Past & Present
((Is Nedeara's Thoughts to Rya.)) (Rya's thoughts to Nedeara)
Sometime during the night Rya had fallen asleep next to the mother fox. Tellson had not returned yet, and honestly she wasn't expecting him to. He must not have been able to get back without exposing the kits. Rya knew that the moment he looked into those innocent helpless eyes he was bound by his very heart to protect them.
Only a few hours later Rya woke up to the sounds of rater low rumbling coming from in front of her. Opening her sleep-filled eyes, she saw the mother fox standing, yet still favoring her injured front paw. It was no wonder since whatever attacked her nearly crushed the bone. The creatures snarling drew her from her thoughts. But right now, the mother fox looked positively enraged, and Rya was scared. Her bow was on the other side of the silo…and the fox was blocking the door. She was trapped and for the first time she felt completely helpless. Holiness above this is going to be my tomb! I don't want to die…I really don't want to die! Rya's thoughts practically screamed at the female fox, who easily sensed her fear. Rya could see that her attitude was angering the fox, and yet there was nothing she could do to stop: she had already backed herself into a rather lovely corner.
She could only watch as the female fox drew nearer and nearer, snarling. She must think I have killed the kit's!…Oh my God, I held one of them! I have their scent! She's going to kill me! Rya wished she could back up more; she wanted to put as much distance between the kitsune mother and herself, but could only press herself further in the wall.
The fox was nearly on top of her, and for once the brave little archer of Gakyu was frozen with fear. "Pl…please…don't!…stay back….p..pl.please! the kits are fine!….T... Tellson is watching them!" In a corner of her mind, Rya was disgusted at her stuttering, but it was just a corner, and stupid pride really wasn't foremost on her mind right now.
For the briefest moment, it seemed to her that the fox understood her, but the feeling was gone almost immediately, for the mother fox lunged at her, biting down on her wrist hard enough to pierce the artery so that blood now flowed freely from Rya's hand. The girl bit her tongue hard to keep from crying out in pain. She wasn't going to give anyone the satisfaction of hearing her scream. Closing her eyes she tried to focus on anything other than the pain.
Had she kept her eyes open, she would have seen the fox biting her own leg and tearing a deep gash in it. The instant that the fox let their bloods mingle though, was when Rya experienced true pain. It was only then that she uttered a rather strangled scream.
Rya…felt odd…as if she were floating; everything was hot. She could hear someone speak to her but... Thinking hurt too much. Breathing hurt too much. Living hurt too much. Oh…god above just let me go…please…I can't take much more of this. But the voice persisted:
((Just a little longer.))
Rya didn't know how much time had passed, but the fog of pain eventually lifted…if ever so slowly. When she finally opened her eyes, the dim light of the silo seemed almost blinding. It wasn't long before she started shaking, the temperature of the room seemingly dropping all of a sudden. It felt as if it was mid-winter again
((…can you hear me young one?))
Rya looked around, her head spinning painfully, but she saw no one else in the silo but the mother fox and herself. Wait a minute why am I still alive? I thought she was going to tear me apart! Looking down she saw that in fact the mother fox's head was on her lap. Despite the danger she currently was in, Rya found she was unable to stifle her laughter. Well you sure look content.
((Yes little dragon, I am in fact quite content. Except that my kits are missing and you're planning to tell me where they are, am I correct?))
"What in the name of the Makai! You can talk!"
Honestly you don't think it was my goal to maim the only human that has bothered to come to my rescue, and please…try not to speak out loud to me little dragon. I honestly can't understand a word of what you're saying when you speak that way. Simply think of what you want to say…and aim your thoughts at me.
(Y…you mean like this?)
((Very good little dragon. You'll get the hang of it before too long I suspect.))
(Okay…first off, why in the Makai do you keep calling me 'Little Dragon?' And why the hell did you bite me! Oh and one more question…why are you being so nice to me? I am a human after all. I though youkais hated humans.)
(( Your name - at least in my language - literally translates to 'little dragon'. I assumed you knew, and as for why I bit you, there really was no other way I could communicate with you. Since your neither kitsune nor youkai, the only way I could speak to you would be to forge a bond of blood with you. And as for why I am being nice to you...well you did save my life and that of my kits. I do owe you something for that after all. I can't tell you how many beings passed me on that road and just left me and the little ones to die. Now please, where are my children?))
(Tellson's not back yet?)
((There have been no other recent scents in this silo other than yours and mine.))
(Tellson's my friend, and he was looking for all your kits when I left him. I think we should give him a few hours more - there's a good chance he will find his way back here by then.)
(Agreed.)
(Until then since you don't seem to want to kill me any more. You haven't even told me your name yet. I assume that you do have one. At least I hope you do because I don't fancy having to keep calling you 'mother fox'.)
((Of course I have a name, I am not some dumb animal. I am a kitsune. My name is Nedeara. And the name of the kits you found are Izumie - he's the oldest male and I have to say he's bit of a trouble maker. A very spirited youngster if I do say so myself. Tor - he's the middle kit he's the practical one. Takes after me, whereas Izumie is so much like his father. Lastly the youngest is female. My precious little girl. Her name is Valla. She is the shyest thing I have ever met in all my years…))
(You seem to love them very much.)
((Of course little dragon. Especially so with kitsunes, but most youkai mothers are protective of their young. Tell me, is that not so with human mothers?))
Rya looked away from her new friend and literally growled.
(I wouldn't know, my mother died in the youkai raids on the village when I was just a small child. That is why the village hates youkais. We lost a lot of people to them. In fact has it not been for Kurama's help. I don't want to think of what fate would have befallen us.)
((I…don't understand. Your telling me that the 'legendary thief' is here! Little dragon, if you want to see vicious and cruel well…at least he used to be the physical incarnation of that!))
(Now it's my turn to not understand you. The Kurama I know would never hurt one of us. Well at least not without provocation anyway. He is the kindest person I know. A lot nicer than that woman the Village Elders chose for me as a step mother.)
Rya sighed hoping she was not sending this to the mother fox as well. Since she was only whining to herself in part and didn't feel the need to discuss her step mother's views of her with her new friend, lest she finds out how truly pathetic a friend she had made. If they would have just let me live with Kurama... No, instead they dump me with the bloody woman from hell. I swear that creature just lives to criticize, and when I told her I wanted to be an archer and join the guard...The woman was absolutely appalled, saying that my place was to follow tradition and become a healer like all the other women in her family. I swear, the older I get, the less I see of Kurama. I mean the man…youkai...whatever, did save my life and yet they have done just about everything in their power to keep me away from them, short of forbidding me to see him. No, they won't do that, they'd lose his protection.
((I am sorry little one it was not my intent to cause you such distress.))
(It's okay. And to answer your next question, no, me and my step-mother don't truly get along too well.)
((Just because you don't share the same values doesn't mean you can't get along. Little Dragon, don't give up on her just yet. I'm sure she loves you very much.))
(I truly wish I could be as confident as you are.)
((For whatever reason, Kami seems to have given you a rather lonely path for one with so few years, but regardless of that you always have choices Little Dragon. Sometimes to obtain kindness you must be the first one to show kindness. I am here now, and while our paths for now seem to run together, it won't always be so, but I hope you'll let me walk with you for a time.))
Rya ran her hand over the kitsune's soft cream coat, almost lost in the feeling of having another being wanting to be with her. For once having someone not judge her for every little choice she made, just a friend, an unconditional friend. Rya felt as if the the room warmed at the thought of having someone by her…at least for now. The young woman fell asleep once again with the kitsune in her lap,
oOo
Kurama had left the village early that morning- he was going to meat up with Kaleh later that day about a league or so beyond the village. He didn't dare venture too far, lest something was up – human settlements tended to get attacked frequently in the Makai. Besides...he could sense Rya's distress. Something had caused her pain, and he would have ran after her (Makai be damned) but it was gone only moments later along with any trace of her spirit energy, leaving him with a feeling of emptiness. He remembered when he offered to care for the girl those many years ago. His request had nearly gone un-challenged till Senyoa, one of the wives of the elders, challenged his claim on the girl.
Flashback
"The child is human, Youkai, and while I will grant you that we owe you our gratitude for saving us, I cannot allow you to take this child as your payment. She is not a bargaining chip that can be used at your discretion."
"Elders! Have I not proven myself to you? If not, then what do you ask of me? I love Rya like a daughter and I can tell she feels the same towards me. I would never suggest she is to be traded, as I only want to care from her. To take her from me now would be like tearing a young rose from the soil only to let it wither in the midday sun."
Approving murmurs went through the assembled crowd, but again Senyoa's voice rose above them:
"That may be the case, but it would be a crueler fate to let that love continue wouldn't it? To love you Kurama would be for her like loving the sun or moon. The moon will always shy from the light of love, and well, we all know what comes of trying to get too close to the sun."
The eldest elder looked at him with a look of sorrow. He clearly did not like the decision he was presented with.
"Kurama….while nothing would please me more than to have you care for the orphaned Rya, I to am bound by several laws that go back to the founding of this village. I have to make a ruling in this matter, and know this Senyoa! It is because of a this, and only this, that I am ruling in your favor and allowing you to see to the child's well being."
The look in Kurama's eyes was one of shock and intense sorrow, like he had just lost the one thing in this world that was truly left to him. He turned to leave, defeated…
But it was the Eldest elders voice the thundered above the shocked whispers of the counsel chambers.
"Kurama...I am not so cruel as to let Senyoa have her way with this matter completely."
This caught the fox's attention, causing him to turn rather sharply his long silver hair seemed to almost glow as it caught the dim candle light of the council chambers, his eyes filling with fear…as well as hope.
" For us to cut Rya off from some one that has been such a part of her life would be an unthinkable act of maliciousness, and since I am right that you do have the child's best interests at heart - don't you Senyoa?"
He said turning to the woman that stood before him. Regarding her as one would regard a rather dangerous snake.
"..you…You know I only care for the child's well being and future happiness elder."
"Good, I am glad to hear that. So this is my ruling: the child will go with Senyoa to be placed accordingly within the village of her birth. However, no matter where she goes, she will never be cut off from her guardian, the youkai Kurama. And this is final. I assume that is acceptable with you Senyoa?"
He smiled at her, knowing the woman would not be able to cut Rya off from her new friend. His smile grew wider as he watched Senyoa literally seething at the thought of having to have the youkai anywhere near this girl or herself for that matter. The elder was truly happy at his stroke of genius and because Rya was here, the Kitsune would be here. Thus the village was protected. Honor satisfied, and two people's lives could begin to heal.
End Flashback
Her spirit energy has grown a lot since that day so long ago. I wasn't expecting her to be able to mask herself so fully yet. This definitely complicates matters and that woman won't let me train her to control it. Idiot woman. She has no idea how dangerous Rya will become to not only herself but the village if her energy where to ever escape from her. All… though it would more than likely put an end to that annoyance of a woman. So perhaps she's doing me a round about favor if she takes herself out of the picture for me. That and there is no way they can blame me for her idiocy.
A small bird chirped in a nearby tree, drawing the kitsune out of his thoughts. Kaleh said he would be there by midday. Nothing to do but wait till then.
What happened next literally shocked the kitsune. Out of the woods and into the clearing stumbled Tellson, looking rather worn out …Kurama didn't get much farther than that before he broke out laughing. The boy was holding two kitsune kits, and one was currently riding on his head. The boy was clearly not amused by this turn of events.
"Tellson…this is clearly an unexpected surprise…"
"Oh cut the crap youkai. I don't have time for your games…"
"So this is what Rya was hiding."
"For all the good it did us."
Schooling his face to an unreadable mask Kurama looked over at Tellson.
"Please elaborate."
"We found them on the side of the road the day of the festival. Well Rya found their mother first…suffice it to say that her damn healer side couldn't let her just go off and leave the injured creature. So I told her that I would go round up the kits…which reminds me if I ever see her again I swear that brat again...well anyway she was to take the mother to the old silo and care for her there while I rounded up these fluff balls, but on my way back I noticed a lot of light coming from where the silo was. So I put these guys up in a tree and went to see what all the commotion was all about…When I saw they where dragging the mother fox from the silo it didn't look like she was even breathing… and the guard that held her was literally drenched in blood."
Kurama's heart lurched - he definitely didn't like where this story was heading. Still he didn't interrupt the boy. He had to hear the rest.
"…and then…two of Kaleh's men dragged out an equally unconscious body…this one was covered in blood as well. Though this one didn't look like she was bleeding as bad though what he was still covered in her blood from holding her to close to his uniform. Then one of those dunderheads managed to bring the torch just close enough to the body that….that I could see….It was Rya."
Kurama's golden eyes had considerably threw out Tellson's narrative, darkened from their normally honey golden color to that of molten gold. How dare those idiots harm what he had lay claim to! He was about to run off when he felt the hand of the boy hold him back. Turning, the kitsune thief glared at him with a look that clearly stated his growing impatience with the brat in front of him.
"The longer you keep me here, the more likely they are to cause her further harm." Kurama said in a low and rather dangerous tone that Tellson had never known any being to be able to produce.
" There was a woman leading the group, while I couldn't clearly see her face she I could she the cruelty in her blue eyes reflected in the torch light." Tellson added. "There should not have been a female present unless the chief elder died, but if she was there, that must mean the old elder died. If it's true, then there is no way you can just go rushing after Rya like that - you'll be killed and then Rya would never let me hear the end of it! Senyoa she hate's youkais worse than I do!"
"Your concern for my safety is touching boy. However I have broken into things far more complicated in my life than your sad little village. Stay here and tend to the kits. If their mother is dead…well, we will cross that bridge when we get there. For now they seem to have taken a liking to you. This clearing should be far enough away that you should be safe for the time being."
And without another word spoken Kurama took off tearing through the wood like an arrow to a target.
If that wench has hurt Rya, she will experience a fate far worse than death…
Authors Note: I am sorry I am just getting this out so late. I will try and update sooner. Hope every one is enjoying the fic so far. Thank you again BlackRoseVixen05 for your review and as always thank you to my beta reader Ellenlome whom has had to wade threw this with out a lot of grammar check. Well that's all for now. Hope to see you all back come next chapter.