Chapter 3: Hunting Season(ing) Part Two

[mp_npc]

God, was there some planet in retrograde right now? Everything was so…gray. Tome usually would have been able to cite a specific planet but she had been too oddly deflated all day to speculate.

At least she wasn’t the worst one off. No, not by far. That honor went to the pompadour’d thug who did nothing but sulk in the corner of their shared club space now. Her own club mates who were always too scared of him to even approach even tried to offer him one of their honey chip bags out of sheer pity. Tome, usually quite stingy with the resources (especially now they didn’t actually have funding anymore) didn’t even object. ‘How the mighty fall.’

Goda had spent some time trying to cheer Onigawara up. That boy was too nice for his own good. Him AND Kageyama. Tome didn’t know what Goda had been trying, exactly, since she was too engrossed in (or rather numbed by) her video game to listen but she could guess. The Body Improvement Club had one solution for every possible human ailment. It was exactly why she didn’t risk complaining today.

Tome glanced at the clock—it was getting to be that time, wasn’t it? The time where everyone finished their club activities up. Ah. Orwell was calling her name once again.

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[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

It was really coming down now, but thankfully the canopy of the tree overhead kept them sheltered from the worst of it.

Mob didn't have any guidance to offer. Not that he realized Tome was looking for some, anyway. He crouched down so he was closer to the turtledove's height and reached out with a single finger to pet the back of its head.

"Are you hungry?" Mob asked. He didn't know what a hungry bird looked like, but he imagined a hungry bird would be pecking around like this one if he was.

[mp_npc]

"Ooouuooou..." The plaintive groan was as much confirmation as they could expect.

"Uh...will this work?" Tome dug in her school bag and produced a candy bar. Sure, it wasn't birdseed, but it was all she had.

"COOOUAH!?" No sooner had Tome unwrapped it and set it down that the dove was descending upon it in a feeding frenzy. It danced, it fluttered, it cried in joy as it consumed the half-smushed candy bar like it was nature's ambrosia.

"That's not chocolate, is it?" Teru murmured.

Tome bit her lip. "Well...spirits take all kinds of offerings. Right, Kageyama?"

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Yeah, they do," he agreed, letting his mind drift off to Dimple. "If he's a spirit in bird form, it should be okay."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

"This is--couuahh--so good! Who knew humans hid their nuts in stuff this tasty!?" The dove was aglow, savoring the feeling of being full for the first time in a very long time. "Thank you so very much. I am truly in your debt."

"Don't mention it. Are...you still hungry?" Tome pulled out a bag of her favorite honey chips--her bag was more snack than school at this point. The dove trilled and indulged itself at the invitation. If this had been any other time, it could have happily passed on right then and there.

Teru cleared his throat while the dove's little feet kicked out of the chip bag. "Not to interrupt someone during a pleasant meal, but...could you tell us who and what you are?"

"Ah! Yes, that's right!" The dove rustled in the bag in an attempt to free itself, prompting Tome's help in doing so. It shook its feathers free of crumbs and settled into a roosting position. "You see...the truth is I am a turtle dove."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Um," Mob said uncertainly, looking over at Teruki.

[mp_npc]

Teru was rendered speechless for the first time the whole trip.

The dove fretted at the lack of response. "I'm very sorry. I don't have a name, so I can't say whoooo..."

"Now hold on. So you're not an alien?" Yes, even Tome knew she was being foolish after Teru and Kageyama had referred to it as a weird spirit so many times, but perhaps aliens and spirits were on a similar wavelength!?

"Alien?"

"Yes! You know, there are aliens that can take the shape of animals and eat human food." Tome pointedly ignored the way Teru opened and closed his mouth without saying a word. "So, start by telling us what planet you were born on."

"What's a planet?"

Tome waved her arms as she was put on the spot to explain something incredibly basic. "It's like...really big. Really, really big. You call it home! Your family was born in the same place!"

"Oh! Yes, I understand now. If that's what you humans call it! I'm from that planet." The dove extended it's neck all the way out to point at the neighboring tree.

Tome slumped in defeat.

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob gently stroked the bird's head with the tip of his finger. It was way different from petting a dog or a cat, but Mob found it relaxing all the same.

"How can you talk to humans, then?"

[mp_simplyacommoner]

Everything from Tome's bag was spilling out. Teru extended two fingers to covertly gather everything back inside it.

"Well, I really am a turtle dove. At least, I used to be. I'm the spirit of a turtle dove possessing a live turtle dove. And before that...oooo...where should I start...I've never shared my story with humans before." Its head moved to pick a few more crumbs from it's plumage.

A peel of thunder cracked in the distance. The sharp scent of the willow got stronger and stronger as the rain beat down on its leaves.

"A very long time ago I lived here as a baby bird. My nest was in the tall trees here. I lived peacefully with my brothers and sisters. But, one day, our parents never returned from foraging. Then, one day, I was the only one in my nest left. Then, one day, I too..."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob's finger stopped where it was on the turtle dove's head.

"You died, too. But something else happened after that." Mob had a feeling, but that was it. A feeling.

[mp_npc]

"I was terribly sad...lonely...I became an evil spirit. I didn't know anything but hunger and sorrow until one day someone reached out their hand to me. It was a little girl. She reached out her hand to me. She would visit me where I would hide in the chaff every day and bring me porridge. She spoke kindly to me. She probably thought I was a lost pet, but...she even built me this shelter many many years ago to keep me safe during the rain and snow. Then, that girl got bigger and bigger. I thought she'd forget about me, but she always brought me food and said a few kind words. I listened to her. Eventually I gained the ability to say kind words back, but she couldn't hear me. My voice wasn't strong enough to reach her." The dove's neck retracted. "You're the first humans that have ever heard my voice."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Maybe... that woman was related to your underling," Mob said to Teru. He gave the turtle dove another stroke of the head. "But... you're still around. That must mean that there's something here you still want to do." That's how it was for most spirits, anyway. "What can we do to help?"

[mp_simplyacommoner]

The dove cooed softly at Mob's touch and eyed Teru. "What's an underling? Like...a hatchling? Your baby?"

"N-no. It's just someone I know."

"Oh, I see..." The dove deflated. "She's very old now...if you were related to her, I could ask you as her relative...you see, that woman brought a man here one day. I could tell by their auras that they were full of love for each other. They got old and bent together. I loved seeing them together. I loved their energy and their good thoughts. Then, one day, he wasn't here anymore. The woman was as kind as ever and I was happy, but she wasn't happy, and I couldn't do anything for her."

The dove suddenly flew up to perch on Tome's head. Tome didn't flinch as it did, broken out of her funk to listen to its story.

"It's a little hard to explain to humans, but every living thing has energy that flows and focuses in different parts of the body. The woman had a lot of warmth and kindness that radiated out of her, but there was a lot in the...umm..." The dove flew down to Tome's hand and gently prodded her ring finger. "From the shiny thing that she wore here!"

Tome blinked. "Her wedding ring?"

"It was shiny! It made me happy that such a kind human liked shiny things just like me. But...one day, it vanished. After a big storm, a lot of things went missing, but that shiny thing was the most important...after that, I stopped seeing the woman."

Teru frowned. "So, is she still...?"

"I can still feel her energy! She's still alive! And I need to find that shiny thing for her! I've dedicated every day to finding it! I even possessed big smelly animals who could dig through the ground better than me, but...I used up so much energy and now I can't even possess anything but my own kind."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob turned around to look up at the bird as it settled into its new place on Tome's head. "Maybe there's a way we can help you find it."

[mp_npc]

The dove's head swiveled up. "Really!? You could do that?"

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Maybe. It'd be faster than looking by yourself as just a bird."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

The dove looked like it could cry. All it could do was tremble and utter a mess of incoherent coos with a few barely literate words tossed in. Tome reached up and gave it an encouraging pat. Seemed she had fully acclimated to the absurdity of the situation.

Teru watched this impassively and his eyes went to the worsening storm. It was hard to see even three feet past the shelter of the willow. Daisuke had said they should leave the countryside before the monsoon rolled in, hadn't he?

"Do you have any idea of where it is? The ring."

The was snapped out of the frenzy of emotion. "Ah! I did see it recently! I came really close, but that thing chased me away..."

"How long ago did you see it?"

"I suppose...eucooo...the sun has risen and set a few times since...I think. It was near the river. That's where I was trying to go today when I..."

'Tsk.' "With rains this heavy a river will flood in no time. To be honest...we can't rule out that it's been washed away already."

"N-no..."

"Hey. Shadow Leader-kun." Tome's voice had a protective edge to it and she stood. "That's why we need to get going quickly, isn't it?"

"Please don't misunderstand me. I would agree but there's still the matter of 'the thing' you were referring to, Fluffy One." Teru pointed at the dove who was puffing up in emotion. "Right now you're like a little tea light. One stiff surge of energy from Kageyama-kun and I and we could snuff your flame out without even meaning to."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Hanazawa's right," Mob said. "Unless you get far away from here, there's a good chance you'll get hurt. Or worse."

[mp_simplyacommoner]

"I couldn't leave. I'm bound to this place. Even if I could...I don't have the energy to even get to the river on my own anymore."

"...You know. It's strange." The more Teru thought about it, the less it made sense. "Why is it going after you in the first place? Assuming it's hungry, you're not exactly prime prey. We wouldn't have even sensed your presence if you weren't being attacked." Teru added a no offense as Tome visibly bristled.

"...I don't know. I know what you're saying. I was never strong, but I'm weaker than ever now. But you're right. It's a monster that eats other monsters. It's eaten lots of other spirits that have lived here. I always hid and fed quietly. But ever since the old woman lost her ring I could feel it stalking me. When it attacked I would always hide and come back here."

"So, it would make the most sense for you to stay here."

"I can't! I can sense the ring out there somewhere...if I can't show you all where it is, it could wash away in this storm! Just like you said!"

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"I could put up a shield on Kurata-san and the bird spirit," Mob said, looking up and over at Teru. "That will keep them safe for now. If we can find the ring fast enough, we might not have to worry about 'that thing', either."

[mp_npc]

The dove bobbed its head in intense thought. It never had to think so hard about anything before. "Will it be enough...? Is it really alright?"

"That's for them to figure out." Tome took the bird back into her hands and held it at her chest so they could both face forward. "They're psychics. That's what I asked them to come with me for. So let them worry about it. If they need to fight, they'll fight. You're going to lead us to that ring and I'm going to carry you the whole way. So. Let's go!" Tome's tone was as persistently straight-forward as ever but, for once, there was restraint in her words. After all, she wasn't yelling at a bunch of slackers.

No.

This dove...

It had worked harder than anyone she'd ever met in her life. Especially her. Her sudden awareness of this made no difference in the moment. The monsoon wasn't going anywhere. She gave one last look to Teru and Mob and embarked out into the storm.

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

Mob nodded and followed after them, fully committed now to this plan now that Tome made the hard decision of going with it. Mob didn't like making decisions. He didn't fully trust himself the way that he trusted other people.

As Mob navigated the slippery mess of mud beneath his feet, he set up a barrier around Tome and the turtle dove. While its primary purpose was to safeguard the two of them, it had the extra benefit of shielding them from the rain.

Mob was so focused on it that he failed to pay attention to his footing, then found himself slipping in the mud.

[mp_simplyacommoner]

So, that was how it was then. Fine. Teru knew what his part to play here was and he followed dutifully after.

One good rush from that thing, whatever it was, and Teru wasn't confident that a low-energy approach would be enough to ward it off. But, if it came down to a hard choice...well. That was something he didn't need to say out loud.

"Ah!" He could have caught Mob with his psychic power, but they were trying to limit the use of that now, weren't they? Not only to avoid blowing the little dove away but to avoid drawing too much attention to themselves. So it was perfectly natural he would smoothly catch Mob by the arm with his own. "Careful. Am I gonna have to hold your hand?"

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"Um, maybe." Sure, there was holding hands romantically, but there was holding hands for safety, too. Like how he used to hold Ritsu's hand when they crossed the street together as kids. Or when his mom held his hand in the department store to make sure he didn't crawl under the racks of long dresses to hide. Holding hands like that wouldn't be romantic at all.

[mp_simplyacommoner]

"Oh. Okay." Teru dutifully wrapped his fingers around Mob's and cleared his throat and focused on setting a good example of how to manage one's way through mud. "It's, ah, all about core strength."

[spiritsandsuchtrainee]

"I know that the other members of the Body Improvement Club train in the rain sometimes," he mused, more to himself than to his companion. "Maybe I should do the same."