Verdantia: Chapter Two

Chapter Two: The Muur-Kami

Red eyes with dark pinpoint pupils glared out of the gloom into the bright circle of sunlight. The stones towered in the center of the clearing. The Muur-Kami had been asleep when the booming and crackling rocked through the forests. It had grunted, instantly awake and up on its four legs. It knew the signs of course- it could smell the change in the air, an almost electric current seeping into the stink of the cave it called its home. The third head, growing out of the back grunted in annoyance upon being awakened and the Muur-Kami turned its neck to growl menacingly at the protesting appendage.

The head cowered behind the others, features barely discernible in the blackness of the cave; the Muur-Kami resumed its padding towards the mouth of the cave while bones—some animal, and some human—crunched underfoot. It had been a while since a meal presented itself. Especially one of the Others, a being from a different place, newly born to this world and weak. Drool dripped from its open maw as it remembered the taste of sweet marrow that could only belong to the Others. It had been many years since such a meal, but time was of no consequence to the Muur-Kami.

The heads adjoined to its back shrieked joyfully as it stalked towards the center of the forest. It arrived quickly, peering out at the weakling Other as it gasped for air, struggling. It wouldn't be long before night arrived, the blight of the infernal sun gone and the Muur-Kami would pounce. Oh, how it would feast! The heads tittered in excitement and it let them enjoy themselves as it continued to watch, crimson eyes glued to its prey. Inky tendrils of oily blackness rising from between the growth of heads along its back weaved to and fro in the air patiently. These four tentacles could not stretch very far but they were strong, easily providing aid when the Muur-Kami hunted.

But now there was another: this newcomer who stank of herbs along with something else, something light, something clean. The newcomer was going to take away its meal. Fury burned inside now as it saw the enemy approach the Other, and the heads cried out in anger. The Muur-Kami let loose a scream before dashing away into the darkness of the Inner Forest. The newcomer and the Other could try to escape but it would circle them, stop them. And then it would eat.

-x-x-x-

The woman with short blue hair sat next to her, her posture indicating alertness. Closing her eyes, Makoto concentrated on breathing, trying to will strength back into her body where there had been none, not since waking in this strange place. She might have blamed the weirdness on her intoxication except this felt like no dream. At first she thought it was a hellish hallucination as she struggled for breath; Makoto just coughed while waiting for sleep to claim her once again. She had hoped to drink enough to pass out into oblivion. Or at least until the next morning; instead she was staring at a sky so blue and a forest so green they had to be out of this world. Nevermind that, she thought to herself, I need to wake up soon. Ran and Margie would be more than upset to find her passed out in the restroom.

Lucidity came when the woman—Ami, had arrived. A faint scuffling sound told her something had changed within the clearing but at that point she had been too tired to look. From the moment she woke her strength felt like it had been slipping into a downward spiral. A cool hand on her forehead startled her and she would have scuttled backwards if she could have. Instead her eyes snapped open to find a woman just as startled as she, with eyes so blue they rivaled the sky.

Breathing easier now due to the bitter leaves the woman fed her Makoto recalled the vivid color of those orbs. She could see them easily despite her own eyes being closed. They drew her in, a pool of coolness where she found herself easily lost and content for some reason. It was quiet now, only the faint rustling of leaves reached in her ears. She had so many questions: where was she, who was Ami really, and what was that, that-thing that made them both so fearful. But they were replaced as she grew sleepy; an oddly peaceful feeling slipping over her as she succumbed to the need for rest.

-x-x-x-

Ami sat in silence next to a sleeping Makoto. They could not afford to spend more time within the circle but she knew that the woman would need her strength for the journey back to the cottage. Looking up into the sky Ami estimated the time to be around three bells to the west, having started her search for herbs at High Noon. Nightfall would arrive too soon, especially in between the trees. After the trip with her mother to the Speaking Stones, the older Healer had warned her to leave the Southern Forest before nightfall, especially if in the company of the Traveler. Worrying that it might be too late already Ami placed her hand over the woman's forehead again. Makoto's temperature was still high but her breathing was back to normal now. Except for the odd note from the speaking stones and the rustling of the trees no sound had been heard since she had fallen asleep.

Hoping the lack of noise meant the Muur-Kami had left the area for different prey, Ami thought to wake Makoto soon. She'd give the brunette five more minutes, Ami decided and then they were leaving. They could not afford to waste any more time. She repacked the scattered herbs quickly, knotting the pouches securely to her belt once again. She looked around for the staff she had traveled with through the Inner Forest and remembered she had dropped it at the edge of the clearing the moment she broke out into a run. She loathed to leave it behind, even with the company of another person and made a mental note about picking it up on their way back.

Kneeling next to Makoto once more, Ami gently called out the woman's name. The brunette stirred, a faint moan escaping her lips before reluctantly opening her eyes. Ami was startled once again by the brilliant green looking up at her.

"We should go now. Are you able to stand on your own?" Ami asked and Makoto nodded in response, sitting up as she did.

Makoto still had a splitting headache courtesy of the scotch but she wasn't going to let the other woman know. She felt burdensome enough as it was. There was something out there within the trees and she knew she'd have to hold herself together until they arrived at a safer place. Then she'd ask to be pointed in the quickest direction home and leave before things got any stranger. She rose to her feet, gritting her teeth to contain whatever protesting groans she might have voiced.

"You're still feeling weak." Ami stated.

Makoto looked at Ami in astonishment. "How did you know?"

"I would not be a very good Healer if I couldn't tell. Your posture and pale complexion betrayed you," Ami pointed out. Her cloak fluttered around her feet as she came closer to the taller woman. "Are you able to walk?"

Completely flummoxed, Makoto gaped at Ami for a moment. Just who was this person? Then she realized the woman had asked her a question and she had yet to answer. Closing her mouth and clearing her throat she replied, "Yes."

"Good. We have to be out of the forest by nightfall." There was grimness in her tone, an urgency, and Makoto understood why. That thing was out there somewhere. Those screams had frozen the very marrow in her bones. Never had she heard such an unearthly sound and it brought home the fact that she was in an unfamiliar place and completely dependent on a stranger. All her life Makoto had tried to be as self-sufficient as possible. She did not like the idea of being dependent on anyone for help whether it was financial or emotional; though she was feeling somewhat grateful for this woman's help.

"Let's go," Ami said, looking up into Makoto's face.

She was small, Makoto noted, compared to the brunette's own height. Makoto stood a head taller, towering over the woman in the pale blue cloak who turned and started to walk away. She followed silently, thanking her genes for providing her long legs. The length of her strides compensated for her slow pace, unlike Ami who strode briskly forward upon the moss. She saw the woman stopping before the fringe of trees, bending to pick up something and she realized it was a long straight branch.

Ami craned her head to look back at Makoto and the brunette realized despite the small woman's brisk pace and straight back, uneasiness peppered her expression. When she drew abreast of Ami she could tell the reason why. It was unnaturally dark under the trees, a vacuous silence replacing all sounds of wildlife. Makoto swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. She glanced at Ami's profile in time to see a determined expression replace the uneasiness. The whiteness of Ami's knuckles was the only thing that gave evidence of the Healer's nervousness.

Taking one step forward, Ami led the way and Makoto immediately trailed behind her, making sure to stay no more than a foot and a half away from the figure in front of her. We might as well be walking into a cave blindfolded, Makoto thought to herself. She amended the thought, but only slightly, when her eyes adjusted to the bleak light. Not that it's much better.

Through an unspoken agreement they both thought it best to remain silent until they were out the other side of this grim wilderness. They walked past the first totem, and Makoto shivered, her lips curling into a grimace of disgust at the sight of the carved faces. There was something infinitely foul about those creatures, she concluded. Hope of never running into such beasts spurred her forward and she bumped into Ami from behind.

"Ah-" Startled, Ami yelped before quickly biting back the rest of her exclamation. She turned to Makoto, a questioning look in her eyes. A vestige of revulsion lingered on the tall woman's face and Ami remembered she had felt the same way coming upon the first marker. She placed a finger upon her lips, before continuing onwards. Makoto kept up, every footstep coinciding with a pound from her lingering headache.

Moving quickly and as silent as possibly Makoto found herself poked and scratched by various low-lying branches hanging over the imperceptible path. Thanks to the leather boots, jeans and the blazer she wore over her button-up shirt, she remained fairly unscathed except for scratches on her hands, neck and face. Every step forward seemed to take her deeper into a nightmare and Ami was the only beacon of comfort and familiarity in this madness. She pressed on. Somewhere beyond this forest lay the way home and she intended to get there in once piece.

-x-x-x-

It was the eleventh or twelfth totem marker—Makoto had stopped counting and simply concentrated on moving forward—when she grabbed Ami's left shoulder in a painful grasp. Her heart pounded and a cold sweat broke out all over her body. A surreal feeling settled inside her at what lay beyond.

Startled by the tall woman's abrupt grip Ami spoke in a low voice, "Mako-"

The brunette did not let her finish. "Twenty feet ahead, in the bushes to your right," Makoto whispered.

A pair of baleful red eyes stared unblinking from the bush, incapacitating both. Neither women had ever experienced a fright which left them immobile but they had heard of such things from friends, even read about it in books. All they heard and read could not compare to what they were experiencing now. Frozen in their spots, hearts hammering in their chests they could make no move. Nor were they able to go forward even if they could with the Muur-Kami blocking their path.

Ami opened her mouth to speak and found she had to try several times before the words came. "N-no matter what happens, try to stay with me," she stuttered out in a low rush. Makoto's grip on her shoulder tightened in response.

The sunken eyes narrowed, and the Muur-Kami seemed to ask going somewhere? as it took a step forward out from the bush. A burst of harsh discordant laughter erupted from behind crimson eyes and it was only then Ami and Makoto could see the other shapes and heads rising out of the creature. Its skin—if it could be called skin—was a slick oily black and Makoto was reminded of dripping tar as she sensed subtle movements along the body, the tentacles along its back echoing the same movements. The six heads had only the faintest impressions of features but Makoto saw them easily enough in spite of the gloom to compare to the carvings on the markers.

The main head of the Muur-Kami had the shape of a canine, but that was where the resemblance to any dog departed. Its jaw was severely distended, with teeth the shape and size of spearheads jutting out from dark gums. Pitch-black drool fell from between its lips onto the floor of the forest. The damp, musty smell of the Inner Forest was replaced by a stench so rank it made the bile rise in the women's throats. The Muur-Kami took another step forward.

Dropping her hand from Ami's shoulder, Makoto grabbed the smaller woman's hand instead and turned on her heel.

"Run!" The word leapt from her lips and Ami dropped the staff she carried. She found it difficult to run with.

Branches snatching at their limbs, they could hear the Muur-Kami at their backs, thrashing through the undergrowth; it no longer found the necessity for silence as it chased after them. Howls and screams rent the air and Makoto's chest burned as she pushed herself to the limit. Ami's hand gripped hers tightly, keeping pace as they sprinted back towards the center of the forest. Blindly running along the trail, Ami prayed to the gods of the land to protect them.

Ami knew the prayer had failed the moment she felt something cold and clammy catch and wrap around her ankle. She stumbled onto her knees as she was pulled backwards.

"Ami!"

Makoto tightened her grip, trying to hold onto Ami; she turned and grabbed at the woman with her other hand as well. The Muur-Kami stood six feet beyond Ami, one of its tentacle-like tendrils wrapped around Ami's leg.

"Ahhh-" The small woman cried out in pain as the worm-like limb tried to sink itself into her very skin. A wicked light shone in the red eyes of the Muur-Kami as it dared Makoto to make a move.

"Go Makoto! Get out of the forest. I'll try to distract it!" Ami gritted her teeth, and pulled free of Makoto's grip. She immediately began to pummel on the revolting limb to no avail.

"No!" Makoto protested. She refused to let this son of a bitch take Ami. I have to help her! She ran behind Ami who was being dragged backwards again, Makoto's vision swimming from fatigue.

Other whip-like tendrils caught hold of Ami's arms, preventing her from fighting back. A cackling from the other heads belched forth to be replaced by a low, scratchy chanting of one word. Eat! Eat! Eat!

Ami had never felt so frightened in her entire life; yet she would do what she came here to do. She had to make sure Makoto survived. Her mother had entrusted this one thing to her and Ami intended to keep her promise, even if it meant she had to die in order to do so. She would fulfill her duty; the Traveler would live. Her life flashed before her eyes, moments spent with her smiling mother abundant. Her only regret was that she had yet to truly experience love but that thought fled as she was lifted off the ground and suspended in mid-air.

"Please, go!" she cried out again, the stench of the Muur-Kami causing her eyes to water. She could no longer see, as the tentacles began to whip her back and forth among the canopy. Closing her eyes to avoid the twigs and branches also aided her in fighting the disorientation the beast was determined to instill. She hoped Makoto was all right, the tall woman had not bothered to respond to Ami's plea. The Healer felt a smidgen of hope enter her at the idea of the brunette's escape. It was a bittersweet feeling; she had hoped to make it out of the forest with Makoto just so she could learn more about this intriguing woman.

Makoto felt lost the moment she lost contact with Ami. The shout from overhead to run away shocked her. How could Ami easily offer up her life to ensure Makoto's own survival? The thought dismayed her. It also irked her. Hell if she was going to stand by and let this, this thingkill someone because of her!

She glanced at the monster in question and saw it was enjoying its game with Ami, the blood-red stare almost mirthful. The heads were paying rapt attention to the dangling woman as well and she took this chance to search the ground for anything she could use to harm it in some manner or another. The ground beneath her feet was covered in several layers of leaves; her search was proving fruitless. Several yards away the staff Ami dropped lay on the trail and Makoto knew it was the best she could do. There was only one problem: the Muur-Kami stood between her and that piece of wood.

Slipping into the trees off the side of the path Makoto held her breath and prayed for Ami to hold on. She kept her eyes on the beast as she drew closer. They were only a few yards apart when the Muur-Kami shifted its gaze to her almost lazily. Go on, it seemed to say, try and escape. Makoto felt rage boil in her veins at the careless attitude thrown at her by this loathsome beast. Her vision swam again and she reached out to brace herself against a tree trunk covered in moss while her head cleared.

When her eyes opened, the Muur-Kami was looking at Ami once more. Little sobs were coming from overhead, jabbing into her heart and Makoto picked up the pace again, hurrying back onto the trail as she moved farther from the monster. Hang in there Ami! She sent a mental message to the woman knowing it wouldn't reach her anyway. Bending and scooping up the five-foot-long branch, she straightened immediately. Leveling the stick horizontally she took off into a run, the tight grip of her left hand on the middle of the stick while her right hand wrapped around the end near her waist. A fierce expression graced her visage as she concentrated on the abomination before her; sweat dripped down her face, a snarl exposed clenched teeth and her green eyes narrowed.

The heads were the first to notice something was amiss; they turned, shrieking as they caught sight of Makoto charging forward. The Muur-Kami spun, eyes enraged, jaw gaping. A tentacle whipped out and struck Makoto in her mid-section. The gorge rose in her throat at the sudden pain, her steps slowing.

"Makoto, no!" Ami cried out from above.

Gritting her teeth, Makoto rushed forward again, and before the Muur-Kami could act she stabbed the stick into its gleaming left eye, as far in as it would go. She redoubled her efforts, her left hand grazing against the spearhead teeth, slicing the skin of her knuckles and the back of her hand open as she pushed with all her might.

A bellow of pain emerged from the beast, an inhuman sound, and all tentacles and heads shook in frenzy as a white, milky liquid poured forth from its eye. It tried to back away from her, snarling. She heard a thud and turned to see Ami's battered body laying face down on the ground. Letting go of the stick she ran towards Ami, hoping against all odds that she wasn't too late. Dropping to her knees she turned Ami over, just as the woman opened her eyes.

"Mako-"

She did not hear the rest of her name as exhaustion coursed through her, blackness took over, and she fell forward.

-x-x-x-

The Muur-Kami bolted through the trees, crashing into tree trunks it failed to see as it made its way towards the cave. It had underestimated the Other, mistaking it for a weakling. It let loose a scream of pain and fury every time it smashed into a tree. The Other would pay! But not now. Eventually it would hunt the Other down but now it needed to rest and recuperate. It would only be a matter of time.