A Bridge Scene

I left my parents' den still hungry, but glad to have serviced the relationship. I promised I would make a point to visit more often. It was the latter part of the evening, but being summer, the sun still hung low in the sky, you couldn't really appreciate it though, from below the canopy. However, the encroaching twilight allowed the ambient glow of the forest to really shine. It was almost a shame. Since it was such a commonplace feature one usually didn't appreciate it.

It was while I was appreciating the background on my return trip that I heard her call out to me. My ears stiffened as my heart beated a little faster. My natural instinct was to run away, and I did take a few steps in service to this impulse. However, I heard my father in my head, "Are you really going to leave this situation unresolved? Did we not just discuss this 10 minutes ago??" Father didn't have the concept of a minute so this was certainly my mind filling that role. I stopped. He was right. I needed to confront this.

I turned around to find Moonlight Guardian with her hands clasped in front of her. Gone was her usually stoic presence. She seemed almost timid? I stared at her in silence, unsure of what should come next. She must have taken it as a sign that it was okay to approach, and advanced. Not in her usual lofty manner, her posture was more... concave, less straight. Was she uneasy? I had never seen her in such a state.

"Would you follow me?" She asked when she stood next to me. It was a genuine request. If I said no, I was sure she would just walk off without protest.

"...Okay." We didn't go far. I think she just wanted some privacy. She took us about halfway across one of the bridges connecting the two trees—these didn't see much use at night. Once there she turned and stared off into the distance. I did the same, unsure of what to do.

Eventually, I thought I should explain my absence. But just before I could speak, Moonlight Guardian dropped to a knee and lowered her head. "Indigo... I'm sorry." I nearly fell off the platform. She had never apologized to me before and she had certainly never taken a knee.

"W-What..." I was completely unprepared for this and was still reeling back on my heels.

"I... have wronged you." She was guilty, and I sensed there was more she wanted to say. I regained my composure. This was clearly no easy thing for her to do. I could at least take it seriously. I faced her, and with her dropping to a knee, we were now at about the same height. I wonder if that had been her intention? I let her know she had my full attention.

She raised her head to look at me. "Ever since I first took up the role of Guardian, my one desire has been to protect the tribe. I have worked so that no external threat could harm anyone. I take pride in it... but I also take pride in myself. Being a skilled warrior is how I identify. It means a lot to me." She should take pride in it, it couldn't have been easy to attain that level of mastery, but where was this preamble going?

"When you presented that sword, the one you call '...wraith blade'" She wasn't being dismissive, she was just unaccustomed to using names in this manner. The fact that she used this strange convention seemed to indicate a show of respect. "I had never seen anything like it, It was a combat technique I was completely unfamiliar with. Was this pup trying to surpass me? To advance in ways I've never seen? It threatened my pride... my pride as a warrior, though I don't think I realized it at the time." Was that what Moonlight Guardian thought? I continued to listen attentively.

"So I proposed a 'test,' supposedly to test the 'wraith blade,' but down in the depths of my heart, it was really to put you in your place." Could she really be that insecure? "I was pretty sure it wouldn't hold up too much. It was indeed beautiful, with that subtle blue glow and water-like sheen, but that only made it look that much more fragile. And it was a new technique, it made sense that it probably needed to be further refined." It was at this point that I realized that this wasn't just an apology, it was a confession. I was wholly unprepared for the role. I wanted to ask her to stop, but I could tell, this was something she needed to do, and I owed her that much at least.

"However, as I pressed that attack harder and harder and found that you could take more and more punishment, my pride started to get the better of me. Every blow the 'wraith blade' repelled was like a blow to my honor..." She paused and looked away. "By the time I launched that final attack, you weren't even there anymore." I couldn't help but tilt my head confused. "Only you were there, not as Indigo, but as an attack on my pride. That sword was my enemy and needed to be defeated. My pride demanded it!" That feeling of guilt had reached a boiling point, and there was also a degree of shame now.

"After the sword shattered I felt a sense of triumph; I was stronger!" She clutched her fist at her chest. "I held the end of the strike basking in that triumph, and as I did, my pride calmed down, and my sanity began to return to me..." There was another pause. It was with no small amount of difficulty that she continued, "It was during the last flutterings of victory that I finally turned to face you and the full realization of what I had done began to dawn on me; the moment lasted an eternity. I stood there with the realization that I had almost... almost killed you..." As she said this last part, I saw her trembling. I had never seen Moonlight Guardian looking this vulnerable, or anyone really. "I should have come to your aid immediately once my senses returned, but I couldn't. I must have realized somewhere of what I had done; it wasn't just an accident, your wellbeing wasn't even a consideration. I had become a monster; I had no right. Instead, I just towered over you like some vile creature in a dumbfounded stupor." She clenched her fist. "By the time I was able to reach out to you, it was too late..." Her arms dropped in defeat. "Perhaps it didn't matter regardless."

After that, she went silent but made no attempt to move. It felt almost like she wanted me to pass sentence on her. But how was I supposed to do that? Moonlight Guardian had just shown me a side of herself that I had never seen, never even knew about, the mortal side. I had been mistaken, she wasn't the perfect being I had always assumed, and I now realized why I had been avoiding her. I had seen her as a supernatural force; safe, as with any force, so long as it was constant and predictable. I thought I understood that force, but when my mask shattered, so too did my confidence in Moonlight Guardian. Confidence that this supernatural force valued me. I felt like I had been betrayed. Or rather, like there was never anything to betray and I had been too naive to see that our relationship was purely pragmatic.

But she had just shown me her heart, and it was very much a mortal heart, deserving of empathy. I had failed to see that she too had flaws and weaknesses. She was not the perfect being that I had imagined. It had never even occurred to me that she might be suffering from this incident as well. Had she been hurting this whole time? Given this twilight confession, it was almost a certainty, probably more than me. She was the perpetrator after all. By avoiding her all this time, had I only twisted the knife in her heart? Maybe that was my problem, I couldn't see things from another's point of view. Well, I could see it now.

She didn't need my forgiveness, I was the one who failed to see her as a flesh and blood being and not a supernatural force. "You don't need to apologize to me, Moonlight Guardian," I said finally.

"...Huh?" She raised her head, confused.

"Well, maybe for the almost killing me part, but that was an accident." Her gaze seemed to indicate that she thought that was a pretty big deal. "And it might never have happened anyway if I had seen you as a mortal creature." There was still guilt in the air, but it was being replaced by growing confusion, as her head began to tilt like a sinking ship. "To me, you were always my flawless teacher, perfect in my eyes. But I don't see you like that anymore." Her ears dropped. "I-I don't mean that in a bad way! I think I see the real you now. And... I need to apologize to you." Moonlight Guardian's ears twitched. "I failed to see you as a mortal creature, with flaws and weaknesses. You make mistakes and slip up just like the rest of us. But you are also... a soul that cares deeply. Thank you for showing me this part of yourself." I bowed my head to Moonlight Guardian.

For a moment she stared, and in that moment all was silent, but then, "Hehe..." she began to laugh. It started off slow, with a few interspersed chuckles, but soon grew to the point where she was audibly laughing—a rare occurrence for the Yutsuukutsuu. I was almost taken aback, but I thought I heard a few sniffles in there as well. Was she crying?

She placed a hand on my shoulder and with her other hand she removed her mask. I could see that she was indeed crying. This was the first time I had ever seen her face, and I had never expected to—half of me was uncertain that she even had a face. Showing someone your face was no small gesture, it meant that you wanted to be completely open with the other. That there were no secrets. It had the implicit meaning that you wanted the other person to see into your soul. Was this Moonlight Guardian's desire?

She had pale yellow eyes that reminded me of the harvest moon and a plain white face. By plain I mean that it was devoid of any marking like the black outline around my eyes or speckling like Mother. It was just solid white. No wonder her parents called her Moonlight. There was one marking though, a scar that ran down her left cheek.

A scar... I found myself reaching to touch it, and it was only after I had planted a finger at the top of it and traced it down about an inch that it occurred to me that this might be an encroachment of personal space. But she made no move to stop me. When I had reached the bottom, I had a thought. I closed my hand around the bottom of the loaner mask I had been wearing lately—it was plain and unremarkable in every way—and pulled it down. Bringing my other hand back from Moonlight Guardian's cheek, I brought it to the place that had bleed after the mask had shattered. It had sealed now, but I was fairly confident it would leave a scar. Normally, a scar is an indicator of a past trauma. One that has healed, but still leaves its mark on your life. In this case, however, strangely, I felt like sharing a facial scar with Moonlight Guardian created a connection between us, bonding us together.

She must have felt the same way because she smiled as she dried her eyes. "You might actually be the God of Clear Skies' Chosen."

"Not this again!” I pouted. "Not at this touching moment!"

"No, I'm serious." And she was serious. Chagrined, I looked away. If she really thought that, then I guess it couldn't be helped.

She reached a hand behind my ear and guided my head to face her. Moonlight Guardian had finished recomposing herself and her face had a serenity about it. I wasn't sure what it normally looked like, but I didn't imagine it was this. For a moment she rested her forehead on mine. I wasn't prepared for this gesture of endearment; nothing stopped her from seeing my fervent blushing.

After that moment, she stood up and the height difference was once again evident. "Here Indigo. I have something for you." She reached into her robe and pulled out a mask—don't ask me how she had kept it there—and handed it to me. In some ways it was simple, but it was clearly masterfully made. "I had Midsummer Maskcrafter make it."

"What!? Really?? Did he know it was for me? And he agreed??" My eyes almost popped out of my head.

"Yes, well..." She crossed her arms and closed her eyes. "He did take some convincing."

"Would it be okay if I asked how you convinced him?”

"...He asked for a (she relays the characteristic of the item)"

"An apple pie!" I exclaimed.

She cast me a bewildered look. "Is that... Caster?"

I nodded.

"He said the Elder once gave him some and he has wanted more ever since." her brows furrowed. "Honestly, I haven't even the faintest idea of how to go about making something like this. I guess I will have to enlist the aid of the Elder."

"Oh, I can help!" I volunteered.

"No, that's alright. This is part of my pennants."

"I don't mind. It would be fun!" She looked like she was about to refuse, but probably saw the excitement in my eye and realized I would actually enjoy it. Acquiescing, she nodded her consent. I smiled and directed my attention to the mask.

It followed the principle of elegance through simplicity. It was a sports car yellow, and don't ask me how he got it to have that sheen. The prominent feature was the curving nose almost hooked like a bird, or at least it gave that impression. Also, it seemed like there might just be a little extra thickness to the nasal bone area and brow line. "It's made out of ironwood."

"We have that around here?" I didn’t think I had ever seen it.

"No." Was she implying...

"Moonlight Guardian, did you go out your way to get this?"

"...I did."

Another question surfaced to mind. "And did you have something to do with the extra thickness of this area?" I pointed to the brow line and upper nose area.

She turned away, a flush coming over her cheeks. "Midsummer Maskcrafter is very stubborn in maintaining his creative autonomy, but... I did manage to convince him to incorporate a few suggestions." I felt my heart swell again. I doubt that it would ever serve a purpose, as I was certain there wouldn't be a repeat of that night's events, but even still, It felt like she was protecting me.

The eye openings were a bit more artistic, looking almost like misshapen sideways teardrops, or half a yin-yang. However you want to describe them, they gave the mask an intimidating look. I guess we match now.

The last noteworthy feature of this mask was the red streak running down the left cheek, I was sure she had insisted on that as well. Looking up for a moment, I turned to look at the forest, and wondered what would have become of this mask, if I had run off when Moonlight Guardian called out to me tonight? Would it have sat in Moonlight Guardian's den as a constant reminder of the mistake she had made? Or maybe she would have just cast it off and with it, any hope of redemption? Just the thought of such things caused me shortness of breath. I was glad that circumstances had conspired in my favor this time. If not for that short awkward conversation with Father, I probably would have missed out on this chance for reconciliation; I don't think Moonlight Guardian would have reached out again.

We continued to watch the final lingering glow of sunlight cast over the forest. After several moments of silent reflection, Moonlight Guardian redonned her mask and turned to me, "I expect to see you bright and early tomorrow, Indigo."

I donned mine as well. "Yes Ma'am!" I straightened to attention, and for the first time since that day, my tail felt light.