Tsuki ✔️COMPLETE

Chapter 26: The Enemy

Rubi did not know what it was that woke her, but something eerie stirred her from her sleep. She moved only her eyes, peering over her blankets and looking around for something or someone disturbing the night.

The rest of her crew were sleeping, lumps of blankets in the darkness. Mimi propped up against the wall closest to her, unmoving, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Mimi was always close by.

"Mimi," Rubi whispered.

Her long lashes twitched open.

"What is it, Captain?" she whispered back, her own eyes darting around the room.

"Something is wrong." Rubi insisted. "I just don't know wh..."

"What?" Mimi asked again.

Rubi strained her eyes in the darkness, still adjusting to the gloom. From what she could see, there were no changes to the barn.

What time was it? The fire was still smoldering, a faint glow illuminating only a few feet in front of the brasier. It could be any time in the morning. The gentle flicker of the flames coincided with sharp pops from the smouldering wood. Rubi listened carefully. She could hear nothing unusual.

She felt her heart beat rise with sudden panic - true, utter panic. It suddenly hit her.

She could hear nothing. It was dead silent, besides the steady motions of the fire and the breathing of her sleeping friends.

"Rubi, look at the windows..." Mimi said as quietly as possible.

The windows were as dark as they had been in the middle of the night, not the slightest hint of sunshine broke through the rickety shutters. The hole in the roof was a black, starless abyss.

"...Look under the door."

Rubi turned carefully, trying not to rustle her bedding. The door faced west, a mental note Rubi had taken when they made camp. A thin slither of sunlight creeped over the threshold. All logic told her that the west side of the building should have been more shaded from the sun rising in the east. Now it was the brightest side of the building.

Something was blocking the sun on the brightest side, along with the windows and the hole in the roof. All dark.

Something was very, very wrong.

The roof creaked. The only sound for several torturous moments.

"Wake up Kai and Sama." Rubi mouthed wordlessly. "I'll wake 'Ichi and Kage. Quietly."

Thankfully, Mimi understood and carefully reached out an arm to touch Kai on his shoulder. He awoke, clearly disturbed and confused. Mimi rose her finger to her lips and pointed to the ceiling. His eyes followed her and took in the eerie quiet.

No birds, no wind whistling around the mountain. The air was so still and thick it could be cut with a knife.

Kagemaru was sleeping on his belly, blissfully unaware of the world around him. His wings cocooned him in a feathery embrace. She reached for the tiny bit of exposed hand she could see and gently poked him.

He inhaled sharply as he came to.

Rubi kept her face neutral and tapped her ear. Listen.

Light as a bird he got up, barely making a sound. He eyed the roof suspiciously. Could he hear something.

Rubi leaned over Kagemaru's bed and reached for Take'Ichi. For a gut wrenching second, her elbow slid from her pillow as she shifted her weight and hit the sheepskin with a soft thump. It sounded so loud in the deafening silence. She immediately looked at the roof in terror. Was there any chance that whatever was on the roof heard it?