The Ship Collapsed!

The deeper Jin Jiuchi went, the more oppressive the heat became. It wrapped around him like a ball of sticky, scalding mochi, clinging to his thick fur and tugging him in four different directions.He could sense himself getting closer and closer to the queen, and a threatening growl reverberated in his throat. Want to devour me? Ha! In your dreams!

He was about to open his jaws wide and chomp down on the misbehaving mochi when all of a sudden, a faint sob brushed against his ears akin to the whisper of the breeze, so soft that Jin Jiuchi would have missed it if not for his heightened hearing.

"It hurts…"

His ears twitched. Wait, where had he heard this voice before? It took him a while to scour through his memory when a sudden realization hit him, causing his eyes to widen in shock. T–This voice… didn't it belong to the little girl whom he had encountered outside the ship?! How could she be here too?!