Chapter Ten
Tanuki

>>>May 1575

The clouds where white. The sky was blue. The clouds were also something else . . . perhaps "fluffy"? The raccoon dog sat at the edge of the forest gazing up at the midday sky. Most of her kind did not participate in this kind of behavior, but she was different. "Different", that was another word she'd have to remember. It made sense to remember that one since it described her.

The clouds and the sky would have to wait their turn in the animal's thoughts for now; something more urgent required concentration. There was another word that needed to be remembered, something like a name. The raccoon dog delved deep into her mind without moving one fur-covered muscle. Memory had always been a problem for her. Others of her kind never concerned themselves with deep thought of any kind, but once again, Tanuki was different.

Tanuki? Was that the name? She could remember many humans calling her by that name. However, it had also been applied to many other raccoon dogs. No, Tanuki was trying to remember something more specific. She spent at least one portion of every day trying to recall a particular name she had once been given. The name was important. Tanuki wasn't sure why, but it was almost as if that name was the last remaining fragment of a long-forgotten past.

Tanuki gave a low growl of frustration and laid down in the cool grass. It was warm during this time of year, and the heat was not really to her taste. At least that trait seemed somewhat linked to her species' preference for nocturnal activities. Tanuki had spent many long hours attempting to sleep during the day, but her efforts were always in vain. It was as if the daytime called out in an audible voice to her.

Speaking of voices, Tanuki could hear several humans approaching from just over a grassy hill in front of her. She quickly retreated into the shady cover of the forest where her black and gray mottled coat would serve as excellent camouflage. Most raccoon dogs would have gotten as far away as possible from humans; villagers in the area routinely scoured the forest for the animals' prized fur coats, and they rarely cared if the raccoon dog attached to the desired object had any opposition to such acts of morbid thievery.

Thinking about that made Tanuki instinctively edgy, but she soon relaxed. These voices were very familiar; they belonged to a group of children from the village. Human children were known to play pranks on forest-dwelling creatures from time to time, but they never partook of any activities that involved skinning woodland residents alive.

The three humans surfaced over the grassy hillock, each of them dragging what looked like weapons. Weapons? Tanuki's hackles raised involuntarily. What were these children going to do with weapons out here? Had her assumption been wrong?

Despite the feverish plea from her fight-or-flight instincts, Tanuki willed herself to stay completely still. The weapons seemed far too large for the children, or really any full-grown adult to wield. They couldn't have come here to hunt with those instruments. Still, if not that, then for what purpose had the children brought these monstrous blades to the forest?

In the end, Tanuki decided to simply lay low and listen for clues as to the intentions of the children. Due to another strange difference from the rest of her species, Tanuki could understand human language. Remembering it, however, was another story. Now what was that name again?

Hideaki stood a head taller than his two companions. He waited on top of the grassy hill, easily tossing an ornate short sword with a blue-tinted blade between his hands and grinning widely.

"So, Taka-kun," he began. "You still think that broadsword is a good fit for you?"

The 12-year-old Takashi groaned heavily as he once again dropped the handle of the gigantic broadsword into the grass. Sweat poured over his face as he turned towards the older Hideaki.

"Better watch out, Hide. I'll be able to use this one day, and your puny little blade won't stand a chance."

Yuki laughed out loud, tucking a green-tinted short sword in her white obi and taking hold of the broadsword's handle. "It won't mean very much if my big brother is still faster than you, Taka-kun. Why don't you let me help you with this? It's only a little further to the forest anyway."

Takashi deftly removed the handle of the gigantic red sword from Yuki's hands and continued dragging it forward inch by inch. "Thanks, Yuki." he grunted. "But you know Hide will never let me hear the end of it."

Hideaki turned toward the forest, his large cat-like ears twitching amidst long white locks of hair. "You've got that right, Taka-kun. Better hurry up, though; Taroto-san will come looking for us if we're not back by sunset."

"No problem!" Takashi responded with a grin. "Now you'll see my super-hyper mode!"

The hapless child pulled even harder on the broadsword amidst dramatic grunts of effort, somehow managing to drag the humongous item more quickly than before. True to form, however, Takashi tripped at the top of the hill and fell flat on his face. Hideaki burst into laughter just before grabbing the handle of the broadsword and easily hefting it over his broad shoulders.

"Okay, big guy, I'm impressed." the raiju stated in attempt to curb Takashi's embarrassment. "Still, you should let a demon handle things from here on in."

"Not fair." Takashi mumbled into the grass. "I wish I had demon powers."

Hideaki found it hard not to smile at the human child's antics. "Wishing for demonic powers, eh? You know, most humans scorn demons like a plague. You sure that you'd want people to look at you that way?"

Takashi rose quickly from the grass and walked alongside Hideaki and Yuki toward the forest ahead. "Hey, that's no big deal. As long as I had an awesome sword and could use it to earn money, I wouldn't need anyone." Noting a concerned look on Yuki's face, he added, "Well, excepting present company, of course."

Yuki stared at the astonishingly large blade slung across her brother's shoulder. "You know, Taka-kun, it'll probably be a while until you can even think about living like that. Besides the fact that you'd have to train night and day just to pick that thing up, Taroto-san doesn't allow weapons in the house."

"What do you think we're hiding them out here for?" Hideaki commented as they reached the forest edge. "Now, let's find a place to stash these things."

Tanuki watched as the children searched through the woods, especially the one called Takashi. He was coming too close for comfort. The raccoon dog's eyes widened. Oh boy, not there.

"Hey!" Takashi shouted. "Check out this burrow in the ground; it looks perfect!"

Great, Tanuki thought. There goes my den.

Hideaki hefted the group's blades into the hole that had been dug out from underneath a set of thick tree roots. The weapons fit perfectly into the space allotted.

"Awesome," Hideaki mused. "So, what do you guys say we cover these up and take a break before heading back?"

"I'm all for it!" the exhausted Takashi exclaimed with such enthusiasm that Yuki couldn't help but chuckle. The three compatriots left the forest after covering the weapons with leaves, still unaware of the furry presence that still observed their every action.

Takashi, Yuki, and Hideaki relaxed on the grassy hillside, gazing up at the myriad clouds above. It had been an eventful day, right from the moment that Hideaki had burst in at lunchtime claiming he'd found something on Mt. Gozaisho. Who could have guessed that such beautifully crafted weapons would have been left simply lying around in the wilderness?

"Hey, Taka-kun?" Hideaki questioned. "Does something strike you as unusual about those swords?"

Takashi sighed. "You mean aside from the fact that they were right there in a barely-covered cave for just anyone to take? Not really."

Hideaki laughed. "Oh, come on. Didn't you notice the shape of the blades? Two were exactly alike, and one was a huge broadsword totally different in appearance. If they were all crafted by the ancient Raiju clans like the inscription said, why wouldn't all three blades be exactly alike?"

Takashi gave a large yawn. "Don't ask me, man. I'm no good with deep conversations anyway." The child smiled widely. "All I know is that my sword's a whole lot bigger, and that it's red. Red is an awesome color."

Yuki turned to Takashi. "What about violet? I thought that was your favorite color."

The 12-year-old in question stuck out his tongue. "Nah, I thought about it, and violet is too girlish for me. Besides, it'd make a terrible color for a sword."

Yuki sighed. "I guess you're right. Still, I always imagined you all grown-up in a violet kimono."

Takashi arched an eyebrow. "That's some imagination."

"That reminds me," Hideaki stated. "What are you going to do with yourself once you actually do grow up, Taka-kun?"

Takashi sat up in the swaying grass. "I never actually thought about it. Maybe I'd find a job in town, or just keep working for Taroto-san. Why do you ask?"

Hideaki frowned pensively. "I'm gonna have to determine the answer to that question a whole lot sooner than you two. I thought about getting a job in town, maybe becoming a merchant or something. In the end, though, is it really enough just to stay in this town and let life pass us by?"

Yuki sat up as well and stared at her brother. "What do you mean by that, nii-san?"

Hideaki closed his eyes as if imagining something. "What if we're meant for a greater destiny? What if we can make a difference in the world outside Komo Town? I think finding these swords was a sign of something; we wouldn't find any use for them in town anyway." The raiju's eyes gazed once again into the clouds above. "I'm thinking about leaving on a journey."

"Where would you go?" Yuki asked, a hint of apprehension in her voice. "What what would you do?"

Hideaki smiled. "I don't know where I'd go, really. As for money, I could become a sword-for-hire or something. When you think about it, the possibilities are endless."

Yuki frowned. "But what about us? We would miss you here."

"Who said you couldn't come with me?" Hideaki offered. "We could all go on the journey together, right Taka-kun?"

Takashi yawned. "You two can go ahead with that. I'm happy with the way things are right now."

"Taka-kun?" Yuki questioned. "You wouldn't miss us?"

"Who said anything about that?" Takashi replied. "I probably would, but I'm not worried about never seeing you guys again. Remember what the inscription said about the power of the swords?"

Hideaki looked curious. "Not really."

Takashi smiled. "You need to learn to read between the lines, man. The three swords are red, green, and blue because they represent the elements of fire, wind, and lightning. The inscriptions said that they were inseparable in nature, so as long as these swords exist, they'll bring us back together!"

Hideaki grinned lopsidedly. "That's kind of a liberal interpretation. You really think these swords have some kind of magic to them?"

Yuki looked cheerful. "Of course they do! It makes sense, right? You said we might be destined for something greater; don't you think that these swords might be a symbol of that?"

Hideaki smiled. It would be better for his sister to have no worries than to doubt the power that held people together in this world. "I'm sure they are, Yuki. Wherever we go in this world, we'll always wind up together again."

Caitlyn . . .

What? Tanuki snapped out of a daydream. Watching the human children had reminded her of something. Something important?

Caitlyn?

Of course! That was the name Tanuki had been trying to remember. It was unclear to her, of course, where it had come from or who had once called her that. The raccoon-dog buried herself in the name for a moment. There were memories there, but they were too far gone to have any mental coherence at all. Loose associations could be felt, however. Tanuki did remember something that went with the name. It felt like . . . warmth. The warmth of being held in a strong pair of arms. It was an almost tangible feeling, a feeling that Tanuki missed more than anything in the world.

As she watched the human children finally depart in the direction of the village, Tanuki felt a great wave of sadness pass over her whole body. Those children had each other. They could talk to each other, laugh with each other, and cry with each other. Tanuki, on the other hand had no one.

Someone named Caitlyn had once been loved. Someone named Caitlyn had once been held in warm arms and had been loved enough to have a name of her own. Someone named Caitlyn was somehow important enough to mean a great deal to a raccoon dog from a forest in the middle of nowhere.

Tanuki began to head back to the dense woods in search of food and a new den. Perhaps the raccoon dog had once been this "Caitlyn". For now, however, her name was Tanuki.

And she was alone in the world.

(End Chapter Ten)