Reflections of the Moon

Tang Fu Lii and JC Fox are on their way back from a walk through the woods on a cool early spring morning when they spot Blood Moon kneeling near a small brook. As JC and Tang approach they notice she has a small dagger drawn and pointed to her abdomen. She is crying very softly and doesn't notice Tang and JC as they move toward her. JC turns with horror on her face and silently mouths to Tang that Blood Moon looks as if she is about to kill herself. Tang ducks to one side as JC approaches from the front. JC quietly says, "What's wrong Blood Moonie? Why do you have that dagger in front of you?" Blood Moon's tear filled eyes look up and sees JC standing in front of her. Blood Moon whispers, "Please leave me Miss Fox, my life is at an end. I've been a failure and I want to end all the pain." JC's eyes tear up and says, "What, please let me help you my friend. You can always talk to me." Suddenly Tang appears from the rear and grabs Blood Moon's wrist. JC quickly pulls the dagger from her hands. Blood Moon doesn't resist and collapses to the ground in tears. Tang and JC gently hug her and ask why she would consider such a drastic action. Blood Moon looks up and says, "My life has been of torment and endless sadness. I've been scarred, physically and mentally. I would never make a true fighter, someone the Lord would be proud of. I am truly alone, truly worthless." JC says, "Nonsense, you have us. What in the devil are you talking about? Many of us have had to endure struggle, I sure have. Tanger here has too." Tang says, "Yes, you are a very good and honorable woman, what ever made you so sad?" Blood Moon looks into the woods and says in her monotone voice, "I will tell you of my life story."

Blood Moon begins, "I was born into a peasant family within a small village. My parents owned a small inn and I helped with the many chores. We had little money but we lived simple, happy lives. I was a quiet and dutiful daughter, I loved my parents deeply. When I was seventeen, a gang of thugs invaded our inn late in the night and kidnapped my parents and me. They brutally beat us and caged us and sent us to a work camp in the western Kogasuma. There we were forced to labor in the silver mine. My mother died the first year from tuberculosis. The local governor ran this mine and had a total of nearly seven hundred prisoners. I saw many die from pure exultation and other were killed in the dangerous mines, from collapses to blasts. Executions were common and all of us were tortured in some manor. Soon after I arrived I was chained within there dungeon and whipped for hours. I would moan in agony, wishing for death.

After a year, my father's health began to decline. He suffered a heart attack one morning while heading to the mine. When an guard found out, he beheaded him, right in front of me. I was dragged away and my feet were pounded with clubs. I contemplated suicide from that day forward. After that incident, I would keep a low profile, never bringing any notice to myself. The mine was very dangerous, but it was very rich in silver. We knew that if the mine ran out of silver, we would be  killed. I was lucky, many were too old or infirm to manage the hard labor. I was tall and my back became strong. I would place dynamite charges into the holes for some time and would carry the bags of minerals to the surface. I was rarely sick, but the poor veneration made illness a major problem for the others.

I would go to my 'cell' each night and cry, wishing to escape. I would look out of the small window and stare into the moon each night. I wish so much to free myself of that place and my life. I was ashamed to be a woman too, I know I would be killed when my body gave out or I would become ill. On night a group a drunken guards entered my cell and dragged me out. I never resisted. I never fought in my entire life and knew they'd kill me if I resisted. They took me to a conference room on this moon light night. I stayed silent, only dreading what they had in mind. Many females were brutally assaulted by these animals, I knew it may have finally, after nearly two years, been my turn. I was punched several times and they dragged me to a wooden beer barrel. It was filled with water. The guards laughed as they all surrounded the tank and forced me closer. I knew I was probably going to died.

I looked into the tank and saw many large fish in the dark waters. As I looked closer a guard forced my head in. As he kept my head submersed, I could feel the fish biting my face. When they pulled my head up, I screamed with agony. They guards laughed with cruel amusement as my face bleed. The fish had razor sharp teeth and were very viscous. They continued to dunk my head as the razor toothed fish attacked me. I moaned with agony as I was becoming disfigured by their cruel acts. I knew I was dead, I would die a torturous death here. I looked into the crescent moon as they repeatedly pulled my head up. I wanted the moon to be the last thing I saw since it was the only thing I had any faith in anymore. As the fish bit my face, I struggled to free myself, but two guards had their hand on my neck and to the back of my head. When the guards pulled my head up for an extended period, to get more whisky, I stared into the moon again. I noticed an anger within me I had never felt before. I could feel the girl I had been slowly died from that point. As the guards returned my head into the barrel, I noticed a fury boiling ups within me. I howled with pain as they pulled my bloody face from the water, but my eyes had lost their blue color. They were almost white, like the moon I had stared into. An animal within me had awaken. As they continued to dunk my head, I could feel my strength, increasing, becoming an unnatural strength. I could feel my fingers digging into the wooden barrel as Blood Moon was born.

The guards were not aware of my rage or even my slowly increasing strength. I could feel small chunks of my face hanging. My moans became more animal-like as my fury increased. I had no idea of what was happening but I knew I had to attack and escape this place before I lost this fury. As my head was dunked again I could feel my shirt tighten as my body grew in strength. I knew I had to attack and as soon as my head pulled up again. I lifted the barrel from it's base and knocked it to the ground. I moaned with agony and rage. The guards gasped as I roared with fury. They attacked me and we would wrestle on the floor, slipping on the water and gasping fish. Several guards hit me with bats and batons, I collapsed but I returned to my feet quickly. Several guards tried to grab me and hold me down but my strength has grown conversably. As they reached for their swords, I leaped through the window. I ran into the courtyard as the guards yelled.

I hid under one of the barracks that night, shivering in the cold. My face bleeding badly, my cloths torn, my hands and body battered. I knew if I were caught, I'd be executed on the spot. I would hide under the barracks for nearly two days until a thunderstorm began. The rushing waters of this thunderstorm washed into my hiding place and I ran into the courtyard and tried to cross the razor wired fence. Guards soon spotted me and sent dogs to stop me. I was able to cover the fence, but I was cut several places and the dogs got a sent for my blood. I ran into the nearby woods as fast as I could. My body was weakened from days under the barracks and I had no food.

As I ran through the woods, I tripped several times on the many branches on the forest floor. I covered a small river and soon managed to escape the dogs. My heart was pounding, I could barely breath. I never ran like that in my entire life. I soon found a small cave to hide for the night. My cloths were badly torn and my body was very tired. I needed food and a way to survive in the forest. I just cried as the pain of my situation engulfed me.

After that day, I soon looked of another place to hide. I wanted to find a village or a trail so I could find a place to eat. I was weakening from the many days without any food. I was able to drink some water from the streams, but little eatable items were available. It was spring and some wild flowers were blooming. I soon began to eat a stew of flower and tree leaves. I was able to create fire with stones I gathered from a flint stone bed I discovered. As I lived within the forest I traveled at night, by the movements of the moon, my guiding light. I slept in the early morning, usually in ditches and dens I created. I became weak and lost any muscles I had gained during my days within the mines. Within the first months, I would become sick with diarrhea and stomach viruses. I could hardly travel during those days. At that time I believed I would starve to death.

As the weeks and months went by, I learned what I could eat, and even learned to hunt small animals like rabbits and squirrels. I was taught how to skin and cook these animals from my days at my parent's inn. I would think about them all the time while I wondered the forest. I was also knowledgeable of the fact I had now been scarred badly by those evil men. I vowed that I would defend the weak and learn to fight if I ever left this forest. After a summer of wondering, I found a cave overlooking a valley in which I made my home. Over the next several months I would live there, training myself to fight and strengthening my body during the moon-lit lights. I would worship the moon as it raised and set each night. I would sleep all day and hunt the animals of the night. I rarely spoke during this time and lived more as a beast. My clothing had long since deteriorated and I was clothed in pieced together potato sacks I found early on. I also had skins of raccoons, deer, and skunks to cloth me during the winter. I survived on a diet of berries, walnuts, sweet leaves, and meats from the smaller animals I had learned to kill. I would climb the mountain sides and often lifted and carried smaller boulders to increase my strength.

That next summer I was awoken by two travelers, two elderly men. They hunted nearby and saw my cave and came in. I had become wild and was unwilling to go with them to the village. I hadn't talk to a soul in over a year and I nearly forgot how to speak. The next day a gang of men came and dragged me from my cave and caged me. I snarled with anger and tried to fight them as best as I could. I was brought to the village center and displayed as a "wild girl" The villagers beat me badly. I lost all respect for humanity at that time. I just wanted to kill them with my bare hands

While being transferred to another village, a one-eyed man helped me to escape. He took me to a Buddhist shrine near the CM/Kogasuma border. The shrine was long abandoned but he housed me there. I was grateful for his kindness. He clothed me, taught me to speak again, and also taught me the art of the sword. His father was the grandfather of Blade Ukita. I would learn to be a girl again within his presents. He paid for a local surgeon to correct some of the scars on my face. There, I was given this white uniform and mask. My master was a craftsman of masks and thought this mask represented a 'Moon Warrior', the name he often called me.  Through his teachings, I learned the power of inner harmony. My hatreds eased over time.

While returning from a journey for groceries from the local village, I found my master dead. He had been attacked by bandits, robbed and killed. I was deeply grief stricken but I had no real anger that I had once had. I had by then learned to control my emotions and decided to go about my life and respect the wishes of my master's teachings. I first went to Blade Ukita and learned more about the art of the blade. Soon thereafter I decided to join the Shockers clan. Blaze had befriended me while I worked at Blade Ukita shop. He soon help me gain employment as a bodyguard for a judge. You know the rest of my story." Tang asks, "Your life has been nothing but torment. I never knew the depth of your suffering." JC adds, "You mean you lived like an animal in the woods for almost two years. What was the hardest part?" Blood Moon answers, "Not knowing what lurked in the night. I was attacked by wolves many times and was once chased by a black bear." Tang asks, "How did you tend your facial wounds after you were mutilated? " Blood Moon looks at Tang and says, "I tried to tend my wounds with pieces of my shirt. Infection soon caused severe pain and my face would bleed for days." JC says, "Icky poo!" Blood Moon adds, "I have never shown my true face to anyone since my master gave me this mask. Many of my scars were corrected by the surgery but many remain. My eyes have remained almost white as well." JC says, "Then, why do you want to kill yourself?" Blood Moon says, "What do I have to live for? I have failed at being a sword fighter. I have failed at being a woman. I have failed at being a human." Tang says, "Nonsense, you are a part of our family. Just trust us and we will be there for you."

Blood Moon looks into the eyes of Tang and then JC and says, " I have learned to read the intentions of people very well in my life. You two are honest and good people. You two are of pure heart and sound in mind." JC says, "Well thanks, but it's obvious you have me mistaken for someone else Moonie. I am pure as the wind driven snow but I'm not sound in mind." Tang laughs and says, " Let us help you. Many of us have no family either. We would openly welcome you to our group." Blood Moon says, "It's good to have such giving people such as you two to care so much for me. I deeply appreciate and honor your generous offers."

As Blood Moon, Tang, and JC return to their camp. Late that night Blood Moon appears at Tang Fu Lii's cabin. She enters and awakens Tang. Tang asks, "Why are you here Blood Moon? What can I do for you?" Blood Moon says with tears, "Please just hold me. I just want someone to hold me."

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