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Chapter Text

A young woman wearing a pink dress with red shoes and a long pastel pink dress opened her brown-ish eyes. And the first thing Reila noticed was how dark it was. She looked to the left, then to the right…and decided to turn three hundred sixty degrees just to be sure.

Yup. Nothing but darkness.

And despite all this dark and rather depressing space, her sixth sense felt congested and that something was off. She called out. “Hello?”

No response.

“Is anyone there?”

The darkness refused to answer.

“Alrighty, I guess I’m by myself.”

…Still nothing. Oh well, it was worth a shot.

Reila hummed, tapped her foot a couple of times against the ground (no echos, go figure. As if this place wasn’t creepy enough already), and turned around again…only to jump seven feet in the air with a high-pitched squeak. A young girl with brownish hair and brown eyes were staring at her with a blank-face.

When…when did she sneak up on her? Reila didn’t even hear her footsteps. She quickly composed herself before she spoke. “O-Oh, hi.”

The girl only blinked. Reila tried again. “Um, where…am I? Where are we?”

The girl only blinked again before tilting her head. Reila saw that she sported a ruggish-black dress with no shoes and bandages around her arms and legs. The little girl was holding a rather peculiar doll as if her life (...or afterlife?) depended on it. 

Reila inwardly sighed and decided to try a different approach to this…intriguing situation. She gracefully squatted down to the girl’s eye level. “My name’s Reila. What’s yours, hun?”

The girl finally made a different action, though Reila couldn't make sense of it: the girl pointed to herself whilst shaking her head. Now it was Reila’s turn to tilt her head. What was that supposed to mean?

Whatever this situation was, it was getting weirder by the second. “You don’t have a name?”

The girl nodded firmly.

Okay, now Reila was getting somewhere. Although the poor child in front of her had no name (as well as terrible parents), Reila was grateful that somebody showed up. Better than the Kaiser.

Wait. The Kaiser.  

Suddenly, everything came back at once: formulating a rather desperate and suicidal plan with the Nameless Liberty Underground to stop the Kaiser (she had fidgeted with the half winged necklace she got for her and Olivia’s birthdays before they graduated the entire meeting), her donning a Bremen soldier’s uniform for a disguise, following the Kaiser and the select other NLU members who volunteered to be a distraction so she can turn off the machine Kaiser planned on using.

Only thing was…it was no ordinary machine. And she merged with said machine. It all happened so fast, Reila swore it was a dream. The minute the tip of her finger touched the odd capsule-like mechanism was when her vision turned white. 

That and the last thing she heard was Kaiser’s inhumane yell of rage and her comrades' cries of horror.

She didn’t remember what happened next but Reila felt like she was… sleeping , for a lack of a better word. And not just the usual kind, whatever normalcy meant at this point in her life anymore, the kind she felt when she was an infant: young, carefree, happy, naive… innocent . A feeling like she was back in her mother’s womb or when she was sleeping peacefully on a cool summer night or bundled up during a cold winter day. 

The few times that Reila felt like everything was going to be okay in her life. Another heartwarming memory came up for Reila: looking at the blue moths with Olivia in the night.

Wait, Olivia — shit . What was going to happen to her sister? She had only sent letters to Livy during her ‘trip’—she could not come visit to physically see her sister. The NLU would have told her that there was no time and that everyone would need to be quick.

If there were loved ones, the NLU members were told to send letters, telegraphs, or phone them saying how much they love them. Because after this, there was no going back. Reila learned that the hard way when she had gotten captured. 

If…if the Kaiser found out about her sister.

Reila went to grab and fidget with her necklace out of habit…only to find that it was not on her being. 

Where? Where was it? Reila never went anywhere without it. She bought the two-piece necklace for herself and Livy because she wanted to show her sister how much she loved her despite their major differences. 

To show that no matter what, they would always be together.

She began to panic and fell back on her rump. 

The girl suddenly walked forward and grabbed one of her hands. Reila stiffened before relaxing again as the little girl gently squeezed her hand. Her huge brown eyes are too mature for someone her age. 

The Girl then turned Reila’s hand around, lifted the peculiar doll…and placed it in Reila’s hand. Reila only looked at the peculiar doll before feeling a petting sensation on her head. She turned to see the Girl attempting to calm her down. 

After a few seconds, Reila cracked a smile at the Girl. “T…thank you. I feel better.”

The Girl gave Reila an uncertain expression, like the ones Olivia or…or Mom used to give the girls when they tried to shrug off having a cold or a stomach ache. The Girl then grabbed Reila’s arm and attempted to lift her up. 

A sort of ‘follow me’ gesture.

Reila carefully got up, still holding the doll while the Girl gently tugged on her free hand. “Oh, uh sure. Where are we going?”

The girl only made a tilting gesture with her head. “Okay, we’ll go that way.”

And so they began walking. Reila didn’t know where but it was better than being stuck alone in the darkness. And she had a companion of sorts, which was a bonus.

Reila wanted to ask the Girl more questions but decided to wait. She needed time to process this after all. And even longer for it to properly register and adapt to whatever this was. 

Eventually, and somehow, the darkness led to a checkered floor, tall tables and chairs and…tall people? 

No. Not people. New Gods. Reila didn’t know how she came to the conclusion but something deep within her subconscious told her. A sort of new primal instinct that was hidden now came to light. 

Tall tables, humongous chairs, dimly lit candles being held by copper chains in the darkness above, and New Gods as far as the eye can see stretched for miles and miles. There seemed to be no end…or beginning for that matter. 

Another instinctual thought came to Reila’s mind: all of these New Gods were human once as well. Though that left a horrifying pit in her stomach. How many people gladly gave up their humanity for false immortality and second-best powers?

Reila couldn’t think or breathe. Her entire mind shut down as the sight overwhelmed her entire being. This was all too much, she wanted answers. What the Sulfur Pits was going on —?

Reila’s and the Girl’s feet made contact with the checkered floor, the former’s shoes made a hollow-ish click sound upon contact. Everyone turned their heads towards the unusual duo. Before she knew it they all started clapping, in and off sync. They all started chanting in various pitches and tones, some even not known or too much for mere mortals to comprehend and withstand. “A New God is among us! A New God is among us! A New God is among us! A New God is among us!”

Reila was beyond confused. Her heart stopped at their next choice of words. “Now another New Era can begin!”

She didn’t know when they stopped chanting, or when she accidentally tightened her grip on the Girl’s hand, when said Girl turned her head to look up at Reila in concern, or when she held the peculiar doll closer to her chest. Reila only felt herself swallow. 

What the fuck had she gotten herself into?

Chapter Text

Moonless shifted her position to relieve herself when the pale tall male man came to her side and shooed her outside the cell. “Not in here, the dungeon reeks! The last thing needed is another foul odor!”

Moonless let out a soft growl before sticking her head and tail up in his direction and padding away to mark her territory outside. The pale tall male man was always so serious. She was sure he never even cracked a smile or chuckled. 

Sometimes she wondered if he was born from the dungeons. Oh well. At least he hasn’t lost his mind… yet .

When she was done, Moonless shook her pelt out and scratched an itching ear before heading back to the temporary haven. The pale tall male man and muscular male man were standing guard. Something about ‘taking turns’—whatever that meant. All she knew is that they would later go to sleep when the medium female woman and the frisky male man woke up later.

Though the small female human pup would still be resting both turns until it was time to move again. Moonless was rather curious about her—she was carefully and furiously guarded by the muscular male man and medium female woman. She had been on top of the muscular male man’s shoulders when they were exploring her part of the territory. When Moonless attacked, both the muscular male man and medium female woman rushed to protect the small female human pup. 

After respecting the group (and being fed), Moonless had tried to get close to the small female human pup to better understand her. But the medium female woman would gently grab her and place her on her shoulders. Moonless smelled the fear and anxiety radiating from her. She also sensed how stiff the medium female woman would get when Moonless stood on her back legs in another attempt to sniff the pup. The muscular male man would gently push her back and attempt to bribe her with rotten meat.

Moonless had fallen for that too many times. Now was the perfect opportunity to get close and see why the adult humans had emphasized so much on this puny thing. The frisky male man rolled up his shirt and handed it to the medium female woman. The woman tucked it next to her pathetic pillow and made a gesture for the tiny thing to sleep on it.

“Woof.” She decided to let herself be known. All three of them looked up.

“Hey, girl!” The frisky male man stated as he patted the area next to him, wanting something fluffy to help him sleep. “Wanna sleep with ol’ Cahara?”

Moonless swished her tail and looked between the two beds before padding over to the medium female woman and small female human pup. A mock shocked gasp was heard from Cahara (?) as Moonless went to the only females of the party. The medium female woman immediately grew tense and was on guard. She only chuffed. Why wasn’t the medium female woman more trusting of her?

Sure, Moonless was going to originally tear into their throats for entering her territory. But that was before she had been given rotten meat. Any food that she didn’t have to scrap or tussle for saves her a lot of energy. So that immediately put the group at the top of her ‘these are good beings’ list.

Moonless slowly padded towards the bed. She lifted her forepaws onto the side of the bed, tilting her head. She began studying the female human pup. Moonless had only seen a few humans in her lifetime and all were adults. So she’s never seen a human pup before, it was so hairless, so small, so frail, so defenseless, and so… cute . 

How did she survive the harshest of winters? Where was her mother? Or her father? That’s how humans worked right? Both biological predecessors were responsible for their young offspring until adulthood. Or at least until the offspring had a strong standing to be independent enough. None of the other humans in their party smelled similar to the girl.

Moonless tilted her head. Who would dare leave a defenseless human pup on their own?

The medium female woman gave an uneasy smile. She gently brought the human female pup closer to her side. Though she did her best to be gentle, the stiff and shiny coat she had on was not helping the pup. If the shift in the pup’s face was anything to go by. Moonless’ ears perked up before carefully hopping onto the creaky bed. She sniffed and nuzzled her scent on both female humans as her tail swished with a low rumble.

The frisky male man lightly let out a barking laugh. “Well, would you look at that! Looks like she likes you and the girl, Dollface! I’d say she’s a good wolf-monster thing. Stop being so tense, D’arce!”

The tall female woman, D’arce, was still on guard. “I would…but well, she certainly isn’t a puppy. Now is she?”

The Girl softly spoke as she stared into Moonless’s eyes and gently patted her nose. “P…Puppy.”

Moonless gently licked her hand while wagging her tail, making the small human pup giggle. She gently nuzzled the small thing as her tail began wagging harder (and slapping Cahara) while the Girl let out a chorus of giggles and laughter. Both humans on their makeshift bed cooed and were surprised at how fast Moonless became friendly with the Girl. Though they were relieved that the mutant wolf meant no harm.

Said wolf then laid down next to the small female human pup, curling around her tiny frame. The medium female woman loosened up a bit. 

Good. All that stiffness was not good for her anyway.

~~~

When the group had woken up, they took a vote to go explore the Thicket…only to accidentally spend too long in said Thicket. Mostly checking every nook and cranny in case there was a spot or item that was dropped, forgotten, or stuck in between the vegetation. After all, there was something else that could be hidden in the shadows besides terror right?

Moonless noted the small human seemingly beginning to fall behind the group’s pace. She nuzzled up against her and then ducked her head under the Girl’s arm as a sort of ‘let me help you’ gesture. The Girl leaned against Moonless while the group silently passed through the Mines.

Along the way, Moonless and the group came upon a rather disturbing sight: a marriage between a wolf and an elite guard. How did that happen?

Wait, Moonless and the group were better off not knowing.

They were prepared to fight it only for the abomination to be still for at least five minutes. Moonless’s fur stood on its ends as she growled softly. The Girl nuzzled herself into Moonless’s side as said wolf curled her tail around her.

When Enki bravely but foolishly decided to get closer, he discovered that it was killed in a gruesome way. Upon closer inspection, he was right. The thing had been torn apart: its muscles were out, a few misshapen holes were all over in its body, blood spurting in different areas, and some of its teeth were missing with both of its eyes plucked out.

Whatever did this clearly didn’t give this poor creature a quick death. If anything, the cause seemed intent on making sure the monster stayed dead.

But…what could have caused this? Surely, it would be close by right? The group would have passed it or Moonless would have smelled it. Then again…the vegetation overwhelmed her nose. Perhaps a shape-shifter of some kind—

Wait…

…

…

…

what was that noise —

“ Craw! Craw!! CRRAAAAAWWWWW!!! ”

And before Moonless knew it, something worse had come out of the shadows. A terrifying presence had just made itself known— almost like it was waiting and searching for them.

Due to the thing’s surprise attack, it didn’t take long for their odd group to quickly fall into panic. However despite the panic, Moonless and the group also felt the familiar adrenaline rush and bloodlust rise at the surprise attack. So they began to analyze and attacked from afar as much as they could. Some of the fight was lost to Moonless though.

The Crow Mauler let out a frustrated ‘ caw ’ as it managed to throw off Enki and Ragnvaldr. The former had finally managed to cut off its humane arm as the latter bashed its head with a morning star. 

Both men tumbled before attempting to quickly regain their footing, albeit with difficulty. D’arce and Cahara ran to defend them as the Crow Mauler cawed in agony and fury. Moonless let out a few growl barks at the damned thing, hoping it would back down or run back to the darkness. The crow-headed monstrosity only cawed angrily at Moonless, refusing to submit and return to the shadows until it was done with purging its prey.

However, despite its pain and frustration it heard a small gasp…and turned its head towards the Girl. The poor thing was hiding behind some rocks and fiercely holding the small dagger out in front of her. She was alone…it lunged in her direction.

“ NO!!! ” Ragnvaldr and D’arce wailed in synchronicity as the two ran after the monster.

“ RUN!!! ” Cahara yelled, joining the duo.

“ DON’T JUST STAND THERE!!! ” Even Enki had picked up his running pace.

The Girl screamed as the Crow Mauler was now in front of her. He was about to bring down his sharp mace arm when behind him, Moonless barked-growled and sprang on the monstrosity, tackling it away from the Girl.

The Crow Mauler cawed in her face and swung its mullet arm only for her to catch it in her jaws. It hurt and cut a bit of her flesh, but she had many teeth thanks to her mutation. So if she wasn’t worried about losing a few of her canines. 

Moonless began to furiously shake it and attempted to drag the horrid creature away from the child. Said creature was more intelligent than it looked though: it used its beak to get back on its feet. Moonless couldn’t let this thing have any opportunity to attack her or the Girl. So she shook the mullet arm and dug all four of her paws in the ground from being dragged forward or lifted.

However, that meant that its head was still free. Moonless swung the arm forward, then had to let go and jumped to the side as it attempted to peck her head out from her neck. It stumbled from the sudden change of weight and nearly fell forward. 

That was the opening she needed. 

Moonless pounced again on its back. It cawed angrily as she sunk her teeth into its feathery shoulder and scratched its skin. The Crow Mauler began to twirl and tried to reach her. Luckily, being on its back meant that its head could only face forward and she was safe from certain death. Not even its mullet-mace arm can reach her.

Of course, Moonless forgot one thing: the environment they were in, the Thicket. It had thought of another plan and raced backward towards the nearest wall. Moonless let out a yelp but then furiously bit back into its neck, however, the muscles and feathers were too thick for her to reach its life artery. Moonless’s jaws were starting to tire and ache.

A shriek that was none of the adults or monsters in the room shook everyone. Out of the corner of Moonless’s eye, she saw the Girl coming from the shadows and drive the dagger into Crow Mauler’s leg. She would have let go in shock had it not been for the current situation.

The Crow Mauler attempted to chase and cut the Girl only for Moonless to shift her weight and bring it down on its side. She placed both of her front paws on top of its body, tightly holding the thing’s tough neck between her jaws. Frustrated craws continued to echo around the Thicket. 

Moonless’s jaw was very sore and she felt fatigue starting to seep in. Luckily for her, the Crow Mauler was so distracted by her that it never realized the four adults quickly coming in with their weapons. Moonless shifted herself so the neck and back were exposed. Before she knew it, it was over. The adults beat its corpse just to be safe. 

The Crow Mauler had let out a pathetic caw before passing.

As the adults were catching their breaths from overwhelming adrenaline, Moonless padded up to the Girl and gently licked her face—congratulating her in her wolf way. The Girl wouldn’t stop shaking and buried her face into Moonless’s fur as she began crying. The wolf brought the Girl closer with her snout. She let out a soft whine howl of sorts, hoping it would bring comfort to her.

Ragnvaldr and D’arce were the first that ran towards the duo, feverishly checking over the girl. D’arce generously petted Moonless as Ragnvaldr lifted the Girl onto his shoulders. Moonless wagged her tail, happy that everyone is okay—especially the little one.

~~~

Well isn’t this interesting? They had all somehow managed to get separated. 

After the beautiful-looking male man, Le’garde said some human gibberish and sat on the shiny rock he disappeared. Shortly after, everyone thought it would be a good idea to sit on the shiny yellow rock. Somehow they all fit it—albeit uncomfortably.

Which was not the best idea but the group needed answers for their betrayal. Especially poor D’arce.

Recap: the group voted and decided to double-check the cell where Le’garde was held in hopes of more clues…only for his corpse to be gone. D’arce shivered and suggested that maybe one of the monstrosities was devouring it at this very second. No one came up with other suggestions besides the other inhabitants possibly taking his corpse as a treasure of sorts.

Nevertheless, the group decided to head a tad further into the Dungeons after being led by a rather genuine pretty man, Nosramus. Stating there was something else that was hidden besides the darkness and prisoners. And they could find more answers about the dungeons there. However, he also gave a grave warning: once knowing what was down there, there was no unknown what was hidden.

Then again, what else did they have to lose? All of them were already tainted by the Dungeons. And so, they entered the forgotten city, Ma’habre.

And that’s when…nothing made sense anymore. Well, more so than ‘usual’. From it being oddly obscure and depressing, to suddenly being bright, and then somehow ‘going back in time’ to fight a rather pathetic man who was entirely covered in the shiny yellow rock. 

Seriously, why were humans obsessed with this stuff?

Le’garde had surprised everyone as he entered the room they were in. Everyone was shocked, D’arce was beyond happy. Moonless smelled strong hormones from her and wondered why the love emotion was very overwhelming. Was this man her mate? He hardly acknowledged her or the group.

The girl stiffened and gently grabbed Moonless’s fur tightly. She edged closer and wrapped her tail around the small body of the child. The Girl was looking at Le’garde with a rather curious look and light recognition. Moonless chuffed lightly. Did she also know this man?

Moonless didn’t pay much attention to what happened. But the next thing the group knew, Le’garde merely walked past them all while talking about some gibberish of Gods, the worlds, rulers, and so on. The group exploded into questions, outrage, and confusion, and reprimanded Le’garde’s views on attempting to ‘fix the world’. Even Moonless’s hackles rose as Le’garde sat on the shiny rock despite the floating meat man’s warning about a repeating cycle or something like that. Something about the rock did not make her feel good.

There was a sort of superiority and even an arrogant scent coming from Le’garde…until he disappeared.

Now here she was: Moonless and The Girl woke up together in a rather…desolate, dark, misty, greenish, and even more hopeless than before rocky area. Moonless pricked her ears in all directions and attempted to smell where the other adults were. If they were all moved to the same place that is.

Moonless sneezed and the Girl looked at her quizzingly as she held the peculiar doll and dagger closer to her frail body. Moonless padded over to her and wrapped herself around the tiny human. The Girl started to sniffle a bit and Moonless had to agree: even if things were even more hopeless, there was a horrible smell. Something akin to rotten eggs and decay, and it latched to every rock.

Boom! …Boom! …Boom!

The duo stiffened as they heard rhythmic stomps echoing in the distance.

Boom!! Boom!! BOOM!!

Huge thumping echoes continued to sound around the hollow area. …Something was coming—

RAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRHHHHHH!!!!!

—it smelled them and knew they were here .

A primal urge to run and hide overtook Moonless. Without waiting, she seized the Girl’s collar and threw her on her body. She gave a small squeak as she landed on Moonless’s muscular back. The Girl grabbed Moonless’s fur and squeak-yelled again as the mutated wolf bolted to the nearest shelter, rock, cave, hole— ANYTHING that could cover their scents and bodies. 

BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!!!

For a second, the stomping stopped…then started again after five seconds. 

It was heading their way.

Moonless continued sprinting, skidding corners when she saw dead ends and ducking some arches that came into view. She was sure her paw pads would no doubt be very sore, cramp, and cracked for a long while. But she did NOT want to stop and rest even if for a split second. Whatever this thing was…actually, could she comprehend it?

BOOM!

Sure she was a mutated wolf who had a little more than basic understanding as well as a boosted sixth sense.

BOOM!!

But that doesn’t mean that some things didn’t scare her. It was only natural. Even wolves become afraid now and then. 

BOOM!!!

But what of the Girl? The poor thing was already fragile and, while she did her best with some assistance, would not last long in a fight.

BOOM!!! …BOOM!!!

Moonless nearly tripped and had to catch herself, skidding on the unusually slime rocky texture and regaining her momentum. She had to focus on sprinting and finding a good shelter. The Girl buried her face into Moonless’s fluffy pelt and began to whimper and cry. 

Nothing but cliffs and ledges were flying past Moonless’s vision and she began to curse in her own way. Until at last, a hole big enough for the both of them finally drifted into view.

BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!!

With one last push, Moonless leaped into the hole and landed rather roughly on her side. She made sure to avoid hurting the Girl. However the Girl accidentally fell off Moonless’s back with a small grunt.

The mutated wolf immediately got to work by rolling around in the odd hole’s sustenance. She wasted no time continuously rolling and turning around to get every nook and cranny in between her fur. Once she was sure she was done, Moonless hopped to the Girl and began brushing her pelt against the child. 

The child let out a small annoyed sound and even resisted a bit before allowing her friend to rub the dirt—or whatever this stuff was—on the child to cover her scent. Moonless was not satisfied even when she could no longer smell the Girl’s scent. However, there was no time to think. Whatever was chasing them…

Rrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhh.

… was right above them . Moonless’s ears flattened against her head in horror. She gently began shoving the Girl towards one side of the hole, right as the thing’s snout slowly edged into view from the darkness. Moonless softly pressed the Girl against the side. The Girl did not make a peep, she only buried her face into Moonless’s side. A small comfort despite their threatening situation.

The Girl started to emanate fear and Moonless could only hope that the abnormal dirt and grime hid their scents. Every bit of Moonless’s fur stood out in different directions as her primal fear rose. 

Yet, despite the trepidation, Moonless felt the puny, prickling feeling of her animal-like curiosity slowly merging with her fear. She slowly dared to look up after what felt like forever as she was curious to know what their adversary looked like.

Instant horror, regret, dread, and anxiety pulsated throughout Moonless. 

Skinless, red, muscles, toothless, decaying, rotten, disgusting , and so much more unspeakable attributes were the best ways to describe this thing. It looked like an enormous lizardman, with a huge snout that could probably snap Moonless in two or swallow her whole. The thing had empty eye sockets and yet, it felt like it was carefully scanning for the duo. It rumbled its throat as it slowly weaved its head to and fro, clearly alert and focused.

Moonless managed to control her breathing but every fur on her body rose in terror. Her nose breathing was ragged and shaky, she felt the Girl tremble as well. 

The big lizardman stayed above them for a good while. Moonless asked the Sun that this thing would go away soon. She was beginning to feel cold from stiffening up and staying more still than was possible.

For a long while, the monster stayed above the hole. Moonless could hear her own heartbeat pounding against her chest and ringing in her ears. It was starting to hurt and she was sure that the Girl felt the same. 

How much time has passed? 

Moonless collapsed on her side, taking in deep breaths of relief. The Girl landed on Moonless from shaky knees and anxiety. She gently grabbed Moonless’s soft fur and nuzzled herself again for the umpteenth time. Moonless curled herself around the Girl, exhaustion seeping in as her eyelids began closing. She made sure the Girl was sound asleep before following her into her dreams.

~~~

The Girl and the living red-winged being were having a stare-down. Or at least, Moonless thinks they were. It was hard to tell when the red thing had no eyes in its sockets and hardly made a sound.

After they woke up, Moonless took a quick but guarded peek outside the hole before hopping out. She gently assisted the Girl out of the hole they were hiding in. Before coming face to face with a smaller, winged Lizardman. All three had something of a staredown for…an uncomfortably long time.

Well, Moonless was not going to risk anything. So she quickly came up behind it and nipped its neck and shook it once. It didn’t even let out a sound. 

Out of curiosity, Moonless gently bit into the weird creature before spitting it out. It tasted awful, like rotten chicken eggs and hacked ungracefully. The taste was equivalent to this disgusting place, it was not worth filling her empty stomach. 

She nudged the dead thing to the Girl. Maybe she will eat it? Humans have different taste buds after all. But the Girl also lightly tasted it and made a sour face: she didn’t like it. 

Footsteps approached the duo and Moonless instinctively placed herself in front of the Girl. Her fur stood on end as she let out a reverberating growl. Only to let her fur lay flat as she realized it was all four of the adults.

Somehow they all managed to find each other and survive against all odds in this horrid palace. D’arce and Ragnvaldlr practically bolted to the girl and checked her over as if they were her biological parents. Moonless’s tail wagged at seeing the group okay and in one piece.

They all took a break before continuing finding Le’garde, the first thing Moonless did was bite his snake. No, not that one. The other one. His yells of pain filled Moonless with an odd satisfaction.

~~~

Moonless didn’t know how much time had passed. Such a concept was not needed for her—she was a wolf after all. She only grounded herself in the present moment and only drank water and ate when she needed to. Feeling content when she did and following her basic instincts.

Life changes though and it waits for nobody.

She had followed Ragnvaldr and surprisingly, D’arce, around all of the Kingdom of Rondon, Vinland, and many other places outside their familiar comforts. Their goal: rid the world of many evils as well as monsters and darkness that had somehow leaked into the light and protect the innocents for generations to come. Granted, it wasn’t easy. People would be suspicious of them until they helped. Then word spread throughout the regions until the monsters’ numbers dwindled from many to rare.

Now, Ragnvaldr and even D’arce’s and Cahara’s descendants would come and visit her. It was hard when they had to move onto their next lifeforms in this physical plane. She missed them dearly but understood that they would rather remain humane. After all that had been witnessed, there were many things that were, perhaps, best left forgotten. Experiencing the Dungeons and hidden horror of what beings did in the name of the Gods being some of them.

Ragnvadlr’s latest descendant, August, had come again to visit with his family. Which mostly consisted of him, his wife, and his two sons. His wife was from the Eastern Sanctuaries but had an open mind despite keeping traditional family values. She was also a ‘cat person’ but fell in love with Moonless. August and his wife were blessed with two sons, both vastly different in personalities. But they all loved each other nonetheless.

August’s youngest son held up a wooden soldier toy. “Look, girl! I have a toy, just like you! Mommy and Daddy gave it to me on my birthday!”

Moonless chuffed joyfully while she wagged her tail gently and slowly. The last time she wagged it so hard she accidentally sent August’s wife and children flying. Luckily they didn’t get injured… much .

The eldest got close to her paws. “Where’s your toy ol’ girl?” He quickly scouted around her front legs. “There it is!” 

He hiked up her enormous paws before Moonless gently pushed the eldest back with her nose. The eldest merely laughed in excitement as August catched him. August held him tightly before he could try climbing Moonless again. “Why doesn’t Moonless let us touch her toy? She’s too old for toys!”

Moonless’ ears flattened against her head as she wondered if she should be amused, offended, or both. She merely chuffed towards August and his eldest son as the former replied. “Because it is said that the doll is from the God of Fear and Hunger herself.”

The youngest held his toy closer to him in frightened awe. “ Wow! Really?”

His older brother merely raspberries at him. “That’s not true!”

“Well, it could be!”

August let go of his eldest son as he dropped to the floor, losing interest in climbing Moonless again. “Well if it were true, which it isn’t , why isn’t it in good condition? There’s no way a God would just leave her most valuable possession to rot over time. What if it's fake—?”

“ Enough. ” One word from August was enough to stop the boys’ quarrel. Moonless’s fur started to rise, mostly due to the frustration of being reminded of the Girl’s cruel destiny. If Moonless ever encountered the woman who bore her, she was ripping her to shreds until there was nothing left. She won’t be able to move into the next life.

August and his family stayed a little longer before leaving, promising to come back again soon. Moonless was left alone except for the occasional rat or bat. And Ratkin, which tasted awful but they filled her stomach. She looked between her ginormous paws to gaze at what remained of the peculiar doll. Torn and damaged beyond the Sulfur Pits and back. But she wouldn’t change or have it ‘patched up’ in human terms. 

It was okay the way it was. 

After all, it was a gift from the most innocent people of them all: the Girl. Moonless bitterly recalled waking up in a cell with Ragnvaldar, D’arce, and Enki to find Cahara and the Girl gone. She had wondered where they went. Moonless didn’t even take two paws out of the cell when her paw gently hit something. Looking down, Moonless saw it was the peculiar doll and in an instant understood what had happened. She could only howl, cursing in her tongue, as she woke up the remaining members of their party.

She had never felt more despair.

Moonless missed the Girl dearly…some days, she knew a part of the Girl was with her as she gently laid her head down to sleep next to the doll. Most days she reminisced and imagined the little Girl's presence: sleeping, comforting, petting, and cuddling next to her. Whispering to her and other few words the Girl voluntarily chose to say. 

“ Good girl…I love you. ”

Moonless pitiful whines only echoed around the cave as she curled around the puny doll. She loves the Girl dearly as well. 

Now and forever.