The Kitsune of My Dreams
Oh boy! Another chapter! We're finally starting to delve into a little bit of plot here, so things are going to start to get interesting! As you have noticed, I made a cover art for the story, hope you like it. Let me know how things are, and for those of you out there, tell me what you'd like to see happen in this story! I'm open for ideas and suggestions, and hope to see more activity in this story. If you have art for me, or even a story/journal mentioning this story, add the tag "Tales of a Wandering Dragon" or "TODW" in referencing this. Thank you all for the support, be sure to spread the word, and I'll see you in the next chapter!
I remember the ancient legends of our Ancestors, the feral dragons. When I was young, all hatchlings were told stories and legends passed down through the generations. Centuries ago, a War among the Gods erupted, and reasons why they fought varied from Anila to Anila. The only thing most agreed on was what they left in the wake of their battles. Hatchlings were never allowed to venture out of the campsite, and were always kept at a claw's distance from their parents during migration. "The world outside of our small one is big", They would say. "Full of deadly and dangerous creatures that weren't there before. It is the fault of the Gods' magic." The creature I had encountered must have been what the Elders would have called "Penumbra's Wrath". I never really believed the Elders, but now I think otherwise after that encounter.
I wandered with the river, trying my best to spot wildlife to hunt after. Hours into the day, my stomach growled, and it hit it. Shut it. I thought to my brain. I'm looking for food. Just shut up. The plains in which I walked next to seemed to stretch for miles, and I knew no animal was stupid enough to meander about on an open field. Well, except for me, apparently. I stumbled down to the water's edge and cupped the clear liquid in my claws, dehydrated and extremely thirsty. I swallowed the liquid down my throat and drank until I was satisfied. I stood up, turned around, and began walking back up the little hill when my stomach started feeling queasy.
I grunted in pain and slumped forward, my stomach raking at my own walls for food. How long had it been since I ate? I couldn't remember, but I knew it was since I gave that stupid feral my food. I should've just killed it... I whimpered as fell face first into the snow, my body becoming weaker and weaker. My mind reeled as I felt my life linger on the edge, thinking about this sudden twist in fate. Why was I left behind? Why did they leave me? The more I thought, the more I felt emotions stirring within me. I became angry at my own anila, my own tribe. I growled softly, blaming them for what happened to me.
I watched my vision go black, and my consciousness slipped away.
~~~
It was hours later, I believe, when I woke up. A blizzard storm moved in, and I shook the snow off of me. I didn't feel tired, nor hungry, not even thirsty. In fact, I felt amazing. Letting out a satisfied sigh, I got up and began to look for shelter when I tripped over something and face planted into the snow. Grunting, I looked back to see what it was, and let out a shocked gasp.
Lying in the snow face-first was my own body. It seemed lifeless and dead, and then I realized; I am dead. I crawled over to my own body in shock. "No no no!" I cried, trying to wake myself up, but to no avail. I was still a young dragon! How could I die?! The noise of the storm died down, and the world around me seemed to crawl to a stop. I looked around, bewildered, when suddenly a voice spoke up.
"You have met with a terrible fate, have you not?" I whipped around to see a feral animal sitting on its haunches before me. Unlike the dangerous feral I encountered with some time ago, this one looked like a normal animal. A fox, to be exact. Its soft red fur was extra fluffy, probably because of winter, and it bright gold eyes stared at me, studying me. I swallowed nervously.
"I....I'm sorry?" I asked, finding it hard to swallow. The fox padded up to me, and more prominent features became clear. He had a nice aroma to him - lavander, if I can recall the plant - and some sort of mist flowed out of his eyes. He also had four glowing white orbs circling around his neck, almost like a necklace. Instead of the usual white that ended in his tail, the white look more like floating ink that was seeping off of his tail.
"What's happened to you." The fox said, his maw definitely not moving while he talked. He turned his head and pointed a paw at my unconscious body. "Sometimes the world can be cruel. I am sorry for our actions." The fox sighed and looked back at me. "You are lost, Naltar."
I looked at the fox. "How in the Inanis do you know my name?" I looked around us. "Better yet, where are we? Better yet, why am I not in my own body, and talking to a feral animal? I know I'm dead." I snorted slightly and sat down in front of the fox, leaning back on my hands.
"The world is a mysterious place, young dragon. Being cast from your clan has clouded your mind, and your instincts are backwards. I am here to send you forward once again." The fox - kitsune, perhaps - said.
I sighed and shook my head. "Who are you? My magical godfather?"
The fox slyly grinned, and said, "Something like that. You may call me Kosuma, the One Who Watches. And right now, I'm watching you and your future."
I stared at him. "Okaaaay...What about it?"
"You are important, Naltar. Fate has a funny way of saying things, and right now it has decided to tell you that you are needed. Your world is naught but a dark one, filled with death and betrayal and darkness. I cannot give you the secrets you desire, but I can give you the key." Kosuma padded forward and rested a paw on my knee. "You will not remember me when you wake up, but you will remember what I am about to tell you."
I held up my claws. "Whoah whoah whoah now! Why are you pushing all of this me all of a sudden? What if I don't want to do this, hmm? What if I don't trust you?"
Kosuma looked at me seriously, and said with a deadpan tone, "You will suffer in Inanis."
I swallowed and nervously said, "Uhm...okay...and what is it you want me to do?"
He took his paw off of my knee and said back. "When you wake, there will be two gold fishes swimming in the river. Catch them bare-handed, and skin them. Before you cook them, open them up, and each fish will have a gift. One gift will defend you. The other, will protect you. Both will only answer to your heart's desire, so use them wisely in your journey. From there, go north until you reach the mountains. I will then find you again." Kosuma explained rather hastily.
I raised an eyebrow. "But how will I know if I reach the right place? Which way is the right way?"
"The sunrise will always be on your right."
"But what about-"
"I am sorry, Naltar, but my time is short. I will visit you again, and I hope you will forgive us one day."
"Who's us?!" I asked, jumping up as he padded away.
Kosuma stopped short, and sagged his shoulders before looking back at me. "Wake up, Naltar. Your journey begins."
~~~
I lifted my head from the snowy wasteland, looking around groggily as my body shivered. I struggled to get up, and my stomach protested loudly as I sat up. Grunting, I mumble about something I couldn't remember, and crawled to the river to drink again. That's when I noticed two twin fishes trying to swim upstream, the yellow scales flashing off of the dim sunlight that occasionally shone through the clouds.
Silently praising the gods, I raised both of my claws and stuck into the water, miraculously piercing both fish on my claws and pulling them out of the water. I then pulled out my makeshift knife and began skinning them and preparing them to eat. My knife accidentally cut a little too deep into the fish, and it struck something rather hard. Slightly confused, I sliced open the fish and a large circular jewelry fell out. Bewildered, I picked it up and cleaned it off, revealing it to be a large wrist-cuff that one would put on their wrist for fashion.
It was made of onyx and had a gold-like gem running through the middle of it, and on the top was a ruby. The cuff seemed a bit big, so I put it on my right wrist to check the size. It was indeed a little big, but before I could slip it off, it suddenly sized down to fit my wrist. I jerked my hand a bit, letting out a surprised gasp, and stared at it in wonder. My ears perked, and I looked at the second fish curiously before grabbing it and hastily cutting it open.
Out fell a neck-cuff made entirely of silver. It had one pendant, a gold disk with amethyst in the middle of the disc. Curiosity getting the best of me, I slipped the loose cuff over my head, and felt it clasp against my throat like a collar. I reached up to try to pry the disc away, only to find that it too had melted in the collar-like jewelry. Bewildered, I sat back and slowly began to skin the fishes, wondering why I felt so normal wearing these obviously abnormal devices.
It was like I was forgetting something.