The village really was a small one but it was bustling as people kept going back and forth putting up all sorts of decorations.
Pretty much all the decoration were either green, white or black or a combination of all of them.
Although the village itself was small because of the dozen of small shops outside as well as dozens of makeshift homes on the outskirts the village looked a bit large than it is.
Looking around Azreal couldn't suppress his curiosity towards decorations most of it was in the form of spheres.
The children ran around the village with all sorts of toys that seemed to have some form of significance to the festivals.
"What is the festival about?"
"The birth of the suns" Nala's excitement couldn't be suppressed as it seeped through
"Huh?" Azreal looked towards Xavious for an explanation.
Xavious shugged showing that he wasn't really sure what it was about, all he could do was point on the suns that would start setting soon.
"The sun's I'm not sure what the celebration's about it's been that way since I was little but you'll hear a story or two by the end of the night"
Walking down to the village the old and young stall owners all showed pleasant smiles as they called out to them to come and try what they sold.
"I don't think we'll be able to get anywhere to stay"
"We don't need to, the villager will give stuff to make temporary housing to all passerby's" Nala answered with a smile.
And it was just as she said once the got into the village the villagers offered them all sorts of materials, one household would give out a particular item and then they point you to the next depending on what you wanted.
Gathering up the materials they went on top of a hill so they could look over the village, in fact, Xavious and Nala insisted on it.
They were all impressed with what Xavious made with the things they got, he build it close to a tree, tying a rope to the tree and to the top of the house he made the room removable, another thing he insisted on.
As the night started coming down the warbeast started gathering instruments and started singing and dancing.
The music was infectious and what made it more so was how the warbeast sang and danced in joy to the music, all of them including Xavious, Nala, on the other hand, didn't know all the songs but she sang along with those she knew and rocked a little to the music.
The one he expected to be the happiest—the little fox—looked that saddest.
Before he could say anything and a group of children came running all holdings hands forming a huge train.
As the leading little girl spotted her she came up and stopped in front of the little fox.
"Are you okay?"
...
…...
"Does you're big sister not want you to play?" As the little girl said that she looked up at Nala tossing her a filthy look.
Once Nala, on the other hand, saw this she gave the little girl the little foxes hand and smiled.
"Let's go!"
"Why'd we stop?"
The other kids in the train started complaining so the little girl grabbed the little fox and ran off moving the train with her.
...
Not an hour later the little girl who led the group and a few other came running back looking scared.
They ran straight up to Nala.
"Lady! Your still sister she ran off!"
"What where?"
Because she was so out of breath she couldn't speak all she could do was point, Nala didn't wait for anything before running off.
Azreal and Xavious didn't fall too far behind, Nala didn't run too far before stopping for a moment.
The light of the torches in the city didn't extend this far and Nala couldn't find any trace of the little foxes scent.
Even without the scent she still ran into the darkness, Xavious ran in another direction and so did Azreal before stopping when he was far enough from the crowd.
Taking out [Azazel] Azreal spoke his order.
"Find the little fox"
The hundreds of illusory spirits rushed out of the scythe and rush in different directions, every one of them left behind a trail of dead grass so to avoid any problem Azreal left the area quick.
It didn't take long for one of them to find her.
As he rushed to where the spirt was the others hundreds of spirts were all recalled back to the scythe.
Deep in the forest, the little fox stood in place covered in mud, scared witless as she saw the slightly illusory figure in front of her, what made it worst was that it looked like one of the warbeast that sold her, the ground rotting away beneath it made it frightening.
Once Azreal came close the spirit disappeared and the little fox fainted from fright.
…..
"I'm sorry I ran away! please don't punish me!" The little fox spoke in between her sobbing holding both trembling hands above her head as a shield.
When Nala saw this she felt like her heart was slowly being ripped in two.
"No, No, I'm not going to punish you, no one is okay? but why did you run away?" as she spoke she quickly pulled the little girl in for a hug.
When the little girl heard that she couldn't hold back her tears.
Nala didn't say anything she just rubbed the little foxes back as she cried.
After she stopped crying she told the story of how she ended up being sold.
Her village was a small one like the one they were at right now, their village was raided by slave traders because it was a remote place no help came, somehow though her family managed to escape— herself, her mother, father and brother—but it didn't take long for them to be found and once they were caught the slavers forced them to watch as they beat her father to death in front them.
Every time she chose to look away her mother and brother were hurt and every time they looked away she was hurt, the men kept calling them prizes that would sell for a lot so they only went for places that wouldn't be seen.
Since then they separated the three of them and she hasn't see her mother and brother sister, before when Azreal and Xavious came from the city the killing intent they had caused her to want to run away but after what happened last time she didn't but seeing all these families together she wanted to go to hers, she didn't know how she was going to get to them but she just wanted to.
"I'll help you find them okay?" Nala smiled at her as she wiped the tears off her cheeks, she knew it was an impossible task but still said it to comfort her.
"You promise?" The little fox asked with clear doubt in her voice.
"Promise"
Nala wasn't sure how Azreal had found her so easily but she didn't question it she was just happy the little fox was fine.
As they were walking back to the festival Azreal stopped when heard an old lady finishing up her story.
".....because the mother was so angry with us she completely destroyed the sun and it's wasn't until a long time after that when her anger subsided that she created not just one but three of them, so that's why we celebrate so we never forget the kindness of the mother"
The children sitting around her hung on her words with fear and aw.
"Hehe, run along now it's starting soon"
Just as she had said by the time he got back to over where Xavious was the palace started getting darker.
Looking up an eclipse was happening.
No one said anything they just held on the decoration they had.
One everything was completely dark the villager started throwing up the decorations three at a time, once in the air, they floated up but not for long before they started burning and when they did sprinkle like things started falling everything it touched glowed.
It looked beyond beautiful hundreds of decoration were throw in the air as the sprinkles rained it looked like millions of stars were falling from the sky.