It's finally time for me to get back to the KFP fandom.
This story is one I've had planned for a long, LONG time, and now that I'm done with everything else I wanted to do first, I can actually get to writing it. Not much else to say, except that this isn't going to be tied to my other stories at all aside from a few slight references here and there. This is actually going to be about the main cast for once too. Shocking, I know.
Enjoy.
Prologue: Arrival
It wouldn't be long now.
The black koi fish swam furiously through the waters, keeping his distance from the other aquatic wildlife that passed him by. He stayed focused on his set path, busily navigating the currents to continue ever closer to his destination. Every now and then, he would poke his head up out of the water to check his surroundings. There wasn't much to see aside from more water, but he wanted to make sure he was not being followed. Naturally, he kept a close eye on his surroundings below sea level as well. He was being paranoid perhaps, but this mission was too important to take any chances.
It had been a long journey, about ten days now by his estimation, but he was able to sustain himself on kelp and algae from the ocean floor. As much as he hated seafood, he had little choice in the matter. He at least knew he was getting close when he spotted the shadow of a boat passing by overhead. It was a small boat, not the kind that could hope to last very long on the open sea. Yes, he must be close to shore now. He lifted his head out of the water again and spotted a small coastal village off in the distance.
He had finally reached land, but it was too risky to emerge just yet. The koi broke off from the waters surrounding the village and continued swimming around the perimeter of the shore for several more minutes. When he was certain that no one was around to see him, he dove deep below the surface of the water, then shot back up. When he breached the surface, the koi was no longer a koi.
Instead, it was a red-crowned crane that soared out of the water, shaking the wetness from his feathers as he took off into the sky. He was flying over a forest now, and quickly regained his bearings to make up for the slight detour. The aerial part of his journey was much shorter, though he had to be more wary now, staying low to avoid detection. There were multiple points where he had to change course to stay out of sight of a village or caravan, which he estimated added more than a day to the trip. No great loss. He still had approximately fifteen days, six hours, and twenty-four minutes to get into position.
He would need significantly less than that.
As the crane came into view of more large-scale civilization, he decided that staying in the sky any longer posed too great a risk of being spotted. He abruptly dove into the trees and glided downwards. When he touched the ground, he was a rat.
The rat form slowed him considerably, but he would gladly sacrifice speed for stealth. Rats weren't especially uncommon in this part of the world, but they were just uncommon enough to draw attention that he didn't need. He ran like this for several hours straight, no longer bothering to stop for food. His metabolism had always been "different" from other individuals, and that served him well on assignments such as this. He did not grow hungry again.
He soon found that he could run no further. The ground had ended and what sprawled before him now was a vast abyss. The only way across was a long rope bridge, which connected to several more in the distance. No doubt this was what those in China knew as the Thread of Hope, the only safe passage into the Valley of Peace. No doubt such a place was heavily monitored. He could not cross just yet.
His tiny ears picked up sound from behind him, and he quickly scurried behind a large rock. A pig emerged from the trees, dragging a wagon behind him. He was clearly nervous about the prospect of crossing the bridge with his goods, so nervous that he took no notice of the rat climbing into the back of the wagon and concealing himself under his wares.
The rat took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for what was to come, as he was carried the rest of the way to his destination.