The Gentle Moth and Vicious Beast

Chapter 17: The Hunt

In the cave that Blixer calls home, the two shapes sleep soundly in the night. The moon glowed in the night sky with stars glimmering through. Blixer held Luna close, keeping her warm from the cold breeze, she gently cuddled his arm as she turned in her sleep. The beast purred and snores quietly while he slept, the sense of comfort was brought back to him, the comfort he felt before when Luna first visit him. They slept until the sound of a crowd was heard in the distance causing the two wake from their slumber. Luna yawned and Blixer had his ears opened.

"What is that sound?" Luna said sleepy as she rubbed her eyes, the sound grew louder and louder. The crowd yelling was more understandable.

"Kill the beast! Kill the beast!"

Blixer looked closely at the distance from the lake to see an orange glow like fire, the silhouettes of residents of Paradise with ropes, torches, and weapons like axes and pitchforks. The angry crowd made their way through the area, the one leading was Lycan. He looked around the area to see any signs. Blixer backed in his cave with Luna in his arm, trying to hide her from the possible danger. Lycan turned to where the lake was and spotted the cavern across it. He looked at it more closely, he spotted a pink tint. He found him.

"The beast is over there! Now let's go and-"

Before he can finish, a dash of colors flew around the crowd, distracting their view from the cavern. Blixer peaked out to see them distracted, the sound of water splashing grew loud as a boat silhouette came up to the two shapes. Cube popped out and waved.

"Hey Luna!"

"Cube! How did you find us?"

"We just followed the crowd, there were more groups but they split so they can find Blixer faster."

"Why are they trying to find Blixer?"

"They want to kill him, The Treeangle showed Paradise a vision of you and Blixer sleeping but they thought he killed you, so now they want to torture him and murder him."

Luna gasped in shock. Blixer stood there, not surprised by the statement.

"So the shapes are distracting them as we take you home. Blixer, you have to come with us. You can stay with Luna as her place is well hidden from Paradise."

Cube used his triangle ears to heal Luna's wounds and her wings. Once he did, he put her in Captain and Heli made sure the distraction lasted long enough. Cube went onto Captain.

"Blixer, you have to swim. You won't fit and even if you did, Captain can't take in that much weight."

Blixer nodded as he went into the water of the lake. The group were trying to swat whatever was dashing around them, Lycan looked at the cave to see the pink tint gone. He turned to the lake and see Blixer and the gang leaving as fast as possible. Lycan growled under his breath.

"No!" He yelled as he launched an attack at them. The blue spike ball landed between Blixer and Captain with Cube and Luna. Blixer backed away as the splash caused a wave to knock Captain over and onto land. The two shapes landed on the ground. The group was able to rid of the shapes and Lycan looked at the beast with a death glare. Blixer looked at him with a glare, he turned to Luna and Cube. It was too risky to follow them home as they'll just get hurt, he decided to swim the other way as fast as possible and out of the water. He ran off into the forest with the angry crowd following him. Luna saw and tried to get up but Lycan grabbed her and Cube with a strong grip.

"Let me go! He needs me, he's just scared, he's not a monster, Lycan!"

"I'm not gonna let anyone help that beast. I'm gonna protect Paradise with any means necessary."

Lycan took the two shapes back to Paradise. Heli grabbed Captain and followed them. Meanwhile, Blixer ran from the angry crowd, they tried to injure him to make him weak and slow, but he stood strong as he ran through the forest. A resident threw a pitchfork at him and it landed on him, piercing into his back. He roared from the pain but kept running. He turned and twist to get them away but nothing. He eventually ran back to Paradise with the crowd still chasing him, he ran until he made it to the center of Paradise, he stopped slowly as he panted heavily. Axes and pitchforks all over his body, he felt weak from running and he collapsed on the floor as the residents tied him up.

Lycan made it back to Paradise with Cube and Luna still in his grip. They heard the cheering of the residents, Lycan followed the noise and they made their way to the center of Paradise. There was Blixer on the ground with his arm tied across his body to prevent him from moving and escaping, he was covered in wounds as they bleed pink, he looked like he begging for his life. Luna teared up at the sight of him, he was so weak and helpless. She struggled until she eventually bit on Lycan's hand, causing him to let go. She fell to the ground and dashed over to Blixer and shielded him.

"Let him go! Don't you see you hurted him badly?!" She turned to him and gently placed her hand on his cheek. He purred at the sudden comfort, the only thing that was healing. Lycan watched at the crescent moth gave her word about Blixer. While he did, a serpent like shape, colored pink, slither up to him and pierced him badly. He winced him pain and let go of Cube, he landed on the ground and ran over to Luna. Lycan looked at his wound. It was bleeding, bleeding pink. He was shocked as he looked at the serpent shape slither to the forest, there he saw the glowing orb in the darkness. He shivered as his body ached with pain as his body slowly corrupted. It wasn't Blixer. It was someone else.

The residents watch Luna caress the beast. A resident came out from the angry crowd to confront her.

"Yeah we know we hurted him! Now move and let us finish!"

Blixer's eye widen as he watch the moth turned to the shape.

"No. I won't."

"What's wrong with you? That shape is a beast. A monster. That monster deserve to be killed"

"No he doesn't. He's gentle and sweet. The ones that should be called a monster is you!"

The crowd gasped. The resident growled. Luna continued.

"If he was a monster, he would hurt all of you by now, but no! He ran, like a rabbit from a wolf pack. The wolf leading the pack was Lycan! He may have seen Blixer on what he looked, but I saw on who he is."

The crowd started to feel guilty for the sudden change of behavior. They were accepting shapes but they let words control their mindset. They were about to let go of Blixer until the yelling of a certain Cube was heard. Cube ran as fast as he can towards the crowd.

"Cube? What's wrong?"

"Lycan! Lycan's been corrupted!"

The residents gasped. A pink spike ball crashed between Cube and Luna. The center of the crowd. There was the pink corrupted cactus.

"It's Lycanthropy now." He spoke.