Tails and Tales in His Shadow
The sun had slipped away shortly after morning began, hidden now behind the dark overcast clouds. Harsh rains clattered on the leaves, and whistling winds cracked weaker limbs with ease. The mud below and downpour above slowed our pace, leaving neither of us able to hold onto the cordial mood we began the day with for long.
...Then it seemed the path itself slipped away from us without warning or notice. Had we gotten lost?
It was then that I noticed the rain had stopped! The winds were quieted in an instant, and the air quickly felt stale and suffocating. I looked up, and saw the overcast sky was replaced by the dead of night— A cloudless, starry sky was there, crowned by the moon beyond the dense filter of leaves. The terrain writhed in every direction with a malicious life of it's own, trees stretched their thorny limbs to the sky and dirt. Climbing into a low hanging canopy of leaves, and forming winding corridors in front of us.
The sudden shift left me unnerved, time and weather were changed in a snap, as if the world had forgotten its own rules. Silence was not uncommon to us before, though now it had become unnatural and eerie. The storm's sudden ending did not offer the welcoming rest it should have– instinctive paranoia thrummed in my head and hastened my heart. Then Ciel's voice broke the silence,
"Dry off, we have a moment, so clean yourself." Though he spoke nonchalantly, he stood alert, glaring coldly down the dim passage before us, his ears sharply held perked up.
His stiff stance couldn't lighten my worry, but I did as was bid. Shaking off the water had its limits after being fully drenched, and I struggled to wipe clean the mud from my paws... After an effort I nearly relented to the urge, but I dared not to groom myself like an animal– in the back of my mind was an ounce of human dignity I still held tightly.
Yet Ciel wasted no time, his body and bag were dried well before I had caught up to the present. Strangely, flecks of fresh snow were forming about him while he tended to his scarf. I sat puzzled, watching intently until a flick of his tail brushed the frigid air against my nose by surprise. He slipped the scarf back on then, and the soft flurries ceased as quickly as they started. Only afterwards did Ciel notice my staring, to which he returned a coy smile. But he made no comment on the subject, instead speaking presently in a gentle rhyme,
"Follow close, no more than one tail's length away.
Watch your step, keep behind and never once stray.
Avoid those in silence, they speak with only violence."
His smile grew confidently as he finished, "As it goes, trust only us and you'll be fine, Fern."
"Ye-Yes!" I felt comfort from his words, Ciel seemed to be familiar with the situation. I followed timidly at his back, glancing behind and peeking ahead– far too often for comfort.
We wandered through the narrow trails beneath the dense boughs, marching slowly in an ascent up an uneasy hillside. Ciel led both of us carefully, avoidant of even a single soul in the night, and he never appeared as lost as I had felt. Treading through another empty clearing, I ventured to speak again,
"Ciel, wh-why did we come this way?" I asked, poking from behind through his tails.
"This wasn't planned, and it wasn't here the last time." He replied, his gaze fixed on his path ahead.
I approached his side to grasp for his attention, "But... What kind of place is—"
My words were interrupted by an audible click from the floor. I looked down to be met immediately by a blinding flash of light. In a blink, I found myself separated from Ciel, in no place that I recognized as passing before. Even though the scenery was no different, it was clear this was another dead end of the labyrinth. I sat there unmoving, staring upwards into the night sky. I felt myself becoming a source of trouble for Ciel, and myself not least of all. This form was clumsy, and I was bound for mistakes in a land where I was nigh blind to even making the next step. I sorely missed my old self, with time I lost track of my thoughts, flipping through old memories remaining.
Then something touched me, pulled back to life as I knew it. A spindly limb with itching bristles was reaching over, brushing a thread around my hind leg! I jerked away onto my feet and looked back, a pair of eyes glinted venomously down upon me in the dull light. The red spider moved with the stiffness of a puppet then, each twitch made with deliberation. It pursued my stumbling by pitching its silk towards me, passing right and left in blurs into the surroundings. Panic struck me deeply– recoiling and reeling back across the clearing– I found myself pressed back against a tall tree built into the thicket wall. The vile spider was set on barring escape with its strings tacked on either side, and now bared its fangs against me.
Pressed against the trunk and faced by the unknown, my mind burned with a desire to flee– wishing desperately to disappear— In a snap, an unnatural instinct wrested control from my struggling. I felt immediately weightless, the tree no longer supported me, and I sank directly into it... From that point of view, it felt as though staring out from the bottom of the sea, and the previous feeling was quickly replaced by crushing paralysis. The dark, murky waters muffled the world in both its sights and sounds, and the spider outside swiped vacantly where I once stood.
Distantly behind it, Ciel had crept into the room. A cold, sadistic fury glistened in his eyes where he held himself low to the ground. I glanced between him and his mark, then a hail of needles struck the tree and spider both. It fell limp against the trunk, its back suddenly marked by countless thorns of ice. The body then appeared to swiftly melt and evaporate, leaving only those frozen splinters that clinked and shattered where they fell against one another.
But Ciel could not see me either, and his callous facade gave way to worry. He searched anxiously throughout the clearing, rooting inside the tall grass, poking up the spider stricken tree. I needed to return to his side, and there was too little time to wrap my head around present events. Suspended in the murky void, I struggled aimlessly against the crushing tension. Yet, with enough direction behind stretching forward my paw, I felt the pressure relent slightly. Through conscious effort, it would be possible to swim like deep water. I pulled myself back towards Ciel, and to my surprise I wrested free from the 'wall' as easily as I'd slipped through the cracks before, dropping then to the dirt with an unceremonious thump.
Ciel turned back with a startled jump, "F-Fern! I was so worr– I-I mean– wh-where were you?"
"S-Sorry, sorry... I stuck to hiding." I wished there was a better explanation– I didn't mean to dodge it– but the words escaped me. I had no time to think about what happened, or how I managed to do it.
He sighed with relief, an uneasy smile flicking over his face, "Please be careful, Fern... Ariados are far from the worst. We can't stop to rest here."
Ciel had every right to have been upset with me, but seemed only worried. I felt relieved most of all, though a measure ashamed to test his patience as much as I did again... But in the moment I felt unexpectedly curious, I wanted to ask him something instead.
"...How do you fight, Ciel? Yo-You looked so scary and vicious!" My tail flicked on its own like a curious dog and I coyly tilted my head, "And how do I—"
He seemed surprised, his ears jolted up, and I made out what I assumed was a blush on his face, "Don't– Don't mistake me Fern! There's just something to it—" Ciel caught himself from continuing, hastily skipping to my question in a huff, "These things come naturally as sweeping your tail, or as involuntarily as beating your heart. I hate to admit it, but I can't claim to have perfect control on it all either... I wouldn't make a very helpful teacher on the matter." He turned back the way he came, "We can talk about it later though, follow carefully this time."
I yielded, having learned full well that it was a bad time to be asking. Having glanced back on where so much had happened, I left with a bitter taste in my mouth.
The stagnant, smothering air faded away as quickly as it had arrived, and the scent of fresh air returned. Leaves shuffled noisily in the breeze, refreshingly marking that time was ticking away once again. The sky remained clear of clouds, meaning the rains must have ended hours ago, and the last trickle of light made plain that we were now watching dusk fading to night.
"Are we safe now Ciel?" I was relieved to be out, feeling my ears twitching against the oncoming breeze.
"I wouldn't be so quick, I'm not certain where it's taken us." He stepped forward, looking up and down the deepening shadows for a landmark to guide his guesses.
This path was curving along the side of a mountain, quickly and abruptly replacing the forest for barren stone. it remained a wide enough path for many, but the steep drop from the edge was dizzying. Ciel never pointed out our route as passing over one, making how far off course we were pulled all the more puzzling.
Then he stopped. Bending low to my height and whispering, "There's a campfire over there."
"Do you think they could be nice?" I smiled, feeling optimistic once again.
"It's possible... What about that warning? Well we're not following the same trail now– but this could be..." He mumbled to himself, ears drooped to the sides while his expression shifted in thought. Ciel's gaze slid around it, trailing to the steep cliff up the mountain, he was searching for something... His expression grew exasperated as he glanced at every notch and shadow, he looked back at me, then at himself,
"There's no chance I wouldn't be noticed..." He scowled, the frustration and anxiety on his face halted his question from escaping several times over, "Fern– Sorry... Could you sneak by and see who is out there? Y-You already outdid me on hiding earlier..." His voice dropped in volume as he spoke, becoming a near inaudible grumble before having fully explained.
"M-Me? I-I s-su-suppose so." Ciel placed his trust in me then, though I couldn't rely on that strange trick happening again, I was still smaller than him. He seemed ashamed to depend on others, but it would be far worse of me to let his trust be misplaced.
He nodded then, though his tails sunk low to the ground and his demeanor remained downcast, he continued, "Be careful... If you get in trouble then signal me, two hoots like a noctowl."
With that, I left Ciel and the safe cover of shrubbery behind. Stepping along quieter than the breeze, I approached the camp, peering from behind a standing stone at the edge of the light. Listening to the chatter and spying the unusual sight:
Three brutes of all different stock and height sat around a heavy cauldron, lifted haphazardly over a low campfire. The stories I'd heard put names to the lesser two– monferno and vigoroth– but not the third, the hulking brown gorilla sporting the unlovable face of a sloth. Laying to one side was a disorganized mound of food, set carelessly on the floor to collect gravel. To the other were a set of wooden barrels, whose labels were in no sense of mine, legible.
"Nothing but plain berries all week, tonight, and I ain't looking forward to seeing the same tomorrow with you worthless cooks!" the irritable vigoroth stood up and rambled on.
"What's King thinking, setting up camp so far from the high road? I could have pinched something worth eating... Or drinking!" he shouted, kicking an empty barrel onto its side, and filling his jug from the next one over.
"Shut your mouth!" The largest barked back in a gravelly voice, "Ain't any good pickins what travel at night, I keep your nose out of trouble Vin. You keep eatin more than you're worth anyhow! How bout a 'Thank you King' for the one what keeps you fed?" He mocked, tearing a piece from his stick of half-burnt fruit. The grimy odor of vile, carbonized berries was nauseating even from here...
I'd seen quite a bit more than any would have liked, a band of thieves at best, and I could only begin to contemplate the worst. I should have left and told Ciel then, but something left me unable to turn back so soon. The thought of returning empty-handed urged me to stay, or better yet, handle it myself! But I would need more information for that... Creeping up behind the still standing barrel, I waited for them to turn away, then leapt up and poked inside— The stench of cheap alcohol was sickening– dizzying and distracting to even smell– and quickly the least of my concerns... That was when I felt the grip of a bulky hand throttling my body and neck whole,
"Well, look what I nicked!" said the thick voice it belonged to, loosening then into a still tight grasp as it held me aloft.
"And what is it, King?" Spoke the other two in unison.
"I dunno, what are you?" He held me to the fire's light, scowling with contempt.
"W-Well I'm Fe-Fer– uh– h-hoo?" I choked on my meek attempt to call for Ciel from his nigh strangling hold.
"Furwho? You don't look like no furfrou, not no furret either, fur..." Growled King, pulling my tail and forelegs in opposite directions as a crude form of measurement. "An what's a furret got to do with me drink anyhow?"
"And can we cook him?" Said Vin, picking up and sharpening a stick between his fidgeting claws.
"Ain't got more than fur on 'im! Not worth more than a bite fer all the effort!" He grumbled back in a tone of boredom and scorn.
"D-Don't eat me! I-I cook better than I cook, you know!" I kicked my feet and thrashed vainly, the mere mention was enough to scare me pale after already one close cut today.
"Let the fool go, ain't got anything on him." Said the flaming chimp– who appeared more annoyed by the constant chatter– grimacing at the three of us with equal disdain.
"Not till he makes me dinner, Monty! And better be a right proper one..." King held me by the ears to my dismay, dropping me beside their pile of food. His demand made obvious enough.
Every muscle and joint ached, or felt numb. I fell forward to the floor in pain, staring at the mound of dirty ingredients. Cooking was easy in the past, but barring obvious complications I still couldn't be certain if the fruit, or otherwise, matched any real world analogues. Yet something already stood out beneath my prodding, blast seeds were mixed into the pile like real food! I hobbled to my feet with an idea fresh in mind, poking and sifting at the selection with renewed interest.
I looked back at the pot over the fire, a large rock beside it must have been used as a stool for tending it. Turning back, I picked up and hid one seed in my mouth. Then clasped a bright blue, tangerine shaped berry in my front teeth. The trickle of juice from the punctured fruit onto my teeth could only be called vaguely comforting, and the aches of mistreatment faded in kind. I dropped the two into their half-full pot of hot water, and the seed relievingly dropped to the bottom immediately. A success and yet a new concern: I was now on a timer with an uncertain limit, I had not planned ahead, but would have to work quickly!
Back and forth, hearing quick and quiet patter of my paws against stone; the cracking and popping of an idle fire; and my own quickened heart throbbing in my ears, all ringing louder than the bored thugs' chatter. I quickly lost count of the number of seeds slipped in between the miscellaneous berries, completely neglecting the sight of one of them approaching. I snapped back to reality with a yelp when I found myself lifted from the floor by the tail!
"Are you done yet? I'm sick of watching!" It was Vin, that irritable ape.
"It-Its only been a minute! You just have to let it warm up!" I answered anxiously, staring at the world now flipped on its head.
He dropped an unsatisfied grunt, then turned to the largest, "Why don't you look after him, King? I've done enough!"
"You ain't done anything, you lazy, good for nothing—" King chided.
"Well you caught him, that means it ain't my problem!" He tightened his grip on me in frustration, and I winced at the claws' sharp sting.
"Don't interrupt me!" In one swift stroke, King shattered his jug against Vin's teeth, who dropped me to the floor.
The prior pain surged back in full, and I could only push myself enough to scramble out of the way of the two giants breaking into a fight. Kicks and jabs were tossed, punctuated by all manner of appropriate obscenities and names. The nearly silent Monty paid no attention to me, holding only an annoyed look on his face while watching the scuffle. I laid on the opposite side of the fire, grumbling over the assorted agonies. Looking towards the fire reminded me of the scheme... I shouldn't be here! Jumping to my feet in alarm, I bolted back the way I came, quickly as my legs could still carry me.
Ciel had remained perched there behind the shroud of shrubbery, nervously wringing his paws. On seeing me in a sprint, he followed suit until I stopped a safe distance back.
"Fern, what happened there? You were taking a while..." He rubbed and prodded the scuffed fur with concern.
I laid down across the grass, ears and tail flattened out, sighing, "We-Well I-I didn't want to come back with nothing to show for it... I got stuck and- and—"
"What do you mean?" His head tilted to one side.
Before I could offer an answer, the sound of that improvised explosion shook the mountainside violently, followed immediately by the tumbling and clattering of rocks in the distance. A flash of bright light filled the dark night's air for mere moments like a strike of lightning, showing clearly between us our looks of shock.
"You did WHAT?" Ciel leapt a foot from the floor, whereas I clung tightly to the grass.
"I-I filled their campfire with blast seeds, but I didn't imagine it would have been that extreme!" I trembled beside him with my paws over my ears, worried for my decision.
"You– haa~..." His laughter built up, until he had dropped to the dirt right at my side, "Ahah... I didn't think you had that in you! Were they the danger he mentioned? You didn't blow up ordinary strangers, right?" He was smiling at me, rolled upside down on his back. Not upset in the slightest, but... proud of me?
"The-They did th-threaten to eat me... And they were robbing people– it could be?" I lifted my head up, an uneasy, twitching smile crept on my face and held back the tears that tried to form seconds before.
Ciel stood up and nodded, "They must have been sent clear to the sand continent after that. Taking the cliff with them is a bit much... But I suppose no one needs to know it was you." Seeming satisfied by the answer, he picked me up from the ground, and turned towards the path once more.
Returning to the road ahead of us, the damage was clear: the entire camp and all near to it had been sheared from the cliff, which was now littered by rocks and sundered boulders, with only a thin ledge remaining to bypass the remains. Once beyond it however, the landmarks Ciel was searching for were now clearly visible.
The pass there bent round the stiff mountainside, curling back and forth downhill towards its foot. But it served more importantly as an overlook between it and the sea. The familiar, pale crescent moon hung from center stage above the horizon as a thin sliver of silver. Below it, nestled on the shore was unmistakably Capim town. Though difficult to discern it through the dense trees, the warm flicker of lights left me hopeful.
"We're better off than I thought, it's been months since I last showed my face there... It'll be first thing in the morning, with no more delays." Ciel was musing idly to himself.
"Le-Leaving tomorrow, right?" I noticed my soreness more keenly with the danger out of mind... Though I didn't want to worry Ciel further by telling him.
"That's correct, but we can't stay outside. Your careless bombing will have loosened rock further up the mountain... I'd not wish either of us to be struck by one." He rubbed a paw over his neck, seeming to be thinking, "Actually, the others, what did they have before you...?"
"Oh-Oh, there was food, drink, fire, rocks, and a pot!" I recounted it simply, and it only now seemed like they were missing something.
"No beds, no treasures, I would bet they had a proper cave to sleep in hidden somewhere up here." His grin expressed certainty in his words. We shouldn't be troubled by them, at least not tonight. He asked me then to help search.
The poor lighting did little to aid us, but the narrow pass eased it. It was not far further along the downhill before– by luck or misfortune– I stepped on the mat concealing the opening, and tumbled through into a cave! Ciel poked inside in turn, looking over the musty cavern. It was littered by stolen belongings and tattered sheets laid to carpet the stone floor. Contrasted sharply by the odd growths of luminescent crystals found on every surface, and hiding in every fissure like a trove of fairies.
The far end of the shallow room was laden with the apes' collection: untarnished coins and interesting clothes, among other trinkets. Ciel looked on with disinterest, but began to pull free the assorted choices of undamaged clothing into a pile of their own. Separating first a small bag, then pulling free a long scarf,
"These should do, let's see how they fit."
Following those words Ciel slipped the scarf about my neck, wrapping it twice, and pacing back. The long arms reached the floor and dragged behind me...
"Thi-This doesn't fit! I don't think– ack—!" Upon stepping forward my paw caught the left end, I tripped over myself and crashed headfirst into the floor.
"I suppose you don't need one just yet..." He gave me a puzzled look and sighed, leaning to pluck me from the ground.
Once the blur of light in my sight faded, I shook my head, then Ciel took the scarf and tucked it into the smaller bag. Lifting it in his teeth, he then fixed and fastened it to my side, set much alike to his own satchel. Drawing from it easily would take getting used to, but I smiled— I could say that something belonged to me again.
Ending the day, Ciel flattened the rest into a bedding, and laid comfortably raised off the cavern floor. I'd slept in grass, on the floor, and now in a cave— But Ciel was equally unbothered, and it could have been worse... Soon to fall asleep nestled at his side, I was too exhausted to worry for long. I couldn't plan ahead of the present here, and the past was long behind me. I would need to find footing quickly, but my heart warmed to think that tomorrow I would have that chance.