1 Prologue

Thunder clashes over the village as terrorized villagers scream and flee towards the entrance of the village. Strange figures set houses ablaze and capture unlucky villagers. A mother runs through the forest, ducking and dodging branches and roots as she desperately clings to her child who cries for her father. Gun shots are heard as well as the howls and snarls of vicious hunting dogs. The mother urges herself to run faster, crying with tears of relief as the night sky brightens to reveal the river that borders the forest entrance. Many villagers yell the mother's name as the current of the river carries them outward towards the sea. Noticing there's nothing but a crate of fruits left, the mother starts to cry harder, realizing what she'll have to do.

BANG!

  The mother gasps as a sharp pain engulfs her shoulder. Blood seeps through her whites sleeves while she tumbles down the sandy hill the leads towards the river. She groans, still clinging on to her daughter. A trail of blood follows the mother as she crawls through the sand, reaching the crate and placing her daughter in on top of the fruit. She stares at her daughter's fear filled golden eyes.

  "Oh Midnight, my sweet sweet, lovely Midnight. Everything will be just fine, alright?" The mother whispers in the little girl's ear. "I want you to take this book okay? It'll help you when you get older. Protect this book with your life. And remember, don't show your true form to anyone."

  The mother places a thick, leather bound book with a crescent moon engraved on the front next to her daughter. The little girl makes grabby hands as her mother pulls away from her. The mother gives her a kiss on the nose, scratches the purple ears on her head, and pushes the crate into the lake with her last bit of strength. The mother's heart breaks as she listens to the sounds of the dogs getting closer and the cries and whimpers of her daughter. With her final breath the mother collapses as the hunting dogs surround her, praying to the gods above for the safety and future of her child.

***

   Ten days. That's how long the little girl spent in that crate, mindlessly drifting across the ocean.  Eating nothing but the fruits and reading the book her mother gave her before pushing her off. The little girl would cry for her parents at night, wishing to see them again. It wasn't until after the tenth day that the crate washed up on the shores of a beach. Many people walked past the crate, thinking nothing of it. However, one man walked towards to crate and, out of curiosity, opened it, nearly jumping back in surprise as he saw golden eyes staring up at him. The man quickly shut the crate and picked it up, hurrying off with it.

  When the man was able to make his way home, he opened the crate back up and took the little girl out, sitting her on a table. "My my my," he said, "look at you. What are you? And what happened?" She said nothing. He stared at her with wide eyes, looking over her small, dirty cloth covered form. What really caught his eyes were the purple fox like ears attached to the top of her unusual purple hair, along with a tail that came out of her lower back of the same color. The man reluctantly reached his hand to touch the ears of the little girl, to which she leaned into his hand instead. She meant no harm. She was a little girl, probably nothing but four years old. A little girl in an empty crate that had washed up on the shores of Silver Spring. She was covered in a thin white shirt, gazing up at the man while holding a thick leather bound book with a tight grip. The man softly smiled to himself and picked her.

  "We're going to give you a bath okay? You'll be nice and clean and then we'll make you a nice meal." The little girl nodded and mindlessly leaned onto him. The man softly chuckled and walked around his house before reaching a small bathroom. He sat the little girl on the toilet and started to bath.

  "Daddy, who is that?"

  The man turned around at the sound of a loud and young voice, grinning at the sight of another little girl peaking into the bathroom. She was around the age of seven, with fluffy short brown hair, a bright smile, and round curious hazel eyes. The man picked the little girl up off the toilet, took the dirty cloth off, and placed the book on the sink before setting her in the tub of warm water. "Marie, this is...do you have a name little one?"

  "My name is Midnight..." the little girl's soft voiced squeaked.

  "What an unusual name! But a beautiful one too. Marie, this is Midnight, your new little sister."