Thank you to Mizuna Kurenagi for review last chapter
Chapter XXIII: Mahina
"You know it's weird…" Fingers carefully ran along the pups neck, tracing browning veins that had appeared not long ago and now moved their way up the pups face
Looking up from her computer screen, Alura arched a brow at the comment. Her assistant didn't look away from the subject the female's blue eyes staring back as curiously as the one being directed at her. This young man was Alura's assistant, Alura called him Tyson. With rather wild looking auburn hair, he looked far too young to be working as a scientist assistant let alone in the field at all but his kind and playful disposition left him a prime position.
His tone was always soft, his touch softer and his expression kind and non threatening, things that were key when handling this pup unless someone wanted to lose more fingers like the past three or so people had since the pup had arrived here. Tyson often occupied their subjects time while Alura was busy with her video logs and looking over data. The pup had no problem with this, when Tyson cared for here she often played with the jingling metal bangles he had on his arm
A momento from his mother, he told her once, to encourage him to do his best in this new job of his.
He was a playful human who asked all sorts of questions, he was curious about wolves much like Alura was but he was more curious on how their families structures worked, if wolves even had the kind of thing humans called family. The young pup answered his questions to the best of her ability and Tyson's growing fascination enamored the pup to him. Today something seemed to perplex him more than usual.
"What is?"
"We've been calling her Subject M this whole time, but we never once asked her if she actually has a name" he commented offering a thoughtful look to Alura
"A...name" The pup echoed the words spoken tilting her head curiously "what is...a name?"
"Oh!" Tyson face her again "You know… a name! The thing people call you" when the pup gave Tyson a confused look he chuckled "Lets see like… oh! Like me! My name is Tyson, that's what people call me, that's what my mother named me" he motioned to himself.
"..." the pup reached out and pressed a hand against Tyson much larger one "your name is...Tyson" she echoed and the young man nodded beaming as he did, the pup turned her gaze to the curiously observing Alura sitting at her work desk "and your name is...Alura"
"...Yes…" Alura nodded a warm smile coming to her face as she did.
"I understand" the pup nodded. A name was a title, the thing a pack called you in recognition so you couldn't be confused with anyone else.
"What about you, little one?" Tyson mused earning the pups gaze again "What is your name? You must get tired of us calling you Subject M and Little one right?"
Her...name?
"..." the pup furrowed her brow as she tried to recall what her pack called her. She had one of these kinds of titles she knew she did but… in the unfocused memories she had of her pack, of her siblings and her parents her name wasn't there… like it had been cut out of the picture. "I…" she breathed out "I don't…"
"You don't remember…" Tyson guessed correctly, his beaming face wilting just a bit at this information, he and Alura exchange worried looks "um...okay" the young man hummed "do you remember your mother's name? You know… the one who gave birth to you?"
"...Hamona" Mahina breathed the name she recalled father called her mother, the blonde woman sleeping deep within the keep. Tyson arches a brow at this, his mouth pressing into a firm line before he spoke on.
"And… your...your father's name?"
"Darcia" she had no problem answering that, Lord Darcia was what everyone around here called her father. Alura sat up at her desk now obvious finding the exchange between her assistant and their subject interesting now.
"Little one" Tyson went on with his questions "do you remember what Hamona and Darcia named you?"
"I…" the up strained her memory but nothing came "no…" she couldn't remember and this fact brought a thrum of worry through the pups core "I have a name...I have a name!" why couldn't she remember her name?!
"Whoa whoa whoa" Tyson was there in an instant, swooping in to envelop the pup before him in his arms and shush her before she could fly into a fit of louder screaming "hey, hey shhh it's going to be okay" he soothed, his hands running over her head and through her hair in an effort to calm her.
"Tyson" the pup whimpered curling up against the young man "I have a name… right?"
"Of course you do, silly" he chuckled smiling down at her "you just can't remember it right now, that's all"
Her memories were faded, she couldn't even properly remember her mother without help from her father. What was becoming of her? The pup whined miserably at this revelation and Tyson held her tighter as the early signs of tears misted her blue eyes.
"Hey, hey no tears. It'll be alright" he soothed out "we'll just have to give you a new name"
"A new name…"
"Yea, something you won't forget… hmm lets see? Maybe… Luna!"
"Can you get anymore clique than that?" Alura snorted
"Hey!" Tyson pouted "it's a nice name! And its appropriate! You like the name Luna right?" the young man sought support from the pup before him but when he saw the flat look he gave her the answer was clear "uh er… well there is one name… I saw it when i was reading some of Darcia the first old reports...how about Mahina"
Mahina… something about that name rung in the pup.
She didn't recall ever hearing the name before now and it didn't spark anything in her memories but it still felt… familiar.
'I'm-'
'Mahina right?'
'Oh so I guess you were awake when we were talking'
She winced as a quick flash of something passed her mind, of a cage with a lone white wolf laying in it. The beast pure fur tainted with the red of his own blood and the burning look of determination in his eyes.
It made the pup think back to the one of few memories she still could see clearly, of that pup with such similar eyes… she wondered...what had his name been? Had she bothered to ask it back then?
"I like… Mahina" she let the name roll off her tongue and Tyson grinned at her words.
"Mahina it is than" he beamed
Log #206, Name: Alura Degre
It has been… a week since Lord Darcia the third decided to double Project M's treatments of Cheza's DNA and we've had...concerns about going forward with it.
The Canine immune system is very defensive, it attacks almost anything foreign to its body. The fact that Project M has taken so well to the original treatments is a rarity all its owns
… after all… we have tried and failed 12 other times before her…
I believed we should not become impatient, even the smallest alteration could trigger Project M's system to attack every ounce of Cheza's DNA thus...killing the host in process. However…Lord Darcia offered a...convincing argument.
So my team and I worked hard to develop the perfect timeline of doses to introduce to Project M throughout the day that wouldn't threaten her condition.
In this past week we've kept a close eye on Project M's condition. Her vital signs are strong as ever which is a relief-
"Alura!" the blonde paused at the sound of her name being so sharply called and for once she turned away from her computer and her video report. Blue eyes met as the subject of Alura's reports let out a faint huffing sound now that she finally got the attention she want. Mahina had been patiently waiting for Alura to finish but she was quite done waiting by now.
Alura had promised to take Mahina out of this stuffy room once her treatment for that hour were done and the scientist had also said that there was a garden on the keep that was beautiful this time of year.
Mahina looked at the IV stand beside her, her treatment is totally empty which meant her treatment is done for now.
"you promised we'd go to the garden after my treatment." Mahina reminded Alura, her cheeks puffing up into a pout as she did.
"... I did promise you." Alura agreed, a soft smile coming to her face as she did "Just give me a few more minutes okay?"
"But-"
"Now, now." the woman waves a finger at Mahina stopping her from arguing more "This is very important and I have to finish."
That was true...father said it was important too but… but she promised when Mahina's treatment was done they would go!
Alura only chuckled as Mahina continued her pouting "why don't you have Tyson take the IV out while I finish up?"
"...Okay." Mahina obeyed but she still pouted as she did turning and walking back across the room where Tyson waited to remove the needle in Mahina's arm, snickering at her impatience as he did.
"Project M's temperament has seen a significant change in this week alone." Alura continued her report "She's become more friendly with the staff and myself, less reluctant to answer our questions about her and her pack before she came here….she's quite talkative actually and very curious…" there was chuckle here and Tyson chuckled too
"You'll feel a bit of a sting here" the assistant speaks softly to Mahina who nods
"It's hard to believe that beyond that cute little smile is a wolf...She reminds me of my daughter at that age…however I have recently discovered that our new treatments have caused some...drawbacks.
Project M sleeps more, to the point that any normal human being would be called narcoleptic. Sometimes she falls asleep in the middle of her treatments… and so far she's fallen into a hybernative like sleep for at the most 3 days. This could mean the extra treatment is simply wearing her out, i'll have to look into altering the dosage and amount of daily treatments to see if that changed anything
There also seems to be another change to her 'human shift'...
veins are becoming visible along Project M's neck but… they're oddly colored… they look brown almost like roots from a plant.. But they don't seem to be causing her any physical harm, currently they've spread from her collar bone to the jawline.
..And yet… this isn't my greatest concern regarding her development.
Project M has been losing significant chunks of her memories from before her captivity. In our past interviews she revealed that she did, in fact, have a name but when asked what it was she couldn't recall what it was. She remembers that she has siblings but their names and faces have been all but erased from her memory...and… when I asked about her parents well…"
Alura paused before looking back at Mahina, there's a trouble look to the womans face as she took in Mahina's form sitting patiently for her to finish her report. When Mahina tilted her head curiously at alura the blonde simply smiles at her before turning back around.
"It appears her mind has been trying to fill in the missing gaps in her memory with false truths. Project M believes that Lord Darcia is her father and the late Lady Hamona is her mother… Lord Darcia has refused to allow us to correct this.
Project M became distressed about not remembering her name so the staff came together to give her a new one. Mahina."
Mahina perked at the sound of her name. Her new name.
That's right, Alura and her people had given her that just the other day.
Mahina, she liked it and Cheza seemed to as well.
"Tyson found the name in some of our old records, one from when Cheza was first created. It apparently means Moonlight in some language long forgotten, she seems to like it very much. The memory alteration is very troubling to me personally…
I'm not quite sure yet but… I think Mahina has forgotten that she's even a wolf… Still Lord Darcia bids that we continue" Alura sighed again bringing her hand to her neck where Darcia had gripped her so not that long ago. The bruise was only just starting to fade off its ugly purple hue "... Perhaps it's time i take a vacation for a while… My daughter is going to be getting married soon…"
"Alura" Mahina couldn't help herself as the whine left her lips, if Alura went on rambling like this they would never get out of here! Alura doesn't seem too bothered by Mahina's whining, in fact she actually chuckles lightly.
"Alright, alright" the blonde finally gives in standing up from her desk to Mahina's relief "Let's go"
Alura and Mahina made their way through the labs with Mahina holding onto Alura's hand tightly. Alura did make her promise to do this, the keep was big after all and the last thing Mahina wanted was to end up lost again
"..." The pup paused in her walking prompting Alura to stop walking as well and look at her curiously.
"Mahina?" the blonde spoke up but Mahina barely heard her over her own brief confusion.
...had she gotten lost in the keep before? But Mahina couldn't recall ever needing a reason to wander outside of her room.
Unless…
A sudden feeling of urgency stirred within Mahina's being and she brought a hand against it to hopefully calm the feeling.
Why did it feel like she was forgetting something?
"Mahina" Alura's voice finally reached Mahina and when the pup blinked back into the moment she was staring into the woman's blue eyes. Alura was knelt before Mahina, worried etched into her expression. "...are you alright? You seemed to space out for a moment there…"
"...I…" Mahina opened her mouth to assure she was okay but paused… was she okay?
"If you're not feeling alright we should head back inside" Alura mused checking Mahina's temperature, but Mahina didn't was to go back inside. "Mahina" Alura sighed when Mahina shook her head "the garden isn't going anywhere, we can go there another day"
"I'm alright" Mahina shook her head more. She didn't want to go outside.
The birds are tweeting and the sun is shining bright overhead.
There was no where else Mahina wanted to be at this very moment. So, she pushed that sudden feeling to the back of her mind and smiled at Alura. Hoping to prove she was alright Mahina let go of Alura's hand to ran ahead and over a bridge leading towards the garden.
"Mahina, don't run too far ahead okay?"
"Okay!" Mahina said this but as she twirled her way through the grass the warning barely registered the blonde woman's words. How long had it been since she'd felt the sun on her skin? She honestly couldn't remember… As far back as her memory went Mahina could only barely remember anything beyond the lab halls.
But that changed today, Mahina would be sure to always remember this place as she twirled and danced about. She could hear Alura chuckling a little ways behind.
"where did you learn to dance, hm?"
Where? Wasn't that obvious?
"Cheza taught me!" Mahina chirped out happily
"...Cheza?"
"Mhm!" Mahina hummed stopping to look back at Alura and smile brightly "She dances with me every morning!" Alura looked alarmed by this revelation but Mahina didn't have much time to really think on this fact. A hand took hold of Mahina's, she could only barely feel it there but it was there. It tugged Mahina away from Alura.
Alura couldn't see what Mahina could, a hazy image of Cheza standing before Mahina. Her hands held Mahina's, leading the pup into twirling and dancing about. The pair laughed and giggled as they spin hand in hand across the grass and flowers.
Alura kept her distance, prefering to watching the happy sight in silence. She made a mental note to look into the idea of Mahina somehow being connected to Cheza mentally but the sudden presence she felt take up he space beside her made her jump.
"L...Lord Darcia."
But Darcia wasn't looking at Alura or even acknowledging her presence beside him. Instead he watched Mahina dance happily and carefree about the garden, her black hair shimmering under the sun.
"... I'm sorry My Lord…" Alura tried to explain herself before her Lord could potentially lose his temper over what he saw "it's just...she really wanted to see the garden and I thought some fresh air would do her some good and-"
"It's alright" Darcia cut her off a soft smile coming to his face as he watched Mahina. "I do not mind" the males smile grew larger as Mahina throws her arms high in the air before flopping backwards onto the grass "...it's been a long while since this garden heard the sound of happy laughter…"
"..." Alura didn't respond, especially with the sullen look that Darcia had on his face.
Meanwhile with Mahina, it didn't take the pup long to get bored of rolling around in the grass. Pushing herself onto her hands and knees, Mahina decided she needed to get a better look of this beautiful garden before her. Her blue eyes found shallow waters at the edge of the grass.
"It's so pretty…" she marveled
It was so shiny!
Cheza's presence flickered with amusement.
...Now that the thought of Cheza came to Mahina's mind she wondered…
The scientist working with Cheza had said that Cheza is blind.
When Mahina had asked, Alura said that being blind meant that the person's eyes did not work properly and because of that they weren't able to see.
So even if Cheza was here with Mahina...she wouldn't be able to see all of this would she?
"Can you see it too Cheza?" Mahina questioned, Cheza's presence swirled around Mahina in a affectionate embrace.
...yes…
"Really?" but Alura said that Cheza was…
This one sees...through your eyes.
"Oh…" so then Cheza saw whatever Mahina's saw? "Then…" the pup sat up a bit glancing up at the image of the Flower maiden beaming at her "I'll make Alura bring me here every day so you can see it!" Cheza's presence fluttered in a way Mahina could swear sounded like a faint giggle. It was infectious, this euphoric feeling that swayed from Cheza to Mahina until the pup found herself giggling as well. This feeling, however, did not last very long.
Suddenly Mahina felt…odd?
"..." Mahina furrowed her brow frowning as the sparkling watery scene before her suddenly shifted before her eyes. Her vision went hazy "what the.." Mahina shook her head to break free from the haze.
It didn't help much for when her vision did clear Mahina saw...Cheza?!
"Cheza?" Mahina blinked raising to her feet curiously.
She stood in the shallow waters with a beauty all her own. The remains of what once bound her in a glass sphere of sleep hung loosely from her wrist and neck and her pale pink hair shimmered under the light of the sun. Her gaze was cast downward to the water she stood in but she must have noticed Mahina because slowly she raised her head. Blue eyes gazed into the Rose of this angel.
"Ugh…" A lump painful formed in Mahina's throat as she opened her mouth to speak, choking the pup and preventing her from voicing her confusion. Her hazy vision of the flower maiden looking so realistically there before her is suddenly cracking.
It was as if Mahina was staring at Cheza through a glass window.
But.. why? Mahina tentatively tried to move towards this vision of Cheza.
"Something is wrong…" Darcia's voice barely registering in Mahina's ears
"...Mahina?" Alura mused
They must have noticed Mahina's sudden shift in demeanor but Mahina couldn't be bothered to give their voices any of her attention over her hyper focus on the cracking vision of Cheza.
Things of Cheza seeped through the cracks and slowly they were overwhelming Mahina.
Cheza's joy, her love, her utter devotion, her warm welcome, her bubbling excitement but most of all her scent, her beautiful sweet scent.
But why did this feel...off?
Why did this feel like seeing Cheza was a long awaited reunion instead of just seeing her like Mahina always did.
Something about this was wrong
So very wrong
Mahina?
Cheza's presence shuffled in concern as she too now sensed the difference in Mahina. But why was she so worried when she looked so at peace before Mahina's eyes?
But then, Mahina suddenly couldn't quite catch her breath. She gasped clenching at her dress struggling to take in air. Why… why was her heart suddenly beating so fast?
"Che...za?" she reached for the cracked and hazy image before her.
"Mahina!" Alura's voice barely reaches Mahina's ears, it sounded as if the woman was calling from under water and it was nothing compared to the sounds of Mahina's rapid breathing and her booming heartbeat.
Before Mahina, the maiden responded like a long lost mother, opening her arms wide in welcome.
"Finally..." she spoke with a voice like a gentle breeze "We reunite once more..."
Without warning the glass vision shattered before Mahina's eyes and what came with it crashes into her like an unannounced tidal wave. Mahina was quickly swept away in its current. Her sight was overflowed with visions of things she'd never seen before-sensations she'd never once experienced before and people she didn't know.
It was all going by too fast to even try and comprehend.
A wasteland of endless snow blanketed by a hard snowstorm.
Freeze City?
A blonde haired blue eyes woman who looked almost like Alura
Cher? Who was Cher?
The feeling of running
"I don't want to stay here anymore" "Mahina…" "We can't stay here"
Hige? Toboe? Tsume?
Cheza flying
Cheza's voice
Cheza singing
The feeling of her hands
Cheza blooming?
An ominous looking old man with a big black dog.
Blue?
White fur
Bright golden eyes
Brown hair
Azure eyes
A beast
A white wolf
….Kiba
"MAHINA!" Alura's screams cut through like a knife but by then it was too late for Mahina. She heard Alura and Darcia running towards her before her eyes rolling into the back of her head and she pitched sideways and dropped to the grass.
Her body felt boneless as Alura scooped her up into her arms, Mahina could only faintly hear the woman's worried voice calling her name. Mahina could only just feel her body being shaken.
These sensations were slowly being overshadowed by scents Mahina was sure she'd never smelled before that very moment.
...But they just smelled so...familiar, calming...right
The smell of fresh snow, pine, and of a wilderness. It flooded Mahina's senses, drowning her in their power and pulled her into unconsciousness.
Cheza's voice was the last thing Mahina heard before she lost consciousness completely
The maidens words are cryptic and confusing.
"This one…missed your voice...Mahina"