Starry Heavens
The starry sky held a peaceful atmosphere upon the prairie, almost no one could be seen through the green patches of grass across the land enlightened by the moon, a gentle breeze whispered through the air a calming lullaby for the few roses who remain dormant, the firmament, wearing a beautiful amethyst color which was adorned by the beautiful stars who gave a magic touch to that dazzling night it felt as if all that was an illusion made by the gods, and bathed by the moonlight a quiet, motionless shape stood afar.
Quiet...
A female Espeon kept staring the sky, absort on it she gave a soft sigh, as if waiting for someone she quietly stared. Even though nobody may come, she just waited. Her dark lavender fur almost glittered under the stars, spreading a dignified aura around her. A flickering light shined deep inside the red gem liyng on her forehead, �Was it supposed to flicker like a frail ember exposed to the wind?
�Why did I return to this place again?
Her azure eyes drew a cold stare as she hung her head to the ground, not even the soft, green grass dared to move an inch under her mystified presence, she somehow managed to regain her counciousness, and life was seemingly brought back to her eyes. "What... �What am I doing in this place?" She muttered to herself, utterly confused by her own actions. The female grimaced, she perfectly recognized her surroundings, removing the grass a few steps before her she removed whatever doubts had remain concerning the place she was sitting on, a few feets under the ground lied a dusty box, whether it was so damaged by the years or the dust didn't really matter to the female. A sense of ease came to Espeon's senses, her tail wagged slightly as she gazed the box before her, full of good memories and mementos from her childhood, �Was this... the reason that brought her here?
But yet, there's something else... Something i've forgotten...
She sighed deeply, the cold night embraced her once again, but this time she denied herself sank on her thoughts; and finally reaching to an agreement with her mind, she slowly stood up, her senses awared her of a unknown presence behind her. A few footsteps disrupted the quiet atmosphere surrounding the prairie. �Who could be this late on the night? Espeon thought, much for her dismay she had to turn to her back to find it out. �Perhaps was one of her sisters looking for her? That'd be impossible; she would recognize any of her sisters' immediately.
"�Who are you?" Her soft, gentle voice echoed through the night, the footsteps came to a halt as soon as she finished her question. But no answer came. She quickly turned around fearing he may attempt something, but soon she realized how wrong she was... Her eyes went wide open as she stared at the figure behind her. A shiny Ninetales stood there, wrapped in a sense of grace, his bright silver fur shined beneath the moonlight, his nine tails waved softly, each of them tipped in a Maya blue color. A crest laid atop of his head, made of his silvery fur softly swinging at the wind's will. And his eyes, of a deep red crimson were gently laid hers. And hidden behind the calm of his eyes; he was equally astounded as the female.
Time seemingly came to a halt, she had no idea how much time has passed since they've been staring at each others, both mustered enough strenght to speak but to no avail, the silence worked as a better messenger, there was, in that very moment, no need for words. He felt as if he'd just found a long lost friend or a childhood crush, whatever it was he couldn't care less about it, a strange sense of joy filled his insides with a warmth stranger to his usual heat, he wondered why he felt they've known each others, after all this is the first time he ever saw her. But he could tell just by looking at those azures...
She felt the same way too.
Just a few seconds, even though she felt as if she was staring at him for hours, it was hard to believe just a few seconds had gone by since they 'met' each other. And just as that magic spell came unnoticed, it dissappeared, leaving a strange sense of discomfort beetwen them. Again, they tried to muster all of their strenght, even if it was to mutter a few words... But no more than incoherent babblings came from both parts.
And even though the discomfort, he felt like he would stare at her the whole night, she had to be some kind of goddess, yes; she couldn't be from this world. Undoubtedly a untainted beauty, unknown for the world, his mind and heart raced at his thoughts, �When did he leave the world of the living? Maybe it was... No, calm down... he sighed, cooling his head; at least he still had control over his mind, his heart kept throbbing furiously on his chest, he felt the unbearable need of embracing her.
No, he shook his head many times, avoiding these thoughts.
"Uhm..." She managed to mutter something, catching his attention for a moment. "�Who... Who are you, again?" She spoke in a gentle tone; there was a hint of worry on it.
"I... my name..." He muttered, �What was his name again? Even though he pondered about it for a long time until now, no thoughts of his past came back to him, every time he tried, a dull sense of emptiness invaded his body, he had lost his memory and somehow he felt... that maybe his amnesia was for the better. "I don't... know..." He answered in a discouraging, a part of his counciousness wanted those memories back, but another part was afraid of finding it out... Something, deep within; his mind told him he was better without them.
"Â�You don't have a name?" She asked innocently, almost nonchalantly, she felt a bit at ease now that she noticed he wasn't a bad pokémon at all. Ninetales glanced at her, thinking she was just making fun of him, but thankfully he was wrong, her eyes; full of concern for a complete stranger made him feel a bit happy. And softly, he shook his head in a 'no'. "I can barely remember anything..." He whispered, but Espeon managed to hear him. "I don't even know why I came here. Something drew me to this place... I... just woke up not long ago..." His confussion, reflected on his face began show itself. She fixed her stare on his eyes. Even though he was a complete stranger to him, she couldn't help but feel utterly worried about him, as if he was a long-term close friend.
Amidst the silence, Ninetales' counciousness drifted on the depths of his mind. Pondering what should he do, certainly he hadn't a place to return, nor a path to follow. �Why was he even born then? Wasn't he supposed to have a aim for his existence, then where, ��Where was such purpose?! ��Why did it dissappeared?! His heart felt hopelessness; it was an awful feeling, something he desperately wanted to stop. A shiver ran through his spine, and his eyes slowly came to a focus, she was in front of him, so close he could feel her warmth, it felt different than his own, this one felt... so good... Ninetales felt almost as if he was about drift off again. "Don't worry; if you don't have a name... I'd give you one then!" She exclaimed, her childish behavior was somewhat cute, but it probably didn't fit on her age at all. Yet for him, those words filled him with hope. "Then your name will be..." She stopped at mid-sentence. "Hm..."
She fixed a stare on him again, almost as if scanning him. But Ninetales unconsciously avoided her glance, feeling a bit awkward. She was just a couple of steps before him, watching him intently. Suddenly she gasped with a "I got it..." her cheery tone replaced by a calm one. "Your name from now on is... Kou, since you're as bright as the moon today." Her forepaw softly patted his forehead; he hung his head slightly at that, muttering the name given to him. "My name... is Kou..." He lifted his head again; his eyes came to meet hers for a second. "Thank you... your name is...?" He asked, she couldn't have been able to hear his words if they weren't close enough on that moment.
She gasped, tilting her head back in realization of her mistake. "Ah! Sorry, my name is Luna." She cheerfully answered, quickly returning to her usual self, she seemed like the kind of spoiled kid on a family, most likely the younger one, carrying a carefree attitude and no problems at all, the kind of nature everyone despised yet envied so much at the same time, but it truly didn't matter; Once reality hits them, they never return to be the same. However, thankfully that kind of cheerfulness was exactly what someone like Kou needed the most at that moment; otherwise he would, surely, break down due his problems. Luna just kept silent for the time being thinking he may need some time for himself since he looked so absent-minded at that moment. Kou hadn't enough time to realize about his whereabouts, and even though it was a beautiful sight, he couldn't help but feel how a eerie chill ran through his back. Something was horribly wrong but he still couldn't figure out what. His eyes focused on his surroundings, trying hard to find the source of his fears. Until his stare fixed on a set of trees atop of a hill, guarding what seemed to be a long forest behind them, perhaps it was night's fault, but the forest was enshrouded in a thick darkness... he knew it just by looking, that forest was a place no one was supposed to enter. Still, it didn't matter what he tried, his attention was always drawn to that place again and again.
Luna noticed him, and following his stare she came to found herself looking at that place. "That forest wasn't there before... Could it be..." After a few minutes pondering and repeating the same phrase as she stared at the moon she gasped, this time the glowing light on her gem suddenly shined brightly. "That forest!" Her voice brought him back to reality, and uncounciously he gazed at her. "That forest seems so unwelcoming... Â�Why there is such place behind a prairie like this? It feels almost like a trap." But unlike him, Espeon seemed far more excited than frightened by that place, just like a little kid who earned a prize in a game corner. But then again, Luna seemed like the kind of pokémon who would get excited over every little thing.
"�I've got to show this to my sisters!" She almost yelled, but Kou didn't share her happiness at all... Did she just say she must leave? Then he'd be left alone... once again. A feeling of emptiness dwelled on his depths beforehand, he wanted, no, needed to be beside her. He tried to mutter something, but his strength left him too, after all... �Who was he to stop her from going with her family? He couldn't seriously ask her to stay with him instead of her sisters.
"No... if I leave, I fear it may disappear... along with you." Kou couldn't understand the last few words she spoke, he felt truly relieved of hearing her having doubts whether stay or not. Even if it wasn't for his sake, at least he won't be left alone again. He noticed she looked at him, and his eyes began fidgeting awkwardly, just as his thoughts were unveiled or something. "I... want to go and check that place... but I don't think I can make it alone..." She said, her eyes were locked on his as she spoke, �Was she asking him to escort her through that forest? Kou gulped. He had to admit it; he didn't feel really confident about being able to fulfill her plea; plus he didn't even know if he had any battle skills to begin with. Kou mustered strength to tell her the truth, but all of it was vanished on the second his eyes came upon her azures, those deep bluish eyes, like invaluable sapphires laid on him, making him feel as if he was some sort of hero she praised deeply, he immediately felt almost hypnotized by them �How could he possibly deny something to her? And even though his reason begged him to speak with the truth his heart came to a different conclusion. "Y...Yes..." And at the end heart won over reason, and just like signing a pact with the death, he hung his head and kept nodding weakly.
"Thank you!" She quickly tugged him, softly nibbling his right ear in appreciation and Ninetales cooed in return. At least that made him think it was worth of it, he would figure out how he'd protect her later, right now, he just wanted to enjoy her show of appreciation as much as possible. "I knew I can trust you." She gave a long lick to his cheek; her tongue was really soft, so much he wasn't able to stiffle sighs as she kept licking.
But even though that... I've got a bad feeling about all this...
Both them were facing the dark forest before them. Ninetales still had no idea about why Luna was so excited about this forest, and so far she hadn't mentioned anything about it, at least not loud enough for him to hear. "So... �What's so special about this place?" He finally asked, without hiding any longer his curiosity about the topic. Espeon fixed an astounded look at him, just as if he missed something so trivial tied in the bonds of the common sense, something everyone no matter his current situation should have known. But needless to say, the helpless fox is currently suffering the effects of amnesia couldn't possibly know about this. And Espeon was quick to notice that, fortunately for him, she wasn't dumb at all. "Oh, right... Well, this place is well-known mystery called 'The Enigma forest' " She began speaking in a gentle, low tone. "It's a unseen place for partially everyone in the world. I've seen countless travellers wander aimlessly through the world looking for the chance-in-a-lifetime of finding such place, with no such luck. It is said this forest is cursed by a certain creature, which hiding itself from the world vanished the forest behind the moon. But such curse weakens as a lunar eclipse is drawing closer, the forest returns to his rightful place on this world; and once the sun and the moon part ways, the forest vanishes along them, dragging with him everything and everyone inside until another lunar eclipse approaches." She finally concluded her explanation, something on her demeanor changed for a moment, Kou couldn't tell what, but Espeon was somehow different. Perhaps it was just his mind pulling a prank on it, yes, it had to be that.
"Say, Kou... �Do you believe in fate?" She asked in a cold tone, staring blankly at the forest. He almost flinched, but stood still, giving a weak nod as he gazed her with concern. "Somehow... i feel... all this isn't just coincidence... I think... all this time... i've came to this place... for a reason..." She was sinking further and further on a frail state, he couldn't stand watching her like that, he had to do something to cheer her up. �But what was he supposed to do in a moment like this?
...
Espeon felt a reassuring pat on her back, Ninetales' forepaw was behind her, and she couldn't help but wonder how their relationship improved so quick, so much she already felt better just by having him worrying about her. She hadn't an answer for that, she just sighed deeply, shrugging her corcerns off, whatever it was, she would be alright as long as he stayed by her side. "Let's go..." She said, suddenly stepping into the darkness.
"Ah! Wait!" She heard his voice echoing on her back, but she ignored it on the time being, they were delaying too much time on entering into the forest... Or at least that was the reason she grasped to ignore her real motive. Soon after that, Kou managed to somehow catch her. Panting a bit as he watched his surroundings, she didn't notice it. But as soon as they entered on the thick darkness their vision became clearer, as if the thick darkness was just a delusion protecting a small paradise behind it. Many trees were settled on a somewhat straight line, some of them held berries; others were thick enough to give a comfortable shadow on a sunny day. The sky was partially covered by leafs and branches, almost nothing of the starry heavens remain inside the forest. A soft, yet cold autumn breeze ran through the trees, almost welcoming the two trespassers. Ninetales gave a few steps forward, looking around, not a soul ran beetwen the trees, and his steps echoed around a few times. "Weird... normally you would expect a lot of Pokémon in a forest... but this place is... empty." Luna said. But after thinking over it again she made another sentence "Well, it's not that weird, is a cursed, hidden forest after all." She said, almost as if that made sense to her. Kou wasn't really pleased with such answer, so he gave a few steps more. His footsteps echoed once more on the forest. Something was wrong... really wrong.
Yet he didn't stop Luna. Instead, he ventured along with her into this ominous place.
Luna wasn't that excited anymore, the mysterious atmosphere almost seemed to make dull the fresh air who tried to calm them down. �What could possibly have happened here? Not even Luna was expecting a place this empty. "Let's go, Kou." She said.
"Away?" He asked, hoping she would nod at that sentence. But instead, she just shook his head, as if it was obvious where they were heading to now. "Further in, of course. �Don't you wanna find out what happened here?" Her lips drew a cute smile, but that wasn't enough to ease the Ninetales this time, he couldn't shake off that feeling who kept screaming they shouldn't go further in. Espeon sensing his doubtfulness approached to him and gave him another lick on the cheek. "Please... We'll be fine! I promise!" She gave a few nods as she reassured him, her hopeful eyes locked on his once again, working their unknown spell on his mind, and making him uncounciously fall on their trap. Ninetales felt used, but he had no other choice but nod, he really had to after all.
The aligned trees traced a path for them; it didn't matter if it was luck or something ekse, they just hoped the path would take them somewhere, and return them outside in the same way. But they were hoping way too much. Kou's eyes fidgeted desperately realizing something; he was alone, with Luna, in a empty forest. That tought alone made his entire body began shaking. But he had to hide it from her. The last thing he wanted was raise any suspicions on him. Not like he had any motive to hide or something, but that wasn't good enough to ease his worriness.
"Kou..." She spoke, most likely she was thinking aloud since no more words came from her mouth. However, he lifted his head enough to glance at her way; she was a few steps ahead of him, walking slowly, without turning back. She was completely magnificent; truly a beauty, her feline shape, holding a feminine build which gave a sense of gracefulnes, her dark lavender fur stood out, glittering under the night as a wandering light moving through the darkness, her tail moved back a forth, without losing that delicate sense of hers; and then below it...
He shook his head furiously, no, he couldn't. He must shake those dirty thoughts off; he was supposed to protect her, nothing else. Kou quickly picked up his own pace, making a distance gap between them; he had to cool down his head somehow. �But how? He was a fire type after all, and then, a lone thought wandered on his mind for a few minutes... "This is gonna be a long night..." He whispered to no one but himself. The trees began divide, leaving the sky visible for a few minutes during their walk, it felt strange... the moon had dissappeared above the clouds, and the stars seemingly vanished from the night, it felt as as though they were taken somewhere else, just leaving a empty recipe behind, the hollow amethyst soon vanished into a dark blue color, reflecting a silent sadness as they kept walking. He paid no mind to it on that moment, and just gave a long sigh. "�How long do we have to walk around this place?" He asked, still avoiding eye contact with her.
"�How am I supposed to know? Until we find something interesting, i guess." Said Espeon nonchalantly, that didn't reassure him at all.
Minutes, maybe hours had passed since they entered the forest; there was no way to know since there was no moon. They kept walking aimlessly, looking for something that probably didn't exist. No matter what path they took, nothing more than trees were there to greet them, nothing else. There wasn't any hidden mystery or an invaluable treasure; it was just a plain, normal forest. "Could it be... �Is this the wrong place?" Espeon stopped. Suddenly realizing she may be on a huge mistake, but then, �How come she didn't notice such an obvious place like this on the past years? She wasn't that dumb. But again, from a cursed forest she would expect something like... Guards, or some kind of strange monsters and a unfold mystery... but no, in fact, there was nothing more than trees everywhere. Ninetales suddenly stopped, his tails began waving as he gazed straight forward, undoubtedly he found something else than mere trees. Espeon hurried and did the same, a huge feeling of relief washed over her.
Behind the last set of trees a pair of towers stood, made of dusty but apparently solid blocks covered on mud and vines gathered by years of neglect, they were about 25 meters tall, and had a round shape. A rusty rod stood atop of both towers, whatever they were holding was long gone; both them had a symmetrical shapes, just as if they were twins. Behind them a 50 meters tall building stood. Apparently made of the same source and, in contrast to the previous towers; clean. The building somehow resembled an ancient castle, but at the same time it was far from being one; a long staircase led to a geometric shaped door enshrouded by the night's veil; and then, just by lifting their heads a bit... Both Ninetales' and Espeon's mouths went agape as their eyes widened.
�Was that some kind of joke?
A huge tree, whose peak probably lied far above the clouds stood behind in a semicircular shape, and had, at least a diameter of 500 m. There was no way to be entirely sure, but nobody would deny it was huge, the trees surrounded the whole place, giving a considerable space from the buildings and making a perfect round from afar. They were astounded by that tree, but Espeon gasped again as she hung her head to the ground, making Kou hung his head too to see what she saw. The grass was gracefully bathed by gorgeous flowers of many kinds, roses, sunflowers, marguerites and many other kinds of flowers. The shady atmosphere gave away to that beautiful flower paradise; even the old, damaged towers had flowers and trees upon close view. It felt like a delusional garden.
After a few minutes of silence, Luna broke in joy, of course she would be the first one to react as she was expecting something out of the ordinary, but this was something else. "I knew it! See?! I wasn't wrong at all, I'm a genius!" She babbled the first nonsenses her overjoyed brain came up with and then dashed towards there. But Ninetales remain dumbfounded; anyone would notice such an outstanding tree from anywhere in... What? Maybe more than 1000 yards around?! But there was no such thing on the outsides. Could it be this what was being protected by that moon spell Luna talked about? He had to admit it really sounded like a pretty crazy history at first, but now it didn't feel like that at all...
Luna was distracted sniffing the flowers, even though it was nighttime all of them were fully bloomed, Kou fixed a stare on the huge tree, following with his gaze the height of this, and finally watching the sky without even reaching to the peak. The starry heavens had returned once more, but the moon was nowhere to be seen. The absence of the moon added a lonely feeling to the heavens, and he found himself unable to look away this time. The lingering uneasiness came again to bother him; he still had a horrible feeling about all this. And he was almost sure that sooner than later, something bad was going to happen.
"Thank you." Espeon's voice somehow managed to break the spell night had put on him; then after shaking his head a few times he fixed his gaze on hers. Luna had her eyes closed, simply enjoying the grate feeling the garden brought. And so he did the same. But unlike her, he couldn't. Something was out of place.
"Luna..." He spoke in a really low tone. The first thing he noticed about himself until now was that he had a serious problem communicating his feelings. But he had to be strong, he had to warn her about how he was feeling in this place, still, he couldn't help but wonder, Â�What makes him so sure that something is definitely gonna happen? He'd rather not find it out by staying there. "Luna, I've got to tell you someâ�""
His words were suddenly interrupted by what his eyes found. Two silhouettes stood atop of the poles in each tower. A pair of crimson eyes glared at them from there, they were readying their attacks "They will, undoubtedly, attempt to kill us." Kou felt his body going numb and his throat go hoarse, whatever was the reason they were there he was quick to notice they weren't friends; they were the embodiment of his worries, a threat for Luna and himself, but then why?! Why can't he bring himself to speak! Somehow he had to figure it out. Even at the cost of his life...
He had to protect Luna.Chapter End Notes:Well, i guess that's about all for now. Thank you for reading
Quiet...
A female Espeon kept staring the sky, absort on it she gave a soft sigh, as if waiting for someone she quietly stared. Even though nobody may come, she just waited. Her dark lavender fur almost glittered under the stars, spreading a dignified aura around her. A flickering light shined deep inside the red gem liyng on her forehead, �Was it supposed to flicker like a frail ember exposed to the wind?
�Why did I return to this place again?
Her azure eyes drew a cold stare as she hung her head to the ground, not even the soft, green grass dared to move an inch under her mystified presence, she somehow managed to regain her counciousness, and life was seemingly brought back to her eyes. "What... �What am I doing in this place?" She muttered to herself, utterly confused by her own actions. The female grimaced, she perfectly recognized her surroundings, removing the grass a few steps before her she removed whatever doubts had remain concerning the place she was sitting on, a few feets under the ground lied a dusty box, whether it was so damaged by the years or the dust didn't really matter to the female. A sense of ease came to Espeon's senses, her tail wagged slightly as she gazed the box before her, full of good memories and mementos from her childhood, �Was this... the reason that brought her here?
But yet, there's something else... Something i've forgotten...
She sighed deeply, the cold night embraced her once again, but this time she denied herself sank on her thoughts; and finally reaching to an agreement with her mind, she slowly stood up, her senses awared her of a unknown presence behind her. A few footsteps disrupted the quiet atmosphere surrounding the prairie. �Who could be this late on the night? Espeon thought, much for her dismay she had to turn to her back to find it out. �Perhaps was one of her sisters looking for her? That'd be impossible; she would recognize any of her sisters' immediately.
"�Who are you?" Her soft, gentle voice echoed through the night, the footsteps came to a halt as soon as she finished her question. But no answer came. She quickly turned around fearing he may attempt something, but soon she realized how wrong she was... Her eyes went wide open as she stared at the figure behind her. A shiny Ninetales stood there, wrapped in a sense of grace, his bright silver fur shined beneath the moonlight, his nine tails waved softly, each of them tipped in a Maya blue color. A crest laid atop of his head, made of his silvery fur softly swinging at the wind's will. And his eyes, of a deep red crimson were gently laid hers. And hidden behind the calm of his eyes; he was equally astounded as the female.
Time seemingly came to a halt, she had no idea how much time has passed since they've been staring at each others, both mustered enough strenght to speak but to no avail, the silence worked as a better messenger, there was, in that very moment, no need for words. He felt as if he'd just found a long lost friend or a childhood crush, whatever it was he couldn't care less about it, a strange sense of joy filled his insides with a warmth stranger to his usual heat, he wondered why he felt they've known each others, after all this is the first time he ever saw her. But he could tell just by looking at those azures...
She felt the same way too.
Just a few seconds, even though she felt as if she was staring at him for hours, it was hard to believe just a few seconds had gone by since they 'met' each other. And just as that magic spell came unnoticed, it dissappeared, leaving a strange sense of discomfort beetwen them. Again, they tried to muster all of their strenght, even if it was to mutter a few words... But no more than incoherent babblings came from both parts.
And even though the discomfort, he felt like he would stare at her the whole night, she had to be some kind of goddess, yes; she couldn't be from this world. Undoubtedly a untainted beauty, unknown for the world, his mind and heart raced at his thoughts, �When did he leave the world of the living? Maybe it was... No, calm down... he sighed, cooling his head; at least he still had control over his mind, his heart kept throbbing furiously on his chest, he felt the unbearable need of embracing her.
No, he shook his head many times, avoiding these thoughts.
"Uhm..." She managed to mutter something, catching his attention for a moment. "�Who... Who are you, again?" She spoke in a gentle tone; there was a hint of worry on it.
"I... my name..." He muttered, �What was his name again? Even though he pondered about it for a long time until now, no thoughts of his past came back to him, every time he tried, a dull sense of emptiness invaded his body, he had lost his memory and somehow he felt... that maybe his amnesia was for the better. "I don't... know..." He answered in a discouraging, a part of his counciousness wanted those memories back, but another part was afraid of finding it out... Something, deep within; his mind told him he was better without them.
"Â�You don't have a name?" She asked innocently, almost nonchalantly, she felt a bit at ease now that she noticed he wasn't a bad pokémon at all. Ninetales glanced at her, thinking she was just making fun of him, but thankfully he was wrong, her eyes; full of concern for a complete stranger made him feel a bit happy. And softly, he shook his head in a 'no'. "I can barely remember anything..." He whispered, but Espeon managed to hear him. "I don't even know why I came here. Something drew me to this place... I... just woke up not long ago..." His confussion, reflected on his face began show itself. She fixed her stare on his eyes. Even though he was a complete stranger to him, she couldn't help but feel utterly worried about him, as if he was a long-term close friend.
Amidst the silence, Ninetales' counciousness drifted on the depths of his mind. Pondering what should he do, certainly he hadn't a place to return, nor a path to follow. �Why was he even born then? Wasn't he supposed to have a aim for his existence, then where, ��Where was such purpose?! ��Why did it dissappeared?! His heart felt hopelessness; it was an awful feeling, something he desperately wanted to stop. A shiver ran through his spine, and his eyes slowly came to a focus, she was in front of him, so close he could feel her warmth, it felt different than his own, this one felt... so good... Ninetales felt almost as if he was about drift off again. "Don't worry; if you don't have a name... I'd give you one then!" She exclaimed, her childish behavior was somewhat cute, but it probably didn't fit on her age at all. Yet for him, those words filled him with hope. "Then your name will be..." She stopped at mid-sentence. "Hm..."
She fixed a stare on him again, almost as if scanning him. But Ninetales unconsciously avoided her glance, feeling a bit awkward. She was just a couple of steps before him, watching him intently. Suddenly she gasped with a "I got it..." her cheery tone replaced by a calm one. "Your name from now on is... Kou, since you're as bright as the moon today." Her forepaw softly patted his forehead; he hung his head slightly at that, muttering the name given to him. "My name... is Kou..." He lifted his head again; his eyes came to meet hers for a second. "Thank you... your name is...?" He asked, she couldn't have been able to hear his words if they weren't close enough on that moment.
She gasped, tilting her head back in realization of her mistake. "Ah! Sorry, my name is Luna." She cheerfully answered, quickly returning to her usual self, she seemed like the kind of spoiled kid on a family, most likely the younger one, carrying a carefree attitude and no problems at all, the kind of nature everyone despised yet envied so much at the same time, but it truly didn't matter; Once reality hits them, they never return to be the same. However, thankfully that kind of cheerfulness was exactly what someone like Kou needed the most at that moment; otherwise he would, surely, break down due his problems. Luna just kept silent for the time being thinking he may need some time for himself since he looked so absent-minded at that moment. Kou hadn't enough time to realize about his whereabouts, and even though it was a beautiful sight, he couldn't help but feel how a eerie chill ran through his back. Something was horribly wrong but he still couldn't figure out what. His eyes focused on his surroundings, trying hard to find the source of his fears. Until his stare fixed on a set of trees atop of a hill, guarding what seemed to be a long forest behind them, perhaps it was night's fault, but the forest was enshrouded in a thick darkness... he knew it just by looking, that forest was a place no one was supposed to enter. Still, it didn't matter what he tried, his attention was always drawn to that place again and again.
Luna noticed him, and following his stare she came to found herself looking at that place. "That forest wasn't there before... Could it be..." After a few minutes pondering and repeating the same phrase as she stared at the moon she gasped, this time the glowing light on her gem suddenly shined brightly. "That forest!" Her voice brought him back to reality, and uncounciously he gazed at her. "That forest seems so unwelcoming... Â�Why there is such place behind a prairie like this? It feels almost like a trap." But unlike him, Espeon seemed far more excited than frightened by that place, just like a little kid who earned a prize in a game corner. But then again, Luna seemed like the kind of pokémon who would get excited over every little thing.
"�I've got to show this to my sisters!" She almost yelled, but Kou didn't share her happiness at all... Did she just say she must leave? Then he'd be left alone... once again. A feeling of emptiness dwelled on his depths beforehand, he wanted, no, needed to be beside her. He tried to mutter something, but his strength left him too, after all... �Who was he to stop her from going with her family? He couldn't seriously ask her to stay with him instead of her sisters.
"No... if I leave, I fear it may disappear... along with you." Kou couldn't understand the last few words she spoke, he felt truly relieved of hearing her having doubts whether stay or not. Even if it wasn't for his sake, at least he won't be left alone again. He noticed she looked at him, and his eyes began fidgeting awkwardly, just as his thoughts were unveiled or something. "I... want to go and check that place... but I don't think I can make it alone..." She said, her eyes were locked on his as she spoke, �Was she asking him to escort her through that forest? Kou gulped. He had to admit it; he didn't feel really confident about being able to fulfill her plea; plus he didn't even know if he had any battle skills to begin with. Kou mustered strength to tell her the truth, but all of it was vanished on the second his eyes came upon her azures, those deep bluish eyes, like invaluable sapphires laid on him, making him feel as if he was some sort of hero she praised deeply, he immediately felt almost hypnotized by them �How could he possibly deny something to her? And even though his reason begged him to speak with the truth his heart came to a different conclusion. "Y...Yes..." And at the end heart won over reason, and just like signing a pact with the death, he hung his head and kept nodding weakly.
"Thank you!" She quickly tugged him, softly nibbling his right ear in appreciation and Ninetales cooed in return. At least that made him think it was worth of it, he would figure out how he'd protect her later, right now, he just wanted to enjoy her show of appreciation as much as possible. "I knew I can trust you." She gave a long lick to his cheek; her tongue was really soft, so much he wasn't able to stiffle sighs as she kept licking.
But even though that... I've got a bad feeling about all this...
Both them were facing the dark forest before them. Ninetales still had no idea about why Luna was so excited about this forest, and so far she hadn't mentioned anything about it, at least not loud enough for him to hear. "So... �What's so special about this place?" He finally asked, without hiding any longer his curiosity about the topic. Espeon fixed an astounded look at him, just as if he missed something so trivial tied in the bonds of the common sense, something everyone no matter his current situation should have known. But needless to say, the helpless fox is currently suffering the effects of amnesia couldn't possibly know about this. And Espeon was quick to notice that, fortunately for him, she wasn't dumb at all. "Oh, right... Well, this place is well-known mystery called 'The Enigma forest' " She began speaking in a gentle, low tone. "It's a unseen place for partially everyone in the world. I've seen countless travellers wander aimlessly through the world looking for the chance-in-a-lifetime of finding such place, with no such luck. It is said this forest is cursed by a certain creature, which hiding itself from the world vanished the forest behind the moon. But such curse weakens as a lunar eclipse is drawing closer, the forest returns to his rightful place on this world; and once the sun and the moon part ways, the forest vanishes along them, dragging with him everything and everyone inside until another lunar eclipse approaches." She finally concluded her explanation, something on her demeanor changed for a moment, Kou couldn't tell what, but Espeon was somehow different. Perhaps it was just his mind pulling a prank on it, yes, it had to be that.
"Say, Kou... �Do you believe in fate?" She asked in a cold tone, staring blankly at the forest. He almost flinched, but stood still, giving a weak nod as he gazed her with concern. "Somehow... i feel... all this isn't just coincidence... I think... all this time... i've came to this place... for a reason..." She was sinking further and further on a frail state, he couldn't stand watching her like that, he had to do something to cheer her up. �But what was he supposed to do in a moment like this?
...
Espeon felt a reassuring pat on her back, Ninetales' forepaw was behind her, and she couldn't help but wonder how their relationship improved so quick, so much she already felt better just by having him worrying about her. She hadn't an answer for that, she just sighed deeply, shrugging her corcerns off, whatever it was, she would be alright as long as he stayed by her side. "Let's go..." She said, suddenly stepping into the darkness.
"Ah! Wait!" She heard his voice echoing on her back, but she ignored it on the time being, they were delaying too much time on entering into the forest... Or at least that was the reason she grasped to ignore her real motive. Soon after that, Kou managed to somehow catch her. Panting a bit as he watched his surroundings, she didn't notice it. But as soon as they entered on the thick darkness their vision became clearer, as if the thick darkness was just a delusion protecting a small paradise behind it. Many trees were settled on a somewhat straight line, some of them held berries; others were thick enough to give a comfortable shadow on a sunny day. The sky was partially covered by leafs and branches, almost nothing of the starry heavens remain inside the forest. A soft, yet cold autumn breeze ran through the trees, almost welcoming the two trespassers. Ninetales gave a few steps forward, looking around, not a soul ran beetwen the trees, and his steps echoed around a few times. "Weird... normally you would expect a lot of Pokémon in a forest... but this place is... empty." Luna said. But after thinking over it again she made another sentence "Well, it's not that weird, is a cursed, hidden forest after all." She said, almost as if that made sense to her. Kou wasn't really pleased with such answer, so he gave a few steps more. His footsteps echoed once more on the forest. Something was wrong... really wrong.
Yet he didn't stop Luna. Instead, he ventured along with her into this ominous place.
Luna wasn't that excited anymore, the mysterious atmosphere almost seemed to make dull the fresh air who tried to calm them down. �What could possibly have happened here? Not even Luna was expecting a place this empty. "Let's go, Kou." She said.
"Away?" He asked, hoping she would nod at that sentence. But instead, she just shook his head, as if it was obvious where they were heading to now. "Further in, of course. �Don't you wanna find out what happened here?" Her lips drew a cute smile, but that wasn't enough to ease the Ninetales this time, he couldn't shake off that feeling who kept screaming they shouldn't go further in. Espeon sensing his doubtfulness approached to him and gave him another lick on the cheek. "Please... We'll be fine! I promise!" She gave a few nods as she reassured him, her hopeful eyes locked on his once again, working their unknown spell on his mind, and making him uncounciously fall on their trap. Ninetales felt used, but he had no other choice but nod, he really had to after all.
The aligned trees traced a path for them; it didn't matter if it was luck or something ekse, they just hoped the path would take them somewhere, and return them outside in the same way. But they were hoping way too much. Kou's eyes fidgeted desperately realizing something; he was alone, with Luna, in a empty forest. That tought alone made his entire body began shaking. But he had to hide it from her. The last thing he wanted was raise any suspicions on him. Not like he had any motive to hide or something, but that wasn't good enough to ease his worriness.
"Kou..." She spoke, most likely she was thinking aloud since no more words came from her mouth. However, he lifted his head enough to glance at her way; she was a few steps ahead of him, walking slowly, without turning back. She was completely magnificent; truly a beauty, her feline shape, holding a feminine build which gave a sense of gracefulnes, her dark lavender fur stood out, glittering under the night as a wandering light moving through the darkness, her tail moved back a forth, without losing that delicate sense of hers; and then below it...
He shook his head furiously, no, he couldn't. He must shake those dirty thoughts off; he was supposed to protect her, nothing else. Kou quickly picked up his own pace, making a distance gap between them; he had to cool down his head somehow. �But how? He was a fire type after all, and then, a lone thought wandered on his mind for a few minutes... "This is gonna be a long night..." He whispered to no one but himself. The trees began divide, leaving the sky visible for a few minutes during their walk, it felt strange... the moon had dissappeared above the clouds, and the stars seemingly vanished from the night, it felt as as though they were taken somewhere else, just leaving a empty recipe behind, the hollow amethyst soon vanished into a dark blue color, reflecting a silent sadness as they kept walking. He paid no mind to it on that moment, and just gave a long sigh. "�How long do we have to walk around this place?" He asked, still avoiding eye contact with her.
"�How am I supposed to know? Until we find something interesting, i guess." Said Espeon nonchalantly, that didn't reassure him at all.
Minutes, maybe hours had passed since they entered the forest; there was no way to know since there was no moon. They kept walking aimlessly, looking for something that probably didn't exist. No matter what path they took, nothing more than trees were there to greet them, nothing else. There wasn't any hidden mystery or an invaluable treasure; it was just a plain, normal forest. "Could it be... �Is this the wrong place?" Espeon stopped. Suddenly realizing she may be on a huge mistake, but then, �How come she didn't notice such an obvious place like this on the past years? She wasn't that dumb. But again, from a cursed forest she would expect something like... Guards, or some kind of strange monsters and a unfold mystery... but no, in fact, there was nothing more than trees everywhere. Ninetales suddenly stopped, his tails began waving as he gazed straight forward, undoubtedly he found something else than mere trees. Espeon hurried and did the same, a huge feeling of relief washed over her.
Behind the last set of trees a pair of towers stood, made of dusty but apparently solid blocks covered on mud and vines gathered by years of neglect, they were about 25 meters tall, and had a round shape. A rusty rod stood atop of both towers, whatever they were holding was long gone; both them had a symmetrical shapes, just as if they were twins. Behind them a 50 meters tall building stood. Apparently made of the same source and, in contrast to the previous towers; clean. The building somehow resembled an ancient castle, but at the same time it was far from being one; a long staircase led to a geometric shaped door enshrouded by the night's veil; and then, just by lifting their heads a bit... Both Ninetales' and Espeon's mouths went agape as their eyes widened.
�Was that some kind of joke?
A huge tree, whose peak probably lied far above the clouds stood behind in a semicircular shape, and had, at least a diameter of 500 m. There was no way to be entirely sure, but nobody would deny it was huge, the trees surrounded the whole place, giving a considerable space from the buildings and making a perfect round from afar. They were astounded by that tree, but Espeon gasped again as she hung her head to the ground, making Kou hung his head too to see what she saw. The grass was gracefully bathed by gorgeous flowers of many kinds, roses, sunflowers, marguerites and many other kinds of flowers. The shady atmosphere gave away to that beautiful flower paradise; even the old, damaged towers had flowers and trees upon close view. It felt like a delusional garden.
After a few minutes of silence, Luna broke in joy, of course she would be the first one to react as she was expecting something out of the ordinary, but this was something else. "I knew it! See?! I wasn't wrong at all, I'm a genius!" She babbled the first nonsenses her overjoyed brain came up with and then dashed towards there. But Ninetales remain dumbfounded; anyone would notice such an outstanding tree from anywhere in... What? Maybe more than 1000 yards around?! But there was no such thing on the outsides. Could it be this what was being protected by that moon spell Luna talked about? He had to admit it really sounded like a pretty crazy history at first, but now it didn't feel like that at all...
Luna was distracted sniffing the flowers, even though it was nighttime all of them were fully bloomed, Kou fixed a stare on the huge tree, following with his gaze the height of this, and finally watching the sky without even reaching to the peak. The starry heavens had returned once more, but the moon was nowhere to be seen. The absence of the moon added a lonely feeling to the heavens, and he found himself unable to look away this time. The lingering uneasiness came again to bother him; he still had a horrible feeling about all this. And he was almost sure that sooner than later, something bad was going to happen.
"Thank you." Espeon's voice somehow managed to break the spell night had put on him; then after shaking his head a few times he fixed his gaze on hers. Luna had her eyes closed, simply enjoying the grate feeling the garden brought. And so he did the same. But unlike her, he couldn't. Something was out of place.
"Luna..." He spoke in a really low tone. The first thing he noticed about himself until now was that he had a serious problem communicating his feelings. But he had to be strong, he had to warn her about how he was feeling in this place, still, he couldn't help but wonder, Â�What makes him so sure that something is definitely gonna happen? He'd rather not find it out by staying there. "Luna, I've got to tell you someâ�""
His words were suddenly interrupted by what his eyes found. Two silhouettes stood atop of the poles in each tower. A pair of crimson eyes glared at them from there, they were readying their attacks "They will, undoubtedly, attempt to kill us." Kou felt his body going numb and his throat go hoarse, whatever was the reason they were there he was quick to notice they weren't friends; they were the embodiment of his worries, a threat for Luna and himself, but then why?! Why can't he bring himself to speak! Somehow he had to figure it out. Even at the cost of his life...
He had to protect Luna.Chapter End Notes:Well, i guess that's about all for now. Thank you for reading