Rainy Days
It was late in the day; a morning shower had left the land shrouded in light mist. Maha had already been traveling for some time now along this particular road. It was bear and well trodden, a caravan route presumably. The traces of caravan of times gone past still showed in the hard packed dirt. Deep ruts left by larger carts transporting luxury and specialty items, cut deeply across the treads of the smaller food carts. Hoof prints left behind gave clues to who was traveling along these roads.
Maha paused a moment, looking over the prints. Wide, heavy hooves, a Sanhe, typical harness horse for China. This cart had your average goods. Wool, wood products, pottery and maybe some food grown by specialty villages that concentrates on one crop. Maha skipped ahead, trotting up the slope a bit to avoid the puddles and mud. Looking down again, he spotted different sort of track. Very heavy, not so wide and teamed up. Oxen. This cart was part of a longer caravan that traveled through out the country, unlike the smaller horse-drawn wagons that only traveled between two or three villages.
Maha straightened up from the crouch he's been, and continued on his way. He loved busy roads; it was so interesting to see what kinds of people traveled where and when. Even if there were no carts to be seen, like right now, Maha knew who the people were. He could even tell what the person was like from the tracks left behind. Did they mistreat their horses, leaving hooves uncut and ragged, pushing the animals to the limit? Or did they care for them, walking along beside them instead of staying in the cart? It was a good guide for Maha, he knew who to avoid and who talk to.
Scanning ahead revealed a small town up ahead, not really visible through the mist but Maha had already knew it was there. The prints on the road became farther apart as weary drivers saw their destination and urged their beast faster, looking forward to some food and drink. In fact, Maha himself increased his pace, not because he looked forward to entering the town. He would prefer keeping out of crowded taverns and inns, but his nose told him that a storm was fast approaching. He would prefer a crowded, loud inn to rain any day. He was a cat after all.
Maha reached the town well before the rain began, and was able to find a tolerable inn to stay in for the night. The rain was coming down in sheets; it looked like it would keep up for several hours yet. Settling into a table on far sidewall in a local tavern, since all the dark corners were taken. Oddly enough those corner seemed very popular, it's a surprise that all bars weren't octagons. Maha nodded politely to a nearby serving wench who, after collecting money from some other patrons, came over to take his order.
"Konnichi'wa! What would you like?" the young woman asked. Her eyes held a curious look in them, as well as a bit of nervousness. Maha thought for a moment, his whiskers quivering slightly as a draft wafted by.
He focused his attention on some odd men in, of course, a dark corner. They seemed to be eyeing some of the woman in a very unfavorable way. Maha returned his eyes to the serving woman. "I will be having some Sichuan soup and a small amount of sake, please."
The woman nodded and hurried to fill his order in the back, while Maha fixed his gaze once again on the men in the corner. They were rough looking, with scars and hastily shaved beards. A man, Maha assumed was their leader, was laughing loudly and groped the rear of a passing serving girl. Actually, his serving girl.
She hurried up to Maha balancing the soup, sake and a small sandwich. Giving Maha his order, she slid down into a seat next to him. "I hope you don't mind sharing a table with me. It my break and the only tables open are near that man," the woman said, disgust evident in her voice as she referred to the man. "He seems shifty.... Anyway, my name is Sen. What's yours?" Sen stared curiously at Maha.
Running his finger across the brim of his hat, Maha dipped in head and replied, "I am Maha. A cat demon wandering the wilderness. From the look you and several others have been giving me, I take you don't get many of us demons in your tavern." Sen nodded her head in agreement, again glancing nervously at the dark men. Maha smiled, showing his sharp gleaming fangs. "Don't worry about them. They're just a bunch nobodys, acting tough. Besides, they're only human. If they give you anymore trouble you can call me. Defending the honor of beautiful ladies is my hobby!"
Sen grinned at Maha's elegant words, and finished her sandwich. She soon left Maha to finish his meal in quiet, well as quiet as a crowded tavern can be. After finishing his sake, he paid the tender and left a generous tip for Sen. Dashing quickly across the street to avoid the rain, he trotted up to his room at the inn and settled in for the night.
It was several hours later when he woke up, well past midnight. The rain had slowed from a down pour to a gentle shower. Not that Maha like it any better, thunder storming downpour or spring drizzle, rain was still wet and he didn't like it. Maha lay quietly, listening to the rain and wondering why he had woken up. He usually slept until at least sunrise.
There! A sound. Muffled, with many heavy steps. Maha sat up quickly, grabbing his clock on the way out. Skipping lightly down the stairs, he eased open the door and slipped out with out a sound. Glancing around cautiously, he opened he senses to the wind. Blood. And fear. He smelt those distinctly, and something else. Something familiar.
"Sen!" Maha yelped, now recognizing the scent of the curious serving woman. He dashed across the street, leaping onto the roof of the adjacent building. Glancing quickly down into the allies as he crossed them from above, he searched for the source the stench.
He found it in the next ally over. Sen, lying bloody and broken in the ally. Maha dropped down from his perch and approached Sen body. Touching her, he knew she had already gone. Pulling off his cloak, ignoring the rain dampening his fur, he placed it over Sen. He felt sorry for her, she was a very nice woman and lovely company, and her family would miss her dearly. Although, he was a demon of a respectable age, he still felt anger and sorrow at the senseless slaughter of life.
"Well, demon. You seem a little upset over this little girl."
Maha turned towards the rough voice that was like sandpaper to his ears. There was that man from the dark corner with his dimwitted lackeys in company. Glaring, Maha addressed the man. "She was nice person. Which is hard to come by these days. I assumed you killed her." The man grinned and nodded. "Why?"
"She would rather eat with damn demon than with me, that's why! I am a powerful man, strongest in town. And she! And she tells me to 'Ototoi koi!' So I killed her, and now you will also die. Baka Neko. You should never have come here," the man ranted, before ending with a shrug and signaling his lackeys to attack.
Maha leapt straight into the air, catching hold to roofing of the building, he hung there out of their reach. With his free hand, he went to reach for his Katana. Almost hitting himself, he remembers only grabbing his cloak on his way out. It's not that bid a deal, the fight would be tougher with out it, but not impossible. Besides Maha still has claws, which he fortunately can't forget. Glaring down at the men below him, he shook his head and dropped.
Landing on the shoulder of a large giant of a man, he launched off in a backwards arc, landing softly on his feet. But the man did not fall so gracefully. The other men had swung out with their club, quarter staffs or katana and had not hit Maha, but the man Maha had been standing on. That was one, and only four to go. A man with a quarter staff was first to rush at him, followed closely by a balding man with a club. Maha bent backwards avoiding the horizontal swing of the staff and twisting around trounced heavily on the man's in-step causing him to fall forward, possibly breaking the joint or the very least twisting it, and onto Maha's back, where he promptly rolled off onto the ground. Maha quickly turned bringing his claws to bare against the man with the club. A quick slash across the eyes with the razor sharp edges was enough to put him out of the fight.
The next victim was a young blond with a katana. It was obvious he didn't know how to use it, swing it about like an ax. Maha easily dodged the swing, and catching the man's leg with his tail, flipped him face first into the mud and taking possession of the blade. Facing the remaining two men, he grinned. Fangs flashing in the dark, his glowing an dull red. The men deciding that glowing red eyes was their limit, took off running leaving only Maha and their leader standing.
The leader took up his mace as Maha leveled his stolen blade at him. Suddenly, Maha rushed in under the man's guard, slicing back as he passed catching his hamstring. The leader came down heavily, but was able to lever a blow at Maha as he was sliding to a stop. Leaping to the side, Maha managed to escape the unexpected attack and suffering only a minor wound on his side. Dashing halfway up the side of the building, Maha pushed off and came straight down at the man. The katana striking him through and sinking into the muddy ground below.
Maha left the man dying with out a single glance and returned to Sen's side. Bowing his head down, he wrapped her tighter in the cloak and carried her under a near by tarp. Once making sure her body would be kept dry there, he turned and dashed off into the wet mists and darkness.
The next morning's light shone down upon the evidence of the night sorrow. Two men lay dead, the leader and the man who was slash by demon claws, soaked with rain and caked in mud. While the body of a woman lay, dry and clean, wrapped in a familiar looking cloak. Beside her lay a single blossom and a the words scrawled on a card which read:
'Stop stranger as you pass by,
For as you are now so once was I,
And as I am now so you will be,
So be prepared to follow me.'
It was late in the day; a morning shower had left the land shrouded in light mist. Maha had already been traveling for some time now along this particular road. It was bear and well trodden, a caravan route presumably. The traces of caravan of times gone past still showed in the hard packed dirt. Deep ruts left by larger carts transporting luxury and specialty items, cut deeply across the treads of the smaller food carts. Hoof prints left behind gave clues to who was traveling along these roads.
Maha paused a moment, looking over the prints. Wide, heavy hooves, a Sanhe, typical harness horse for China. This cart had your average goods. Wool, wood products, pottery and maybe some food grown by specialty villages that concentrates on one crop. Maha skipped ahead, trotting up the slope a bit to avoid the puddles and mud. Looking down again, he spotted different sort of track. Very heavy, not so wide and teamed up. Oxen. This cart was part of a longer caravan that traveled through out the country, unlike the smaller horse-drawn wagons that only traveled between two or three villages.
Maha straightened up from the crouch he's been, and continued on his way. He loved busy roads; it was so interesting to see what kinds of people traveled where and when. Even if there were no carts to be seen, like right now, Maha knew who the people were. He could even tell what the person was like from the tracks left behind. Did they mistreat their horses, leaving hooves uncut and ragged, pushing the animals to the limit? Or did they care for them, walking along beside them instead of staying in the cart? It was a good guide for Maha, he knew who to avoid and who talk to.
Scanning ahead revealed a small town up ahead, not really visible through the mist but Maha had already knew it was there. The prints on the road became farther apart as weary drivers saw their destination and urged their beast faster, looking forward to some food and drink. In fact, Maha himself increased his pace, not because he looked forward to entering the town. He would prefer keeping out of crowded taverns and inns, but his nose told him that a storm was fast approaching. He would prefer a crowded, loud inn to rain any day. He was a cat after all.
Maha reached the town well before the rain began, and was able to find a tolerable inn to stay in for the night. The rain was coming down in sheets; it looked like it would keep up for several hours yet. Settling into a table on far sidewall in a local tavern, since all the dark corners were taken. Oddly enough those corner seemed very popular, it's a surprise that all bars weren't octagons. Maha nodded politely to a nearby serving wench who, after collecting money from some other patrons, came over to take his order.
"Konnichi'wa! What would you like?" the young woman asked. Her eyes held a curious look in them, as well as a bit of nervousness. Maha thought for a moment, his whiskers quivering slightly as a draft wafted by.
He focused his attention on some odd men in, of course, a dark corner. They seemed to be eyeing some of the woman in a very unfavorable way. Maha returned his eyes to the serving woman. "I will be having some Sichuan soup and a small amount of sake, please."
The woman nodded and hurried to fill his order in the back, while Maha fixed his gaze once again on the men in the corner. They were rough looking, with scars and hastily shaved beards. A man, Maha assumed was their leader, was laughing loudly and groped the rear of a passing serving girl. Actually, his serving girl.
She hurried up to Maha balancing the soup, sake and a small sandwich. Giving Maha his order, she slid down into a seat next to him. "I hope you don't mind sharing a table with me. It my break and the only tables open are near that man," the woman said, disgust evident in her voice as she referred to the man. "He seems shifty.... Anyway, my name is Sen. What's yours?" Sen stared curiously at Maha.
Running his finger across the brim of his hat, Maha dipped in head and replied, "I am Maha. A cat demon wandering the wilderness. From the look you and several others have been giving me, I take you don't get many of us demons in your tavern." Sen nodded her head in agreement, again glancing nervously at the dark men. Maha smiled, showing his sharp gleaming fangs. "Don't worry about them. They're just a bunch nobodys, acting tough. Besides, they're only human. If they give you anymore trouble you can call me. Defending the honor of beautiful ladies is my hobby!"
Sen grinned at Maha's elegant words, and finished her sandwich. She soon left Maha to finish his meal in quiet, well as quiet as a crowded tavern can be. After finishing his sake, he paid the tender and left a generous tip for Sen. Dashing quickly across the street to avoid the rain, he trotted up to his room at the inn and settled in for the night.
It was several hours later when he woke up, well past midnight. The rain had slowed from a down pour to a gentle shower. Not that Maha like it any better, thunder storming downpour or spring drizzle, rain was still wet and he didn't like it. Maha lay quietly, listening to the rain and wondering why he had woken up. He usually slept until at least sunrise.
There! A sound. Muffled, with many heavy steps. Maha sat up quickly, grabbing his clock on the way out. Skipping lightly down the stairs, he eased open the door and slipped out with out a sound. Glancing around cautiously, he opened he senses to the wind. Blood. And fear. He smelt those distinctly, and something else. Something familiar.
"Sen!" Maha yelped, now recognizing the scent of the curious serving woman. He dashed across the street, leaping onto the roof of the adjacent building. Glancing quickly down into the allies as he crossed them from above, he searched for the source the stench.
He found it in the next ally over. Sen, lying bloody and broken in the ally. Maha dropped down from his perch and approached Sen body. Touching her, he knew she had already gone. Pulling off his cloak, ignoring the rain dampening his fur, he placed it over Sen. He felt sorry for her, she was a very nice woman and lovely company, and her family would miss her dearly. Although, he was a demon of a respectable age, he still felt anger and sorrow at the senseless slaughter of life.
"Well, demon. You seem a little upset over this little girl."
Maha turned towards the rough voice that was like sandpaper to his ears. There was that man from the dark corner with his dimwitted lackeys in company. Glaring, Maha addressed the man. "She was nice person. Which is hard to come by these days. I assumed you killed her." The man grinned and nodded. "Why?"
"She would rather eat with damn demon than with me, that's why! I am a powerful man, strongest in town. And she! And she tells me to 'Ototoi koi!' So I killed her, and now you will also die. Baka Neko. You should never have come here," the man ranted, before ending with a shrug and signaling his lackeys to attack.
Maha leapt straight into the air, catching hold to roofing of the building, he hung there out of their reach. With his free hand, he went to reach for his Katana. Almost hitting himself, he remembers only grabbing his cloak on his way out. It's not that bid a deal, the fight would be tougher with out it, but not impossible. Besides Maha still has claws, which he fortunately can't forget. Glaring down at the men below him, he shook his head and dropped.
Landing on the shoulder of a large giant of a man, he launched off in a backwards arc, landing softly on his feet. But the man did not fall so gracefully. The other men had swung out with their club, quarter staffs or katana and had not hit Maha, but the man Maha had been standing on. That was one, and only four to go. A man with a quarter staff was first to rush at him, followed closely by a balding man with a club. Maha bent backwards avoiding the horizontal swing of the staff and twisting around trounced heavily on the man's in-step causing him to fall forward, possibly breaking the joint or the very least twisting it, and onto Maha's back, where he promptly rolled off onto the ground. Maha quickly turned bringing his claws to bare against the man with the club. A quick slash across the eyes with the razor sharp edges was enough to put him out of the fight.
The next victim was a young blond with a katana. It was obvious he didn't know how to use it, swing it about like an ax. Maha easily dodged the swing, and catching the man's leg with his tail, flipped him face first into the mud and taking possession of the blade. Facing the remaining two men, he grinned. Fangs flashing in the dark, his glowing an dull red. The men deciding that glowing red eyes was their limit, took off running leaving only Maha and their leader standing.
The leader took up his mace as Maha leveled his stolen blade at him. Suddenly, Maha rushed in under the man's guard, slicing back as he passed catching his hamstring. The leader came down heavily, but was able to lever a blow at Maha as he was sliding to a stop. Leaping to the side, Maha managed to escape the unexpected attack and suffering only a minor wound on his side. Dashing halfway up the side of the building, Maha pushed off and came straight down at the man. The katana striking him through and sinking into the muddy ground below.
Maha left the man dying with out a single glance and returned to Sen's side. Bowing his head down, he wrapped her tighter in the cloak and carried her under a near by tarp. Once making sure her body would be kept dry there, he turned and dashed off into the wet mists and darkness.
The next morning's light shone down upon the evidence of the night sorrow. Two men lay dead, the leader and the man who was slash by demon claws, soaked with rain and caked in mud. While the body of a woman lay, dry and clean, wrapped in a familiar looking cloak. Beside her lay a single blossom and a the words scrawled on a card which read:
'Stop stranger as you pass by,
For as you are now so once was I,
And as I am now so you will be,
So be prepared to follow me.'
