Chapter 2: Message for a Legend
Fourteenth day of Jugatsu, Aki 1623. Nineteenth year under Lionhearts shogunate.
October Fourteenth, Fall, 1623. Edge of the Burrows, Kozuke. Edo era Japan.
Other than the capital and caravans not even as far as Kyoto to the west Judy couldn't recall herself ever having strayed far from the burrows. Training with the shoguns own soldiers within his own lands of Shimotsuke was the most constant she had away from her siblings. This however as she looked over the map that depicted her travel route was much greater than anything before it.
"The last of the merchants selling produce west will cut a good portion of your travel time. But once you reach the restored bear shrines you'll know to head north." Stu informed her confident in the route he had made several times before whenever business took him west.
An intimidating prospect but an exciting one knowing this was her first major responsibility, a huge one given the costs of failure. "Highwaymen are rare lately but keep on your toes. Keep an eye out for any shady characters." Stu said with a wary quieted tone. Judy rolled her eyes in response. Despite how far he had come and even directly benefited from a predator emperor, the very reason of his families attained nobility, Stu still held to old fears. In turn, Judy had known since the recent economic boom that the predator provinces had experienced from trade, highwaymen practically vanished overnight.
"Daimyo Big is a crafty one. Word has it he has a bunch of ninja at his command so you be sure to make the trip before his goons catch word alright?" He asked her pointedly. She smiled at how childish he seemed to treat the situation, the mirrored comparison to his speech and how similar it was to one about her simply playing with friends just down the road made her giggle.
"I'll be fine father. Just a quick run to pick up a master samurai, have her win a duel, end a war." She laughed Stu warmly smiling before breaking into his own deeply bellowed laugh.
"Alright you, serious talk now." His countenance changed to match his serious tone. They both mulled over the map, the caravan of traders would take her along Nakasendo towards Kyoto. The very end of that path was where lord Big assembled his armies, their travel would be slow in comparison but once they made march along that same path back towards Zootopia it wouldn't take them long. Judy in turn would stop two thirds of the way taking a northern route to Orsas Dojo. Once she left the cobbled highways the dirt paths were less reliable.
Dirt paths north into Etchu were less kept and forked and branched into surrounding farmlands owned by Etchus own lord were harder to distinguish. The lord of Etchu an old grizzly Judy had heard that had distant relations to master Orsas own family line. This was where travel was slowest, along the winding roads and without regular supply stations like the highway held. Judys pack had an assortment of dried vegetables and some rice with a bamboo canteen for water. Stu went into great detail Judy nodding at each descriptive turn she needed to recall to stay on track. A wrong turn 'here or there' he showed could add hours here or there of her trip. She was also informed that once lord Bigs' army took to the highway that caravans in either direction would cease till this conflict was resolved. As any caravans could be seen as spies or suppliers of rations on either side put them at risk and most merchants or stations would wait out the conflict. Since Lionhearts establishment of his shogunate it was the most peaceful the regions had been in hundreds of years but most merchants predated this peace knowing how to handle trade during war.
"Now, the shogun's spies don't have a lot on them. But lord Big's ninja appear to mostly consist of Foxes."
"Foxes?" Judy asked with a surprised expression turning her head. "Foxes are among the most distinguishable and distrusted mammals around. How and why would they be the comprising force of shinobi?" She asked in honest confusion. The idea just seemed impossible, her father shrugging in response a similar confusion.
"Don't know, foxes have always been good at that sort thing. But their very skilled from what we know so don't take them lightly and keep an eye out for red foxes and arctic foxes primarily." He nodded knowingly, Judy was sure this didn't dissuade his would be minor prejudices against their species.
"Nows the time, can't lose anymore daylight." Her father hugged her again making the funny noise as he 'bear hugged' her with a laugh. The horse that lead the caravan of three carts waited aside the road. He nodded at the two already aware of the importance of his caravan, he had originally no intentions of taking the highway knowing what was at the other end. But Stu had informed him of the importance, he quickly agreed at his own risk to help. Jumping up into the back of the drawn the cart, it jolted forward the wheels echoing against the highway, "Here we go." Judy let out a stressed sigh waving at her slowly fading father, he waved back for as long as he could before his attention was pried from the leaving cart by servants and nobles vying for his say on whatever matter they needed addressed.
As the distance grew, she noted the changing in the surrounding area that she barely recognized as her precious burrows. She would cross an assortment of fiefs that were some of the calmest farmlands in the country given their proximity to highways and the capital. But what she saw in passing was more mammals of every size than she ever recalled, swords and armor among them 'War' the word crossing her mind in a nervous but excited fact.
Fifteenth day of Jugatsu, Aki 1623. Nineteenth year under Lionhearts shogunate.
October Fifteenth, Fall, 1623. Nakasendo Highway, Shinano. Edo era Japan.
The prattle of the wheels against the cobble road and the beast of burden who hauled it, a horse seemed unphased at his own hoofed steps adding to the rhythmic noise. Another day or two was expected, though their speed had been increased given the gravity of the mission at hand was known to the whole of the caravan. The quiet had been quickly debilitating to Judy who was used to a loud, uproarious household of claustrophobic bunny culture.
"You been west before?" She asked already knowing the answer but expecting its segway into the much needed conversation with her clovine companion.
He chuckled in a deep booming laugh from his size. "Maybe hundreds of times over the years. Watched it change not unlike our roads." He said almost proudly.
"Whats it like?"
"That is kinda hard to answer… impressive?" he said assuredly.
"Its no secret the predator provinces have benefited greatly from their ships. Access to trade in other countries has… Changed them greatly." He said in an awe struck tone.
"How so?"
"Well my father and well even his father before him spoke about how savage the lands predators had were. Shoddy buildings since wood for repairs and building were sparse and expensive. Predators prioritized their ships. Food ya know." He said somberly, she herself hated that history of abuse the predators had suffered. Previous shogunates lording their lands over them, access to wood was by prey households who charged obscenely. "I'm sure you heard about the prior poverty, famine, in fighting… Seen some art of back then depicting the battles, bloody wars between neighbors over simple things." He spoke in a vivid tone.
"But then the invasions happened. The emperor had no navy, save for the predators. So prejudice gave way to humility. Shogunate ordered the shipping of wood for predator ships. Predators earned respect with each conflict. Once the war was over they had more ships than needed for fishing. Large ships meant for longer excursions."
"Trade?" She asked though knowing from her prior studies of the previous centuries.
"Trade." He confirmed. "Having captured, questioned and even learned some of the foreign languages predator provinces began trading, gained access to weapons, arts, cultures and resources we could never even begin to imagine. Their towns, buildings and citizens all benefited. They gained medicinal knowledges from China, missionaries brought new religions, foreign building methods, metal works, salts to preserve fish through winter, golds, silvers. Poverty, famine and in fighting disappeared in a single war."
Judy knew this story but never had heard it from a mammal that frequented the very mass of the story itself. The once cruel economic system witnessed had turned on its heels. Predators no longer depended on prey farmlands for rice, soy or rich crops or their wood when cheaper and stronger was available across the ocean. Predators lands grew healthy in just a short number of years.
"Kind of inverted, still fewer predators than prey in their provinces. But a lot more than up north. Very different." He said seeming to think on his own words.
"What do you mean different?"
"Well, things are still awkward between predators and prey up north, very… Traditional."
Judy full well knew what that meant, where the western regions saw a change in their culture due to the influx of foreign interaction, prey regions opposed this adamantly. One such thing was the new missionaries which brought several beneficial things from the aforementioned medicines to even religions.
One of greatest to note was the introduction of Buddhism that she just couldn't wrap her mind around. The idea of forsaking their traditional gods and ancestors felt wrong to her and very disrespectful but the way it wove itself into societies to the west was unilateral with their changing economy.
"Have you heard of Ramses?" She asked the seemingly unrelated question.
"Ramses? Ramses… Ramses…" He mulled over the name for a while gaining a silence as he thought. "Douglas Ramses? That skilled ram sword mammal a while back? What was that five or six years?"
"Yea, you're well traveled, know the world better than me I'd wager. Hear about him, how he died…" She layed back in the moving cart among the twine bagged shipments that were intended to camouflage the caravans true motives.
"Yea, actually met the guy once. Can't say I cared for him much. He went about from village to village challenging any predator samurai. Killed a lot from what I hear. He was on the road to challenge Orsa when he lost to a vicious little wolf."
"Yea seems to be how people hear it. I hear that wolf is likely who warlord Big will call on for the duel."
"Yea, appearances can be deceiving." He spoke with a knowing tone.
"Huh, what do you mean?" She said sitting up peering over the edge of the wagon towards her companion. Ahead two more wagons another pulled by horse and the one in lead by a large mule.
"Well from what I hear from mammals that witnessed the match. The wolf was smaller than most, impressive them being that skilled of a ronin. They were also a bit fluffy from what I was told. Guess that makes sense putting on a thick coat for the winter season. Was early that year I think? Anyway, heard they were a slender unassuming wolf, sharp muzzle maybe a female?"
Judy mused over the described features. The image had slowly began to form in her head of the expected duel. Two legendary mammals, Orsa the master samurai who fought alongside Bogo and Lionheart to defeat the old Swinton shogunate against this mysterious vicious wolf as she had been described.
"Vicious, heard how she fights described like that a couple times now?"
"Hm? Oh yea, the fight with Ramses, from what I was told he didn't just lose, he was slaughtered. The wolf didn't fight with any known sword style. Wielded two swords even, clumsy but effective."
"A 'fount' they described it to me. Bloody mess, heard the wolf's fur was stained from the mess a 'vivid contrast to their eyes' a guy told me. Once the story gets along the routes it gets really romanticized."
"Fights that lasted a few blinks get big words like 'fount' when most of the time it's just two mammals cleaving each other no different then when we were all savages." The horse sighed with a shrug. Judy tried to hold her tongue at the prospect, she believed the honorable fights were more mature than savage conflicts.
"I like to think it's better. Predators don't consume the defeated like savages, they don't hunt them down or kill them unaware. Its two honorable mammals deciding the victor on merit of skill and skill alone. Species, religion, class, gender… Doesn't matter in the end." She gestured with her hands imagining her own past duels though never to the death as a true duel with the edicts of bushido.
"Yea, guess your right. Don't mean to offend, just in times like this it feels like a mighty big waste for us all to still be out killing each other." He said, judy could feel the conversation coming to its end and the quiet rhythm of hoofs and wheels would continue on.
Eighteenth day of Jugatsu, Aki 1623. Nineteenth year under Lionhearts shogunate.
October Eighteenth, Fall, 1623. Edge of Grizzlemaw Village, Etchu. Edo era Japan.
Judy missed the same sounds from days prior, the conversation with the horse companion were gone. She had long since left the caravan at the designated location, hefting her pack as no more inns or food stands dotted the more rural path into Etchu.
She traveled light footed having only taken wrong turns a couple of times, despite her mistakes she made good time. The local farmers were very kind and directed her even a short cut here or there to make up for lost time. Night of her fourth day and she made it, the quiet capital of Etchu. Modest, small with barely any modern buildings. Shrines dotted the paths with active mammals out and about, early harvested fields seemed to agree with a fast approaching winter. Nights as she traveled had grown very cold the low lands granting her a noticeable chill.
Entering an inn that straddled the road leading into town, Grizzlemaw she believed the town named, in honor of the generations of bear masters who occupied the dojo at the center of the small valley. Tired steps brought her to the counter of the large building given her size.
"Excuse me." Judy asked the attending mammal at the front. The brown furred rabbit turned an instinctive smile forming where a tired one was prior "Hm? Oh a traveler this late in the season?" She gave judy a quick look over noticing her sword to her side along with her more expensive appearance to her own. "You need a room for the night?" She asked, taking a moment thinking on the late hour it best she approach Orsa at an early hour despite the hurry the moon implied itself well past midnight.
With a nod and payment in full the weary rabbit was lead and slumped into a soft welcoming bed, large for her size. Compared with her couple of cold nights in the rough, the warmth offered quickly drew her into a deep sleep.
Nineteenth day of Jugatsu, Aki 1623. Nineteenth year under Lionhearts shogunate.
October Nineteenth, Fall, 1623. Orsas Dojo, Grizzlemaw Village, Etchu. Edo era Japan.
Morning sun crested the hills surrounding the small river bound valley. At the edge of town that same hill housed Orsas dojo, with the fiery orbs rays gleaming from its tiled roof. Likely a decision in its placement Judy nodded affirmingly to herself. Where buildings in town had been made accessible for bears this building was built for them from the ground up in honor of its generations of practiced bear masters. Her approach through the fog offered by the early morning sun, the cold chill competed against the warming of the outer layer of her haori jacket.
"Maybe she'll let me train here after this is all over." She wondered, the building had early morning lanterns lit and it was meticulous in its cleanliness. Ears standing tall the steeply inclined old looking cobbled stairs had no contesting noise, drowned out by a loud curdling stream which sat beside and even followed the footpath.
The stream tapered off in the opposite direction as she approached the entrance, accompanying it was an eerie silence.
"Hello?" Judy called into the large building a beat past… No response.
"Hello, master Orsa? I was sent to speak with you?" She said cradling the emperors envoyed letter in paw, and again no response from either servant or student alike. The building shown signs of recent activity, clearly having been freshly cleaned that morning. All the doors were open and welcoming wafts of soft wind felt passing through the buildings open shoji doors. Judy sat on the oaken porch removing her straw sandals before entering the structure.
It was extremely ominous room by room neatly set, clean… Empty as she walked the stained wood floors of the hall. Wind chimes the only thing that broke the quieted steps she embarked. Till eventually she came to the main room itself, the only closed door in the building. Scents on the other side causing her nose to twitching in response, her approached slowed with a cold nervous understanding. She opened the door sliding the wood framed paper shoji with some effort given its size intended for a bear master. She stepped in eyes as focused as the rest of her on the center of the room. So much focus that she failed to hear the quieted steps behind her approaching.
"Orsas… dead." She muttered to herself at the cold reality.
Again she failed to notice the sounds behind her as a blackened paw set on her shoulder. Her ears shot up as she noted the claws the paw wielded, autumn colored russet fur ran up from the black beginning quickly consumed by blackened robes. Even masked the muzzle was unmistakable. 'Fox' her senses told her.