Ribbontail: Enter Emalia
Chapter 12: Fidei?

Author's Note: Please read my artist's comments before continuing. :3
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PuppetRibbontail had proven to be a welcome guest, providing both Ribbontail and O’liday with much reason to finally relax. The spirit guardian kept her silence and trailed behind the duo as they had traveled the rest of the day, and together the three trekked on stopping only on behalf of O’liday’s desire to search for food.  

They had traveled almost the entire day, an uneventful trek through the thick forest that wound across steep, muddied hills and across streams and rivers. It had rained the entire day and this did not make their course any easier, but their path was an undisturbed one.

At least, Ribbontail thought, we did not come across OmenBeast.

Ribbontail finally forced herself to stop, as the sun slowly began sinking down behind the ominous rain clouds. As the faded disc pitched below the horizon Ribbontail hunted down a makeshift shelter- a small outcrop in a sheer stony cliff- and settled gingerly in the niche. She was more than appreciative of the presence of O’liday and PuppetRibbontail than she had first expected. A friend she had met just that morning and a bony, decaying wolf were not the most amiable snuggling partners, but they provided her with a feeling of warmth and comfort.  

Safe from the rain the trio lay curled together, a warm ball of fur in the chilling night.

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Ribbontail’s third morning on Emalia proved to be far better than her first two. The prior days she had woken to a mangled, freezing body, in a cave where the demonic presence of OmenBeast ruled her thoughts. Today she felt far better.

In the cold morning Ribbontail was the first to rise, waking slowly to the rolling of distant thunder. Slowly and painfully she opened her eyes, regarding the darkened daybreak with a cavernous yawn. It was still raining, as it had the entire day before, but now it had lessened to a gentle, light drizzle.

Her body still ached slightly from the pummeling the river had given to her, and her right foreleg still throbbed numbly, but it was not enough to subdue her. Ribbontail felt less pain now, felt more assurance from her two new friends.

Ribbontail adjusted the strap she had retrieved, checking to reassure herself that the Scroll was still there, before she stretched her tired limbs.

Another yawn later and the young wolf was on her feet, regarding O’liday and PuppetRibbontail. O’liday lay spread-eagle across PuppetRibbontail, with his pink tongue licking at an imaginary ice cream cone as he dozed lazily. On the other hand PuppetRibbontail, however, lay awake like a guard dog, eyeing Ribbontail with those dull black eyes. As she was created to do, the spirit guardian remained awake all night and had been on vigil for her master.

The two looked very comical like this.

Ribbontail leaned in on the curled-up PuppetRibbontail and whispered to her, “Stay here and watch O’liday. I’ll be right back.”

PuppetRibbontail gazed at her master with a look of understanding and promise.

Alone now, Ribbontail turned and made her way through the morning mist, sniffing here and there as she explored the dawn world around her. She trotted on through the forest, paws softly patting against the dewy morning grass, until she came upon a trickling creek.

Slowly the young goddess lowered her head, gazing into the slow-moving waters. In the gray light she could distinguish herself from the dark world around her- a beautiful, young canine face with bright, attractive eyes and a smile that would soften any soul. She was a lovely beast. Lovely, heartwarming, and contented.

Wow… I have changed. I’m so much prettier now. Ribbontail said to herself, an agreeing smile curling across her wolf face. She was no longer a pitiful sight, but a valiant and regal-looking wolf- a goddess, powerful and esteemed.

As the young Ribbontail sat back, she admired the beautiful, peaceful forest around her. Her prior worry of OmenBeast had now escaped her mind and she found a state of peace in her mind; worrying about a monster was the least of her thoughts, as now she had two friends to protect her.

What monster would attack me now? thought the girl, when I have PuppetRibbontail with me?

Ribbontail got to her feet and lowered herself closer to the stream, lapping in eager mouthfuls of water. Then she turned and hurried back to the makeshift den.

“Hey O’liday,” Ribbontail barked as she returned to her two friends, “come on. We’ve got to get moving. You too, PuppetRibbontail. Come on!”

On command PuppetRibbontail got to her paws, an attentive and bright light in those hollow eyes. As she did this O’liday fell back onto the ground, his provisional PuppetRibbontail bed no longer there.

“Huh? Wha…what?” O’liday kicked himself up, rolling into a loose sitting position as he smacked his lips tiredly. “Dude…five more minutes.”

A melodramatic faint was all that O’liday gave to Ribbontail as he sprawled back down on the dewy grass, and no sooner did he hit the ground he began snoring raucously.

“No, come ON, O’liday!” Ribbontail padded over to her little friend and grabbed a mouthful of his scarf, pulling the feliulf back up onto his feet. O’liday tottered and collapsed again, slumping over and waving for Ribbontail to leave him alone.

Pouting, Ribbontail examined her sleeping friend for a moment before once more plucking him off the ground. This time instead of standing him up she gave her head an effortless swing, tossing the sleeping feliulf up onto her back.

That was settled; Ribbontail would not deal with O’liday as though he was a child, goading him again and again to wake up. Instead she would go on without waking him.

Gesturing for PuppetRibbontail to follow, Ribbontail turned and padded off into the morning mists. Morning two, she thought, I hope it goes a lot better than yesterday morning.

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By the time the smothered sun had arced into the sky overhead, the storm began to subside and the thick curtains of rain finally thinned into a light drizzle. The once-monstrous black clouds above had become mere pearly-gray ones, and occasionally a patch of white clouds would drift overhead. It was the phase of the storm in which everything became silent, hushed for a long while as the world began to relax. Ribbontail recognized the feeling even from back on Earth: as a rainstorm began to settle, so would the rest of the land.

Ribbontail, now less fearful of the thought of OmenBeast, trudged through the forest as she had the entire day. She lifted her head for once and took in a deep breath, feeling the comforting light drizzle caress her face.

Despite yesterday’s major setback she had made good time, and Ribbontail knew that she was back on track. To follow the single day-star was her goal now; at the moment it was all she had to worry about.

As he had done all day, O’liday relaxed on Ribbontail’s back, resting between her shoulders. He had turned himself over on his back and was munching intently on a stick.

“So dude,” the feliulf finally meowed, yawning, “where’d you get Puppet?” He grinned and picked his teeth with the stick he had been working at, brandishing it in PuppetRibbontail’s direction. The little wolf-like creature obediently trailed behind Ribbontail, keeping in-step with her master.

Ribbontail blinked and her head shot up. “Huh? Oh… my mother gave her to me. PuppetRibbontail belonged to her, but she gave her to me so I’d have protection.”

“Smart mom,” O’liday mumbled, spitting out a piece of the stick as he bit down on it.

The thought of Riddle crossed Ribbontail’s mind and the young wolf lowered her head. “Yeah…” she agreed, saying nothing else.

O’liday and Ribbontail fell silent for a long while, without any conversation as they padded through the forest. Her mind wandered as she trekked on silently, her eyes downcast with the sudden memory of Riddle weighing down her mind. Riddle seemed more than hateful towards Ribbontail; such things had happened to her before, back in Earth, so she was immune to such dislike.

The other gods, and even PuppetRibbontail, seemed to be hated by Riddle- this must have been a mere personality complex of Riddle. Maybe she just hates everyone… Ribbontail sighed. But at least the young goddess was liked by the other gods, Pola especially. If Riddle’s opinion had been omitted it would have been that EVERY Emalian god had a liking for Ribbontail, and the young wolf suddenly smiled.

“Hey O’liday?” Ribbontail suddenly pondered, turning her head and grinning at her little companion, “Do you believe in the Emalian gods?”

For a brief second Ribbontail expected O’liday to not respond. But instead  he simply stretched and yawned, turning to jeer at her with an upside-down face. “Hah sure dude. We all know they exist, right? Anybody who doubts that is totally bogus. Why you ask?”

“Well…I was just wondering if you’ve ever met them. Do they come down to Emalia where we are now?”

“Nah, I dunno,” he replied shortly, “I guess they’re just some rad mythological thing, some story to tell to kits so they can go to bed with a bedtime story. I mean when I was a kit my old man used to show me picture books with old paintings of those gods. Totally chill an’ creepy looking, ya know? But here in real life I don’t think they even have a physical form, dude. You totally don’t know your religion much, do you?”

Ribbontail turned to see the puzzled look O’liday was giving her. She turned and blushed slightly, stuck without an answer. He obviously wouldn’t believe that she was a goddess- what would she say?

“Which of the gods do you like?”

The next question Ribbontail asked was abrupt, and it gave O’liday an even further edge of confusion.

O’liday scratched his hat  with his chewing stick. “Well uh… dude, I don’t know. Natas I guess. He’s a totally rad goat dude.”

“Natas…” Ribbontail mused as a grin broke across her face, “The god of darkness.” She remembered him clearly: Natas was the only upright standing god, the one with a flowing black cloak and a hooded face that she never got to see. Despite the dark and mysterious air about him, Ribbontail liked him. He seemed to be stately and respectful. Ribbontail settled on the memory of Natas for a moment before laying down another flat question, “What about Riddle?”

“Riddle?” meowed O’liday, “I don’t like Riddle much, dude. Total hag. In the old storybook my old man used to show my bro and I she looked like this nasty old wolf thing with stitches and bones. Bummer to be her, huh?” O’liday paused to gnaw off the tip of his stick before he tossed it aside; as he did so, he added another remark. “Hey actually she looked a ton like Puppet there with all those stitches and bones. Kinda funny huh? Did your mom worship Riddle?”

My mom IS Riddle, Ribbontail almost barked this aloud, but instead said, “No. I guess it was just coincidence.”

“Chill.”

This was the last thing O’liday said before he stretched, yawned, and curled up to go back to sleep. Ribbontail couldn’t help but laugh at this; O’liday was either talking or sleeping as they traveled on, particularly the latter. She expected that he, being a feline, would sleep often- she just didn’t expect him to spend MOST of his downtime dozing.

Still a circular white glow behind the gray stormclouds, the sun began its afternoon descent. With O’liday asleep, Ribbontail and PuppetRibbontail traveled silently through the forest. The two were swift and efficient travelers without the distraction of conversation, and gradually the landscape began a sudden change. The thick overgrowth of trees and foliage steadily began fading away as they trudged on, the copious vegetation falling away to reveal meadows and expansive plain lands.

These plains became most evident as the trio made their slow ascent to the tip of a hill, a massive rise in the ground flagged by a single skeleton of an oak tree. From here the land seemed to break off, and before them stretched a great expanse of rolling, tumbling hills. The shimmering waves of honey-colored fields lengthened even off into the distance. Storm clouds, gray and ominous, acted as a reflection of sorts to the infinite pastures, stretching overhead. And for once no rain fell; this was refreshing to Ribbontail, as she could for once walk with her head lifted high.

Ribbontail stood at the crest of the hill and took in a deep breath, her face full of wonder and awe. “Beautiful,” she sighed, slowly dropping down onto her haunches.

A loud yawn from behind told Ribbontail that O’liday was awake. The feliulf got to his paws and threw himself atop Ribbontail’s head, stretching as he did. “Awww dude, look at this. No more forest, just nice an’ chill fields,” he explained tiredly, propping himself up with a single arm.

PuppetRibbontail silently appeared at her master’s side and sat down beside her, seemingly filled with the same sense of wonderment. The three of them sat and relaxed, the silence of the meadow enveloping them.

“So I think this is near where the official boundary line for the Sandstone Desert begins,” O’liday clarified as he slid off Ribbontail’s head and into the soft meadow grass, “not very deserty now, dude, but a hundred or so miles from here and we should be in the desert.”

“A hundred miles?” Ribbontail gasped, “that’s a lot!”

“Yeah, but that’s not too much. Maybe one or two days and we should be there dude. It’s totally NOTHING compared to the Sandstone Desert, man.” Casually, the feliulf snapped a strand of wheat and began chewing on it, an inexplicable habit of his.  “Besides, it’s all smooth sailing from here, dude. Like riding a wave.”

Ribbontail puffed her chest, a deep sigh that filled her body with a relaxing breath. “The Sandstone Desert isn’t that big, is it?”

The long, slow nod that O’liday gave her made it evident that the Sandstone Desert was not a small land. Ribbontail recalled the brief moment when Why-Yeh and Riddle took her up into the stars to look down upon the planet; the land of Emalia, a colossal and beautiful continent, was taken up mainly by the dry desert. It was the central part of the continent, and every other land seemed to pale in comparison to it.

Nodding in agreement, Ribbontail gulped. “It’s going to be a long trip,” she sighed.

“Well I’ll be with you all the way, kid.” O’liday gave Ribbontail a promising punch to her flank, and she looked down to meet his friendly grin. Then the feline added, “and so will Puppet here, right?”

Ribbontail nodded.  The two would follow her to the ends of Emalia; they were her traveling partners to the end.

“Come on guys,” Ribbontail said, getting up to stretch, “Let’s go.”

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As the day dragged on long fingers of light crept across the now-barren landscapes, rippling across the great meadows the trio now traveled upon. Graceful wisps of wheat and meadow grass swayed gently in the fading storm, like ghostly tufts of grass.

Late afternoon crept nearer as Ribbontail’s once-swift pace slowed. She had been traveling throughout the day with few stops; to her delight, the landscape now was less broken and steep, and her path was much easier than it had been before.

As the broad shafts of afternoon light finally began breaking their way through the clouds, Ribbontail fell exhausted in the shade of a single old oak tree. A glassy pond stood gloomily in the shade of this tree, but immediately O’liday began lapping thirstily from it.

Ribbontail eyed her friend as he took tiny, delicate sips from the water’s edge. “Why are you so thirsty? It’s not like you’re doing the walking or anything,” she sighed, the tip of her pink tongue running the lengths of her dry lips.

“I know dude,” O’liday mewled innocently. He said no more, but continued drinking.

Like a deplorable pet, PuppetRibbontail approached her master and lowered her head; it was an act of adoration, strangely, as the ghastly wolf lowered herself into a bow before laying herself down in the grasses.

Ribbontail gazed at her spirit guardian for the longest while before finally turning and letting her eyes take in the open hills about her. These rolling fields seemed to go on forever, as O’liday had said, and as it turned out he was entirely correct. There was nothing to do here but walk and chat on the way; seemingly enough they were the only ones here for miles, with no landmarks or villages. Alone, the three simply sat and rested silently.

“Hehe. Hey Ribs,” O’liday busted out suddenly, breaking Ribbontail’s vigil, “mind if I play with Puppet for a while?”

“Huh?” Ribbontail blinked and turned. “Will she listen to you?”

O’liday’s usual nonchalant smile beamed unusually in the afternoon light as he rolled his shoulders in a curious shrug. “Totally. Spirit summonings’ll do that, all you have to do tell her and she’ll listen to me, dude.”

In an unsure manner Ribbontail paused to take a long look at PuppetRibbontail; the deathly guardian kept her stare fixed on her master, at full attention as always. “Oh um… sure, I guess. If she doesn’t mind.” At this PuppetRibbontail gave no verbal response, so Ribbontail gestured to her small feliulf friend. “PuppetRibbontail,” Ribbontail commanded, “I guess O'liday wants to try something with you.”

PuppetRibbontail did not reply but merely turned her attention to O’liday.

“Ugh!” O’liday cringed at this motion, “Uh well Puppet! Stand up.”

Curiously, Ribbontail watched as the spirit guardian did as she was commanded. She rose slowly to her paws, rigid joints snapping and popping as she did, then peered down at O‘liday as if awaiting further orders.

In a vivacious manner O’liday clapped his forepaws together. “Haha! Good dude, now sit.”

PuppetRibbontail sat.

“O’liday, you’re treating her like a dog. She’s not a pet, you know.” Ribbontail almost stopped O’liday then and there, but the lively feliulf merely waved a paw in her direction.

“Now roll over!” meowed O’liday.

The spirit guardian did exactly what she had been told, throwing herself onto the ground and barreling in a full circle, as a dog would have done.

By now O’liday was laughing raucously. An excited grin across his face, he was already glancing around for another whimsical command to throw at PuppetRibbontail.

“O’liday stop, that’s mean-” Ribbontail stood up. She did not want PuppetRibbontail to feel used, certainly not so soon.

The amused O‘liday admonished Ribbontail’s remark and waved another paw in her direction. He began laughing now, “No no wait, stop. PuppetRibbontail, I want you to climb that tree and dive into the pond. Do a canonball or something rad like tha-”

“No don’t! That‘s just mean!” Ribbontail shot to her paws just as her spirit guardian began carrying out these orders; the bony creature rose once more and hobbled to the large oak behind them, clearly doing as she was told. “Puppet, stop!” The young goddess hurried over to cut off Puppet’s path and the two collided face-first with one another. Ribbontail fell sprawling in the grass, coughing as PuppetRibbontail stepped mindlessly over her.

“Nope dude, she’s gonna do it,” O’liday laughed, watching the awkward scene from a distance, “Do a canonball, Puppet!”

Ribbontail puffed and reached out to grab a firm hold of PuppetRibbontail’s leg. What happened next was awkward: the gratuitous PuppetRibbontail continued on towards the tree, dragging Ribbontail along behind her.

“Puppet, DON’T. That’s stupid!” cried Ribbontail, tugging and pulling against her spirit guardian. The mixed cries of Ribbontail’s objections and O’liday’s badgering filled the once-calm air, a loud concoction of opposition and approval.

From nowhere, though, called a single voice. A single strong, sarcastic, sadistic, mocking voice. “Ribbontail?”

The voice belonged to Fidei.