noticed that it wasn't a clearing, but the trees were much more organized in this area. They were also larger… much larger… Each of the trees was at least a few dozen feet wide… and they all had windows and doors in them.
"The houses are made of trees," I commented.
"Isn't it pretty, kupo?" Bibble bragged, "They were carefully hollowed out by our ancestors long ago when Kupo Village was founded. Before this, kupo, moogles used to live in caves in the mountains."
"Something's wrong here," I pointed out.
She stopped for a moment and also noticed something off.
"It's quiet, kupo."
"Too quiet. Where is everybody?"
"Rrrrrk…" Jamie ruffled his feather, seeming to also be uncomfortable with the eerie silence.
"Hellooooo!" Bibble called out, "Is anyone here, kupo?!"
I then noticed something strange in the air.
"There are moogles here. I can smell 'em," I said, "But I smell something other than moogles here, too."
"So there ARE moogles here, kupo."
"Yeah, and they're all hiding from something. They're all scared."
"Of what?"
"Probably from this other thing that's here."
"Holly!" called a familiar squeaky male voice from behind us.
We all turned around and saw Rumple flying towards us, still wearing his coat from New Figaro.
"Rumple!" Bibble called back and went to meet him.
"I came as soon as I got the letter, kupo. Do you know what's going on?"
"I wish I knew, kupo, but the letter didn't tell anyone what this emergency was. Even the moogles at Mognet don't know what it is, kupo."
"RrrrRRRRAAARRrrrrr…." Something roared from up in the trees.
"I think we're about to find out what it is," I said.
I listened for a moment, but all I could hear was a lot of rustling in the branches above, coming from what seemed like everywhere. There were also a lot of faint growls coming from above.
"This is getting scary, kupo," Bibble said.
"This is getting ridiculous," I replied, looking up at the branches as they shook and rattled.
"Hey!" I called up, "You in the branches! Why don't you come down here and show yourselves!"
"Miss Moira!" Bibble whimpered, surprised that I actually called up to whatever it was that was in the trees.
"You want to know what this emergency is, don't you?" I said, "Well, that seems to be it, and I think it should come down here and introduce itself."
"Kupo…"
"You coming down or what?!" I called up again. "Or do I have to go up there and get you down?!"
"RAAARRRR--!" I heard something roar as a dark figure leapt down from the branches. When it landed, it stood up and started to approach me. When it passed through a patch of light, I was able to see what it was.
"A moomba?" I said, confused.
Moombas were somewhat sentient cat-like creatures that lived in remote forests. Its ears were long and pointed, and its long tail ended in a tuft of bright red fur. Normally, these creatures were half the height of humans and were a golden orange in color, and they had red manes that spiked backwards. This moomba was a little taller than me, was jet black in color, and had no mane.
"A freak moomba," I thought to myself. "This is the big emergency?"
"Miss Moira…" Bibble whispered, "H-He's not alone, kupo."
I looked past him and saw that there were more moombas behind him, except almost all of them were normal, being of the regular size, shape, and color. There were two directly behind him that were also around my height. One was a reddish color with black stripes and a short flowing striped mane. The other was a yellowish color with black ring-like spots and a short mane only from the bottom half of his head. The black one approached me as the rest of the group stayed back and watched.
"You are an outsider," he said in a deep voice as he walked up.
"Moombas can talk?" I thought.
"So I am," I said in reply, "But at least I'm welcome here."
"Not by us, you aren't."
He then started walking slow circles around me, as if examining me through my cloak. I kept my guard up, ready for whatever he might do.
"It's strange," he said, "Your scent is obviously human, but there's something wrong with it. There's something else there. What are you hiding?"
"Why are you terrorizing the moogles?" I asked, ignoring his question.
"I refuse to explain my actions to a human."
"Want me to force it out of you then?"
"Are you threatening me?" He asked with a smile, as if he was amused.
"Is that a trick question?" I asked back, "Of course I am."
"Do you have any idea who you're dealing with?"
"No, I don't. Do you?"
He stopped in front of me and turned to face me. He stepped closer and brought his face closer to mine.
"How can I know who I'm dealing with if my enemy hides under a hood?"
"It doesn't scare you, does it?"
"I'm not scared of anything," he chuckled as he stepped back and stood up straight, "Especially not a human. I am Pantaro, leader of the Moomba Tribe."
He then walked back to the two moombas that were standing behind him.
"This is my sister, Taegra," He said, pointing to the striped moomba, and then to the spotted moomba, "And my brother, Jaga."
"Moira Lenore," I answered, removing my hood.
"What?!" he gasped, staring in disgust.
"What's the matter, Pantaro?" I said with a smirk on my face, "Is this too confusing for you?"
He growled for a moment before he spoke.
"I knew there was something wrong with you!" he growled, "Humans are NOT supposed to look feline!"
"And moomba's aren't supposed to be human-sized, or have human-like intelligence for that matter. Apparently, we're both freaks among our own species."
"Rrrrr… You are sadly mistaken if you think we have anything in common. My brother, sister, and I were given the gift of enlightenment. We were meant to lead the Moomba Tribe to glory!"
"Ok, pal. Whatever you say. Just stop terrorizing the moogles, and we won't have a problem."
"We already HAVE a problem. Despite what you look like, you are a human, and humans don't belong in this forest. You will leave us to our business or we will force you to leave."
"I'm staying here until I'm sure the moogles are safe and happy again. If it means going through your sorry ass, then so be it."
"You have until sunset to leave," he growled as he started walking off. The other moombas started running off in front of him. After a moment, they were gone, and their scent went with them.
Almost immediately, I could smell the fear from the moogles fading away. After a while, I was starting to hear murmurs of joy coming from inside. The door of one of the larger houses opened up, and en elderly moogle walked out of it, leaning on a staff that was slightly taller than he was.
He was slightly larger than Bibble, and he had a fair amount of wrinkles on his face. He had the normal moogle coloring of white fur, magenta wings, and red pom-pom. He also had bushy eyebrows and a poofy moustache and beard combo. He wore a light greenish-brown robe.
He walked up to us and looked up at me.
"Kupo, thank you, my friend," he said, "Those moombas have been up in those trees for the past two days, snatching away anyone who would step out of their home. Moira was your name, wasn't it? I am Chief Poku. On behalf of everyone, I welcome you to Kupo Village."
"Thanks," I replied.
"Chief Poku," Bibble called, flying up to the old moogle, "What happened, kupo? Why are the moombas invading the village?"
"Yeah, kupo," Rumple said as he came flying up. "What's going on?"
"This is something we must speak of inside, kupo," Chief Poku answered in a whisper, "There are prying ears around the village, and any wrong word could mean disaster for the village. Everyone, follow me."
He turned around and started walking. We followed him through the village to the house that he walked out of. When we got there, I noticed that the door was half my height. At this point I wondered if I was going to fit inside the house. After climbing the porch steps, the chief turned around and looked up at me.
"Do not worry, kupo," he said, "There is plenty of room inside for someone your size. Our ancestors built these houses with the thought that humans would someday come and visit them. Believe me, it's quite roomy."
He turned back around and pounded his stick on a certain spot on the porch. After a moment, a large area around the door lit up and dimmed to reveal that the door had grown to where I could easily walk through it.
"Wow," I said, staring at the now enlarged door.
"Now let's get inside," Poku said and opened the door.
I turned and looked up at Jamie.
"I want you to wait out here for us, ok? And alert us if any moombas show up."
"Wark," he squawked and nodded.
I then went through the door and into the house behind the three moogles. The place actually was as roomy as Chief Poku said. It was like walking into a small living room, except the furniture was a lot smaller. While the moogles sat around the table, I found a nice spot on the floor to sit on beside the table.
"So what's the story?" I asked.
"Yes, kupo," Bibble said, "The moombas used to be our friends. Why are they attacking our village, kupo?"
"They were your friends?" I asked, looking down at Bibble, "I'd hate to see how they'd treat their enemies."
"I don't think they completely know what they're doing, kupo," Chief Poku started, "Yes, the moombas were once our friends. They live in a small village not far from this one. They also build their homes in the trees, but in the branches instead of down in the trunks like our homes are. We lived in peace with them ever since our ancestors founded this village. But recently, three tall, strange moombas came in seemingly from nowhere."
"Hmm…" I replied.
"These three are different from the others, kupo," he continued, "And I mean besides their obvious difference in appearance. They have much more complex minds, and they almost always walk on their hind legs, only using all fours for fast running."
"Is that when the moombas started attacking, kupo?" Rumple asked.
"No," Chief Poku answered, "Nothing changed with the moombas at first, kupo. They still spoke to us for a while. They said that the three strangers came from a distant land made of stone, metal, and lights. A place with no forests or lakes, no plants or grass. A place with lots and lots of humans."
"Sounds a lot like Midgar," I commented, "What else did they say?"
"They said that the oldest of the three, Pantaro, began going on about how moombas were superior, kupo, and saying that they had the strength to rule the forest. Slowly, one by one, he built a band of followers. And then eventually, his band spread through the entire tribe."
"And then they attacked," I finished for him.
"Yes, kupo," he sighed. "Many of our friends were hurt, kupo, and other are missing. Their conquest only started a few days ago, and already they've caused great harm."
"Has anyone been killed?" I asked.
"Thankfully, no. It seems all they want is to bully us around. Hurt us just enough to surrender."
"I dunno," I replied, "Something seems off about this whole--"
I stopped when I smelled something nearby.
"What is it, Miss Moira?" Bibble asked.
"There are moombas outside," I answered and got up.
Everyone else got up after me and we all walked towards the door. I walked out first and looked around. I didn't see the moomba anywhere, but then I noticed something else.
"Wait… Where's Jamie?"
Then I saw a small moomba running up to me on all fours, carrying a large leaf in its mouth. When it got to us, it stood up on its hind legs and handed me the leaf. I then noticed that there was writing on it.
"Message! Message!" It said in a small, squeaky voice. "From Pantaro!"
After giving me the message, he quickly turned around and ran off into the forest.
I looked down at the writing on the leaf.
I've had a change of mind. You will
come to our village at sunrise or your
bird is lunch. No sooner and no later.
Signed,
Pantaro
P.S. No moogles, or else he's breakfast.
"RrrrrrrRRRRRR…" I growled as I finished reading the note, immediately crumpling it to pieces and ripping it to shreds.
"What is it, Miss Moira?" Bibble asked. "What happened to Jamie?"
"What did the note say, kupo?" Rumple asked.
"RRRRRRRR!!!!!" Was all I could say. My fur stood on end as I growled.
"I understand your anger, kupo," Chief Poku said to me, "But you must stay calm and focused if you want to save your friend."
"That bastard is going to wish he was never born," I growled and started walking.
"Wait!" Chief Poku called.
"What?!" I growled and turned back around.
"You should wait until the appointed time, kupo," he answered, "The sun is just now setting for the night."
"RrrrrRRRR!!!"
"Are you that willing to risk Jamie's life, kupo?" he asked. "The threat is serious. He will kill Jamie if you don't do as he says."
"But…" I tried to find something to say to that, but I just couldn't think. I was too angry. I felt like beating the living crap out of Pantaro for what he did.
"I can summon a large rock for you to smash if you want to release your anger," the Chief offered.
I looked back at the moogles. Bibble and Rumple were both very confused. They obviously both knew that the moombas took Jamie, but they didn't seem to have any idea of what the threat was. I found it odd that they wouldn't have known it, since they could've just read my mind.
"The psychic interference amongst other moogles becomes faint with age, kupo," Chief Poku explained before I could ask, "Older moogles have an easier time hearing minds through it than younger moogles can. Being the elder of the village, I have no trouble knowing what goes on in your mind, while Rumple and Holly have no idea of Pantaro's threat against Jamie."
"What does he want, kupo?" Bibble asked.
I took a deep breath and let out a loud sigh. I knew what he said before was true, and that I had to go through this calmly.
"He told me to go to the moomba village at sunrise, no sooner and no later, or they'll have Jamie for lunch."
"That's awful. kupo!" Bibble gasped, "I'll go with you and help you!"
"P.S. No moogles, or else he's breakfast," I quoted.
"Kupo…" she groaned. "Are you actually going to go alone?"
"I don't have a choice," I answered, "Not if I want Jamie to live."
(Several hours later… Just before sunrise)
It was the longest night I ever had to experience. The hours had dragged on forever. I'd thought about sleeping before going, but I was too worried to get even a wink.
I walked out of the tree house with only one thing in mind, and that was to go and bring Jamie back to safety. I stepped off the porch and started walking to the edge of the village.
"I wish you didn't have to go alone, kupo," Bibble spoke up from behind me.
I looked back and saw her hovering over the porch. Standing behind her were Rumple and Chief Poku. All of them were looking up at me.
"Yes, kupo," Rumple agreed, "We would've been right behind you."
"We will be with you in spirit, kupo," Chief Poku said, "And in thought, for I will constantly check your thoughts to make sure you are still alive."
"Even though I know you meant that in the kindest possible way," I replied, "It sounded really creepy."
"He just means we'll keep in touch, kupo," Bibble explained, "But we know you won't be completely alone 'cuz Hikorai will be with you."
"Yeah, but I don't want to depend on her to get me out of this mess. Although it is kind of comforting to know that I won't be completely alone."
"You should go before the sun rises over the village," the Chief urged. "The moomba village is north of here. Do you think that you will be able to find it from here?"
"I'll just go north and follow the smell of moombas. It shouldn't be too hard for me to find."
"Well, then good luck," he replied.
"Lots of it, kupo," Rumple added.
"And please be careful, kupo," Bibble said, "I don't want anything to happen to you or Jamie."
"Don't worry, I'll be careful," I answered as I started walking away again.
I walked out through the north side of the village and started walking through the seemingly endless maze of trees. It wasn't hard to find my way. All I had to do was go where the moomba smell got stronger. I eventually found my way to what looked like a clearing.
I looked around and saw what looked like nests with leafy roofs built into the branches of the trees. The scent of moomba was strong here, so I knew that I'd found the village.
When I looked down from the housing, I noticed that tied to one of the trees, was Jamie, who was struggling to break free.
"Jamie!" I called and ran over to him.
He stopped struggling and warked happily when he saw me running up. I looked closely, and saw that his entire body was tightly tied to the tree, with his back facing away from the tree, making movement difficult.
"Jamie…" I said as I looked down at the vines they used to tie him up.
"Wark!" He squawked as he tried to move his head to look directly at me.
"Don't move," I said and grabbed one of the vines, "I'm gonna get you out of here. Just hold still so I can get these vines off you."
I took both of my hands and ripped the vine to pieces. Although that loosened the hold, there were still more vines wrapped around him. So I just grabbed another vine and continued.
"You came," said a deep voice from behind me.
I turned around and there stood Pantaro. I glared at him as he approached me.
"Let my chocobo go," I demanded.
"And what if I don't?" he replied.
"I came here to save him. Your note said to come alone at sunrise, and I did. Now let him go."
"Again, what if I don't?"
"Why did you want me to come here?!" I yelled.
"Are you going to start the question game again? Because it wasn't fun the first time."
"Kidnapping and threatening to eat my chocobo was completely unnecessary. He didn't do anything to you."
"Ha!" he burst out, "You humans are all just a bunch of hypocrites!"
"What's THAT supposed to mean?"
"I shouldn't have to explain it to you, you worthless waste of life!" he screamed and lunged at me.
I lunged back to push him away from Jamie. He apparently didn't expect me to be very strong, because I easily knocked him backwards onto his back and landed on top of him.
At this he growled and smacked me in the face, sending me rolling off of him. I quickly got up and rushed back to him, claws extended. He slashed at me, aiming for my head. I ducked down so his claws rushed past above my head. I turned around and slashed him in the back.
I took the free split second to look over my shoulder to check on Jamie. He was ok for the moment. I then had to bend backward to avoid being slashed in the chest. I grabbed his arm while it was above me and pulled it down so he flipped sideways into the ground.
I again looked over at Jamie to make sure I wasn't too close to him. I then felt a huge force hit me in the stomach as Pantaro tackled me onto the ground. When I realized we landed near Jamie, I shoved him off me and stepped over to where I wasn't so close. We lunged at each other and met locking hands, pushing on each other as if trying to prove which of us was stronger.
"You're holding back," he says.
"I'm just trying to keep the fight away from my chocobo."
"You are scared to fight near your so-called loved one? I am fighting near my entire tribe, and I'm not holding back."
"My loved one is tied to a tree, unable to move, while yours are free to dodge us as we fight."
"That's no excuse."
"I thought your fight was with the moogles. Why do you insist on trying to make me miserable?"
He shoved me backwards, sending me towards Jamie. I ended up bumping into him, but not hurting him.
"No, our real fight is with the humans. I only used the moogles to prove to my tribe just how strong they are."
"You turned trusted friends against each other."
"Friends?!" he exploded, "Friends are a figment of the imagination. The only people you can trust are your family, your tribe, and your own kind."
"That's a pretty sad way of seeing things," I commented, "If you want me to fight at my best, let me release MY friend first."
I then finished ripping the vines off of Jamie. He ruffled his feathers, letting loose the stiff muscled. He then came up and rubbed his head on mine.
"Run," I whispered into his ear, "Go back to Kupo Village, and tell Bibble that I'm ok."
"Rrrrk," he trilled and then sprinted off to the southern edge of the village.
When I looked back at Pantaro, I noticed that he was running after Jamie on all fours.
"No!" I yelled out and ran over to intercept him.
I quickly caught up and tackled him aside and away from Jamie as he made his getaway.
We landed and tumbled around each other until Pantaro kicked me off and away from him. I skidded on the ground a bit and then got up and looked at Pantaro, who was already up looking at me.
"Why did you attack him when your fight is with me?" I asked as I jump over to him and slashed my claws at him.
He stepped aside to dodge it, but I managed to slash his side before he elbowed me in the back sending me forward a few feet. I turned around just in time to slash him in the head just as he was lunging to slash me. He stepped back a moment.
"Because!" he growled, "His kind are pack mules for humans! They serve the humans, so they must suffer the same fate."
He lunged at me, as if to tackle me. I jumped up and over him as he passed me, and I kicked him in the back as I came down. He was still under my feet as we landed, so I bounced off of him to add damage. I bounced a few feet away from him.
He got up, holding his chest and breathing hard. He looked up at me. His eyes were flaring, and his lip was curled, baring his teeth. He walked up to me, still holding his chest. I lifted my hands up, claws extended, ready for whatever he was planning to do.
He stopped walking just a couple of feet in front of me. For a few moments, he just stood there, breathing and growling at me. I was starting to wonder if that bounce made him unable to continue the fight and he was just really pissed off about it. I started to relax after a few moments of him not doing anything. Big mistake.
"RRAAARRR!!!!" He roared as he suddenly jumped onto me, knocking me backwards onto my back.
With his hind legs on my belly, he used my bounce trick as I landed on the ground, knocking out of me the wind and the contents of my stomach. His bounce sent him a few feet past me. A second later I felt a severe pain on the top of my head as Pantaro grabbed me by my hair and lifted me up to my feet. He then shoved me forward, sending me stepping away from him and into a nearby tree.
I looked back at him just in time to see him lunging at me. I reacted by leaping aside, leaving him to ram his face into the tree. I locked my hands together and pounded down on his back, sending him into the tree's roots. I set my foot on his back to hold him down as I grabbed both of his arms and pulled them up towards me.
"RRAAAA!!!" He yelled out.
"Give up yet?" I asked.
"To a human?" he growled, "Never!"
With my foot still on his back, he pulled his arms back down, seemingly without effort, and sent me down with them, making me knee myself in the chest. After I let go of his arms, he pushed himself up, sending me stepping backwards. Before I could do anything he ran up, grabbed me by my head and my arm, and the last thing I saw was a tree rushing towards my face.
Hikorai
I was being pulled away from a tree that had a dripping red spot where my head was only an instant ago. My head and my arm were being held by someone who was standing behind me. There was a sharp pain in my forehead as this person held my head up by my hair.
"Still conscious?" growled the person behind me with a deep voice.
An instant later, all I saw was the tree rushing back at me.
Moira (Several hours later)
I woke up with a splitting headache and a sharp stinging pain in my forehead. I tried to reach my hand up to touch my head, but I found that both of my hands were tied behind me as I sat in the dirt, tied up to some large thing behind me that felt rough on my back. When I looked around, I found that I was in a dark underground room and surrounded by bars.
The room wasn't very tall. It looked like it would be just barely over my head if I were to stand up. The bars that surrounded me looked like they were made from branches or roots, and they went from the floor to the ceiling.
"Ooh… My head," I groaned, since my aching head was the only thing I could really think of.
"Ku… po?" I heard something gasp just to the right of me.
I looked over and saw that my cage shared the right-side wall with another cage. Though I was pretty sure there was a moogle in the other cage, I didn't see it at all because it was so dark.
A few seconds later I heard what sounded like many more "kupos" being whispered around.
"What?" I said, lost in all the "kupos" being whispered.
"She's awake, kupo," said a high-pitched voice.
"Are you alright, kupo?" Asked a squeaky male voice.
I then saw a moogle walk up to the bars near me. And then another walked up, and then another. After a moment, there were at least half a dozen moogles looking through the bars that the two cages shared.
"Yes, I guess," I answered, and then I realized that my voice was a little grainy, which was probably resulted from having stomach fluids rushed up my throat and never really having the chance to clear it out. I took a moment to cough it all out.
"You look like you got badly hit on the head, kupo," said a gruff-sounding older moogle.
"That bastard fought dirty," I replied, clearing my throat.
"Pantaro no like losing," an old voice replied from behind all the moogles.
The moogles stepped aside as an elderly moomba with poofy whiskers walked up to the bars.
"A moomba in prison?" I wondered out loud.
"This is Boonta, kupo" the gruff moogle said, "He was the moomba chief before Pantaro came. He was the only one who saw how wrong Pantaro's intentions were. When he tried to tell the tribe about it, kupo, he was thrown in here with us."
"The rest of us were thrown in here just for wandering away from home, kupo." Said another moogle.
"Kupo-po. I was only playing in the woods, kupo," whined a tiny moogle, "when a moomba grabbed me and threw me in here, kupo. And it hurt a lot, kupo."
"You help us?" Boonta asked.
"Maybe," I answered, "If I ever get out of here, that is."
Then I heard something approaching from outside. All the moogles got quiet, and Chief Boonta went back into the corner. Then there was some rattling at the door, which was directly in front of me. After a bit of rattling, it opened, revealing the moomba I knew to be Pantaro's sister, Taegra.
In one hand, she held a large stiff leaf with some fruit laying on it, while in the other she held a small, wet rag and a bowl filled with some green stuff. After entering the door, she quietly turned around and shut it. She walked up to my cage, opened it, and entered. She placed the food down on the ground and sat down in front of me still holding the rag and the small bowl in her hands.
"Hold still," she said, dipping the rag in the green stuff.
"What? Why?" I replied, annoyed that she was telling me what to do.
"This is an herbal medicine that'll help your wounds heal faster. It will sting for a while, so hold still."
"My wounds already sting, so get on with it."
She then started rubbing my forehead with the rag. For the first few seconds, my forehead felt like it was on fire.
"Dah!" I yelped, shocked at the sudden stinging.
"I told you so," she said as she used the other side of the rag to wipe the blood from the rest of my face. After that she placed the rag and the bowl aside and looked up at me.
For a good long moment, she just sat there staring at me. Examining me. She mostly stared me in the face.
"What?" I asked when I couldn't stand the silent staring anymore.
"Are you really a human?" She asked. Her voice sounded soft and deep, and her tone was sweet. She seemed to be genuinely curious of whether or not I was actually human.
"I used to be," I answered.
"So you weren't born looking like that?"
"No, I wasn't."
"Then Pantaro was wrong when he said that all humans are evil."
"What do you mean?"
"We knew that you would come for your chocobo because he's your means of travel over land, but I didn't expect you to put yourself in harm's way to save him."
"He's not just my ride," I explained. "He's one of my dearest and closest friends. I could never forgive myself if I ever allowed anything happen to him."
"Friends…" She replied, "So Pantaro was wrong about friends being a figment of the imagination?"
"From what I can see, Pantaro's wrong about a lot of things."
"Pantaro is my older brother. He has seen more than me, so I always assumed that he knew more."
"Just how much older than you is he?"
"Nine months. And Jaga was born five months after me."
"Nine months? Five months? Were your parents really bored or something? 'Cause I know moomba pregnancies are four months long."
"We only had a mother. She was a normal moomba who lived in a cage that a human kept her in. Pantaro said that this human would take our mother out of her cage and put her through terrible tortures, and each time this happened, one of us was born from her. She died giving birth to Jaga. I was very young when she died, so I barely remember any of it."
"So your mother was a science experiment, and the three of you were the end result," I concluded, "I can see why Pantaro would think humans are evil when you were born in such an awful place."
"How did you come to look the way you do?" She asked.
"Well, to put it simply, I was also a science experiment, and the way I look now is the end result."
"You were also put through tortures?"
"Yes."
"Then perhaps we're not so different after all."
She got up and ripped apart the vines that held me captive.
"You're letting me go?"
"No," She answered and picked up the leaf with the fruit, "But you'll need your hands to eat your food."
She handed the leaf to me.
"Oh," I replied and looked down at he leaf of food in my hands. I raised an eyebrow and looked back up at Taegra.
"It's not poisoned," she answered before I could ask.
"And you're so sure that I won't run away?"
"If you're not as evil as Pantaro says you are, I don't think you would leave all these moogles behind."
"So why don't you let them go?"
"The way things are now, they'll be caught and put back in here anyway. So why bother?"
"Hmm," I replied as I picked up one of the fruit and ate it.
There was a long uneasy silence after that. Aside from the munching and chewing in my mouth, there was no sound.
I looked up at Taegra, who was just sitting there, staring down at the ground between us. She looked concentrated, like she was trying to figure something out.
"I don't understand," she said finally.
"What?" I asked.
"You are a human, but you seem like such a good person. I'm starting to think that Pantaro doesn't know as much as he thinks he does."
"I already knew that the moment he started pointing his hate for humans at me. I'm sorry if that offends you, but I did nothing to deserve what he gave me."
"No, you're right. It was wrong," she said and stood up to leave, "All of this is wrong. I've known that since the beginning, but I ignored it. The moogles are good people. It's not right for us to treat them this way. I'll talk to Pantaro to see if maybe I can make him see that."
"Heh, Good luck," I scoffed, knowing that it probably wouldn't work. "Shouldn't you tie me back up?"
"I don't really think it's necessary," she said as she exited the cage and locked it behind her. "It was a pleasure talking to you."
"Uh, no problem," I answered as she walked out of the room and shut the door.
"Taegra!" Yelled a young male voice outside. "What were you doing in there? You were only supposed to give the human her food and leave!"
"I was just asking her some questions, Jaga," she answered.
"What?!" He burst, "If Pantaro ever found out, we'd both be in trouble! What are you doing conversing with her? She's evil!"
"She's not evil!" She snapped back, "And you know it! You saw what she did for that chocobo! You know as well as I do that what we're doing is wrong!"
"I know that! The moogles shouldn't have been involved in this, but Pantaro said that humans are evil creatures that need to be exterminated!"
"Pantaro is wrong."
"How are you so sure, Taegra? He is our older brother. He's seen the evil humans that killed our mother."
"So have I. I was very young, but I was around just long enough to have seen them before mother died. This human is nothing like them. She is a good person."
There was a moment of silence after that. Since I couldn't see what was going on, I assumed it meant that Jaga had run out of excuses for Pantaro.
"Are you sure she's not evil?" Jaga asked, finally, this time in a calm voice. "What if she's lying?"
"I'm certain of it. She cares about her chocobo and for the moogles. Why else would she get in Pantaro's way like that when he attacked her chocobo?"
He paused for a moment.
"I don't know," he answered. "I don't know what to think anymore. At any rate we can't let Pantaro know about this."
"We have to. If we don't, this insanity will never end, and more people will be hurt, or even killed, whether they're human or not."
"You're right," he replied with a sigh. "Let's go before we're caught here."
"Right."
After that, all I heard were their footsteps as they walked away. There was only silence. I looked over to the cage next to me to see if the moogles were alright.
"Is… everyone still alive in there?" I asked.
"Yes, kupo," the gruff moogle answered. "We were only startled."
"Good," I replied as I leaned back on the large thing I was tied to just a moment ago, which turned out to be a large root growing down into the room from above. I let out a long sigh.
"Are YOU alright, kupo?" asked the small child moogle.
"Yeah," I answered. "I'm just wondering if my chocobo made it safely to Kupo Village."
"I don't doubt he did, kupo," the gruff moogle replied.
"I can't help but worry more about him. He's not exactly a young chocobo anymore."
"I think the moombas were too busy watching you fight to think about him, kupo. He should be fine."
"I guess you're right," I sighed.
I just sat there, leaning on the root in the middle of my cage, thinking about my situation and wondering what was going to happen next. Eventually, after a long while of thinking, I ended up just dozing off, even with the moogles "kupoing" in the background.
(Several Hours Later)
I woke up to a lot of chattering in the background. When I realized that it was coming from outside, I perked my ears up to see if I could figure out what was going on.
The moombas outside seemed upset about something. There was a lot of chatter, but nothing coherent. After a moment of this they all suddenly stopped, and there was an odd silence. There were footsteps approaching the prison.
The door opened, revealing Taegra, and the nighttime darkness beyond the doorway. She walked in with Jaga close behind. She came up to my cage, and Jaga went to the moogle cage.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"I spoke to the tribe got just about all of them to agree with me," Taegra answered as she opened my cage door. "We're going to let you out, all of you. I want everything to be alright between our two peoples again. And I don't want to start a war with humanity."
"Now it's just a matter of getting Pantaro to agree with us," Jaga continued as he opened the moogle cage.
"So you're starting a revolution?" I asked.
"If that's what you want to call it," Taegra answered. "Yes."
After the cages opened, the moogles poured out of the cage and stood there with Jaga.
"We want to help, kupo," said the gruff moogle.
"Kupo kupopo!" the other moogles agreed.
"Me too," I said, looking down at the moogles. "What can we do?"
"You really want to help us?" Jaga asked, looking up at me, "Even after everything we've done?"
"As far as I'm concerned, the only one to blame for this mess here is Pantaro," I answered, "So of course I'll help you."
"In that case, all of you should stay in here for the time being," Taegra answered. "Pantaro will immediately want to fight if he sees you again. Let us try to negotiate with him. We may have a better chance of success now that we have followers."
"If the negotiations fail and things get messy," I said, "I'm going to jump in."
"Whatever you think is best," Taegra replied.
"I go with you," said an old voice from inside the moogle cage. After a moment, Boonta walked out, looking up at Taegra and Jaga. "I help."
"Chief Boonta," Taegra said and knelt down to speak face-to-face with him. "Are you sure?"
"Is my tribe, too," he explained. "I go help."
"Alright," Taegra smiled and got back up.
"Come on," Jaga said and walked to the door. "Pantaro will be out any minute."
He opened it and let Boonta out first, and then Taegra, and then himself. He shut the door behind them, leaving me with the moogles.
"So what's gonna happen now, kupo?" asked the small child moogle, looking up at me.
"I wish I knew," I answered. "This is one of the weirdest situations I've ever been in, so I have no idea what to expect."
After a moment, I sat down and leaned back on one of the cages. I wondered what was happening, and how Taegra and Jaga planned on negotiating with a stubborn jerk like Pantaro. I was pretty sure that they weren't going to be able to get it done by talking to him, seeing that he was so stubborn and opinionated.
"Maybe that's what they need so many other moombas for," I thought to myself. "Two isn't as convincing as twenty."
I then heard the moombas outside growling and chattering again.
Then I heard what sounded like a door being slammed open.
"What is going on?!" He demanded. "What is the meaning of this?! Why is the old one not in the prison with the human and the moogles?!"
"Because we want this madness to stop, Pantaro!" Taegra answered.
"Madness? Madness?! What madness?! Our tribe must know that they are strong so that we may go forth and destroy the evil that is humanity!"
"Not all humans are evil, Pantaro," Taegra replied. "The human that came here for the chocobo proved that. She is not an evil person."
"You've spoken to her, haven't you? Even after I told you not to! You let her lies poison your mind, and now you've turned the whole tribe against me!"
"I knew your methods were wrong even before she came here. The moogles were close friends to this tribe."
"There's no such thing as friendship. You can only count on yourself, your family, your people."
"That's just it, Pantaro. These moombas are not our people," Jaga replied. "Yes we were born from a moomba mother, but we're too different. Look around. Look at the tribe. We tower over them like the human does. We don't have the simple minds of the moombas. We think like humans. We're bigger, stronger, smarter. Pantaro, don't you see? We don't belong with them. We would be better off living with humans."
"Are you crazy?!"
"Think about it Pantaro," Taegra spoke again, "We were born in a science lab. The end result of an experiment."
"A product of human science!" Pantaro yelled out, "Our mother was killed by their human scientific tortures!"
"Like you said, we are a product of human science," Jaga said, "We're not normal."
"So you're saying that we're freaks, are you?" Pantaro growled, "I was right, the human has poisoned your thinking. She may be a freak amongst her own kind, but we're not."
"Geez, his hate makes him blind," I thought as I listened.
A couple of seconds later, a familiar moogle popped up in front of my face.
"Miss Moira!" Bibble whispered as she teleported in, "Are you ok, kupo? Jamie told us what happened, and we were worried, kupo. Rumple and I came as soon as we thought it was safe. Kupo! That's a nasty wound on your head!"
"Bibble, will you shut up so I can hear what's going on outside? Taegra and Jaga are trying to convince Pantaro to stop his vendetta on humans and leave the moogles alone. They pretty much have the whole tribe behind them."
"So his siblings don't agree with him, kupo?"
"Nope. They're more level-headed than he is, apparently. I told them that if things got too ugly, I'd jump in and help. I don't know what the moogles here intend on doing, but I'm gonna fight."
"Kupo?" She looked down and saw the other moogles in the prison with me. "Kupo! The missing moogles from the village!"
"Kupo. Good to see you too, Holly," greeted the gruff moogle.
"Uncle Moo!" Bibble flew down and hugged him. "I didn't know you were one of the missing, kupo."
"Of course not, kupo." He replied, annoyed, "Nobody ever notices when old Uncle Moo goes missing."
"Kupo-o-o…" Bibble whined.
"RAARRRR!!!" Roared Pantaro from outside.
Suddenly there was a whole mess of roaring and growling.
"That's my cue," I said and rushed to the door, but then paused, "Wait, you said Rumple came with you. Where is he?"
Then the door opened in front of me, revealing Rumple.
"Oh, it wasn't locked, kupo." Rumple said with a grin, "How are you, Miss Moira?"
"Confused, but that's not important right now," I replied and rushed past Rumple, "I have a fight to get to."
I looked up and saw a two on one fight between Pantaro and his siblings, and it looked like Pantaro was winning. He was able to shake one off and fight the other for a few seconds and then shove that one off when the first one came back.
I couldn't see the details of the fight very well because we were a good distance away, and their fight was kicking up a lot of dust. As I started to approach, the dust started to clear, revealing that Pantaro had both Taegra and Jaga pinned down to the ground. He'd somehow managed to grab both of their throats to hold them down. I then started running to get there faster.
I readied my claws, raising my hands so I could strike when I got there. As I finally arrived, I started to swing my arm to claw him in the back, but then he spun around and grabbed my arm. He squeezed it, digging his claws into my wrist. I had to struggle not to let out a sound with the sharp pain. I looked past him for a split second and found Taegra and Jaga, lying lifeless on the ground. I looked back up at Pantaro, and was met with a terrifying glare from his ferocious moomba eyes.
"YOU!!!" He growled in my face. "You turned my tribe against me! You and your evil kind will pay for this! I will have my war, with or without an army! I will destroy you all, one by one, until every last one of you is gone!"
"You're so blinded by your hate, Pantaro," I replied, wincing from the pain in my arm, "I'll bet you don't even know how to love anymore."
He then squeezed harder, his claws cutting into my flesh, drawing out trickles of blood.
"Of course I do! I've done this all for my people! My family!"
"What good is a family," I said with a painful pause, "if you don't love them? You've done all this to satisfy your hate. Your little vendetta hasn't done anything good to these moombas that you call your people. It only brought pain and suffering to both of the villages in this forest. It was wrong, and they knew it. That's why they turned against you. I had nothing to do with it."
"LIAR!!!" He screamed as he threw my now bleeding arm down and lunged at me. But before he could reach me…
"KUPOKUPOKUPOKUPO!!!" I heard rushing up behind me.
Then about seven or eight moogles flew into him from behind me, pushing him backward. Two of them were latched onto his face, one of them I recognized for her pink fur and blue pompom.
"Bibble!" I called.
Pantaro then scrambled his arms around, trying to get the moogles off of him. He managed to get half of them off, but they just flew right back. After a moment of that, he threw one into a nearby tree, knocking him unconscious. I realized immediately that it was the little gruff moogle whom Bibble had called "Uncle Moo".
My blood started boiling at that point. I then forgot about the pain in my arm and rammed into Pantaro, pushing him into the tree behind him. He still had moogles on his face, so he couldn't do much to avoid it.
He then somehow managed to throw all of us off of him and then let out a roar that could've been heard for miles.
After that, he glared my way, focusing all his attention on me. We were only a few feet away from each other, so focusing on the target in front of him wasn't very hard. After a moment of hard staring, he lunged at me, claws extended. Before I could react, I suddenly found myself behind him instead of in front. He was still in half-lunge, but his target had disappeared from in front of him, causing him to fall flat on his face.
I looked over at Bibble, who just smiled and waved her tiny moogle hand at me. I smiled back for a second before realizing that Pantaro was still there. He got back up, and looked around in a confused daze. He finally spotted me behind him and his anger only seemed to have gotten worse.
"How did you do that?!" He demanded.
"That's not your business," I answered. "Now you will stop all this, and let the moogles and the moombas live in peace again, or you can keep going with this stupid vendetta of yours and we can continue with this pointless fight."
"Pointless, you say?" he replied.
"Yes, pointless. You are outnumbered and overpowered. I don't see any point in continuing."
"I'm not finished!" He replied and lunged again.
I again was poofed out of the way, making him ram face first into the tree. He turned around and growled, nose bleeding.
"You were not able to do that before," he growled.
He then looked past me and seemed to have seen something interesting.
"Oh, I see," he said with a grin. "One of those moogles has the power to make you conveniently disappear."
He then started walking towards the moogles floating behind me, amongst them Bibble and Rumple. I stepped up in front of him to keep him away from them. I was less than a foot away from him.
"You will not hurt them," I demanded.
"Hmph," He grunted and then I was suddenly not able to breathe. "Gotcha!"
Surprised I looked down at the arm that seemingly rushed up from nowhere. I couldn't see the hand because it was tightly wrapped around my neck, and growing tighter. He brought his other hand up to join in the strangling. Having both hands firmly gripped on my throat, he lifted me up about a foot off the ground.
"Lets see you try and disappear from this," he growled.
"Bibble!" I called in thought, not sure if she would catch it with the other moogles around. "Help!"
"Oh no, kupo!"
My vision had started to go dark, but then I was suddenly let go. I landed on with a thus on my back, and my head bumped the ground when I landed, but the only thing on my mind was the long moment I took to inhale, after which I started coughing.
When I looked up, I saw Pantaro grasping at his belly, and then I realized that I was a lot further from the fight than I was earlier. I then noticed that Bibble was hovering right next to me.
"Miss Moira, are you ok, kupo?" she asked in a soft voice.
I was still gasping for air when she asked.
"Uh-huh…" was all I could let out.
We looked up and found Pantaro rushing up to us. He slashed past me and tore through Bibble's right wing, as she was barely able to react.
"AHH!" she screamed as she tumbled to the ground.
"You're the one with the power," Pantaro growled and lifted his hand up over her. "I'll make sure you don't get in the way again."
"NO!" Called a voice from where the other moogles were.
I then saw Rumple fly up and ram into Pantaro's back, and it was hard enough that it knocked Pantaro facedown into the ground. Since he fell with his legs right next to me, I took the opportunity and grabbed them both, holding them together. Before Pantaro could do anything, I saw some of the moombas come up to help hold Pantaro down. Two of them grabbed his hands and held them behind his back. Two others grabbed his legs so I could let go. One more was holding his head down. And some others were just pushing down on his back so he'd stay down. Then, I saw Taegra and Jaga slowly come up with vines similar to those used to tie me up earlier.
I then ran over to where Bibble landed. She was wincing from the pain in her wing, which was almost nonexistent now, but otherwise she was fine. This brought relief to both Rumple and me.
"Holly!" he called in relief and embraced her.
"Rumple," Bibble sobbed.
I looked off to the tree we were fighting at before and spotted Uncle Moo still laying there beside the tree. I ran over to see if he was alright. When I got to him, I was scared that I'd find him dead, but to my amazement, he was breathing. He was still unconscious, but at least he was breathing. I lifted him up in my arms and carried him back to where everyone else was, where they had just started tying up Pantaro.
After a few long hours of Pantaro struggling, we managed to get him tied up and locked in the same prison he had me and the moogles kept in, tied to the same large, overhanging root I was tied to, and it was all finished just in time for us to see the sun come up over the forest.
We all stood at the center of the moomba village, happily greeting the new day.
"I'm so glad it's finally over," I said.
"Yes," Taegra agreed, "It feels good to be at peace again."
She then looked at the gruff little moogle who was now snoring in my arms.
"Will he be alright?" She asked.
"Yeah, I think he's recovered now," I answered, raising an eyebrow as he snored away.
I then put him down on the ground, and he immediately woke up.
"Hey! What happened, kupo?" he asked as he woke up and stood up, "Is the fight over?"
"Yes, it is. Do you remember anything?" I asked.
"Last thing I remember was being thrown into a tree, kupo. Then everything went blank."
"Must not've been thrown into it very hard, than." I said.
"That's good," Taegra replied.
"What will happen to Pantaro, kupo?" Rumple asked.
"He will stay tied up as he is," Jaga answered, looking to the prison. "At least until he has learned his mistakes."
"And if that doesn't happen?" I asked.
"Let us worry about that," Taegra answered. "Now that he is where he can't cause any more damage, we can start the slow process of reasoning with him. Eventually he will calm down enough for his logic to come back. I know it's in there somewhere, and I know that someday, we'll be able to reach it."
"But I'm afraid we might have to find somewhere else to do it," Jaga added, "As I said before, we are way too different from the moombas here. We don't belong."
"And we don't deserve to stay here either, after all the trouble we made," Taegra added.
"Wait," Chief Boonta said and stepped up to Taegra, "You stay. With tribe. You belong."
"But we don't," Taegra insisted, "We don't fit in."
"Yes you do," Boonta insisted back. "You still moombas. All moombas belong with tribe. Big moombas. Small moombas. Stripes and spots. No difference. All belong. All are family. Actually. After Boonta gone, want Taegra lead tribe next."
Taegra's eyes then widened with surprise. "You want ME to be the next Chief?"
"Why not? You wise, you smart, you able to protect village from danger. You convince tribe Pantaro wrong. You lead tribe when Boonta gone."
Taegra just stood there for a moment, staring down at Boonta. She then bent down on one knee and bowed her head down.
"I am honored," Taegra said, "Thank you so much, Chief Boonta."
"And Boonta thank you," He paused a moment and then looked up at me, "And Boonta thank you, Human Moira. If you not come, village would never found peace again."
"I only did what I thought was right," I replied with a bow.
"No, he's right, Moira." Taegra said, "You helped us find the courage to stand up to Pantaro. He would surely have done greater harm to both villages if you'd come any later."
"You wiped out all our doubts about humans," Jaga added, "You proved that not all humans are evil like the ones that tortured our mother."
"Keep in mind that not all of them are good either." I replied, "There's a good deal of bad humans out there. Sometimes it seems the evil outnumbers the good, especially for someone like me, who can't exactly blend into a crowd."
"But there IS good," Taegra pointed out. "And that knowledge is all that matters to us."
I smile at this. I looked down at the eight moogles assembled beside me and then looked back up at the moombas.
"Well, I guess we should get back to Kupo Village. I'll be glad to see Jamie again."
"Jamie? Is that the chocobo?" Taegra asked, "If it is, please tell him that we're sorry for any pain we may have caused him."
"Of course," I nodded.
"And…" Taegra paused as she walked up to me. She then held her hand up in front of me, "I know that you will be leaving the island soon. So I will say that if you're ever around the island again, please come back and visit us."
"Sure," I accepted and took her hand. We then shook on it. "I'll be sure to visit both villages the next time I'm in the neighborhood. If I can find 'em, that is."
"Be sure you do," Jaga replied, "Maybe by then, Pantaro will have come to his senses."
"Heh, somehow I doubt it," I laughed, "He seems to be a tough nut to crack. So I wish you luck on reasoning with him."
"And we wish you luck on your journey," Taegra replied, "Whatever it is you are looking for, we hope you find it."
"Thanks," I said and then started walking away towards the edge of the village.
The moogles were all floating in front of me, except for Bibble, who walked a few steps ahead of me. I looked down at her, seeing what was left of her right wing bandaged up.
"Are you gonna be ok, Bibble?" I asked, pointing to her wing.
"Yes, kupo," she answered in a dull tone, "I won't be able to fly anymore, but that's not so bad. I can still teleport to get to places quickly."
"About that, something about it has been bothering me?"
"Oh, kupo?"
"While I was in the prison, the other moogles were in the prison with me. I remembered your teleporting ability and wondered why they couldn't use that to get out."
"That's easy, kupo. I'm the only one that HAS that ability."
"I figured. Why is that?"
"It's something that happens every few generations, kupo. One moogle is born with odd coloring and some extra power. My extra power is teleporting, kupo."
"I see," I replied as we finally arrived at the village.
Almost immediately when I entered the village, I was greeted with a large feathered head in my face.
"Wark! War-ark! Warrrrk!" Jamie greeted, rubbing his head all over me.
I giggled a moment and then hugged Jamie.
"I'm so glad you're ok," I greeted back.
"R-r-r-rk," Jamie cooed back and gently rubbed his head on my face, expressing the same feeling I had.
"We're all glad to see you safe, kupo," Said Chief Poku from behind Jamie. "All of you."
"Mama!" Squealed the small child moogle as she rushed off to greet her mother.
It made me happy to see that everything was happy and peaceful in the village again.
"Will you be staying at all, kupo?" the Chief asked me, "Or should we just pack you some food for your journey? I'm sure you're eager to get back to it."
I looked down at the Chief, still amazed he could read me so well. He acted as if he'd known me for years.
"Before you answer that question, kupo," Rumple interrupted. "I want to ask Holly something."
"Me, kupo?" Bibble replied.
"Yes, you. When I saw Pantaro tear your wing off, kupo, I thought it was going to be much worse. I thought I was going to lose you. I don't ever want to feel that way again."
He took her hands in his and then bent down on one knee, just as done in a certain human custom.
"Please, Holly Bibble," he began, "Will you marry me, kupo?"
Bibble, caught totally by surprise, just stood there as her slit eyes filled up with tears and a big smile grew on her face. She then lunged at Rumple, wrapping her arms around him and bawling all over his shoulder.
"Yes, Rumple," She answered, finally, "Yes, I will, kupo."
I was so happy for her, that I couldn't help but also shed a couple of tears.
"Congrats, Bibble," I said, "Be sure to let me know when it happens. Somehow. Even if you have to send a carrier moogle from Mognet to track me down, let me know."
"Of course, kupo," Bibble sobbed and wiped away some tears. "I was planning on staying here anyways. Without my wing, kupo, I'm flightless now, so I'd just slow you down. "
"And I don't want you to push yourself to keep up with me," I replied, "I think Jamie and I will be able to handle ourselves well enough. Won't we, Jamie?"
"War-r-rk." Jamie answered.
"Be sure you do, kupo," Bibble replied and then came walking up to me.
I sat down in front of her, and we just looked at each other for a moment. After a while, I noticed my vision blurring from tears welling up in my eyes.
Bibble then rushed up and we hugged each other. I held her tight for what seemed like forever. It was then that I felt the tears running down my face.
"I'm so gonna miss you and your annoying little face," I sobbed.
"And I'm gonna miss you and your grouchiness, kupo," she sobbed back.
We held each other for a few more minutes before we finally let go. I wiped the remaining tears from my face, and looked down at the little pink moogle with the dark pink wing and the blue pompom dangling over her head.
I kept my sight set on her as I stood back up and took a step backward.
"This brings me back to my last question, kupo," Chief Poku stepped in, "Are you sure you can't stay for even a little while longer?"
"The next boat leaves this afternoon, kupo," Bibble reminded. "If you want to go to Mideel before then, you should go now."
"I know," I replied, "I want to go back to my search, but I don't want to leave just yet."
"Don't stay for me, kupo," Bibble insisted, "We don't know when the next boat after that will come here. Or even if there ever WILL be another boat, kupo. You shouldn't take that chance."
"You're right," I admitted, "So I guess… This is good-bye…"
"Only for now, kupo," she answered, "I know it won't be forever."
"Right. So… Until next time?" I said as I knelt down and held up my hand to her.
"Yes, kupo," she answered and took my hand with both of hers, "Next time."
I then stood back up and led Jamie towards the edge of the village.
At the edge, I paused a moment to look back. I knew that this would be the last time I would see Holly Bibble for a very long time. I gave a good long look, waved, and then turned around to leave. Back through the forest, and out to the path to Mideel.
(Couple of Hours of Pathwalking Later )
Jamie and I finally arrived at the remains of the small town of Mideel. The town Raven was born and grew up in. The town destroyed by the Ultima Weapon during the Meteor Crisis. The town that was now a crater filled with Lifestream. The town was recently completely abandoned. The villagers had tried to rebuild the town around the crater, but all attempts proved futile, so instead, they moved. And now the place just looked like a ghost town at the edge of a cliff, waiting to fall into the Lifestream.
I'd visited the town once early in my search, but wasn't thorough. This visit, I wasn't expecting anything incredible, just a clue.
I looked around to see if anything had changed since my last visit. I found that it did. There was a stone neatly set on a small mound of dirt on the side of the town. I walked over to the stone and noticed something written on it. After reading it, I dropped to my knees, not just from the shock, but also to make sure I read it right. The words I read on this stone would come to haunt me for many years to come.
IN SPOT REST
THE REMAINS OF THE
MAN ONCE KNOWN AS
RAVEN
THE YOUNG SOLDIER STILL
AWAITING HIS SWEET
LOVELY LADY