To Protect the Tribe

Author's Note: Enjoy the story and R&R.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to or of Magic: The Gathering.

Japanese Terms: Utsushiyo-Material world

Summary:

A surprise attack by a legion of grafter kami leaves a snakefolk settlement mangled and out of order. Only one has the strength left to oppose them and keep the children safe.

…

The history of Kamigawa runs rampant with the stories of great heroes and others of legendary status. Lands once trembled and worshipped the all-powerful daimyo, Konda. Jushi students mastered mystical arts at the Minamo School under the guidance of Sensei Hisoka and Lady Azami. Trees and fields of flowers grew wherever the monk, Azusa, passed. The rats bowed down to their lord, Marrow-Gnawer, and Akki poets wrote to praise Zo-Zu the Punisher.

What of the lesser warriors? The conquerors that were not born conquerors? The travelers that had not traveled far enough?

And so begins the tale of Shidako, Broodmistress.

…

The title of eggwatcher in orochi society was not one of high rank. Of all places she thought she would end up, Shidako would have never guessed it to be a nursery. She could not help but yawn as she fed one of the snakefolk young. The baby darted its tongue continuously at her, playful and taunting. Finding the sympathy to do the same, she cradled the child in two of her four arms. Her other limbs were busy retrieving a bowl of honey-fruit mixture from the table behind her.

"There you go little one." She gently placed the end of a wooden spoon into the baby's mouth.

It was quick to swallow the sweet substance.

Shidako sighed inwardly, wrapping the child in a soft linen blanket and putting it to bed. She sang a short lullaby and was off to attend to the other awaiting and wailing young.

Knocks rasped from the entranceway of the nursery, and it came as no surprise that she had not heard. The cries of the others were so loud that they could scare away a kami.

"Eggwatcher Shidako," a stern voice commanded from the opening in the tree trunk.

Shidako instantly recognized the voice and spun around, a look of pure embarrassment on her face.

"Pardon my rudeness, your highness," she apologized with a cordial bow.

The eggwatcher had been so busy taking care of the young that she had completely forgotten the visit that Princess Sachi had been planning to pay.

The princess stared at the older female through her slit eyes.

She was majestic…Shidako expected that much of royalty. Sachi's father, Seshiro the Anointed, was the leader of all the orochibito tribes in the Kamigawa forests.

She recalled a previous visit, in which the princess had explained her father's absence. Along with her brother, Sosuke, Seshiro had set out with a group of soldiers to speak with Dosan, a monk who resided near the Okina temple. As of late however, the monks seemed less willing to participate in affairs involving the snakes. When asked for a reason, the only reply returned was that it was the fault of Shisato, a cannibalistic outcast hunter of the tribes, who had devoured their supporters.

Sachi had never told her the details of her father's mission, but far be it for her to question her superiors.

"How are the young today?"

"They are doing well your highness."

The snake princess assured the eggwatcher there would be no need for such highly gestures. After all, Shidako had been the one who oversaw the birth of two magistrates.

Sachi breathed heavily, and Shidako could notice a hint of frustration in her voice.

"Are you all right princess?"

"Yes." She nodded. "Just a bit tired over the latest string of questions from the children."

"Questions, milady?"

The princess nodded again, brushing several strands of her red hair aside. "They come to me, confused and demanding. They have been taught to worship the kami, yet now we must fight."

"I see."

"I do not know what to say."

Shidako understood wholeheartedly. Ever since the spirits breached the Kamitaki waterfalls and entered the Utsushiyo, spreading across every inch of Kamigawa, there had been chaos. Villages fell, nature turned against armies, and new kami arose from the ashes of defeat. Only Lord Konda and his subjects thrived…A fact that brought wonder to the eggwatcher's mind. She let the thought slide though, returning to her conversation with the princess.

"One day princess…Everything will be better one day."

"I hope so. It is best that the children never witness the anger of the gods."

"I shall ensure that your hope is fulfilled milady." Shidako ran her scaled fingers along a sleeping child's face. "I promise you that."

As if fate itself had taken form and attacked them, a sudden quake echoed through the nursery. Utensils, blankets and hatcheries fell, prompting the two adult snakes to grasp the young and escape the collapsing cave. They managed to safely exit, with all the children alive and well. They were, however, all awake now.

A buzzing sound alerted Sachi and Shidako. They looked upon the village in horror. The shelters were burning, and screams could be heard from below. Bulbous spirits floated above the destruction, their faceless heads glowing eerily in the night air. Vine-like arms stretched from their flowing bodies, and flames of different colours ignited from their thorny fingertips.

"Grafter kami?"

"Milady, you must flee!" Shidako pleaded. "Take the children and run far away from here. I will try to hold them off as long as I can so you can escape!"

"No, you mustn't. The kami…they will…"

"I'm aware of the risks princess. Please, do not allow the children to be witnesses of death!"

Something within Sachi caught on. "I understand. Please be careful!"

"Do not worry. I shall ensure that your hope is fulfilled."

At that, Sachi hoisted the children onto her back. She tucked some of them under her arms, and two latched onto her head by clinging to her hair. She ran like the wind in the opposite direction of the kami invasion, leaping from branch to branch and over bamboo spires until she was no longer in Shidako's sight.

"Good." The eggwatcher pulled a small dagger from underneath her leather sash, preparing to do battle with the gods that she once prayed to.

The grafters took notice, elevating to meet Shidako's gaze. On the snake's part, it was much more difficult, as there was nothing truly staring back at her…Just fiery orange heads. There were only about fifteen of them. She was confident that at least four of them would be dead by the end of tonight.

"Lucky me."

…

The new day's sun shone over the ruins of the settlement. Barely anything was intact, and bodies, both of snake and kami, were splayed in heaps over the forest floor.

"Sister was right father, the kami have been here." Sosuke assessed the damage.

"Did you think I would lie about something like this?" Sachi stepped up behind her brother, soldiers trailing her with the saved young in their arms.

"We should not have left." Seshiro rubbed his chin. "Elder."

An old snake made his way to the front of the pack, bowing with the support of his cane. "Yes milord?"

"Bury the bodies…Extra sapling. These souls died with so much terror."

"Right away milord." The elder bowed again, leaving with two accompanying soldiers.

"What about Shidako? Is she alive?" Sosuke asked his sister, who was already hunched over the eggwatcher's unmoving body.

There was a moment of silence before the princess answered. "No…but she fought valiantly for the children. We must thank her for her sacrifice."

"Very well then," Seshiro said in a loud voice. "From this day forward, Eggwatcher Shidako will be known to all as Shidako, Broodmistress!"

A song of hisses erupted from the pack. It was a song the snakes sang to honour the dead. No snake would ever forget the sacrifice of Shidako, and each year following the invasion, the forest would light up with the sounds of that very song.

…

-Fin-