/ / / Poison Bite / / /

I’m dead, aren’t I?

Poison Bite floated in darkness. Neither hot nor cold, wet nor dry, she felt no sensation; neither where her body ended, nor where the void began.

 

Damn it, I am… Ohh that honey was soooo good though. It’s almost worth it.

Silence.

… Aiyyaa. This is boring. Aren’t I supposed to be reunited with my ancestors or something?

Silence.

…Don’t tell me it’s just darkness forever?

The darkness didn’t respond. But then, Poison Bite hadn’t asked a question. She had no voice.

 

I hope the others are alright. I hope they have a good life… hive a good life. Heh. Funny, Poison Bite. See you, guys. Wasp nice knowing you! That honey really was to die for. Poison Bite mentally chuckled to herself, the moment of silliness keeping the darkness at bay.

…Guess I won’t bee having more anytime soon! …Oh no!

A thought struck Poison Bite. A horrible realization that sent her mind reeling.

My nest! Oh Ancestors, I didn’t tidy my nest!

Her whole burrow-chamber was in such a mess. What would her sister think of her when she discovered it in such a state!?

By my whiskers! She thought, as an even more terrible truth sunk itself into the heart of her being.

This can’t be happening! An image floated in her mind of a small stone carving hidden in her hidy pile. The one next to the patch of leaves and other soft materials she slept on. The one she looked over every night before slipping into sleep.

The smooth swells of its muscular form, the handsome scar scratched delicately along one cheek… His short, thick snout, and his long curving tail… The form of Five-Claws.

No, she can’t find that! She can’t! I’d rather die!

…Oh.

 

“No, I’m not ready!” Poison Bite’s soul thought-screamed into the darkness. “Send me back! I have so much left undone. At least let me tidy my nest!” She didn’t want to forever be remembered as the girl with a messy nest who died collecting honey!

To Poison Bite’s surprise, her pleas were answered, as a ghostly figure suddenly materialized in front of her.

“Sorry, child. That’s not how this works.” The figure’s voice was kind, consoling her as its glowing form resolved into a proud-looking skald.

“Aunt Worm-Tail, is that you!?” Had her ancestor finally shown up?

“I’m a little older than your aunt, child. And my tail a little longer.” the figure replied, a twinkle in her spectral eyes.

“Are you here to guide me to the afterlife?”

“I’m here to guide you into the cycle of reincarnation.”

“Reincarnation? What about the afterlife? What about going to meet my ancestors?”

“The afterlife isn’t what you think, child.”

 

The figure waved a ghostly claw, releasing a trail of glowing white mist. The mist gained color, forming to show the forms of 3 of powerful skalds; one had rippling muscles and claws that shone translucent silver, another wore white robes akin to the two-legs and glowed with silver light, and the last had a huge body that rose above the trees and was covered in fiery cracks. The vision shifted, showing a montage of their lives. Each of their powers grew more pronounced, until one by one they discarded their mortal bodies and rose into the sky as glowing spirits.

 

“The afterlife is somewhere you reach during your life," Her ancestor continued.

 

The images shifted to show an image of her kind as she knew them; living raid to raid, barely finding enough food to survive and raise the next generation, growing old, and finally, dying. Her people’s souls were dim compared to the heroes from before. As they died, much of the soul dissipated into the surroundings, before what was left slowly reformed into that of a newborn pup.

 

"The soul is destined to be reincarnated over and over, until you reach enlightenment and ascend to the afterlife… alas, it has been a very long time since any of our kind ascended.” her ancestor finished, dismissing the vision and returning them to the blackness of the void.

 

“Oh…” Poison Bite replied. “So… Reincarnation then. What color will my fur be?”

“You change tracks quickly, child.”

“I hope it’s black. Night-Stalker has black fur and it is SO SLEEK. I want fur just like hers… and, I want a longer tail! And more perky whiskers. Can you make my whiskers more perky?”

“Fear not, my child, your whiskers are in good paws…” her ancestor replied with a weary smile.

And what about my claws? Can you…

 

A sound in the darkness. A feeling that reverberated through her soul. She felt herself moving away.

“It seems, you won’t have to worry about your claws just yet…” her ancestor’s voice continued, but it was fading; becoming more distant.

“Remember… ascend.'' those were the last words Poison Bite heard before she was swallowed by light.

 

—-

/ / / Little Bamboo / / /

Darkness. For the first time in my life, I am unable to sense my body or domain. It is like those early years, when I was but a single shoot; aware of nothing outside my own stem.

I realize I am not alone; the lights of two others inhabit this darkness. I sense the defiler’s small form and the vague outline of a faceless, two-legged creature.

 

“Wow, you’ve done it now, boyo. Necromancy and dual cultivation with a spirit beast? You’re a proper little demonic cultivator, aren’t you!”

I recognize the voice. It is the whispering part of my mind, only here it is louder. It is the part that told me the beasts were not sentient. The part that was wrong.

“I wasn’t wrong per-say. It’s hard to think clearly when we’re not here, you were drawing on the wrong life’s experiences!”

‘This place is…?’

“This, boyo, is the cycle of reincarnation. And that”

I look at the little beast’s form as it rapidly fills out, being drawn fully into this place.

“That is a soul you just ripped out of the cycle. Nasty business, that. Wouldn’t go sharing it around. Don’t worry though, I’m great at keeping secrets”

 

‘Who are you?’

“Well you’re just full of questions, aren’t you? I’m… I was, a human”

“Waah! A two-legs!” the small beast, now fully manifested, pipes up.

“For now, see me as a friend.” the voice continues, “Time is short. You both must return to your bodies”

“Body? But I’m supposed to be reincarnated!” the beast cuts in.

‘How do we go back?’ I ask, ignoring the creature for the moment.

“How should I know? You think I regularly go wandering about in soul form? The one time I tried, things ended up like this!”

“Hey! I’m talking to you, two-legs!” the beast cuts in again. “Don’t ignore me, you patchy-furred worm eater!”

“No need to fret, my friends!” the human continues placatingly “The cosmos is a vast tapestry, and sometimes it gets tangled. We will find a way to set things right. That said… I do have a request.”

 

‘What is your request, human?’

“Grow, Little Bamboo. Grow strong, and when you are strong enough, revive me. I do not wish to spend the rest of eternity trapped as a fragment inside your soul.”

‘I don’t know if I can do that…'

“You can.” The voice replied with finality. “Now, hurry and find a way to return. Time flows differently here, but even so, your bodies will be degrading without a spirit inhabiting them.”

“Hey, don’t I get a say in this!?”

 

How to return? To get here, I reached out and pulled on the beast’s resonance. I sense it in the darkness now, our souls still ringing in harmony. I wrap it in my intent, then search for a matching song from the world outside this void. I find it quickly, and with another monumental pull my perception once again passes through the eye of the needle, and back into my body.

Only this time, I am not alone.

—

/ / / Poison Bite / / /

The fuzzy two-legs and the huge presence around her had been saying a bunch of stuff that Poison Bite didn’t understand. But that was fine. She was fine. From what she understood, she was being given a second chance.

Poison-Bite Messy-burrow no more!

Her legacy was saved. She would clear her name and live a proper life with no regrets. As soon as she got back, she would tidy her room so tidy it never needed to be tidied again!

 

Sensation slowly returned.

Her weight, pressing down against the forest floor.

The chittering of birds.

The rustle of the wind.

The scent of bamboo. Bamboo. The Bamboo grove felt different now. She felt connected to it in a way that told her it meant her no harm, and she realized that the huge presence that had surrounded her in the void was, in fact, this bamboo.

 

“Mmmm” she mumbled dreamily. She pawed at the ground and felt the mash of leaves and mud between her claws. Her body felt raw. She’d been pretty messed up by those bees, after all. She tentatively opened one eye.

“WHAT THE—” Tiny roots and tendrils had burrowed in all over her body. Some fed into nearby culms and pumped a translucent red fluid, while others led away into the earth. She pushed to all fours. She didn’t sense any malice, but this was not OK!

“Hey! Bamboo, you’ve got some explaining to do. Why am I covered in roots!?” she squinted her eyes at the nearest culm,“ Were you trying to eat me?”

A wave of reassurance washed over her. It meant her no harm and pleaded with her not to move too much.

 

“You can’t talk?” Poison Bite spoke aloud.

Leaves rustled. Insects buzzed. There was no reply, at least not vocally, but Poison Bite understood.

‘Affirmative.’

She examined her body further. It was in good shape, all things considered.

 

“These roots… You were protecting me while I was... gone? That's actually... kind of sweet!" she settled back onto her belly, she would trust that whatever the Bamboo was doing was for her own good.

Culms swayed gently in the wind. A leaf drifted down in the breeze, and she sensed the Bamboo's relief that she had caught on and was no longer panicking.

 

It was pretty freaky having roots sticking out of her skin, but given that she had died, well, she couldn’t complain. Then again… it was this very bamboo that had killed her. Perhaps she could complain a little!

“Hey! You owe me,” she called out. “You killed me!”

Regret.

“Well… I might forgive you. But only if you let me take a mouthful–” Poison Bite paused. This was an opportunity. She wouldn’t settle for such a small prize! “--That is, uh, 12 mouth-fulls of honeycomb!” she declared, her eyes gleaning with satisfaction. She was the best negotiator. Oh, how she would boast about this victory to her sister later!

Acceptance.

"Yippee!" she barked triumphantly, her voice echoing through the grove. She was going to be hailed as a legend when she returned. Who else dared return with such a grand prize? Life was good, incredibly good. She wondered why she had let herself die again. No more of that, she decided. Dying sucked. Once she was back, she would convince everyone to put a stop to it. With her powers of persuasion and twelve mouthfuls of honey in her paws, she had the leverage.

 

Sinking into a sense of accomplishment, Poison Bite settled down to rest on the forest floor. The rustling leaves and the gentle sway of the bamboo created a soothing rhythm. She closed her eyes, taking in the earthy scent, and let the tranquility wash over her.

She could sense the pulse of life throbbing through the Bamboo’s roots below; she let it become her heartbeat as she felt their energies intertwining. Lost in this newfound awareness, she drifted into a peaceful slumber.

As she dreamed, she saw visions of herself as one of the mighty warriors her ancestor had shown her. She saw herself towering above the trees, commanding armies, and battling ferocious monsters, growing stronger until finally, she ascended.

Deep in the land of dreams, a smile formed on Poison Bite's lips. She knew that when she woke, her body would be healed, and she would return to the clan as a true hero.

 

But fate, as it so often does, had other plans.