Lurolona village is a wonderful, peaceful place, where the sea breeze fills the air with the charming salty scent and the sun shines gently down upon the residents going about their busy days. Some of them peddle their wares in the market, some alternatively purchase what they and their families need or desire. Even more simply head out to gather food and supplies, or return from doing the same.
Then there is the pale girl sitting in the shade of a tree, weasel-like ears twitching as her short pink hair sways in the refreshing air. Her red eyes travel along the well-worn book on her lap, reading the well-memorized words about the Shield Hero that still bring a smile to her face.
A crowd of children passes by, all with features marking them as not completely human. One with more dog-like ears breaks from the pack and walks over to the girl, calling. "Hey! Rifana!"
The girl sitting by herself looks up, surprised at someone calling for her. "Oh? Hey, Keel!" She smiles and closes the book, tucking it under her arm as she stands. "Did you need something?"
"You wanna come play with us? We found this huge slab of bark and we were gonna slide down the hill with it!" The boy replies with a grin.
She tilts her head to the side, then nods. "Sure! Let me put my book up, first?" She says, hefting it slightly for emphasis.
"Sure, sure." He waves a hand casually. "Raphtalia knows where it is, so you know she'd wait for you."
"Alright!" She nods and hurries home, humming happily. The grass beneath her feet tickles at her ankles, and the breeze has a nice slight chill to it, contrasting nicely with the warmth of the sun. It's enough to distract her mind from the trip she remembers by instinct honed through the short number of years she's been alive. Even so, she almost bumps into the front door from her lack of attention. "Oops!" She laughs softly and opens the door. "I'm home!"
"Welcome home!" Comes a female voice from the living room.
She beams and hurries into the living room, hugging her book to her chest. "Momma! Keel invited me to play with him and the others!"
"Oh, that sounds lovely!" The older woman smiles as she's knitting a scarf for her. "Don't let me stop you, but try and be home for dinner, okay?"
"Okay!" She places her book on a desk, carefully pushing it into place among others, and gives her mom a quick embrace. "Love you!"
"I love you, too Rifana." She kisses her head.
Giggling brightly, she gives her mother one more squeeze before letting go to hurry off.
Keel is waiting not too far away, waving when he sees her.
She grins and hurries over, tail swaying behind her. "So where is the bark sled?" She asks, curious.
"Raphtalia has it, she said she found it and we're meeting just on the edge of the village at that hill with the good view tree." He lets her know, excitement clear.
She blinks, trying to figure out which tree that was, since she thought almost all of them had good views. "...um..."
"Just follow me." He smiles and motions for her.
Relief fills her little body, and she lets him see it by giving him a bright smile. "Right!" Just to make doubly sure she doesn't get lost, she takes hold of his hand.
He closes his eyes and grins at her before leading her on.
The two of them make their way around the edge of town, able to make out the bustle of the townsfolk. At one point she could swear that Lord Seaetto was chatting with the owner of the smithy, but it was too far away for her to hear. Besides, her mother said it was rude to eavesdrop.
Keel seems more focused on the times ahead, happily guiding her around and through everything.
The ones who saw the two of them smile, glad that the children can grow in such a nurturing environment, away from the judgmental humans of the country.
One adult, a well-built orca woman watches them with her own smile and thoughts, returning a wave Keel gives her as they pass.
Rifana turns to look, but a house has blocked the view by this point. Her red eyes instead wander the area around them, trying to figure out the exact area they are going to.
It seems to be more inland as opposed to the beach, though still a bit between thw two as they head uphill.
It appears to be halfway up the slope of the cliff, which surprises her as she thought they weren't allowed near there. Her questioning gaze turns to the boy leading her.
"It was the best close hill." He explains. "We're not gonna go off the cliff, that'd be dumb."
"...alright," she says, squeezing his hand gently. "I'm trusting you... and so is mommy."
He actually pauses at this. "We're just going to play but..." He raises his other fist. "I won't let you down!"
She giggles, taking that pause to give him a grateful hug. "Thank you, Keel."
"I- it's- no problem!" His tail swishes rapidly enough that she can see it on either side of him.
She pulls away with a grin and hurries up the slope. "Race you there!"
"You're on!" He quickly goes after her.
It was close, but Keel's longer legs take over Rifana's headstart and he is the winner of their impromptu race. She ends up panting quietly, leaning on his arm when she catches up to him a good second after he reaches the others.
A few of them wave as they see them, a racoon girl nearby the tree holding quite the sizable slab of wood.
She smiles and hurries over, clutching the makeshift sled. "Hey. So should we count this as Keel's win?"
Rifana slowly raises her hand. "One day I'll get first," she vows, legs still wobbly.
"It's not that big a deal..." Keel mutters.
"Sixteen losses, so far," she recalls, carefully trying to straighten herself.
"You'll get stronger, you'll see!" He says.
She narrows her eyes at him, a hand on her chin. "…are you just saying that just because I'm your friend?"
"Nope, cutting this off now." Raphtalia pushes the board into the pink-haired girl's arms. "You first!"
"Have you tried it already?" Keel asks.
"Nope!" She gives him a grin as she nudges their shared friend forward. "It's more fun when we're all here!"
He nods at that, looking to Rifana. "You ready?"
She eyes the slope, nodding once. "Looks safe to me. Here I go!" She holds the bark board before her, gravity pulling her down through the grass at a slowly increasing speed.
Cheers come from behind her as the other children watch.
She smiles, enjoying the nice, easy ride, the breeze that once more ruffled her hair. Even the cheers of her friends make this that much better.
Then she hits an unseen bump and goes flying into the woods by the cliff side.
Everything goes rapidly silent, though whether from astonishment or the deadening of sound by the forest it's hard to tell.
Rifana is not as quiet, shrieking and yelping with every close call and every bump that makes her jump into the air, clinging to the board like the lifeline it is. She can't even tell where she's going, left right right again up a mound down a divot-
She closes her eyes, starting to get dizzy from trying to remember her way back. Her board suddenly hits dirt and she braces so she doesn't fly off, feeling herself climbing up a much larger mound than any she had hit yet, grinding slowly to a halt with the board just tipping forward, landing with the crunch of twigs. No longer moving, no longer in danger, she slowly peeks open an eye.
The area she's in appears to be a serene clearing or den of some sort. In the center where she is seems to be a nest large enough to sit quite a few children in, and in the middle mostly buried is a large colorful shape.
She falls sideways off her board, limply landing on her side and staring off into the distance. Her red eyes slowly drift to the side, seeking the color that she saw before. She reaches a hand out, but finds that she falls short. Brow furrowing, she inches her way closer, seeking the comfort of the color.
Her palm gently brushes over the smooth surface.
It's not perfect, but the shape is firm and every so slightly warm.
She doesn't understand, she struggles to comprehend what she's feeling, why she's pulling away sticks and leaves to reveal more of it, seeking this more than even sitting up.
She reveals an oblong off-white shape just larger than her torso with a strange dark red symbol on the center of it.
She gingerly tugs it closer, unsure what to do but seek comfort and offer the poor thing warmth. Her fingers brush over the symbol, wondering what it means.
It appears to be four orbs swirling around some sort of plus-shaped blade. Even as she stares at this, she swears she can faintly feel a single movement inside.
Her heart goes out to the poor creature inside, and she curls around the shell protectively. "...don't worry," she whispers. "I'll make sure you aren't alone anymore..."
The weight inside shifts slowly, as if leaning against her.
She smiles softly and carefully sits up, cradling the egg to her body. "...now how do I get back?"
It's then her ears pick up the sound of rhythmic crunching of leaves nearby. The rounded triangles upon her head perk up, twisting from side to side as she holds the egg closer. She stays quiet, assuming that if they don't hear her, they'll leave.
Then she considers that it might be one of her friends, and accidentally lets out a, "Hello?"
A sound that's distinctly not one of her friends responds, almost like a sort of growl-yelp. The steps get more rapid. Quickly, she grabs the bark plank, pulling it up in front of the egg so she can better protect the little guy. The steps approach closer and closer until a pink form comes around the entrance to the den. It's a raptor-like lizard, standing on its hind legs and sniffing the air. It stands as tall as Rifana herself.
She quietly peeks around her makeshift shield, wondering if this is its nest. She firms her grip slightly, hoping that it can't see her from her higher ground.
The creature makes quick darting motions, sniffing the air as it approaches.
Her knuckles turn white as she clenches the bark, praying that it doesn't find them. Part of her worries the sound of her hammering heart might give them away.
The creature makes a few more noises and sounds as though it gets closer.
"…it's fine," she whispers to the egg she's holding. "It won't get you…" She knows she's trying to reassure herself more than the egg, but it feels better to say it to someone else.
The steps get closer and closer, until she can hear when they change from dirt and grass to twigs and leaves.
Her breath hitches, searching behind her for any possible way out of this situation. Unfortunately, it seems that the place she ended up has only the one way in and out. Rifana quietly tries to cover the egg with her body, hoping that might be enough to protect it.
It gets close enough that she can hear the breathing, finally she spots pink claws edging around the bark.
She slowly edges the egg away from those claws, being as quiet as possible. Then she notices that she can't see it past the bark shield. Which means it's smaller than it. In a second, she pushes against the wood, toppling it on the monster and using the weight of herself and the egg to pin it underneath. She grabs up rocks and starts stacking them up on the bark, hoping to weigh it down even further.
The creature instantly starts writhing and making a cacophony of noises, echoing around the chamber as it tries to free itself.
"Be quiet," she softly begs. "Please be quiet!"
The creature lets out one final cry before it's suddenly echoed by a multitude of other voices like its own.
Rifana freezes, still clutching onto the egg as she glances around frantically. "…oh no."
Shapes quickly make themselves known at the entrance to the rapid sound of feet. Three shapes exactly like the lizard she pinned, and two even larger one with thicker bodies. They all call out when they see her.
She quietly gulps, clinging onto the shell in her arms, turning to the side so the monsters don't try to go for it.
The monster quickly start surrounding her, noises increasing as they seem to work themselves into a frenzy.
She can feel the fur of her tail fluff up, fear starting to take a grip of her heart. Even so, she doesn't let go.
They begin to close in until one of them suddenly launches itself at her-
-only to find itself suddenly pinned to the ground by a spear.
Rifana jumps, startled and letting out a high-pitched yelp. She doesn't do much else, as, with wide eyes, she recognizes the spear that landed before her. "...that's..."
A form suddenly blocks the light before landing in front of her. She barely sees the familiar silhouette before they erupt into a flurry of slashes, sending all the monster into the walls of the den, not moving.
The small girl stares up at their savior, tears slowly starting to form in her eyes. "…you found us," she whispers, letting go with one arm so she can try to wipe her face clean.
"Us?" The orca woman turns to her with a small smile. "I was told only one of my little charges was lost."
"Sadeena!" She cries, reaching up for her with the egg on her lap.
The woman easily picks up both the girl and the egg, holding them to her with one arm. "What have you got there?"
"I don't know," she admits, hugging it gently. "But I couldn't leave him here… he would've been so lonely…"
"He, huh?" She looks at the egg curiously, touching the surface. "Oh? So you're still kicking in there. Well then," She adjusts them both to be more comfortable. "Why don't we get you and your friend here out of this forest little Rifana?"
The little weasel girl nods, glancing at the monsters. "…thank you," she says to the orca Demi human.
"Any time. I'll make sure nothing ever gets my little tykes." She gently boops Rifana's nose.
She giggles, wiggling in her arms.
The confidant woman strides out of the forest the little one found herself in with nary a beast or branch impeding her. What felt like an impossibly long trip to the girl melts away, and soon clear light shines on them once more.
Rifana blinks as she remembers something, and a soft whine escapes her throat. "I forgot the bark board," she laments.
"I'll go back and get it after this." Sadeena assures her. "First thing was getting you out."
She nods, glancing around the grasslands. "So… who asked you to save me?"
"I went to check on all of you and they were organizing a small search party for you. Keel and Raphtalia were the ringleaders I had to convince to let me do it."
Rifana lets out an affectionate sigh, glad for more proof that her friends cared so much about her.
"You know, I think I see some of them now." Sadeena says with a small laugh. "They must have been waiting. I can shoo them off if you're tired."
"No, I can speak with them!" She protests, squirming to escape so she can meet them.
"Alright, alright, careful there, don't want to drop your friend." She cautions her.
She immediately stops, whispering soft apologies to the egg in her arms.
Sadeena sets her down. "There you go. Don't go running too much while you have that."
The little girl nods, pink hair swaying as she starts to walk off.
Sadeena puts her hands on her hips and looks back towards the forest, thoughtful.
It doesn't take long for her to find her friends, sitting on a stump with the racoon girl's parents watching over them.
"Rifana!" Keel shouts as he sees her.
She smiles and nods, not wanting to drop the egg. "Hello."
Raphtalia walks over, gingerly taking the egg and handing it to Keel. Before the smaller girl can respond, she's enveloped in a squeezing hug. "I thought we lost you! I'm so sorry I made you go first!"
She smiles and pats her on the back. "It's fine, everything turned out fine. And it might've happened to you or Keel, if you went, instead."
The boy looks utterly baffled by the egg, looking between it and Rifana as though he's trying to draw connections.
Rifana turns to look at him, smiling sheepishly. "I… found him in the woods… can I have him back?"
"Oh! I thought you... nevermind." He clears his throat.
Her eyes only show confusion as she takes the egg back. "Thought I what?"
"Thought you... got hurt! I'm glad you didn't." He smiles.
She smiles, turning slightly so she can give him a hug without dropping the egg. "Thank you… for asking Sadeena to save me."
His tail wags as he hugs her back. "We wouldn't leave you in there. We gotta stick together!"
She nods, leaning a bit more against him. "Yep, we're best friends, after all!" She gives him a grin, then balks as the egg suddenly moves.
Keel backs up, eyes wide. "What's it doing?"
"What eggs are meant to do, I imagine," comes Sadeena's answer, having walked up and joined the parents.
Indeed, the large souvenir of their forest trip seems to have gained some pep inside it, rocking back and forth.
"Wait, what?" Rifana says, trying to keep her grip on the shell.
"Try putting it down!" Raphtalia says, panicking. "You don't want to hurt him!"
The parents glance at each other, unsure how to react, and move to stand slightly behind Sadeena, pulling their daughter with them.
The warrior seems unconcerned while most of the children maintain a healthy distance. Keel is the closest after Rifana, two or three steps further.
The pink-haired girl gently sets the egg down, blindly reaching back for her friend's hand as she stays nearby, worried for her new friend.
Keel grabs it as they all see the egg give a violent shake to a cracking sound. Once the first crack appears, many more start to spread from it as the shaking continues.
Rifana watches, wondering if she would need to help. "You can do it," she offers as whispered words of encouragement.
The shaking and cracking continues until finally with a snap, one piece comes loose from the rest as a dark red muzzle is briefly seen. They barely have time to register this before two more rapid strikes from inside cause the egg to burst open and reveal what lay inside:
A large red and cream colored puppy, shaking bits of eggshell off itself as it blinks and looks around.
The girl just stares for a second, stunned that this was inside that egg, but soon smiles and approaches, pulling Keel along for the ride. Her free hand reaches out to the puppy, palm up, so that he knows she means no harm.
"Puppies come from eggs?" She can hear the boy quietly say.
The creature notices them, tilting its head and staying still. When Rifana approaches, she can see its nose twitching. Finally, when her hand comes close, it leans forward and touches its head to her hand, closing its eyes.
"Well would you look at that..." Sadeena says, crossing her arms.
Rifana smiles, gingerly petting the puppy. "He's wonderful..." She looks back at Keel and nods him closer. "Come on, pet him. He's fluffy."
"Okay..." He reaches forward and starts petting. The puppy opens one eye to look at him, but doesn't seem to mind as it starts leaning against Rifana.
She gives a small smile, leaning down to touch noses with the pup briefly. "Good boy."
His tail starts to wag as he looks into her eyes, holding the stare steady.
Rifana matches the gaze for a bit before Raphtalia walks over, turning the puppy's head curiously.
The raccoon girl stares curiously at his eyes. "...is it just me, or do these look like Keel's eyes?"
"Wait what?" Keel shuffles closer. "How could it have my eyes?"
Indeed, the red puppy has his startling blue eyes, gazing back at them with black sclera.
Raphtalia's father glances back and forth between the newborn and the two kids, a playful smile forming on his lips as he slowly makes his way forward.
The puppy's ears twitch and his head flicks to look at the approaching adult. His young form shows no sign of fear.
"So!" He proclaims, placing a hand on the head of Rifana and Keel, ruffling their hair. "How should we celebrate your baby's birth?" He has the cheesiest grin one can imagine as he looks to them. "After all, a red puppy with blue eyes... sounds like a mix of you two!"
There's a few 'Ooo's' from some of the children, a hearty laugh from Sadeena, and a definitely red flush to Keel's face as he sputters. "I-we-but-it-egg!"
He's interrupted by a hug from the smiling girl. "Does this mean you can help me with him?" She asks innocently.
"I-yes?" He answers almost blindly.
Her smile grows. "Thank you, Keel. We'll be the best parents!" She turns and gently picks up the puppy. "He's so cute…" The puppy licks her face. She laughs delightedly, gently supporting him with both arms, which looks rather silly with him being about the size of her torso. "…we're going to need to learn how to feed him, aren't we?" She asks, looking at her friend.
"He doesn't just eat what we eat?" He asks.
"Sure, but can he eat solid food now or do we need softer stuff first?" She asks.
"I… don't know." He admits, looking to the adults for advice.
The mother tilts her head slightly. "Ask politely if you can see his teeth?" She suggests.
"Oh, umm..." He looks to the big red puppy, those eyes now staring into his. "C-can I see your teeth?"
The newborn simply looks at him and does a small sneeze.
"Can you please show us your teeth?" Rifana asks, trying to crane her neck to see.
He turns back to her, opening his mouth as he pants quietly.
"Also, bless you," Raphtalia says as Rifana takes a quick peek.
"Ooh, they're so pretty!" She pauses, blinking a bit. "And sharp."
"Maybe start with something that's soft, but not mush." Sadeena offers, unable to keep from smiling as she watches. "Maybe some tender meat or veggies."
The children think about it for a moment before the weasel girl perks up. "Oh, I know! Mom's stew!"
"Oh yeah! Your mom makes great stew!" Keel nods.
She looks up and thinks, gently rubbing her cheek against the puppy. "Do you think she can make it tonight?"
"I mean... it doesn't hurt to ask, but she can't just make stew every night right?"
She blinks, as if just realizing this. "…oh, yeah…"
"Maybe we'll just have to try stuff." He shrugs.
Rifana quietly nods. "Maybe."
"You could also ask around." Sadeena adds to help.
"Oh, that's right! Maybe someone else might have an idea!" The pink haired girl starts wandering off, the puppy's head on her shoulder.
"Can you carry him that far?" Keel asks, hand extended. "He's not small."
She pauses, looking back at him, then at her new puppy. "Can you walk well?" She asks.
His legs kick gently.
She sets him down, rubbing his cheeks with both hands. "Such a good boy."
The dog's long tail swishes behind him as he pants happily.
Keel watches with one ear flicking.
Raphtalia gives him a confused look. "...what's wrong?" She asks.
"Nothing!" He quickly says.
A hand gently pats the top of his head, Rifana moving to give him a reassuring smile. "There, there. Everything's alright."
He blushes red, his own tail swishing.
She stops and turns, nodding towards the nearest shop. "Let's start asking!"
"Huh? Oh! Right..."
The puppy walks up on slow but steady legs, making a curious sound.
She smiles, reaching down to pet him.
Raphtalia, on the other side of the canine, speaks up. "Hmm... are you asking to come with us, or for food?"
The red-eyed girl looks confused for a second before realization sets in. "Oh, right, he needs a name." She squats down, getting to eye level with the pup. She frowns in concentration, humming softly to herself as she looks him over. "…Fluffy."
Keel snickers a bit. "Is he going to stay like that?"
The dog for his part just tilts his head.
She pouts softly. "What kind of name would you give him, then?"
"Maybe something cool like... Blade!"
The dog sticks its tongue out.
Raphtalia laughs at the expression. "I don't think he likes it."
"Does he even know what we're saying? He just... got born, I guess." Keel crosses his arms.
"He's smart!" Rifana protests, hugging the puppy.
His tail wags as he leans against her.
"I'd say he looks like a Tramp," Raphtalia offers, shrugging a bit.
He snorts once and straightens up.
"Maybe something with his color?" Keel asks.
"Rusty?" The raccoon girl says, really hoping to give him a good name.
He tilts his head once more.
"Royal Red?" Keel tries.
The head tilts the other way.
"Does that mean we're close?" He asks the girls.
"Why did you add the Royal?" Rifana asks, her face screwed up in adorable confusion. "Why not just Red?"
"Because it… I dunno, it feels too plain. He's not just a color." Keel tries to defend.
"Let's ask him." She looks at the puppy with a smile. "Would you like the name Red? Maybe with a second d, like Redd?"
The puppy seems to almost be chewing on it.
"What was that word they used for those apples..." Keel thinks. "Something with ru-... rustle?"
"Maybe Sadeena has a suggestion?" Raphtalia says, pointing to the orca lady nearby. "Hey, where did mom and dad go?"
"Well, since there aren't any missing kids anymore, they went back to working." Sadeena explains as she walks over at the sound of her name.
"Oh. That makes sense," she whispers.
"Sadeena," Rifana says, looking up at her as she continues petting the newborn pup. "What do you think would be a good name for him?"
"Hmm..." She crouches down, eyeing the pup. She lifts up one of his paws, looks into his eyes, and rubs his fur.
The girls, at the very least, watch this all in mild confusion.
"I'm thinking maybe... Riku or Reo." She offers.
Rifana thinks for a moment before nodding once. "I like Riku better."
"It does sound cool." Keel says, looking to Raphtalia.
"Does he like it, though?" The brown-haired girl asks, looking at the puppy. "Do you want to be named Riku?"
He looks around at all of them before letting out a small bark and wagging his tail.
Laughter spills out of Rifana's mouth as she gives him another hug. "Riku it is! Welcome to our family, a circle of friends!"
Keel reaches over and pets the dog as well while the pup covers Rifana's face in licks.
As the girl giggles at the affection, Raphtalia just sighs in relief. "Glad that he has a name, now."
"Yeah, I didn't want to just keep calling him puppy." Keel nods.
"Alright!" Rifana says, standing up. "Let's go introduce Riku to mom and the village!"
The dog barks at her excitement, and they hurry off under the midday sun, unaware of the adventures and trouble they'd have in the future. They were simply kids enjoying their youth.
So this is the first chapter of the second story of the Anigamer series, Rider Rifana. Slightly different from Pokemorph Deku, but connected by something not seen in either story, just yet. Please let me know what you think!
Have a nice day! Enigma out!