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Crystal Ashes

Blushing Petals

Chapter 3: Dai, God of Bats

Alkine's back was arched and his nostrils flared… It had taken weeks to reach the bay, and now— in the complete black of the southern night—something prowled nearby with wide, crimson eyes. The ocean crashed against the sharp rocks, sending shivers rippling through San. Behind them, Yakul shivered his ears upright and his body hunched, ready for attack. Branches cracked behind them, and instantly San spun, her eyes wide as she started to circle her companions protectively.

Her heart had begun to thump wildly as the coolness morphed into heat, sending shivers and sweats up her spine. The fire of fear had already washed through her mind… Lowering herself into a crouch, she watched Alkine, waiting for him to react. His ears twitched, and then his eyes widened and gleaming like two harvest moons in his snow white fur.

The red eyed creature was silent but prowling as it moved towards the cliff, glancing back at the trio occasionally, as if not sure whether to tear them to pieces or leave them where they stood. She could feel its predatory gaze as it landed on her… she could feel it all around her, but her eyes would not allow her to see anything but its glowing blood tinted eyes as it moved from place to place.

That was when she heard Yakul whimper, and at once Alkine began backing her and Yakul into the shelter forest.

Suddenly a screech resounded, filling the air with the deafening sound, like sirens, like the wail of something dying. The screech was then rivaled by the sounds of cannons and men yelling…

And once they were hidden in the shadows of the trees, they watched in the red light of the gun fire, as a giant bat battled a group of forty humans. Farther down the coast she could see hundreds of red eyes watching the scene from within the mouth of colossal cavern. None seemed worried. Before long three more bats surrounded the men and each clenched a fistful of men and tossed them over the sheer cliff into the razor-like rocks below, until only the leader of the attack was left, his body shaking and completely dominated by fear. And seconds wasted until the leader of the group of bats tore the man to pieces and the bats took flight, back to their own haven within the cave…

And nothing was left on the bay but the stench of blood, and shattered armor of the warriors. Shivering, San's eyes locked on Alkine.

"They are prophets." He said simply. "They know what battles they can win, and what battles they should flee."

"They fight like demons… not like noble gods." Alkine frowned watching the eyes fade to the black of the cave.

"No… they fight like humans." He whispered with disgust.

"Our mother hated them." San whispered, her eyes wide, trying to see through the thick darkness to see more of the battle scene.

"She must have felt that he could help us now…" He whispered. "He is forgiving… and he is a powerful ally, but only an ally to Shishigami… I am not sure how this will work." Alkine finished, his eyes darkening as he looked out, his fur rippling in the wind. Sniffing he sighed and placed his head on his paws. San growled.

"Mother would not lead us astray." Alkine nodded, smiling softly. Chuckling he studied San, his little, fierce, human sister, with a spirit as strong as any wolf's.

"And she gave us her blessing…" His tongue hung out as he curled himself around San and Yakul. San blinked, rubbing her eyes…

"The dark is infinite…" Her voice was low as she closed her eyes and pictured what the new day would bring.

"San, I love you…" Ashitaka whispered as he leaned into the wolf-girl, breathing in her scent… like rain and stone and wild flowers. Looking up at him with wide earth colored eyes she smiled and kissed him softly.

"I love you Ashitaka…" Her face twisted then, her nose and mouth elongating and her eyes glowing golden. "I love you." Her voice was a howl and suddenly he was burning…

His head was wounded… Her wolf brothers were chewing his head… But her eyes were pleading, no matter how foreign they looked now, they were still San's… she was still the one he loved.

"His fever is worse than Lady Eboshi expected…" Toki whispered, running the damp cloth across his forehead. Aiko, the woman Eboshi had sent with her, shivered, chewing her lip as she watched the handsome young man's face twist in agony.

"Fevers like this are almost always fatal, Toki…" Toki blinked, chewing her nail at Aiko's words.

"We'll see about that. Lady Eboshi trusted us to find him and keep him well…" Toki hummed as she pulled thicker blankets around him. "If we overheat him, he'll break into sweat, and hopefully keep cool as the air hits the sweat… But keep his head cool. His mind cannot overheat anymore… He's already so… so lost in the fever dreams…"

"San…" Ashitaka whispered through cracked lips… His voice was weak and hoarse, but still he spoke… repeating the wolf-girl's name over and over, until it felt that it was etched into the cold brick walls of his imprisonment.

"He will get better." Toki said, her voice determined and her dark eyes full of sparks of hope.

Morning tore at San's sleeping eyes, violent fingers of liquid sun ripping her from soft dreams. Shivering she sat up and desperately rubbed her eyes, trying to see through the barriers of pure white sun.

Alkine growled next to her.

"The sun here is so much brighter than the sun in our lands…" He groaned, burying his face in his paws.

"Why?" She asked, staring at his form, a searing white blob beneath the strange sun.

"Because this is our land. The sun and the darkness, both strongest in these lands, do not bother the sightless eyes of our clan." Shocked, San spun around to see the huge, black bat, with dull red eyes. Instantly she stood and bowed.

"We are of Moro's clan," San spoke, her head high now. But before she could finish the bat nodded and kneeled.

"Moro died protecting Shishigami." He replied. "Dai told us that Moro's human child would arrive looking for someone to help her in her journey. So follow me and we will see what Dai has to say, young ones." The bat was calm as he stood and glided away, his enormous black wings fluttering in the breeze.

Following the God they entered the cave, their eyes wide, trying to see through the thick darkness. Immediately they were swallowed whole by the hot, onyx black cave, until their eyes ached from the complete dark… But after a few moments they reached a place where crystals began to glow along the walls, making halos of sapphire and emerald light in the once pitch black. San gasped, her eyes at last focused, and the seething pain of staring into pure darkness now gone from her head.

At last their pace slowed, and ahead she could see their destination. The final Cavern glowed crimson like the eyes of the Bat's of Dai's clan, each crystal like a vivid, orchid sprouting from the dark walls. That was where they saw him… a bat three times Alkine's size with huge, shimmering, blood colored eyes that focused on no place too long.

"So you have finally arrived young ones." Dai spoke with a voice like calm winds sifting through the silver grass of an open field. San shivered—his was the voice of the first Gods, a voice woven of life and nature itself. Her eyes were full of awe as she traced his features… His thin ears twitched, delicate like petals atop his massive head, and his velvet fur shone through the darkness. "Did you expect a God of the ancient times?" He asked, filling the cavern with his beautiful voice. Alkine bowed, his own gold eyes shining like the full moon.

"I did not, God of the Bats…" San replied as she too bowed low to the icy stone of the cavern's floors. "My mother, Moro, Goddess of the Wolves, sent me a visage of a great bat with eyes the color of our clan's eyes… I believe she wanted me to seek your help." The great bat nodded at her words, his expression saddening.

"I have much to give you," His voice now was wind, whistling through empty rocks and sheer cliffs… "But first I ask of you one thing." The cavern around her shook, making her stumble in her place, filled with the echo of his words. "The humans here have slain Yaro, the spirit that protects our precious lands, and placed its essence within their leader's body. All I ask is that you kill him, and free the spirit that Shishigami placed on these lands. Without it the younger generations are weak in body and in mind, and if this cycle lasts much longer I will be forced to slay the young in order to preserve and cleanse our race." San blinked, bowing her head so that her long lashes cast shadows across her smooth cheeks.

"Of course Dai. But you promise to aid us as well?" She asked softly.

"Yes, young human child." He replied, like a grandfather laughing at his grandchild's ridiculous insecurity. "Come forward." Obediently she moved forward, her steps slow and careful like a hunted creature. Her dusty brown eyes were large as the bat reached out a winged arm and touched the crystal dagger that glittered on her throat. "Think of things you wish to see, young one…" The large bat whispered his voice in her mind just a wave crashing against the sheer cliffs…

Alkine jumped, howling in outrage as San's body went limp, and crumpled to the polished onyx rock of the cavern floors.

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Blushing Petals