MagiStream

I’d been back at camp for a while now, sitting guard with Reeku. We didn’t speak, just sat in a comfortable silence. It wasn’t at all awkward, and for that, I was thankful. A little while later Lunea got up.
“Good morning Reeku,” she smiled. “Ghost.” I smiled back.
“Morning Lunea,” I said. Reeku just made a little grunt to say he heard her, and didn’t bother to do anything else. He’d just made it obvious that last night was over, and he didn’t plan on keeping up his nice attitude. I sighed. At least now I knew he had one.
“How long have you been up?” Lunea asked, obviously trying to make conversation as she looked over at me.
“All night,” I sighed, suddenly realizing how tired I actually was. I held back a yawn.
“What? Why?” Lunea gasped, looking worried. Maybe she thought I was sick or something.
“Nightmares,” I shivered, looking down at my paws.
“Not nightmares,” Reeku snapped. “Illusions.” His snap turned into a growl as he spoke the last word. “Which reminds me, I need to speak to Oak.”
“I thought you agreed to wait until he got up!” I gasped in protest. I just really didn’t want Reeku disturbing the old Kitsune because of me. It didn’t seem right. Hadn’t I caused enough trouble already?
“Who wakes up?” Rose asked perkily, despite the fact that she’d just woken. I often found it hard to believe she slept at all, considering how hyper she always seemed.
“Oak,” Lunea replied, still looking a bit shocked and worried.
“Oh…” Rose trailed off, glancing over at Reeku, then to me. “Why?”
“Bone as been sending Ghost ‘nightmares’ or, illusions,” Reeku scowled. I didn’t know if he was so angry because I was being threatened, or, if it was because he simply hated Bone that much. Rose gasped.
“T-That’s horrible! You poor dear,” she looked at me sadly, her warm brown eyes wide and full of pity. It made me feel worse, that they worried so much about me.
“I-Its okay,” I stumbled over my words. Ugh… Sometimes I’m so stupid.
“No, its not okay!” Reeku retorted. He got to is paws, and before anyone could stop him, was on his way to Oak’s den.
“He’s so stubborn,” Rose shook her head, watching him walk away.
“What made you think that?” Lunea muttered sarcastically. A silence began to set in. It wasn’t awkward, just… A bit uncomfortable. Or, maybe it was just me being paranoid.
“What’s with the silent wave?” Shade asked, breaking the silence a few minutes later as he came from the den. He gave his black fur a shake, sending dust scattering into the air.
“Not sure,” I admitted, sending a questioning look over to Lunea and Rose. They both shrugged.
“Okay then,” Shade sat down next to Rose. “Am I the only one who’s hungry?”
“Leave it to you to think about your stomach,” Rose rolled her eyes at him.
“Actually, you might want to leave that one to Ghost,” Lunea objecting, looking at my with a glint in her eyes. I smiled and looked down at my paws, a bit embarrassed that I’d been singled out.
“Its okay! Ghost is just in touch with her hungry side!” Shade defended me. I laughed a bit. It was so true.
“Well, perhaps-” Rose started to say, but she was interrupted by Reeku.
“Oak wants to have a meeting,” the white Kitsune said bluntly. Rose glared at him for interrupting her, but Reeku only sent her a confused look. Rose sighed, dropping her glare.
“Well, what are we waiting for?” Lunea asked, interrupting the wordless argument. Well, it wasn’t really an argument, more just Rose glaring.
“Pigs to fly!” Shade exclaimed, jumping to his paws. Reeku growled, but Rose just shook her head at him. Shade was a bit… Childish sometimes.
“Just hurry up!” Reeku snapped, walking towards the center of the clearing. We followed him.
Oak was sitting on a medium sized rock, not quite a boulder, just outside is den. He looked like a leader up there. His tails spread out behind him, sitting up tall. It wasn’t at all hard to see how he’d earned his spot as leader.
“Is everyone here?” Oak asked. Although he looked strong like a leader, his voice still held an aged tone to it.
“I think,” Lunea answered, glancing around quickly. I looked around too. Yep, everyone was here. Unless, there were some members I didn’t know about or something of the sort.
“Good, good,” Oak nodded, his wise blue eyes scanning around the clearing.
“So can we start the meeting then?” Lunea asked calmly, her gaze returning to Oak. He nodded.
“So, the reason I’ve called you all here is because of the growing activity of the dark ones,” Oak began, his eyes looking into the distance at nothing in perticular, like he was thinking. “I think they’re up to something, and I want to find out what.”
“Aren’t they always up to something?” Reeku muttered rudely. Oak sent him a scolding glance, but he didn’t say anything. Maybe it was because Reeku was right.
“I think it would be in our best interest if we sent a few Kitsune over into their territory to spy,” Oak went on. My ears perked up with interest. That sounded fun. “This will be a very dangerous mission. Normally, it wouldn’t take very long to reach The Dark One’s camp. But, for this mission the selected Kitsune will only be permitted to travel during the night hours.”
“I say this because most of The Dark Ones should be asleep during the night, and not out in the territory. You’ll stay hidden during the day. Once you reach the camp, be very careful. Try and listen in and get information.”
“Who gets to go?” Rose chirped out, since it was obvious Oak had finished his explanation.
“Reeku will lead, obviously, because of his history,” Oak nodded to the white Kitsune. Reeku’s green eyes lit up with excitement.
“I’d be honored,” he dipped his head. Whoa… Since when did he show respect? Oak smiled and continued.
“Lunea will also attend, along with Ghost,” the elderly leader announced. My eyes widened.
“M-Me?” I sputtered out. I didn’t think I’d get to go… I’d hardly even been an Aura very long. I wasn’t even that strong. Why would I get to go?
“You’ll be fine!” Lunea smiled over at me encouragingly. I returned the smile, but it was forced. I felt sick to my stomach. I couldn’t do this!
“I think it will be good for Ghost to go,” Oak nodded towards me. I shivered. “As dealing wit The Dark Ones plays a large role in her future.” I swallowed hard. G-Great…
“Come on Ghost! You should be excited!” Rose encouraged. She was sitting next to me, her face alight with the excitement of the meeting.
“Okay?” I mumbled, unsure. How is all this exciting? To me, it was nothing but scary and nerve-wrecking. Guess its because I’m new.
“When do we leave?” Reeku, thankfully, drew the attention away from me. I didn’t know if he did it on purpose or not, but I silently thanked him and the spirits.
“Tomorrow at dawn,” Oak said. “Then you’ll hide just over the border till nightfall. Crossing the river isn’t exactly safe at night.”
“Smart,” Lunea nodded her approval of Oak’s plans. I heard with the leader said, but I was in too much shock to really think about it. I still couldn’t believe I was going.
“Thank you,” Oak spoke with less authority. “Thank you all for attending, that is all.” Oak stepped carefully from the rock, his tails swishing behind him, and walked back into his den.
“Don’t worry Ghost, you’ll do okay!” Shade smiled, walking over to me.
“Shade and I will be sure to keep the territory safe!” Rose assured, coming to stand next to her mate.
“I’m sure you will,” I smiled, happy and relieved that we were on the topic of someone else’s duties, not mine.
* * * * *

Yesterday had passed by quickly, and the next day I found myself dreading today. We were leaving for the spy mission today, and I was worried. What would happen if I crewed up? What if someone died… And it was my fault? How could I live with myself?
“Ready?” Lunea asked. We’d just finished eating. I nodded grimly.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I sighed, looking nervously at my paws. Lunea smiled, trying to encourage me.
“It’ll be find!” she insisted, getting to her paws. Reeku waited impatiently by the clearing’s entrance. He’d been up very early, like he always was. So, naturally, he was readying before Lunea and I.
“Sure,” I rolled my eyes sarcastically, following her towards Reeku.
“About time,” the white Kitsune grumbled, his green eyes showing irritation.
“We don’t all wake up as early as you do,” Lunea smiled in a teasing tone, trying to lighten his mood.
“Whatever,” Reeku grumbled, muttering something under his breath I couldn’t quite hear. If it weren’t for our conversation the other night, I wouldn’t have believed he even had a happy, good side. Guess he just didn’t like showing it.
“Well, let’s just go,” Lunea rolled her eyes and walked past him.
“I thought I was leading this patrol!” Reeku snapped, shoving past her. Would it kill him to be nice for once?
“Rude much?” I mumbled to myself, but Lunea heard me. She sent me a knowing smile and it was obvious she held back a laugh. Thankfully, Reeku didn’t seem to notice. And if he did, he didn’t show it.
“Do we know where we’re hiding over the border?” I asked after a few minutes of silence. I couldn’t take the quiet, because it just made me feel more nervous.
“Yup,” Reeku replied, his tails swaying behind him as he walked. I wondered for a moment if mine did that.
“Oh,” I mumbled, and no one else said a word.

I stepped from the caverns and had to close my eyes as the light brightened. I grinned when I seen Moon and Jay were now back in camp. I growled when Jay looked over and noticed me.
“What?” I snapped sharply. Jay looked at is paws. Moon looked over at me with a scolding glance, shaking her head. It made me smile, just for a moment.
“Anyways, they’re sending a patrol to spy on us,” Moon informed me. They’d be spying on The Auras. It amazing me as to how the stupid Kitsune never noticed my spies. We really were that sneaky.
“Spy? On us? Now, why would they ever want to do that?” I asked, sarcastic. Moon rolled her eyes.
“They think we’re up to something,” Jay finally got the courage to look up at me. I scoffed.
“Hmm,” I pretended to look thoughtful as I sat back at the mouth of the caves. “Now, why would they want to do that?” I pretended I didn’t know. I often liked to see if my warriors really knew what they were talking about.
“Because we’re evil and malicious?” Moon asked, cocking her head ever so slightly to the side. Her beautiful green eyes wide and curious.
“Well, that too,” I chuckled. I was thinking ‘because we’re always up to something’ but, Moon was right too. I shrugged my shoulders.
“So what were you getting at?” Jay asked. Always with the questions. I sighed.
“That we’re always up to something,” I rolled my eyes, sighing again.
“Yeah, that too,” Moon chirped in agreement. So lively, she was.
“Anyways, now, I’ve got to talk to Scar. Plans, you know,” I smiled at her. Moon nodded.
“Okay! See you later,” and she turned and started talking about something to Jay. I wondered if she really liked him or if they just had a sibling relationship.
Turning, my tails swaying behind me, I ducked back into the caverns. It was almost so dark you couldn’t see inside, but I knew my way around. I padded through the stone walk ways until I reached the cavern I knew was Scars den.
“Knock Knock,” I chimed, but not happily. I walked into the den, not bothering to ask if I could come in.
“Sir,” Scar dipped his head as I walked in. He sat in his nest, still sleeping. It was, after all, early morning’s time.
“The Auras are sending a patrol to spy on us,” I informed him. I was leader, and I was strong. But, I still couldn’t do everything on my own. And Scar was everything I could ever want as a General.
“So? What do you want to do?” Scar asked, getting to his paws and stretching out his legs in front of him.
“Well, not nothing,” I replied, shrugging my shoulders. Scar was usually the one who did all the strategizing. I valued him for it.
“Obviously,” Scar muttered sarcastically and rolled his eyes. He may be afraid of me, but we were still friends.
“Maybe we could attack them?” I asked, unsure. I mean, if we caught them on our territory, attacking was an option. We had others, but I liked this best.
The illusions, they weren’t enough. I still had that blood lust. The undeniable need to rip my claws over someone’s soft flesh. To taste the blood in my mouth, feel the warm sticky liquid on my paws.
“Of course you’d resort to violence,” Scar chuckled to himself. He knew me so well.
“And you wouldn’t?” I challenged. It wasn’t threatening, more, playful, if you will.
“I didn’t say that,” Scar defending, turning his head away from me dramatically. I laughed a bit.
“Of course not,” I said, rolling my eyes. “So, about the attack?”
“Right, right,” Scar nodded, thinking for a moment. His yellow eyes showing he was lost in his thoughts.
“Well?” I had to ask. He looked up, a tad startled, like he’d forgotten I was there.
“We could intercept them before they got to camp. Set up an ambush,” Scar suggested. I thought about it.
“Not a bad plan,” I said in approval. Yes, yes, I liked this idea very much. My tail’s tips twitched a bit.
“How many do you want in the patrol? If there spying there won’t be many. We could take them out,” Scar said darkly, his eyes swirling with the longing for bloody violence. He liked his lips slightly. I have to say, sometimes I worried he might eat me.
“Maybe even the chosen one… Or Reeku,” I growled my agreement, smiling at the sheer thought of it. Oh yes. This would truly be grand.
“Yes. So, who’ll be going?” Scar asked again. I knew he wanted to go. I chuckled at that.
“Unfortunately for you, you’ll be sitting this one out,” I began. Scar’s face feel the slightest bit, and I felt a tad sorry for him. “I’ll have Jay, Moon, and Kina.”
“So I’m staying back with Thorn? And, you‘re going?” Scar asked. Thorn was a rather young Kitsune. She had three tails, and a dusty brown fur. She had a few scars from a rough childhood. All around an interesting character.
“Yup,” I nodded. “We’ll wait from them a bit over the border, in that clearing. No doubt that’s where they’ll be hiding,” I continued. Reeku knew the territory well, and he loved hiding there.
“You’re intent on Reeku leading,” Scar said knowingly. He knew Reeku liked it there. “You should confirm who’s coming.”
“Fine,” I scoffed. I knew he would. He knew the territory best, the location of the camp, everything.
“Good,” Scar said approvingly. I smiled.
“I’ll go tell them,” I got to my paws. I was bringing the same Kitsune I’d watched train, with the exception of Scar.
“I feel sorry for The Auras,” I thought I heard Scar mumbled.
Well, that was smart of them. They’d certainly be facing the music tomorrow. Paying with their own blood for coming in my way. Because no one stood in my way without paying for it. I was powerful, a leader, and I always got what I wanted.
“Moon! Jay! Kina!” I snapped as I came from the den, rage burning at the thought of battle. I’d kill them… All of them.
“Yes?” Moon asked, not acting intimidated. Jay scowled, causing me to glare at him along with a gut ripping snarl. Moon let out a started yip, and I looked at her apologetically. Kina just looked up at me, as usual.
“You’re coming with me. We’re stopping The Auras in their tracks,” I growled. But, the harshness in my voice wasn’t directed at them. It was directed at the enemy. The one’s I was raised to hate. The only thing between me, and the destruction of the human race.
“About time,” Jay commented, rolling his eyes.
“You have a problem with my decisions?” I growled, stepping threateningly towards him. He didn’t have any respect, and that was a problem.
“Maybe,” he scoffed. I snarled, lunging forward. Moon jumped back and Jay’s eyes widened with surprise. Before he could move away I had him pinned to the ground, snarling in his face. I was ready to rip him apart. He objected to me. No. One. Objected. To. Me.
“P-Please don’t hurt him,” I heard Moon sputter from behind me. Sighing, I let Jay up. Moon would never forgive me if I harmed her brother.
“Thank you,” Moon looked at me with wide green orbs. I shrugged. It wasn’t a problem, really.
“When do we leave?” Jay asked, not looking at me. He’d gotten to his paws, and was looking down at the ground. There wasn’t a scratch on him.
“When are they traveling? Who’s in the patrol?” I had to know these things before I could reply.
“Reeku, Lunea, and her. Ghost,” Moon informed, contented. “They’re traveling at night.”
“Perfect. I know where they’ll be,” I dipped my head in thanks. It took a lot to gain my respect. And Moon had it. So did Scar, actually.
“We headed there now?” Jay asked me. I nodded, then glanced to Kina. She hadn’t said anything, as usual. I think it was just in her nature to be silent, although she did speak sometimes.
“Let’s go!” Moon chirped excitedly. I smiled warmly at her enthusiasm. I liked her spunk, the light in her eyes when she got excited. The way she respected me, get made me respect her. Nothing like Kina, Thorn, or Jay. Scar came close, as he was my best friend. In fact, apart from maybe Moon, my only friend.
But, I didn’t need physical ties. They only made you weaker. To love someone meant to worry and care. Meant putting something before what you desire, before yourself. I’d put up barriers to hide myself from that, to keep myself strong. But, sometimes I thought Moon might be breaking them.
“Coming?” it was Jay’s voice who interrupted my thoughts. I scowled, holding back the growl. I didn’t answer him, just got to my feet and headed towards the entrance to the trees.
“We need to stay quiet, incase the hear us coming,” I whispered, but knew everyone heard me. I got nods from everyone in the patrol. I was in the lead, flanked by Moon and Jay. Kina brought up the rear. He ears pricked, she was highly alert. Maybe this was why I put her on guard a lot.
We walked through the somewhat pine forest, our paws silent on the ground. No one said a word, we couldn’t. And we didn’t need to. I sped my pace up a bit faster, wanting to get there before The Auras did.
When we reached the small clearing with an emptied den in the edge of it, I stopped. I was a bit winded from moving at such a brisk pace, but I didn’t let it show. I nodded at Jay and Moon to go to the left. Moon smiled back, and their figures disappeared into the bushes,
I turned to Kina, and she knew what I was going to stay. She headed into the bushes and hid to the left. I stayed in the center, and everyone waited for my signal. At it, we would attack the yet to arrive Auras.
In minutes at the most, the Aura patrol came into the clearing. Reeku was at the head, a tail stronger now. Lunea followed close behind, saying something I couldn’t make out to a white Kitsune. I quickly recognized her as Ghost. I had to swallow down the snarl that threatened to rip from my throat.
Reeku assured the Kitsune into the den, and I signaled with my tail for everyone to stand by. We’d wait until they came from the den to attack, as cornering them just didn’t seem as fun.

* * * * *

I waited in complete silence until night slowly stretched through the forest. I cool night breeze ruffled through my fur, chilling me to the bone. I liked it. The moon shone brightly from the sky, high in the sky now.
I watched, my red-amber eyes narrowed, as The Auras padded up from the small den. Almost time. They shook themselves, scattering up a bit of dust. Reeku said something, they stretched. Now.
I flicked my tails out, glancing at the Kitsune I couldn’t see but knew they were there. With a growl, it was Kina who first leapt out. Jay and Moon lashed out a the same time. I waited. I’d make my move, just not yet.
The battle swirled around me, Kitsune snarling and clawing at one another. It was perfect. I growled in satisfaction. My eyes glanced around, stopping on Moon.
The Silvery Kitsune was lashing out at Lunea, The Aura’s general. I watched them fight, my eyes never leaving the battle before me. I’d shoot glances at Kina, who was clashing with Reeku. And Jay had poor Ghost cornered alone.
I watched as Moon lunged, her claws tearing across Lunea’s ear. The golden Kitsune didn’t falter. She growled, stepping forward. A chunk of the ground jutted up, jabbing into Moon from the side. My eyes narrowed further, if that was possible. I was consumed completely by hate. Sheer hate. It rippled through me, burning through my veins themselves. I couldn’t hold back the loud snarl.
I knew Lunea heard me because her ears pricked up ever so slightly, but she didn’t know it was me the growl had come from. She just knew they were more of us, a second wave. Well, if you could call me a wave. I was more a lone Kitsune. No, the lone Kitsune. The one who’d end their lives.
Moon dashed forward as more rocks jutted up around her, a look of determination shinning in her green eyes. I liked that. Lunea growled, irritated that her enemy had avoided her attacks. Moon slammed into the gold Kitsune, sending her stumbling back. I smiled.
Lunea whipped out with her claws, slicing them across Moon’s chest. Moon winced, but didn’t falter. My warriors we trained not to give the opponent the opportunity to strike. Trained to make them find one.
Moon lunged again, hitting Lunea right across the face and running her claws down across the general’s shoulder. That a girl. Lunea stumbled yet again, but didn’t fall to her paws. She was strong, but was she good enough?
Moon took her chance and stretched out a dash of water, sucking the moisture right from the air. It whipped out, locking around Lunea’s throat and nose. The Kitsune was choking. Wonderful.
For a moment I turned my gaze back over to where Jay was fighting Ghost. I wanted to see how the chosen one was handling herself against my warriors. She was just a two-tailed Kitsune, but I knew well that they’d been training her.
Ghost lunged with a slash of air. Ah, so that was her element. It sliced over Jay’s face, making his growled and let out a hiss of pain. Impressive. She lashed again, but Jay, matching her element, simply bended the air back.
Ghost obviously didn’t see that coming as her own attack swirled back towards her. She stumbled back, her face clenched with a look of pain. I held back a chuckle. Jay lunged and slammed her aside, ready to tear into his throat. I felt a pang of jealousy. Simply because I wouldn’t be the one to kill her.
But what I didn’t see coming was Reeku. He snarled, his eyes shinning with something for a moment with something I didn’t recognize. Was that care? Compassion? Worry? He slammed into Jay, another snarl ripping from his throat. He slammed my Kitsune off Ghost, tossing him easily to the side.
Now it was my turn to play hero. Lunea had Moon pinned now, a look in her eyes that said she was ready to kill. I let out a loud, air-splitting snarl. It almost hurt my throat to make such a sound.
Without a second thought I dove from the bushes, pushing Lunea right of Moon. My claws flexed out and stretched, aimed right for my enemy’s throat.

I gasped in surprise as the same large black Kitsune from my dreams lunged from the brush, snarling loudly. The sound shot shivers down my spine, fear prickling me. My eyes widened.
“Fools! Thinking you could defeat me!” Bone snarled as he slammed his claws down the back of Lunea’s neck. The golden Kitsune flew back, tossed to the ground. I wanted to help… But I was frozen. I didn’t know what to do… I’m so useless.
“Are you alright Moon?” Bone looked at the silvery Kitsune. She was bleeding heavily from a chest wound Lunea had inflicted. I was surprised. Had Bone just… Showed compassion? Cared about someone?
“I think,” Moon said a bit weakly, getting to her paws and wobbling a bit. While Bone was distracted, I gained mobility in my feet. I rushed to Lunea’s side.
“Lunea?” I asked. Lunea looked up at me, struggling to get to her paws. Her neck was bleeding heavily, and she coughed a bit of blood from her mouth. I glanced around.
Reeku was still matching another Kitsune blow for blow, and the Kitsune he’d previously fought lay bleeding on the ground. Guess Bone didn’t care about her. I turned back to Lunea.
“I’m fine Ghost,” she assured. Lunea struggled to get to her paws, staggering.
“Y-You don’t look okay…” I stammered out. Then I turned to Bone, rage suddenly filling me. He’d done this to her! Bone caught my glare and laughed.
“It had to be done,” He sent me a wicked grin.
“You had to try to kill her?” I challenged. Fear made me feel sick to my stomach, but my mind was turning in rage. I couldn’t stop the words that flew from my mouth.
“I’ll kill anyone who stands in my way,” Bone snarled loudly, taking a threatening step towards me. His reddish eyes swam with emotions. I swallowed hard, a shiver of fear shooting down my spine.
“Leave her alone!” Reeku snarled. I glanced back. He’d thrown the Kitsune he was fighting to the ground, leaving it struggling to stand.
“Reeku,” Bone turned to look at him. “How… Nice to see you again. But, I’m almost sorry to say I’ll have to kill you.”
“I can’t say as I share the pleasure,” Reeku scoffed, narrowing his eyes and drawing his lips back into a snarl. I took an unsure step back, closer to Lunea.
“Ah, you always were a bit rude,” Bone’s eyes seemed to scold Reeku. He took a step forward. “Sad, really.”
“Yes, it will be sad when your warriors find you dead!” Reeku snarled, snapping water from the air and lashing it towards Bone. The leader simply dodged to the side.
“So that’s how its gona be,” Bone rolled his eyes. Then an eerie shadow crept from the ground, wrapping around Reeku’s paws and pulling him to the ground. “You seem to have forgotten just how strong I am.”
“I could never forget,” Reeku growled, but I could tell he was holding back a yowl of pain. It was swirling in his green eyes. Bone must have saw it too, because he laughed. I felt my eyes widen. I needed to do something… I couldn’t let Reeku end up like Lunea had.
“H-Hey!” I struggled to find my voice, and it was shaky. Bone’s head snapped to look at me.
“Yes?” he asked calmly.
“W-What do you want from us?” I was surprised to find I was snarling. This was so unlike me.
“Well, perhaps you should be the one answering that,” Bone scoffed. “You are on my territory.” For a moment, I was speechless. He was right.
“B-But you don’t have to kill us,” I sputtered, taking a step back ever further.
“JUST LEAVE HER ALONE!” Reeku snarled, forcing himself to his paws and slamming into Bone. “She doesn’t know what she’s saying!” Bone stumbled, obviously a bit surprised. I was wide eyed… Reeku was being very defensive in this battle. Perhaps he blamed himself for this.
“Reeku,” Bone shook his head, smirking. He lashed out with his claws, striking Reeku across the face. Blood dripped slowly down to the ground. Reeku shook his head.
“I won’t let you win!” Reeku growled furiously, clawing down Bone’s shoulder. The black Kitsune didn’t look phased at all.
“But you already have!” Bone growled.
“NO!” Reeku screeched, slamming into Bone again. I heard Lunea let out a moan from behind me.
“Lunea?” I asked, unsure. “You alright?”
“I’m fine,” Lunea’s voice was rather airy.
“Just relax, please,” I begged her. I didn’t want her to strain herself. She’d be okay if she rested… At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.
“Fine, fine,” Lunea rolled her eyes. Then her gold eyes drifted closed and she shifted herself with a grunt of pain. I sighed, satisfied.
“Now, where were we?” I heard a snarl from behind me. The other Kitsune had gotten up, the one I’d been fighting before. I warily glanced at Reeku, he was fighting with Bone. I didn’t know how much longer we could fight for. We were exhausted. It was obvious.
The Kitsune snarled, lunging out at me. He slashed his claws down my shoulder and leg. I let out a short cry of pain, jumping back. I growled, swiping my claws across his chest. The Kitsune staggered a bit, but didn’t back down.
Ghost sent a spiral of air at her enemy, but this time she was ready when he sent it jutting back towards her. She leapt to the side, sending the air back to her opponent yet again. The Kitsune was surprised, and stumbled back when the air hit him.
Ghost smiled. Maybe she could win this. What she didn’t see coming was someone slamming her to the side. The other brownish Dark One had gotten to her paws. Ghost shivered. Could she fight them both at the same time?
“Scared?” one of the Kitsune, her first opponent laughed.
“N-No,” Ghost sputtered, but the answer was obvious. She was afraid… So very afraid. She was going to fail.
“Right,” the Kitsune rolled his eyes sarcastically, seeing right through her lie. It wasn’t her fault she was a bad liar.
“Just let us go!” Reeku’s snarl interrupted Ghost. Thank god.
“Fine! But, next time, you’ll never see the light of day again!” Bone snarled, swiping his claws across Reeku’s already bloody face. Everyone froze, and even Lunea opened her eyes to watch them.
“Ghost, help me get Lunea,” Reeku growled. I couldn’t believe it. This… This wasn’t possible. Bone had let us go? Maybe he intended we would die of out injuries. That was possible. Or, maybe we just weren’t worth the trouble.
“If I catch you on my territory again Reeku, I will not hesitate to kill you. You won’t even have a chance to fight,” Bone growled, lashing his tails. His Kitsune turned back and went to flank him. Moon got to her paws from where she had been watching, not feeling the need to interfere with the battle.
“Can you get up?” Reeku asked Lunea. A drop of blood was dripping from her jaws, and it was obvious she was in really bad shape. Her wound wasn’t bleeding heavily any more, but it was red and her fur was blood-soaked.
“Yes,” Lunea’s voice was tired and shaky. She staggered to her paws. I glanced behind me. The Dark Ones were gone. I still couldn’t believe they’d let us go. Bone had to be planning something.
“They’re gone,” I whispered quietly. Lunea stood between Reeku and I, leaning towards me a bit. She couldn’t support her own weight.
“We can stop, rest. Bone knows we’re here now,” Reeku mumbled.
“N-No,” Lunea shook her head, drawing in a shaking breath. Her gold eyes glinted with something I didn’t recognize. Like, she knew something… What was coming. And she didn’t want to accept it.
“Please Lunea,” I begged. If she went on like this, it might be too late. She couldn’t keep pushing herself.
“Let’s just make it over the border. Then I’ll rest,” Lunea sighed.
“Fine,” Reeku growled, but he didn’t seem satisfied. I found it amazing how he cared about us so much, yet he was so… Rude? Snappy? Perhaps that’s what being a Dark One turned you into.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked Lunea after a few moments. Her breathing had become gradually more and more shallow, and she seemed to wobble in her steps. Just a little bit further… The river was just ahead. Lunea nodded.
“This never should have happened. I should have known,” Reeku growled, but it wasn’t directed at anyone but himself.
“Its not your fault Reeku,” I shook my head. Him blaming himself wasn’t going to make anything better. It wasn’t going to stop anything.
“Yes, it is,” Reeku snarled, whipping around to face me. His green eyes blazed with anger, making me gasp. I froze… I was honestly afraid. Reeku’s gaze softened.
“Ghost, sorry, I-” Reeku started, but I interrupted him.
“Its fine,” I shrugged, looking away. What’s done is done. He lost control of his temper, and that’s that. Apologizing wasn’t going to change that fact that he’d scared me.
“Whatever,” Reeku grumbled, turning to face the front of him, probably hating himself some more. Ugh… Sometimes Reeku was just completely confusing.
We walked a bit more until we reached the river. Reeku had gotten us across before by shifting the water away, but I wondered if he was too tired for that.
“Can you-” I started to ask.
“I got it,” Reeku interrupted, his tails spreading behind him as he used to full extend of his powers. The water parted, spiraling away from us. Just ground was in front of us, Reeku holding the water back.
“Hurry,” Reeku grunted, exerting himself. He couldn’t hold the water back long. We walked forward faster. Lunea stumbled a bit, coughing. Reeku sighed in relief once we crossed. His tails drooped and the water flooded back into the ground where we’d crossed. Leaving nothing but the flowing river.
“Will you rest now?” I asked, turning to Lunea. She nodded weakly.
“Thank the spirits,” I praised, sighing slightly. Now that we were on our own ground, we didn’t need to look for a safe place to sleep. Reeku lead the way to a large spread bush by the river bank, and we climbed underneath.
The prickly branches of the bush poked and prodded at my skin as I crawled under, but underneath it was surprisingly roomy. I sighed, curling up against the rough stump with my tail over my nose.
“We’ll rest here. Tomorrow we’ll head back,” Reeku nodded. Lunea looked grateful as she curled up next to me.
“Aren’t you resting?” I looked at Reeku, who hadn’t laid down.
“Don’t worry about me,” Reeku growled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. I sighed again, and let my eyes drift closed.

The next morning I awoke with Bone’s voice ringing in my ears. I hadn’t seen him in my dreams, hadn’t dreamt at all. But, as I started to come out of the blanket of sleep, I heard him. He was just letting me know he was still watching me. I shivered, and quickly blinked the shock from my eyes.
“Good morning,” Reeku spoke, still sitting in the same spot he’d been when I fell asleep. Lunea was sleeping softly beside me, her breathing deep and somewhat shallow. I worried about her.
“Did you sleep at all?” I asked Reeku, trying to blink the sleepiness from my eyes. If he didn’t rest then I wouldn’t help his wounds heal. I could see them through the dried blood that clung to his fur. He had strange burn marks all around his feet, probably from where Bone had used his shadow elements on him. He had cuts all along his face, or, rather, claw marks.
“I told you not to worry about me,” Reeku almost snapped, rolling his eyes. His green eyes looked wide and alert, so where he’d slept of not, it was obvious he wasn’t too tired.
“When are we leaving for camp?” I asked, carefully getting to my paws so I didn’t wake Lunea. I stretched out the best as I could from underneath the prickly bush. I hoped the branches didn’t tear any of my wounds back open.
“We’re not,” Reeku said bluntly. What? We weren’t… Going back to Dark One territory? No, we couldn’t.
“Huh?” I asked, confusion swirling in my eyes. My voice held an almost worried tone.
“We’re staying here today. Lunea needs rest,” Reeku shot me a look like he thought I was dumb. I scowled at him.
“Oh,” I looked down at my paws, unsure what to say. “Won’t the others be worried about us?”
“They’ll worry no matter how long we’re gone,” Reeku rolled his eyes. Sarcasm. Its what he was known for. I glanced back and looked at Lunea’s sleeping figure. I prayed to the spirits that she’d be okay. She had to be okay.
“The more you worry, the worse you’ll feel,” Reeku interrupted my thoughts. Why was it always him who seemed to do that? I turned back to look at him.
“I just… I feel like this who thing is kind of my fault,” I looked down towards the ground. I’m the chosen one. They wanted me, not my friends. It was me they wanted dead.
“I know the feeling,” I could hear the scowl in Reeku’s voice. It reminded me of yesterday, how he’d blamed himself that Bone found us. Because Bone knew him, knew where he’d hide. But, it wasn’t his fault… So maybe this wasn’t mine.
“But…” I didn’t know what to say.
“Blaming yourself doesn’t help either,” Reeku growled ever so slightly. I looked up to see a scolding look in his green eyes.
“You’re one to talk!” I snapped back. I guessed the pressure of it all was starting to get to me. Sometimes I wished I could escape it all. Just run away from it. Reeku’s look softened ever so slightly, and for a moment I felt bad for snapping at him.
“Do what I say, not what I do,” Reeku’s gaze seemed to trap me. Like, I couldn’t help but look at him. I seen the reason in the words he spoke. He was right. I wasn’t him, I was my own person. I had to have my own feelings.
“Its not like I can control how I feel,” I sighed, resting my head against my paws.
“You can try,” Reeku insisted, then slide out from under the bush and out of my sight. I sighed again. Sometimes he was so… Unpredictable?
“Whatever,” I mumbled to myself. I closed my eyes at sat there for a moment, listening to Lunea’s ragged breath. I worried more. I didn’t think I could stand worrying so much, so I got to my paws and slipped out from under the bush.
Reeku was sitting by the edge of the water, and it was lapping at his paws. His fur was soaking wet, but now cleared of dried blood. He must have washed it off in the water. His tails were curled around his paws, their tips just sitting in the water.
“You should wash all the blood of yourself too,” Reeku said, his voice not holding any emotion in it. I jumped, a bit surprised. I didn’t know he’d seen me come out from under the bush. Darn his sneakiness.
“Right,” I smiled, a bit sheepish. I came up next to Reeku and let the water wash over my paws, clearing the bits of dried blood from my claws. The current was strong, although the water didn’t even reach my stomach yet. How was I supposed to wash my whole body without the current taking me away?
“Let me help you with that,” Reeku looked like he was holding back a smirk? What could he be-
My thoughts were interrupted as a huge wave of icy cold water dumped over me. I shivered, letting out a startled yip. Then the water drained back in the river. Water dripped from my fur and into my eyes. I was drenched.
“You look like a drowned rat!” Reeku chuckled. I shot daggers at him, shivering a bit from the cold water. Reeku only laughed at my failed attempt.
“Its not my fault you tried to drown me!” I scowled, frowning at him. His green eyes shinned with amusement.
“I didn’t try to drown you,” Reeku defended himself, looking back towards the river.
“Sure,” I muttered sarcastically, rolling my eyes. I sat down next to Reeku and sighed in defeat.
“Perhaps we should hunt,” Reeku muttered, sounding thoughtful as he stared into the water. I wondered what he was thinking about.
“So Lunea would have something to eat when she wakes up?” I asked. Now that I think about it, that was a really good idea. She probably wouldn’t want to hunt for herself.
“Good idea,” Reeku nodded approvingly. I smiled. It wasn’t often you got Reeku’s praise.
“Let’s go then, before she wakes up!” I smiled, getting to my paws and shaking my fur. Water droplets splattered everywhere. Reeku, who was now almost dry, glared at me. I smirked, dashing off into the trees.
“Stop running! You’ll scare all the prey away!” Reeku scowled, taking his time in walking after me. Ugh… Grumpy.
“Stop yelling! You’ll scare the prey away!” I countered, dashing farther into the trees. Stopping, I took a deep breath of air, scenting.
“Smell anything appetizing?” Reeku asked quietly, trying to scare the prey as he came up beside me. I scented again.
“Mouse, and the faint smell of squirrel,” I nodded in the direction of the mouth-watering scents. I was hungry… Oh, I was always hungry. Curse my stomach and its emptiness. Rolling my eyes slightly at myself, and stalked in the direction of the pray.
Reeku nodded at me once and headed off in his own direction. I didn’t have to ask to know we were going to meet back at the bush. I followed the scent through the trees until I spotted a mouse-like creature. I scent… Hmm, this had to be a shrew. Yes, that’s what they were called. I didn’t see shrews very often, but I knew they were edible.
Dropping into a crouch, I inched myself closer to the shrew. As long as it didn’t turn around., I’d have it. But, if it did, it would easily spot my bright white fur. I prayed that didn’t happen.
I lunged out with my claws stretched, slicing them across the shrew’s neck. It dropped to the ground, dead. I smiled. I picked the shrew up in my mouth and headed back towards the meeting place.
I was halfway there when I saw Reeku through the trees. He had two mice dangling from his jaws by their tails. He nodded at me, not wanting to drop his prey, and came to walk next to me.
“Hi,” my voice was muffled by the shrew’s fur. We walked back to the brush, and I set my pray down outside it, being careful that it was out of reach of the river’s waters. Reeku set his mice next to my catch.
As I crouched down and walked under the bush, Lunea stirred and lifted her head. She still looked tired, blinking her golden eyes and trying to make sense of where she was.
“How do you feel?” I asked, concern heavy in my voice. Lunea’s memory returned and she smiled at me.
“Fine,” Lunea assured, by her voice was light and airy. Faint, almost. I could tell her was weak. Her wound was swollen slightly, red along the edges. Bone had really done damage.
“Reeku and I hunted breakfast, can you get up?” I asked, smiling hopefully at her. For once, it seemed as if I was encouraging her. Although this might sound selfish, it was a bit of a nice change.
“Yes,” Lunea said softly, groaning a bit in pain as she lifted herself to her paws. I backed out from underneath the bush, Lunea walking warily out after me. She was a bit shaking on her paws, so I watched her carefully.
“Good morning Reeku,” Lunea smiled faintly, sitting down and curling her tails against her side and over her paws. Reeku nodded and smiled.
“Feeling okay?” he asked, sounded concerned. In moments like this, Reeku was probably my best friend. He seemed hard and sarcastic for the most part, but sometimes he was nice. And in those moments, I really did like being around him.
“Yes,” Lunea assured, blinking for a moment. She reached her paw out and used it to pull my shrew towards her. She started eating, focusing on her food like she hadn’t eaten in days. I smiled, picking up a mouse in my jaws and leaving the other one for Reeku.
My body was a bit sore, covered in a few scratches and cuts. But, compared to Lunea, bother Reeku and I had gotten of easy. I wondered how The Dark Ones were fairing. As much as I hated them, as they were my enemies, they were still Kitsune.
It was obvious to me that The Dark Ones cared about each other much like The Auras did. I hated them for how they acted, sure, but I did feel a bit bad. They had their own beliefs and the right to follow them. If they weren’t threatening my life, I might have been okay with them.
I continued to eat my mouse, lost in my own thoughts. No one spoke, it was as if we were enjoying the silence while we had it. The still moment of peace, because we didn’t know how long it would last. I sighed.
No one knew how long anything was going to last. I’d quickly learned that in this world, you had to expect the unexpected. Because no one knew what would happen, or how long things would last.
“Are we staying here for the rest of the day?” Lunea asked quietly, like she didn’t want to ruin the silence. Reeku nodded. I looked at Lunea, wondering if she’d be okay. There was only one way to find out. And that was to wait.