Vibrant Eyes

Chapter 25 - (Part 1) The Battle For Peace

I lay still on the ground as the stars glittered above me. Haru had worked out a plan, and we spent the rest of that day training and preparing. My body ached and my heart pounded. "Tomorrow... tomorrow's the day we take our home back."

'Were we ready? What if we lose?' I didn't know whether I could handle people dying again. I had lost so much. My mother, my life, my friends, and Aether. "Aether..." I wondered how he was doing. 'Would I have to fight him? Will I be able to kill him if I have to?' so many questions floated around in my head as I lay still on the ground looking up at the stars.

I felt someone lay beside me with a grunt. I laughed slightly at his grunt. "Salem go back to bed," I said sitting up and leaning against the tree behind me. Salem grumbled and laid beside me, his head resting on my lap. "I mean that works," I said with a sigh. I placed my hand gently on his head and stroked the top of his head. "No matter what happens... you'll stay with me right?" I got no verbal response from him, but his ears twitching was enough for me to know what he was saying. "I will too, I promise," I said softly.

Time flew by as I watched the sunrise, the cold chill taken away by the warmth of the sun. I could feel my heart beat faster and faster as morning approached. As I saw the sun rise over the mountains in front of me, I knew it was time. Salem lifted his head with a yawn and looked over at me wagging his tail. "Morning, did you sleep well?" I asked. He nodded and lifted my hand with his snout, asking me to pat him. I did so with a smile. "Come on, it's time to get our home back." Salem gave me a determined nod in response. We stood up and stretched, walking back to our temporary camp. I could hear my footsteps echo through my ears as I walked back. We eventually got back and saw everyone preparing for battle. The carers were taking the kids somewhere safe, packing supplies to last a few days. The hair on my neck and arms stood on end and I could feel every breath I took. 'How did I end up like this?' 'Could all of this have been avoided if I said no to Aether back then?' 'Is this all my fault?' I felt a hand on my shoulder, it was Kuragari. "You're blaming yourself. Stop it," he said giving me a pat on the shoulder. I laughed. "How'd you know?" He smiled as I looked up at him. "You're my sister, I just know." We walked towards Haru and the others to hear the plan of action.

"Alright, we're going to take back what's ours. Is everyone ready?" We all nodded at Haru's words. "Good. Now listen up." Haru explained the plan. The plan was to have me stalk Takashi and wait for an opening to strike, while everyone else attacked from different angles. Kuragari led the south army, Haru led the north, Karuma led the east, and Ryou and Haruto led the west. I told Salem to stick with Kuragari as it would've been difficult for both of us to stay hidden.

We did our final preparations, refining our weapons and going over the plan a few times. Finally, we distributed everyone evenly into each army. As the night approached, I was getting more anxious, and I wasn't the only one. "Do you think we can win?" Haru asked me. "Hm?" I responded, not hearing him the first time. He didn't respond to me. Instead, he looked down below the cliff we stood on. "You have doubts, don't you?" I asked him. His eyes lit up as he looked over at me. "Yeah..." his hand curled into a fist. "I don't want more people to die... maybe I should-" I cut him off immediately. "If you're thinking of going out there by yourself and ruining the whole plan, think again," I said quite strongly. He smiled with a slight laugh. "Yeah, thought you might say that." We watched as the sun started to set.

"Are you ready?" He asked me. I gave him a determined nod. "Let's get our home back," I said to him. He agreed. We walked back to the temporary camp and got everyone ready for our attack. It was my time to get into position. I felt Kuragari's worry increase. I gave him a reassuring hug. "I'll be fine, I promise." He nodded, hugging me back. "I know, I trust you." We let go of each other and I turned into a wolf, giving him one last look before running into the forest an into my position. As I walked low to the ground, I felt a drop of water land on my snout. "Rain? This isn't good... I won't get a scent this way," I said.