Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

"Come on, follow me!" 

Xiao Bai spoke quietly but his tone was still full of excitement. Carrying a bag on his back, he led Ming Yue through the forests of the Halcyon Meadows. They traveled around, checking the traps that the young boy had set up. 

"Most of the time, we get fish from the little river near us but sometimes, the traps catch something. And if I'm really lucky, I catch something myself like that rabbit! But we can't go too far or else, it'll be too dangerous. We might see boars or even wolves! The Seekers would have no trouble with them but it's still really dangerous for other people."

He explained, looking at her with somewhat hopeful eyes. 

"Really? Then we should just check the traps then. I'd rather not be in danger with you."

Ming Yue answered back with a straight face, shutting down any thoughts of going deeper into these woodlands.

"Aw, alright then." 

The little boy was disappointed but he also knew that it probably wouldn't have happened. 

They moved from one trap to the next but didn't find much. That was until they came to the last trap which had been triggered. It was a simple pitfall trap with a rather deep pit hidden with leaves and branches. You could hear some chirping and rustling from within.

Xiao Bai quickly ran up to see what was inside. 

"Hey look! We caught a pheasant!"

The young boy shouted before hopping in and grabbing it by the neck before climbing out. It was still alive and energetic, flapping its wings to try and free itself, cooing and cawing too. He showed it off to Ming Yue, who nodded and smiled. 

"Let's go back then", she said. 

Xiao Bai nodded, grabbing some rope to tie up the bird and carrying it over his back. However, Ming Yue suggested something else. 

"Let me carry it, I have a much easier way."

Grabbing ahold of the pheasant, she placed it within her spatial ring, freeing up both their hands. The young boy watched it all, recognizing what that ring was. 

"Woah, you have a spatial ring? Can I see it?" he asked her. 

"Sure."

Ming Yue found no issue doing so and held her hand out for him to look at the ring. 

"I've never seen one before. Those rings are really rare! Only the best of Seekers and the Tribe Elders have something like that!" he exclaimed. 

"Really? There aren't any craftsmen that can make them?" she questioned. 

But Xiao Bai shook his head. 

"Not that I know about but I don't know that much. They can make weapons and armor but things like those Spatial Rings are usually found in the ruins of the Savage Lands", he explained. 

"Really? I wasn't expe-"

Just as she was about to finish her words, the both of them heard rustling before a shadow came out of the bushes. Immediately, she pulled Xiao Bai closer to her while taking out Blood Moon, pointing it at this sudden arrival. 

It panted heavily as blood dripped from its body and painted the grass red. Then they heard a grunt and a bleating as it glared at them. 

Getting a better look, Ming Yue saw its true form while Xiao Bai couldn't help but say it out loud. 

"That's a deer... A Nine-Colored Deer!"

Standing in front of them was indeed a deer just slightly larger than Ming Yue. The two antlers on its head were stark white, comparable to snow. Its body was the same color with short fur and a supple body. However, there was a strange oddity to its appearance which was its eyes. 

They were shimmering with color, switching between nine different ones. It was prominent and easy to notice, most likely the reason why it was in such a sorry state. 

It looked at them warily before raising its ears up and looking behind. The next moment even more shadows came out, surrounding the trio. 

Suddenly, there were over a dozen wolves snarling and baring their teeth. They were not as large as the deer but certainly bigger than the little boy. Their fur was pitch black and their eyes were of a greenish color. Some were already injured, no doubt caused by the deer. 

At the sight of them, Xiao Bai's figure seemed to shrink even further as the Nine-Colored Deer, moved next to them both. 

"Xue Yue, you take control of the sword."

"Don't have to ask, just release me." 

Hearing that from her counterpart, Ming Yue let go of Blood Moon. Instead of falling to the ground, it floated, pointing at the nearest wolf. At the same time, she formed Zephyr Claws on both hands, not wanting to use her already damaged dagger. 

She then turned to look at Xiao Bai, who was shaking a little bit. 

"Don't worry. I'll keep you safe." 

But just as she said that, the wolves all howled into the skies and their bodies trembled. There was faint cracking within them as they shuddered, their bodies morphing, growing larger and larger. Their claws and fangs grew longer and there was a silver streak across their black fur. 

Suddenly, they were twice the size as before and much more fearsome. 

However, Ming Yue was not afraid of this. 

"You think that's supposed to scare me?"

Under Xue Yue's control, Blood Moon resonated and howled back, releasing a fearsome aura from its blade. The sword then shot forward piercing the wolf in front of it and slicing the beast in half without any warning. 

And the wolves charged forward, aiming to kill them.

Some went for the sword, trying to strike it out of the air but they were not quick enough. And the rest that came after Ming Yue and the Nine-Colored Deer lunged at them all at once. The deer sprinted forward, pointing its antlers forward. Despite their transformation, the wolves were still smaller than the deer and some were knocked down. 

Ming Yue stayed exactly where she was, waiting with her Zephyr Claws. She swung out as they came, carving away at their chests. Wind needles formed, shooting right into the wounds and causing even more pain. 

But the wolves kept coming back right up, leaping and charging at her. 

"I can't let them get close! Not with Xiao Bai here."

And as ferocious and powerful as these wolves were, none of them could lay a hand on her. They bit and scratched only to be blocked by the Zephyr Claws, In fact, some had theirs cut off from clashing with those claws. Her hands moved swiftly and fluidly, striking the wolves before they could do anything. 

And with the Wind Needles doing their work, the wolves soon fell one by one after having their innards torn apart, bleeding from the inside. It was a quick fight, one that ended in the deaths of the wolves. 

When the last one fell, Blood Moon flew back. It vibrated as it returned, cleaning itself of the blood.

Ming Yue held the scabbard out for it to return to and she looked at the little boy who still clung to her tightly. 

"We're safe now."

For a moment, he still clung to her but peeked out before finally letting go. She looked at him, making sure he was fine before gazing at the wolves and the Nine-Colored Deer, who looked back in curiosity. 

"So these wolves, do you know the name of them?" she asked Xiao Bai. 

Walking up, the young cultivator placed the wolves into her spatial ring. She wasn't going to let them rot here, near these traps. While doing so, the young boy looked at the dead wolves strangely as if he wasn't expecting them to be here. 

"They're wolves, just wolves from the Savage Lands."