Unwanted Silence

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Ikigai's heart pounded against her chest as she ran through the trees at the edge of the river. The girl had gone off on her own, intent on seeing what long exploration was like. Her siblings went off on their own often enough. Why shouldn't she? Well, this was why.

She'd heard the beast before she'd seen it. A lowing bellow had sounded behind the pallid girl. Looking back towards the sound, Ikigai could see a faint blue glow emanating from the foliage, which then began to rustle as though something was coming towards her. Was it a ghost? Wasting no time, the young princess turned and ran as fast as her delicate paws would carry her. Branches and rocks grabbed at the kimono that she wore, tearing the fine silk as though it was made of leaves. From behind, she could hear the crashing of a heavy body as it pushed through the trees. She needed to go faster!

Pushing from the trees and onto the bank of the river, Ikigai was both shocked and relieved to see another wolf present. He was a young brute, but he was still significantly larger than she was. "Please," she spoke with gasping breaths as she approached him, turning to put her back to the river with her full attention on the treeline. "There's something in there. It's been chasing me. It..." Tears filled the lady's metallic gaze as she began to cry silent tears. "It's glowing." She didn't understand it and she hoped that somehow she'd lost the beast, but being here with another wolf gave the timid fae a bit of courage.

"X"