The Twelve Kingdoms: Shadow of the Moon

She couldn't move, couldn't cry, could only lie there listlessly with her cheek in a puddle.
    Suddenly she heard the swishing sound of something pushing through the undergrowth. She knew she should hide but could do little more than lift her head.
    A villager or a beast or a youma. No matter what, the results wouldn't change. Whether she was arrested or attacked, or if she simply continued to lie there, her struggles would come to the same end.
    She looked up through the mist in the direction of the sound. It was neither a villager nor one of her pursuers. It wasn't a person at all, but a rather strange creature.
    It resembled a rat. The way it stood up on its two hind legs and quivered its whiskers, there was a very definite rat-ness about it. Odder still, standing erect, this rat was as tall as a human child. It didn't look like a run-of-the-mill beast or youma. Youko lay there and stared vacantly at this quite curious rat.
    The rat was sheltering itself from the rain with a large leaf it wore over its head like a bamboo hat. Silver rain drummed against translucent green. The pearl-colored raindrops were quite beautiful.
    The rat stared back at Youko with a slightly stunned expression. It didn't seem to be getting ready to attack her. It was a bit plumper than a rat. Its fur was a color somewhere between a light brown and gray. Youko felt an urge to pet it. Raindrops decorated its fluffy coat like diamonds. The fur extended all the way down its tail, so though it looked like a rat, it probably wasn't the same species.
    The rat twitched its whiskers several times, then toddled closer to Youko on its two hind legs. Leaning its gray-brown body over her, it touched her shoulder with a small forefoot.
    "Are you all right?"
    Youko blinked several times. She heard the sound of a child's voice. It was definitely coming from the rat. With a curious expression the rat politely bowed its head next to hers. "What's the matter? Can't you move?"
    Youko looked up into the rat's eyes and just managed to shake her head, no. Perhaps because it wasn't a person she let her guard down a bit.
    "Well." The rat reached out with its small, childlike forefoot. "Try your best. My house isn't far from here."
    Ah-- Youko sighed. Whether a sigh of relief for being rescued, or of disappointment for being rescued, she couldn't be entirely sure.
    "Okay?" the rat said.
    She tried to grab its hand but could only move the tips of her fingers. The rat reached down and clasped Youko's cold hand in its small, warm forefoot.

    Leaning on an arm stronger than she would have imagined, they made their way to a small house. That was the last thing she remembered.
    Many times she had the sense of opening her eyes and taking in her surroundings, but she couldn't grasp what she was looking at or recall what she had seen. Her consciousness alternated between periods of deep sleep and light sleep. When at last she awoke for good, she found herself within a humble abode, lying on a bed.
    She stared blankly up at the ceiling, a moment later quickly sat up. She jumped out of bed and collapsed on the floor. Her legs were of no use to her at all.
    There was no one else in the small room. Her vision still spinning, she desperately searched around the bed on her hands and knees. There wasn't much in the way of furniture, except for a stand next to the bed fashioned from a few planks of wood. Neatly arranged on the makeshift table were the sword, shrouded in a bolt of cloth, and the blue jewel, threaded through with a new cord.
    With a profound sense of relief she managed to stand up. She placed the jewel around her neck and with the sword returned to the bed. She slipped the sword under the quilt. Finally she could relax.
    At this point Youko realized that she was wearing a nightdress. Her many wounds had been treated. There was something damp under her shoulder. It was a wet, folded cloth. She had not noticed it when she jumped out of bed. She placed it back on her forehead. It felt good. She drew up the thick quilts, grasped the jewel, closed her eyes, and breathed a deep sigh of relief. Her life having been saved, she could begin to believe that no matter how worthless her existence still had value.
    "Are you awake?"
    She sat up again in a hurry. Looking back at the source of the voice, she saw the big gray-haired rat standing there. The door was open and it was coming into the room. In one hand it held a tray, in the other a pail.
    Her sense of wariness reared up