Chapter Eleven: Still Life
"... Nightmares, they won't leave me be …"
Bald Eagle looked around confused as she saw Boomslang in the distance, looking around just as she clueless as she was, they just had gone to sleep with Blue Whale so how where they where? This couldn't be a dream, because they were together.
-What's going on?- Boomslang yawned exhausted, she was so tired that she'd go to sleep on the floor, if a cold feel of dread didn't keep her up. She just knew something was wrong here.
-Where is Blue Whale?- Bald Eagle said fidgeting nervously while blushing slightly, she was really enjoying cuddling up with her new Mom, a part of her wanted to stay with her forever.
Something manifested before the two Friends, amidst the darkness, they recognized a silhouette and her movements.
Boomslang and Bald Eagle smiled in joy as they recognized Maltese Tiger, they were met with a very grotesque sight, what used to be their Friend now looked in worse state than the Cheetah Fiend that attacked and infected Bald Eagle.
-Why did you leave me behind?- Maltese Tiger asked with cold bitter contempt, that neither Snake or the Eagle could answer.
As she shuffled closer to them, Bald Eagle and Boomslang were paralyzed with fear as they felt their Guardians not respond to their call, as Maltese Tiger drew closer and they could see what decay had done to their beautiful Sempai. What was once an a radiant example of feline beauty was just a festering vessel of disease now, emanating putrid scents that made the Friends expression twist disgusted, they saw her eyes were empty, those hollow black sockets, it was like staring at Death itself.
-Neither of you have anything to say!?- Maltese Tiger roared.
Neither Bald Eagle nor Boomslang did know how to answer her, struggled to not break down in tears, knowing this was just a bad dream. There was no way Malty Sempai returned from the dead to judge them, but the fact both were present and felt so real was unnerving. The Tiger attacked them and both of them fled from her, as their Guardians refused to come to their aid.
-Why won't she answer!- Bald Eagle cried out in anguish as Suzaku didn't answer her, she grabbed Boomslang by the navel, flying away from Maltese Tiger, who simply vanished.
-What?- Boomslang said as she looked around, not believing what just happened, she wondered if she and Bald Eagle were so close now that they were having the same dream together.
-You can't escape your guilt!- They both heard one thousand voices roaring at them, they looked above and saw several zombified Maltese Tiger swarming them like rain from the sky.
Bald Eagle was overwhelmed by their numbers and couldn't hold onto Boomslang anymore, both quickly precipitated to the ground as the zombified Felines strangled them both, they saw the very ground below also becoming a swarm of them… It was like the feelings they bottled up about losing their Friend, that they were just starting to feel close enough to admire, had manifested in a vengeful physical form, coming to end their lives now they had starting dating and became Girl-Friends.
Both Bald Eagle were brought back to reality by Blue Whale, who was rudely awakened by Suzaku and Genbu, forcing Blue Whale to wake up both the Friends that they were intertwined.
-You both were struggling, I'm sorry about waking you, but that was a nightmare- Blue Whale apologized, to her surprise neither of them were upset, they just hugged her very tightly.
-I thought we were done for- Boomslang muttered shocked about how vivid that dream felt, she breathed deep in relief.
-You just saved our lives- Bald Eagle thanked Blue Whale, who was clueless and more worried than before about these two.
-What is going on!? Where did these things come from? Is this what you didn't want me to join your party?- Blue Whale asked some of the several questions she had right now in her mind.
With no other option left in this situation, Bald Eagle started to explain things to Blue Whale while she comforted Boomslang, Blue Whale sighed as listened to the adventures the group had lived through together so far. Blue Whale felt upset knowing that such young Friends had been pushed onto this dangerous adventure, out of their desire to save their island from hunger due to the Typhoon, while she couldn't help them with the Fiends, she knew that she could help them save Riukiu Island.
-This is a mess- Blue Whale sentenced taking a deep breath, trying to remain calm but she was angry, against cruel fate.
-We didn't want to get involved with this mess either, but the Gods chose us to help them, we have a sacred duty now- Bald Eagle said quite proud about it, amidst all the things that had happened to them thus far, she didn't regret this journey at all.
-I'm not really pulling my weight, but I really want to help Bald Eagle and the others, and tonight is the perfect chance for it- Boomslang said standing up from the bed and stretching, Bald Eagle soon followed her, they both walked side by side out of the bedroom and left a very sad and scared Blue Whale behind.
Blue Whale didn't want to let them go like that, but she was too scared to get involved, in the end she went back to sleep.
-She didn't follow us, I'm kinda glad- Boomslang sighed in relief, she didn't want Friends getting hurt for trying to help.
-Let's go wake up the others, they might have a better idea of what we should do, we shouldn't go back to sleep- Bald Eagle said considering they might need to stay up all night, it was then when she felt a very unnerving chill in the air, the sense of dread also disturbed Boomslang who looked around afraid.
-She is there!- Boomslang screeched pointing at Nightmare, who waved at them before vanishing into the darkness again.
-Oh gods, what are we going to do!?- Bald Eagle panicked as she didn't feel ready for this, a deathly chill going up her spine as she could have sworn that she felt Nightmare's breath, Bald Eagle fell to her knees feeling her strength slowly fading away.
-Are you okay!?- Boomslang asked as she helped Bald Eagle stand up but then she was the one being attacked, she resisted it but she uttered an ugly curse, as she felt the deathly chill.
Both Friends laid powerless on the floor, Nightmare took a moment to relish taking a deep breath, such delicious fear was a feast she would feed upon before consuming their sandstar.
Nightmare kicked Boomslang and Bald Eagle's bodies to turn them, she wanted to see their faces in pain stood on top of them, as she stomped on her prey with her iron hooved boots.
-Go ahead, scream for me, no one's gonna save you two now- Nightmare smiled as she looked down to the Friends, who couldn't scream for help, she took another deep breath tasting their delicious fear and profusely drooling while licking her lips.
Nightmare saw some sandstar sparkles igniting the night, before she realized what it was a projectile bounced off an angle and struck her in both eyes from the side, she groaned in pain vanishing into darkness denied her double midnight snack.
-She'll recover very soon, Piggy pick them up!- Père David's Deer ordered her Friend as she drew another shot just in case Nightmare bounced back sooner than expected, she knew such a solid hit and the sedatives would slow her regeneration a bit.
-Thank the gods- Boomslang said shaking nervously as she stood up, the Snake still felt really weak, then she screamed blushing really hard as she just noticed something troubling.
-Why are you two running around almost naked!?- Bald Eagle demanded an answer amidst her own visible blush, for some reason Collared Peccary and Père David's Deer were naked using only towels, like they just walked out of the showers.
-You two just call your Guardians and cover us!- Père David's Deer ordered Boomslang and Bald Eagle, annoyed neither of them praised the perfect shot that had just saved their lives.
-Let us get our clothes back on and then we can talk ... Or try to kill this fucking thing haunting you two!- Collared Peccary pushed Boomslang and Bald Eagle to move forward, Père David's Deer took a deep breath of relief as the Guardians manifested, Genbu watch the rear while Suzaku flew above.
The group reached Collared Peccary's and Père David's Deer room, the other two quickly got rid of their towels and dressed up as fast they could, much to the embarrassment of both Bald Eagle and Boomslang who were mumbling together about it.
-Piggy had this funny idea that lead us to take a shower and then go to the APC, thanks to that we managed to sprint back in time to save you!- Père David's Deer adjusting her mask.
-Sorry about that- Collared Peccary apologized but her expression just showed disappointment, she wanted to get back at that Fiend, for ruining her special night with the Deer.
-I seriously can't believe you were going to do that!- Bald Eagle said feeling her legs shaking, not from fear, but from how flustered she felt at the casual way those two talked about this.
-Focus, that thing is still out there, likely thinking how it can paralyze all of us!- Boomslang said panicking as she wasn't ready yet, she and Genbu still couldn't connect in order to protect anyone, she would be total deadweight once again.
-That shit doesn't look good- Collared Peccary said as she noticed some cerulean like fluids started to leak through the walls, the floor, the roof of the room, they were trapped again.
Bald Eagle incinerated the fluids almost as a reflex response, Nightmare roared fiercely in anger, her voice sounded like a daemon, like seething flames and black ash. She wouldn't be denied her meal tonight, even if she had to brute force her way in, she manifested on the roof of the room from the gas left by the fire. Nightmare waited for her desired prey to reveal itself, she was eyeing the Friend that was really calm and on guard, it irritated her knowing the kill she desired wouldn't be filling.
-On the roof!- Boomslang called once she saw something dripping from above and looked up, she saw a disgusting blob of flesh as it descend upon them, it would envelop and would consume them all unless she did something to stop it instantly.
In her desperate desire to protect everyone, Genbu finally connected with Boomslang in this dire moment of need, there was no word exchanged in between them just intertwined wills. Turtle Shells repelled Nightmare's flesh blob form and kept it stuck on the roof of the room, Père David's Deer was surprised but she remained focused unlike the other two Friends, as she saw they had a chance to get rid of this Fiend once and for all.
-Fire it up!- Père David's Deer told Bald Eagle who fired feathers to the turtle shells, to create a controlled fire that turned up the heat, turning them into a really gruesome grill.
-So it was you, Accursed, you were the one to blind me!- Nightmare recognized her scent and related it to the voice that gave Bald Eagle that order, she would get her revenge against her one night, sooner or later she'd feast on her fear and flesh.
-Oui, je le suis- Père David's Deer said pointing at herself while smiling widely and posing, to the joy of Collared Peccary, this gesture of bravado showed her Deerie was back in good form.
-I'll get you next time- Nightmare smiled as her flesh blob was being consumed by the heat, a ghastly apparition of her true form waved goodbye at the Friends, vanishing into the night.
-Did we win?- Collared Peccary asked around, none of the Friends replied, they weren't sure either, but Nightmare didn't attack again and eventually they took a deep breath of relief.
-Looks like we live to fight another day- Père David's Deer said falling down her butt, she was exhausted, all she wanted now was going back to sleep and getting some well-earned rest.
-I can't believe I managed to do it- Boomslang said in relief, that she would no longer feel useless compared to the other Friends that had Astral Guardians, she smiled about to cry.
-Well done!- Bald Eagle said kissing Boomslang's cheek.
The Snake screamed comically and ran around waving her arms like noodles, until she bumped into a wall and finally stopped, Bald Eagle was left confused as if her gesture was the cause of all that. Père David's Deer laughed at them with a very tender smile, while Collared Peccary keenly grabbed them both Snake and Bird by the shoulder of their clothes and kicked them out of the room, she still wanted to sleep with her Deerie even if their passion night had now been ruined by that Fiend.
-Are you okay?- Bald Eagle asked concerned for Boomslang.
-Never been better- Boomslang said using her tail to grab Bald Eagle's legs and lift herself up, effectively glomping her slightly, her cheer made Boomslang forget about anything but her love.
-Suzaku tells me you will have to start training hard now that you made a connection- Bald Eagle said trying to change topics, in spite of Suzaku actually manifesting and talking to her, she didn't think this was the time nor place to get comfy.
-Come on, you heard them, they had a very fun idea we could try ourselves!- Boomslang said trying to drag Bald Eagle to the Diamondback APC, for some sexy times together in the vehicle.
-I wanna go back to sleep with Blue Whale, I'm tired and still shaken, we can do fun things together another time- Bald Eagle said yawning, she was the type of Friend that needed her eight hours of sleep to function properly, she walked past Boomslang who sadly decided to play along nicely for now.
The rest of the night was uneventful, Blue Whale welcomed the Enfants in her bed, after they both reassured her the Fiend lurking about had been defeated, Narwhal and Smilodon woke up surprised that they had managed to defeat it with just two Astral Guardians present. They thought it was just too easy...
Something was clearly amiss, as the Astral Guardians remained uneasy the following morning, as the group prepared the APC for the trip over the sea to their next destination. Gokoku Island, the last island before they finally arrived to the Mainland, the original destination of the quest of Bald Eagle and Boomslang that put them in the middle of this entire mess.
-Lunch will be ready soon!- Blue Whale called to the group, that were still working hard organizing things, they could only cram in so many cardboard boxes full of stuff into their APC.
-Okay girls, take a break while we wait for it- Père David's Deer said stretching putting her staff aside, she took off her mask and used the beret as a fan, she hoped to leave by nightfall.
-We need to make a bit more room for Rhyo's batteries, maybe ask for an extra pair of boxes and pile them up on top of the sealed Japari Buns? They are locked inside tough containers!- Collared Peccary immediately suggested to Père David's Deer, she didn't want her new metal music buddy to be scared about his future again, she'd make sure to always look for places the Cadre could scavenge batteries to keep him up and running.
-Yeah, we could do that I suppose, no sense in leaving anything behind- Père David's Deer said looking at Collared Peccary, she was such a sweet Friend, she had conflicting feelings about wanting her to be by her but not in danger.
-You don't need to stare at me like that, just come and get me- Collared Peccary teased Père David's Deer, the Deer put back on her beret and adjusted her mask before moving in to kiss and hug the Pig, just one tender gesture of affection for now.
-Did I just saw something behind you?- Collared Peccary asked, just noticing a shade looming behind Père David's Deer.
-Heh, don't make such jokes Piggy, you know I ain't gonna fall for that!- Père David's Deer smirked before she felt a chill up her spine, just like last night when she tried to sleep, it was just Piggy's imagination going haywire after last night's scare.
-Nevermind, I'm just tired- Collared Peccary chuckled very nervously, it wasn't far away from the truth, all the driving often left her with less hours of rest than the other Friends.
-Are you two okay?- Smilodon asked curious while Byakko behind her looked concerned, the White Tiger was all but corporeal now and was a lot more expressive than Smilodon.
-All is well- Père David's Deer quickly answered while Collared Peccary apologized to them, if the rather intimidating feline Friend didn't saw it, then it was just Piggy's vivid imagination.
-I'm gonna miss this place- Boomslang commented, this was always going to be the place Bald Eagle and her had their first kiss, she wanted to return to it one day to revisit said memory.
-It's been the most pleasant experience we've shared together, even with the attack last night, it was much cleaner than what happened to us at The Lodge- Narwhal said in high spirits, she was very proud to know Bald Eagle and even Boomslang were coming along well as she was, gave her more motivation to keep on improving and avoid falling behind her new Friends.
-Cleaner? There were no leftovers whatsoever! That was truly harrowing- Bald Eagle said as she felt her stomach twist, after last night she was thirsting for Blood again, but she didn't want Blue Whale to know that she had become a Fiend like Monster.
-Lunch is ready!- Blue Whale called to the Cadre, that merrily joined their new Mom, even Smilodon was happy to hug her.
As the group took their places on what would be their last meal in Blue Whale's Beach Resort, no member of the Cadre said anything, forcing Blue Whale to address them as a whole again.
-This trip is too dangerous, you need more Friends to help you-
Blue Whale said, she looked around as she saw the Friends exchanging gazes, not giving her an immediate response, up until Père David's Deer answered her representing all of them.
-The group is large enough as it is, we are constantly slowing down to scavenge for food, we would have gone hungry several days if Friends weren't always willing to give us Japari Buns- Père David's Deer explained to Blue Whale, trying to avoid touching the real reason they wouldn't allow anyone else in.
-Or the delicious curry we have been given here- Collared Peccary commented enjoying the home made food given.
-I already told you once that you were outmatched, now you see why, please understand that we can't let you join us- Smilodon reminded Blue Whale they had already discussed this, she didn't intend being cruel, but it was better this way.
-No Friend that lacks an Astral Guardian is safe on this trip- Byakko supported Smilodon while trying to soften up the blow.
-There is only four gods and there is six of you! what about the two unprotected Friends in your party?- Blue Whale continued, she didn't want to sit idle while young Friends risked their lives, she didn't sleep well last night until they returned to her side.
-I can drive the Diamondback, that's my job, I'm stuck with them until they don't need me anymore- Collared Peccary answered with a shrug, while it was an important task, she didn't felt special as it was just something convenient for all.
-I'm their Leader and their Healer, I joined Boomslang and Bald Eagle on Riukiu Island and I will stick with them, up to the end of their quest- Père David's Deer said offering her hands to Bald Eagle and Boomslang, which both just had finished their meals and happy held hands with her, they were bound in this quest and would face together whatever that was in their way.
-Blue Whale, please understand that it's for your own sake and safety too, as much as you want to help us you need to stay out of this- Narwhal ran through her feelings again, the only way to express them, she didn't want Blue Whale being at risk.
-How do you expect me to just stand aside and continue with my life knowing you are risking yours? I don't want to do any less than that!- Blue Whale said feeling like she was about to cry, it hurted deeply to realize they were,that she would have to stay behind while they continued their dangerous adventure.
-I understand but you must, you already did more than enough for us- Narwhal said standing up and going to give Blue Whale a comforting hug, which the Whale happily received from her.
-If you really want to do more to help us, relay to others that you saw us, anyone who might spread it might allow Jinmengyo to send up more help along the way- Père David's Deer suggested Blue Whale one last way she could try to help them, if she really wanted to help and held no hard feelings.
-We'll miss you, Mom- Bald Eagle said flying to cuddle with her.
-Don't call her that!- Boomslang shrieked comically blushing hard, but she also joined the cuddle hug, for she felt in debt with Blue whale for helping her with the last push to confess.
It was thanks to her Boomslang now was Bald Eagle's couple.
-Now let us enjoy our last meal together, for moments like these make this journey actually enjoyable, sorta- Smilodon admitted her fondness for the colourful and quirky group, it reminded her of The Deadlights, it made Byakko very happy.
-If it makes you feel better, I'd like to stay here too for a little longer, but we got a job to do- Collared Peccary said satisfied, she wished to eat more of that delicious curry some other day.
-All of you will be welcome back here, once this grim business of yours is done, of course- Blue Whale said just enjoying the moment, she'd try to get people to visit her again and hope one of them could relay the message, to help these Friends.
The rest of the day at the Beach Resort passed by really fast for the Friends, each of them gave Blue Whale a loving long hug and a kiss on her hard-working hands, a token of gratitude for letting them rest for several days under her watchful care.
Collared Peccary drove the Diamondback into the sand, she wanted to be inside of it when they saw if they could make it slide across the waves using Seiryuu's power, she didn't want Rhyolite sinking alone without her listening to his last words.
-Don't worry, you'll be fine- Collared Peccary reassured Rhyo as she drove the APC into the Ocean, the wheels slowly sinking into the water, as the waves rushed to meet the Diamondback.
-It works!- Narwhal celebrated as she gracefully jumped on top of the vehicle, easily pushing the Diamondback into the sand, the Friends cheered on Seiryuu's name and boarded their APC.
As the Cadre continued their journey towards Gokoku Island, dusk soon followed them, as the Diamondback slided over the waves. The full moon shined down upon the APC, like an ill omen, The Friends blissfully unaware that they were expected.