[the next day]
I do not know what happened that night, but whatever it was, shook her so greatly, that even whilst she slept, her body continued to shiver and twitch. I could sense her fear through her breath and her desperation through her voice. I could feel it, but could do nothing to ease her pain. I could only watch and try to calm the young ones, hoping that she would wake from her nightmare soon.
[minutes later]
Nesumi rose from her bed and screams to the assailant, of that night and in her dream, to stay away. She grabs her chest and tries to catch her breath. She then surveys her surroundings and realized that she was home. She wanted to tell Jinezu what had happened, but held it back for the sake of the children.
She puts on a brave face and tried to comfort her kids, told them that she was fine, promised to make up for their lost meal, and got them to take a nap. The kids could sense there was more to this than their mother would let on, but decided to let it go for now. After all she was back, which was what counts, and, despite a few scrapes, she seemed to be the same as before. In any case, once she was sure that the children were asleep, she approached her husband and told him of her encounter.
Jinezu, shocked by the tale, wondered what they should do. The beast was described as being too large to enter their home, but to hide from it, would deprive them of their only source of food. It might be possible to escape, but not without considerable risk to the children.
It would be best to hunt down the demon, thought Jinezu, but his wife disagreed. It could fly, so tracking it would be difficult, and such an attempt might get them both killed. In the end, after much thought, they decided that they could not leave, at least not until the children were older, and opted to hunt within close proximity to their domain, until they could do so. It was not the best plan, but it was all they could think of, and as long as they were cautious and quick on their feet, it should be alright and would probably work.
[perspective of the author]
The trouble with plans is that they can all too easily fall apart, especially when doubt and uncertainty are close behind. In time, Jinezu, who, at first, heeded every
sound and rustle in the breeze, began to question if there was any real danger, and the more he thought about it, the more he began to wonder whether the demon even existed. At the same time, he had no reason to question his wife, she was not the type to make up stories, nor was she the type to scare easily. But still, the wounds on her flesh were not deep, and seemed more the result of a frantic run through a rose bush, than an encounter with a terrifying beast. It seemed only natural that the doubts would rise, but being cautious, even when there was no reason to be, was not a problem. At least, not until the children became old enough to hunt themselves.
[coming of age]
"Children, you are ready to learn the ways of our people," said Jinezu. "We shall venture forth into the wilderness, so that you may hunt and gain the skills necessary to survive."
"Are you ready to take this important step into adulthood?"
The kids, or rather, the young adults, nodded in agreement.
"We are ready father ..." Said Midori.
"To claim our first kill ..." Said Saigora.
"To prove ourselves ..." Said Sokanu.
"No, I forbid it!" Interrupted Nesumi.
"Jinezu, they are old enough, we should leave this place as we had planned."
"Nesumi," said Jinezu with a sad and lowered tone. "It has been some time, long enough for our pups to reach this stage in their lives, and long enough for me to realize that we cannot continue to live in fear of something that may only exist in your mind."
"What? How can you say that? Did you forget what happened that night? Do you not see the scars upon my flesh!?" Exclaimed Nesumi.
"I could never forget!" Declared Jinezu.
"But, you are the only one to claim to have seen this demon, the only one to insist that his eyes are upon you, the only one to feel his presence or figure in the distance."
"But!" Protested Nesumi.
"No," said Jinezu with reluctance. "I have hunted many times and never felt anything except for the cold blood of my prey upon my fangs."
"And ..." He pauses.
"After you had recovered, I followed the trail that you had left behind. I sought to confront the demon or at least find out what it was that we were dealing with."
"You went there!? That monster could have killed you!" Cried Nesumi.
"I couldn't just sit back and do nothing! But that is not the point. I went there, Nesumi, and found nothing!" Exclaimed Jinezu.
"The only thing I could find were your footprints upon the ground and your blood upon the broken twigs and thorns that impeded your path home."
Nesumi could not believe the words that she was hearing and started to grow pale.
"I know what I saw!" Declared Nesumi. "Can't you see?"
"He is just waiting for a chance to attack! Please I beg of you, before it is too late, let us leave this place and deny him that opportunity ..."
"No, mother!" Interrupted Midori before her father could speak.
"Enough is enough! Father is right, we will not let your madness hold us back any longer. If you insist on hiding from reality, then so be it, but the rest of us will not follow your lead. We will live our lives the way we were meant to!"
Midori steps outside. Jinezu and his sons were silent, but followed suit, for though they could not say it, they agreed.
Nesumi continued her plea, begging them to stay, but was ignored and brushed aside. She tried to catch up to them, but could only watch as they moved further and further beyond her sight. She knew at that point that all she could was hope that they would return.
