Drip, Drip, Drip
Kanan laid on his back, watching listlessly as a trail of water seeped through the dilapidated roof, each droplet splattering against the already-soaked ground of his shack.
He sighed, closing his eyes in frustration. A familiar gnawing sensation rose up within his stomach. He was hungry.
His hometown, Melody Village, was far removed from any real civilization. The residents lived simple, self-sufficient lives, barely making due with what they had. In simpler terms, they were poor.
And Kanan, an orphan, was the poorest among them. He had no land to his name, and even his beat-up shack was just an abandoned building that he squatted in instead of something he truly owned. Nobody made things difficult for him though — the original owner had long since passed.
Normally he survived by doing odd jobs for the villagers, helping them out with menial tasks. He would make deliveries for the butcher, tend the farmers' fields, or perform other such small favors in exchange for a day's food.
Unfortunately, heavy rains had plagued the village for weeks. They had always received a lot of rain, but it was out of the ordinary this time. The merchants that supplemented the village's foodstock hadn't been able to make their usual journey, so there was nothing extra to go around.
He still got scraps, barely holding on thanks to the charity of some kind neighbors, but it was far from enough for a still-growing boy.
Realistically, he knew he was out of options. If there wasn't any work to be had, then he had to find food himself. And with no fields to till or weapons to hunt with, foraging was his only choice.
Melody Forest, from which the village got its name, was only a short distance away. Standing at the edge of town, one could see the towering sea of trees in the distance, making Kanan acutely aware of it despite having never been there. Supposedly it was a treasure trove, abounding with lush vegetation and rare creatures. Despite that, nobody who Kanan knew had ever so much as set foot inside. Doing so was a taboo, and for good reason.
Outside of the town, and especially within the forest, spirit beasts thrived. Mysterious creatures, boasting strength far beyond their size and wielding dangerous abilities. Some co-existed with humans – they were not a rare sight even within Melody Village – but the ones within the forest were wild and frightening.
Kanan's own experience with them was limited to some of the more harmless flying beasts that would occasionally approach the village. It wasn't uncommon for small flocks of Sun Crows to terrorize the fields, and each time the farmers would race out, shouting and throwing stones as the mischievous crows cackled mockingly.
Even those weak beasts were not to be trifled with though. There was an incident, years prior, where one of the farmers pelted a crow with such force that it spat fire in shock. It burned down an acre of wheat, and from then on the farmers had purposely held back, intimidating the beasts but never harming them. The birds also restrained themselves in turn, as Sun Crows are frighteningly intelligent and ruining the crops isn't in their best interest either.
As for land-bound beasts, Melody Forest to the north and the mountain range to the south formed natural barriers, preventing any dangerous creatures from approaching the town. The native creatures of each zone rarely ventured out, preferring the environments of their own regions. As such, unlike the Sun Crows, these beasts didn't interact with humans. They lived isolated, and encountering them was dangerous.
Still, there was no choice. At this rate Kanan would starve. Having made up his mind he steeled his resolve, lifting himself from his straw bed. The sudden movement caused him to wince, a pang of hunger wracking his stomach, but he grit his teeth and set off.
Outside, he passed through the empty streets and outside of the town's walls, encountering nobody. The residents had long since taken shelter, hiding from the downpour. Beyond the village walls laid a vast expanse of uncultivated plains. The residents were free to claim it, working the outer land as they liked, but only a few did. Without a spirit beast, protecting your crops beyond the walls was an impossible endeavor.
Walking briskly, it took Kanan half an hour to reach the forest and as he did a melodious humming entered his ears. He had heard about the forest's music, but he had never gotten close enough to hear it for himself. Still, he recognized the sound for what it was.
The humming was the distinctive music of the Melody Flower, a peaceful spirit beast that manipulated sound and gave the forest its name. He had seen one before from a distance, carried by a member of the village merchant's caravan.
Kanan was curious as to how such a harmless beast managed to survive in the wild. How could playing music protect them? They certainly didn't seem dangerous, at least. If the opportunity arose then maybe he could take one back to the village to sell. The merchants would probably pay a pretty penny for it. But for now he had other things to worry about..
He entered the woods, moving cautiously. Only a few steps inside the atmosphere rapidly shifted. It was dark. Far darker than Kanan expected. The thick trunks and leafy foliage blocked the rain, thankfully, but they also restricted his vision to what was shown by the small amount of light that made it through the canopy.
Given what Kanan could see, though, the forest was breathtaking. He stopped for a moment, stunned by the ethereal view. Beams of light shone down, forming pillars that pierced through the wood, each one illuminating plants that he had never seen. Shadows danced through the trees around him as the leaves overhead shifted under the weight of the rain.
The sight, combined with the gentle hum of the Melody Flowers, created a fantastical yet unnerving atmosphere. It was like he had stepped into another world. The forest felt alive, spiritual, completely different from the barren plains that Kanan had grown accustomed to.
A cry rang out, the yell of an unknown beast somewhere far in the distance. The noise echoed, breaking Kanan's trance-like state and leading him to reign in his thoughts. Despite its beauty, the forest wasn't a place where he could let his guard down. The cry may not have come from a spirit beast – regular creatures also lived here – but there were no guarantees. The forest was forbidden for a reason, and Kanan was determined to make his stay as short as possible.
He had an idea, one he had been mulling over on his way here. He figured the Melody Flowers were safe, and he was willing to bet that the spirit beasts weren't fond of sharing territory. If he followed the music, he'd hopefully be able to safely search for food in the vicinity of the flowers, avoiding the more dangerous and unpredictable beasts.
With that in mind he set off, walking in the direction of the melody. Moving stealthily, he advanced for several minutes before the trees finally thinned out, the space opening up to reveal a massive clearing before him.
Seeing what was ahead, he audibly gasped. Thousands of vibrant flowers dotted the clearing, forming a rainbow sea. Each one stood around a foot tall, moving side to side as they swayed in sync to the music.
Kanan stepped out from the trees and a wave of sound nearly blasted him off his feet. Farther from the clearing, with the trees and plants blocking the way, the sound had been gentle and soft. But here a thousand melodies permeated the air, filling up the entire area like a giant concert hall. It wasn't unbearable – the clearing was enormous, after all, and the flowers were spread wide – but the sound still dominated the space, overwhelming Kanan's senses.
In the center of the grove, circled by the army of flowers, a massive tree towered above. It was huge, its size exaggerated to the point that he had to crane his neck simply to see its top. It was just a tree, not a tree-like beast as far as he could tell, but it radiated a mysterious energy and spanned many times the size of anything else that he had seen.
Tearing his gaze away, Kanan approached one of the flowers. Two large leaves hung at its side, and the tulip-like head swayed in the wind as it hummed. If he hadn't known about it beforehand, Kanan likely wouldn't have realized that it was a spirit beast at all. It was indistinguishable from a plant, albeit a noisy one.
He leaned forward, and a cracking sound rang out as Kanan crushed a twig underfoot. The Melody Flower stiffened in shock, turning its tulip-like head towards Kanan. Two floating yellow eyes peeked out, widening as they landed on Kanan's visage. Before he had time to take a good look, however, the Melody Flower pulled its roots from the ground and waddled away at a high speed.
It can walk? Kanan was dumbfounded. He knew that spirit beasts were special, but he didn't expect that even the plant-types were quite so… animated. The flower retreated into the distance, looking back at Kanan to make sure he hadn't followed before re-rooting itself and resuming its dance.
Amused, Kanan laughed at the silly plant and went back to the edge of the clearing, his eyes lighting up in excitement as he spotted a familiar tree. Red and yellow fruits hung tantalizingly from its branches, each covered in small spikes, hanging at twice his height.
A popple tree! Kanan recognized the fruit. The village's orchard had popple trees, though they had long since been picked clean for the season. The fruits were crisp and juicy, and the ones Kanan saw were easily twice the size of those in the village.
In fact, all of the plants Kanan had seen thus far were vigorous and full of life. He wondered if the soil of the forest could really make such a big difference, or if there was some other reason. He looked at the giant tree in the clearing in contemplation – such a thing would be impossible to find outside.
Regardless, now wasn't the time to wonder about that. His long-awaited meal was finally in front of him! He agilely scrambled up the tree, sliding along its thick branches. The task wasn't hard, entertainment was hard to find in the village and so climbing trees was a familiar pastime for all of the children.
Getting to the top, Kanan reached out and eagerly grasped his prize. He cheered inwardly, and with a strong pull he tugged at the popple, ripping it from the stem with a snap. However, he made a mistake. The fruit didn't snap off easily like he was used to, with the robust stem resisting his pull. Kanan exerted far more force than he had intended to use and the fruit flew out of his hands, soaring through the air.
Desperate, Kanan lunged after the precious food, leaping off of the branch. His eyes swept over the rainbow garden below, his face twisting at the realization of what he had done.
There was only time for a single thought before he came crashing down.
Ah, I messed up.
With a thud, Kanan's body slammed against the ground. He groaned, unsure if he was lucky or unlucky today. A fall from that height could have been serious, but thankfully the impact was cushioned by the flowers.
The flowers in question were stunned, staring at him in shock. A few unfortunate ones squirmed underneath him, unable to extricate themselves. Noise rang out as the squished Melody Flowers erupted with sound, their hum turning into a piercing wail. Kanan scrambled to his feet in worry.
"I'm sorry! Are you OK?"
Kanan wasn't sure if the flowers could understand his words, but he spoke to them out of reflex. He squatted, examining them closer, and let out a sigh of relief. While he was no expert, they seemed to be fine. The fragile-looking leaves were intact, and the plants looked uninjured.
The incessant wailing was painful to his ears, but he was glad that they were otherwise harmless. Had it been a different spirit beast, things would have turned out poorly for him.
Satisfied, he stood up, and an eerie feeling washed over him. It was too quiet. The flowers that he had hurt were still wailing, but the air no longer vibrated with sound as it had before. His heart sinking, he turned around and was met with the sight of each and every Melody Flower facing in his direction, their petals open. Thousands of yellow eyes bored into him from every direction, making his hair stand on end.
Kanan had a bad premonition. They are harmless… right?
As if to contradict his thoughts, a third flower started wailing, adding to the unpleasant cacophony. More and more flowers joined in, the sound getting louder, painfully piercing through Kanan's ears. He realized what was about to happen. He turned, quicker than he had ever moved before, and started sprinting into the woods. A chorus of wails erupted, causing the air to shudder. He ran as if his life depended on it, the trees cracking and splintering behind him.
But he was too slow — the sound kept growing. A small river blocked his path, and he hurriedly changed direction to run alongside it. He didn't know where it led, but there was no time to consider the direction.
Finally the wails peaked, and shockwaves started to course through the woods, each one more intense than the last. Kanan stumbled, the force of the sound causing him to slip on the slick undergrowth, his hands scraping against the forest floor. He looked back to witness a wave of destruction hurtling at him, the ground being torn up in its path.
With no time to think, Kanan hurled himself into the river, diving as deep as he could before the blast hit and everything went dark.