Nine

Preface

     The only sound is the hiss of rain. The thunderous roar as it splashes into the mud and grass. A flash of lightning illuminates the vast sky overhead, briefly lighting the area. Green, slightly-overgrown grass, with a large white structure beyond it is visible for just a moment, before darkness of the cool night engulfs it once again. A white two-story home, it's paint slightly chipped away, with a single light on downstairs that seems to give off a slight yellowish glow through the storm is momentarily visible, before going back to lighting up the patch of grass just under it, but none beyond, eaten by the night once again when the flash of the storm passes. The sky is an angry gray, barely visible unless the lightning reveals it, telling of even more storm clouds pregnant with more rain to come. The night's insects and animals have long since taken shelter, likely under leaves and in their dens, leaving the only sound of life being the rain, and perhaps the occasional sound from inside the home beyond the yard, likely from some kind of telly or computer system.

     Then something small interrupts the storm overhead. A small blue flicker erupts from mid-air, heading toward the ground, like a firework that failed to go off, before seeming to burn itself out and vanishing, blending into the black of the night once more. The rain continues in a roar for minutes later, as if nothing had happened at all, before another soundless spark erupts, much closer to the ground this time. Much like a flame from a lighter, a lone flame in a downpour. Seemingly unresponsive to the rain around it, the blue light gives a flicker, resembling breath upon a candle's flame, before it stills itself again just as quickly. Thunder booms overhead, and at that moment, the light seems to momentarily grow in size, before separating into two small orbs. Two circular blue bulbs of light with almost ghostly blue ribbons of fiery tails dancing from and around each of them.  

However, the separation of the light had left something in its path. A creature in a small light blue raincoat had seemingly been left behind by the expanding light, as if it had created it, just before it separated. It lies upon the slimy mud-coated ground, battered by the unrelenting rain that appears not to know or care of it's sudden existence. And likewise, the creature doesn't appear to know of the rain just yet, either. It's lying upon its side, its legs tucked in, and one arm under itself, and head against the ground, staining the hood of its jacket that covers most of the creature's head. However, the two ghostly orbs seem attracted to it, shown as they stay close to it, one positioning itself near the idle creature's head, and the other nearest its mid-back, merely hovering close to the creature in silence, and continuing to give their eerie blue glow around what area the rain allows them to do so.

The creature is still for a moment, before, in a sudden display of life, its free hand gives a small twitch, as if clasping for something that is simply not there, quickly followed by a small bout of feminine coughing. It moves slightly, a dark shape moving against the even darker night, attempting to get to its feet, only to be struck back to the mud-covered ground by a painful droplet of rain. The creature coughs again, peeling itself from its stomach, and hauls itself to its hands and knees shakily, as another flash of lightning cracks across the starless sky, once again revealing the outlines of dark clouds, and this time, the creature itself.

It appears to have a thin build, with a humanoid appearance, only broken by the thin black horns upon its head, resembling that of a deer, and complete with two points, and a single black cattish tail poking out from under its coat. Its skin is pale to the point it's almost the color of snow, with no visible markings, apart from the mud, obscuring it. It wears an aforementioned little blue raincoat, hood up, and covering most of its facial features. The raincoat itself, despite being obviously covered in water and mud, is a pure color, featureless aside from a small pocket at each side. It almost acts like a dress, almost reaching the creature's muddy knees. As the orbs flicker around it, the creature lifts its head, revealing its facial features. Possessing a small upturned nose and frowning mouth, the most noticeable detail of its face is its eye. Only one is visible, illuminated brightly against the lightning. What should be the whites of its eye is blue, and the pupil, instead of being black, is small, and ruby in color. The other eye is covered by a tuft of black hair, the color the same as its tail, which cups its face on the other side. Its feet are bare, showing small toes sunken into the mud-covered ground, once it forces itself to its feet. And though it attempts to get up again, the sudden burst of blue light from behind it causes it to stumble, leaving humanoid tracks in the mud. Appearing to be startled, the creature looks behind itself, noticing a second black, cattish tail joining the one it was seemingly created with.

Then, almost appearing comforted by the strange and unexplained appearance of the tail, and the brief and now-absent burst of light, the humanoid being looks around itself, making the orbs flutter around its head with the movement. The grass stretches high above its head, strands dripping and bending with huge droplets of water that continue their journeys to the ground, but for the most part, seem to be protecting the being itself from another drop hitting it. Finding itself thankful for the slightly overgrown lawn it had found itself in, the creature casts a glance behind itself, eye slightly reflecting yellowish with the distant glow of the window, through the night, and giant stems of grass that are leading to the structure itself. It then turns its head skyward, just in time to leap out of the way of a falling raindrop that crashes onto the spot it was formally standing in, its strange orbs following it like a magnet through the quick action.

It straightens, but struck with a sudden chill by the night air, it then shivers, almost appearing to suddenly realize how wet the drop of rain that had hit it had left it. Wet and muddy.  Wrapping its thin arms around itself in a motion appearing as if it's hugging itself, it similarly wraps one tail around its bare leg, the other tucked in close to itself, as if offering some kind of warmth against its chilled and damp surroundings.

Water dripping in beads from its visible hair, down its nose, and streaming from its jacket, the creature turns itself in the direction of the house, silently so, able to see it by the light of the window, through the criss-crossing mess of grass-strands and stalks, and the occasional weed. Leaving a trail of footprints behind it, it clambers over a fallen twig, and it starts it's journey, its orbs following closely and just as silently.

She starts her journey.