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Mystic Heart Odyssey, Chapter 8 - The Nightmare. (Haven't actually been titling these chapters- perhaps I should?) Here we are, folks. Kuna's backstory is revealed- a significant chunk of it, anyway. Warning, as with the previous chapter, there will be mentions of gore and violence, as well as bullying and loss. Grab some tissues if you need 'em.

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Once they'd entered the woods once more, Lykou and Kuna began looking for a good place to set up camp, but it took them a while to find one. The terrain quickly started getting more uneven, with a number streams, large boulders, and crevasses slowing them down a bit. But finally, they came across a perfect spot. A large, solid stone overhang jutted out from the ground, with a stream flowing off one side in a modest waterfall. Between the curved stone wall blocking two sides and the water flowing over a third, it was almost like an artificial structure, with plenty of space well away from the water to set up a sleeping spot.

Lykou wasted no time setting up a small firepit on the edge of the enclosed space, while Kuna spotted and began harvesting a large patch of meshweed. "I'm not sleeping on hard ground tonight," the sereva said with conviction when asked about it. "Try and find some kala leaves or something."

Lykou nodded and searched around the campsite once he had a fire going, eventually finding a few kala bushes nearby. They both worked in relative silence for a while, with the sereva fervently trying to stitch up a makeshift mat for them to sleep on as the sun was setting. Luckily, they had a decent fire to work by once it'd started getting dark. Once they'd finally gotten it in an acceptable state, they set it up in the back of their temporary shelter under the overhang.

Kuna almost immediately collapsed on top of it with a heavy sigh, a somber and fatigued expression on his face. While the echo encounter had been a spectacular event, the rest of the day had weighed heavily on him ever since they left the village ruins.

"Hey," Lykou said softly as he sat down on the mat next to him.

Kuna glanced up tiredly. "Hmm?"

"C'mere," Lykou said, not waiting before gently pulling the sereva over into his lap. Kuna didn't resist, at least partly because he lacked the energy.

"W-, hey," he weakly protested without any real conviction. "What are you-?"

Lykou embraced him in a tight hug. When he finally pulled back, he looked the sereva in the eyes and gently stroked his side. "I know today was especially rough on you. Just wanted to remind you how proud I am of you, and if you need anyth-"

This time, Kuna cut him off by slumping over in his arms, laying his head against the canid's neck as he took a long, slightly shivery breath. "Thanks," he said softly. "But I'm not really in a talking mood right now. Even less than usual."

"No, I get it. I just I wanted you to know, that I think I have some idea about... at least what some of your demons are now," Lykou assured him. "You don't have to explain anything. Especially not now. But just know I'm here for you if and when you do want to talk it out, alright? And in the meantime, anything I can do to help..."

Kuna smiled slightly and just clung to the konuul silently for a minute. "This is plenty for now. Thank you, Lykou."

They sat in silence for a while, just listening to the nearby waterfall. It was exactly the serene, peaceful moment they both needed after the kind of day they'd had. The moon was at just the right level that it created a beautiful, shimmery glow on the back wall of their little makeshift den, distorted in an enchanting way by the falling water. The air was a little chilly, though, so Lykou soon brought out his blanket and wrapped it around the two of them. As they both eventually laid down for the night, Kuna curled up close to him, and it was only partly for the sake of warmth. Lykou couldn't help but smile a bit as he dozed off.

*****

On a peaceful afternoon, a young male sereva was sitting down at the base of a large tree, collecting mushrooms from a large, mixed patch growing in the shade. He wasn't exactly alone- a number of other sereva were collecting various things growing in the surrounding area as well. But only one stood close to him.

"Oh, not that one, Kuna. Spots are bad, remember?" the older female sereva said as she bent down and tapped him on the shoulder."

"Oh, right! S-sorry," the young Kuna said, dropping the toxic mushroom and looking at the patch awkwardly. "I, uh..."

The older sereva chuckled and rubbed his head gently. "No need to be embarrassed. Mushrooms are tricky."

Kuna looked up with a sheepish smile. "Yeah, you could say that again."

"You're getting better at it though. You've got quite a collection there," she assured him with a gentle smile in return. "I'm going to step over there," she said, gesturing to a sunny spot across a small nearby field. "For a few minutes to get some shelberries, alright? If you need help, just call out for me or your father."

"Okay Mom."

About a minute or two after the older sereva walked away, a shadow fell over the young boy. He frowned, already knowing who the likely owner of the shadow was. "What do you want, Niric?"

"Oh nothing, just checking on the curse-boy," came a voice behind him. Suddenly the other kid plopped down next to him. "Finding any antlers down here?"

"Go away, Nir," Kuna said, rolling his eyes and trying not to look at his unwelcome visitor. "I'm busy."

"Oh look, this one would suit you just right if you dried it out a bit!" Niric plucked up a particularly grotesque mushroom covered in pustules and held it up to one of the two small bumps on Kuna's head. "Find another one and you might almost pass for normal!"

Kuna sighed in exasperation. "Cut it out, Nir!"

"Or what, you gonna curse me?" Niric laughed, then knocked the basket out of Kuna's lap. "Oops, better have mommy come help you sort those out again! Poor clumsy Kuna!"

"Hey!" Kuna shouted, some tears forming in his eyes as he scrambled to try and retrieve his afternoon's work.

Niric laughed a bit more, before suddenly a much larger hand suddenly grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and hoisted him firmly up to eye level with its owner.

"Niric. What have I told you about bothering my son?" the stag asked in a cool, steely tone as he nearly glared a hole through the child's skull.

"M-mister Arden! I-I was just trying to help Kuna with-" Niric nervously tried to respond, struggling against the adult's grip.

"I'm not fond of lies, Niric. If I catch you giving Kuna trouble again, I will PERSONALLY see to it that you AND your worthless father spend the rest of the season sleeping in the thornbrush," Arden informed the brat. "Do I make myself PERFECTLY clear?"

With a genuinely terrified expression, Niric frantically nodded. "Y-yes sir!"

"Good. Now go find him and tell him what you were up to before I do," Arden said, dropping Niric from his hand.

Niric quickly scrambled away, bolting for the far side of the nearby clearing as soon as his feet touched the ground.

"For all the good it'll do," Arden muttered as he watched the troublemaker go. He then turned his attention to Kuna, who was trying to re-fill his basket and clearly having some difficulty focusing.

On a couple of occasions, Kuna accidentally grabbed one of the unharvested spotted mushrooms, realized his mistake, and threw it aside. And he also occasionally paused to rub his eyes, trying to hide his face as Arden knelt down next to him.

"Are you alright, Kuna? He didn't hurt you did he?" Arden asked as he gently laid a hand on the boy's back.

"N-no. I'm fine. It's n-no big deal. I can..." he trailed off, then paused and clenched his eyes shut, trying to force back the tears. "Dad... am I r-really cursed?" he asked

Arden quickly pulled Kuna into a warm embrace. "No, kiddo, you're not cursed," he assured him, softly stroking his head. "Some people just don't know how to deal with 'different' without jumping to dumb conclusions."

"But-"

"No buts," Arden pulled back and gently lifted his son's chin up to look him in the eye. "You are exactly as nature intended. There's nothing wrong with you. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise."

Kuna teared up a bit more, then embraced Arden with a weak smile. "Thanks, Dad."

After they hugged in silence for a moment, Arden suddenly pointed down by Kuna's side. "Oh look, you missed a big one!"

Kuna raised an eyebrow and looked down next to his leg, only to suddenly burst into a fit of laughter as he felt fingers tickling his sides. "Dad, quit!"

"Oh hello sweetie," came Kuna's mother's voice. "Everything alright over here? I saw Niric running from here," she asked with some concern. She then shielded her mouth with a hand and leaned in closer to whisper to her mate as he released Kuna and stood up, a sour look on her face. "Is that little shit causing trouble again?"

Arden nodded. "I've had it with them, Tashi. I'm going to talk to the council when we return. It's obvious that Krenus has no intention of getting his brats under control."

Kuna started to stand up, wavering ever so slightly. His mother rushed over to him. "Oh, Kuna, be careful!"

"Mooom, I'm fine," Kuna whined, but smiled softly nonetheless. "I'm not a clumsy little kid anymore."

"I know, I know," Tashi said, rubbing his head gently. "Just don't get up too quickly."

"I haven't had a dizzy bit in months, Mom," Kuna assured her. "I'm fine."

Tashi smiled. "No, you haven't have you? Still, just be careful."

Suddenly, a scream rang out from across the field. All three turned their attention to the source, and saw several other terrified gatherers running their direction.

"RAVAGER!" someone else shouted.

"Oh spirits," Tashi said, her smile vanishing in an instant.

"Come on, lets go," Arden urged them, and all three began fleeing the approaching danger. A loud, vicious roar echoed through the forest as the screams became more dire and frequent. One was abruptly cut off, worryingly close behind them. Kuna's heart was racing as he held his mother's hand and frantically tried to keep up, his eyes wide and terrified.

"How did it get past the sentinels??" Tashi wondered out loud.

"I don't know, but we can't lead it back to the village. Lets head for the watchers. We can hide there until they deal with it," Arden said as he started leading them of to the northeast.

Soon, they were in an unusual field full of large boulders of various shapes. some of them laying partly on top of one another. Tashi took Kuna's hand and guided him to a cluster that were leaning against one another in such a way that there was a small gap underneath. She bent down and urged Kuna to crawl inside. "Quick, in here sweetie."

"Mom, n-no, I don't-" he tried to object, his eyes shimmering with fearful tears.

Tashi gently, but firmly grabbed Kuna's shoulders. "Kuna. You have to hide. We'll come get you when it's safe. But for now you're going to have to be brave. Just like I know you can. Alright?"

Sniffling a bit, Kuna nodded. The two embraced briefly, then Tashi ushered him into the hole under the rocks. Once he was inside, she stood up and turned to face Arden. "Come on, let's-"

But the stag was frozen in place, leaning on a rock with an odd expression on his face. Blood started dripping from his mouth as his eye twitched.

"Arden?!" Tashi cried out as she took a step towards him.

"Dad?!" Kuna shouted, suddenly noticing the world starting to darken. It was like the sun itself was fading from the sky.

Right before his eyes, a red crack appeared in his father's torso. Then, in a fountain of blood and gore, a terrifying monster clawed its way out of him. It looked like an ursaran- larger than the most imposing stag, a wall made of muscle and covered head to toe in stripes. But this one was different from usual- it was somewhat gaunt and mangy, even as its sinuous muscles were still clearly visible through its patchy fur, with oddly serrated claws and teeth larger than Kuna's forearm. Its body was already soaked with the blood of its victims, now including his father. The creature's face was deranged- a vague, but corrupted intelligence in its glowing orange eyes, buried under an intense, insatiable bloodlust, and its face twisted into a wicked grin.

Tashi let out a blood curdling scream as she turned and ran. But the beast was too fast. The next thing Kuna knew, he was curled into a ball deep in the hollow between the stones, tears pouring from his eyes as he tried to shut out the sound of snarling, screaming, and flesh being torn apart.

Time seemed to slow down as the sounds became distorted and deeper. Confused, Kuna looked up, and saw that the world outside had turned into a black void. Suddenly, the stones drifted apart and away from him, and began to reshape themselves into the form of the heads of other members of the tribe.

"Look what you've done, Kuna," one chided. "You've brought disaster on the tribe."

"But I-" Kuna tearfully tried to respond.

"You should have been able to harvest alone, like most boys your age," another joined in. "Your parents shouldn't have had to suffer your fate for you."

"I told you he was a bad omen," another chimed in. "Nothing but a harbinger of misfortune."

The stony faces glared down at him with disdain, constantly morphing into different individuals.

"Why his parents wasted so much effort nursing him back to health, I'll never understand."

"And look where it got them! They should have let the pestilence take him."

"To think his grandmother wasted her final years on the whelp..."

Kuna spun around, clutching his head.

"Told you you were cursed!" the stone head of Niric mocked him, sneering down at him. "Freak!"

A rift tore open in the darkness that surrounded him, and the monster crawled out of it, staring him down with those malevolent eyes. Pieces of his mother hung from its jaws and draped across its back, as if it'd been rolling in the viscera. It seemed to be laughing as it slowly stalked towards him, though it could also have been its odd, uneven breathing. "Come here, kid," it said in a raspy, unnatural voice that almost seemed to echo as it spoke. "Let's play..."

The forest loomed back out of the darkness, now twisted looking and foreboding, as if the natural world itself was condemning him. Kuna turned and ran in terror, tears streaming down his face, unable to think. But the more he ran, the more the world seemed to fight him. The dark trees grew taller and seemed to bend down towards him, hurling insults and condemnations at him in twisted yet familiar voices.

"This is your fate, Kuna. Accept it!"

"Stop spreading bad luck! Let it end once and for all!"

"You're only causing more trouble!"

The ground flew past as he ran, but he never seemed to get anywhere. Somewhere behind him, he heard the sound of the beast's panting and laughter catching up to him. "Kunaaaa... you can't run forever Kunaaaa...."

Suddenly, he felt an enormous weight land on him, and the sharp, stinging sensation of claws digging into his flesh. He managed to roll over to see the monster's face inches from his own. "You're mine now, Kuna. Allllll miiiiiine!"

*****

"Kuna!" a familiar voiced called out.

The sereva jolted awake, breathing heavily, his face damp and his pulse racing. The sound of someone screaming rang out in the night air, fighting the sound of the nearby waterfall. After a moment, he realized it was his own and he stopped, though he still wasn't entirely clear-headed. His eyes darted around fearfully as his body shook with adrenaline, and an avalanche of fear and other emotions gripped at his heart. He frantically tried to escape whatever was holding him in place, desperate to hide, to flee... until finally he remembered where he was. The tight grip around him loosened slightly as he started to calm down.

He turned his head to see a very distraught and deeply concerned konuul meeting his gaze. "It was just a dream, Kuna," Lykou assured him in a soft, yet shaky voice. "You're safe..."

Slowly, Kuna came back to reality. His panicked state faded and instead the tears began anew as he turned away and tried to rub them from his eyes. "S.. s-sorry," he apologized, barely over a whisper. He then hiccuped as he leaned back into the canid's arms.

"One of these days I'm going to get you to stop abusing that word," Lykou half-playfully chided. He then gently turned the sereva's face back towards him. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Kuna. Nothing at all. And that goes for whatever you saw."

Kuna's watery eyes stared back into his for a moment, before the sereva broke down and buried his head in his friend's neck. For a while, Lykou just cradled him and stroked his back, letting him get all the pain out that he could.

Eventually, Kuna's quiet sobbing subsided, although he felt like it was more from running out of tears to shed than anything else. For a little while longer, they sat in silence. Lykou started to wonder if the he had fallen back asleep. But eventually Kuna broke the silence.

"I was only ten," he murmured quietly.

"Hmm?" Lykou responded, tilting his head slightly.

"W-when... when that monster, the... the r-ravager," he mumbled, then paused to shiver and rub his eyes. "T-took m-my parents."

Lykou's eyes widened a bit, though he'd already started to piece together that something of the sort had happened. Still, hearing his friend say it out loud made it more real. "Kuna, I'm so sorry..."

"I saw it all, Lykou. There was s-so much blood, and... other things," Kuna continued, trembling in the konuul's arms as he stared off into the distance. "But I think the s-sounds... the sounds w-were the worst p-part..."

The canid pulled him into a tight squeeze, his own eyes starting to water. "I can't even imagine..."

There was another extended silence. Then, Kuna took a long, shaky breath. "I've l-lost count of how m-many times I've had that s-stupid dream," he said, then let out a single, sardonic laugh. "It's like m-my stupid head w-wants to make sure I never forget. As if I ever could..."

"Do you think it'd help to talk about it?"

Kuna shivered and shook his head slightly. "N-not right now. I just... w-want to try and get my mind off of it. Maybe in the morning, though."

Lykou gently stroked the sereva's side. "Is there anything I can do to help you, then?"

Kuna just rubbed some more tears away and shook his head slightly. He sniffled a little, then gave the konuul a sad smile. "You've already done more for me than anyone since, Lykou," he said, then once more buried his head in the konuul's neck.

Lykou arched an eyebrow, but decided to save further questions for another time.

"I... I'll be okay," Kuna continued, then sighed. "I just..." He seemed at a loss for words, and just sniffled again.

After giving him a minute, Lykou squeezed him gently. "I wish there were more I could do, Kuna. I'd climb in there and kick those nightmares out if I could. But just know that I'm here to protect you. You're safe with me."

"Yeah, I know," Kuna said, squeezing back. "I... think I want to try and get some sleep now though," he added, followed by a brief yawn. "I'm even more exhausted now than I was."

"You going to be alright for that?"

Kuna shrugged, then nodded. "I... I think so. I want to try anyway. Just," He paused, blushing a bit as he sheepishly grinned a bit up at Lykou. "Can you just... you know, hold me till I fall asleep?"

Lykou grinned back at him. "Of course, you cuddlebug," he agreed, making himself comfortable as he continued to hold the sereva close. "I was going to anyway."

Kuna folded his ears back and nuzzled into the fur on Lykou's neck again. "Th-thanks. G'night Lykou."

"Goodnight Kuna." As promised, the konuul cuddled his friend close until well after he fell back asleep. And they remained that way even as Lykou himself dozed off.