Teamwork

We had travelled for half a day and my legs were exhausted. I regretted not doing more exercise when I had the chance, but it was too late to complain. I didn’t have the luxury to do so. Luna had noticed that I was struggling to keep up and gave me a walking stick. The role of the wanderer was now fulfilled in this cosmic play.

Lady Marisa turned to me to speak. “For this journey, you are to address me without my title. Our journey is of great importance to the beings of this world.”

“Sure, but is there a particular reason why?” I asked.

“A name, a true name, is much too powerful. Should we let it be spoken of in casual talk, who knows what may happen. Be wary, for there may be evil spies about,” Marisa said.

I didn’t understand what she was talking about, but this parallel world already had many strange rules. I thought back to when I first arrived and had my body controlled by Luna’s commands—how easy it would be to abuse this.

“Okay, I think I understand,” I said. “Would it be alright if we took a break here?”

“No. We are not from a resting spot,” Marisa said.

Although she was accommodating, I could sense that Marisa was no longer playing the role of High Priestess. I couldn’t help but believe that my rejection of the marriage was to blame. Who would want to marry a stranger though? We knew nothing of each other, and I still wasn’t sure if she would steal my soul after we married.

We walked for some time more until we came to a small clearing next to a river. I dropped my backpack and sat down, exhausted and defeated by the arduous march. Marisa gently removed her bag and placed it on the ground. She then walked over to the river and hopped in. I looked at Luna but she was unfazed, instead focused on finding a spot to lie down on.

I approached the river and looked over it, scanning for any sign of Marisa, but she wasn’t there. Finding rocks on the bank to skip, I turned my attention to a new task. The first few throws only skipped twice before plopping into the river, but by the fourth throw I had a rhythm going and could almost get the stones to the other side. Most kids probably played this kind of game in their childhood, growing out of it at because it was too childish, but as you got older you realize how silly such ideas were. Eventually, my supply of stones was empty and Marisa had yet to return.

As I threw one last rock at the river, a few droplets of water landed on my cheek. The trickle of rain turned to a downpour in the blink of an eye. I wondered if these spirits had an expression for ‘raining cats and dogs.’ I rushed back to move our backpacks out of the rain.

“Are you going to move out of the rain?” I asked Luna.

She stood up and pulled a cloak out of an invisible bag, covering her body with it. The cloak included a hood with two holes for her ears to poke out.

“I’ll stay here until her Ladyship returns. You can place the packs under a tree, if you wish,” she said.

A lone bush at the forest’s edge called out to me. It was situated in front of a tree, whose branches hung over it like a wilted flower. I stuffed the bags under the tree, then made a small nook for myself in the bush. It was fine for the time being, but I hoped that Marisa would return soon so we could continue to wherever we were going.

There was a noise far off that caused Luna's ears to perk up, and straighten her tail. The steady drumming of the rain was all I could hear. A quick scan of the area showed nothing. What was I missing? Think! Then it hit me like a jolt. I stumbled over myself in the bush as I craned my neck skyward. There, high above us, was a bird-like creature, like the one from yesterday.

It circled around in the sky. Then, suddenly, it dove towards Luna at ferocious speeds. I groped around the earth for a rock, jumped out of the bush, and threw the rock at the bird. It sailed through the air at an unremarkable pace, missing the bird by half a metre.

Luna, in the meantime, had drawn her sword and braced to strike. She leaped with precise movements, committed and prepared to meet the bird head-on. But the bird opened its wings to stall, changing from attack to feint. I called out to Luna, but it was too late. She was on the downward swing, helpless in the air. The creature flew past her, retaliating with a punishing blow of its tail to her back. She fell and hit the ground hard.

The bird flew up, circled around to find a new angle of attack, and came in low. Luna struggled to her feet, dazed, turning in time to meet the charge. They collided in a chaotic, jumbled mess of fur and feathers. Claws, beaks, fangs, and teeth swam into a raw, murderous maelstrom. A powerful gust from the bird’s wings broke the two apart. Neither made a sound as they stared each other down. The creature unfurled its wings wide, challenging Luna with a roar. Luna grabbed her sword—lost in the chaos of battle—and advanced on the creature. The creature attempted to lift off, but a wing struggled with the task—broken, grounding the creature. In a flash, the sword had found its mark, nestled between the ribs and pierced through the creature’s heart. It fell over dead.

With the throes of battle over, I regained my senses.

“Luna, are you hurt!?” I called out as I ran up.

Luna took a step back, pulling her sword out, and wiped the blood away. “I have suffered worse and bested better. I will live.”

“That was intense! I tried to hit the bird as it dove on you but I misjudged the timing. Then I noticed it made a feint but I couldn’t warn you in time,” I said.

“I commend your bravery, for the griffon is fierce foe. By grace, it had eyes only for me, seeking revenge, no doubt, for its slain comrade.”

“Right, I see. What should we do with this thing?” I asked, gesturing to the carcass.

“Help me cut the limbs, we must purify the body with fire before its evil spirit seeps into the earth. There is a knife in your pack,” Luna said.

I grimaced at the thought of carving up a dead animal. Resigned to my fate, I went back to retrieve the knife and joined Luna in the work. Once the creature was prepared, Luna grabbed a small pouch from inside her cloak, took out a pinch of some mysterious powder, and spread it across the body. She then invoked a spell, igniting the powder. The pyre burned brilliantly; shades of emerald and amber danced in the twilight and rain.

The rain eventually died down while the fire raged. It was warm, drying my soaked pants and shoes. My rain jacket had kept my shirt dry, but it might draw too much attention and out me as a human. I need to inquire about getting a traveling cloak like Luna’s.

A bubbling, gushing sound came from the river and Marisa emerged from it. Where had she been this whole time?

“Oh my, what has happened here?” she asked as she approached.

“A griffon attacked us in your absence. My blade struck it dead,” said Luna.

“Oh how dreadful! I am glad no one was hurt,” Marisa said.

“Luna was hurt,” I said. “Where were you? We could have used your help.”

“Where was I...? Well, I required a break to rejuvenate my essence. A human would not understand.”

“Maybe not—there’s still a lot about this world I don’t know—but you could have told me. We’re a team, we need to communicate like one.”

“My Lady, Ferdinand is right. We have a duty to guide him through this world—a duty entrusted to us by the King,” Luna said.

“Duty! That is all I ever hear from those around me. Luna, your habit of speech is too reminiscent of my mother’s,” Marisa said, throwing her arms up.

Marisa stormed off, fed up with our lecturing. I didn’t think my words were harsh, but anyone would feel cornered when it’s two-on-one. Night was soon approaching, so Luna helped me prepare my sleeping arrangements. She reassured me that Marisa would return in the morning.