Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

2Several days had gone by without a sign of Xiao Yin or the others and at this point, Ming Yue was getting a bit worried. Staring out into the wild, she held the hilt of her sword firmly.      3

"Where could they have gone?" she wondered, "It's been nearly a week now. Could they have run into trouble?"      

Such a thought wasn't farfetched, after all, it wouldn't be the first time that they had bitten off more than they could chew. However, if it was true, Ming Yue had to act quickly.      

"I should go, I can't let any of them die."     

Thinking this, she quickly prepared to move out only for the said trio to return. They looked rather rugged. Their bodies were covered in blood but not of their own while their fur and feathers were a mess.      

Ming Yue stared at them, standing still as they walked up to her with a happy look. None of them really cared about their appearance at the moment.      

But the young woman's face revealed a cold or rather, an angry expression at them.      

"You three! What did you all do out there? Almost worried me!"      

Within a moment's notice, she pointed a finger at each of them and started to scold them. And with each passing second, the three slowly lowered their heads in shame. Both of Liang Wei's tails drooped down to the ground while she continued.      

But it didn't last long as Ming Yue sighed and lowered her finger at them.      

"Ah, never mind, let's get you all cleaned up."      

She turned around and started walking towards the waterfall while the trio followed behind her, still looking down in shame.      

"Get into the pond", she told them.      

They obliged, entering the shallow waters and awaiting their turn to be cleaned while Ming Yue rolled up her sleeves. Stepping into the pond, she waved her hand, causing a gust of wind to come. The water sloshed around before picking up into a wave and drenching the trio.      

And one by one, she cleaned them all with her bare hands, getting into the depths of their fur.      

"Hah, how did you get this dirty?"     

She rinsed their bodies clean, washing off the blood and dirt which had dried during their return trip. The pond had already begun to look a bit cloudy from it and the waterfall wasn't enough to keep it clean.      

Slowly but surely, their bodies were getting cleaner as less and less dirt washed out. And while she was cleaning, Ming Yue took notice of the changes in their bodies.      

"Was Xiao Yin's body this big? And her feathers... that silvery slow at the edge her feathers have grown brighter..."      

Even her talons had grown and the tips were dyed in silver too. The Star Owl was no longer a bit larger than Ming Yue's own head but was now nearly twice the size of her head!      

Xiao Yin suddenly wriggled, spreading her wings to shake off some of the water from her feathers. Expanding to their full wingspan, they were nearly as long as Ming Yue's arms. Finally clean, she flew off, perching on the roof of the house.      

And the Mistral Fox was next.      

"Hm, Hei Yue got bigger too. His teeth and claws are longer and sharper", Ming Yue muttered.      

She inspected the fox closely, checking his body for changes.      

Hei Yue's size had grown much more compared to Xiao Yin. He was large enough for Hongyu to ride on comfortably but still paled in comparison to Liang Wei. Still, the fox was tall enough to reach Ming Yue's hips while he was only above her knees before.      

On top of that, the fox's black fur had grown much darker compared to before. In fact, it was black as the night. If he wanted to, the fox could melt into the shadows.      

It took much longer to get him cleaned up but the water coming from his body was clear.      

"Alright, go dry yourself."      

She told the fox before promptly moving on to the last beast who was much larger than the previous two.      

"Come on, Liang Wei. Sit down so I can clean you", she said.      

The cat beast followed suit, laying on his belly and awaiting his time to be clean. Ming Yue constantly twirled her fingers, conjuring enough wind to constantly run water through his giant body.      

"Hm, what changed about you?"      

As Ming Yue scrubbed all over and washed off the blood and dirt, she couldn't quite pinpoint what had changed after Liang Wei consumed the Aureate Koi. At least, not until, she began to start cleaning his face.      

Her hands were gentle but firm, one hand on both of Liang Wei's cheeks, washing off the grime. She couldn't help but smile a bit as she smooshed the cheeks together and pushed them apart, putting the cat's face into some interesting faces.      

"Hehe, I never thought your cheeks would be so soft and spongy", she said aloud.      

Liang Wei let out a meow, somehow enjoying this sudden massage. Soon enough, there was a low purr coming from him      

"Now that I think about it. Were your eyes always like that?"      

Ming Yue took a closer look at his face, studying what seemed to be a pair of beige- colored irises that matched the beige spots of fur on its body.      

"I think they were the same color but they're glowing", she noted.      

Indeed, they contained a slight glow that was much easier to see under the night sky. There was a strange aura coming from them, not quite piercing but more mystifying. It felt as if she could dive into a sea of beige clouds.      

But the young woman pulled back, looking away from those eyes before finishing the job and sending Liang Wei out of the pond. The trio then gathered together in front of Ming Yue, who stood before them.      

"Alright, you three, I don't know what you did in these past days but I do know that things changed", she said.      

Her hand then moved as she took out both the Black Blade and Blood Moon, lowing them towards the ground.      

"What I do know is that you all fought and came back with barely any injuries. None of the blood on your bodies seems to be yours so I take it that you have become stronger now. If that is the case, I think that it is only appropriate for me to find out just how much stronger you became", she said to them.      

Both Hei Yue and Liang Wei looked at her with slightly confused looks, tilting their heads to the side. Xiao Yin looked at them and began chirping at them, relaying Ming Yue's words and probably explaining.      

The young woman watched as the two beasts realized what she wanted but they showed a bit of hesitation. After all, none of them would want to fight the one that had been taking care of them and Ming Yue knew it.      

So she spoke with a smile.      

"It won't be serious, I just want to see how strong you have all become. We'll stop before it gets dangerous."     

With those words, the trio wasn't as reluctant as before, feeling more reassured that what they were going to do wasn't a bad thing. Knowing this, they all bared their fangs at her and took a stance.     

Hei Yue and Liang Wei's fur stood at their ends. Xiao Yin took to the skies, and her talons and feathers glowed a little bit brighter. The Star Owl watched from above, readying an attack at any moment.      

Ming Yue soon followed, wielding both swords. Blood Moon was pointed towards them while the Black Blade was behind her.      

Without saying another word, she nodded to them, letting them make the first move.