Chasing the Sunset

  Mukade sat at his desk, reading through one of the old tomes he purchased from an old book shop on Meara. It was the beginning of summer, the sun was shining through the curtains despite the late time. His parents had gone away, for some reason he didn’t bother to remember, so he managed to get a few days with the house to himself for once. He planned on using all this free time to the fullest, and practice his magic unhindered by his parent’s watchful eye.

“Hmm, this one seems interesting.” he thought to himself and he glossed over the page. “No, too many runes to write. It’ll take too long.”

Mukade doesn’t get much free practice time for his magic. His parents are old fashioned about it. They think it’s “too dangerous” and “he might hurt himself” and “summoning the spirits of the dead is immoral”. But what do they know! He knows better than that! Which is why he built himself a secret underground cave hidden away under an old rotting tree in the backyard to practice in. Can’t complain about practising magic under their roof if it’s not under their roof.

“Aha, this looks promising!” He took his time reading over the spell he found. It looks simple enough, some type of powder when mixed together and burned will cause fire to rain from the skies. How grotesque~. And it only took a few ingredients to make. Perfect.

    “Looks like I’ll be raining hellfire down on this poor excuse of a town soon enough, mwahahaha!” he laughed to himself. He does that a lot. Once he settled down, he started looking closer at what ingredients he would need. Bit of ground up rubies, check. Some flambir feathers, check. Powa seeds? Took some digging, but he found a few hidden in the back of his supplies cabinet. By the end of the list, he found he had all but one ingredient.

     “A sunset, butterfly?” Strange, he never heard of that one before. Must be something pretty rare then. Or pretty old, judging by the smell of the book in hand. A few centuries worth of dust and decay filled his nose every time he flipped a page. “Wait, I think I remember...” he mumbled. He vaguely remembered hearing about some type of rare butterfly in one of his other books. He searched through his reference shelf (which is completely different from his spell shelf) and found the book he was looking for.

     “The Sunset Butterfly: A rare species that only appear during the later hours of dusk. Rarely together, the butterflies only show up together during breeding season. Outside of that, it is rare to find more than one together. Interesting.” A butterfly that only comes out during dusk and flies alone, that sounded like a challenge to catch. But what fun is magic without a little work involved? He pulled out an almanac and checked for the date. The sunset was estimated at around 8:49 tonight. Plenty of time to prepare. “Hehehe, soon this town shall know the true meaning of despair and death! Once I find a net...”

    ~~~

    Mukade sat under a tree, hidden by the vines and leaves. Reading into the butterfly more, he found out that the forest near his town was a common nesting ground. So he made his way to the forest, and in a nearby clearing set up a small area to camp out in, for the time being. These butterfly were pretty rare, but he was hopeful that he would be able to find one soon enough.

    He glanced at his pocket watch, it was currently twelve past eight. The sun was starting to hang low in the sky. The perfect time for them to appear. So he tried his best to hid in the shadows, hoping to catch a glimpse of one soon.

    Time moves very slowly when you have nothing to do. Especially when you can’t move at all. Mukade could feel  the boredom creeping over him. Stalking prey is hard work. His neck starting to cramp up from his odd position under the tree. All he had to judge the passage of time was the fade from red to blue as the sun sunk lower and lower in the sky. He risked a glance at his watch again. It was hard to see in the lessening light, but it read 8:56. The sun would be gone in a few minutes and not a butterfly to show for it. “Darn, must not be any in this area,” he thought to himself, “Guess I’ll have to look somewhere else tomorrow.”

    He was just about to get up when he saw it. It was faint, but from the dark he could see some type of creature glowing in the distance. He thought it was a firebug at first, but when he looked closer he saw the wings of the butterfly. Bingo. Slowly, he inched his way out of the leaves, and tried his best to make his way over to the butterfly without being seen. As he got closer, he could make out the colors of its wings. Then the antennae. Then, almost as soon as he could see into its eyes...

    *Swoosh!* He swung the net as hard as he could at the butterfly, making an audible sound as he did so. “AHA! I have caught you, hidden creature!!” he shouted at no one in particular. He held up his net to see the winnings of his hunt, but when lifted the net, he could see a faint glow fluttering away to his left.

    “Drat!” he missed it! Mukade swung the net again, but the butterfly was aware of an attacker now and darted away before the net ever got close. “Get back here, vile creature!” He chased the butterfly through the woods, swinging his net madly. But was he had in size, the butterfly had in swiftness, and each swing fell short as it darted in and out of the trees.

    Mukade was getting frustrated now. How hard could it be to catch a little bug?? He growled to himself and picked up his pace, aiming one more time to catch it. He raised his arms high, holding the net as far as he could. “You can’t escape me, I’ll get you this time aro-AUGH” Mukade’s last quip was cut short as he quickly found himself face up on the ground. He was short of breath, a rock piercing into his left side. He laid there in a daze, unsure of what had just happened, when his net, dangling from a branch, fell off and hit him in the face. “Oh,” he said drily, “Unfortunate.”

    He laid there a bit longer, waiting to catch his breath. The headache he had was slowly going away thankfully. The sun was long gone by the time he picked himself up, hoping the darkness of night would help hide his blunder from the world. When he looked around, he had hoped to see a faint glow, something to bring a little joy back. But he was met with darkness only, and the sound of buzzing creatures. None of them a butterfly.

    ~~~

    Mukade leaned himself against a rock, net in hand, and a bright new hard hat on his head. He was wearing it for the headlamp, he would tell people, not for the helmet. He didn’t need a helmet, only fools need those. And he was no fool! Which is why he had prepared himself more for the second night of hunting. He had spent most of the day reading up on the elusive butterflies, and was going to use his newfound knowledge to aid in his quest for the darned creature.

    It was already closed to dusk, and he was waiting in silence for another one to appear. According to the books, seeing one is hard, but once you know where one is, it would be easier to track more later on. It seems the book was right, because not long after he arrived at his new hunting ground he saw one flutter on by. Slowly, and keeping his net low, he quietly tiptoed closer and closer to the fluttering mass of chitin and sparkles. Then, just as he got close enough to reach...

    *Woosh!* Down went the net! Surely he caught it this time. He smiled to himself as he looked down into his net. But it was empty, and the butterfly quickly made its way away from the predator ahead and flew away. “Oh no you don’t!” Mukade shouted as he made chase for the second night in a row. He wouldn’t, he couldn’t let it get away this time!

    Swiftly, and with some caution to the trees around him, Mukade made his way through the forest, following the butterfly as closely as possible. Just as he made it within reach, down went the net again! But he missed, and the butterfly went right by again. This ebb and flow of chase went on some more, until finally, Mukade saw the light at the end of the tunnel.

    Well, technically it was the sun, but the metaphor still stands. The butterfly had flown right into a clearing, where Mukade didn’t have to slow down or maneuver from branches and rocks that slowed him down. “Aha! I’ve got you now!” He quickly picked up speed to catch the creature, gaining much needed ground. So close he could almost smell the sunset in its wings. He reached high above his head, readying his net, and jumped to gain much needed momentum. Down went the net, and...

    A clean catch! He could see a faint glow coming from the bottom of his net. He had finally caught it! “Yes! Victory is mine! Mwahaha!” He cackled as his feet finally touched the ground. Wait, where was the ground?

    He woke up a few hours later, laying in a crumbled mess of limbs and sorrow. Thankfully the cliff he was on wasn’t all too big, so he didn’t break anything aside from his ego. Rule number 1 of hunting prey: Always be aware of your surroundings. He felt like an idiot now, laying at the bottom of a cliff with just a net and a helmet. At least the helmet helped. “Wait, the net-??” He held up his net and looked at it. He couldn’t see any glow coming from inside it. Drat. Another hunt with nothing to show for it besides a bruised body and ego. Hopefully tomorrow will bring better success.

~~

“Stupid little bug, annoying creature always running away...” Mukade mumbles to himself. All day he’s been laser focused on the task at hand. And that task is to catch the butterfly if it’s the last thing he does. And with his current luck, it just might be.

He’s sat under a tree at the moment, working on getting his supplies in order before he heads out deeper in the forest to wait for his prey. He brought along a bunch of supplies he thought he might need, so now he’s working on deciding what’s most important to carry. His net, the helmet, a grappling hook (just in case). He was debating whether or not the makeshift lighter he found in a box somewhere was needed, when a voice sauntered in from the side.

“Ohhoh? And what has my little hellion have planned for this wonderful occasion?” It was Amellia, his spider-like friend, and occasional capturer.

“Hunting.” he said curtly.

She looked around at all the supplies he had strewn about. “Hmm, and what could you be planning on hunting? I don’t know of many creatures that require a halberd and, ” she gently kicked a can near her feet, “Whatever this might be.”

“I’m hunting the most elusive of prey,” he responded, “ It has defied my capture for many nights now, and has endangered my life just as much.”

“Oo, sounds fun~.” She stepped up to him rested one of her hands on his head, while another went up to her face to ponder, “Now what kind of creature could be causing you such trouble.” She closed her eyes in thought. “Hm, couldn’t be a Flambir, they don’t roam this far out of the desert. Maybe a lopo? I’ve heard stories of some of them going feral. They can get quite dangerous you know. Come on now, tell me what it is!”

Mukade pouted, facing away from her, a blush appearing on his cheeks. He finally mumbled out, “...just a stupid butterfly. Always getting away...”

Her head tilted in confusion. “A butterfly? Did you say a butterfly?” Her voice sounded incredulous. She glanced over his appearance with wide eyes, noticing all the cuts and bruises he sustained in the past few days. But then her eyes narrowed, a smirk forming on her lips. “Now now, this butterfly, it wouldn’t happen to be a sunset butterfly, now would it?”

He jumped. “How do you know of such a creature?!”

She chuckled. “Because I don’t spend all my free time locked away in a cave reading centuries old books on magic and chaos.” She glared down at him, “This isn’t for another one of your haphazard spells, is it? You know how unreliable those books you have can be!”

He looked away. She’s one of the few people in the world that knows of his magical practices, and always reminds him of how dangerous it can be to practice unsupervised. He knew she was right, but how else would he gain the skills he needs to take over the world without practice?

A silence fell over them before Amellia sighed, hands on her hips. “Anyways, consider yourself lucky. Sunset butterflies are actually quite common in this area. The fact you’ve seen one already is a good sign.” She looked to him, “How many nights have you been at this?”

“Just two. Tonight will be my third.”

“Perfect~” She clapped her hands together and smiled, “Then tonight will be the last night you hunt. I’m sure you’ll find it. Third time’s the charm, as they say.”

“Indeed! Tonight shall be the final night of this wretched bug hunt, I am sure of it!”

Amellia chuckled, “Now I’m sure by now you know the perfect spot to look for one, correct?”

Mukade hesitated. He had prepared all he needed to go on the hunt, but hadn’t really thought about where to go. “Uh, of course. Do you?”

“Fufufu, But of course! Everyone knows the best spot to find them is under a Paopofu tree. They love the sweet sap from them, drives them wild.” She took a step forward and poked him on the nose. “ And I’m sure you know just where the biggest Paopofu tree in the forest is?”

“O-of course! I’d be a fool not to know!”

Amellia smiled, and ran her hand down his cheek, “Oh but of course you do. How could anyone not know about the magnificent tree 20 meters to the east of here? It’s truly marvellous to look at. Very strong branches as well, I’ve had them all tested.”

“I-I’m sure you have...”

“Hm, well I better leave you to it then. Ta-ta~” She waved behind her as she walked away, leaving Mukade a tad bit flustered.

“T-take care on your way back home.” He managed to say.

Amellia turned, and smiled back, “Oh don’t worry about me, the dark doesn’t scare me at all.”

~~

It was only 8 o clock when Mukade had set up camp underneath the Paopofu tree. It was early, but the sooner he could catch the blasted bug, the better. He had only brought a few things with him this time, hiding the rest of his supplies under a bush somewhere else. He had his trusty net and a spare, just in case. His helmet and helmet light, a spare torch, a container to hold the butterfly once caught, some bug spray, and a few matches, just in case. As much as he wanted to bring more (mainly the halberd, that thing was fun to swing around), he decided that the less he had to carry around the better. If his previous hunts were anything to go by, he would be doing a lot of running tonight.

The sky was darker than the previous nights at this time. He didn’t notice it before, but he figured it was just his imagination at first. It was probably the clouds. Last night was a clear night, was it not? He couldn’t remember, not that it mattered.

That’s when he felt the first raindrop. He thought he imagined it at first, but a few seconds later, another fell, then another, until a light sprinkle showered the forest in rain. “Tch, of all the times to start raining.” But no matter, a little rain wouldn’t stop him. Not tonight. Not when his goal was so close to completion.

He sat longer under the tree, the rain picking up into a decent downpour. He could feel the ground beneath his feet getting mushy, but still he waited. Sunset would be upon him soon, and he couldn’t afford to lose. So he sat there. And he waited. Sunset came and pass, but you wouldn’t know with all the clouds in the sky. And still he waited. By 9:15, the gentle drizzle had turned into a downpour, and still Mukade sat there, hopeful for a change.

    He sat there for hours, under the poor umbrella of the Paopofu tree. He could see flashes of lightning in the distance, but not once did he see the glow of a butterfly. He couldn’t believe it. He refused to believe it. Three nights already, three attempts at capture, and three failures all lingering on his mind. He didn’t want to leave yet, because doing so would admit defeat.

    But once the rain became so dense he could barely see beyond the tree’s leaves, he knew he had to turn in. All this prep, all this time wasted, and for nothing. His shoes stuck in the mud as he walked home, not even bothering to try to cover himself from the rain. What if his luck had run out? It was said that seeing a butterfly was rare, and seeing two was even more so. Perhaps that was all the luck the world was going to give him this time. Maybe it was a sign that he should give up, turn in and work on a new quest.

    Mukade sighed heavily, stopping to look up at the moon, barely visible from the clouds. He knew he should try something else. Maybe there was another spell he could work on, something with ingredients he already had. But he hated this feeling, the feeling of defeat. He didn’t want to abandon his quest just yet.

    He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Tomorrow was another day. Perhaps tonight was the anomaly and not the norm. Yes, tomorrow he would have better luck. He would wait under the tree, then when the butterfly showed up, he would catch it, grind it up, and set fire to the rain that was threatening his quest.

    Tomorrow would most certainly be a better day.

    ~~

    ...Except it wasn’t. Who knew spending hours in the rain could make you sick? Certainly not Mukade, as he laid in his bed under many blankets, tissues strewn about the floor.

    When he went to bed the night before he felt fine, almost better than fine. But as the night went on, he started feeling worse and worse, until his nose was so stuffed he could feel a headache beginning to start. By the time the sun started poking into his room, he felt like death incarnate. Sleeping came in short bursts, usually ended by a massive sneezing fit and another trip to the bathroom for an asprin. By the time he managed to get out of bed to get some food, it was already 10 at night. Too late to catch a butterfly he lamented. He had thought about going out again tonight, but the sea of tissues littering his room made him second guess that, until eventually he relented. With enough sleep and medicine, he would be better by tomorrow. Then he could go out again and catch his prize.

He was spacing out to the fizzing of his medicine in water when he faintly heard a knock on the door. Was that a knock he heard? Or just the pounding sound of his headache marching along? Begrudgingly, he made his way to the door and opened it, surprised to see that yes, there actually was someone there waiting for him.

    “Amellia? Is *siff* is dat you?”

    “My my, don’t you look worse for wear. Did the butterfly do this to you too?”

    “No, i’ was de rain. It rained a lot las’ night. Losta *sniff* lotsa rain”

    He rubbed at his eyes, trying to clear out the sleep from them.

    Amellia clicked her tongue, “Oh you poor boy. Look at what the evil rain did to you.” He flinched when she patted his head. It made his headache worse. “Hm, Mister magic-chi doesn't have some mystical spell to get rid of a cold?”

    “Yeah, *sniff* it’s called sleep.”

    She laughed, “Still a smart mouth even when hazy. Anyways, I only came here to bring you something.”

    “Someding?”

    “Yes! I brought you a little gift. Figured you’d might like something to, brighten your mood~.” She stood up straight, holding something behind her back. “Now, close your eyes for me.”

    “Wh-CHOO! Why d’ya me to do that?”

    “Oh come on now, don’t be a spoil sport! Don’t you trust me?”

    “Last time I closed my eyes around you *sniff*, I ended up hangin’ from the ceiling.”

    “Oh poo, that was only the one time!”

    “...”

    “..That was only the two times. Anyways, just do it!”

    He shook his head, “No way. I’m too tired right now. I just wanna go back to bed and die for a few hours.”

    Amellia pouted, “Well fine then, I guess you really don’t want this present then.”

    Mukade rubbed at his temple. This really wasn’t helping his headache.

    “It’s such a shame though, and here I thought you really wanted this butterfly.” She held up what she had been hiding behind her back. A glass jar, with a single fluttering butterfly in it. “And to think, I went through all this trouble to catch one for you.”

    Mukade stood there with his mouth open. He couldn’t believe it! Three days, many injuries later, and here it was. A sunset butterfly in the flesh. Or, chitin. Right in front of him!

    “H-how!? How did you get one??”

    “I did what I do best. I caught it~”, she chuckled slightly. “Now, do you want it, or should I just let it go already?” emphasizing her point by putting her hand on the lid, as if to take it off.

    Mukade reached out, almost falling over in the process “No! Don’t!” Amellia cackled at this.

    She shook the jar by the lid, “What do you say~?”

    “*sniff* ...Can I please have the jar?”

    A smirk grew over her face, “Hm, you just want the jar?”

    He sighed, “Can I please have the butterfly and the jar?”

    “Of course~” She gently plopped the jar in his arms, “A special insect for a special friend~”

    Mukade stared at the jar in his hands. He’d seen it before, but having it so close to him was like a dream come true. Maybe it was the medicine at work, but he could have sworn that the butterfly changed colors as it flew around the jar. “Thank you, Amellia. Th- *sniff* this really means a lot.”

    She gently touched his hair, “I know it is. But like I said, a special insect for a special friend.”

    “I owe you a great debt now.”

    “Psh. Oh please, you already owe me so much. What’s one more fly one the web?” With one last pat on the head, she turned and left, leaving Mukade standing there, dumbfounded.

    He shook his head as she walked away, “It’s always gotta be *sniff* spider puns with her.”

    Jar safely under his arm, he closed the door and went off to his room. The potion could wait a few more hours. Right now, he just wanted some sleep.