Zokugawa 2: Broken
Chapter 1: Where The End Began
Twenty Fifth day of Ku, Aki 1625. Twenty-First year under Bogo Shogunate
October Twenty Fifth, Fall, 1625. Kozuke Farmlands.
Dying is easy, the weary rabbit concluded with whatever vision she maintained of the field in front of her. An oasis of pain and suffering, the latest in a series of the nearly two year conflict that gripped her once stable and thriving lands. Steps met rough dirt against staggered, bruised and protesting legs. Her ears rang with a numbed, buzzing sound barely able to make out the sharp intakes of haggard breaths that wracked exhausted lungs; greedily taking in useless bouts of air that never seemed to bring any relief.
Dying was easy, she told herself again, it was living that was difficult and worse still living with the blood of the lives she took and the lives she lost. Another hobbled step, she rubbed the exhaustion from her eyes to look over the depressing state the battle had taken. Colors were muted by the letting of blood, once proud banners were left forgotten in the mud, trampled by mammals in unknowing rage and fear, this was the side of war she loathed, the side that tapestries and paintings could never get right. The field was littered with warring mammalian warriors. She led her own clan's forces in a show of unbridled resolve and skill, the third of such fervor in that single day.
One by one they fought the marching enemies of the openly declared and warring provinces. The short mornings horizon was greeted by the first waves of the opposing warlords armies, they cheered their battle cries and met the enemy on the once vibrant and thriving farm lands of northern Kozuke. They clashed with animosity and ferocity in equal measures till after some hours, victory was theirs. They bellowed to the sky above and roared in unison until that same sun that began to greet its highest point brought with it the rhythmic sound of steps the march of rested and ready soldiers. No time for rest, they were ordered into formation and smashed against the second army, tired but bolstered by the glow of their first victory. It was hard fought and they did so with high spirits and sharp formations with Judy herself as always heading the vanguard, a product of her tact and skill earning her the name 'Jade Rabbit' over the course of the war, rumors had formed that she drank of the same immortal elixir of the gods themselves and was undefeatable in battle… No rumor had ever felt so far from the truth as she winced within the very desperate state her body wished for reprieve.
Hours again tormented the field in their violent altercation, led by the seemingly undefeatable rabbit general herself, she lead them again to the second glorious victory of that autumn sun. Brought to the brink of exhaustion and ready to bask in their victory with rest and celebration they were greeted with an eerie quiet, neither bird nor bug met the field with song or sound, it wasn't the nip of winter hell that brought the quiet.
The sun had begun its descent in the west casting the western hills shadow over the rabbit army, the assuming shades of the enemy warlords own personal host appeared across the horizon of the northern hill. Thousands by thousands of enemies cast in the sun's light, a final conflict between them and this third wave was inevitable, white and silver making up their uniforms of steel and cloth, their enemy fell upon the Jade Rabbit's forces for the third time since the suns rise, the army was comprised of the banners of elite nobles and larger than either of the ones before it. The eyes of all her allies, her soldiers, her siblings and friends set on Judy, her expression formed, honed and hardened for a third time she raised her sword, let out a bellowing roar, commanded the formations of her forces and charged.
Through tired eyes Judy looked over her own sword. She always heard that a warrior-a samurai's sword mirrored its owner's spirit. As she looked over it in consternation she knew it to be true. Dulled, cracked and covered in blood the sword matched herself in how her own two legs held her aloft; only a matter of time. Tired and at her limits as she looked over the field, this was the true, final force of her enemies and it met her own armies with sheer numbers in place of her own forces battle earned skill and rested and ready where her own were exhausted and hungry.
"Cowards." She admonished uselessly, not that the enemies they face would care. They will write their history in the eve of their victory. She expected with a scowl, appraising the field she noted the depleting numbers of her forces, a legendary swath of her own efforts lay at her feet, a ravine of challengers and a river of bodies to fill the valley between the two hills, it isn't enough. Two dozen or so soldiers tried with with trepidation to match her and added to the very count that made up the warning at her feet.
A loud reverberating horn shot her eyes to the west bound hill, recollection serving that she sent her own brother and apprentice; Brian, to meet the enemies flankers with the last of her cavalry's clovin flankers. But her heart dropped when the sound of the horn wasn't one of her own, it wasn't that of her own forces success, instead the sound was unknown to her, she feared that they signalled the fall of her cavalry with it her brother, the latest in her family's casualties.
"Chaaaaarge!" Another pair of armored, medium sized soldiers approached her in an abandoned rush and despite her bodies withered state, her instincts met the mammals with deft speed and precise slashes. As fast as the falling sun's glint from her sword met their eyes both the goat and his comrade; a large cervine of some sort, were cleaved in twine to add to the valleys eternal occupants. The fearful horns warning came again, confirming to her through blurry vision, she saw the colors of the opposing armies banners on the soldiers that dropped from the western hill into the fray. She was left no time to grieve her brother or any of her loyal soldiers as another set of sheep tried their own luck. Again wool stained red at the first agitant who fell into the world of the dead before he could even comprehend her blades strike. Click!
"Hm?!" The alarming sound caught her attention when she looked down at her proud weapon to find several inches of the tip missing from the defaced and damaged sword.
"AAAAAHHHH!" She turned to block but miscalculated in her distraction when the large ram smashed the brunt of his naginata into her weapon, the force knocking the weapons protective position out of the way. The moment past in slow motion to the rabbit whose heart pounded in her chest. Vanguard! She noted from the nice armor the soldier wore just before he smash his horns into her chestplate. The breath in her lungs was immediately expelled by the force and the world spun violently as she flailed through the air before the ground caught her in its violent grasp as she tumbled to a stop. Looking up, coughing and heaving for air despite the pain, she saw the nice blue sky. She wondered in part how she would be greeted when her spirit past to the next world. She imagined she was already able to see just beyond life when she turned her head and continued to watch the hill to the west pour of enemy soldiers. But they were no longer alone, through her blurry vision she watched demons and avenging spirits descend into the field claiming the dead against the blacks of their carapace shells and fiery breath. They were entirely violent and impatient in their eagerness to claim the lives of the fallen as she watched them descend into the fallen in much the same breath they died without a moment's hesitation or wait.
"Quite the prize… The head of the Jade Rabbit, I wonder if your blood grants immortality?" The large ram mocked as he approached her with a cocky grin. She scowled, exasperated at the arrogant and cowardly ram who she knew would have never stood a chance on equal footing against her. A coward in that he boasted in the defeating of a rabbit that had claimed more in that day then his line would replace in ten life times. She moved to raise her sword, it felt light despite her arms tired state as light as-
"Hahaha!" The large ram bellowed in a sickening bout of laughter, Judy noted the cause of his amusement. When she looked, she found her sword as light as the air that had replaced the blade, nothing but the hilt and jagged, useless pieces just above it. Her heart sank into her stomach before she steeled her expression again. Demons approached, one seemed to note her own proximity to death as it shot in her direction. The ram vanguard raised his weapon and this time her instincts couldn't challenge the pain her body wrought, like her sword her spirit felt shattered, a prize that the demon seemed all the more content in his eager rush to be the first to greet her shattered form in the next world.
Two Years Ago
Fifteenth day of Junigatsu, Fuyu 1623. Nineteenth year under Bogo Shogunate
December Fifteenth, Winter, 1623. Castle Hopps.
The last few steps back to the estate were the final ones of her short journey, Judy had no trouble being recognized and passing the guards just outside the estate. Her tall geta sandals helped stave off the snow that had built up over the course of the winter season. Three days away and to the north to prepare her gift for her stranded friend, the days left her time to mull over the last several weeks since the duel that gambled at war. Her wounds and that of the fox ronin Nicks had healed increasingly well. Her own sever wounds would have taken longer to recover if it weren't for the fact the negligent fox inhibited his own recover as he seemed to eagerly indulge her growing infatuation for his company. From staying up late hearing his stories about the open seas, the weird aquatic mammals that lived within it to his travels from the far east provinces; Their unique older traditions and the further western wolf provinces that fought constant wars with pirates and small incursion forces to protect trade.
"I'm home!" Judy called into the estate as she stepped through the entrance, clicking the snow from her wooden sandals and shaking the chill from her fur at the more moderate temperature inside. The number of bustling and busy rabbits inside caught her attention, usually winter leaving her family in a more sluggish pace, instead smiles and cheering across several sibling and servants faces. "Whats going on?" She asked the very first one; and employed rabbit that greeted her; a dark grey furred female, about her own height that had served her family for decades now.
"A great deal, Master Hopps your father said he wishes to see you immediately when you returned." The rabbit stayed bowed and respectful.
"Alright, where is my father?"
"He is holding a meeting with the other lords of Kozuke in his study." She replied taking the warriors sandals before setting them alongside the cubbies of dozens upon dozens of other pairs that accented the sheer size of the family.
"Alright, I'll see what he wanted to talk to me about, please inform Brian-niichan and Piberious-sama of my return." She nodded to the elderly rabbit while looking further into the estate, she missed the slight, paused nod of the attending rabbit.
"Master Judy, would you like me to bring you some hot tea and something warm to eat? You must be hungry and cold from your travel in that horrible snow outside?" She said in the same motherly tone she had come to expect over the years, that gap between nobility and those beneath it never fully cementing in their species community.
"Yes, that would be lovely, thank you." Judy smiled to her, she nodded again in response before disappearing into the small tertiary kitchen just off to the right of the entrance. The room felt warmer than usual and the activity in the higher rooms was telling, likely fires were stoked more to welcome the visiting lords. Despite the happy expressions some of the younger siblings had, some of the older ones held more contemplative and somber ones, instantly breathing an eerie hint of brevity to whatever her father wanted to talk to her about. Strided steps soon brought her just outside her father's large 'study' though she knew his actual study was further inside the more comfortable burrow, this one, much larger allowed the accommodation of larger mammalian lords whenever they visited. Rounding the corner she was greeted by the sight of multiple nobles, the heads of clans that made up the militant forces of Kozuke, her brother, James sat at her father's left side at the head of the meeting, they instantly paused their discussion when she visibly stood at the entrance.
"Ahh, your back! Lords, you already know my daughter, Judy-san." Stu said proudly while gesturing to her, each of the present lords of the assorted clans nodded and bowed in a custom of etiquette. "A lot of news, we were just about to begin, sit." Stu motioned to the seat just off his other shoulder, an honored position. Judy quietly bowed and greeted the lords of the room before taking her place beside him. "Alright, I'll readdress the message we received from shogun Bogo-dono." Stu began in a serious tone, clearing his throat he put on a small pair of reading glasses that sat uncomfortably on his nose, an effect of his worsening vision proving its necessity. "This is a forwarded message from the Daimyo of Harima and his allies. We are writing to inform our Shogun and Emperor that upon marching to bring forces to assist against the traitorous host of lord Bigs army, scouts returned message that he was retreating from his skirmish. His selected path crossing our borders from Tanba on his way home to his own lands. The latest in his dishonorable actions we prepared a midnight ambush, when the dust had settled it was discovered that lord Big had been killed in the attack, his generals and lords were either killed in combat or given the choice to commit seppuku upon their defeat, their armies were utterly destroyed and scattered back to their provinces.' This was the first of the messages to reach us." Stu spoke clearly, Judy looked around the room to see the glowing expressions along the faces of the different lords, there was no mistaking the good news, lord Big dead meant no returning march in the spring. Again she looked at the happy expressions till the ones of her father and brother which were more sobering in their continued seriousness.
"Why are we hearing about this only now father?" Judy added in, her question catching the attention of the lords as they took that same amount of time to think about it.
"Hmm, why is that lord Hopps?" One of the sheep nobles from western Kozuke continued in the question as one by one the lords seemed to follow in that line of curiosity.
"They marched home when it first began to snow, we're half way through the winter season?" Judy continued on, her father set down the note as James readily handed over the second of imperially marked papers.
"The second message from our shogunate has informed us that Daimyo Wilde and his forces were then engaged by the forces of Delgato and Fangmeyer claiming his actions were dishonorable. They hold the Nakasendo and have been halting messages from passing by land. The message had to send by ship via the docks which were delayed by winter storms. Their surrounded but have over the course of the last two months been in open war with the still massive remnants of Bigs army. When our allies in the wolf, leopard and fox clans engaged lord Big, he didn't have all of his forces since Daimyo Fangmeyers forces remained in Yamashiro and Daimyo Delgato took the northern road home. News of their benefactors death moved the two retiring armies to immediately launch into attacks on Harima and their neighboring allies. Despite their victories over warlord Big and his western wolf clans they are still greatly outnumbered and our relief forces are respectfully requested." The looks on both her fathers and brothers faces finally made sense. The lord's within the room likewise grew more serious at the implication.
"Are we being mobilized by the Shogun?" A wolf lord at the end left row of nobles spoke clearly.
"Not yet." Stu said plainly.
"Then we aren't required to aid them." An older goat lord in the right hand row of nobles said, several of the clan heads present and even James nodding in agreement of this. Judys expression matched the wolf lords in distaste.
"They were mobilized for our own aid." Judy began openly offended. "They were loyally coming to the aid of our Shoguns call, that includes us and you want to abandon them now that their fighting the very same army that was on our own lands only shortly before?" Judys voice grew as did her agitation. Stu raised a single paw quieting her. "But father-" He raised his paw again demanding it this time, with another nod he allowed the lords to continue.
"It's the dead of winter and if the Shogun hasn't ordered it then I see no reason to assemble our armies and march the Nakasendo in the dead of winter." A sheep lord voiced again earning the nods of several of the prey dominate council.
"Clan Wilde has made trade difficult between our province and several of their allied clans. We owe them no aid or assistance." This time the voice was all the worse when it came from James just on the other side of her father. This brought the largest number of agreements from the present nobles
The look on the wolf lord's face was as unbelieving as Judy's own. "Is this a joke!? They are our allies, they were marching the full of their forces to come to-"
"Easy for you to say, your clan hasn't been marked by restrictions because of your history with the western provinces. You wouldn't understand how difficult trade is. And they marched for the Emperor not us." The sheep lord countered with a gruff dismissal of the wolf lord who scowled in response.
Judy couldn't believe the open bickering that was happening right in front of her, the wolf lord and maybe one or two of the other lords argued in an unbalanced debate of voices being overshadowed by the other nobles. James just beside her among the loud voices arguing against sending aid. When her father raised his single hand again it took several moments before the rest of the arguing lords to even notice before succumbing to the silence.
"I met with Daimyo Wilde many years ago." The patriarch of the Hopps clan spoke low and timidly as he continued. "That fox laughed at all the worst of my jokes, a lively mammal if I have ever seen one; Approachable, respectful and as amicable as any lord I have ever encounters, maybe more so. It was later he showed his true colors." Stu expression sterned in the stare he first offered the wolf lord then the two other nobles that joined him in their argument for the aid. "Angry." Stu began to shake his head slowly from side to side with a growing distaste and annoyance. "Disrespectful." Judy felt the growing tension. "Foul, it was that day that put such heavy restrictions on trade with clan Hopps." At this point several of the lords were nodding fully in agreement with him.
"Father. Thats-"
He commanded her silence with another single raised hand. Every mammal there from the nobles to the powerful presences of smaller but wealthy families grew silent. "He was justified in each act." Stu continued, the wave of shame that suddenly washed over her father was almost visible in its weight on his slumped shoulders. "When his guards and the guards of Daimyo Snarlof brought his son back, the boy had been beaten bloodied by some children just outside the city. They attacked a lord's son for no other reason than his species… And I defended them, protected them from the justice that lord and his son deserved, all because I was no better than those kids. I didn't think on the implication, I am the lord of Kozuke and I could not meet out justice for a lord simply because he was foreign. I earned the ire Daimyo Wilde offered and I won't make the same mistake of betraying his loyalty and respect this time. They marched to our Emperors aid, to our Shoguns aid, to our aid!" Stus stare now fell over the opposing lords present. "And I am disappointed with every clan here who thinks that their request should go unanswered, what nobility could any of you claim to possess if you would not honor our allies acts with equal reply. I won't make that mistake again, like my daughter has so often impressed upon me." Stu gestured to her before allowing the pause to set on the nobles of the room. "We can't expect respect from the other lords, my clan is still new to the role of lords but it's about time we start proving we belong here. Clan Hopps will march to relieve the siege on Harima and its allies and we expect all our loyal vassals to stand with us, because if they don't, they should expect to no longer hold loyalty from my house or any of my kin when I return." The finality and the threat carried in his tone was the most intimidating she had ever seen her father, the sheer implication of what he said would mean suppression and ruin. "Now you are all dismissed, you are my guests and are allowed the whole of my hospitality, warm beds and food will be prepared at your leisure should you decide to stay for the night." His tone had calmed but still held an authority to it that demanded the respect of the present lords as he nodded to them, each one bowing much lower in response.
"Thank you father." Judy asked just beside him with a growing respect.
"You didn't think I would abandon our allies did you? I Like to think I learned something from you." The room began to clear, the servant from before came in walking just past the bustling lords as she made her way over offering a plate to Judy, a steamed potato and cup of hot tea that offered up a warm, herbal respite, she nodded to her and silently mouthed thank you to her before she left as quickly and quietly as she had entered. "Oh, Leaps-sama." Stu gestured to one of the rabbits present, Judy recognized them as the patriarch of the Leaps family; David, soon to be the second noble house of rabbits as an effect of the marriage of several of his daughters and sons to the leaps families own.
"Yes Lord Hopps-dono." The rabbit nervously returned into the room, now it was only the three; Stu, David and Judy herself. "What you told me earlier I believe is the closing of what I needed to talk to my daughter." The rabbit lord readily nodded in understanding.
"Tell me what? Wasn't the messages from the Shogun what you needed to tell me?" Judy's expression grew curious.
"Yes, mostly. We received this news a couple days ago, shortly after you left to your estate to the north actually. Your friend, ronin Piberius did not take the news well." Stu began with a guarded expression. "He left." Her father said with no room for misinterpretation, though it didn't inhibit the start she felt. "News of his home province being under siege and at war with two neighboring warlords, he resolved to leaving immediately, saying he had to help."
"And you let him go, in this weather?" Judys brows furrowed in a saddened rage. "He's still healing." She continued feeling worse and worse by the moment. "Why didn't he wait? He must have known we would march to their aid, right?"
"I told him that the Shogun was undoubtedly going to march to clan Wildes aid but he said he had already spent to many years waiting to go home. He was adamant and he wasn't alone, the two shinobi and that ronin that were pardoned agreed to escort him, the vixen claimed to also have medicinal skills to help maintain his health while they traveled." Stu didn't sound very assured, Judy feeling the same about the two fox ninja and the hare warrior that had been the cause of both Nicks and her own severe injuries from the very deciding duel. She understood his reasoning for leaving but she couldn't stop the feeling of abandonment that came along with it. "I don't trust them myself but Piberious-sama seemed confident in them and I trust his judgment because I trust yours." Stu smiled warmly to his daughter.
"I was the last one to see him." David continued. "Don't know why but he purchased wood from my estate before he left due west along the Nakasendo. He was very precise about the wood he wanted, paid excessively." David reached within his sleeve pulling two golden koban coins from it. "The wood wouldn't even cost a fraction of the amount he offered, I offered the wood to him for free in light of his actions in that duel protecting my own children. He insisted, you were his friend Master Hopps, I don't feel right given the excesses of the payment, can I give them to you to hold in good standing?" David offered the two valued coins to her, Judy taking a single moment to look them over before shaking her head back and forth respectfully.
"I can't accept them Leaps-san, that fox would not have payed you that amount unless he really wanted to." Judy refused the coins as David looked them over for several moments.
"He said to use them for whatever, he recommended to purchase more training equipment for my children, I guess if both of you insist could I put the sum towards gear for your dojo? To train some of my children to improve their chances of surviving this approaching conflict?" David now held the coins out to her father who looked to Judy before nodding to her, she responded with her own in agreement, a mutual understanding between the two.
"I accept and will match what this sum purchases three times over, they are after all my children now as well." Stu smiled taking the coins and placing them within his own sleeves.
"Thank you master Hopps. I'll head home before dark, make sure that my family has the news." David bowed low first to Stu then to Judy in separate respectful prostrations, each getting a small bow of their own, a new feeling to the rabbit, Judy unable to help that it was similar to her earliest memories of how her father slowly warmed to nobility. Her expression grew stern with resolve knowing that they would march immediately to repay their debts both of clan Wilde and her friend. She felt saddened that she wouldn't have that same presence of the fox ronin and the warmth it brought her, especially in winter. He was honored by the shogun himself and several lords even offered large stipends of money to secure him under their banners, a bidding war for some nameless blind ronin was an irony among the prey nobility. The largest sum of which was well over one-hundred koku from her own father who was matched in amount by the Shogun himself. Humble or just insane Nick respectfully declined, asking only that his request for the pardoning of the very samurai who nearly took his life and the two shinobi be honored, the small request was honored with a gruff sigh by the Shogun himself.
Judy was glad that he didn't accept the offer, instead remaining a ronin he spent those two months with more and more of each day's time spent in her company. He had even began to help train her much like Orsa had trained the ronin named Savage himself. Brian to her surprise had also joined in the quiet training sessions proving much the same prodigy as herself; An impressive sight as the small brown furred sibling actually began to mimic the fox's own sword style to a surprising degree. But the two months weighed on Nick, his years of seclusion replaced by the busy, energetic rabbit community exhausted him. And so Judy intended to surprise him, she had planned on having her home, the very one that she bragged to him about prepared for a short stay for just him and herself, scandalous. Though she had to admit to herself her intentions were not entirely selfless in that she enjoyed the subtly intimate moments whenever the late night stories had her accidently falling asleep in his room, that same auburn embrace keeping her warm till the morning. Instead war was on their heels and any machinations of moments with that fox were whisked away with any possibility of confessions.
As the Leaps patriarch left another plainly dress rabbit quickly entered the room with a slight heave to his breath. He quickly approached the Daimyo before bowing prostrate.
"What is it?"
"A message master Hopps." He spoke clearly and respectfully. He rose from his bow and handed the small sealed letter to him. Judy recognized the mark as her father opened it. Taking to his reading glasses again it was only a few seconds of eerie silence before his eyes went wide.
"Father?" Judy asked in concern. His expression furrowed for a moment before paling at a realization.
"Shogun Bogo has been assassinated." Judy couldn't react for a moment, it sounded implausible. The large bovine that had in large part trained her, himself a beacon of strength, skill and integrity.
Her voice was suddenly dry and weak in her question; "By who?"