A Nagas tale

Will-o-wisp

The village buzzed with people going about their days. Helen and Aurora found themselves exploring the town with Leo and Idris, all while Zer's family mourned a loss. Audrey held the jar holding her baby, the small bean it was, and she still felt a heavy regret. Kogen sat with Audrey looking at what would have been his child. Audrey held the jar against her stomach sobbing quietly. Kogen puts his hand over the jar. "This will be the only child I'll ever put into the earth before I do." He speaks his promise. Audrey looks at him and nods agreeing with his statement. "Are you two ready?" Thoren walks up to the catwalk where his mournful Granddaughter sits. He sets a small box on the catwalk. The name 'Iris.' is written delicately on the outside of the box. Audrey nods setting the jar into the box. Kogen gets up ready to guide his family to the final resting place of his child. Audrey doesn't move holding the box on her lap. Kogen doesn't rush her. His tears threaten to blur his vision. Audrey holds her hand out to him. He takes her hand resting his forehead on her head. He stops fighting off the sadness he felt letting his wife know he felt her pain. He wanted this child to live and smile at him. He wanted to watch to hear their child's laughter. He wanted to watch that child grow before his eyes. Nothing in this world would have made him happier than to help raise his child. He did not want to bury a child before it even got to see the light of day. He knew that Audrey felt this pain if not worse. The last three days she didn't want to leave the bed. It seemed like the smiling and joking Audrey from before was gone. They stood in silent sobs for a long while before Audrey got on her feet. She holds onto the box hugging it to her chest. She takes a deep breath and nods "O...Okay" she whispers. Kogen waits for Audrey to start the walk up to the gravesite. She looks at him and starts walking to the back gate of their home. Kogen walked next to her ready to help if she needed it. Audrey stops just before the gate hesitating in her choice to bury her child. 'we can keep them in the house, make an alter for them.' Her Dad offered her the idea. Audrey thought hard about what to do. She felt she would be haunted by her failure whenever she saw her child. She did not want to keep her child in this plane of life instead let them move on to the next one without many regrets. "Do you want to do this?" Kogen asks catching Audrey's attention. Her eyes find Kogen before looking back at the box. She nods "I want them to rest properly." she whispers. He nods "Do you think you can walk on your own?" he asks. Audrey wants to be stubborn and say yes but she knew she'd hesitate on the walk. She shakes her head the weight of her guilt and sorrow muting her voice. Kogen kneels in front of her and carries her making sure the box does not fall. Audrey looks up at the mountain that will be her child's resting place. 'I wish I could wash this pain away from you, little one.' The ancestor mourns with her. Kogen starts the climb to the mountain stepping out of the gate. Audrey's eyes widen seeing the people standing outside of her home. Olivia stood watching along with the friends Audrey made from the Bear tribe. Kogen troops stood by in mourning they were dressed in black. Audrey sucked in some air feeling her pain more intensely. She hides her face on Kogen's shoulder hiding her tears from those who came to witness the funeral. The small tribe of Naga walks up to the burial grounds that would become the home of such a young soul. The people stopped once they got to the foot of the mountain. Kogen did not react knowing the limitations he and his tribe had. Audrey can't help but feel like many eyes were watching them. Her eyes catch wisps of different auras darting from one tree to the next. The feeling these auras gave her felt grief-stricken and welcoming. Her eyes are drawn to the gravesite ahead where two auras stand over the newest grave. "Mother." Her eyes widened when her grandfather spoke. Kogen puts Audrey down before taking a step back. Unbeknownst to Audrey he felt these auras as well. Most of them watched him cautiously while others seemed elated. Thoren pushes Kogen forward "They would not deprive the father of saying his fair wells." He tells him. Kogen looks up at Audrey who is carefully walking up to the grave. He follows her watching the two auras start to circle Audrey. She smiles tearfully "Great Grandma, can you take care of Iris for me?" Audrey asks. The wisps of aura peeked into the box before bopping Audrey in the head. The other wisp approaches Kogen circling him as if to size him up. "go." Thoren Instructs Kogen. He walks up to Audrey the wisp quickly turning its attention to him. It does the same as before circling Kogen before the others join in. The wisps circle them both "Ancestor, May I let my child rest under your protection?" Audrey asks. Her voice trembles as the tree leaves rustle in the wind. The forest falls silent as the aura it produced dies away. The people in the village stop their day falling witness to another mournful day for their home. Helen and Aurora followed as the others put their conversation to a standstill. Audrey looks around at the wisps around her. 'I will protect your child for you.' He assures her. She smiles weakly "I'm sorry." She whispers more tears flowing. "I'm such a lousy mother Great Grandma." She whispers. Kogen frowns "Audrey, you are not." he refuses her self-hate. She kneels next to the tiny grave. "You tried your best to protect our child. You are not to blame for this." He kneels next to her trying his best to make her stop thinking of herself like that. Her Great-grandmother's wisp bops Audrey's head again in her form of refusal. 'This loss is not your fault my child.' The ancestor reinforces Kogen. She looks at Kogen trusting he was right but the guilt ate at her mind. He puts his hand on the box not ready to let her put their child down with such hurtful words. "We loved this child for as long as we knew of them." He tells her. She nods "I do love my child. I was so scared when I found out about them but I wanted them so much." she sobs. He nods "They know that you love them. I love them just as much." He does not hide his affection. Kogen hugs Audrey unable to stand how much he wanted to cry with her. He refrained from sobbing but allowed himself to shed tears. The wisps remained still witnessing the sad sight. The other wisp bops Audrey's shoulder as if telling her it was time. She turns to the wisp and nods "Okay." she whispers. Kogen helped tie the box up with a rope so he could lower it into the dirt. Audrey takes some of the dirt placing it carefully on the box. "I will come visit you." she whispers "Momma loves you." she sobs Thoren holds the rope for Kogen to put some dirt on the box. He kneels and puts a fist full of dirt onto Audrey's pile. " We will come to visit, I love you, Iris." he promises. The wisps quickly gather surrounding Kogen in excitement. Thoren chuckles "They love the name." He tells him. Kogen seemed startled but hearing Thoren he smiled. Audrey noticed how Thoren and her Father had both been mourning but didn't feel it as heavily as they did. Thoren noticed Audrey's attention before giving her a wink. He starts lowering the box 'Iris, a beautiful name you've chosen.' The ancestor approves. Audrey watches the small box descend into its final resting place. "Iris, I love you, my sweet baby." she whispers. Kogen sat next to Audrey hugging her tightly. Once the box got to its place Kogen got up and helped cover the grave. Audrey watched feeling less guilty and lighter knowing she chose right. She looks around at the wisps that gathered. "these are our relatives." Her Dad explains. Audrey looks at him "Dad, Why are they still here?" She asks. He nods "There is a curse on our tribe that not everybody is aware of." he tells her. His eyes scanned the wisps that gathered. "You probably don't know this but, Our tribe is known as world eaters." he explains. Audrey tilts her head "World eaters, Don told me he was responsible for the other world state." She mutters. He nods "As such, Our auras are too much for the void to handle." he tells her. She looks at her father. "We live on hidden within the ancestor's aura, in an afterlife of our own." he turns to a wisp getting closer to them. "This tribe of ours is undead, living without a physical body and unable to affect the world around us." He smiles at the wisp. "The ancestor must remove the veil that hides them if they wish to interact with their living family." he steps back. "Undead?" Audrey whispers. He nods "Although there is a special rite those who do not share our blood must go through." He explains. "They all stay here with the ancestor watching over the forest they once called home." Audrey looks at the wisps gathering by her child's grave.  "Go." he pushes her to get closer. She steps up to the grave seeing the stone Thoren had put down. Her eyes widen as a small wisp clumsily pulls itself out of the earth. The wisp is small and a soft shade of orange. The others quickly gathered around the new wisp "This is?" she covered her mouth. Kogen quickly grabs Audrey as she loses her strength. Kogen looks at the wisp as the others appear to smother it in embraces. "M..." Audrey tries to talk. The wisp quickly turns its attention to Audrey. "M.. My baby. Iris." she whispers holding out her hands the wisp approaches them. The wisp sits in her palms watching her closely and curiously. "Oh, my little Iris." she whispers. Kogen slowly follows Audrey to the ground his eyes fixed on the little wisp. "I'm so glad that practice didn't hurt you." Audrey whispers. The wisp did not move as if trying to understand who it was looking at. "Audrey, your child has not seen your face only felt your aura." Thoren explains. Audrey nods "Iris, I am your mommy." she whispers too scared to speak above a whisper. The wisp shifts "Th... This is daddy." she introduces Kogen to it. The wisp gets closer slowly at first as it tries to understand what is going on. It shifts again turning back to the others gathered behind it. Audrey watched it worried that Iris did not recognize them. "Show her your aura." Thoren offers a tip. Audrey nods flaring her aura carefully not wanting to scare her child off. It turns to her quickly bopping her cheek excitedly recognizing its mother. Audrey sobs carefully trying to hug the aura "It's me." she whispers. Kogen remains still unsure if he should flair his aura. His experience always scared people off. Audrey tugs on his shirt urging him to show her. He hesitates but relents releasing his aura slightly. The wisp trembled against Audrey before carefully approaching Kogen. It floats above Audrey's shoulder looking at Kogen. "Hi." He offers a worried greeting. "Thats daddy." Audrey whispers. The wisp looks at Audrey before getting closer to Kogen. Kogen lifts his hand offering his palm for the wisp. It sat in his palm before squishing itself into it. Audrey looked at the wisp curiously 'Momma! Daddy!' Her eyes grow wide hearing the child's voice that called to them. Kogen lets out a sob and Audrey nods as the wisp gets up off his palm. It quickly bops Kogen's forehead and starts circling it. Audrey grabs his hand knowing he needs her support. Kogen broke down amid the wisp's energetic greeting. Audrey's cries now shift into joyful tears. Thoren and Loki watch over the three reunite after nearly a month of being torn apart. "Heh, who would have thought the demon child could be so cute." Thoren chuckles. Loki smiles watching his mother watch from behind the gravestone. "Audrey has a knack for picking the cutest in the litter." He praises his daughter's choice. The wisp sat in Kogen's palm watching its parents as they said their goodbyes for the night. The wisps gathered around the newest member and waited for the veil to hide them from sight. Audrey and Kogen stepped away from the graveyard. The forest's aura starts expanding out from the cave mouth slowly draping the forest in its protective layer.