A Trip to the Past

*Flashback*

Wren heard a woman talking in a hushed tone, to another person, just outside her hospital room. She couldn't make out full sentences but picked out a few words here and there. She listened as best she could to try and figure out if they were plotting something, but all of a sudden it was hard for her to keep her eyes open. She felt very sleepy and tried to fight it off as best she but had no luck. She slipped unconscious, into a deeply sheltered part of her brain. With memories she thought had long been forgotten.

*"My Wrenny? Wrenny Bear? Where are you Wrenny? Mommy's worried about you!" Wren slowly opened her eyes, groggily shaking her head to try and clear her mind, "Mom?" Wren felt nervous about what she was seeing and hearing, having not yet registered she was in her memories. 'There is no way. I-I can't-' Wren's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an explosion followed by the sound of screaming people all around. "Wrenny Bear!" A woman in her mid 20's with dark purple hair and black eyes, bent down towards the young girl who had been hiding under a tree.

The young girl quickly looked up towards her mother and stretched her arms out to embrace her. "Mom! Where are Dad and Ego? They should be with us, right? Are they okay?" Young Wren easily melted into her mother's embrace, while the adult version of Wren wanted nothing more than to be held by her mother one more time. "Come on Wrenny, we have to get to Elder Takeda's house. Do you think you can run as fast as you can with Mommy?" Young Wren looked up to her mother, "Yes Ma, I can do that," young Wren smiled before grabbing her mother's hand and running in the direction of Elder Takeda's. Adult Wren made a face that was full of regret and pain; she knew what came next and didn't want to relive these memories anymore.

She remembered that this war seemed to come out of nowhere. She knew that there were disputes between neighboring territories and the Tradelands, but nothing major. The clan members were not fully aware of how badly their land and themselves would fare during these next 7 years. One thing she couldn't figure out was why her hair was a sapphire blue color instead of her current cherry brown, colored hair. "Don't go to Takeda's!" She knew her words would all be in vain, after all this was only from her memory. Nothing would change the fact that her parents have been gone since the war first started. It was a memory she wished she had forgotten.

The war has been over for almost 9 years now, why was she reliving the start of the war again? What did it mean? Was she not tormented enough over the years, by the site of her father, who was barely recognizable due to him being beaten and slashed by his killer? Did she not cry enough after seeing her mother's pained face time and time again as the man in the shadow stabbed her? "Why am I living this again? Why can't I get out of this place?" Adult Wren continued running, wiping away the single tear that began to trail down her cheek.

"Come on Wrenny Bear. Mommy needs you to run faster, okay?" Wren's mom pulled the young girl along with her. Doing her best to avoid the low-hanging foliage and occasional large rocks that made up the forest in which they lived. The clan currently lived on the outskirts of the city ever since "Akira's wrath", as the clan's members called it, and they were still working to rebuild their territory to the grand stature it once was. "M-Mom!? What is that smell? It hurts my nose." Young Wren covered her nose with her free hand.

Her mother looked down at the young girl with a sympathetic face. 'Its blood and gunpowder Wren. It's the blood of your clan members and friends. It will be our blood before long if you don't hurry!' Adult Wren could hear her mother's thoughts now, and was startled; how strange. "The smell comes from the big explosion from earlier. Here, let me carry you so we can be even faster." Wren's mother didn't dare tell the innocent child everything she was thinking. She tried her best to make the girl feel comfortable. "Wrap your arms around me so-" *BANG BANG! BOOM!* The sound of close gunfire and explosions cut off her words and without another thought, she rightly gripped her daughter and ran even faster. Faster than she thought she would ever be able to run.

"Damn, that female is just too quick, even with the young kid latched on. Boss Mathers, what should we do!?" Adult Wren slowed her pace after her younger self and her mother after hearing the men. 'Huh? Why don't I remember hearing this?' she thought to herself. Wren could hear the muffled voices in the distance and decided to stop chasing her younger self and go closer to the man's voice. "...Why do we have to go after them anyways Boss?" Wren could make out a few words as she moved closer to the men, "Fool! Who said you could speak directly to Boss Mathers?! You will be punished for your lack of manners!" A slender-figured man raised his arm high, preparing his whip to strike the older man who was now cowering in fear.

"Aaaaah...OW!...Aaah! " The older man yelled out in pain every time the whip made contact with his body. Even though the faint noise of gunfire could be heard in the distance, the sound of the slender man's whip cracking and then hitting the other man's body, filled the dense forest. Wren cringed as she looked at the men. She quickly found a large tree to conceal her body behind as she took in the sights to see if she recognized anyone. Hoping she wouldn't be visible to them.

'I wonder if I can call to them while I'm in a dream?' Wren thought to herself, 'Can't hurt to try I guess...' with that thought, Wren focused and gathered her spirit energy in hopes of reaching someone who could help her. After a few moments, she heard an almost inaudible whimper. 'I hear you, don't worry, I'm not here to banish or punish you. I just need your help! I can send your soul to rest soon after. You have my word.' She spoke to the timid spirit in her head to not alert the men of her presence. Slowly a warm glow began to appear just in front of Wren, taking on the silhouette of a small, young woman. Wren smiled and nodded, happy that she was still able to use her energy effectively in her dreams.

'I need you to enter the burly man's mind and then project it back to me. It's really easy, all you need to do is touch him on the shoulder, then look in my direction. Got it?' Wren pointed in the direction of one of the burly men who stood near the carriage she assumed their boss was sitting inside. The faceless spirit of the young woman seemed reluctant but then transported over to that man, following Wren's every instruction. Wren took a deep breath, preparing her mind for the memories that would soon be flooding her mind. Once the young woman looked at Wren, the transfer began.*