Escaping The Wolf Realm

Daichi and Kira almost jumped in surprise when the voice came, turning towards it in unison.

There stood a sheepish looking Mimi.

They turned around to look at the other. Daichi raised his single eyebrow in question and Kira answered his look with oblivion. Together they turned towards Mimi who at this point was trying to give off what she hoped was a sincere smile.

No one spoke for a while.

"Hey guys?" After waiting uselessly for a response, Mimi cleared her throat, "To get Kira out...I have a plan."

Kira stared at her then, remembering the last time they had seen each other in the field.

"You...want to help me?"

Mimi seemed to fold in on herself more, if that was even possible. 

Wringing her hands in front of her, she responded, "In the field, I was...scared. Very scared." Her voice reached a higher pitch as she continued, "I'm sorry! alright! I am sorry! It's just that you were there... and the MONSTER was there!...and then it wasn't!...I...I..."

"..."

"Why would you help us?" Daichi asked cautiously, looking around them before bringing his attention back to the woman in front of him.

The question seemed to embolden Mimi.

"I know I was scared...no wait, I 𝘢𝘮 scared! But what 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 are planning? That isn't right!" Her hands stopped and became fists at her side as she spoke.

"What are they planning?" Call her morbidly curious...

Mimi pleaded with Kira, "Please, I know it was wrong what I did in the field...but I would never want to hurt you! I would never want to hurt anyone!" Her face crumpled with tears.

Daichi stepped forward, "Mimi, what are the villagers planning?" 

His seriousness made her refocus her words.

She took in quick short breaths, "They said something about Kira being a harbringer of evil, and that some cleansing that needed to be done to rid the village of said evil, and how she had brought in a demon and maybe there should be a sacrfice to bring the powers here, you know, to combat the demon, which is ridiculous but you know how the elders get and..."

"Mimi! Stop! Focus!" Kira shook Mimi out of her ramblings.

As amusing as it was for Kira to see her friend, she needed her to speak clearly. Now.

"Right, right, sorry, yes. Yes. So... as I was saying...where was I?" At their exasperated looks she continued, "Right, yes. Okay. Yeah, so...yes. The...the...the sacrifice! The sacrifice! They want to sacrifice Kira to save the village."

She looked rightly proud of having delivered her message.

"Sacrifice me?" Kira was having trouble processing the thought. This was not good. Sacrifice would mean...death.

Mimi's face turned into a rightfully contrite one after she saw Kira's face. She was scared out of her mind and it showed.

"I'm sorry..."

Kira rearranged her expression, trying to hide the fear she was feeling. Seeing Daichi and Mimi's faces, she knew she was failing.

"So...now what?" She hoped to anyone listening, that there was a way out.

"Uhh, I said 'I have a plan'...?" Mimi raised her hand hesitantly.

--------------------

The plan was fairly simple. 

After a lot of turns, and backtracking and hiding from the villagers, the three of them reached the village's sacrificial site, where Kira could see a stone platform, with a block in the middle.

The reddish discoloration on the block and the surrounding platform, like it had been made by some flowing liquid over a period of time made her want to look away. 

She did not need to have two guesses to know that it was made by blood.

It there were any doubts, the large sword resting against the block provided sufficient clues.

Good thing they didn't need to focus on the setting.

Instead, they quietly rushed towards the young girl who was standing near a small structure with amother woman, beckoning them.

"Mimi! Over here!" The girl whispered as loudly as she dared. Mimi responded with a wave and started towards the girl.

Daichi and Kira paused, reluctant, before they followed.

Mimi and the girl embraced, and after receiving a nod from the nervous woman standing a few feet away, the trio went in...

...only to gag at the smell.

What they had been unable to see in the dark, what that it was a small barn. With animals.

At the disturbance to their sleep, a few goats bleated but quickly settled. They stepped around the others, and around a few chickens, walking in a straight file as Mimi carefully placed her feet and led them until they reached the far side. 

There lay a large heap of hay.

Mimi picked up and put away the hay, dusting the remaining strands off haphazardly until she could she a small space behind. 

It would have been completely unnoticeable if you didn't know to look for it.

Mimi inclined her head at the space and then at Kira.

"Okay. This is it. As we discussed, you can hide here."

They looked dubiously at the small nook.

"...Uhh..I know it doesn't look like much, but trust me, no one will come looking for it. Shira- my sister, the girl outside- has assured me that no one will come here. This place is always under watch- these being the honoured sacrifices for the Gods and all- and no one will think you could be here. This place is perfect."

Seeing as they were yet not convinced, Mimi took Kira's hands in her own, "Kira, please, you need to hide. We don't know what would happen otherwise. Shira took the turn to keep guard for this reason alone."

"Mimi...I don't know how to thank you..." Kira squeezed the hands holding hers, touched.

She turned to Daichi and nodded.

Then she crawled in. She waited as they covered her back up with the hay. Soon enough, she heard the door open and close behind her helpers.

Now she was truly alone.

All she could do wait for the search to die down, and for Shira to knock on the door as signal. They would then start the next part of the plan.

-----------

Kira had dozed off on the little piece of floor, curled up as she lay on her side. That is when she heard it. 

The door opened. And shut. Muffled footsteps. Bleating goats.

Someone had entered.

This was not part of the plan.