Day 56: The Third Full Moon

The sun had only just set by the time Mei, Mii and Kuro-san arrived on the far side of the mountain, only a short distance from the Emerald Forest and the wolf Mei couldn’t wait to see again. Even though they were exhausted from the long day spent travelling, Mei was desperate to get to Moonrise Hill, which was on the far side of the forest, in time to see the moonrise with Gabu.

The forest was eerily quiet as they hurried through it. Not a single creature was visible in the trees or on the ground. Mei started to get the sense that something was wrong. As they drew closer to the meadow that separated Moonrise Hill from the forest itself, a haunting melody drifted through the trees. Quiet at first, it grew louder the closer they got. It seemed to come from all around them.

“Is that singing?” Mii asked.

When they finally emerged from the trees and entered the meadow, they discovered the source of the melody.

Hundreds of animals were clustered around the hill, all facing towards it. It looked like only the animals closest to the centre were singing, but the unsettling sound carried all the way to the edge of the forest. Mei couldn’t spot anyone he knew from this distance.

At the top of the hill, they could see two lupine figures, neither of them resembling Gabu. When they drew close enough to see the figures more clearly, Mei was astounded to realise that he recognised one of them. It was Jess, the wolf from Gara Gara Mountain whom Gabu and Mei had helped to escape all those months ago. Mei had never expected to see Jess again, let alone standing at the top of Mei’s hill with another wolf he didn’t recognise and no sign of Gabu anywhere around.

Even more astounding was when the two wolves started singing.

Inside His Den (title song from The Phantom of the Opera)

G: At last a tasty goat
G: My feast begins
M: I don’t know who you are
M: But you’re not him
G: So long I’ve searched for one
G: And suddenly then
G: My favourite food is goat meat and it’s here
G: Inside my den

M: Gabu, remember me
M: I was your friend
M: Please do not let this be
M: How our song ends
G: If you don’t shut up now
G: You’ll silence when
G: I eat your flesh and nibble on your bones
G: Inside my den

M: There was a time when I
M: Would’ve let you eat
M: My body if you pleased
G: You’re naught but meat
Both: I have searched long for you
Both: Here in this glen
M: But now, it seems like everything is wrong
G: Inside my den

M: He’s there, the phantom of my best friend
Choir: Beware the phantom of your best friend

M: In all my fantasies
M: I never knew
M: Things would turn out like this
M: Eaten by you
Both: But on this full moon’s night
Both: My/your life will end
M: And I wish I’d never been your friend
G: Inside my den

M: He’s there, the phantom of my best friend

M: Do you remember how we met?
G: I told you we’ve never met
M: I will tell you how we met

M: One
M: Stormy
M: Night

G (spoken): One...stormy...?

M: One stormy night

G (spoken): I...remember

Mei was utterly bewildered by what he had just witnessed: Jess and the other wolf singing a reenactment of how he and Gabu had been reunited to an audience of hundreds of animals. Mei had realised what the song was about even before Jess had called the other wolf “Gabu” in the second verse.

Leaving Mii and Kuro-san behind, Mei ran into the crowd in search of Gabu, whom he soon found near the base of the hill, looking up at the other two wolves as if in anticipation.

“Gabu!” Mei shouted.

The wolf almost sprang into the air in surprise. “Mei?” he said, and ran over to hug him. “What are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here?” Mei asked incredulously. “What are you and everyone else doing here?”

“Mei, I’m really glad you’re back, and I promise I’ll explain everything in a moment. But for now, please just watch what’s going on up there.”

Mei followed Gabu’s gaze to the top of the hill, where Jess and the other wolf were now sitting together, facing away from them, in much the same way that Gabu and Mei had done that night two full moons ago.

A moment later, the choir of animals started singing again, everyone joining in with the lyrics this time.

Watch the Moonrise (by MFE)

It can be unexpected
How a friendship can start
Who knew we could share so much
From worlds far apart

In the midst of one stormy night
We found comfort together
And continued to find it every day
In all kinds of weather

And we watched the moonrise
On the hilltop, you and I
And we watched the moonrise
With the starlight in our eyes

And I don’t know how to say just how much
You mean to me in every way
But I know that I can always trust in you

We both have our differences
And sometimes we fight
But we always can sort things out
And make everything right

No one ever is perfect
But that’s all right with me
Because when we are together
Life goes by perfectly

And we watched the moonrise
On the hilltop, you and I
And we watched the moonrise
With the starlight in our eyes

And I don’t know how to say
Just how much you make my day
But I know that I can always count on you

Nothing lasts forever
Everything must end
But I’ll always remember you
My wonderful friend

When the time comes to part our ways
For whatever reason
I will think of you every day
From season to season

And I’ll watch the moonrise
With my memories of you
And I’ll watch the moonrise
‘Til the day that I’m gone too

And I’ll try not to cry
When you’re not here by my side
But I know that I will always love you

They timed the song perfectly. As they sang, the full moon crept up from behind the hill and lit up the night sky. When the song ended, everyone cheered and shouted their congratulations.

Mei hugged Gabu tightly. “That was beautiful.”

“I’m so glad you liked it,” Gabu said. “How much of the play did you see?”

“We arrived at the start of the song before this one,” Mei said.

“This was only the rehearsal. We wanted to—wait, did you say ‘we?’”

“I had no idea wolves could sing like that,” Kuro-san said as he and Mii approached. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Gabu-san. My name is Kuro. This is Mii-san.”

Mii looked a little apprehensive about being this close to a wolf. Kuro-san looked as confident and unperturbed as he always did.

“Kuro? Mii-san?” Gabu said, apparently not understanding what was going on.

“My friends Kuro and Mii-sa—Kuro-san and Mii—wanted to meet you, so they came all the way here from Para Para Fields with me,” Mei said delightedly.

“Really? I’m so glad to meet you,” Gabu said. “Mei has told me so much about you.”

“Likewise,” Kuro-san said with a charming smile. “Who are the other two wolves? Mei-san told us you were the only wolf in the forest.”

“Oh, right. I haven’t told you.” Gabu turned and called up the hill, “Jess, Gon, Mei and his friends are here!”

Gon? Mei thought. But he was...

Jess and the other wolf came bounding down the hill towards them. Even Kuro-san shrank back at the sight of the unknown wolves running towards them.

“I asked Toto and Riri to go looking for Jess,” Gabu explained. “And guess who they found with him!”

“You must be Mei,” Gon said. “You have my gratitude for helping Jess to escape when he was in your territory. If not for your kindness, he would not be here today.”

Gabu laughed. “I’ve told you, it was no trouble.”

“Gon? Is that really you?” Mei asked. “Jess told us you fell off a cliff.”

“I did,” Gon said. “By the time I woke up, Jess and most of the pack were gone. With my injured leg, I dared not stay at Gara Gara Mountain long enough for anyone to find me, so I went off on my own to recover from my wounds. When I returned, weeks later, I found out that Jess had been banished, and so I set out looking for him.”

“What about your pack’s leader?” Mei asked.

“Oh, him?” Gon said with a bark-like laugh. Jess looked at him proudly. “He wasn’t so pleased to see me alive. I challenged him again, to a fair fight this time. And unlike last time, I didn’t lose. The pack’s in better claws now; I left someone I trust in charge before I went looking for Jess.”

“After you and Gabu helped me escape,” Jess said, “I went wandering from forest to forest. While I valued my freedom, being on my own for so long was making me depressed. I would spend days at a time doing nothing but hunting and sleeping. When Gon found me, I was convinced he was a ghost, or that my mind was playing tricks on me. I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I was when I found out he was really alive.”

“That’s incredible,” Mei said. “I’m so happy for you. As it happens, Gabu and I went through something very similar only a couple of months ago.”

Gon laughed. “We know. Didn’t you hear the song we just sang about it?”

Somehow, Mei had forgotten about that. “Oh, right, of course.”

“Speaking of the play,” Gabu said, “there are a few people I have to go and speak to now, starting with Takkan. He wrote most of the songs, except that last one. Anyway, I’ll be back soon.”

“We should be going too,” Jess said. “It’s been a pleasure seeing you again, Mei. See you on Theatre Day.”

Mei wasn’t sure what “Theatre Day” was, but he said goodbye to the three wolves. He felt a little overwhelmed at everything that was going on, so he was relieved when Gabu returned a short while later, accompanied by Takkan.

“Welcome home, Mei,” Takkan said. “What did you think of the songs?”

“I only saw the last two,” Mei said. “They were...emotional. I really liked them.”

“Just wait until you hear the whole thing. Didn’t I tell you that I’d have a whole musical written out before you knew it?”

“I didn’t think you were serious, much less that I’d come back to find the entire forest in the middle of performing it,” Mei said with a laugh.

“You’ve got Gabu to thank for that. He’s the one who got everyone together and organised the practice sessions. He even wrote a whole song all by himself.”

Gabu smiled bashfully. “You helped with that a little bit.”

“I can’t wait,” Mei said. “Are you doing it again next full moon?”

Takkan looked questioningly at Gabu.

“If you’d like,” Gabu said. “Do you want to get some rest now, Mei? We can talk more in the morning.”

“That sounds nice,” Mei said with a yawn. “We’ve been travelling all day.”

Gabu looked to Mii and Kuro-san. “Do you two want to sleep in our cave tonight? There’s plenty of room.”

“No thanks,” Kuro-san said. “We’ll find somewhere to sleep in the forest. We’ll be sure not to disturb you,” he said with a wink to Mei.

When everyone had dispersed, Gabu and Mei retired to their cave. Although there was still so much to talk about, Mei was too tired to do anything but sleep.

Curled up next to Gabu, the memory of that last song kept replaying in his head. Because when we are together...life goes by perfectly. Mei smiled contentedly. Only Gabu could have written a song that so perfectly captured everything they felt for each other. But I know that I will always love you.