FicWad

They dined on lizard that night--gamey and foul-tasting and wretchedly insufficient, but at least they had something in their guts other than churning acid--and fell asleep right there, huddled together for warmth. They walked all day the next day, careful to keep a westward course. One of the guards--Tsuyoshi, the one who had defended her--caught no more than three lizards for them to gnaw on, and they spent the night curled around their empty stomachs. The next morning, the other guard, Banto, woke to find himself face to face with a two-headed cobra. He jerked back and the cobra struck, sinking all four fangs into a lump at his chest. Banto's luck held, as the lump turned out to be the ivory statue he'd stolen from the village, and Tsuyoshi quickly dealt with the snake before it rectified its error. The ivory melted from the venom and Banto threw the statue away, but Tohru managed to slice the snake's meat into strips and kept them in a pouch she'd made out of its skin. The snake became their sustenance for the second day of their journey.

By the third day, Tohru was seriously worried. The sun lashed at them constantly, and they had not had a drink of water in over three days. They couldn't last much longer on snake meat and lizard blood. They needed fluids more than anything else. She glanced back at her companions. Tsuyoshi was using his sword as a walking stick, almost too weak to catch the lizards their lives depended on, while Banto's semi-deranged muttering had lapsed into exhausted silence. Tohru herself was barely able to keep upright. Their steps slowed considerably, but she knew they had to keep moving. The longer they stayed in the Deadlands, the slimmer their chances were of surviving, and right now dehydration and weakness were far deadlier enemies than the viper warriors could ever be.

Their luck turned on the fourth day, although one wouldn't have thought it at first. The three had woken up to a horrible sight: carrion birds, with bald heads and black plumes and an altogether too acquisitive look in their beady eyes. Tohru had yet to see uglier harbingers of death.

"They're gonna eat us," Banto moaned, cowering against her side. "We're gonna die."

Perhaps hunger had dulled her civilized sensibilities and sharpened other instincts, but Tohru found herself staring speculatively at the birds, particularly the largest and boldest one that was casually preening its feathers as it waited for them to expire. Carrion birds were related to chickens, weren't they? She'd cooked chicken before, and she had to struggle to keep her mind off the tantalizing memory of roast chicken stuffed with herbs. She pulled out the empty snakeskin pouch and felt around for a good-sized stone. "Tsuyoshi-san."

Tsuyoshi tore his eyes away from the birds and turned to her.

She offered the strip of snakeskin and the stone. "Would you, please? I think your aim is better than mine."

Tsuyoshi's aim turned out to be excellent. The stone hit the bird dead in the eye, and before it could flap away, screeching with pain, Tsuyoshi was already swinging his sword at its neck while its companions flew away in bewilderment at having the tables turned on them. As Tohru set to work cutting the meat into strips, Banto curled his lip in disgust. "You're gonna make us eat that? That thing eats corpses. It was waiting for the chance to eat us!"

"So we beat it at its own game, that's all," Tsuyoshi retorted. "Don't eat it if you hate it so much." Banto eventually gave in.

As horrid as it was, the carrion bird's flesh gave them renewed strength to continue on their journey. Later, they came upon a stream hidden behind some brambles. They had encountered other streams before, but they were no better than reeking black mud-holes. This stream looked slightly clearer, and the water flowed sluggishly past to vanish around a few boulders. After a brief debate and much complaining from Banto, the three gave in to need and drank handfuls of the thick, bitter liquid. Tohru was only sorry they didn't have anything to store the water in.

A short time later, she was sorry for an entirely different reason. Their stumbling steps halted completely as sickness forced them to their knees, alternately vomiting up the tainted water and the carrion bird flesh and groaning at the cramping in their guts. Banto, who had drunk the most water among them, was stretched out on the ground, his eyes glaring at her accusingly from his green-tinged face. "You poisoned us, you witch," he gasped. "We're gonna die."

Tohru was unable to answer as her stomach heaved again. "Shut up," Tsuyoshi muttered tiredly. "Just shut the fuck up, Banto."

"Ooooh." Banto rolled over miserably. "Ooooh gods. Nothing but vultures and reptiles to eat and poison to drink. We're not gonna make it. We're gonna die like dogs."

As if on cue, a low, sinister growling began, and dread pierced through the haze of pain and sickness hanging over them. A large, black wolf was standing a few feet away, its four eyes glowing red, its teeth bared menacingly. Are wolves supposed to have that many teeth? Tohru wondered crazily. Beside her, Tsuyoshi slowly reached for his sword. "Maybe it'll go away," he said in a low voice. "Don't make any sudden--"

With a panicked cry, Banto scrambled away, but the wolf was upon him in an instant, sinking its teeth into his leg. Tsuyoshi swung his sword, and with a snarl the wolf turned on him. Tohru picked up Banto's sword and struck at the wolf as hard as she could, laying it open from hip to leg. Dark blood poured out of its wound, and the wolf yelped and bounded away into the desert.

White-faced and panting, Tohru looked up at Tsuyoshi. He smiled grimly. "Good one, Tohru-san. Let's hope you killed it."

They turned to Banto, and Tohru tore a strip from her skirt to bind his wound. He was loath to move, but Tsuyoshi warned that the wolf might not have been alone, so he and Tohru pulled Banto up and slung his arms over their shoulders, practically dragging him. They continued like this for as long as they could, but sickness and fatigue and lack of food--they had, after all, vomited up all the contents of their stomachs--had drained them of what little strength they had, and they were forced to stop and lie down, completely spent.

Evening fell. Tohru portioned out the meat among them, giving the biggest slice to Banto, but the poor man refused to eat. Banto had grown sicker and sicker as the wound on his leg began to fester. She tore more strips off her skirt to change the binding, then lifted his head on her lap, chewed up some meat and pushed the softened mass into his mouth with her fingers. When Banto turned his head away, Tohru sighed and sat back, keeping his head on her lap, and looked up to find Tsuyoshi watching her. "What is it?"

"You," he replied, his face soft with admiration. "You're a hell of a lot stronger than you let on. I've never met anyone like you, Tohru-san."

She shook her head. "I'm only strong because you are, Tsuyoshi-san. You and Banto-san both."

"Don't count on Banto's strength too much," he said wryly. "Poor bastard. If we don't get him to a healer soon he ain't gonna make it." He gazed up at the sky and frowned. "I hate to tell you this, but we've strayed off course. We've been drifting northward since yesterday. We're getting too close to the cursed forest."

"The place beyond the forest is steeped in magic. Anything can happen."

"What?"

She smiled. "Oh, nothing. Just something my mother told me about the forest. You should get some sleep, Tsuyoshi-san. I'll sit with Banto-san and keep watch."

He nodded and lay down, and was asleep almost instantly. Soon, even Banto slept, although his rest was not obviously not as easy as Tsuyoshi's. He thrashed around and grimaced and moaned, and Tohru was dismayed, although not surprised, to find that he was burning with fever. She stared up at the sky, letting the silver moon see the desperation she tried so hard to conceal from her companions. "Yaori, please help him," she prayed. "Please help us all."

She didn't know how long she'd been sitting like that, just staring at the moon, but she knew what brought her back to earth. Heat flared from the Sun Stone, and she gasped and pressed a hand on her chest. The heat was spreading through her body and throbbing in time with her heartbeat; not the scorching fire she'd felt back in the marketplace, but close enough. The mark between her breasts was already glowing blue. "What--?"

Something growled. Her eyes widened, and she looked up. They were surrounded by an entire army of wolves whose eyes glowed red in the darkness, a galaxy of eyes and jagged teeth. They were hanging several feet away, nearly encircling them. Watching and waiting.

But the wolves weren't the ones who growled, she realized with sick horror, as she found herself face to face with a feral-looking Banto. He was crouching in front of her, his teeth bared, foam trickling from one corner of his mouth. His eyes were glowing as red as the wolves'.

Mad dog! "Tsuyo--"

With inhuman speed, Banto pounced, wrapping his hands around her throat and squeezing hard, cutting off her cry for help. Black spots swam in her vision until Tsuyoshi threw Banto off her, and oxygen rushed into her lungs. "Tohru-san, you all right?"

"Yes," she croaked as she pushed herself up, her hand closing around Banto's sword. They stood back to back in a ring of wolves. Banto crouched on all fours among them, snarling menacingly. "He's gone," Tsuyoshi stated darkly. "That ain't Banto anymore."

The Sun Stone flashed brighter, and she cried out.

"Tohru-san?"

"I'm fine!" Do something! If you're going to help us, do it quick! The stone responded with an explosion of heat so intense she half expected her clothes to catch fire. She was dimly aware of Tsuyoshi calling her name, and when she raised her eyes, she thought she saw her mother standing not far away.

Run!

With a gasp, she straightened. "Tsuyoshi, we have to run."

"What?!"

Run!

"This way!" She grabbed his arm and pulled him through a gap in the ring of wolves, waving her sword. The wolves retreated from the wildly swinging blade, but gave chase the next moment, and Tohru could hear Banto's harsh voice among them. One of the wolves made a flying leap, and only Tsuyoshi's quick swing saved him from getting his spine yanked out from his neck.

Barely aware of what she was doing, Tohru pushed him behind her and raised a hand. White ribbons of light wrapped around her body as a stream of blue-white flame blasted from her fingertips, turning the wolves closest to them into howling balls of fire. She screamed along with the wolves and fell to her knees. The heat was burning her alive.

Run!

Shuddering with pain, she forced herself up and shoved a shocked Tsuyoshi forward. The wolves fell back at her attack, but seeing their companions get cooked wouldn't stop them for long. Tsuyoshi halted suddenly, and she slammed into his back and staggered until he caught her by the arm. "Tohru-san, the forest!" he said urgently. She followed his gaze to the line of shadows and gray mist rising up in front of them. The miasma of evil was thick enough to smother a man.

For the first time, Tsuyoshi balked. "We can't go in there. The Deadlands is one thing, but not the forest. No one's ever survived the forest. No one!"

Darkness was creeping into her consciousness, and Tohru swayed on her feet. No! she thought desperately. I can't get sick now. Please, not now! The baying of wolves drifted from behind them, and the moonlight shone down on a heaving sea of fiery red eyes. They were trapped between the wolves and the forest. Resolve straightened her spine, and she put herself between Tsuyoshi and the sea of wolves, blue and white light rippling around her. Another blast would kill her, she knew with a cold certainty, and not even Tsuyoshi with all his courage could last all alone in this hellhole. But she had to try.

She raised her arm again, but before she could let the power loose, a hand fell on her shoulder. "Don't," Tsuyoshi said.

She glanced at him in confusion. "What?"

His face was calm, even smiling, and her heart wrenched when she realized where she'd seen this expression before. On Touma's face, just before he sacrificed himself to save them. "You should go, Tohru-san. Into the forest. I'll deal with these jackals."

She began to cry, deep, heaving sobs of anguish. "No! No, no, Tsuyoshi-san. I won't leave you! Don't make me leave you!"

"Tohru!" He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her, and she blinked at him through her tears. "It'll be all right," he said quietly. "I saw her. Your mother. She says it'll be all right."

"M-mother?"

"Red hair, white cloak, pretty as an angel." He smiled and touched her cheek. "Just like you. Now go. Your way lies in the forest. Your magic can get you through. Go!"

He threw her from him, and she stumbled toward the forest. She looked back at the lone figure walking toward moonlight and death with his sword raised. He glanced at her, and raised a hand in a jaunty salute.

Don't be afraid, his eyes seemed to say. This was meant to be.

She spun around and hurled herself into the forest. At her first step, the world seemed to ripple and skew madly, as if she'd pushed against the invisible bubble that formed reality. A terrible rumble shook the ground, and green lightning forked down from the heavens as the forest attempted to drive out the trespasser. She flinched, raising her arms to shield her face, but the light from the Sun Stone seemed to repel the lightning, and she managed to push her way into the dark, misty woods. Branches clawed at her, roots thrust up to block her way, and vines attempted to strangle her, but the power of the Sun Stone flared brighter, turning her into a living torch of blue-white flame, and even the forest drew away from it. The heat made every movement an agony, and her mind simply shut down. She was running purely on instinct now.

Eyes watched her from the shadows, eyes that glowed with unholy hunger. Crashing footsteps dogged her own, and still Tohru ran. She didn't know how long she had until she collapsed and the beasts overcame her. All she knew was she was dying, and her heart grew light. I'll see them again, a voice whispered inside her. Shigure-san, Hatsuharu-san, Momiji-kun, Uo-chan. Touma-san. Tsuyoshi-san. I'll be with Mother again.

And Tohru ran joyfully to her death.

Unaware that following her, scampering high among the branches, was a silvery-white mouse whose violet eyes reflected an impossible mixture of wonder, confusion and sheer astonishment.