For several days, the girl mourned.
Memories of that day forever etched into her being.
The scar, burning her chest each time she remembered it.
Unaware of the whereabouts of her remaining siblings, the girl left that place.
All alone, she wandered the world.
Unable to hunt, she fed off nature's kindness.
Yet, she was still a child, unable to bear the solitude imposed on her.
So she sought out those of her kind, for the tribes she had heard from her parents.
...But all that was left were burning remains.
Without a doubt, such destruction could only be caused by 'it'.
As if reading her thoughts, 'it' tormented her by ravaging the area before she got there.
And after seeing it happen time and time again, she gave up...
~~~~
Settling at a cave near a human village, the girl studied them.
Although there was some truth in what she was taught, there were also discrepancies.
There were many cultural differences, but the basic practices were used by both.
So why? Why was she taught to stay away from humans?
Having lived only with her family, the concept of 'community' she witnessed was new to her.
People of different origins working together for the sake of the village, it was...inviting.
But she wasn't accepted...
Even though she had hid her fox ears and tail, the people would be cautious around her.
Truth be told, her torn, mismatched clothes didn't allow her to blend in.
After all, what she wore was what she found on her travels.
Children would mock her and adults would ignore her or pretend to be busy.
Yet others where kind, and shared food with her.
She was torn between what she was taught, what she learned and what she experienced.
Why? Why were some cold, and others kind?
The more she thought about it, the more confused she became.
In the end, she realized that humans only cared about others if they could profit from it.
Anyone outside their 'circle' was of no interest to them.
And so, that tiny voice following her since that rainy night became clear.
Its sweet, tempting words made sense to her.
It told her to let go, to discard the need for company.
If no one cared about her, then she should only care for herself.
Her wild side took the best of her.
Shrouding herself with illusions, she turned herself into a large fox demon.
The demon stole food, pulled pranks, terrorized the villagers.
At first, the villagers tried to stand up and fight.
With no proper weapons or magic, they were no match for her.
They tried to outsmart her by setting up traps, but the villagers greatly underestimated her power.
Understanding that they couldn't defeat her, the villagers remained silent, enduring her raids.
But the truth is, they were waiting...waiting for the mercenaries they had called for.
Many mercenaries answered the call, expecting an easy job.
...Only to return scorched and humiliated while the beast's laughs were heard.
Alone or in group, the result was always the same.
The trickeries and illusions were too many that they would become suspicious of what was truly real.
Soon enough, the mercenaries packed their stuff and left the village.
Having heard about their predicament, a mage that was passing by said he'd look into it.
Even though he said that, all the farmers could see was a young man who probably couldn't even lift a boulder above his head.
He wasn't bulky like the mercenaries, he carried no weapons and wore dignified clothes unfit for close combat.
The villagers tried to talk him out of it, explaining what happened to those that went face the demon,
...But he didn't change his mind.
~~~~
The young mage stood in front of the cave.
Has predicted, even the path to it had magical traps scattered about.
Said traps were placed strategically, some even triggered even if the first was disabled.
Yet, something bothered him: was it really a demon?
No one had died, or even seriously injured.
What kind of demon would go through such lengths to keep damages to a minimum? None.
So he went into the cave, triggering every trap he could to confirm his hunch.
But as we went deeper into the cave, the traps stopped being only pranks and began to reveal its creator's identity.
Illusions using the victim's own memories as base and showing preset scenarios...
Loved ones being killed, and being unable to do anything.
Near death experiences, extreme loneliness, being looked down on or avoided.
Each step became painful, but he pressed onward because he now understood.
The cries for help mixed with the attempts to keep people away.
If he didn't do it, who would? How long would the one at the end of the path have to wait if he returned to the village?
He couldn't. If he did, his quest would lose its meaning.
Enduring the "trial", he reached the end and saw...a little girl.
She looked at him, surprised.
He too was surprised, as she had long furry ears and a tail.
Which reminded him of mysterious tribes of fox-people that kept themselves away from humans.
But he shrugged that aside, and smiled gently.
When he pointed out to her that all this trouble was caused by a little girl, she realized her illusion had been cancelled.
It was dispelled because she was watching him the whole time, his effort and persistence reached her before he did.
Tired, he sat down to talk to her. Though still cautious, she listened.
He then explained how he saw through her illusions, and how he understood her after experiencing that.
He didn't blame her. After all, she was just a lonely girl with no where to go and who no one had accepted.
So he gave the first step, presented his hand to her and said he would accept her.
The girl cried and clung to his robes while he gently pet her head.
~~~~
The two returned to the village, and the mage told the people the truth behind the demon, while she hid behind him.
She stepped forward, lowered her head and apologized for what she did.
Surprised but also upset, the villagers were not forgiving her, saying that they were right that she was a toublesome child.
But then the young mage spoke up that this was their fault, because they shunned her, who was still little girl.
Hearing that, they couldn't talk back.
The girl then spoke, that it was also her fault, that she had let her emotions get the best of her.
To solve their problems, the mage volunteered to help rebuild and pay for what was damaged and stolen.
After the two helped the people rebuild their village, the mage left to continue with his quest, and took her with him.
The girl became known as Marenshia, the name of a red flower in Elphora that blossom in nights with a full moon and glow with its light.