Chapter 29: Chapter 28: the journey

We travelled all day, only stopping twice for a short rest so we and our horses could recover a bit. 

 

At the moment we are in the middle of the great SilverLake forest that directly borders our neighbouring country Acria. A country apparently on the verge of collapse, but nobody really knows why. A river stopped flowing? That sounds ominous. 

Unfortunately it is my task to find out more about these events. Perhaps magic is involved, or maybe the river just diverted itself in all those years, who knows? Being a head-priestess means I cannot ignore any option, and must follow all leads. And as a princess I have the duty to open a dialogue with their king.

 

I can think all I want, but without more information I am only guessing. So I need facts and I need them soon. 

So I decided to change our strategy.

 

"Alright everyone, we are taking a break. We are now very close to the border and I need to check for signs of magic before we can continue. Our safety is just as important as our mission," I said, trying to sound like I am in charge. Which unfortunately, I really am. 

 

I am only doing what my heart tells me, nothing makes sense yet. I still don't agree that my parents sent me, I have virtually no experience with royalty. Even my lessons only started recently, so I guess I have to improvise. 

 

"Yes princess," Tomoko and Minako confirm my order. 

 

When we stopped, our horses moved together and they were looking around, maybe they needed something to drink. 

 

"Are you really sure to stop already, princess?" Baldric asks. "We will need to travel at least for another day. It took me two days to just leave my country, but I will admit that I got lost."

 

"I see your point, Baldric. But I have excellent navigators with me, and we really need to stop. 

This might be a good moment to tell you that I am not only a princess, but also the head-priestess of my people." 

 

Baldric's eyes go wide in surprise. "Really? A princess as a head-priestess?"

The same look of surprise can be seen on the faces of my guards. Oops, I should have told them by now.

 

"Yes, it is a long story. Maybe something for later, but not today. I need to connect with nature, and learn from our surroundings. I need to know what awaits us. No disrespect intended Baldric, but the safety of my people is my top priority, and call me Greya please"  I said.

 

"I understand, Greya, should we prepare something or what do you expect of us?" Baldric says.

 

"No, stretch your legs and give yourself and the horses some water and food. I will enter the forest alone, I will return within an hour at maximum. So please do not disturb me, as I need to concentrate."

 

"But, Greya, we are your personal guards. How can we protect you when you want to be alone?" Minako asks.

 

"Sometimes you just have to trust someone. I now ask you all to trust me. I feel no harm in these woods, and I am not alone. I serve mother Ima."  Then I wandered deeper into the woods, I stopped after five minutes of walking, when I lost sight of my fellow travellers.

 

I close my eyes, then focus on my hearing. My ears twitch, and I try to focus on the sounds of the forest. Birds, crickets, distant frogs, the wind blowing through the treetops. It is so calming to be here, but I have work to do.

Then, I focus on my heart, feeling the desire to connect with nature, feeling so warm and relaxed, wanting to be in my ancient fox form. I slowly start to shrink, until I am on all fours, I'm now a real fox in a real forest. All sounds are amplified, so is my vision and sense of smell. I smell rabbits nearby, wow, my nose is really sensitive.

 

Mother Ima once told me that this ancient form connects to nature somehow. That's what I am going to try now. I remember that I could talk to those mice in this form, so maybe this will be beneficial. I will ask mother Ima about this form when I have the opportunity. 

 

I still hear the birds and crickets, but they are still making their usual sounds. I cannot understand anything they say, maybe I am defective? 

 

Then, out of nowhere, I hear some sounds coming out of the bushes. I prepare to run back to my guards, but then I see another fox, showing its head from the bushes. Ah, thank goddess. It is a fox. I couldn't have found a better ally. 

 

Wait, there is something different about that fox. It slowly approaches me, then stops 10 metres away from me, swaying its many tails. Yes tails, this one has.....wait, I recognised its divine energy! It is mother Ima!

 

"Hello sweetie", she said. Maybe telepathically, as I couldn't see her muzzle move at all when she spoke.

 

"Took you long enough to recognise it was me, your own mother." She then merges her tails into a single tail. I guess she just wanted me to recognise her by seeing those many tails.

 

"Ah ha, yes mother, I apologise. I was prepared to run away. This form is still new to me, I didn't know what to expect." My tail was now moving happily.

 

"Don't worry Greya. That is why I am here. You changed into your ancient fox form. A form in which you honour the land and the creatures that live on it. This means that a goddess and a mortal can interact easier in this form. Nobody knows I am their goddess in this form, unless they can sense my divinity like you can. Let's say I can help people this way without interfering with the will of the other deities."

 

"I understand. I think. Forgive me for asking, mother, why didn't you just tell me what to do when we met at the temple? " I asked, looking disappointed. Well, as far as a fox can express such a feeling. 

 

She sat down on her behind, but she still looked like a proud fox, every bit as radiant as in her kitsune form. 

 

"Greya, honey. I'm sorry, but I couldn't tell you when we met at the temple. Or anytime thereafter for that matter. Your parents needed to decide whether to send you or not, in order to investigate this matter. That was ultimately not my decision. I only informed them about the possibility of war, and some unknown events currently occurring in Acria."

 

"Yes mother, I can understand that. But shouldn't you have told me at the temple? I am the head-priestess, I thought it was my job to be the gateway between the people and yourself?" 

"Well said, Greya. Yes...but still no. I knew you would be informed about this in any case, but ultimately, matters that may immediately impact a whole nation, are for the king to decide. This has been the way for millennia."  She came towards me and put her paw on my shoulder, then continued "I cannot change these rules, just because my daughter is the right one for the job." She smiled.

 

"I see. I think I understand, yes. That is just the way it is then. Thank you for explaining this to me." I said.

 

"Honey, I know you still have questions, but we don't have the time, your friends will come looking for you soon. So sit down, and listen to me. Then you will be on your own again for a while."

 

I sat down on my behind, my first time as a fox. Somehow I just knew how to keep my balance. Not bad, if I do say so myself. 

 

Mother retreated her paw and started her lesson. 

 

"I am truly happy that you remembered that this ancient fox form provides you with some opportunities. 

Even though you are already a demi-goddess, you still cannot access all of your resources. You must grow and learn to use them. This ancient form allows you to connect to nature, it is something everyone can do in this form. 

 

It is a gift from us deities. Most people only live in their kitsune form. But being in this form for a few days, will enlighten you and honour our fox ancestors. It means you care about your past and show a commitment to not forget where we came from. It is also a way to respect other beings, and of course is also a way to de-stress. 

There is nothing more relaxing than a few days away from society. 

 

When you are in this form, you honour your history, nature itself, but also us deities. For life is what we value. 

That is why you have natural abilities in this form, that allow you to do some things you cannot do in your kitsune form. Well, you are an exception to the rule as you are a demi-goddess.

 

I almost forgot to tell you, when you reach your friends, you are allowed to teleport to your destination. But you will have to figure out the how-to part yourself. Listen carefully, you are only allowed to do that on this occasion, as your actions may prevent war. Us deities decided you could use some help, but nothing more than this. You need to decide what path you will take. Please ask permission to teleport in any other case, as it is only allowed to be used in your work as a demi-goddess, a task you have not really started yet. With great power comes great responsibility.

 

Back to my story of being in this form," she grinned for a second, "you might feel some urges to hunt prey animals. You are allowed to experience life as your ancestors did, but always be respectful, even to prey. Be merciful and don't waste life. If you can balance these things, your spirit will grow. 

So think about it, and try being a true fox when you have some time, okay?"

 

"Yes mother, it makes sense actually. But what about those natural abilities I have in this form? I don't have time to experiment, what can I do?"

 

"You will be able to connect to the spirits in this forest. You can connect to trees, and because they are all interconnected, you can retrieve memories that are stored in the forest itself. Try to focus your awareness in those trees and see what happens. Besides that, you can understand most other animals, who can also guide you to some places you would otherwise have no access to. Greya, it is time dear. Connect with nature, I must leave you now. I am being recalled to the godly realm. You are on your own now."

 

"Thank you mother, for everything" I said smiling and giving a quick bow.

 

She smiled, then vanished in a bright flash, and I was all alone again. 

Alright, my time is almost up, my friends will be looking for me soon. So let's start. What did she say? Focus on the trees? That sounds weird at best. "Hello tree, can you please help me?" I say out loud.

No answer, well that was awkward. Now what do I do? Also, the sun is setting, so it will be dark soon, another reason to hurry.

 

I hopped to the nearest, tallest tree I could find, my tail moving proudly. Let's try this approach. I focus on my heart, then let some healing energy flow into the tree, and say, "dear honoured tree. I am Greya, and I ask you to allow me to share in your memories. Memories of your kind, right outside our borders."

 

I started to feel something warming up inside my body, my head, my paws, my whole body is tingling with energy. Something is happening, so I decide to continue. "I would like to see memories of Acria, our neighbouring country. People are dying there, nature is off balance. I want to help. Could you please help me, guide me where to start?"

 

Then all sounds around me disappeared, and I started to see flashes of brilliant white, it hurt me. I winced from a sudden headache. But then they came, images of trees. I felt like I was flying from tree to tree, at incredible speeds. Then I left the forest, still flying. Below me was a desert, I started to climb in altitude. I could see an old river bed, all dried up. I could see tree stumps here and there, but mostly only desert. This place was devoid of life. I then stopped, hovering above a grand city. Probably their capital, many cat-kin could be seen, going about their daily lives. But I saw no children, no trees, and the people themselves had a sad expression on their faces. These people were mal-nourished and lived in derelict homes. Roads were badly maintained. 

 

Then I saw the palace. It was an impressive building, well maintained, with golden turrets. 

There was no poverty there. "Why must they live in poverty, but the palace looks like it was built yesterday, " I thought with anger in my heart. I could feel that this was the situation today. 

 

My vision flashed, and I could see time rewind, houses becoming more and more well maintained. 

The desert slowly turned green, plants and trees popping up everywhere, until the land was beautiful again.

This was a time many, many years ago. Then my vision shifted to where the desert was, but now I am in a forest. Its roots were connected to the trees I am standing next to in reality. 

 

The forest was filled with many animals. I could even understand some of their voices, because I am currently in this fox form. They were happy, had families and nature was perfectly balanced.

 

Time moved forwards a bit. I could then see the cat-kin in their true form, cute little cats. They are hunting smaller animals, and the cats seem to be happy. 

 

Then the image shifts to another time frame. Many years in the future, I can hear people discussing progress, wanting to stay in their cities, no longer wanting to experience their ancient cat-form. It was no longer needed, so why would they want to be something as filthy as an animal? They were above this. 

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Even though the deity of their land was sad that they didn't honour their ancient form, it was still not an issue as people have free will. That changed when they abused their free will, they started killing animals for fun. The next generation even started killing each other, then the next started tearing down temples, statues, everything that reminded them of the old ways. It was then that people lost their connections to the gods.

 

That is when the guardian god of the cat people intervened. He still respected free will, but a civilization that only focussed on personal gain, showed no kindness, can ultimately only end in demise. 

 

The deity forced a nearby river to run dry, hoping that his people would bring water from neighbouring rivers, or towns, forcing them to work together in harmony again. But no. They invented technology, draining water from deep ancient underground aquifers. Marvelling at their intelligence, they tore down woods, to make room for giant cities. 

 

Again their deity intervened and then less and less children were born. He hoped their parents would immensely appreciate the only few children that were born. But those few children were taught the modern way of life: take what you need whenever you want. It was then that true evil entered the hearts of the people. People and nature started to suffer, but the cat-kin did not learn, nor attempt to seek any help. Not from neighbouring countries, not from their own villages elsewhere.

 

Their deity could not stand his people suffering anymore. He did what has not happened in millennia, he asked another god for a favour. A miko of a neighbouring country was sent to bring light back into the hearts of the people. To teach them the old ways, while they would still be allowed to progress to a more modern era. 

 

I then see an image of a cute wolf girl in what must be their miko clothes approaching the palace I saw earlier.   She requested an audience with the king, and was allowed to do so. 

When she came before the king, she extended her hand in greeting, but her kindness was misinterpreted by one of the king's guards. Even though the king yelled "stop!", she was killed when a sword was thrust through her backside, a dishonourable way to fight especially when your opponent is an unarmed miko. 

 

The king, a man with many flaws, still had a shred of decency in his heart. He jumped up from his throne and sat on his knees in front of the girl, taking her into his arms. 

"No!'', he shouted, '' what have you done? Oh god, she is a miko, may the gods have mercy on us!"

This was a remarkable statement for a people who no longer believed in their gods. 

 

The guard was ordered to death the same day, hoping that this was a peace offering to their deity. But their deity respects life, how could he be offered death? 

 

The few people that still believed in their god heard what had happened. Nobody received an answer to their prayers. There were no temples to plead for mercy, no priests to turn to. They believed that nothing good could come from these events.

 

The deity of the wolf people saw what had happened, but could not interfere. Her miko was only mortal, and she was already dead. Noboru was indirectly responsible for her death.

 

The only thing Noboru, deity of the cat-kin, could do, was to withdraw from his people. They now went too far, divine punishment was the next logical step. Something he would do reluctantly, it pained his heart. But the goddesses' right of retribution must be honoured, and indeed they had to be punished. So as a compromise, Noboru stepped down as their deity that day, his sacrifice a way to prevent the complete destruction of all cat-kin. They were now on their own.

 

Noburo sent a single blinding lightning strike down to the palace. It could be seen and thunder heard throughout the capital. Brightening the sky even though the sun was shining. The king was struck by that lightning and he died instantly. A single punishment to prevent the demise of an entire nation.

 

As part of his decision to leave his people, Noboru withdrew all his blessings of the land. No children were born at all anymore, all animals migrated away. Trees were withering. The sun shone relentlessly, turning farmlands into deserts.

 

The next day, the cat-kin realised that this must have been divine intervention. Such a cat-astrophe never occured before, and now happed right after a miko was murdered.     

 

That is the moment the cat-kin started sending out emissaries. First to seek out help from neighbouring countries. But after a year of misery, none of the ten emissaries arrived back to report to the new king. 

People's hearts grew more evil by the day, now cursing the name of their prior deity. They started to believe that the kitsune might be responsible for their misery. Yes, of course, it must have been them. They would have simply diverted the river, that is why all land turned to desert here.

 

Emissaries were sent again, but now to investigate who was the real culprit for their misery.

Then the images show Baldric, bowing in front of the current king. He was the last chance for peace, if their previous emissaries never returned, then the kitsune must have wiped them out. There was no other reason.  

Baldric was the final emissary to be sent, while they prepared for war. They needed new resources to survive, water, fertile land, trees, that would solve their issues. They would invade the country responsible for their misfortune and make it their new home.

 

I then removed my paws from the tree, then turned back in kitsune form. I vomited for a minute, while I processed what misery I had just witnessed. "My goddess, that explains it all!" I said. I bowed to the tree and thanked it.  

 

Then I realised that trees could not have known all what happened, maybe some deity helped me out here?

To be safe I looked at the sky, between the treetops and sent a "thank you" all the way up.

 

Then I heard someone calling from where I came. They were my friends. It was Tomoko, she must have come looking for me. 

 

"Greya! Where are you?" she shouted.

 

I then answered "Tomoko! I am here, I am fine!"

 

She came running, then gave me a quick bow. "Princess, are you alright? You left us two hours ago! Ah, and  Minako is guarding Baldric."

 

"Yes, I am fine Tomoko. I have my answers. Now let us return quickly!"

 

Then we walked back towards Baldric and Minako, it was only a short walk, but I had more difficulty evading branches here and there due to the approaching darkness. 

Both of them were sitting on the ground, then jumped up when I approached. 

 

"My goddess, Greya, you look pale! What happened?" Minako asked.

I then motioned for someone to give me something to drink. After drinking some water, I explained all that happened, except for the part where I met my mother.  

 

Let's just say that they were shocked, and could only look in astonishment. But they believed me.

 

As darkness surrounded us and the first stars began to shine, Baldric suggested setting up camp. 

 

"Well Baldric, Minako and Tomoko, we will not be setting up camp tonight. We will now move on to the palace without delay. We have a war to prevent."

 

They all nodded, but then Minako suggested "isn't it dangerous in the dark? Moving through this forest will take more time in the dark then when we go in the morning. But of course it is your decision, Greya."

 

"We will not go through the forest," I said smiling, "there is a small detail I forgot to tell you. But you need to promise to keep it secret for a while. People at home already know about it, but the cat-kin don't. And I want to keep it that way for now. Do you promise?"

 

They unanimously said "yes!"

 

"Wait..",  Baldric said, "don't tell me this is related to you earlier mentioning your mother Ima. Is that a priestess thing? To call a goddess your mother?"

 

"Ah, ha, not really. But you have an excellent memory. I really am the daughter of goddess Ima, which makes me a demi-goddess."

 

"You are what?" they all shouted in disbelief.

 

"Yes, it is true" I said, "and I received special authorisation, but only as we are on a mission of mercy to help them and to stop a potential war from happening, to teleport us to the palace."

 

"Wow, that is amazing," Baldric said.

 

"Yes, it will be," I said, my tail tucking between my legs, and my ears flattening, "because I have no idea how to do that. I am, like, eh, new at my job?" 

 

They all were speechless, so I turned around and relaxed. I focused my mind. In the movies, they always said some mysterious phrases, or something cool like that. Let's try that. 

 

"Alright, gather your belongings and mount your horses, for we will be visiting the capital of Acria in a few minutes." My guards saluted and Baldric only nodded.

 

A few minutes later, we were all on our horses. I motioned them to come closer. 

Then I started my first demi-goddess teleport-spell. Well, it needs to sound cool, so here we go 

"I, a humble servant of goddess Ima, with approval of all deities, hereby request to be teleported to the capital city of Acria." Nothing happened, so I quickly added "so shall it be!" and then we were all blinded by an intense silvery white light all around us. When we opened our eyes again, we were indeed somewhere else. 

I then said "I guess we have arrived." Then I looked up to the sky and shouted a polite "thank you!"

 

Then we all just took in our new environment. We are in a vast desert, the place looks exactly as in the images I saw earlier. Right in front of us, about a kilometre away, is the capital city of Acria.

Wait a minute... Acria is our neighbouring country, so we left late at night. This looks like, well, early in the morning I guess? Oh boy, this is gonna be a looong day.

 

When we took a minute to recover from our arrival, and our apparent jet-lag if your will, I said: 

"Baldric, what is the name of this place again?"  just checking that we are at the right coordinates. Just imagine if I messed up...and we were on the other side of the planet.

 

"Behold, the royal capital Amphos, in the country of Acria. My home." Baldric said enthusiastically.

 

"Well, that is quite the introduction, Baldric", Tomoko said. Making Baldric smile a little. Well, who could blame him that he arrived home, where his predecessors all failed.

 

"Baldric. Now is maybe a bit late to ask, but do you have a banner or something? I don't want to look like we have bad intentions." 

 

"Of course, Princess. Let me prepare it quickly," he said.

 

Then Tomoko looked at Minako, both nodding, then Minako asking me "my princess, we also have a banner. Should I prepare it as well?"

 

"Yes, please do. Good thinking, you both. Let them see that we are only a diplomatic party." I confirmed.

 

Five minutes later, we were carrying two proud banners, flapping in the desert wind. I asked Baldric to ride in front, so their banner was the first to be seen. And I asked Tomoko to ride at the end, carrying our own banner.

Minako is riding right next to me, to protect me and to give the impression of a diplomatic envoy who is riding in formation.

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