Interlude: The Hare

At some point in time, probably around a thousand years ago, maybe longer, the snare he had found himself trapped in had snapped more than his freedom. The endless solitude of being trapped in that infernal mirror would do that, with only your own mind to keep you company.

He hadn’t always been this broken, this unsound, this mental.

He came from a good family, one of the nomadic tribes of the moon that was assimilated into the main kingdom when famine threatened to wipe his people out. Seeing the royalty being benevolent and kind, he decided that they were worth serving, thinking it would lead to a better life for his aging parents and his little sister.

It didn’t take him long to achieve that, just a few years after they moved with their enclave into the protective walls of the citadel encircling the castle, he started work as a courier. Soon his friendly demeanor and quick service allowed him to be requested for higher-end deliveries, including those to the royals themselves.

On one of his earliest deliveries, he ended up catching sight of the princess, Kagura, tending to the Celestial Serpent. He was immediately smitten by her ethereal beauty.

Which proved to be his hamartia.

For when the one known as the Fox swooped in, eager to steal from the divine treasury, the young courier was the perfect target. He had the knowledge of the castle, the trust of the staff and royal family, thus, multiple weaknesses to be exploited.

Charmed by the tales of the mystical treasure and assured that with the treasures both his family would be set and he could have the object of his affection, he fell for what that deceptive Fox had said.

That deviant Fox had also said their plan was flawless! Yet when they had severed the Serpent from its Celestial reins, the Hound had been quick to pursue the thieves.

And the Hare had been snared, trapped between a hunting Hound and a cunning Fox…