Chapter 906 A Rabbit-kin's Regrets
-----
As others went through their own personal trials, Pekora had a peculiar one. While many had their trials being a single person, Pekora's trial was different. The Rabbit-kin lady was someone who had lost many in the past. She lost her entire tribe due to an attack from bandits, and was ultimately enslaved. She went through so many horrible experiences that her formerly cheerful and gentle nature turned into a gloomy and slightly expressionless woman. Despite doing her best to show her gentle nature with Drake and everybody else inside their community, she had always felt like she failed.
The traumas of her past still remained within her soul and her heart, always reminding her of her past mistakes, of her bad luck, and of the many horrendous thing she went through, and that perhaps many of her people went through as well.
…Although some of her Rabbit-kin people was rescued from slavery, and although Drake had continued to rescue slaves and defeat bandits wherever he spotted them, she still lost many to that one fateful day. She used to be the chief of her tribe, someone that was in charge of taking care of them, of protecting them… but ultimately, she lost everything and ended losing them as well.
"Why did you leave us…?"
"I feel so lonely here…"
"It is cold.."
"Chief!"
"Please, don't go away now!"
Pekora slowly stepped back, looking at the dozens of rabbit-kin people in front of her. Unlike many others, her weakness and trauma included her entire tribe, all those that died or were lost, which she had never been able to meet again. These regrets combined together into something terrible she wasn't able to properly handle.
Usually, she kept herself calm and composed, but now, Pekora was breaking down. Her face was slowly fading into fear and sorrow as she saw their faces, the faces of all those she had missed so much. She knew her entire tribe, every name, every person… she loved them all and saw them as her family.
Each day she woke up with them, helping them migrate across the vast snow lands of Jotunheim, seeking the warm of the sunlight as they moved away from the even more unforgiving cold. As they were covered in fur they were resistant to cold temperatures to an extent, but even then, the cold of winter in Jotunheim was too much for her tribe. Because of this, they usually migrated, following the sun as it moved away, the beautiful flower fields and green forests her tribe enjoyed were now without them.
Much like many, Pekora was overtaken by sorrow, although she resisted however she could, she ended falling to her knees, suddenly surprising her tribe. They had never seen their respected chief acting like this. Despite being illusions made from her memories, they were recreated from them, and it was already seen through others that went through trials that illusions had feelings and thought just like any other. It was a wondrous creation of the Frost Tower.
"I am really sorry…"
The rabbit-kin lady cried, as she dropped her weapon and ended leaving them to do whatever they wanted to her.
Even knowing the nature of this trial, she felt utterly hopeless now. Something so deep and painful as the tribe she lost and loved so much appearing in front of her was not something she was going to be able to properly respond against.
"Chief…"
"Wait, what are you doing?"
"D-Don't kneel like that…!"
The people suddenly realized this wasn't right. Their chief was always someone that stood tall and led them. She was the one that woke up the earliest, that worked the earliest, and that always protected her family and tribe.
They slowly approached her, touching her shoulder gently, or her head. They were asking her to stand up at the end, and they didn't had any intentions to hurt her.
But the pain of her mistakes was stronger than a hundred spears piercing her body. Pekora felt completely destroyed by their words. She didn't wanted their pity, she felt she only deserved their hate and resentment after everything she did to them.
"I am sorry for being so incompetent… I am sorry for… I am sorry for everything…!" Pekora cried, as tears flowed from her eyes.
"Mama…"
Suddenly, a little rabbit-kin girl touched her shoulder. Pekora's eyes opened wide, as she raised her head, looking into the little body of the one she had raised… the only daughter she ever had. The one that was lost in that bandit attack, were many perished.
"Miriam…"
"Mama… Don't be sad…"
The little rabbit-kin girl, who looked almost the same as her daughter but small, suddenly hugged her mother.
Pekora suddenly began to cry even louder, even more knowing full well that her daughter was gone, and that this was merely… an illusion for the trial.
"I am sorry for not being able to help you… I am sorry for not being there… For being so weak… so worthless…!"
"Mama is not worthless… Everyone is sad because we were left behind but… we know that you couldn't do anything there… We can't blame you for it forever."
"Miriam… I… Still… I… I am sorry… I… I wish I could go back in time… I wish I could had done something for you! I wish… I wish I could had changed it… At the very least I wish I could had died with you…"
However, her daughter began to cry a bit.
"Don't say that, mama…! I don't want you to die!"
"Ah…!"
"I want mama to live! I want mama… to find happiness again."
"M-Miriam…"
"I want mama to smile…"
"Miriam!"
"So… Mama needs to move on…"
Pekora was being moved to tears once more, constantly by her daughter's words.
Why would a child that loved her mother want to see her die to begin with?
To children who love their parents, they're the pillars to their lives.
Seeing them die would be worse than losing their own lives…
Vines slowly began to grow in the floor, slowly entangling everybody, as they started to dissipate into particles of light. It wasn't Pekora's doing, but her own spirits that decided to take the right decision.
"No… Stop…! You guys stop!"
She cried, desperately grabbing her daughter, and hugging her.
"Don't leave me! Please!"
Her daughter, however, smiled gently, the last smile that Pekora could remember her daughter doing.
"Mama, I love you…!"
Miriam kissed Pekora's nose, as she slowly dissipated into particles of light.
Pekora fell down to her knees, as she continued crying, embraced by the warmth of her Spirits trying to comfort her.
"I also love you… My little baby… Mama will always love you…" She murmured to herself, slowly standing up and walking away.
She knew that there were now other people that needed her outside.
-----