There’s Always a Bigger Fish

The two youths were stunned in fear, their cluelessness about the roar's source only worsened by the reverberating ground.

"What was that?" Lilly finally asked with a shaky voice.

Asking himself the same question, Lucian failed to answer. "I don't think we can get water today, Lilly."

His heart sank like a stone. Two days without water was already rough. But who knew how long whatever that was would linger in the area? Maybe they should—

"Maybe we should ask Byakko for help?"

Convinced that Lilly could read his mind, Lucian interjected.
"Do you think he'll do it?"

Lilly had a special connection to the tiger. Sometimes Byakko would speak directly into her mind, often exclusively single words or names, like his own, what a Gnoll was, or a Volpa. This only happened on his terms, however. From the many times Lilly had tried communicating, Lucian couldn't recall a single instance where he responded.
Byakko wasn’t their protector. He followed his own rules, ones only he seemed to know.
Lucian sometimes wondered if he was reading too much into the tiger’s aloofness, or if Byakko understood and just didn’t care.

"He's giving me that look again," Lilly said in a condescending manner.

Lucian glanced over, and sure enough, a spool of saliva was cautiously making its way to the ground. Byakko too preoccupied with looking into the great expanse of nothingness to intervene. This was his way of declining an unreasonable request.

"I just asked him to accompany us. How is that asking so much of him?" Lilly said, clearly annoyed.

"Let's try holding out until tomorrow. If he still won’t come, we can just—"

Byakko began moving. Suddenly reminded why they wanted him to come in the first place, the two followed him into the Garden without objection.

"Where is he going?" Lilly asked.

"I think... towards the stream maybe?"

Lilly's expression went blank.

"Are you kidding me!? When I ask him, he takes offense, but then he walks off to the same place? Ugh. Sometimes!"

Lilly's choking-out gesture made Lucian chuckle a little. This was typical Byakko behavior. Too prideful to accept a request, but softhearted enough to pull through in times of need. At least that’s what he wanted to believe.

Despite the unknown threat occupying their minds, the Garden itself was peaceful. Lucian recognized muddy smears that streaked across the forest floor, each slippage a reminder of his deadly dance from the day before.

When they reached the fallen tree with Byakko's imprints, Lucian listened intently. It wasn't humming anymore. Instead, a tiny critter met his gaze, its inquisitive look mimicking his own.

"Aww, look, this one has light-blue ones! They kinda remind me of Byakko."

She was referring to the Volpa's horns. The bunny-like creatures had tinted antlers. Just as humans have different eye colors the Volpas also had a range.
Glancing over at Byakko, he agreed with Lilly. They were of a similar hue. His antlers were a lot more intricate though. Sprouting from slightly behind his ears and curving forward they accentuated his majestic presence well.

"No, we're not catching this one either." Lucian could feel Lilly's eyes puncture his backside with longing determination.

"Besides, we can't even skin it, let alone prepare or cook it."

Lilly's mouth dropped in horror. "You wouldn't dare," she said, appalled.

Lilly was the resourceful type, but when it came to Volpas, she was a lost cause. Lucian took a last peek in its direction, his attention lingering on the silent log.

Arriving at the stream, they relieved their thirst and retrieved the abandoned canisters. Though calling these crude bamboo tubes such was stretching the term somewhat.
While Lucian was submerging them, trying his best to keep sand from sneaking in. Lilly led the water into them using her magic to avoid chilled hands.

"What do you feel when you do that?" Lucian asked. He had always been jealous of her talent, but now? He needed to know more.

"It's hard to explain. I don't hear anything like you say you do. I just feel it. Like now." She placed her cylinder next to the stream and concentrated.

"The water is there, and it does what I want it to do." Water leaped out of the stream in a small arc, pushing the canister over and spilling its contents.

"The difficult part is the intensity. The current is strong. Rushing the water is easy thanks to that, but slowing it down is a chore. The opposite is also true, like with the wind this morning. There was hardly a breeze present, so intensifying the gale was challenging."

"What if the river dried out then?"

"Then there would be no water for me to steer, no current for me to control. It's quite simple if you think about it."

Lucian looked at Byakko, who met his gaze while lapping from the stream. 
He moved to one of his prints and began concentrating. "Quite simple she says."

Again he began forming the sound. This time not sharp and metallic but muffled and soft. A small light floated in his hand. It gave off a soothing glow. It reminded Lucian of a candle. It was warm but it also stung the skin a little.

Lilly's eyes lit up in amazement. "Wow, it's so pretty! You say it's from Byakko?"

"I can't really explain it. But yes, I think I'm borrowing some of his power."

Warm, wet breath startled him. Byakko stood right behind him. Lucian was proud of his hearing, but not even he could hear his steps if Byakko didn't want him to.
The tiger was engrossed in the little light. Lucian became nervous.
He shook his hand, stifling the light.
Did he mess up?

Then he heard it. It wasn't a growl or purr but a very peculiar, unique sound that Byakko made.

"Do you hear that?"

Lilly was confused. "Hear what?"

"The sound Byakko's making?"

She listened, then shrugged. "Sure you're not imagining things? All I can hear is the stream."

Lucian stared into Byakko's oversized pupils, his entire focus following the sound. As it became more nuanced, a glowing sigil appeared on the tiger's forehead.
Lucian stretched his hand out, but before he could touch it, the sound erupted.
It branched out in all directions. He could perceive the sound with every new wave that carried it. The experience was dazzling and also uncanny, as he realized that he couldn't feel it at all.

"Did you feel anything?" he asked Lilly in a small voice.

"No. But to me it looked like he was talking to you. Did he tell you something?"

"I... maybe."

Lucian closed his eyes. He remembered the angelic sound, he'd heard it before. "Striking a triangle and letting it fade out," he reminded himself.

He concentrated on the chime he held so dear in his past life and began invoking the mellow whistle of the instrument.

"Echo."

Without opening his eyes, he could see... everything. The sound was drawing a mental image of his surroundings. There were the silhouettes of his companions, tiny birds nesting in the trees, the water splashing over age-old boulders, and far away there was something big. The experience was overwhelming.

"Luc... Lucian... LUCIAN! Wake up!"

Lilly was violently shaking him, crying.

"Wha—"

He tried getting up but collapsed again. Everything was in constant motion. He was on the ground, but from his perspective, it might as well have been the deck of a ship caught in a storm. It felt like the universe itself had tilted.

"What happened?"

"I don't know. You were talking to Byakko, and then you said something. Then you fell, and I didn't know what to do, and then Byakko left, and you weren't waking up. I tried so hard, but you weren't waking up!"

He took a second, and as the memory returned, the world began normalizing around him.

"It must've been the spell. I think when I—"

Footsteps so heavy he could feel them interrupted his thoughts.

"Is that Byakko?" Lilly said, also having noticed them.

Cold sweat ran down Lucian's back as he slowly turned towards what was heading their way. Lilly, catching on, also became uneasy.

"Where are the birds? It's so quiet now."

The stomping was getting closer until a long, hairy arm reached out of the forest, uprooting a tree that was in the way with little effort. The short black snout, bristly mane, and the spotted fur were dead giveaways.

"Is that a... Gnoll?" Lilly asked, shaking in primal fear.

"That would be better than this."

On its hind legs, it was larger than even Byakko. The foul smell of decay claimed the air, probably stemming from darkened and rimmed patches of fur that indicated bloody disputes. Its eyes were black marbles, and its claws were just as used as they were neglected, giving them a grievous serrated edge.
Then it noticed them.

Its eyes began gleaming in the same unholy red Lucian had seen the day before. Unlike yesterday, this thing's heckling wasn't even amusing as a spectator. Instead, a coarse, rhythmic rasp could be heard. Each one desperately trying to escape the giant's throat.
And Byakko was nowhere to be seen.