Otherworld - The Strength of Love



Chapter 5 - The Mysterious Demon


Rin was wandering in the woods, more than a half a mile away from the village, when she came upon one of the Protector Wolves. She stopped in her tracks, not sure whether to run or stand still. She knew that the wolves were here every now and then, but she did not know if they would eat her or not. As she stood staring at the wolf, a handsome Wolf Demon came up behind the furry creature. “Hello. I don’t want to scare you, but there are lesser demons scattered in these woods. We are on the trail of one now. They are almost all gone, but a little thing like you shouldn’t be out here alone.” With that, the demon waved a friendly goodbye and trotted off into the trees, the wolf loping after him. Rin stared after them for a minute, debating whether to turn for home or continue with her mission. She opted for the latter, shrugging her shoulders. If she died, then she died. At least her harsh life would not matter any more. No one would miss her. She continued searching for sticks, picking up and discarding some, putting others in the knapsack she carried across her shoulders. Her mind on the task at hand, she almost fell over a pair of legs, covered in white silk, before she knew they were there.

	She gasped, startled, and almost fell back the other way. As she looked down, she recognized demon markings on the forehead of a man resting beneath a tree. He was so beautiful! His features were very delicate. He had long white hair and a very inviting-looking fur wrap upon which he lie. The only thing marring his perfect features were the large wounds covering his chest. He also had various other scrapes and cuts that she could see peeking out from under his silks.

Wondering if he were even alive, she took a stick and poked him in the arm. He groaned and tossed his head. Briefly, it occurred to her to wonder if this was the demon the wolves had been looking for. But they had said lesser demon. Looking at his handsome visage, she doubted very seriously this man was a lesser anything. If anything, he was a fallen god. She looked around for his supplies, noticing he had none. She frowned, sure that he would need water and food when he awoke. Being so far from her village, though, she was reluctant to try to find a stream. She did not know this area very well. She had followed a path and stayed close to it to get here. She made the decision to turn back home and bring him something later. She hoped he was still alive when she returned.

	Later that evening, while most families were eating dinner, Rin put the cap on a bamboo container filled with water and headed back to the sleeping man. She had not worked that day, and so she had no food to give him, but she could at least see that he drank something. She crept quietly through the woods, mindful of the demons the wolves had told her about. She walked for what seemed forever. She had almost given up, thinking she had passed the spot and he was gone.

Then she saw a flicker of white, lit up by the moon. She made her way carefully through the trees to the man. He was still sleeping, motionless, in the same position he was in when she had left him. She poked him once more and was relieved when he let loose a low growl, barely audible. She smiled and left the bamboo canister beside him. She left him and scurried home as fast as she could. She felt a sense of well-being and slept that night with dreams of a white-haired demon keeping her warm and safe. The next day was almost a fruitless one. She earned only a very tiny fish, already beginning to dry around the eyes. It did not matter to her, though. She had been used to this kind of diet for a long time now. Besides, she thought to herself, she was going to make a gift of the food. She wished it could be more, but she could not find enough work to earn enough to feed a grown man. Rin wrapped the tiny offering in the packaging she had saved from the kind tinker. She stopped long enough to fill another bamboo container with water and started down the long trail to where she had left him sleeping. When she arrived in the clearing, the Demon had shifted his position only slightly. She saw the rise and fall of his chest, however, so she did not poke him this time. She walked to the container, which was in a slightly different place than she had left it. It was empty. Her heart sang, as she knew he had drunk what she had left for him. She unwrapped the food, and carefully placed it on a large leaf. She did not want to give up the packaging the fish was in. She might need it later. She switched the full water container for the empty one and headed back home. Her stomach was rumbling, but she did not care. She was helping someone that desperately needed it. She skipped most of the way home that night. That was how her future began, with a wounded and sleeping Demon.

When she took him the mushrooms and green beans she had earned the next night, he was awake! She hesitated only for a second before coming forward with her offering. She placed the food on another leaf, mimicked her actions of the night before with the water, and turned for home, not sparing him more than a glance after their eyes had locked initially. He said nothing to her, simply watched what she did. She was glad he had not said anything. She was actually very scared of him. His eyes were a cold golden color. They had unnerved her as if they were boring holes in her. Still, he hadn’t hurt her. So she continued bringing him food every day. The day after the mushrooms and green beans she could ignore her own hunger no longer. When the farmer she worked for that day paid her with carrots and corn, she took them home and cut all in half. She put all of them into the water to cook. When she deemed them edible she carefully wrapped half of the portion up and put it in her knapsack. The other half she carried in her hand, eating while she walked. She had filled the water container earlier that day, so it was already ready to go. That night was a repeat of the night before. She just placed the food and water and left him. The next day her pay was only a sad little bit of rice. She wrapped the whole of it up and took it to the injured demon. He watched her, silent as always. They spoke nothing to each other. She didn’t know if he appreciated what she was doing or not, but he was eating the food and drinking the water. She guessed he didn’t mind her help. Her heart was lighter than it had been for a very long time. She felt she had a purpose. The sixth night he was there she brought him more carrots, this time raw. She frowned to realize he had not touched the rice. She vowed not to bring him any more rice. She placed the raw carrots next to the rice, exchanged the container like she always did, and left him there. When she returned the very next night, the carrots as well as the rice were still sitting where she had left them. The water was gone, but the food remained untouched. She was perplexed by this, but simply set the small hunk of bread, finagled from a farmer’s wife, next to the carrots and rice. When she returned to him the following evening, all of the food was gone. She did not know if he had eaten it or thrown it away, but it was gone. She smiled, wanting to assume he had eaten it. Tonight’s offering was another small fish. She had gotten two eggs for today’s labor and had traded them to the fish keeper for this very tiny salmon. She was elated when he began eating it before she had even left the clearing. She knew what she would do! These small offerings of food were not nearly enough for a man his size to recover from such horrible injuries! He needed a LARGE salmon, like the one she had caught before winter had set in so badly. She determined she would go fishing for him the very next night.