Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

Running across an open field, a pair of demons, children, trying to escape the pursuit of a squad of demons. Brother and sister, whose bodies were frail but covered in indigo scars, escaping for their lives. 

"Get them! Don't let either of them escape!"

One of them shouted out viciously, running after the two children. 

"Their bloodlines are rare! We can hand them over to King Hai Zhu."

They shouted out, chasing the children down. 

The two looked at each other, their eyes were desperate, holding hands tightly. 

The brother looked back, glancing at the demons behind them. He then looked to his sister and pulled his hand away.

"No, what are you doing?! Brother!" She cried out. 

"Go! Run to the humans! You'll be safe there!"

Pleading her to go, he turned back, his indigo scars glowed as water emerged from his body. Two streams that which formed a dozen serpents, flew forth snaking around the demons, restraining them. 

He grunted and struggled before shouting out towards his sister. 

"Run, I can't hold them for long!"

But she didn't move, her eyes lingering on her brother. 

"What are you doing? Run!" he shouted.

"But brother!"

His eyes were getting misty, tears were about to form. Their eyes met for another second just as the watery serpents slowly dissipated.

"Please, before they get both of us..." he pleaded with her. 

She was hesitant about to shake her head in protest before one of the pursuers broke free. One by one the others freed themselves, ripping apart the watery serpents. Brandishing his saber, he approaches them, looking to capture them both. 

"Let's see you try to stop me now!" he shouted. 

Taking one more look at her brother, the young demon fled for her life, not even stopping to look back. 

And the brother, he charged forward, sending out even more watery serpents. 

"Damn it! Chase after her!"

As much as they wanted to, the serpents tried to coil around them, slowing them down until the sister was no longer in sight. 

Exhausted, the brother's indigo scars stopped glowing with power as he fell to the ground. 

"What are you doing? Go after her!"

The leader yelled out as half of the group went off to track her. He then looked at the exhausted child, kicking him in the sides. But the brother was unconscious, exhausted from running and fainting from overexerting himself. 

"You little shit, do you know how much trouble you gave us? When we bring you back for King Hai Zhu, you better do as he says."

Grabbing the child, he gestured to his other men and returned first. 

Whatever purpose the Tide King had in mind, it was sure to be nefarious. However, it had to do with the lake, whatever it could be. 

Meanwhile, Ming Yue quietly moved towards the Southern Tower, having traveled for a month now. She looked up at the sky before looking around her and studying her map. Hei Yue followed her faithfully while the Xiao Yin circled from above. 

"Hmm, at this pace, I can reach the tower in two months, maybe a little bit less."

Making her way down, it wasn't as hectic as she had thought the trip would be. Apart from one or two encounters with Kong Zhi's armies, Ming Yue reached the outposts with little trouble. 

She put away the map and continued to make her way down the road, stopping from time to time over a strange plant or beast. 

"Oh, I haven't seen this before, I wonder if this has been cataloged or not."

It was reasonably calm, putting her mind at a certain peace. 

Then suddenly, Hei Yue stopped, his nose up in the air as his eyes darted around, his hair was raised up high. Noticing it immediately, Ming Yue looked around her. 

"Is there something here?" She thought. 

Ming Yue whistled out for Xiao Yin before getting off the road, moving into the sparse and dead forest. There wasn't much cover but she made do with it.

"Pursuers? A group of demons perhaps?"

She watched the roads and stayed still but she thought wrong. Rather, Hei Yue tugged at her robes with his mouth. 

"What is it? Where do you want to go?" 

Letting the Mistral Fox pull her away, she followed the beast through the trees for several minutes before finding what made him agitated. 

Hidden within the brush was a young demon girl, eight or nine years old, thin and covered in bruises and dirt. Her clothes included a pair of battered slippers and simple robes which had been ripped up in multiple places. She was curled up into a ball, asleep and breathing weakly. How many days had she gone without food or water? 

Ming Yue looked at the child and then studied their surroundings.

"No one else is here but her. What happened then? Pursuers?"

She moved closer, examining the frail body before noticing the indigo scars peeking out of the edges of her clothes. 

"These scars... or markings perhaps, she must be special."

After all, the only demons she knew that had scars or markings of any sort were the Yao Clan. But she managed to deduce more than just that. 

"If she's by herself and in such a state, she must have been chased by someone. Maybe the demons then?"

Looking at the girl in the face, she noticed her body trembling as she whimpered quietly. Gently, a tear or two formed, falling across her face. Ming Yue sighed before looking at the fox by her side. She placed a hand on his head, patting him.

"Go stay by her for a little, I'm going to hunt for dinner."

Hei Yue gladly obliged, letting out a soft purr before laying by the little demon, comforting her. Ming Yue took off her outer robes and draped them over the child before going. As she left, she produced a low whistle while holding her arm out, letting Xiao Yin perch on it. 

"Let's hunt for a bit, we have another mouth to feed", she said to the Star Owl.

Xiao Yin let out achieve before flying off, scouting for a target.

It didn't take long as they hunted what she could only consider a boar and a deer. The difference being their thick hide and things like fangs and horns. Even then killing them was quick and painless. 

All she needed were two wind needles, both of which carried a heavy dose of lightning energy. 

Like arrows, they flew forth, planting onto the beast's heads and stunning them. Compared to before, there was even less mess and the whole body was practically intact. All she had to do was walk up and drain their blood before bringing them back in her spatial ring. 

"Still asleep?"

Ming Yue returned to where the child was, finding that she slept comfortably with Hei Yue, even hugging the fox. She couldn't help but smile before getting to work, starting a fire and butchering the boar first. 

As night fell, she roasted the meat over the fire, letting the fat drip out. A bit of seasoning caused the aroma to change, becoming much more savory and fragrant. The smell of it along with the sounds of crackling fires caused the child to stir. 

Her eyes opened just barely before widening in shock. She quickly rose up, backing away from the trio. 

Hei Yue turned around and looked at her before walking back to Ming Yue's side, who was busy with the boar meat. She then turned around, keeping a gentle face as she held out a slice of the meat to her. 

But the demon girl was afraid, her eyes darted between Ming Yue and the other beasts. She was wary, daring not to move any closer. 

"You, who are you?"