Next chapter guys! This one's a bit gory and bloody, nightmares. You know? Anyways, hope chu like it!
I don’t know how long I sat there in the rain. The lightning continued to crackle overhead, splitting the sky with booms of thunder. The rain didn’t stop coming down heavily, and it was beating on me to the point where I thought I was numb.
Sighing, I decided I wanted to try and go somewhere warm. I was getting cold, practically shivering now. I got to my paws slowly, fighting the rain as it wanted to knock me over. The wind was howling and the trees thrashing with the storm.
I placed a paw out in front of me to walk, but there was one thing I didn’t see coming. Mud. I slipped forward, sliding across the slippery wet bank. My front paw twisted in an awkward way as I did so, and my hind paws gave out from underneath me.
I was now not only cold and wet, but also covered in mud. I groaned, could this get any worse? Oh, and not to mention the fact that my best friend had just died. I sunk my claws into the mud and tried to pull myself up, but I slipped again. Please don’t tell me I’d be stuck here.
I pushed with all my strength, using my hind paws and scraping them across the bank. I managed to get halfway up before I fell again. But this time, I didn’t get suck in the mud.
Instead, I slipped backwards and tumbled halfway into the river. My front paws dug into the bank, desperately trying to keep me from floating away. My hind paws were helpless in the river’s current, the storm only making things worse. Yup, this just got a lot worse.
I reached forward and clapped my jaws over a root sticking up in the muddy bank, trying to pull myself out. I ignored the disgusting taste of the gritty mud in my mouth and pulled. I felt myself being lifted out of the water, my front paws sinking into the mud.
A then the root snapped. I lost my hold in the mud with my front paws, and my entire body plunged into the river. My hind legs had already started to go numb with the cold. I paddled my front paws helplessly against the current, but it was no use.
Pawing at the bank as the river dragged me away, I tried to heave myself out of the cold water. The mud had washed from my fur, but it was replaced by chilling waters. I think I liked the mud better.
Somehow, I managed to grab onto the bank and hold myself in place. But I couldn’t get out. My legs had lost just about all feeling now, and I faced the fact that I was going to freeze to death. My blue eyes were wide with fear, and my body was shaking all over. Oh, please let someone find me.
I clung to the bank like it was my life-line, because at the moment, it was. I didn’t think anyone could find me, so I hoped that I could get out. That the rain would stop pounding in my eyes so I’d have some chance at life. It didn’t.
I wasn’t sure how long the water drifted around me, but I felt myself growing more and more tired as time went on. It was just so cold… The rain kept beating against my fur and skin, my legs with no feeling left.
I think it was only a few minutes, but they felt like hours. Hours spend in the winter without any sun… I was going to freeze if I didn’t get out of the water soon. Even then, I still might not make it. But, I could try.
Pulling at the bank, I tried to find a place to sink my claws in. All I could find was mud. That’s all there was. Deep mud that my paws continued to sink into and immobilize me. This was the end.
“Ugh,” I groaned, feeling my eyes start to drift closed as blackness swirled around me. Dancing at the very edge of my mine. Pulling me down with it.
“Ghost?” I heard a voice. It was very faint, hardly hearable over the storm. I think it was Reeku… But I couldn’t answer. I was beyond answering. Then I remembered… Reeku had been out walking in the rain like I had. It was only a matter of time before he found me.
“Oh spirits, are you okay?” Reeku’s green eyes went wide. I looked up at him, my eyes pleading for help because my mouth wouldn’t move. Reeku stepped forward in the mud.
I think the water spread out from around me, like it had when we’d crossed before, but I couldn’t be sure. My legs had lost feeling. Reeku reached forward and grabbed me by the scruff, hauling my onto the bank.
“Can you walk?” Reeku asked me, a worried look on his face. To be honest, I have to idea why I nodded. I couldn’t talk, let alone walk. But I did. Sighing, I put my front paws out in front of me. I think I was standing… But I wasn’t sure.
The next thing I knew, I was leaning on Reeku’s shoulder. I wasn’t really paying any attention to where we were going or what we were doing. I was too cold… I wanted to go to sleep.
For a moment, I thought about how ironic this was. Lunea had just died, and here I was barley alive. It was my fault too. I shouldn’t have been so stupid… Ugh.
The more we walked, I was starting to regain some feeling in my feet. And, wow did I wish I hadn’t. They felt extremely cold, like a bunch of tiny ants were nipping at them. But, at least I managed to walk without leaning on Reeku anymore.
“You feeling any better?” he asked me. We were almost at camp by now, and all I felt was tired. I wanted to sleep… I was practically already asleep on my feet. On the bright side, I wasn’t too wet anymore. It had stopped raining a while back.
“I guess,” I mumbled, my eye lids heavy. My legs had gained feeling, but the warmth had returned to them. They didn’t hurt from the frigged cold.
“Good,” Reeku smiled. It was an honest smile, not a smirk. One I didn’t see very often. “I was worried.”
“No need to be worried anymore,” I trailed of into a yawn while I was trying to talk, causing Reeku to chuckle.
“To late,” his smile turned into a smirk. We were about to reach camp when I stopped. “What?” Reeku asked.
“Don’t tell them I almost drown,” I spoke quietly, looking thoughtfully into the camp. If they found out I almost drown, they would only worry more. Wasn’t the loss of Lunea enough?
“What? Why?” Reeku looked a bit surprised, I could see it on his face. But, it was also mixed in with his confusion.
“They’ll worry… Lunea’s death is enough,” I whispered the last part, unable to say it any louder. Its like… I still hadn’t admitted she was gone. Not to myself, anyways. That I just couldn’t face that cold, hard fact.
“I guess I see your point,” Reeku mumbled thoughtfully, then spoke louder. “Your secret is safe with me.”
“Thanks Reeku,” I smiled at him, not doubting the fact that I could trust him. Then I walked a bit faster, making my way ahead of him and back into camp.
I wasn’t surprised when I didn’t see Rose and Shade. They’d either gone for a walk, like they did sometimes, or were hiding in their dens because they didn’t want to get wet. My bet was on the latter guess.
I didn’t wait for longer a moment before I headed towards my den. My jaws stretched open into a large yawn as I walked, excited to get some well needed rest. I entered my den and curled up, resting my tail over my paws. Sleep swirled around me within moments.
I glanced around with a huge scowl on my face. The one time I really wanted rest Bone just had to come visit me, didn’t he? Ugh, I guess he was evil for a reason…
The location of this place still sent small shivers rushing down my spine. The prickling sensation of fear racing through my body. I couldn’t get it to go away. Maybe it was the looks of the place, or the smell of blood that hung heavy in the air. I could almost taste it.
“W-what do you want Bone?” I build up a bit of courage, enabling me to speak. I’d seen Bone in person now… And he was even more scary than I’d imagined he could be. I heard a laugh in the distance, but I couldn’t see anything.
“Oh, Ghost,” Bone’s voice was in its usually growl, but it had the light of his laughter in it. “You already know what I want.”
“I’m not going to surrender,” I snarled, trying my best to hide the fear that still raced through my veins. I raced in the direction I thought Bone’s voice was coming from, the smell of blood growing stronger and stronger.
I froze when I reached the river of blood. It was just how I remembered it… The sticky red liquid lapped at the shore, waves rolling down the river. I could practically taste the blood, its disgusting smell making me wrinkle my nose.
“You’ll surrender,” Bone laughed, and my head jolted to the side. He was sitting there across the river. “Unless you want your friends to end up like Lunea.” Bone’s nine tails were spread out behind him, shadows looming in the air that was near him. His amber-red eyes danced contentedly.
“N-no… Don’t hurt them,” I pleaded, stepping closer to the river. I didn’t want to go near it thought. The river was disgusting in smell and looking at it sent waves of fear rippling through me more and more.
“I’ll do whatever needs to be done,” Bone growled. “And they stand in my way. Just like you.” And then the black Kitsune was behind me, I could tell because of his growling. I flipped around, not liking how close my hind paws were to the bloody river.
“W-why?” I whimpered, flattening my ears against my head. I didn’t like surrendering to him, but this was his illusion. He could do whatever he wanted, and I had to go along for the ride. I didn’t like being trapped here, but until he released me…
“Because humans deserve to die,” Bone chuckled. The shadows around him loomed closer to me, and I took a step back. Then one of the lashed out and struck me right across the face. My skin tore open as I winced in pain, blood dripping down to the ground.
I looked up at Bone with my blue eyes wide and pleading. Even though I wouldn’t really be hurt, dying wasn’t something I wanted to experience. Even if it was just in a dream… Or rather, a nightmare.
“Hmm,” Bone looked down at me for a moment, chuckling. I couldn’t look away from his reddish eyes. They danced, full of happiness, blood-lust, and hate. All in a mix of horrible and dark feelings. “Kill her.”
I gasped at his words, stepping backwards. My back paws splashed into the blood as I did so. I couldn’t see Bone anymore, all the remained were the looming shadows. The blood felt hot, sticky, and uncomfortable on my paws, but I didn’t dare step forward.
The shadows slithered towards me, like dark clouds of Bone’s magic. Well, that’s what they were. The shadows lashed at me, and in order to dodge their moves I had to move farther and farther into the river. I didn’t like it, but it was the blood or them. How was I supposed to fight something that was an element I couldn’t control? That’s the thing, I couldn’t. This was Bone’s plan. He didn’t have anything to tell me, he just felt like torturing me. Showing me a taste of what he could do.
I was now waste deep in blood, and it was swirling all around me. Hot, sticky, and warm. But, for some reason I felt all too cold. Bone was recreating the feeling I had when I thought I was going to die…
Then the shadow hit me. I slipped in the sticky river’ floor and plunged into the bloody rapids. My head dunked under and the blood filled into my lungs. I was drowning in it. The red liquid swirled around me, and I couldn’t have felt more in pain.
I splashed and kicked, but I couldn’t surface. My lung scream and screamed for air, but there was nothing I could do. I felt so cold… Oh so cold. Dizziness and blackness pushed at the edge of my mind, threatening to consume me. Then it happened.
I woke up.