Chapter Four: Bad Moon Rising
"... I hear the Voice of Rage and Ruin ..."
Narwhal looked at the clashing differences between the pair of Friends she was now tasked to protect. While the news of Maltese Tiger's "disappearance" hurt all the Friends that continued on this journey, Collared Peccary found quick comfort in Père David's Deer, who seemed to be keeping her sadness to herself, but the other two totally broke down. It seemed they would never bounce back from that loss.
-Are you sure they are gonna be okay?- The Cetacean asked the Deer, who was trying to push the Pig away from her arm.
-They are gonna be alright- Collared Peccary answered even though the question wasn't for her, still glued to Père David's.
-I'm sure they never lost any Friend before, they need to find a way to cope with it themselves, one that works for them personally- Père David's Deer sighed as she explained herself, but she still was visibly worried for Boomslang and Bald Eagle, who were still keeping up with the group but remained silent.
-We gotta keep moving, round them up- Narwhal said as she moved onward, while Jinmengyo certainly got them all the supplies she could find around the Cave, Narwhal was still concerned on her Sensei's willingness to stay behind, but if someone could remain as bait and escape, it was her.
-You two, we are close now, let's keep going- Père David's Deer grabbed the hands of both Snake and Bird, pulled them to their feet, Collared Peccary walked in and held Bald Eagle's hand and lead her onward, while Père David's Deer did that for Bald Eagle, Narwhal walked behind them, watching the rear.
-We will see the Bridge soon- Narwhal told the other Friends as she recalled the massive structure seen before when she wandered around the tide around the coast, it would lead them to Kyoshu Island, the place where that accursed Volcano was.
Big Boss decided that the safest and more direct path to proceeding onto the next Island was using another relic of Japari Park's past, it was a Bridge built by people outside of the Park's Staff, the Japanese SDF. They had tried to help during the catastrophes that made Humans abandon Japari Park, this was of course something only the Lucky Beasts remembered, as most Friends alive had lost their memories of Humans, when Japari Park was open to the public over a century ago.
-Bald Eagle, can you see it in the distance now?- Père David's Deer asked the Bird, who looked at her showing her swollen red eyes Bald Eagle sniffled and pushed away tears from her eyes with her sleeves, gritting her teeth trying to get over it.
Bald Eagle focused and used her Eagle Vision, in the distance she could see the massive structure, they weren't far off from it now, if they kept moving at reasonable place, they could reach it before dusk, she wanted to fly now and actually scout ahead.
-I'm gonna fly up and ahead and make sure we are in the clear, okay?- Bald Eagle informed the group and waited for an answer, Père David's Deer gave her a thumbs up, which was all the Bird needed to find comfort in her favorite thing in the whole world, which was flying high and enjoying the scenery.
-One is up, now for the other… Let's keep moving for now- Père David's Deer called out as the group continued, Boomslang still followed Collared Peccary but the Snake was entirely out of it.
The group kept walking for hours receiving regular visits by Bald Eagle, who kept patrolling the skies above for anything suspicious, the coast remained clear and eventually, the Friends reached the start of the Bridge. Even Boomslang felt awe at the hugeness of this construction, Bald Eagle landed and hugged the Snake, this seemed to be what she needed, taking a deep breath and cleaned her tears with her sleeves.
-Good to have you both back, let's see what we can find here, on this Bridge- Père David's Deer addressed the Snake and the Bird, who held each other's hands and tried to smile for her, the Deer blushed mildly and giggled at their wholesomeness.
Once they walked up the ramp and were finally and actually on the Bridge, the Friends all enjoyed the beautiful view of the ocean with a seemingly open road ahead, as far as even Bald Eagle could see, all the way into the horizon and beyond.
-It will be dark soon, do you think we should keep going or just rest here?- Père David's Deer asked Narwhal, the Cetacean was quite surprised about her asking for her opinion, as the Deer seemed to call the shots within the group she had just joined and was honestly making the right decisions, at least so far.
-I think we should push a bit more then rest, the Friends seem to have some more in them but they must be hungry, just let's keep going until we found something we can use as shelter- Narwhal suggested as Père David's Deer listened to her.
-Alright, let's keep going but stick together, just in case- Père David's Deer signaled the group to keep moving, so the Friends kept marching for around another hour as the dusk closed in.
The Friends discovered something that Big Boss recognized as a good spot for them to take cover for the night and try to sleep, a broken double decked Japari Bus, which offered them more than enough shelter to use as a place to sleep.
-Should we get someone to guard during the night?- Narwhal asked as Père David's Deer looked at the group, they were clearly tired and they would fall asleep while on watch, so it should have to be her and Narwhal taking turns or something.
-I'll keep watch while you rest, Friends- Big Boss spoke up and solved the issue instantly, to the relief of everyone else.
The Friends settled down by the ruined Bus, as Big Boss confirmed the vehicle was broken beyond repair. The Friends watched the Sun setting into the west and disappear into the Ocean, it was always a beautiful sight in spite of their circumstances. Père David's Deer distributed the Japari Buns and then counted the rations for five Friends, while they lost one member they gained two, so she pulled out her copybook and wrote down the new numbers of rations they had available.
-I hope I can thank your Sensei for all she did for us one day, Narwhal- Père David's Deer said as she gave Narwhal a juicebox, which the Cetacean started to bashfully sip on it.
-Juice!- Collared Peccary raised her voice jumping into action.
-I want one too!- Bald Eagle and Boomslang said in unison.
-Calm down, Mes Enfants, there is enough for everyone- Père David's Deer said as she handled each of them a juicebox.
-Aren't you gonna drink one yourself?- Collared Peccary asked.
-I rather not, so I can save more for the others- Père David's Deer answered, earning herself a frown of disapproval from Collared Peccary, to which the Deer sighed tiredly in response.
-Drink one yourself as well!- Collared Peccary demanded and Père David's Deer knowing her quite well decided to not argue against her, pulled out a juicebox from her backpack and started to sip on it, which was good for the group's morale.
As the Friends enjoyed their rations silently, it had came the time to talk about all that Jinmengyo had told them, nobody knew how to break the ice so in the end Narwhal spoke first.
-I'm sorry about your loss and that you are now involved in this mess- Narwhal said looking at the Friends with her most stoic expression, the others looked at each other in silence.
-Friends are getting killed, even if nothing happened to our Tiger, we still couldn't just pass by and not try to help you!- Bald Eagle stood up and waved her arms further for emphasis.
-I do admit that I'm terrified, the thought of such thing as an evil Friend existing is, it's like one of those spooky stories becoming real and now chasing after us!- Boomslang said with her hoodie darkening her face as she crushed her juicebox.
-Things might look dire but I'm okay with them, as they brought back My Love to me~- Collared Peccary said clinging to Père David's Deer, as she had finished her rations already.
-Piggy please, not right now- Père David's Deer sighed tiredly.
-I want to sleep with you!- Collared Peccary declared, openly to other Friends, earning herself a swift staff smack in the head.
-It's good to see all of you bouncing back already, for now our destination is the same, so I'll be more than happy to help you reach the Mainland- Narwhal said giving a nice smile to all, before standing up and sitting besides Boomslang, who hugged her on instinct but the Cetacean was used to this kind of thing, due to dealing with the little Dolphins as their "Big Sister".
Bald Eagle hugged Boomslang from the other side and the Friends shared a tender moment before Père David's Deer took some of the documents and wood she had left to light a fire.
-Is it safe to light a fire?- Narwhal said a bit worried, about the fire rather than about what the fire might bring to them.
-Jinmengyo promised us a couple of days of advantage, I see no reason to lose faith in your Sensei now, are you scared of the Fire?- Père David's Deer teased Narwhal who just silently pouted at her in response, the Cetacean pondered why she was the only one scared of the fire, this was how it should be!
-It's nice and warm, I guess- Narwhal said cautiously coming closer to warm up, alongside the other Friends who were doing the same, the gentle ocean's breeze quickly turned ice cold.
Due to the long march, none of the Friends was in the mood to socialize or even tell spooky stories around the campfire, so they left it running and headed to try to sleep a bit. Narwhal used the front seats, Boomslang and Bald Eagle used the back seats together and much to her own grief, Collared Peccary and Père David's Deer shared the top of the bus and slept together.
Next morning, the Sun rose from the east, greeting the sleepy Friends with it's warm embrace, they packed up quickly and started another day of marching through the massive bridge.
-At this rate, we won't make it to the other side, not before that thing catches up to us- Père David's Deer talked with Narwhal as they walked side by side, being the rearguard of their formation, while the Snake, Bird and Pig were up front.
-I don't think we can push them to any harder than this, not with the supplies we have, after today we'll be out of time and options it seems- Narwhal sighed, frustrated. She tried to think of something they could do, but no good ideas came to her mind.
-Hey! There is something interesting ahead!- Bald Eagle called to them, flying to them and landing with visible excitement.
Bald Eagle lead the group into a sight none of the Friends had ever seen before, but their Lucky Beast recognized it instantly, it was an group of abandoned Armored Personnel Carriers.
-Are these… Human Vehicles?- Narwhal asked Big Boss.
-That's correct, I'd advise to help me investigating further- Big Boss said, the Friends looked at each other before starting to inspect the vehicles from outside, finding evidence of them being abandoned very recently, visible blood stains on the most severely damaged smaller APCs. One of them stood out, much bigger than the rest and more heavily armored than the rest, it was also the only one that had no blood stains or damage sustained to it, as if whoever ambush and killed the passengers of this Convoy entering it, for some unfathomable reason.
The Lucky Beast lead the group into the vehicle, hacking the backdoor to allow the Friends to enter it, it was dark and it smelled really weird inside, before anyone could do anything a male robotic voice spoke up, seemingly from the cockpit.
-Who goes there?- The voice asked in a very curious tone.
-We are a group of Friends!- Bald Eagle answered before anyone could consider the best course of action, many of the Friends were a bit afraid of a voice that seeming came from nowhere but everywhere at the same time. Suddenly a red light scanned the insides of the APC before a clicking noise ended it.
-You are "clean" Friends, what a pleasant surprise, I was just getting lonely here- The voice said delighted to once again engage in conversation with someone, the lights of the vehicle turned on and a few cameras sprung into action, the Friends knew now that whatever was inside this APC, it was alive.
-Who are you?- Boomslang asked, as fear turned into curiosity.
-The team dubbed me "Rhyolite"- The voice quickly answered.
-W-wh-what are you?- Collared Peccary asked walking up front.
-I'm the AI on-board of this specialized Diamondback APC, I was carrying their research data and assisting them in the expedition in analysing Sandstar before we were attacked, by that damnabled thing that seemingly killed or routed every member of my crew!- Rhyolite's tone of voice showed a deep resentment, this AI clearly was capable of understanding and feelings emotions, just like any of the Friends of the group.
-Do you know who is the Culprit?- Narwhal asked him, as she noticed Père David's Deer put down her backpack and pulled out a pencil and her copybook, apparently she knew how to write as well as read and was now taking notes about the AI.
-It was one of you, but unlike all of you, this Friend knows nothing but malevolence, hatred and brutality!- The AI lashed out in anger unlike that a machine should be able to express.
-Any info on her you could lend us would be very useful- Père David's Deer said telling the AI to continue, with her pen at the ready, she was eager to know the name of that evil Thing.
-My research thing was tracking it when it ambushed us after the Sun went down and the teams stopped to rest, they addressed her as "Fenrir", like the Monster Wolf from Norse Mythology- Rhyolite explained to the Friends, Narwhal breathed deep assimilating the info, while Père David's Deer wrote it down, thinking of what she planned to get revenge on it.
-What?- The Bird, the Snake and the Pig said in unison.
-It's related to some Human religion of old, Sensei Jinmengyo told me about several of them over the years I studied under her guidance, this is highly concerning- Narwhal said trying to keep her cool while thinking about her secret, if Fenrir was after them then she'd need to stand up to protect the others.
-An Evil Monster Friend…- Boomslang said trembling and leaning on Bald Eagle, who tried to comfort her with a hug.
-Don't worry Boomslang, if it comes after us, we'll make it pay for what it did to Malty Sempai!- Bald Eagle tried to comfort the Snake by reminding her that they owed it to the Tiger.
-There's the spirit!- Père David's Deer stopped writing and stood up to voice her approval of Bald Eagle's way of thinking.
-I can give you more information about it if you plan to face it and take it down, Fenrir is a menace to all and must be stopped, she will stop at nothing in her desire to sate her Hunger- Rhyolite tried to explain himself to the Friends, as to why Fenrir couldn't be allowed to remain free or alive.
-Hunger?- Narwhal asked but was ignored by the AI.
-Does this mean you will help us on our journey if we agree to eventually hunt her down?- Bald Eagle asked to confirm it.
-I exist to be useful, I was created to serve, it sure beats rusting away here- The AI responded in a deadpan tone.
-Okay Rhyo, we got a deal, help us and we'll help you- Père David's Deer walked forward to represent the group, with Big Boss standing besides her as she struck a deal with the AI.
-I desire to link myself up with you in order to share information and plot a course of your up-to-date navigation maps- Big Boss spoke up as he walked by and started to do things by himself, seemingly communicating with Rhyolite in that oddly silent way he communicated with others of its kind.
-I'll give you the information you request now, then I need you to check on my current status, so we can get on rolling-
-Rolling?- Collared Peccary asked with sparkly eyes.
-I'll be your ride, I'm a eight wheeled vehicle after all, come to this highlighted screen because I want to show you something- Rhyolite focused me of his lights to lead the Friends into a screen with a seat in front of it, as the group stood in front of her, it showed them small short clips of his camera recordings.
The clips displayed a fast shady silhouette that was only truly visible when she stopped, in order to land the killing blow and quickly feast on her prey, she seemed to be drinking the blood of her victims with gleeful zeal. The Friend had long wild black hair, pale skin full of scars and was using gym black clothes. She had shackles and broken chains in both arms and legs and her nails were long, sharp and black. She also had red eyes, blood-caked lips and a very "ugly" smile that showed no cheer, it only showed her teeth, her way of moving was unsettling.
-So this is her- Père David's Deer in slow and hateful way, the face behind her Mask full of hatred, making Boomslang and Bald Eagle even more uncomfortable, especially after they just watched Fenrir slaughter the members of the Research Team.
-I think for now we are best to try to avoid her, at least until I've teached those two huggers how to fight- Narwhal advised Père David's Deer, who sighed and then nodded in approval.
-Hahaha! That's gonna be fun to watch, shall we get rolling then?- Collared Peccary before asking Père David's Deer, who was about to say something, but was interrupted by Narwhal.
-Could you explain to use what you mean by "The Hunger"?- Narwhal asked again, unsure if she would like the answer.
-My research team discovered that Fenrir needs to feed constantly to stay in top shape, this is what drives her endless bloodlust and why she is relentless on finding new preys and feasting on them, by drinking their blood- Rhyolite explained to the Friends as Père David's Deer kept writing down more notes.
-She is a fucking fiend!- Collared Peccary sentenced angrily.
-Do you know of any weakness she might have?- Narwhal asked as she was breathing deep and slow to keep her cool.
-She can't stand direct Sunlight, the UV light should cause her body to crystallize, in theory from her blood flow onto her entire body! Her Kemonoplasm structure is very unstable- Rhyolite tried to explain to the Friends, but only Narwhal and Père David's Deer seemed to keep up with his explanation of the research notes of his team, at least somewhat.
-So she is like… a Vampire?- Narwhal asked thinking about other things Sensei Jinmengyo told her once about Humans.
-Correct! if we can outpace her during the day, we can get a lead on her, provided she still stops at night to hunt- Rhyolite's voice had a hint of joy, as if it loved complimenting others.
-Well that at least gives on one advantage, that's enough info-dump for now, let's get rolling Piggy!- Père David's Deer clapped her hands together and walked to the drive's hole.
-You've got it!- Piggy said rushing to get behind the wheel.
-You sure you want her to drive?- Narwhal asked a bit worried.
-She actually has experience driving things, so long as she has someone to make sure she doesn't bump into things for fun- Père David's Deer said as she sat besides Collared Peccary, who was studying the vehicle controls before getting into it.
-Don't worry, I'll assist her until she can do it on her own- Rhyolite reassured Narwhal with a comedy in his tone of voice.
-Alright, I'll be handling both of you then, you got a lot to learn to be able to stand up and hold your own in a fight!- Narwhal stood up and conjured a stream of water to refresh herself, showing the Bird and Snake the degree of control she had.
-Oh no…- Boomslang said as she felt Bald Eagle pushing her.
-I can Wild Release already Narwhal Sempai!- Bald Eagle said happily, her chest standing up as she proudly expected to be
-Only when you are pressured by imminent danger, as far as I've been told by Père David's Deer, you still got a lot to learn! Humility is a virtue after all, now take a sit here with me, our first lesson will be very basic- Narwhal started to explain to them the basics of self-control, as Sensei Jinmengyo taught her, "the beginning was always the most delicate time".
Suddenly, loud music started to rock-out from the APC speakers as the Vehicle started to slowly gain momentum and perform an U turn, the lesson had to stop momentarily as Collared Peccary foul language sounded all through the eight wheeled vehicle. Once the turn was completed and the vehicle steadily gained enough momentum to start moving forward very slowly the lesson resumed. Narwhal focused on teaching Boomslang the basics on how to Wild Release, for starters as Bald Eagle was a quick-learner, already having used her Wild Release twice and once in front of Narwhal made it easier to figure out how to stimulate her onto repeating, even if the result was just a single feather, it was good enough for now.
-That's what I'm talking about!- Collared Peccary shouted happily as she got a high-five from Père David's Deer.
The APC then started to accelerate as Collared Peccary managed to keep a steady hold of the controls of it, Père David's Deer relaxed on the sit next to her and engaged in a conversation with Rhyo about Fenrir's origin story and what this Human research team came to do here in Japari Park.
The loud speakers of the vehicle kept playing rock music as the Diamondback surged onward, it's speed quickly outpacing the progress the Friends made marching without a single stop to rest, Rhyo's help would prove invaluable to their journey.