This chapter has Gekigami and Sila's viewpoints in it, but starts off as Zuzi. The words in italics are Zuzi's thoughts and the bold italics are the demon's.
Anyway, here's the second chapter!
Chapter 2
A strange scent drifted into my nose.
The smell of burning.
I woke instantly, springing to my feet and looking around me. The bushes were I had been sheltering where on fire, and already sparks were beginning to leap into my fur. My eyes widened in panic as I searched for a way out, turning round in a full circle. It was then that I saw him, the warrior from the tiny village. He wore armour, with a huge blue sword slung across his back.
He stared at me, emotionless, then laughed quietly and called out to me. I heard him clearly, for there was no other sound except the crackling of the fire. All the animals had fled. All except me.
"So demon, you thought I would let you get away with your evil deeds?"
Demon? " I shall get away with anything I want."I growled, wondering why I was telling that to this stranger, this man who was trying to kill me, and couldn't even understand me when I should be fighting him. I snarled and tried leaping over the fire, but was caught in the chest by his sword. I yelped and flinched away. I tried to escape again, but again he struck out, and again, until I was weak from the blows and trying to dodge. The smoke was getting into my lungs now, and it was getting harder and harder to breathe. I slowly sank to the ground, and he coughed once.
I stared at him as the flames began to burn me. His face was cold, emotionless, showing no remorse. My pelt began to burn with pain as it caught fire. He didn't even blink, just glared back at me. Then he turned to go, and I felt the hot thorns of pain dig deeper into my body. He smiled slightly, then swaggered off looking very pleased with himself, with a final insult hurled over his shoulder. I didn't even hear what it was, I was too deep in the fire burning my fur and the fire of my hatred. Then, just when I had all but given up, I heard something.
A roar. The same roar that I had heard the day before. Suddenly the crackling ceased, as did the terrible burning sensation in my throat and my fur and my lungs. I sat up, blinking in confusion. The fire had gone, the bushes were smouldering slightly, a tiny cloud of smoke drifting from each one.
How did that happen? I wondered.
Because I commanded it to.
What? Who was that? How did you do that? The voice was quite clearly inside my head, but I still looked around for the source.
Everything does my command. Including you.
I answer to no one. I thought back, and I would have snarled if I could.
Except me. Do you want power, oh foolish Zuzanzio of the kitsunes?
I did. Yes....
Then seek me out. I shall give it to you, power beyond your wildest dreams....
Then it faded, and I heard no more of the voice for a while.
Power...it was that one word that I had been obsessed with my whole life, and now, perhaps, I was so close to getting it at last...
I grinned, and jumped confidently over the bushes. Soon, I would go to seek this voice. But as I didn't know where it was, first I would go to see this lone kitsune. And as I said, I answer to no one. I wasn't going to come as soon as this voice wanted me to. I would do what I wanted, when I wanted. Ever since I had left the kitsunes the day before, I had felt this growing sense of freedom.
I caught a scent on the breeze, my own kind, female, mixed with a feline scent. Tiger..
I frowned, and followed the scent.
I followed it to a clearing in a forest of bamboo. The tiger scent was very strong, and I could still smell kitsune, but I couldn't think what my own kind would want with a mangy overgrown cat. I was about to find out.
The bamboo swayed slightly, and four figures stepped out in front of me.
The first two were normal tigers, one gray blue with a tired looking face, the other smaller, a female, with the normal orange and black striped fur. Her orange coloured eyes glared at me and she snarled. I was slightly impressed by her spirit, that she dared snarl at me.
The third tiger was much larger and more impressive. He had gleaming white fur, with bright crimson stripes. Huge wings came from his shoulders and his tail was tipped with black ink. There were thunderbolt patterns in his coat and the celestial mark of the gods on his head. On his back was a huge bow, with arrows made of lightning in a quiver on his back. He didn't snarl or growl, but met my gaze steadily and coolly. I knew why. He could kill me in one heartbeat if he needed too.
But the fourth figure was the most important to me, the one that I looked at longest. She was no tiger, but a huge fox, the same size as me. She had dark red fur, blood red. But where nine glorious black tails rose from my body, she had only one, the same red colour. All that remained of the other eight were battered and bloody stumps. She was nothing like the lone fox we had heard of, but I was fascinated by her anyway. One eye was closed up, an ugly scar covering it, with yellow pus slowly oozing from it. The other was amber, and looked back at me in interest, but I could see she was hiding her pain.
We stayed like that for a few heartbeats, their eyes looking at me as I looked at them. I shivered slightly under their gaze. I didn't know what to say, and was somehow glad when the white tiger spoke.
"Who are you?" he growled. There was no fear in his voice. "You're not one of those foxes from Ryoshima Coast, are you?" he sounded aggressive now, and I guessed it wouldn't be wise to tell him that I was a member of that group. The other kitsune's eye widened and flashed green, a sign of fear, her fur bristling.
"No." I lied, and saw her relax immediately. "I'm just a lone kitsune. I smelt another fox, and came here."
The tiger still looked at me suspiciously. "Well, who are you then? How come you're a loner? Not many foxes survive on their own."
"Leave him alone, Geki." The kitsune commanded. "You know what happened to me. Maybe he has a similar story."
A similar story? What had happened to her? I listened intently, wanting to know more.
The tiger hissed slightly but looked away. "I'm only trying to protect you. What if they were coming back again?"
"Then you would chase them off." She said, a hint of laughter in her voice. She looked back at me. "I'm Silatenin, and this is Geki, Toka and Yao." She pointed to the tigers.
"Gekigami, please Sila." The tiger growled, and looked at me superiorly. "The god, Gekigami, god of Thunderstorm."
So the gods did exist...I dipped my head reluctantly, knowing that it wouldn't be wise to pick a fight with this guy.
The orange tiger glanced at the other one and spoke. "I'm Toka, and this is Yao, my brother."
They looked at me expectantly and I realised that I hadn't told them my name.
"I'm Zuzanzio. Just a loner." I said hastily.
"Zuzanzio..." Sila murmured.
The wind changed, and I smelt more tigers.
"There's more of you here?" I asked, surprised.
"Yes. Yao's the leader of us, the Taka Fighters. There's about twenty tigers, and a few dogs, but Sila's the only kitsune." Toka said. I wondered why Yao wasn't speaking for himself, and glanced at him quickly. I saw that he didn't just look tired, he looked sick. His eyes were lost and stared at the ground. Toka turned and gave him a comforting lick on the head.
"So why aren't you the leader?" I asked Geki. He obviously had more power than any of us there.
He shrugged slightly. "I'm only visiting for a few years, then I'll return to the Celestial Plain. And I'm not power hungry." Unlike you, his eyes said, glaring at me.
He didn't want power? He could control most of Nippon if he wanted to, just by looking at them, and yet he was content to live with a group of mangy overgrown cats, and not even rule them? it was completely new to me, this idea of not having power. It must have shown in my face, for he smiled back at me slowly.
"So, Zuzanzio, where exactly do you live?" it was Sila speaking now, unaware of the silent exchange between us.
"Oh, everywhere really. And nowhere. I hunt in Agata Forest mostly."
"Really?" Geki asked. "Only, I've been there many times, and I never smelt a kitsune."
"Yeah, well..." I shuffled my paws awarkly. He would guess that I was from Ryoshima soon, and the way him and Sila had talked about the others before, it was clear that I wouldn't be welcome if they knew. Suddenly I realised that I didn't know what I was going to do next. It was clear that I could never chase or kill Sila, even if I wanted to, and all thoughts of doing that had vanished when I met her.
"Do ya mind if I stay here tonight?"
"No, of course not." Yao spoke for the first time, in a rasping voice. "We're based in Sasa Sanctuary, so you can come with us there."
It made me feel weak, accepting help from a mere tiger, but I wanted to see Sila a bit more. Toka lead the way, with Geki bringing up the rear. I walked behind Sila, admiring the moon reflected in her single eye. We talked of the prey and hunting, and her life with the tigers. But she never mentioned the other kitsunes, and although I ached to know what had happened to send her into exile, I had enough sense to keep quiet. I could feel Geki's gaze burning my fur, and didn't dare to turn around.
Sila lead me through the Inn and into the bamboo forest, until we came to a large clearing. We passed many other tigers, and I saw a few dogs running around, as well as the many sparrows.
On the ground of the clearing was a strange mark. I asked what it was, but Toka merely shrugged.
"We don't know really. But sometimes it glows, on nights when the moon is full."
I lay down slightly further away from the others, who quickly fell into sleep. Geki started snoring lightly. Sila's face twitched, and she moaned quietly. I turned my head to look at her. She seemed to be having some kind of nightmare. Her eye opened suddenly, but she didn't seem to see me.
"The foxes...the tower...the island...the darkness" she spat, then her eye slid shut and she sank back into a peaceful sleep. But just before she did, I saw her eyes gleam red.
But not the red of anger, like other kitsunes. This red was like my eyes all the time, demon red.
Yes, demon. Foolish fox, you still haven't answered my call.
The voice was back, again inside my head. I answer-
-to no one- except me.It finished. I am your master, and I always have been. And you shall answer my call, sooner or later.
No I won't. I thought back coolly. I am going to the Cave in Shinshu Field, and then doing whatever I want.
Exactly. You are getting closer to me, like the deer into a trap... it fade away, leaving me snarling in anger. I was no deer to be stalked like prey, I would not walk into a trap.
I lay back down, staring at the moon. I was wide awake, as I hadn't woken until after midday and I was normally nocturnal. I yawned in boredom, and decided that there was no point in staying around here any longer. I would go to the Cave tonight, and return to see Sila in the morning.
I stretched, and gazed at her a bit longer, wondering what her nightmare had been about. Maybe I would ask her, if I could see her without Gekigami breathing down my neck. But for now, I would seek power.
I heard him leave, snapping a twig near my head, and opened my single eye slowly. The other hadn't been able to open for many years now, since I had came to live with the tigers. I looked around, checking that everyone was asleep, and gave a sigh of relief.
Perhaps no one had seen or heard me in my nightmare. But in my heart, I doubted it. I had heard Zuzanzio move to look at me, felt his warm breath close to my single tail.
The nightmares were getting worse, the voice of darkness calling me more often. Sometimes I wanted to answer it, just to get it over with. I knew that I would give in eventually. Perhaps I should just do it now.
I had sensed the voice moving away, not back to where it came from but to another place in the clearing. To Zuzanzio. But surely he would fight it too? I thought. But I was wrong. I'll ask him about it tomorrow, I told myself, and sank back into sleep.
I glared at the black kitsune as he left the clearing. Why was he here? Why was he so interested in Sila? I didn't trust him one bit. I was sure that he was from the Ryoshima Coast foxes, sent to kill Sila. I knew what they had done to her, and I wouldn't let them finish her off.
And there was something else about this Zuzanzio, an aura of darkness. Perhaps he was a demon in disguise, or maybe he just wanted to cause trouble. But there was something about him that made my fur bristle.
I sighed, looking up at the moon. The Celestial Plain was up there somewhere, and so was the other gods. The moon reminded me of Yumigami, the rabbit goddess in charge of it. That brought memories of the other gods, Yomigami the wise one, Moegami who I had argued with so often, the cowardly Hanagami trio, my weak relation Kabegami, Bakugami with the explosive temper, quiet Kasugami, the small but strong Tachigami. Then there was Itegami, the cold and lofty ice god, graceful Nuregami and the wild wind Kazegami.
And of course Amaterasu, the wolf goddess of Sunrise. How is she? I wondered. She had fallen to Nippon with the terrible eight headed serpent Orochi many years ago, but I hadn't seen her since I came here. I decided that I must seek her out.
The moon reminded me of someone else too, Ushiwaka the prophet. I had heard that he was in Nippon as well, but he was someone that I didn't want to meet. We had argued on the Plain, even more than me and Moegami, we were great friends really. And I didn't like him getting too close to Ammy. It was our job to protect her at times when she couldn't protect herself, and when it came to Waka, this was one of them.
The sky was clear, but as I thought of Waka it clouded slightly. I quickly calmed myself before I caused a Thunderstorm with my anger. Amaterasu would be in Kamiki Village probably, or Kamui. I would be gone for a day or two at the most. Sila and the tigers would be fine without me for that long.
I padded quickly to the Inn, along Zuzanzio's scent trail. I stopped briefly to talk to the dog guarding the entrance.
"That kitsune went out earlier. Said he was going hunting or something." He growled, and I could tell that he didn't trust Zuzi either. He was a young gray and white wolf like dog, already high in the ranks of the Taka Fighters.
I snorted quietly. Somehow, I doubted he was hunting. I was torn for a moment between whether to follow him or find my friend. But Ammy won.
"I'm going to find my friend." I told him. "Tell Yao and Sila in the morning, please?"
He dipped his head and I continued on, running quickly and easily through Taka Pass and Agata Forest. I stopped briefly in the Forest to scent the air. There was only a faint smell of kitsune. Zuzi must have gone on further. And there was no older scent either, so he hadn't been hunting here for a while.
I frowned angrily. He was lying, and I hated liars. But I would deal with him later.
As I entered Shinshu Field, I noticed a storm cloud over the lake. Somehow, I knew it wasn't caused by my anger. I shrugged, thinking that it wasn't too unusual. That was Orochi's lair, he was probably doing demon stuff. And I didn't want to go there now. I had a friend to see.
2 chapters done! please review it, and i'll update next week!