CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Taking the Bait

"We're here." I said, standing before the dark, gaping entrance of the Gale Shrine. It was nearing dawn, the dark night slightly lightening in the cliff-village, and our group. I saw mixed reactions on the dogs' faces, some were bright with anticipation, others put their ears back with nervousness. Even though he looked anxious, Ryota bravely stepped forward and was the first to walk into the cave. He was followed by Shisa, then Hana, Hisao, Daiko, Noriko, Kei, and finally Jun. "Just in time!" Hiraku whispered to me in a triumphant voice as we trailed them into the cavern; starting down the slope to the stalactite-covered room. Ryota looked around the dark room, taking it all in and I passed him, taking back the lead. "This way." I barked, -faint echo of my command bouncing off the walls- and turning to the left. To my surprise, the great stone door that was open when Chi led us down was closed, and a barrier of power glistened red in front of it. However, as we approached, each of the dogs' figures lit up in turn. Then, one by one, each dog's orb emerged from their chests and rose in a great circle above us. The halo of color spun towards the door, and slammed into place. The crimson seal was broken as all 8 orbs simultaneously filled their rightful positions amid the wind-streaked carving. The gate lifted, revealing the even larger cavern behind it.

I led them deeper, to the area with the great pool. A few of them went down to the edge and Shisa poked her paw in the water out of curiosity, before scampering to catch up with the others. Our pawsteps tapped softly on the stone, claws clicking across the surface of the smooth rock. I looked over my shoulder at them all again. The dogs near the front walked with confidence, assured in their path: Ryota, Shisa, Hisao, and Hana. However, the rest hung near the back, even surprisingly- Daiko. Kei walked briskly behind the first four, almost trotting to keep up; his blue eyes set like hard sapphires. Noriko I knew was trying to stay strong, and embrace her new life. And it seemed Daiko had reservations, given his past and past actions. Jun's position though, was predictably in the far back, walking at such a slow pace he almost stopped. I felt sorry for him- he couldn't see as well as the others in the darkness, clouded eye impeding his vision. His eyes were wide and seemed distracted, and I wondered if he was witnessing a flash of the future, or if he was only scared of his current situation.

The dark cavern was lit by the flames of my weapon, and as we traveled down the winding tunnel, the dogs themselves seemed to glow with light. As we came to the circular room, I saw that all the Warriors were gathered. The three traveling dogs had traveled to the Shine while Hiraku and I were searching for new warriors, and were there to greet us. Apparitions would not do to train the new warriors- because no others but themselves could teach them the true meaning of their virtues.

"Akimeterasu, you have returned!" Rei barked as he noticed my arrival. "And just in time."

"We were beginning to worry you were not going to make the deadline." Ko barked, and Chi watched us proudly as the rest of the dogs filled out behind me. Rei raised his head as his eyes fell on Daiko, who was glowing with a yellow-green light and got to his feet. "And I see you have brought all our apprentices." The other canine warriors turned their heads. I saw a similar light to that which was coming off the new dogs shining from the now faded orbs hanging around the necks of the old warriors'. Beside each of the warriors was a neatly folded cape, the same color as their own garments. Rei straightened up, and prepared to speak to the new arrivals: "Young ones, it is our honor to welcome you to the Gale Shrine. We warriors are keepers of virtue, each guarding a certain orb that centers our virtue's power, and allows us to use it in battle; to protect our home- and Nippon. Akimeterasu was tasked with finding the next generation of Canine Warriors, and I can see she did a fine job gathering all of you." My chest puffed up with pride as he spoke. "It is no easy task to be a warrior, but the orbs never mistakes one's inner value. They see one's true soul, and know who is truly worthy. Now it is up to us to bring out that worthiness, and shape you into warriors." He said, smile breaking across his gray muzzle. "Now, Akime, would you mind introducing us to our new apprentices?" I nodded, and got to my feet.

I introduced all the old Warriors to their successors in turn, and most seemed immediately impressed. Ko seemed pleased to have a pupil that shared in his name, and he liked her clever nature. Gi at first seemed startled by his apprentice. When I first introduced him, he seemed surprised, maybe taken aback. However the emotion passed quickly, and he started talking to the pup; respectfully, like he knew the maturity in his young soul. Shin seemed pleased at Shisa's eagerness, and I just hoped his steady figure could handle the hyperactive Spitz hybrid.

The last dog waiting was Chi, and I turned towards the entrance to introduce Jun- but he wasn't there. I looked around before seeing him crouched near the corner of the room. He was cowering near the floor, paws over his muzzle, and quivering. "I-I can't." He whimpered. "I'm too scared...I'm not strong enough to be a warrior...I can't control my visions...let alone fight. When I'm losing a battle against myself...How can I ever be a warrior?" His pale blue eyes were watering with shame and fear. "He's a Prophet." I told Chi. "He has visions of the future." For a moment she seemed surprised, but I didn't see a trace of disappointed, then she turned back to him. "You hold a very interesting gift for a keeper of Knowledge." She walked right up to him, and continued speaking in a gentle tone: "You're afraid." She bowed down to look him in the eyes, her gaze calm and warm. "But I will teach you how to use your knowledge as a weapon. Something that you should not fear, but face, and use to your advantage." She glowed with a soft pink light, and Jun looked up at her. "In time you will learn knowledge is truly the greatest weapon of all." His blue eyes were still fearful, but trusting, and I could see a flicker of hope in them.

I padded back down the tunnel to allow the new warriors to get to know their mentors better, turning to the right to travel deeper into the Shrine. I walked over the bridge, reaching the great elevator and propelling it to the third floor with only a single large bomb. I went through the door and went out to the deck that overlooked the village and the pass, great blades of the windmill spinning before me. The sun was now fully risen, shining over the expansive valley, illuminating the distant green hills and brightening the clear, brilliant cerulean sky. Hawks dipped and dived in the divine wind, calling out to one another as they enjoyed the strong breeze. I ascended the wooden stairs leading up to the mill, and reached the platform at the top. I stretched up on my back legs and draped my front paws over the side of the railing, divine wind ruffling my fur. 'I hope you're pleased with my choices Kazegami.' I thought, as I thought of the horse-god.

I looked at Hiraku, who had bounced off my head and was resting on the railing, and grinned. "Well Hiraku, what did I tell you?" I said, and he turned to look at me. "There are more female Canine Warriors than last time."

"But five boys!" Hiraku caught on quickly, and replied smugly. "And three girls!" He crossed his arms. "You're forgetting me!" I put a paw to my chest, and one of his eyebrows raised questioningly. "I'm a warrior too." I explained. "Ha! If you count, then I do too!" He said, laughing. "Boys still outnumber the girls!"

"Ah!" I said with a smile. "But Hiraku- you might be a warrior, but you aren't a canine!" I chuckled. "It's true!" I heard a voice behind me and I turned. Shisa -followed by Hana and Noriko- laughed. "You only wish you were!" They giggled. Hiraku looked unamused as we chuckled, and rolled his eyes. All three of them were wearing their new capes, -Shisa still wore the one her owners gave her- and they all carried the orbs beneath their necks. "Fine, even if you might count -Akime-, it's still five versus four, guys win!" I rolled my eyes. "Considering how much of an improvement four is on last time, in a couple more generations all the warriors could be female!"

"Yeah whatever," Hiraku grumbled. "A girl having the power orb of BROTHERhood? Uh-huh, that's likely." He said skeptically. I gave him a stare then whacked the back of his head with my tail. The others laughed again, and as their laughter faded, I saw Noriko perhaps for the first time truly relaxed and happy. "I still can't believe this is actually happening. That I won't just be some stray anymore." Noriko barked. "To actually have a family, and friends- to have a purpose." The kai-ken smiled, and wagged her tail. "It's better than I ever dreamed."

"Yeah, just think- I'LL be the one in legends!" Shisa jumped up and down. "Not just the one telling them!"
"It's a brave new world." I grinned. "It's a whole new life for all of you, it's bound to be filled with plenty of excitement." As I spoke, the rest of the warriors appeared from the elevator.

"Ah, Akimeterasu, there you are." Rei said, walking towards us. "We thought we should show our apprentices the jewel of the shrine, the marvelous windmill of the Gale Shrine." He said, gesturing up at the magnificent mill. Chi wagged her tail. "I'm sure Ko or I could gladly tell you all how works if you wished to know, and how long it's stood-"

"Look out!" Jun yelped suddenly, eyes wide open and terrified. We all looked around wildly. "There!" Someone howled, and I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. An incoming shadow was almost upon us, flying through the air towards the windmill, so silent that no one had noticed it approaching. For a moment, none of us could move from shock as it swooped closer, giant, black wings blocking out the sun. With ebony talons it collided with one of the blades, slicing right through it. The impact with the windmill made the whole platform shake, and I dug my claws into the wood to stay upright. I clenched my eyes shut, gritting my teeth as an awful shriek rang through the air. My eyes flung open and I ran back to the edge of the platform, watching as the shadowy creature flew off away into the sky. I lashed out at it with my rosary, but it was already out of reach, and soaring away; screeching and cackling. Clouds started to gather overhead, turning the sky gray, and the wind almost halted.

I looked behind me to see the damage the beast had done to the mill, and gasped. Its claws had torn clean through one of the blades, cracking the wood and tearing the canvas to shreds. I quickly blotted the damage with ink, and tried to rejuvenate the blades, but the healing was slow, weakened, and strained. The shadow's lingering power lessened my power. The wind blew weakly, barely making the blades turn, great tears still wreaking the canvas. "What was that?" Shisa said. She was the first of the warriors to rise to her feet, but her legs were quivering. "I-I don't know." Rei said, also getting to his feet.

"I ran into something like that in the forest, shortly before Chi found me." I said, thinking of the creature that had appeared in front of Hiraku and I when we had just escaped the ruins, which appeared out of the earth and took to the sky. Rei looked like he wanted to question me further about it, but a howl of shock cut him off.

"The Keywheel!, it's gone!" Hayabusa shouted. "What?" Rei yelped sharply, looking at him. "I saw that shadowy beast carry it off, flying with it in its clutches!" The brown dog said. The elder dogs gasped in horror. "The Keywheel?" I asked.

"The tiny windmill that rests just below the great Windmill itself. Without that key piece, the big windmill cannot turn with the wind, nor properly harness its power. The Windmill will grind against itself until it eventually stops. When that happens...When it can't capture the divine wind..." Chi answered. "Without the protection of the Windmill to harness the wind..." Shin finished for her in a rumbling voice and drifted off. "This is more than an attack. This is an insult to us!" Rei snarled.

"It was flying towards the checkpoint!" Haya barked. "It must be a subservient spirit, delivering it to the monster fortress..." Ko piped up. "We've heard rumors of a demon building a stronghold in the rocks off Ryoshima Coast… But before it was too big a risk to bother exploring the possibility. With no new warriors to take an old one's place…" Ko went on. "To do so would be to risk the very existence of the Satomi Warriors." Chi explained.

"But now they've openly attacked us! Such things always happens before a major attack, they first try to bring down your defenses before they attack, but I will have none of it! We will go after this monster, and retrieve our Keywheel, for the good of Kusa Village, and the Gale Shrine! It is our duty, and ours alone!" Rei barked sharply. "We must strike first, before they move in to invade our home without protection! They wouldn't be expecting that." He howled, and the other warriors agreed, raising their voices in unison. "This will be an excellent chance for our new apprentices to go on their first mission." Then he turned to me. "We shall meet you in Ryoshima Coast, Akimeterasu. Once we have trained our apprentices in the basics of battle, we shall join you. This should make a fine first assessment for the new warriors. With eighteen warriors in our midst, the monsters will be overwhelmed. They shall learn that they are aggravating forces they should not underestimate." The pointer snarled. All the dogs barked in agreement, but I held my tongue. If the creature truly wanted to hurt them, it would have done more than briefly attack the mill, why bother stealing the Keywheel? What if the creature only wanted to lure them out? I suspected there was no way to change Rei's mind, he was set on regaining the Keywheel, and I could very well be wrong. The warriors would seek to regain what was stolen, regardless of whether it was proven to be a trap or not. 'Well, one way or another I'll find out. We'll meet the Canine Warriors in the coast, on the monsters' doorstep.'

(AN: See, I told you I'd get it up quick! :) And the next chapter after this one is almost done too!)