17 Chapter 17: The Dream
Even though there were over twenty beds, only the three girls were in the room – Lucy and her two old friends. It was night, so they had already gone to beds, but instead of falling asleep, they were discussing their matters:
“It seemed like only yesterday when we first got in middle school. Now all of us have our guardian spirits and such powerful ones! Time sure flies…” Rose put her glasses aside and wrapped herself into her blanket.
“Yeah, indeed. So much has happened…” Lucy recalled the incident of her childhood and tears came to her eyes. She barely held herself from crying.
“Well, a new life starts now, so we’d better be prepared.” Lola yawned, turned around, and closed her eyes. “Good night.”
“Good night!” Rose smiled and fell asleep too.
“Good night, girls…” Lucy said.
She turned aside and fell into her thoughts. However, soon, her eyes drooped and the sleep overwhelmed her, so, she finally gave in to it.
She appeared in a beautiful green forest, full of fruit trees and colourful flowers. There was a big pond in the fields, where there were many beautiful koi fish swimming. She spotted a spirit near the pond.
So, this is the Spirit Forest? It looks kind of… different.
The spirit sitting at the pond was a young bunny woman with long, beautiful light blue hair, kind and innocent brown eyes, long, grey bunny ears, a tiny white bunny tail, and grey fur clothes – a sleeveless top attached to her neck with grey strings, and small grey fur shorts. She was barefoot like every other spirit Lucy had ever seen. But somehow, this bunny woman seemed way too familiar.
Does she… look like my mom?!
Lucy widened her eyes – no freaking way! Her mother had blue eyes, not brown! How could her mother ever resemble a bunny?
No, she rather resembles… me!
Indeed, light blue hair and brown eyes, a serene, innocent look, just like her!
What the heck is this dream?
She recalled Yuehong’s harsh words of earlier:
“If you don’t learn to stand up for yourself, you will forever resemble a poor nose-twitching bunny…”
Maybe, she got to see this kind of a dream because those words were memorized by her deep subconscious? After all, dreams often show us what the subconscious keeps in our memories… But why did this woman look older than her?
These thoughts weren’t leaving her in peace when an even more astonishing sight unfolded before her – the familiar fox spirit, Huli Yuehong, walked up to the woman, in his red fox form. He too looked slightly older, and what’s more, he had not five but nine foxtails now.
Eh? When did Yuehong get here?
Lucy got astounded – how come this fox boy showed up even in her dream and, what was with those nine tails? Didn’t he have only five before?
What a weird dream…
She heard Yuehong refer to the bunny woman:
“Lutecia…”
Lucy lent an ear to their conversation with great curiosity – this dream seemed pretty interesting… What if it was all true and retold one of the adventures happened to Huli Yuehong in the distant past?
The bunny spirit started in fright and looked up at the fox man. Tears gathered in her eyes.
“Lord Huli…”
Her nose indeed twitched like the one of a bunny, no matter it looked like the one of a human. Yuehong took a seat before her and softly stroked her cheek with his long-red-nailed hand:
“I am sorry. Your father broke the treaty.”
“W… What?” the bunny woman went pale.
“It seems you’re not as important to him as to care for your well-being…” Yuehong coldly shrugged, took a red fan out of his sleeve, and began fanning his face. “You know the terms of my and your father’s agreement, don’t you? He married you to me and I guaranteed your safety, but I never promised you’d stay safe if he broke the treaty with me… However, as it seems, he did not really care about this last term.”
“No…”
The bunny spirit began sobbing. She probably knew it meant her end. Lucy felt pity for her. She wanted to yell at Yuehong not to scare the poor spirit, but she found out she could utter no word.
Ugh, this stupid dream! It’s not permitting me to talk!
Meanwhile, the conversation between the two spirits went on. The little bunny bitterly wept – she would be eaten for lunch by evil foxes, and all because her father didn’t give a damn about her… He only loved his true daughter, not her. After all, she was only a stepdaughter to him. He never loved her and had become quite rude and cruel after her bunny mother passed away from her illness.
“Well, if it were a little earlier I would, of course, get rid of you, but now…” Yuehong shut his red fan and gave her a softer gaze, “I grew quite fond of you, you know?”
The bunny widened her eyes in shock. Lucy was no less astonished – such a quick change of mood! But, oh well, it wasn’t strange at all for Huli Yuehong – she already knew he could change his masks too fast.
“I think I’ll need to come up with a different plan on how to punish that bunny king. After all, you have nothing to do with this. You are just a poor little victim in predators’ hands, betrayed by your own kinsmen.”
Hearing such bitter words she knew were true, the bunny woman burst out crying anew. She covered her face with her hands.
Aww, poor woman… Yuehong acts so rudely! Lucy got in indignation.
Lutecia felt how she was pressed upon the fox man’s chest. Unusual warmth embraced her – Yuehong had hugged her with his fluffy foxtails.
“You are my little wife, so, let’s forget about those treaties. If your worthless bunny stepfather dared break it, I have even more rights to act as I desire, even if it goes against that treaty’s terms.”
He pressed his lips upon Lutecia’s ones. The bunny woman widened her eyes at first, but then closed them with relief and delight, and gave into the fox man’s embraces…
Lucy woke up. It was already morning. But to her, more astonishing and confusing was her recent dream – did Yuehong really have a wife in the past? Why the hell would a fox and, especially, a tailed fox, ever marry a bunny? If that bunny woman indeed existed, then where was she now? What happened after that, or before? Tons of questions had popped up in her mind.
I must definitely ask Yuehong whenever I have time…
