Well, this fic has definitely become my "gift-fanfic"! This chapter is given by me as a gift to my good friend Jandoc of Hawaii, who has kept me happily supplied with Ushio & Tora manga (thus preventing me dying of frustration). Huge Thanks! Now, settle back with your popcorn and watch..... and please, don't forget to review! =^_^=
A Truce of Moons
Chapter 2
By Ysabet
When seen from above, a forest is a very, very dark place; there is nothing to give light back save for the flow of water when it reflects the stars or the moon. It's peaceful; nothing but the sighing of wind through branches, the rasp of twig against twig, the sleepy twitter of birds nesting below......
Except for this night.
No; if one listened, one could hear voices; soft speech, hisses, rumbling roars, growls and whines and barks..... The forest was alive with sound tonight. And then there were the lights.....
Tora drifted on the wind high above it all, his mane floating around him like the tendrils of some sea-creature. He stretched once in mid-air, claws slipping silently from their sheaths and sliding back as muscle and tendon tightened and relaxed; above him the stars shown down silently.
He could see the lights of the moon-truce in the clearing nearby; the silhouetes of the other creatures below crossed against the flames and wisp-lights, drawing back and settling in their places among the rocks. The bothersome mutter of conversation was finally fading down to a more bearable whisper.
*Talk, talk, talk! Hells above and below, since when have bakemonotachi become so damned talkative? Natter, natter, natter.....* Tora had finally fled to the sky above when he had heard 'Nagatobimaru-dono? I thought you were dead!' for what seemed like the hundreth-damned-time from the hundreth-damned-entity. At first the attention had been amusing; but that had *long* since worn off. He growled softly to himself. *Hhhhrrrrrr.* Perhaps it was simply that he was unused as yet to being around others, except for the Ushio-Brat..... It had been a long, long time since he had attended a moon-truce, after all.
And speaking of the Ushio-Brat, where was he, anyway? The bakemono frowned at the clearing below, beginning to drift silently downwards..... *Ah, there; sitting beside----- heh.* The monster grinned a little; so the Brat had found a pretty young kitsune, had he? *A nice piece of fur, too.* Well and good, but he had best be careful----- kitsune families tended to be chary of their whelps, and they bit HARD when protecting their daughters. The bakemono considered the amusing prospect of an anxious papa chasing the Spearbearer across the countryside, teeth nipping at Ushio's tender parts; he chuckled in appreciation and continued his downward descent, glancing over his shoulder at the growing light on the horizon. Moonrise; time for things to really begin.......
**************************************
If you've seen one official, you've seen them all. Ushio watched, chin on hand, as what could only be the Person-In-Charge-of-This-Event stood before the central bonfire. Now *this* was an interesting bakemono..... Scarlet, hairless skin reflected the firelight, as did the gleaming, metallic eyes; well, the two on its face did, anyway. So did the ones on the back of its hands, on its temples, on the back of its head..... The rest of its body was hidden by the formal magistrate's robes it wore; Ushio wondered just how many eyes it had and where they were located (and if it made it difficult to sit down). Hmph; not very frightening, though----- or was he just getting jaded? He personally thought that the most fearful bakemono here was the huge, gray worm-like thing across the clearing, the one with all the mouths and eyes and cockroach-mandibles all over it----- eeewww. The temple boy had never really liked bugs and this did nothing to make him change his mind. It looked a bit clumsy, though, and unless it could fly he suspected that he could take it down pretty easily-----
----- Ushio stopped that train of thought before it could go any further, flushing a little angrily at his own lack of control. *No fighting, idiot!* he thought, mentally calling himself several uncomplimentary names. It really was *too* easy to slip back into the kinds of thought-patterns that he had while fighting..... It had to be the shape he was wearing. He wasn't really *like* this----- not while he was human----- was he? Maybe Tora was right to treat him like he had: half an untrained boy, half a killer. Something to think about, wasn't it?
Later. He leaned over towards the kitsune beside him and whispered "So who goes first?"
Rikone shrugged her silk-clad shoulders; the foxgirl was scanning the crowd with sharp amber eyes, obviously looking for something or someone specific..... "Usually they start by letting the personage whose territory this is speak first; then it's sort of a free-for-all....." she answered absently. The kitsune stiffened a little, slipping her hands into her sleeves for reassurance. "There they are--- " she muttered; her ears flattened slightly. "Who?" asked Ushio, a little concerned at Rikone's reaction; what, some evil bakemono? An enemy for him to fight? What?
"My parents."
Oh. "Umm, where?"
Rikone sighed deeply and pointed with her hand still hidden in her sleeve towards a small group of creatures a little ways down the clearing..... Ushio frowned and focused, not an easy task in the flickering firelight: *Let's see..... Definitely not the skeleton in the houshi's robes, or the samurai-looking thing with the extra arms; nor the black jello-blob with three faces (sort of), or the tall woman in the business suit with the smoking eyes.... Oh!*
The Spearbearer considered for a moment; then he turned back to the foxgirl and tried to be tactful. "..... I can, ah, see the resemblance, I guess..... But you're--- taller."
The kitsune rolled her eyes (which looked particularly odd in an animalistic face) and snorted dramatically. "You know, I WISH they'd at least come on two feet! They make my brothers and I carry everything, too....." She scowled at the two dignified foxes sitting with their tails neatly wrapped around their bodies, white tips resting on paws. The larger of the two (Rikone's father?) was definitely staring back; his gaze had a certain *look* to it, a look that said 'mess-with-my-daughter-and-I'll-rip-you-apart'. Ushio swallowed and tried to appear both harmless and dependable at the same time (not an easy task for anyone, let alone a teenager.....) Beside him, Rikone continued: "It's *so* old-fashioned to show up like that, too! It makes us look like ignorant country types, like we've been living in some pokey old cave for the last few centuries..... My brothers hate it too, but Mom and Dad say that they like to 'keep up appearances and maintain traditions'....." She rolled her eyes again, black nose twitching in distaste.
Ushio nodded sympathetically. "Yeah, I know what you mean. My dad wears normal clothes at home mostly, but if he has to go to anything public, on go the robes..... All the other guy's fathers are wearing things with 'Nike' emblems on them, but mine looks like he stepped out of a history book." He shook his head.
WHOOSH!!! The two jumped as the flames in the center of the clearing suddenly shot heavenwards; the Person-In-Charge type clapped his hands twice and began to speak in a peculiarly double-toned voice:
"Be welcome all here to this, the moon-truce. I stand as your host this night, and I remind all present of the one rule: That none--- none!--- may kill any here until after dawn. What is done then is your own affair." The personage stared out over the crowd (from several directions at once, actually), looking for signs of dissent; then he rubbed his palms together in apparent satisfaction.
"I will begin by speaking regarding the recent influx of newcomers in this my territory......" blah, blah, blah......
Ushio winced; this was like listening when government officials came to speak at his school! Boring, boring, boring..... Damn, weren't these supposed to be monsters?!? Shouldn't this be even a *little* interesting? He listened again:
"..... and, as last year's ratio of flesheaters was lower than those of the previous years, the herds in the southern sector should suffice for their needs; however, if the ratio should increase via adoption, migration or transformation, additional herd animals will be bargained for from the honorable Tsuinji-dono's lands....."
Boring. Very boring (though later he would wonder uneasily about the 'herds' mentioned). Ushio could see creatures of all kinds settling back around the clearing, clearly uninterested in the speech being given. Across the clearing the giant tugged his baseball cap down over his eyes. The personage droned on:
"...... but considering the areas being settled in the west by waterbeings, bargaining can continue in regards to the needs of the present population with an emphasis on noncontact with the native human settlements. Demographics show that....." Aaaack. Boring, boring, boring. Beside him Rikone muttered something under her breath about 'self-important geekoids' and closed her eyes in apparent pain. A sound caught the Spearbearer's ear: he couldn't really be hearing that, could he? He listened:
"......beep beep, zing! Doot-doo-doo-doot-doooo...." the Gameboy sang softly somewhere behind him.....
The Spearbearer leaned once again on his hand with a sigh.
**************************************
A bored bakemono is a bad thing. They look for things to do..... things like: demolishing houses, eating the local cattle, invading dreams, blowing up car-tires and causing mysterious flats..... Whatever looks amusing at the time. Or they just go to sleep, leaning against one another's shoulders or the equivalent thereof.
Tora was bored. Bored, bored, bored. The speaker with the red skin and all the eyes was *finally* finishing, much to his relief..... And then the next one (something with NO apparent eyes, or mouth, but many tentacles and a sweet, flutelike voice) began, and it was as mind-deadeningly boring as the first! Obsequious and sugar-sweet, the creature lisped....."And I am certain, O Beings, that you will recall an incident which occurred in the most honorable and fearful Ansen-Taka-dono's lands sixty years ago, which border upon my own domain, in which....." Hhhrrrrrrrrrrrrrrhhhhrrrrrr. Boring, boring, boring.
He looked down from where he sat atop a pinnacle of rock; the Spearbearer was sitting below, chin on hand and long hair trailing over his face, apparently asleep. Idiot; asleep among monsters, like a babe in a torture chamber. Beside him that little kitsune-fluff had leaned back against the stones behind her and was also apparently asleep. Hmmmmmm..... there was enough room beside her.....
Tora stepped off the spire of stone like someone stepping into water, floating soundlessly down to settle on the sand and stones beside the kitsune. Around him, creatures of various types carefully drew back, making room for the large, fearful bakemono. As Tora settled down, chin on hand, he preened a little; it was good to be recognized and feared again.
On the other hand, neither the kitsune nor the Spearbearer had woken up as yet..... Ah. The little fox-spirit's eyes blinked, closed, then opened again, focusing blearily on the enormous striped face that had turned to watch her..... She took in the silver eyes, the teeth, the claws-----
Across the clearing two foxes froze, their unblinking eyes fixed on the ancient and terrible bakemono beside their daughter.
Ushio stirred; his back was getting stiff in his hunched-over position. *Oh, Great; another damned boring speaker.* This one was droning on about migration routes and something called 'whelping rights'. He didn't want to know. He turned his head to say something to Rikone-----
----- who was sitting with a distinct deer-in-the-headlights look on her face, staring at Tora. Oh, right. "Hey, Tora-----" and the bakemono lifted a lip, exposing more teeth; "----- Um, I mean Nagatobimaru-dono, This is Rikone; Rikone, this is Lord Nagatobimaru....." (Ushio concentrated and recited:) "..... the 'holder of the territory in which I dwell.'" Tora gave him the briefest of nods; he had coached the Spearbearer on how he was to address the bakemono..... and that, just this once, Tora was to be called by his old name: Nagatobimaru, title and all. How formal.
He had also stated (with much growling and muttered cursewords) that Ushio was to call himself 'Ushio-dono'; Lord Ushio. How..... archaic.
But Rikone was still sitting there, staring; she hadn't moved a muscle. He tapped her gently on the shoulder and she started, turning white-rimmed eyes back to him. "Hey--- it's OK, he won't eat you. Remember?" (Ushio hoped not, anyway); "It's the moon-truce, right?"
She relaxed a little, nodding. Drawing a shaky breath the kitsune turned back towards Tora and bowed deeply, hands hidden in her sleeves. "Your pardon, Nagatobimaru-dono----- I, I am honored to meet you." And she kept her eyes lowered, tail tucked behind her ankles.
Tora blinked sleepily, his shining eyes mere slits of silver in his firelit face. "Well enough, little kitsune." He cocked his head to one side, looking at her profile. "Let me see......." and he touched a design woven into her kimono with one talon; ".....You are of the Hisuike line, are you not?" Puzzled, Ushio glanced down at Rikone's sleeve; the medallions woven into the cloth looked a bit like traditional Japanese clan-symbols, the 'mon' of heraldry. "Yes, Nagatobimaru-dono; I have that honor." The kitsune was obviously still a little nervous, but she raised her gaze to meet Tora's. The orange bakemono grinned a little and reached across to poke Ushio in the shoulder; "Better be careful, Spearbearer; you've been flirting with a jade fox!" He laughed wickedly..... then sighed in exasperation at the temple boy's puzzled look. "..... Hrrrrmmph. Never mind; jokes are wasted on the witless." And Tora turned his attention back to the speaker in front of the fire, leaning against a block of stone and resting his chin back on his hand.
Across the clearing, two foxes relaxed somewhat. The smaller of the two fixed her sharp gaze first on Ushio, then on the Spear, then on Ushio again; she took in the long black hair, shining eyes and sharp-nailed hands. A small smile flickered then across her vulpine face and she settled back, watching her daughter carefully.
Ushio frowned and looked at Rikone, raising one eyebrow and pushing his hair back from his face; "Jade fox?" Rikone closed her eyes and sighed; "It's my family name; it means 'jade', and some of my ancestors were pretty important. A few were nine-tail kitsunes..... it doesn't mean much these days, really." Ushio settled back on his boulder, trying to imagine Rikone with nine tails (how did one sit down?); he blinked his slit-pupiled eyes once and shrugged.
He sat back a bit, watching the speaker in front of the bonfire; now it was a scaled creature with an almost human face topping a rather serpentine body patterned with blotches and spots of black and red. This one wore a magistrate's cap on its head and sported a long, drooping mustache; it was gesticulating emphatically with several arms as it spoke: "..... and from this you can see, my lords and ladies and others, that the humans are beginning to get out of hand, at least in my district. I propose punitive measures."
There were mutterings from among the crowd; Ushio sat up straight on his boulder. Tora tilted his head a little, looking sidelong at the speaker, who folded its top pair of arms in satisfaction at drawing so much attention. A barking, stacatto voice called out from atop a column of rock: "Punitive-measures-how? Difference-actions-why-now-this-time?"
The speaker folded the rest of its arms. "Punitive measures such as were done in days past! Burn their homes, break their toys; kill enough of the humans and they will leave us be. Poison their foodstuffs, kill their crops, eat their cattle! And eat *them*, for that matter..... There are many here this night who would like that, I think." And it grinned, showing mandibles where teeth should be. A few whistles and low moans of approval followed this; Ushio shivered a little, palms sweating.
It continued: "I speak as one who has seen humans living in places where none would dare to live a mere century ago; they no longer fear us, they no longer believe in us! Even we, who have haunted both darkness and daylight throughout their entire history, now seek out homes among them!" The red-and-black bakemono's cold-eyed gaze swept the crowd, picking out human clothing, sodas and other items with disdain; behind Ushio the Gameboy stopped beeping abruptly.
A spiderlike figure on the far side of the bonfire spoke up in a harsh, grating voice: "We have always made our homes beside the humans, among the humans; what is so different now? There are more of them, but that happens." It shrugged insectile shoulders bristling with spines. "For many centuries we have chosen to avoid conflict with humans for the most part. Why not continue so?" There were whines and mutterings of agreement from around the circle; the speaker before the fire clacked its jaws together in a peculiar gesture, spreading its arms wide. "Because the humans have a weapon on their side again! One which concerns us all!" It snarled, clacked its jaws again and pointed.....
..... directly at Ushio, who froze, hands tight on the Spear's haft. It hummed faintly in his grip.
"I speak of the Kemono No Yari." the speaker rapped out in harsh tones. And every eye was suddenly upon the Spearbearer; every eye (and there were many). Even the giant frowned and pushed his hat back.
Deep silence.
Slowly Tora rose to his feet, gesturing for Ushio to follow. *Ohhhhh, SHIT* he thought, standing up with as much dignity as possible.
Showtime.....
**********************************************************************************************************************
End of Chapter 2
A Truce of Moons
Chapter 2
By Ysabet
When seen from above, a forest is a very, very dark place; there is nothing to give light back save for the flow of water when it reflects the stars or the moon. It's peaceful; nothing but the sighing of wind through branches, the rasp of twig against twig, the sleepy twitter of birds nesting below......
Except for this night.
No; if one listened, one could hear voices; soft speech, hisses, rumbling roars, growls and whines and barks..... The forest was alive with sound tonight. And then there were the lights.....
Tora drifted on the wind high above it all, his mane floating around him like the tendrils of some sea-creature. He stretched once in mid-air, claws slipping silently from their sheaths and sliding back as muscle and tendon tightened and relaxed; above him the stars shown down silently.
He could see the lights of the moon-truce in the clearing nearby; the silhouetes of the other creatures below crossed against the flames and wisp-lights, drawing back and settling in their places among the rocks. The bothersome mutter of conversation was finally fading down to a more bearable whisper.
*Talk, talk, talk! Hells above and below, since when have bakemonotachi become so damned talkative? Natter, natter, natter.....* Tora had finally fled to the sky above when he had heard 'Nagatobimaru-dono? I thought you were dead!' for what seemed like the hundreth-damned-time from the hundreth-damned-entity. At first the attention had been amusing; but that had *long* since worn off. He growled softly to himself. *Hhhhrrrrrr.* Perhaps it was simply that he was unused as yet to being around others, except for the Ushio-Brat..... It had been a long, long time since he had attended a moon-truce, after all.
And speaking of the Ushio-Brat, where was he, anyway? The bakemono frowned at the clearing below, beginning to drift silently downwards..... *Ah, there; sitting beside----- heh.* The monster grinned a little; so the Brat had found a pretty young kitsune, had he? *A nice piece of fur, too.* Well and good, but he had best be careful----- kitsune families tended to be chary of their whelps, and they bit HARD when protecting their daughters. The bakemono considered the amusing prospect of an anxious papa chasing the Spearbearer across the countryside, teeth nipping at Ushio's tender parts; he chuckled in appreciation and continued his downward descent, glancing over his shoulder at the growing light on the horizon. Moonrise; time for things to really begin.......
**************************************
If you've seen one official, you've seen them all. Ushio watched, chin on hand, as what could only be the Person-In-Charge-of-This-Event stood before the central bonfire. Now *this* was an interesting bakemono..... Scarlet, hairless skin reflected the firelight, as did the gleaming, metallic eyes; well, the two on its face did, anyway. So did the ones on the back of its hands, on its temples, on the back of its head..... The rest of its body was hidden by the formal magistrate's robes it wore; Ushio wondered just how many eyes it had and where they were located (and if it made it difficult to sit down). Hmph; not very frightening, though----- or was he just getting jaded? He personally thought that the most fearful bakemono here was the huge, gray worm-like thing across the clearing, the one with all the mouths and eyes and cockroach-mandibles all over it----- eeewww. The temple boy had never really liked bugs and this did nothing to make him change his mind. It looked a bit clumsy, though, and unless it could fly he suspected that he could take it down pretty easily-----
----- Ushio stopped that train of thought before it could go any further, flushing a little angrily at his own lack of control. *No fighting, idiot!* he thought, mentally calling himself several uncomplimentary names. It really was *too* easy to slip back into the kinds of thought-patterns that he had while fighting..... It had to be the shape he was wearing. He wasn't really *like* this----- not while he was human----- was he? Maybe Tora was right to treat him like he had: half an untrained boy, half a killer. Something to think about, wasn't it?
Later. He leaned over towards the kitsune beside him and whispered "So who goes first?"
Rikone shrugged her silk-clad shoulders; the foxgirl was scanning the crowd with sharp amber eyes, obviously looking for something or someone specific..... "Usually they start by letting the personage whose territory this is speak first; then it's sort of a free-for-all....." she answered absently. The kitsune stiffened a little, slipping her hands into her sleeves for reassurance. "There they are--- " she muttered; her ears flattened slightly. "Who?" asked Ushio, a little concerned at Rikone's reaction; what, some evil bakemono? An enemy for him to fight? What?
"My parents."
Oh. "Umm, where?"
Rikone sighed deeply and pointed with her hand still hidden in her sleeve towards a small group of creatures a little ways down the clearing..... Ushio frowned and focused, not an easy task in the flickering firelight: *Let's see..... Definitely not the skeleton in the houshi's robes, or the samurai-looking thing with the extra arms; nor the black jello-blob with three faces (sort of), or the tall woman in the business suit with the smoking eyes.... Oh!*
The Spearbearer considered for a moment; then he turned back to the foxgirl and tried to be tactful. "..... I can, ah, see the resemblance, I guess..... But you're--- taller."
The kitsune rolled her eyes (which looked particularly odd in an animalistic face) and snorted dramatically. "You know, I WISH they'd at least come on two feet! They make my brothers and I carry everything, too....." She scowled at the two dignified foxes sitting with their tails neatly wrapped around their bodies, white tips resting on paws. The larger of the two (Rikone's father?) was definitely staring back; his gaze had a certain *look* to it, a look that said 'mess-with-my-daughter-and-I'll-rip-you-apart'. Ushio swallowed and tried to appear both harmless and dependable at the same time (not an easy task for anyone, let alone a teenager.....) Beside him, Rikone continued: "It's *so* old-fashioned to show up like that, too! It makes us look like ignorant country types, like we've been living in some pokey old cave for the last few centuries..... My brothers hate it too, but Mom and Dad say that they like to 'keep up appearances and maintain traditions'....." She rolled her eyes again, black nose twitching in distaste.
Ushio nodded sympathetically. "Yeah, I know what you mean. My dad wears normal clothes at home mostly, but if he has to go to anything public, on go the robes..... All the other guy's fathers are wearing things with 'Nike' emblems on them, but mine looks like he stepped out of a history book." He shook his head.
WHOOSH!!! The two jumped as the flames in the center of the clearing suddenly shot heavenwards; the Person-In-Charge type clapped his hands twice and began to speak in a peculiarly double-toned voice:
"Be welcome all here to this, the moon-truce. I stand as your host this night, and I remind all present of the one rule: That none--- none!--- may kill any here until after dawn. What is done then is your own affair." The personage stared out over the crowd (from several directions at once, actually), looking for signs of dissent; then he rubbed his palms together in apparent satisfaction.
"I will begin by speaking regarding the recent influx of newcomers in this my territory......" blah, blah, blah......
Ushio winced; this was like listening when government officials came to speak at his school! Boring, boring, boring..... Damn, weren't these supposed to be monsters?!? Shouldn't this be even a *little* interesting? He listened again:
"..... and, as last year's ratio of flesheaters was lower than those of the previous years, the herds in the southern sector should suffice for their needs; however, if the ratio should increase via adoption, migration or transformation, additional herd animals will be bargained for from the honorable Tsuinji-dono's lands....."
Boring. Very boring (though later he would wonder uneasily about the 'herds' mentioned). Ushio could see creatures of all kinds settling back around the clearing, clearly uninterested in the speech being given. Across the clearing the giant tugged his baseball cap down over his eyes. The personage droned on:
"...... but considering the areas being settled in the west by waterbeings, bargaining can continue in regards to the needs of the present population with an emphasis on noncontact with the native human settlements. Demographics show that....." Aaaack. Boring, boring, boring. Beside him Rikone muttered something under her breath about 'self-important geekoids' and closed her eyes in apparent pain. A sound caught the Spearbearer's ear: he couldn't really be hearing that, could he? He listened:
"......beep beep, zing! Doot-doo-doo-doot-doooo...." the Gameboy sang softly somewhere behind him.....
The Spearbearer leaned once again on his hand with a sigh.
**************************************
A bored bakemono is a bad thing. They look for things to do..... things like: demolishing houses, eating the local cattle, invading dreams, blowing up car-tires and causing mysterious flats..... Whatever looks amusing at the time. Or they just go to sleep, leaning against one another's shoulders or the equivalent thereof.
Tora was bored. Bored, bored, bored. The speaker with the red skin and all the eyes was *finally* finishing, much to his relief..... And then the next one (something with NO apparent eyes, or mouth, but many tentacles and a sweet, flutelike voice) began, and it was as mind-deadeningly boring as the first! Obsequious and sugar-sweet, the creature lisped....."And I am certain, O Beings, that you will recall an incident which occurred in the most honorable and fearful Ansen-Taka-dono's lands sixty years ago, which border upon my own domain, in which....." Hhhrrrrrrrrrrrrrrhhhhrrrrrr. Boring, boring, boring.
He looked down from where he sat atop a pinnacle of rock; the Spearbearer was sitting below, chin on hand and long hair trailing over his face, apparently asleep. Idiot; asleep among monsters, like a babe in a torture chamber. Beside him that little kitsune-fluff had leaned back against the stones behind her and was also apparently asleep. Hmmmmmm..... there was enough room beside her.....
Tora stepped off the spire of stone like someone stepping into water, floating soundlessly down to settle on the sand and stones beside the kitsune. Around him, creatures of various types carefully drew back, making room for the large, fearful bakemono. As Tora settled down, chin on hand, he preened a little; it was good to be recognized and feared again.
On the other hand, neither the kitsune nor the Spearbearer had woken up as yet..... Ah. The little fox-spirit's eyes blinked, closed, then opened again, focusing blearily on the enormous striped face that had turned to watch her..... She took in the silver eyes, the teeth, the claws-----
Across the clearing two foxes froze, their unblinking eyes fixed on the ancient and terrible bakemono beside their daughter.
Ushio stirred; his back was getting stiff in his hunched-over position. *Oh, Great; another damned boring speaker.* This one was droning on about migration routes and something called 'whelping rights'. He didn't want to know. He turned his head to say something to Rikone-----
----- who was sitting with a distinct deer-in-the-headlights look on her face, staring at Tora. Oh, right. "Hey, Tora-----" and the bakemono lifted a lip, exposing more teeth; "----- Um, I mean Nagatobimaru-dono, This is Rikone; Rikone, this is Lord Nagatobimaru....." (Ushio concentrated and recited:) "..... the 'holder of the territory in which I dwell.'" Tora gave him the briefest of nods; he had coached the Spearbearer on how he was to address the bakemono..... and that, just this once, Tora was to be called by his old name: Nagatobimaru, title and all. How formal.
He had also stated (with much growling and muttered cursewords) that Ushio was to call himself 'Ushio-dono'; Lord Ushio. How..... archaic.
But Rikone was still sitting there, staring; she hadn't moved a muscle. He tapped her gently on the shoulder and she started, turning white-rimmed eyes back to him. "Hey--- it's OK, he won't eat you. Remember?" (Ushio hoped not, anyway); "It's the moon-truce, right?"
She relaxed a little, nodding. Drawing a shaky breath the kitsune turned back towards Tora and bowed deeply, hands hidden in her sleeves. "Your pardon, Nagatobimaru-dono----- I, I am honored to meet you." And she kept her eyes lowered, tail tucked behind her ankles.
Tora blinked sleepily, his shining eyes mere slits of silver in his firelit face. "Well enough, little kitsune." He cocked his head to one side, looking at her profile. "Let me see......." and he touched a design woven into her kimono with one talon; ".....You are of the Hisuike line, are you not?" Puzzled, Ushio glanced down at Rikone's sleeve; the medallions woven into the cloth looked a bit like traditional Japanese clan-symbols, the 'mon' of heraldry. "Yes, Nagatobimaru-dono; I have that honor." The kitsune was obviously still a little nervous, but she raised her gaze to meet Tora's. The orange bakemono grinned a little and reached across to poke Ushio in the shoulder; "Better be careful, Spearbearer; you've been flirting with a jade fox!" He laughed wickedly..... then sighed in exasperation at the temple boy's puzzled look. "..... Hrrrrmmph. Never mind; jokes are wasted on the witless." And Tora turned his attention back to the speaker in front of the fire, leaning against a block of stone and resting his chin back on his hand.
Across the clearing, two foxes relaxed somewhat. The smaller of the two fixed her sharp gaze first on Ushio, then on the Spear, then on Ushio again; she took in the long black hair, shining eyes and sharp-nailed hands. A small smile flickered then across her vulpine face and she settled back, watching her daughter carefully.
Ushio frowned and looked at Rikone, raising one eyebrow and pushing his hair back from his face; "Jade fox?" Rikone closed her eyes and sighed; "It's my family name; it means 'jade', and some of my ancestors were pretty important. A few were nine-tail kitsunes..... it doesn't mean much these days, really." Ushio settled back on his boulder, trying to imagine Rikone with nine tails (how did one sit down?); he blinked his slit-pupiled eyes once and shrugged.
He sat back a bit, watching the speaker in front of the bonfire; now it was a scaled creature with an almost human face topping a rather serpentine body patterned with blotches and spots of black and red. This one wore a magistrate's cap on its head and sported a long, drooping mustache; it was gesticulating emphatically with several arms as it spoke: "..... and from this you can see, my lords and ladies and others, that the humans are beginning to get out of hand, at least in my district. I propose punitive measures."
There were mutterings from among the crowd; Ushio sat up straight on his boulder. Tora tilted his head a little, looking sidelong at the speaker, who folded its top pair of arms in satisfaction at drawing so much attention. A barking, stacatto voice called out from atop a column of rock: "Punitive-measures-how? Difference-actions-why-now-this-time?"
The speaker folded the rest of its arms. "Punitive measures such as were done in days past! Burn their homes, break their toys; kill enough of the humans and they will leave us be. Poison their foodstuffs, kill their crops, eat their cattle! And eat *them*, for that matter..... There are many here this night who would like that, I think." And it grinned, showing mandibles where teeth should be. A few whistles and low moans of approval followed this; Ushio shivered a little, palms sweating.
It continued: "I speak as one who has seen humans living in places where none would dare to live a mere century ago; they no longer fear us, they no longer believe in us! Even we, who have haunted both darkness and daylight throughout their entire history, now seek out homes among them!" The red-and-black bakemono's cold-eyed gaze swept the crowd, picking out human clothing, sodas and other items with disdain; behind Ushio the Gameboy stopped beeping abruptly.
A spiderlike figure on the far side of the bonfire spoke up in a harsh, grating voice: "We have always made our homes beside the humans, among the humans; what is so different now? There are more of them, but that happens." It shrugged insectile shoulders bristling with spines. "For many centuries we have chosen to avoid conflict with humans for the most part. Why not continue so?" There were whines and mutterings of agreement from around the circle; the speaker before the fire clacked its jaws together in a peculiar gesture, spreading its arms wide. "Because the humans have a weapon on their side again! One which concerns us all!" It snarled, clacked its jaws again and pointed.....
..... directly at Ushio, who froze, hands tight on the Spear's haft. It hummed faintly in his grip.
"I speak of the Kemono No Yari." the speaker rapped out in harsh tones. And every eye was suddenly upon the Spearbearer; every eye (and there were many). Even the giant frowned and pushed his hat back.
Deep silence.
Slowly Tora rose to his feet, gesturing for Ushio to follow. *Ohhhhh, SHIT* he thought, standing up with as much dignity as possible.
Showtime.....
**********************************************************************************************************************
End of Chapter 2