Evil Brewing
A scream woke me from my sleep. Not sure if it was my own or someone else's, I stood quickly, my ears flicking forward and back- hackles raised and teeth bared. All my senses screamed: 'Danger!' I looked to the left and to the right, rapidly blinking the sleep out of my eyes. 'There!' Over the priest's house in the distance, there was smoke rising over the city! I took off in its direction, Hiraku just had time to cling on to my fur, holding on with all his might.
After I crossed the huge bridge, the scene erupted into utter chaos. People shouted and ran, smoke filled the night air and running footsteps filled the darkness. Trying not to be trampled, I fought my way to the source of the fires, my eyes and nose burning from the smoke. One roof was ablaze, which I doused with water from a nearby small pond. I saw men with torches running amok, pursued by guards. I was torn by what to do, but it seemed that the most pressing matter was to put out the blazes. I sprinted around the city, helping citizens escape, and putting out fires, eyes burning and coughing up dark smoke as I went. Then I saw the source of the largest fire, stretched across the water was a burning piece of wood, people scuttled around, trying to put it out with the water from the canal, but one outline showed standing and facing the fire. Coming as close to the fire as I dared, I saw it was the old lady from before. Miss Eiko, the nice old lady. Her face was tear-streaked and distraught as she watched the fire crackle across the wood.
"They did this."
She said it so suddenly I almost missed it. But as I looked into her face, I could tell she was defeated, followers of Yatosama had destroyed this innocent woman who had done nothing wrong other than stay loyal to whom she thought was a good leader. Not only had they burned something she had worked so hard to create long ago, but they had taken away something from them all. My talk had done NOTHING to change his mind, and now my new friend had suffered on behalf of the king.
I drenched the blaze in canal water, revealing the sad, sodden wreck of blackened wood beneath. Even as I tried rejuvenating the bridge, I felt defeated. The structures they burned could be rebuilt, the damage erased, but not the terror in the minds of the people that had been wrought this night. Their message would ring nonetheless: the kingsmen were not afraid to destroy whatever stood in their way.
I sat with Miss Eiko, quietly comforting her and saying farewell to peace with her. Things were going to get intense between the rulers, and this was a clear sign. The embers of the now-extinguished flames floated into the sky above us, and blended into the smoke-streaked starry night. I closed my eyes, sorrow steadily giving way to anger. 'The king has to be stopped! He's no good leader, even if he wasn't behind the actual act, he's obviously unable of controlling his followers!' Rage filling my veins, I rose to my paws and nearly flew across the bridge. Glowing embers whizzing by my ears as I ran back towards the aristocratic quarters.
(Gawwh, poor old lady! Yatosama was bluffing! He won't make peace with the emperor! Or so it seems...
NEW SHORTEST CHAPTER EVER)