The Little Voice

     It was the third village she had come into in the hopes of letting her stay amidst the blizzard. She didn't want any trouble, it was just for one day. But just like the village before and the village before that one, the locals recognized her. It didn't take long for a riot to form and for said riot to chase her out, throwing rocks and sticks at Aurora all while crying out the infamous name - Peludonio.

     Peludonio. The Shadow Demon, as it was more commonly known. It was a name Aurora had since grown accustomed to being called. That's what she had always been known as. No one bothered to ask about her real name, no one wanted to know more about who she was as an individual.

     To the world, all Aurora would ever be known as was a demon.

     For what felt like the hundredth time, a weary feeling swept over Aurora. She wanted more than anything to stay hopeful that somewhere, her monstrous nickname wouldn't be known. She would be a new individual, and people would know her as Aurora.

     But each time she got chased out by an angry riot, that hope seemed to dwindle, and a dark, despair-inducing void took its place.

     Heaving an icy sigh, Aurora finally came to a stop next to a gnarled, rotten tree. The biting frost and howling winds only continued to grow stronger around her, and Aurora knew that if she continued walking, by morning, she'd be reduced to a frozen statue. Slowly, she bent down to her knees until she lay down gently within the tree's opening.

     As her tail curled around her legs, Aurora clutched her shoulders to try and warm herself. The howling wind was still strong, but hopefully, she would drown it out once she fell asleep. The freezing snow was the last thing Aurora saw before she let her eyes flutter shut, hoping for a peaceful slumber amidst her troubles.

     So it's come to this again.

     Hearing the voice made Aurora open her eyes, only to find herself in a world of complete darkness. The snowy forest, the blizzard, gone. Nothing could be seen in the endless darkness. But as she looked around, the voice still echoed in her ears. It sounded like a female voice, but it was laced with venom and carried the slightest sense of...pleasure?

     Chased out of another village, were you? What did you think was going to happen?

     No matter which direction Aurora looked, the owner of the voice was nowhere to be found, something that didn't surprise her. She had grown used to hearing the voice every so often, and she was never happy to hear it. It certainly didn't help that whoever the owner of the voice was, they never made their appearance known to her. But regardless of whoever or whatever the voice's owner looked like, they seemed to want an answer from her.

     "I-I know," the yurble finally spoke, her voice meek. "But I can't just give up. T-There has to be somewhere that will accept me."

     For a moment, nothing answered her back. But without warning, a haughty fit of laughter practically stabbed Aurora in the ears.

     Still going to be in denial? The voice clicked it's tongue almost chidingly. You and I both know the truth. You're nothing but a monster, and that's all you'll ever be, Peludonio.

     "Stop! That's not true!" Aurora quickly slapped her hands over her ears to drown out the voice's taunting. But despite her effort, the voice still echoed throughout the dark void.

     Everywhere you go, you destroy everything. Why do you think everyone you ever meet hates you? And the few people that do show you kindness are only lying. As soon as you let your guard down, they'll off you in an instant. They can't bear to be nice to a monstrosity like you.

     "You're wrong!" Though she shouted at first, her voice started to quiver as she fell to her knees. Tears that had started to form in the corner of her eyes now trailed endlessly down her face.

     "Y-You're...you're wrong."

     Wrong? How could I be wrong? After all... The voice grew deathly quiet as Aurora spotted a pair of glowing yellow eyes in the darkness. No other part of the body was visible except for the eyes, but they were fixed upon her, and just looking at them made Aurora shiver. It gave off the impression of a feral kougra stalking its prey.

     And she was the prey.

     Under the pair of eyes, a crooked smile stretched across the shadow's invisible face as it spoke again, now with a twisted sense of satisfaction.

     ...I am you.

     Then at once, the figure lunged out of the shadows at Aurora, revealing itself as a giant, wraith-like yurble. Its claws and fangs were longer and sharper than anything she had ever seen, and it's piercing eyes were set on tearing her apart. And wracked with panic and fear, all Aurora could do was scream as she braced herself.

     "NO!!"

     Suddenly, she opened her eyes, only to be greeted by another pair of eyes.

     "Ah! Are you alright, dear?"

     The voice belonged to an elderly blue tonu, who's eyes only looked at Aurora with growing concern. When Aurora blinked again, she was still underneath the snowy tree, except now the sky was faint with light. The sun would be coming up soon.

     "...I-I'm alright." For a moment, she struggled to find her voice. "W-Who are you?"

     "I'm just a wanderer," the tonu smiled gently. "I was on my way home, and I heard the sound of crying. It looked like you were having a nightmare. Is that right?"

     Looking at the tonu's smile, Aurora had a hard time telling whether or not it was genuine. But just looking at him, she was reminded of the result of every meeting she ever had with practically everyone: angry yells, violence, and fear. She didn't give the tonu an answer, only lowering her head solemnly. But it appeared he didn't need one, as he nodded with a sense of understanding.

     "I see. If you don't wish to talk about it, you're not at fault. But would you like someplace to rest for now?"

     Aurora blinked as she looked up. "W-What?"

     "If you have nowhere to go, you can come and stay at my home. I always have room for a guest." Still retaining his smile, the tonu gently took Aurora's clawed hand and started to walk, keeping a steady pace.

     As she and the tonu walked, Aurora's mind traced back to her nightmare. The voice, whoever it was, said that everyone hated her. That part was right. But with this tonu, he seemed...different. He seemed genuinely kind, wanting to help her clear her mind from her past terror.

     Don't you remember? The voice from her nightmare returned. Everywhere you go, people hate you. And those who do show kindness are lying. You know what they really want.

     Hearing the voice shot ice down Aurora's spine. As much as she wanted to deny it again like in her dream, she couldn't. Everyone she had ever met reacted with anger, terror, and most of all, fear. But this tonu, for whatever reason, didn't. No such fear or anger was present in his blue eyes. He claimed that he was a wanderer, but was he really?

     There was more than what the tonu was letting on.

     Clenching her teeth, Aurora sharply withdrew her arm from the tonu, who abruptly stopped and looked at Aurora in confusion.

     "What is it? Is something wrong?"

     Aurora could feel her voice grow low. "This...this is a trick, isn't it?"

     "What?" The tonu's face immediately became one of shock. "What are you talking about? This isn't a trick. I just want to help!"

     "Liar!" Aurora practically yelled at the tonu, who took an uneasy step back. She then lifted her head to look at the tonu, her eyes now a piercing shade of yellow.

     "This has to be some kind of trap! Everyone in this area knows what I am, and you think you can play dumb with me?! I know what you're really after!"

     "I'm not after anything, I swear! I'm not plotting anything! You have to believe me, please!!"

     The tonu's yells were lost to Aurora as she felt a newfound burning sensation in her chest. It was painful and it only grew hotter as the feeling quickly surged to her arms, her legs, and soon, her head. Normally, such pain would make her fall to her knees wincing, but now...she embraced it. The pain quickly faded as Aurora felt her muscles tense and her fangs grow longer, until everything in sight turned black and the burning sensation enveloped her entire body.

     And as the sun slowly crept up behind the trees, a guttural roar echoed throughout the mountains, followed by screams of utter fear and terror.

     - - - - - -

     The next morning, residents of a nearby village had gone to find the source of the screaming and roar, only to be greeted by a manic blue tonu. His eyes were crazed with fear, and he spoke of a creature unlike any other: a monstrous wraith yurble with piercing yellow eyes. Suspicious, several villagers went to investigate only to find rows and rows of destroyed trees. Deep gashes tore through the bark while purple-black flames flickered from the broken stumps, resembling a wraith.

     Instantly, the villagers knew what had caused such carnage: the Peludonio. Only that demon was capable of such brutal ferocity and destruction. It was feral and merciless, and if it had any sort of compassion, it never showed it. Seeing the destroyed trees and the insane tonu was a constant reminder to the villagers of what fate would befall one if they ever crossed paths with the Shadow Demon.

     Elsewhere, a grey yurble slumbered underneath a hollow tree, wisps of purple-black energy flickering from her tail and ribbony ears. All around her, the snow gently fell, even covering up the trail of splintered trees that followed behind her. Soon enough, they would be buried and forgotten under the snowfall, just as the yurble had forgotten the horrendous transformation she had undergone.

     The End.