Ikuyami: Everfree

~Yugure~

Your eyes flash open in the soft glow of the moon to a whimper and a howl. The air creeps through the Everfree forest as you lie there, sensing the shallow wind pass your muzzle. Slow flickers of light reveal the presence of fireflies, but you take no notice. The barren canopy composed of the clawing, web-like branches scatter moonbeams across the grass, illuminating the dew like thousands upon thousands of crystals. As you stir in place on the damp turf, you feel an object right next to you. The object reveals itself to be a small cleaver, seemed to be made for cutting wood. After feeling the weight of it in your shining black hooves, you slip it into a pack slung across your back. A bark startles you and immediately your focus turns to the source of the sound. It's a dog, pure white like winter snowfall, sitting at your rear hooves, panting with what looks to be a joyful grin.

She seems happy that you've finally awoken, her pearly black eyes bearing your blank expression in its depths. Running your hoof along your maw, you find the end of your nose stained with black, stripes adorning your face. A blank canvas is all you bear in your mind in place of your memories. Everything you've learned—what to cherish, what to hate, what to love, what to want—is gone from your thoughts, and all that remains is the now.

Now, you sit there, on the ground with a small dog happily watching you, surrounded by trees priming themselves for winter. However, something is missing. What it is you do not know, but lacking motivation, you don't seem to care. Rising to your feet, the dog yips at you, prompting an instinctive stroke of the dog's luxurious coat. Names start flashing across your mind, and you finally settle on one to fit her. She barks her approval and runs ahead of you across the grass, which bore an eerie shade of cool gray. Slowly trotting forward, you and your new friend make your way through the forest as the wind picks up and turns the once cool air brisk and biting.

The fireflies fairly-like aura toggles on and off as they float aimlessly through the air. A brush of your hooves against the muddy leaves that lay scattered on the ground reveal small glowing fungi that light the forest floor. The little pup darts back and forth between patches of the glowing caps, giving playful, curious yips as she touches each one with her nose, the mushrooms responding by glowing even brighter before dimming back to their original luminosity. You follow your little furry friend as she bounds across the forest floor, happily smiling all the while. She occasionally glances back, as if making sure that you're following. The thought comes to you that she might be leading you somewhere.

Every so often, you take the cleaver out and give it a once over, wondering what it was doing with you in the first place. The beckoning calls of the white canine call your attention back to the path as you place the cleaver back into your pack. The forest becomes more lively now, small creatures rustle the bushes as you pass, your own hoof beats scattering the glowing insects nestled on individual blades of grass. All the while, you try to remember what it is you've forgotten, attempting to paint the blank canvas in your mind, hoping that wandering would aid you in regaining what you've lost.

The forests thins out to reveal a small clearing, and your very first obstacle. A small bridge lies across a ravine, connecting two cliffs together. Uneasily you place a hoof on an uncertain plank. The wood snaps under your weight, shaking you off balance. You fall forward, shutting your eyes before you slip through the gap.

But your movement stops and you feel a slight tug near your flank. You crane your neck back to see the dog grasping your tail between her teeth, saving you from almost falling to your death. After regaining balance, a small glance from the both of you make a silent agreement to continue on another path.

Along the edge of the ravine, the wildlife seems to grow lesser and lesser, the canopy starts to close above you, more and more branches intertwining to shut out the fair moonlight, until all that's left to brighten your way are the small, auspicious mushrooms that dot the moss along the ground. You lead the way now, while your savior walks alongside, small whimpers emanating from her throat. Heeding her concerns, the cleaver finds it's way out of your pack as you wield it between your teeth.

As the two of you continue your trek towards an uncertain destination, the forest changes more and more. The moonlight comes in small spears of wispy light, the holes in the canopy now becoming a second set of stars for you. The autumn air has become quiet, and chilling. As you breathe, translucent clouds of vapor form around your maw, before dispersing in various vectors. The pups whimpers become a bit louder now, in response you clench your teeth around the handle of the cleaver harder.

The hairs of your black and white coat stand on end as you feel something approaching, the forest starting to creak and groan with the influence of a trembling wind. Through the holes of the canopy, you can hear the wind whistle as it stirs. Your pulse quickens, your breathing harsh and deliberate. A Snap. You whirl around immediately, the dog does the same, now bearing her fangs as it growls. You crouch low, primed for action, the cleaver's handle hot between your teeth.

Amidst the darkness, at a distance, you see the glow of two orbs suspended in shadow. Blood now thuds through your veins like pounding gallops as your mind races to determine the identity of the creature meeting your gaze.

A blink of your own eyes, and the two pricks of light vanish into the darkness, leaving the two of you alone again. Your muscles relax, the presence now gone. Your companion draws close to you, sitting at attention beside you. Your hoof reaches up and strokes the dog's fur, scratching her behind the ears to comfort her. She begins panting again, regaining her happy, playful expression that you've known since the two of you met. Together, you continue on through the dark woods, your mouth still gripping the cleaver between molars.

The scent of rain begins to flow across your nostrils, and soon, small waterfalls flow through the holes in the canopy as the storm begins. Drips of rain cascade down the bark of the trees and the sod beneath your hooves grows damp once more. The tapping symphony of rain echos through the forest, splashing across leaves and branches. As the rain continues, a small fog begins to roll through the area, your fellow friend soon jumps every so often to poke her head out from the thin clouds. You pick her up by her scruff and place her on your back, carrying her through the mist. A few clearings along the way open up, revealing the sky once more, the lunar body sailing across the stars. The two of you stop by a lake, and together you lap up a few quick drinks from the pure, glistening spring. You decide to sit for a few minutes, trying once again to bring back even a hint of your memory, but to no avail, the canvas remains blank. The raindrops wash over you as you raise your head to the sky, the droplets slowly sliding through your mane and down your striped spine. The question roams through your thoughts as to why you're traveling, but it soon fades as you resign to feigning regard for the matter.

Her bark brings you back to attention, and the two of you carry on, the dog taking the lead once more, but now, she sniffs the ground, following a scent as if it was hot and fresh, even with the ground cold and soaked. The lead brings you to a small, ivy coated cabin, a shelter to spent the rest of the night. You exchange glances with your friend, who yips to agree with your proposal, and you enter the cabin.

The glass windows seemed to have been broken out a long time ago, the fractured remnants had since disappeared from unknown causes. Inside, the wood appears darkened and damp, small clumps of rot cling to the furniture, blackening the surface of them. Up the stairs with a clip-clop of your hooves brings you to the attic, the roof of one part of which had collapsed and revealed a gaping hole with a clear view of the night sky. A quick scan of the room brings your eyes towards a bed covered in shade from the part of the ceiling still standing. Weary from hours of traveling, there is where you take your rest, but the dog stays awake and keeps vigil over you.