Flame of the Guardian's Soul
Chapter One; Finding Nagi.
"Raaannnkaaa, we've been walking around for hours!" Ichiro whaled,
"can't we stop and rest for five minutes?"
"Alright, alright, take your breather," she replied turning to look
at the wolf boy who sighed and sat down.
"This place sure got more trees since I was here last," he said
looking at all the many different trees and plants.
"Yes...I just hope that Nagi will be at the lake, once we get there."
Ranka said looking a bit worried.
"Why wouldn't he be?" Ichiro asked as he scratched his ear.
"There's a lot of reasons for that," a small voice said. Ichiro
leaped to his feet and growled as he turned his head round and round,
"chill out Ichiro," a small pink ball of fluff fell from a chestnut tree
and landed on Ranka's shoulder, "it's only me."
"Shiina, how good of you to join us." Ranka said stroking Shiina's
head softly.
"YOU DAMN RABBIT!! DON'T DO THAT AGAIN!" Ichiro bellowed.
Shiina just blinked his eye, "What did I do?" Ichiro mumbled a few
cuss words under his breath and started walking again. Ranka smiled, things
where going well, for the time being. All three of them walked along the
twisting and turning path that would eventually lead them to the lake where
they hoped to find Nagi. As they walked, Ranka remembered the last time she
saw that beautiful lake 16 years ago, back when it was raining...back when
the water was red with blood...
Night began to fall and the crickets started singing their songs as
the birds flew to their nests, and the owls took flight. Ranka, Ichiro, and
Shiina where all very tired and decided to set up camp and rest for the
night. Shiina kept watch from a tree branch as Ranka started a fire and
Ichiro went out to find some food. Once there was a good blaze burning,
Ranka looked up to the sky and peered at the brightness of the full moon.
"Shiina," she began, "did you...did you really find them? Both of them?"
"Yes, I'm positive it's them. I have no doubt about that in my mind."
"I see..." Ranka turned to see Ichiro had returned with a full-grown
buck.
"This is the easy thing we're doing right now," he said as he plopped
the duck next to Ranka, "finding Nagi won't be too hard, there's only so
many places he goes."
"You're right, being able to speak with Larva and taking him out of
Europe and his cousin's never ending infatuation will be much more
difficult," Ranka pointed out.
"Carula just needs to get a clue," Shiina exclaimed as he scratched
his ear with his foot, "Larva doesn't love her in that way. And anyways
he'd be glade to get away from her I bet. Family or not, she hangs on him
like a little lost puppy, it's actually quick sick."
Ranka nodded, "that's very true and he will be very happy to hear the
news."
An hour later, the duck was fully cooked and ready to eat; Shiina's ear
then uncovered his budging eye, "We've company coming and it's not Nagi or
an animal..." Just then a strange looking thing came crashing through the
trees and sent a stream of drool in their direction, the creature was
definitely a shinma of the animal verity. It looked about 15 feet in height
and looked like a cross between a badger and a snail.
"Yes! Action time!" Ichiro announced happily as he jumped up and swung his
leg at the shinma, hitting it square in the center of the nose. The shinma
screeched and grabbed the wolf boy with its slimy hand then tossed Ichiro
into one tree after the other.
"WWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ichiro screamed each time he
was about to hit the next tree. Ranka took a hold of her sash and swung it
at the shinma, trapping it with her shall, causing it to drop Ichiro.
"Ohff!"
The shinma struggled against Ranka's sash so violently it looked as though
it was having a secure. But Ranka made sure her sash would hold the thing
very tightly, as she did this, Ichiro leaped to his feet clearly angry that
the shinma had been able to throw him around like a toy doll. The wolf boy
took on his form and jumped at the shinma then his teeth met the shinma's
throat. The thing wailed loud enough to be heard a good 2-½ miles away as
his twisted its head this way and that way. Then the shinma made itself
fall to the ground, he almost crushed Ichiro but the wolf moved just before
the shinma hit the ground.
"We better kill it fast," Ranka said, "it's cries and that thud will attack
the humans that live near here."
"Maybe Nagi or even Sen-Jui hear it," Shiina said in a hopeful manor.
As though that was a hint for one of them to show up, Sen-Jui came running
up to them from the path that lay ahead of them. "I heard the cry of the
Shinma," he said although he didn't need to.
"It's good to see you again, Sen-Jui," Ranka said as the shinma to her side
flipped about like a freshly caught fish that was trying desperately to get
back into the water.
"Too bad our last meting was so...different," Sen-Jui said with a light pain
in his voice. Last time he saw them was when...
Ichiro appeared besides Ranka and said, "let's kill the damn thing
already."
Sen-Jui took his knifes out of his pockets and Ranka turned to face the
panicking shinma. Sen-Jui sent his knifes into both the heart and stomach
of the thing and Ranka finished the job by creating the illusion that the
shinma was just another boulder in the woods.
"We need to find Nagi," she said turning to face Sen-Jui, "Shiina has found
them."
Sen-Jui blinked and he nodded, "I'll take you to where he is." They all
then started off at a run towards the direction of the lake, where Nagi
would surely be. As they got closer Ranka could see the remains of
shattered rocks, broken and burned trees, and the log that was still
tainted red. At first these things where a rare sight, but as they drew
closer and closer she could see the remains from those 16 years ago, even
through the vines, grass, and smaller trees that where trying to hide them.
When they got to the lake a strange hush seemed to fill the area this hush
came to them all as they cached their breath. Ranka looked around at the
lake and its surroundings, "nothing's changed," she said to no one in
particular. The lake was no longer red but it's silvery blue color once
more, but everything elts looked just as it did all those years ago. There
where dead logs and stumps where there had once been trees, sand and dirt
marked the spots where the grass and many lushes flowers had once grown,
tiny pebbles lay in the place where they had been shattered as boulders,
the only life Ranka could see was of five white water lilies in the lake
that all together looked like the points in a star.
"It's like the forest and the lake can't forget what happened," Shiina said
while he looked at an old log he had once sat on.
"Or maybe they just can't see a reason to grow anymore?" Ichiro asked in a
low voice. Ranka could only agree with them, she figured it was a
combination of what the two boys said.
"Human's don't even come this far anymore," a new voice said in a hushed
voice. Everyone turned his or her heads to see Nagi walk out from half a
Willow tree, he looked like he hadn't eaten nor slept in days, "teenagers
tell stories of this place being haunted or that the lake's cursed and all
things around it die from only a glance at it."
"Nagi..." Ranka was taken a back by the tone in his voice; it suggested that
he had been the one scaring all the humans off.
Nagi continued as though he had not heard her, "the animals don't even come
around anymore...it's like they know."
It broke Ranka in half to see a grown man in such a state, she didn't know
what she had expected him to look or act like. Yet she knew why he was
acting like this, it was the loose he had suffered.
"Nagi, I've found them," Shiina said as he jumped onto Sen-Jui's shoulder.
That got Nagi's full and complete attention. He looked strait at Shiina,
his eyes wide and his jaw slightly dropped, "you have?" was all he could
seem to say in his state on shock.
Chapter One; Finding Nagi.
"Raaannnkaaa, we've been walking around for hours!" Ichiro whaled,
"can't we stop and rest for five minutes?"
"Alright, alright, take your breather," she replied turning to look
at the wolf boy who sighed and sat down.
"This place sure got more trees since I was here last," he said
looking at all the many different trees and plants.
"Yes...I just hope that Nagi will be at the lake, once we get there."
Ranka said looking a bit worried.
"Why wouldn't he be?" Ichiro asked as he scratched his ear.
"There's a lot of reasons for that," a small voice said. Ichiro
leaped to his feet and growled as he turned his head round and round,
"chill out Ichiro," a small pink ball of fluff fell from a chestnut tree
and landed on Ranka's shoulder, "it's only me."
"Shiina, how good of you to join us." Ranka said stroking Shiina's
head softly.
"YOU DAMN RABBIT!! DON'T DO THAT AGAIN!" Ichiro bellowed.
Shiina just blinked his eye, "What did I do?" Ichiro mumbled a few
cuss words under his breath and started walking again. Ranka smiled, things
where going well, for the time being. All three of them walked along the
twisting and turning path that would eventually lead them to the lake where
they hoped to find Nagi. As they walked, Ranka remembered the last time she
saw that beautiful lake 16 years ago, back when it was raining...back when
the water was red with blood...
Night began to fall and the crickets started singing their songs as
the birds flew to their nests, and the owls took flight. Ranka, Ichiro, and
Shiina where all very tired and decided to set up camp and rest for the
night. Shiina kept watch from a tree branch as Ranka started a fire and
Ichiro went out to find some food. Once there was a good blaze burning,
Ranka looked up to the sky and peered at the brightness of the full moon.
"Shiina," she began, "did you...did you really find them? Both of them?"
"Yes, I'm positive it's them. I have no doubt about that in my mind."
"I see..." Ranka turned to see Ichiro had returned with a full-grown
buck.
"This is the easy thing we're doing right now," he said as he plopped
the duck next to Ranka, "finding Nagi won't be too hard, there's only so
many places he goes."
"You're right, being able to speak with Larva and taking him out of
Europe and his cousin's never ending infatuation will be much more
difficult," Ranka pointed out.
"Carula just needs to get a clue," Shiina exclaimed as he scratched
his ear with his foot, "Larva doesn't love her in that way. And anyways
he'd be glade to get away from her I bet. Family or not, she hangs on him
like a little lost puppy, it's actually quick sick."
Ranka nodded, "that's very true and he will be very happy to hear the
news."
An hour later, the duck was fully cooked and ready to eat; Shiina's ear
then uncovered his budging eye, "We've company coming and it's not Nagi or
an animal..." Just then a strange looking thing came crashing through the
trees and sent a stream of drool in their direction, the creature was
definitely a shinma of the animal verity. It looked about 15 feet in height
and looked like a cross between a badger and a snail.
"Yes! Action time!" Ichiro announced happily as he jumped up and swung his
leg at the shinma, hitting it square in the center of the nose. The shinma
screeched and grabbed the wolf boy with its slimy hand then tossed Ichiro
into one tree after the other.
"WWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ichiro screamed each time he
was about to hit the next tree. Ranka took a hold of her sash and swung it
at the shinma, trapping it with her shall, causing it to drop Ichiro.
"Ohff!"
The shinma struggled against Ranka's sash so violently it looked as though
it was having a secure. But Ranka made sure her sash would hold the thing
very tightly, as she did this, Ichiro leaped to his feet clearly angry that
the shinma had been able to throw him around like a toy doll. The wolf boy
took on his form and jumped at the shinma then his teeth met the shinma's
throat. The thing wailed loud enough to be heard a good 2-½ miles away as
his twisted its head this way and that way. Then the shinma made itself
fall to the ground, he almost crushed Ichiro but the wolf moved just before
the shinma hit the ground.
"We better kill it fast," Ranka said, "it's cries and that thud will attack
the humans that live near here."
"Maybe Nagi or even Sen-Jui hear it," Shiina said in a hopeful manor.
As though that was a hint for one of them to show up, Sen-Jui came running
up to them from the path that lay ahead of them. "I heard the cry of the
Shinma," he said although he didn't need to.
"It's good to see you again, Sen-Jui," Ranka said as the shinma to her side
flipped about like a freshly caught fish that was trying desperately to get
back into the water.
"Too bad our last meting was so...different," Sen-Jui said with a light pain
in his voice. Last time he saw them was when...
Ichiro appeared besides Ranka and said, "let's kill the damn thing
already."
Sen-Jui took his knifes out of his pockets and Ranka turned to face the
panicking shinma. Sen-Jui sent his knifes into both the heart and stomach
of the thing and Ranka finished the job by creating the illusion that the
shinma was just another boulder in the woods.
"We need to find Nagi," she said turning to face Sen-Jui, "Shiina has found
them."
Sen-Jui blinked and he nodded, "I'll take you to where he is." They all
then started off at a run towards the direction of the lake, where Nagi
would surely be. As they got closer Ranka could see the remains of
shattered rocks, broken and burned trees, and the log that was still
tainted red. At first these things where a rare sight, but as they drew
closer and closer she could see the remains from those 16 years ago, even
through the vines, grass, and smaller trees that where trying to hide them.
When they got to the lake a strange hush seemed to fill the area this hush
came to them all as they cached their breath. Ranka looked around at the
lake and its surroundings, "nothing's changed," she said to no one in
particular. The lake was no longer red but it's silvery blue color once
more, but everything elts looked just as it did all those years ago. There
where dead logs and stumps where there had once been trees, sand and dirt
marked the spots where the grass and many lushes flowers had once grown,
tiny pebbles lay in the place where they had been shattered as boulders,
the only life Ranka could see was of five white water lilies in the lake
that all together looked like the points in a star.
"It's like the forest and the lake can't forget what happened," Shiina said
while he looked at an old log he had once sat on.
"Or maybe they just can't see a reason to grow anymore?" Ichiro asked in a
low voice. Ranka could only agree with them, she figured it was a
combination of what the two boys said.
"Human's don't even come this far anymore," a new voice said in a hushed
voice. Everyone turned his or her heads to see Nagi walk out from half a
Willow tree, he looked like he hadn't eaten nor slept in days, "teenagers
tell stories of this place being haunted or that the lake's cursed and all
things around it die from only a glance at it."
"Nagi..." Ranka was taken a back by the tone in his voice; it suggested that
he had been the one scaring all the humans off.
Nagi continued as though he had not heard her, "the animals don't even come
around anymore...it's like they know."
It broke Ranka in half to see a grown man in such a state, she didn't know
what she had expected him to look or act like. Yet she knew why he was
acting like this, it was the loose he had suffered.
"Nagi, I've found them," Shiina said as he jumped onto Sen-Jui's shoulder.
That got Nagi's full and complete attention. He looked strait at Shiina,
his eyes wide and his jaw slightly dropped, "you have?" was all he could
seem to say in his state on shock.