White Snake
Hiro laughed. "You can go back if you want. I don't expect this will interest you,"
A loud groan rang out behind him. It was followed by hushed words and a swift shh. He simply shook his head.
"Oh, come on!" Kana whined. "I didn't say that! You're twisting things, Hiro. I just asked how much further we have to go."
"As far as we have to," Reina replied matter-of-factly.
Kana clasped his hands behind his head with a shrug. "As you wish, oh great one,"
She clenched her fists. The urge to make a retort was strong. Her pride was all that kept her lips sealed. She instead concentrated on the journey.
The recent onslaught of heavy rainfall had made the mountain path treacherous. The vegetation had exploded with vibrant colours at first. Now even they hung their heads. The soil was slick and the mountain was steep. The scent of dampness carried even to the village.
Reina commands. "Be careful,"
The sun shone down on them. It had tried to scorch Hiro and Kana's necks. A rosy glow was beginning to appear. However, Reina was forbidden to travel in such conditions alone and she couldn't be convinced not to go.
The other side of the mountain was nearly impassable. The river had burst its banks on both sides, but near Blue Bell it was worse. The ancient rivalry between Blue Bell and Konohana had caused a lack of communication. There was no news from Blue Bell, and, as the niece of Konohana's healer, Reina saw fit to speak to them herself.
A loud yelp rang out. Kana splayed his arms out. He dropped to a near crouch. He looked around warily but Reina had already seen him. The sound of her laughter brought a scowl to Kana's face. He slowly inched back to his feet.
"Don't worry," Hiro called, standing quite a bit ahead of them. "If you hurt yourself I can make you better."
Kana brushed himself down, muttering lowly. "You instil so much faith in your abilities,"
Hiro laughed louder, almost hunching over with the force of the gleeful spasms. The sound echoed across the vast mountain. He took a moment to appreciate the sound of his own voice. Then, something green caught his eye. He leapt across the path and onto a boulder where he proceeded to get comfortable.
Reina's eyes widened, glowing with envy and astonishment. "Are you going to use that in a tincture?"
Hiro plucked a rather disgusting looking plant. He turned it over in his hands for a moment before throwing it into his mouth. He chewed thoughtfully, glancing between Reina and the plant flourishing at the side of the boulder.
Kana gaped at the sight. His brow furrowed in confusion as he swore his two friends were mad. However, the soft snort he elicited earned him a throbbing head ache. Reina glowered at him, the pile of bamboo resting over her right arm.
"Reina, you know I won't work with tinctures," Hiro called, ending the growing tension. She frowned, pretending not to have heard him. "Kana, have you tried a tincture? They're disgusting and too many people can't take it."
He snorted. "I leave this to you,"
Hiro leant forward. "What about Hayate? Has she ever taken a herbal remedy?"
Kana snarled. "She was poisoned by your precious plants,"
"She shouldn't have been near our home! Besides, she's a horse. She should know what to eat and what to not. Animals have internal dowsing instincts, but I suppose living with you must have killed them off," Reina retorted. "Besides, any fool knows the only difference between a remedy and a poison is the dosage."
A rock clattered between them. It was soon followed by a second. Then there came the third. Hiro single-handedly juggled a fourth.
"The sun is still high," he commented, sighing happily. "There are a lot more herbs that are needed. We should keep going."
Even as he said it, eyes drifting towards the flourishing plant, he came to silence once more. There, on the nearest level ground above him was another plant: a rarer one. He leaped to his feet with eyes as wide as worlds.
"Hiro, didn't you-?" Reina shrieked. "What are you doing? Hiro, get down! Come down!"
Kana gaped, stunned in to stillness as his friend attempted to clamber up the abrupt slick slope. Hiro threw his hands into the oozing mud and, little by little, hauled himself higher. He heard nothing of his companions. He saw only his prize and the good that could come of it.
As he drew nearer his journey grew harder. He hauled and hauled but nothing was quite enough to take him to his destination. He grunted, slipping slightly. His hand shot up and snatched at the earth for something to hold. He caught a branch. It was light and slipping away as well.
He yelped as he found himself falling without restraint. His hand yielded a snake with a faint rosy pallor. It writhed and slid about in his hand. He let go moments before crashing to the ground. His shoulder made a sickening snap and he tumbled to the right, off of the mountain and in to the rapid river.
The collision with water forced the air from his lungs. He watched, aghast as all of his oxygen was lost to the torrents. He flailed about with arms and legs and tried to locate the bottom and the surface. Neither revealed its place to him and he felt the beating of a great many hands upon his skin and tearing at his clothes.
He tumbled and twirled and spun with eyes wide and expression contorting all of the way. He felt the burn of the absence of air. He saw the bubbles and the rush of tides. He heard nothing and yet everything, but muted and dead.
Then, a vision was beheld to him of light fairer than any other.
Author's Note: I was originally inspired to do this by two things. One was the movie adaptation of the folk tale and the other was my apprenticeship in herbs. I had to surrender my apprenticeship due to bad health and school work, but I did enjoy it. I continue on, lazily, in my own way. What made me post this now with so many other incomplete stories? I would say Comic Con. It was my first. I wore a Cosplay of Ā Ruǎn from Gǔjiàn. That made me think and now I've uploaded three stories - this one, Gǔjiàn Hé Gǔqín and Little Fairy. I adore them all so much. There are few things that I'm more passionate about. I must admit though, this is lower on my list of adorations than the others…
Madam White Snake