The Runaway Lady

The rain poured down heavily, matching the beat of the waves crashing against the shore. The orchestra almost silenced the hurried footsteps. A few miles back, hundreds of men with artillery scouted right in the direction of those footprints. Luck was on her side that her scent and trace got wiped by the heavy shower, or else it would be impossible to escape those hunting hounds. As her hurried steps took her to the highest peak, she could clearly see the search party narrowing down on her. She took a glance at the approaching barks, then looked below the splashing depths. With one hand over the foxtail ring she was wearing and the other on her heart, she closed her eyes and jumped.

As she fell, visions of what seemed like a distant life flashed before her eyes. Mia, in a bright blue floral dress, is running around in the woods beside the hills. A laugh was ringing in her head. The one searching for her and running behind, calling out her name, "Mia, Mia, I got you this time". And they both topple over the stream in each other's arms. Lost in the dreamy, hazy eyes that sometimes changed color. Sometimes purple, sometimes azure, often olive, at times ochre, and more She knew the love of her life was no ordinary man. He was an immortal from the Wolf Clan, or so she thought. He kissed her head as he pulled them both out of the stream and then soared right up to the clouds with her in his arms. All she cared about back then was to be in those arms and giggle, like she often did like a little girl. Her mother had given them her blessing. She couldn't wait to be the beautiful bride to her handsome husband.

She remembered the night they got married. She even wondered how her life could be so perfect. She felt like she was in a dream and never wanted to wake up from it. But things started changing soon after their marriage. She hardly got to see him until, one day, he vanished with no trace. One mountain after another has been falling over her ever since. She had almost lost count of all her problems by then; they were just too many.

As the thoughts passed, tears rolled down her cheeks, but before they could fall, a familiar hand with a familiar scent wiped them away and pulled her up close. She was so relieved, shocked, confused, and angry at the same time that she dared not open her eyes. But she held onto his robe with all her might.

A flash of brilliant light appeared at that instance, engulfing the darkness and the girl within it. For a few seconds, the pursuers went blind to the brilliance. By the time they uncovered their eyes, it was all gone, and once again darkness enveloped them along with the downpour.

"Wasn't that the signature escape light technique of the Fox clan?" One of the men shouted his lungs out.

"The hunter was right. Immediately go back to the castle and report the incident." The lead horseman commanded as another galloped their way away at full speed towards the ruling mortal kings' castle.

"We must look around a little bit more for anything that might seem useful. Keep your mind and eyes alert. Anything could be evidence. Nothing can be missed." He instructed the rest on foot.

Remember, we have immortals involved here. The ancient curse cannot be allowed to reign. The peace between the West and the East, if broken, will toll the heaviest on us mortals." I observed the elder in the group reminiscing.

Yes, sir," Echoed through the ranks as they got busy with the crisis at hand.

******

The foxes and the wolves

Centuries have passed in peace, with the Fox Clan domineering over the West and the Wolf Clan ruling the East. The lines have always been strict between the borders. Not even an inch of foot was set on the other side without permission. The rules were crystal clear. The human world in between was the place of exchange for trade and other official affairs. There were some rare ceremonial gatherings between the two Immortal Clans . But they were numbered and happened after ages. There was no regular contact between the members of the two clans unless it was official or urgent. It was basically due to fear of the Law of the Land that forbade them from forming any sort of 'blood ties' between the clans. It was no ordinary law. It was the law written on the Seal of Destiny, and whoever dared to disobey would be afflicted with a terrible curse that would haunt them for eternity. Even the people from the human realm were cautious enough to uphold and guard this law, as nobody had forgotten the bloody massacre that had happened a few centuries ago. The horror was still fresh in the minds of the immortals and in the history of humans.

The immortal hunters had been quick enough to tip the mortal king about the presence of this unforgivable lawbreaker. Not only that, he was informed that the Mirror of Knowledge has already detected manifestations of the curse in certain places of his kingdom. The situation was desperate. If he was unable to trace the defaulter, there would soon be immortals from both lands filling up his kingdom, and the clashes they would engage in would be doom for the humans in the area. That day, the scouts were almost able to catch up with the female around whom there was news that the curse had been noticed. But just in time, she was kidnapped by someone belonging to the Imperial Fox family. They could identify this by the escape technique he used. This is now even more complicated. Was the Fox Clan responsible for this felony? And the question was why the curse had not manifested all at once. There were too many riddles.

News of the offense had reached both clans as well. There was an atmosphere of rage, uncertainty, and suspicion.

The situation was especially tricky at the Fox Clan, as they were now being called in league with the offender. The king had called all his nineteen sons into his presence for this purpose. They all came in, paid their respects to their father, and then took their respective seats.

"I believe you all are well aware of the situation about offenses against the Law written in the Seal of Destiny." The king asked.

Yes, father," replied the princes in unison.

"You might also be aware that our imperial family is being accused of being an ally of the offender." He enquired.

"Father, it surely is a conspiracy," said the first prince, enraged.

"It sounds more like a rumor spread by those wolves." Put in the fifth Prince bluntly.

"But the espace routine was witnessed by the entire scouting team from the human world. Do you still believe the wolves might be behind it?" The king pressed.

There was silence in the room, followed by whispers and each person glaring at the other.

"Precisely, my reason for calling you all here today was to ask you in person if anyone knows or has seen anything unusual. I wanted to be sure that my sons were not part of whatever was coming. I hope none of you have forgotten what happened centuries ago. We must work together, if need be, with the wolves to eradicate this crime. Am I understood?" The king asked in a heavy, stern voice.

"Yes, father," echoed through the Hall of the Royal meeting place.