Characters seen here are from the Usagi Yojimbo comics and "The Real World: Part 1" episode from the 2003 TMNT series.

Warning, violence really picks up here. Seriously.

"All three ninja clans!" Tomoe Ame stared open-mouthed at Usagi.

Usagi looked back at her with deep sympathy. Gen stood like a stone statue of a rhino before muttering, "We're dead ..."

Lord Noriyuki's voice came from inside his box. "Can I come out, yet, Tomoe Ame?"

His retainer looked back to the box he hid in. "No, my lord! You must go back to sleep for now!"

Lord Noriyuki's personal guard looked back to the rest of his escort. "We cannot go home by the roads anymore. Our enemies will be setting ambushes the whole way!"

Gennesuke spoke up despite his dire, earlier prediction. "We can cut across the country. The land is growing colder and drier. We can gain a few days that way."

Usagi spoke up to. "I suggest trying to keep to rocky terrain where we can to avoid the Mogura Ninja."

Tomoe Ame looked up from the fire and toward their source of supplies. "We were going to stop for more food along the way at towns along the road, but … with the time we will save by not going the long way around and some extras Lord Noriyuki insisted we pick up along the way before, there should be enough if we stop at only one more village before returning to the city."

Usagi nodded. He noticed a few of the Samurai glancing at each other warily. To tell the truth, his own heart was filling with the dark thought he knew was pulsing through them also. Their supplies might outstrip the mouths there to eat them soon.

. . .

They left the next morning while it was still grey. They had all eaten a cold, hasty breakfast. Noriyuki complained aloud about this, and Gen grumbled to himself about the same. Tomoe Ame calmed her lord and got him back in his box quickly though. The panda cub had sighed and complained of that too. Usagi could not blame the child much. He loved the outdoors and liked not feeling enclosed himself.

Instead of returning to the road, the group set out toward the rocky hills between them and the palace the road mostly skirted. They put their backs to the forest doing so. Usagi glanced over his shoulder at it. The sounds of nature coming from it were not much louder than those of the field they passed through. Its calm then made it almost difficult to believe the fear it had held for them all the night before.

The Ronin looked ahead again. He and Gennesuke both led their mounts as did the others. They did not want the horses to break their legs climbing up and down the hard land. Despite being dismounted, they were all going to attempt to travel swift and straight as the arrow to Lord Noriyuki's city together.

. . .

They stopped near noon to sleep. They had been wakeful much of the night and had debated then attempting to travel through part of the next night. The most pressing issue was the risk to the horses.

Many of the Samurai were Neko including Tomoe Ame. The night with its waxing moon should be more than bright enough for them if not their mounts. The dogs also were not against the plan. They too had good night vision. Usagi also saw the wisdom in the plan. He would rather be awake, alert, and already moving when the Komori came after them again.

Besides, Gen was louder asleep than awake at times like these. Usagi found him surly, but dependable in emergencies. However, when his body relaxed as his mind forgot its troubles in rest, snores that seemed as attention-getting as a gong erupted from him.

Komori had very good hearing as did Neko. Gen did not see well even if the sun was bright above him. He thought, since they were avoiding campfires as much as possible right now, sleeping under a warm sun was a good idea. With the Komori and Neko ninja far more likely to attack at night, the horses would be led very gently and carefully by their usual riders over the rocky ground in moonlight. Thankfully, the lack of clouds meant the moon and stars would shine bright.

They traveled from the grey of predawn, while the sun rose above the horizon, and until it was half-way to its highest point. Then they made camp. They did so on top of one of the many low hills they had been walking up and down.

Noriyuki got to come out of his box briefly to eat and stayed silent though wide eyed as he chewed before crawling back into his box without complaint. He must have seen while the others were not as wide eyed, they were just as silent as he, and stone-faced as well. He, and all his Samurai and Yojimbo, save the sentries, fell asleep. Gen snored. Usagi hoped since Komori did not fly during the day, the ground was rocky, and the Neko Ninja were hopefully trying to ambush them along the road they no longer traveled upon, it wouldn't matter.

. . .

It seemed not to. They all awoke together to find no one missing. Lord Noriyuki came out for another meal. The sentries reported only a few bird and tokage sightings. They set out again in the hopes of reaching one, small village without incident. They also hoped they would need all the food supplies they could buy once they reached there. Gen was putting a dent into them by himself.

Noriyuki was in higher spirits, because he was getting to visit a village he would not have otherwise since it was so far off his intended route. However, Usagi was somewhat nervous. The village was surrounded by softer land, good for farming, but which they would leave a trail through. Not to mention …

Gen began to sink right in front of him. Usagi turned to those carrying Lord Noriyuki's box. They had begun to sink too. The horses were panicking. In the interest of not leaving behind their lord and saving their mounts, the Samurai and Yojimbo turned their beasts loose. They just escaped in time. The Samurai and Lord Noriyuki's box were not so lucky.

The earth collapsed beneath them. The entire company sank into the dirt. When they landed, the sky was visible above them, but they were now in a soft-walled canyon. They got to their feet and saw before them a low overhang of earth left standing. Pouring out from under it came those they assumed had laid this trap: Mogura Ninja.

One charging just a little ahead of the rest paused. The others stopped behind and at his sides. His already tiny eyes swept over the Samurai and Yojimbo before him. The ninja raised a hand and motioned. Other warriors came forward to fill in gaps left by those who'd already been forming this line of attackers. Then the one in the lead charged again with those following no more than a step behind.

When his first foe in the attack got close enough, Usagi stepped forward and swept "Willow Branch" at the clawed hands reaching for him swiping a red line across both palms. The Mogura behind them drew his hands back, but still came on. He lowered his arms and then drove them up, attempting to drive them into Usagi's jaw or cheek while also sweeping "Willow Branch" aside. Usagi leaned back out of reach of the blow before rocking forward and planting "Young Willow" in his enemy's chest.

The Ronin drew his shorter blade out. Then he spun to kick the small of the back of a Mogura who'd just passed him. In the same spin, he cut the tendons of the wrists beneath the clawed hands of another Mogura. This last foe reared back without a scream but scowled darkly at him. Usagi met his gaze.

The Mogura beneath him bucked. Usagi let the momentum propel him into a flip. He landed beside the rising Mogura, turned, and stabbed "Willow Branch" through his chest after he'd rolled over, but before he could bring his arms up to protect himself. The Mogura with the cut tendons flung himself at him in a body-slam. But Usagi had been expecting this. He'd just brought up "Young Willow" perpendicular to his torso. The Mogura landed on it. Usagi jerked the blade inside the form atop him. His foe went still. Usagi blinked realizing silence now surrounded him.

Usagi shoved the body off, stood, and glanced around. Some Samurai were bleeding, one helped another off the ground, but the bodies lying still all around them seemed to be wearing black. Usagi's mouth dropped open in surprise.

The sound of moving soil registered for him just before a scream cut through it. He glanced through the forms of the also turning Samurai and Gen to see Tomoe Ame and Lord Noriyuki's box disappear even further into the earth. Usagi's eyes widened. A shout ripped from his throat. "No!"

He leapt and dove down the new hole. He landed in a crouch atop Lord Noriyuki's box. He glanced around.

Forms, low and bulky moved toward the box. Heads rose and to look at him. Then the forms darted forward. Just before he engaged them, Usagi heard a battle cry above his head from where light poured in. He might have to fight alone down here in the dark.

Then, the enemy paused. A new sound came from below and behind the Ronin. Usagi glanced down toward it. Tomoe Ame emerged from some dirt like a sprout in spring. She gasped arms hanging limp at her sides. A Mogura sprang at her.

"No!" Usagi whipping his sword in an arc. In a stream of red a head went flying. The rest of the Mogura's body landed on Tomoe Ame pinning her against the side of her lord's box.

Then Usagi had to look to his own protection then. Other Mogura were nearly atop him. One landed just behind him. He thrust an elbow back into its chest. He thrust the same arm forward driving "Young Willow" into a taller Mogura's throat. Usagi dropped into a crouch pulling the body up and over himself before tossing it back into more Mogura coming up behind him.

Then there seemed to be a brief lull. The remaining ninja pulled back to study him. Usagi's gaze flicked to where Tomoe Ame burst out from under a dead body with another gasp followed by a growl.

Mogura sprang at her. It seemed they'd switched their attacks from him to her for now. Usagi could have told them that was a mistake.

The Samurai had held onto her sword through the fall, picking herself up the first time, and pushing the Mogura body off just then. She whipped it now in an arc taking off both hands reaching for her. The rest of the form landed against the box after she'd stepped out of its path. She planted her sword in its back, pulled it out, and looked to the next Mogura coming at her. She drove her blade through its eye.

Usagi looked away. More Mogura were attacking him. The one he'd driven his elbow into earlier had now grabbed his legs. He fell into a crouch again driving "Young Willow's" point into the back of his clinging foe. Then he whipped "Willow Branch"'s edge through another's throat. Still another ninja landed atop him. Usagi used all his strength to buck that one off before turning in the now dead Mogura's lax grasp to face his final enemy. That one landed atop "Willow Branch's" point, but kept going, pinning Usagi with his weight. When they'd fallen back on the box, the form kept moving. Usagi jerked his sword inside the body. His foe's attempt to rise stopped.

As his enemy's death rattle faded away over him, Usagi realized it was being replaced by silence above and around him. He looked back into the darkness beyond and beneath him wanting to free himself less than he wanted to hear clearly. "Tomoe?"

"Here!" He almost sighed in relief before he heard her call out herself. "Lord Noriyuki?"

Silence followed her call. Usagi's heart stopped. Tomoe' voice came again. "LORD NORIYUKI!"

Usagi heard scrambling. He now fought to get free. He rose to his feet atop the box that had somehow landed right side up. He peered over its edge.

Tomoe frightened him a moment, because he looked down to see her body headless. The next instant, he realized she'd stuck her head inside her lord's box. The moment after that, his heart was pierced again by her voice. "Oh!"

Usagi dropped to her side and tried to look over her shoulder. A familiar, somewhat fluffy, form lay in the dim light shining so far down into the earth and then reflecting off dirt and between two Samurai's forms into a box. The female Samurai reached in slowly and tenderly. She put her fingers in front of her lord's mouth. Her voice released itself in a burst. "He's breathing."

She next brushed her hand over her lord's head. When she came to a certain place, she paused and touched it more lightly. Her voice sounded a bit strained. "He has quite a bump here."

Usagi looked to her profile. "Pardon, my saying so, Tomoe Ame, but I would have been amazed if he had 'not' hit his head in that fall."

Tomoe pulled herself out of the box and looked around. "How will we get him and the box out of here?"

Usagi stared at Lord Noriyuki's retainer, his eyebrows rising. "I think, Tomoe Ame, considering what just happened, we might leave the box here. As long as his enemies cause it to drop into the earth, it endangers his life almost as much as it protects it."

Tomoe Ame looked back up at him her eyes pleading. "But what about the Neko and Komori clans?"

Usagi opened his mouth to reply but breathed in and thought before speaking, so he heard it. Slight scrambling and whispered curses disturbed the peace after the battle.

Usagi turned his gaze to a dark corner. There was movement in it. A form attempted to crawl to a soft wall of this pit within a pit. The Ronin leapt at it.

The figure turned over but failed to do anything else before Usagi was atop it. "Willow Branch"'s tip dug only slightly into the Mogura's throat as Usagi growled down into his face. "How did you know we would come this way?"

The ninja scowled back up at him in silence. Usagi chewed over the words he'd overheard while the one he'd pinned had still been speaking. The Ronin's eyes widened. "You … Most curse those who've just defeated them if they curse at all." Usagi drew his sword tip and his own form back slightly. "But you were cursing the Komori Clan just now. Why?"

The Mogura Ninja spat. "They were 'supposed' to have either captured Lord Noriyuki themselves or decreased your numbers!"

Usagi looked around. Gen and many of Noriyuki's Samurai had dropped down into this lower chamber in the earth and now watched him interrogate this enemy. Most seemed unhurt. Usagi thought over the battle they'd just been through. A clever, two-part and two pit-trap he and the others had literally fallen into. And yet …

Usagi looked back down into the face of the ninja. "'That' is why you were so unprepared to face us all despite the ambush you created. You expected lower numbers and wounded, exhausted foes."

A high, soft, strained voice came from behind Usagi's back. He still recognized it, and it pained his heart yet again. "And why you knew we would leave the road and come this way …"

Usagi bowed his head. Tomoe Ame now felt guilt for changing her lord's course after the Komori attack. She expected the former route to be obvious and lined with traps, but what had truly been obvious to their foes, it seemed, was she would think that way and go back the swiftest and straightest way she could.

Usagi opened his eyes again and looked back into the Mogura Ninja's face. "The Komori warned us you and the Neko were hunting the Lord Noriyuki as well, but we have only been attacked so far by you and the Komori Clan." Usagi tilted his head and squinted his eyes down at the ninja. "What can you tell us of the Neko Clan's plans?"

The Mogura sniffed and glared up at him. "We do not exchange plans with the Neko Ninja Clan of the Komori!"

"But you take them into account. You guess them well. You would rather have Lord Noriyuki stay out of their clutches if you cannot turn him over to the one who hired you yourselves, yes?"

The ninja stared back up into Usagi's face for a long moment. "Yes …" His small eyes squinted into a scowl. "The Neko will attack in the night if they can, and when you least expect it. They will not come up out of the ground or down out of the sky, but they like having the high ground and an element of surprise. Look for them in the mountainsides or tops of hills or even atop buildings' roofs. They will be out of sight there or around the corner, behind the brush and the boulder, waiting for you where they can surround or corner you all and then leap out weapons drawn. Beware, they are very crafty."

Gen sniffed, "Like you."

The Mogura smiled slowly. "They are ninja, like us. Ninja are crafty." His smile fell away. "But they are our competition. The Komori should have already succeeded or slain many of you. Both we and the Neko knew they'd reach you first. Unless the sun or the storm is in the sky, Komori travel fast, but 'we' of the Mogura Ninja Clan would not let both them 'and' the Neko Clan reach you first."

Usagi's eyes widened. "Which is why you are here … You expected them to be somewhere close by further along this route to the city. Where?"

The Mogura fell silent for another long moment. When he opened his mouth again, he said, "I have already told you much. Apparently, you slaughter my people just fine the way you are now. I will not tell you more and help you escape the Neko Clan entirely unscathed."

What do you think?

God Bless

ScribeofHeroes