It passed a couple of days since Hako died, and Yumiko kept on training. She stood inside Hako's dojo, holding a wooden sword and continuously slashing it in front of her.
She slashed over her head, down in front of her. Then she moved to the hung-up bags and struck them with the blade. However, due to Hako's death, her ways of training seemed much less helpful. She wasn't as concentrated and calm while cutting her edge, so she made no progress.
Every time she slashed, she yelled out, but it didn't come from training; it was the yell of frustration. Most of the time, she even ended up hit by the bag.
When hit by the bag multiple times, she lost her footing and dropped back on her bottom while the wooden sword slipped to the side. Her eyes mostly became hollow, and she looked at the ceiling like a lifeless doll.
~ "You're already thinking about the future at this youthful age of yours which truly does impress me. I've never hoped that; I'd teach a good child like you how to fight with a sword. But, Yumiko, what are your plans after you become a swordswoman? You understand that swordsmen travel around the world and help people in need, while some tend to ruin it, don't you know?" ~
Bow observed from the corner of the door, talking to himself. "I didn't think Mr. Hako's death would ruin her so much. She barely holds on, and none of us know what she'll do because of it." He slowly spotted her standing back up and walked toward the wooden blade she dropped.
She looked at its handle, which had a carved-in symbol of Hako's dojo. "D-Damn it." She tossed the sword to the ground in rage and startled Bow. "I'm going to become the greatest swordswoman and make sure to find the person who did this to you!" she told, mouth trembling. "But until then, I need to become stronger and protect my family too, and then the moment I'm done, I'll make sure to sail the ocean and locate the treacherous person!"
Bow stepped back slightly, watching Yumiko treasuring the wooden sword on top of the hanger. She ran toward the door and barged through them, whereas Bow hid behind the door she rushed through and noticed her leave.
When on the outside, Yumiko dashed down the stairs. She rushed into the streets, and Bow decided to chase her down. She was certain to hurry into the 'Spookscale Forest' and traveled through its leaf-covered paths.
As she moved through, deep in the forest, she came across the signs that she didn't read. One said "dangerous" leading left, and the other said "Harventona Park". Because of her recklessness, she decided to turn left and speed through the dangerous path.
She was running through it without stopping and seemed to do a great job of avoiding natural obstacles such as those rocks and broken branches. She jumped over their tops and continued on ahead until she came across a cave.
She stopped running for a second and looked around the area. The area seemed somewhat isolated without anything living close by, so she took that chance and entered the cave to explore it.
The first step she made into the cave odored a different smell. It wasn't comfortable for the nose. She grabbed it, not to smell the horrendous sense. "Urgh. What the heck's inside of this cave? This smell is painful for my nose."
She stumbled atop a pebble and felt her body collide with the hard floor. Some of the light reached deeper into the cave, which helped her see something in front; grey fur.
It startled her, so she crawled back and noticed red eyes in the darkness. "Uh... H-Hi..." She swallowed saliva and then noticed the wolf's head reaching in front. But not everything seemed normal. Despite its wolf-like head, its body seemed the same as that of a bear, and its tail was fluffy, identical to a wolf.
She tried not to scream, but that didn't last long after the beast opened its jaw and roared into her face. That's when she knew that she had to run.
She picked herself up and then dashed back toward the cave's exit.
Bow waited patiently outside to hopefully see what was happening but then heard Yumiko screaming. Her voice that echoed inside the cave was coming closer. "Huh?" he questioned.
After a few seconds passed he spotted Yumiko running outside of the cave. Then, only a few more seconds later, that same giant beast leaped outside the cave and stomped its heavy feet on the ground.
"A Bearwolf?! What's it doing inside this forest?!" asked Bow, then realized he needed to help. "I need to help her! But I don't have anything to defend her with!" he looked around and spotted a curving branch that he quickly grabbed.
Yumiko didn't stop running as she continued screaming while being chased by the bear wolf. "Come on, leave me alone, you smelly fur coat! I'm sorry, I didn't want to disturb your nap! Just let me go! I don't want your teeth stabbing into my skin, please!"
The bear wolf roared out as it sped up. It lunged its jaw forward and rapidly tried to bite into Yumiko's head, but she managed to duck and run after several bites.
Her blue hair continued to flap behind her in the wind, and the bear wolf nearly bit into it. Yumiko squatted and then noticed Bow swinging his right arm. "Over here!" he hurled the rock at the bear wolf and gained its attention. The bear wolf slipped down onto its bottom to slide and stop and then instantly rushed after Bow.
Bow turned around and hopped off the rock while Yumiko lost balance and slipped over a branch. It caused her to fall and roll on the dirt down the hill.
She hit her shoulder against a rock and spread pain through her left arm. She continued rolling down the hill until she bounced off a branch and dove into the lake. Her body sunk under the water, and due to never having any swimming lessons, she didn't know how to.
She started to gargle in the water while losing consciousness and tried her best to contain some oxygen, but the more she tried to force her way out, the more it tolled on her body, and by the end, she started seeing blurry with the moonlight's glow being the only source of light she could see.
The vibrations bypassed her eardrums, which failed to pick up the sounds normally. The bubbles slipped toward the surface, but before she drowned completely, she spotted a silhouette diving into the water and swimming towards her.
Then, the next second, Yumiko's view turned black.
A few minutes passed, and Bow kept pressing his palms onto her chest. "Blue! Hey, do you hear me? Wake up, please!" it wasn't effective at first. "Blue! It's me! Come on!"
Yumiko's eyes opened slowly, still pale, but then she exhaled and raised her body. While she sat, she had to spit out the water and felt a momentary pain of pressure in her chest.
"Thank goodness. You're alive." Smiled Bow, and Yumiko looked him in the face. "Bow? Did you... Did you save me?" Bow nodded with a smile. "T-Thank you. I'm sorry. I didn't want to cause you trouble." Bow shook his head. "Don't be ridiculous. I knew you'd end up getting into trouble, so I made sure to follow you."
Yumiko blinked and then became embarrassed. She looked away, reddened into the cheeks, and sighed. "But, what about that beast? What happened to it?"
Bow and Yumiko faced into the distance, where they saw the bear wolf lying on the ground. It had an arrow pierced into its limb. "I didn't want to hurt it, but I didn't want you to get hurt either." He explained, and Yumiko seemed impressed.
She stepped toward the beast and squatted in front of it. She placed her palm on its head as it whined. "Please, calm down. I'll pull it out." Yumiko reached for the arrow that Bow used to shoot it. She then pulled it out.
The bear wolf whined louder for a moment but then observed Yumiko. She grabbed a leaf and placed it onto the bear wolf's leg. Then she tore apart some of her skirts and tied them around its wound. It rightfully embarrassed Bow.
"There. You should feel better really soon. I'm sorry that I disturbed your nap, but I didn't know you lived there. Can you forgive me?" The bear wolf slowly stood up and licked the wound. It rubbed its head closer for Yumiko to pet it. "Oh... You're just a baby. It must be hard living out here on your own."
"It sure is big for a baby." Claimed Bow as he dropped the bow he made from the branch away. "Bearwolves are bigger creatures. They can grow 10 feet into the air, but the babies are of the same size as normal bears. This one just got scared because I came out of nowhere. It must've felt scary.
"They have the same natures as bears, but they have senses, the same as dogs and wolves. Anyway, you should return to your home. I think I'll name you Toph."
Bow stood still, unimpressed. "Toph? How do you know it's a female?" Yumiko looked back at Bow. "It's not a female. I just used Toph because it's a name for any gender."
"Huh, I see..."
That day, Yumiko and Bow met a new friend; a young bear wolf that seemed not to be dangerous after all. But what happened to it in the future is unknown.
To be continued...