Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Blood of the Gods: Part One- When the Sun Sets ❯ Journey to the Capital ( Chapter 4 )

Journey to the Capital

 

Twigs snapped and branches rustled and moved. The men that sat around the small fire froze until the noises stopped. A young man of no more then twenty-five summers and wearing a low rank red and blue soldier's uniform looked around to the others in the little group. “What do you think that was?” A bearded man in a commander's uniform looked at him. “I don't know.” He turned to look at all the others. “Come on, let's go find out.” The four men stood and walked somewhat silently in the direction of the sounds. A middle-aged man in a low rank soldier's uniform turned to the bearded commander ahead of him. “Sir, do you think that it might just be an animal?” “Maybe, but we can't be sure until we go and have a look-see.” They broke through the trees to see Moriko and Aki sleeping on the rocks by the river.

They stopped and stared. Moriko's hair was blowing with the morning winds, causing her ears to be unnoticeable while her tail was wrapped around her waist in a belt like fashion. Her face was soft and peaceful in her slumber, making her look many summers younger then she really was. Aki had curled into a ball to shield herself from the cool winds sometime during her sleep, her back facing them, with her tail curled around her legs like a ribbon.

The commander signaled for the others to stay put as he walked slowly over to the sleeping women. He cleared his throat loudly, in hopes of waking them. It worked. Moriko cracked one eye open to see what was going on. She saw an unfamiliar bearded man with intrigued green eyes about an arm's length from her. He was just standing there, looking at her. She sat up quickly and laid her ears as far back on her head as she could, hoping they would go unnoticed and looked at this man in front of her with curious eyes. She glanced briefly at her sister, who appeared to still be asleep, and noticed that her tail and ears were hidden well enough for the moment. She turned back to the man before her. “What do you want here stranger?” He regarded her with interest, taking note of her oddly colored eyes. How strange...yellow eyes. “How is it that you are so far out here in the wilderness mi' lady? It is dangerous out here.” She scoffed lightly. “Not so much. I feel quite at home out here.” He gave her a curious look before glancing at Aki. “Who is your companion?” She looked suspiciously at him, and then quickly shot the same look to the men behind him. “Why should I tell you, if you don't mind me asking?” “Not at all mi' lady. I am Commander Hiroko Itsu from the Capital, just east of here. Those men are some of my men. We mean you no harm.” She still looked weary. “That is Aki Kusakabe. She is my sister.” “And what is your name?” “I am Moriko Kusakabe.” He bowed his head to her. “Please allow my men and me to escort you and your sister to our village and out of the dangers of the forest.” Moriko looked like she was going to protest. “Please mi' lady. It is my duty as a soldier.” Moriko looked at him then at her sister. I don't know… “I think it's a great idea. We should go Moriko.” They looked over to see Aki sitting up with her legs folder beneath her and her tail still wrapped around her waist like a belt. Her ears flat against her head and well hidden by her hair. “Are you sure?” Aki looked at her sister, mischief dancing in her eyes. “We've never been to a city before.” Moriko stood. “Then, I guess we will be taking you up on that offer commander.” He grinned. “The honor is mine mi' lady.” Aki laughed, “Mi' lady?” Moriko turned to her sister. “Shut it.” She turned to the commander in front of her, “Please don't call me mi' lady. Just Moriko is fine.” “All right Moriko. Will you two please come with me so I may introduce you to my men?” He turned and began to walk back to the three men that were still standing on the edge of the forest. Moriko looked at Aki who shrugged before following Hiroko with Moriko behind her.

Hiroko pointed to a young man in the same low class uniform as the other two, “This is Yuusou Meogi.” Yuusou had short brown hair and soft hazel eyes. He stood just a little taller then Aki and puffed out his chest when Aki looked at him. The sisters stifled giggles. “The next young man over here is Daitan Asagi.” Daitan grinned making the skin on the edges of his brown eyes crinkle a little. He had red-brown hair that was pulled back with a black cloth. He continued to grin as he pushed Yuusou who was still puffing up like a rooster. “And, Zousataru Suoh, my right hand man.” The middle-aged man gave them a small warm smile, his messy dark brown hair hanging in his happy blue eyes. “Nice to meet you ladies.” They smiled at him, careful not to reveal their fangs. Hiroko turned to the three men, “We will be escorting these ladies to the Capital.” Yuusou gave a goofy smile only to be pushed again by Daitan. “We should return to take up camp before moving onto the path.” The three men nodded simultaneously and walked into the forest. “After you girls.” They bowed their heads to him and walked into the forest behind the three ahead of them; Moriko keeping an ear on what Hiroko was doing behind them.

They arrived at the campsite a few moments later. The soldiers strapped swords to their sides and buried the smoldering embers of the fire. Hiroko led them all to a well-worn path and walked ahead with Zousataru, talking quietly and laughing every now and then. Daitan walked slower and fell into pace with Aki. “Hey.” “Hey. Daitan, right?” “Yeah! Er…um, yeah. So, what's up? How come you were sleepn' out in the middle of the woods like that? You lost er' somethin'?” Aki turned and grinned at him. “Somethin' like that.” Moriko spaced out. Not really interested in her sister's conversation at the moment. Daitan looked over at Moriko. Even with her spaced off like that, he could see the underlying depression and cryptic hatred in her eyes. “Is that really your sister?” She gave him a ludicrous look, “Yes, why?” Daitan shrugged. “You look so different.” “We have been through a lot. Moriko has taken it differently then I have.” Daitan looked at Moriko again only to find her looking at him as if she was expecting him to do that. Her yellow eyes untrusting and suspicious. Those eyes scared him. What made her that way? Aki's eyes have that look to them too. Hers are just more…I don't know. Tortured. He looked at Aki again. She had moved closer to her sister and they were just watching the trees with a slight look of longing. What could have possibly been so horrible that made them that way? He looked at the color of their eyes harder. Yellow and a yellow green. Like lost wild animals. He looked a little harder before quickly looking away. It looked like there was something in there. What in the hell was that… It- Naw. For a moment, it looked like there was a dark image in their eyes. I must be tired. Daitan looked ahead of him and stared at the space next to the commander's head, trying without success not to think about those girls next to him.

 

* * * * *

 

Everyone had bedded down for the night, their fire now only smoldering coals glowing softly in the dark. Moriko turned over on the pallet her and Aki were sharing. “Moriko? You sleepn' yet?” “No.” She spoke as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Why are we trying to sleep on the ground?” “And on a pallet?” Aki propped herself up on her elbows, “Tree?” Moriko stood up, “Tree.” Aki stood and the walked to the nearest pine tree, trying as hard as possible to not wake the sleeping men around them. Daitan rolled over in his sleep. They froze and stared, hoping that he was not waking up. He settled back into sleep. Aki released the breath she didn't know she had been holding. “Gods…” They moved forward again and came to a stop under the first pine tree they came to. Moriko made a furious motion with her hands for Aki to get into the tree. Aki leapt up and climbed quickly as she could, without making to much noise, to the closest thick branch. She glanced down to see if Moriko was coming before settling into a comfortable position on her chosen branch. Moriko glanced around the camp one last time to make sure that everyone was still asleep before jumping up into the tree after Aki. She relaxed on the branch above Aki and for the first time since the sun set into the hills, they dozed. The moon rising higher into the sky as the wispy clouds flew silently over-head, shielding them from the soft light.

 

* * * * *

 

The dark of the night air was shattered by the sounds of paws running over the fallen pine needles. It was darker this far into the wood, making it even harder to see, but there was nothing there; just the sounds. The soft sounds lead further and further away from the dark. The images of two panther cubs running playfully through the forest appeared when the small cats ran into a patch of moonlight that had broken through the branches above. Only, once they left the light, they completely vanished. They appeared again and again as the patches of moonlight became more frequent; a sign that the forest was thinning. It was as if they weren't really there… they were only a memory. Two souls long since dead, but unable to embrace death and so forced to stay in the realm of the living after there time was up.

They ran into a large field of snow white lilies, the blossoms glowing under the gaze of the moon, creating an eerie illusion. The cubs bounded into the flowers, zigzagging crooked patterns in the space as they ran after random fireflies that flew up from the grasses. They yowled and wrestled in the field for some time before darting off into the tree line once again.

Not far away, in a clearing much like the one those cubs had been in, a fully grown female panther ran with lengthy strides over the ground, fireflies flying up to avoid her pounding paws. Her bright eyes danced with determination, glowing wildly in the soft lights of the night. She stopped at the edge of the field, just before the shadows of the tree line and sniffed the ground. The ghostly scent of her cubs was still strong. She turned in the direction they had gone and vanished into the forest; just like her cubs, just like a glimpse of what has already been.

 

* * * * *

 

Moriko sat up from her resting place on the branch, fully awake. What is that? She looked down at Aki, still sleeping peacefully, her tail subconsciously curled around the branch to keep her balance while she slept. Moriko carefully climbed around her sister and dropped out of the tree, her tail wrapping itself around her waist. After one more glance to reassure herself that Aki was still asleep, she began to walk towards the sleeping men. She walked closer to each of them in turn, but all were sound asleep. Then what the hell is that? She suddenly felt an odd tug or urge or something coming from the forest. Her brow furrowed in confusion. Strange… Moriko glanced around one last time before walking boldly into the dark.

She walked softly at first, just to make sure that she didn't wake anyone she had just left back at the camp site, but once she was certain that she was far enough away, she sped up until she was running over the forest floor. A small noise. She instantly froze and instinctually crouched lower to the ground, her ears alert and staining in one direction. After a moment, she turned and ran until she reached a small clearing. I could have sworn that I heard- She froze again, suddenly feeling very vulnerable being out in the open. There it was again. Footsteps? She stained her ears. No… Paw steps. But, I thought that all the big cats were in the mountains… No. These are to light to belong to a big cat. So then… what? The sounds got closer and she franticly ran into the safety of the forest, leaping into a tree to hide in the dense foliage. Two panther cubs came crashing into the field not a moment later, appearing out of nowhere. Moriko stared at them from her hiding place, her eyes wide. They ran and tumbled innocently through the field, disappearing and then reappearing as the light does. This is so not even possible… She continued to stare as they ran into the dark of the forest and vanished. She waited until the sounds of their paw steps became faint before dropping gracefully from the tree, landing easily in the soft grass. She sniffed the air delicately, searching for any proof that those strange cats were actually here, just to be sure of her own sanity. There were really here. I can smell them, but their scent is so… She racked her brain, but couldn't find the word to describe it. A heavy pounding thundered into her sensitive ears. Moriko turned, ears twitching curiously. Wha- A large black shape came crashing out of the forest and, somehow, into her. Literally. Moriko wrapped her arms around herself instinctively to try and dull the sharp pain shooting through her body. Her legs buckled and she fell down onto her knees, her arms still wrapped tightly around her chest. She clenched her teeth to keep from crying out while her tail writhed behind her in pain. Her body felt like she was being torn in two. Another wave of pain hit her and she couldn't stop herself; her agonizing scream rang over the forest, shaking the trees in its intensity.

Aki's eyes shot open. Moriko. The scream still echoed, the sound still traveling over the land. She dropped roughly from the tree. Daitan looked at her, a question in his eyes. She ignored him. She had to find her sister. Her ears flicked, thankfully hidden by the dark, before she darted into the forest. She heard Daitan yelling her name, but his voice quickly became faint. She ran through the forest, following the strong scent of her sister. She heard Moriko scream again. Aki panicked.

She heard herself scream again, but it was like she was detached from her own body. Footsteps walking cautiously behind her. Moriko turned to see the last thing she had expected to see, herself. No… She looked harder, this was not her. “Katsura.” Cat- like yellow eyes, not unlike her own, narrowed suspiciously. “What are you doing here?” “You put me here when you swore to sheath your sword.” Moriko glanced around. This place was misty and the light didn't seem to come from a single place, it was just… there. “Where are we?” Katsura rolled her eyes, “Our soul.” She turned and spread her arms wide, “This is where that beast lives in you Moriko.” Katsura turned to face her again, eyes blazing, “What have you done?” Her voice was chilling to say the least. “What?” “Who is that?” Moriko looked at her with an expression of total confusion, “Who?” “Her!” Katsura pointed at a female panther that was circling a male panther, her yellow fangs bared in a frightening snarl. Moriko's eyes widened, It's that black thing that crashed into me! Gods… She really crashed into me. The panthers suddenly leapt at each other, each trying to land the quickest fatal blow. Katsura pulled Moriko further away, “Give them room…” They watched for a moment more as the female quickly got the upper hand. “Do you know what you have done Moriko? If both of those animals die, we will die.” Moriko whirled on Katsura, “What?” “They are in our soul. One of them must remain here for us to live. They are now fighting for this place.” “Why?” “Because neither wants to leave.” Moriko turned back to the panthers, “Why can they not both stay here?” “I don't know…” There was a loud roar and Moriko suddenly felt like she was freezing. “Katsu-” Her vision blurred and she saw that male panther begin to disintegrate as he lay on the ground, unmoving. The edges of her vision darkened then, everything went black.

Aki raced trough the forest like a common animal, her body down on all fours, but she was moving like it was the most natural thing in the world. Her movements were fluid and graceful as she tore through the grass and fallen pine needles coating the forest floor, the claws on her hands and feet gripping the ground for traction. Her yellow- green eyes were glazed over, the look set in a panicked state. She broke through the tree line and looked around wildly for her sister. She saw Moriko standing off to the side, down in the grass on her knees and doubled over in pain. Her mind instantly cleared of the foggy instinct that was driving her moments before. “Moriko?” She moved to go closer, but froze when an other worldly dark blue aura surrounded her sister's body. Something was thrown out of Moriko, bouncing on impact with the ground. It struggled to get up and Aki saw that it was a large panther. He crashed back down to the ground and weakly lifted his head to look longingly at Moriko. He struggled to his feet at last, swaying and stumbling just to stay upright. The aura flared out at him when he tried to move closer. He stopped, a dejected look on his face, and then he turned and walked away, his steps unstable at best. Aki watched as he vanished completely into the dark. He looked familiar somehow… A loud gasp and the rustle or grass dragged Aki's attention to her sister. Moriko was down on all fours, her hair falling around her face and one hand up clutching the cloth on her heaving chest. Aki moved her sister's hair and saw sweat covering her face, while her mouth was slightly open as she gasped for breath. Her yellow eyes were oddly clouded, giving her a dazed look. “Moriko?” Aki touched her sister's shoulder. Moriko's eyes instantly cleared at the sound of her name. “Moriko, are you ok?” She leaned back onto her hunches and wiped the sweat from her brow with her hand. “I'm ok…” Aki sat down in the grass, “What in the hell was that?” Moriko laughed dryly for a moment. “I don't really know myself.” She paused for a moment, debating whether or not she should tell Aki all that happened. “The spirit of another panther crashed into me. She fought with the one that was already there and she won, and in defeating him, she chose to take his place. It was quite strange-” She was interrupted by the sounds of Daitan's yelling. Aki turned in the direction she came, “I guess we should go now.” Moriko stood, her tail rewrapping itself around her waist, “Yeah.” Aki wrapped her tail around her waist and padded after Moriko. The scent of those cubs hit Moriko's nose and she suddenly felt the strong urge to chase after them. She shook it off and kept walking, trying to ignore the feeling that she just lost something very important to her.

* * * * *

 

The panther strained against the binds of Moriko's self-control, snarling in her frustration. She paused when Katsura walked calmly up to her, her yellow eyes understanding. “Calm yourself. We will find your cubs. All we ask is that, when the time is right, guide us in the right direction. Until then, rest.” Katsura turned and walked away, back into the dark corner of the soul she shared with Moriko. She allowed herself a small smile when she heard the panther take her advice and lay down to rest. Rest well. I have a feeling that we're going to need your strength. Her body melted into the black.

 

* * * * *

 

The small group had been walking since mid- morning. They were now on a public road, although, they had yet to see any other travelers. Hiroko and Zousataru were leading them along the road, casually talking like nothing was going on, Daitan was walking near Moriko and Aki, who were walking closer together then normal, both feeling like any of their `escorts' could discover their deception any moment and trying to not look into the forest like Daitan had pointed out them doing. Yuusou was lingering behind, contenting himself with watching Moriko's and Aki's hips sway while they walked. Moriko couldn't help but feel like there was something important of hers at the Capital and that something was going to happen there. She had been feeling something pulling her in that direction and it was making her anxious. She tried to appear calm as they walked, not really noticing when she joined Aki in staring out longingly at the forest. Her ears twitched irritably in her hair, straining to remain down all the time not to reveal the secret the sisters were hiding.

The crowd bustled around them, drawing the group closer together. The men walked along like this was nothing new to them while Aki and Moriko looked like they were way to high strung. The two of them walked as close together as possible without falling over, watching all the people move in the crowds. There were women in varieties of peasant clothing, much like the other women in their old village had worn, and some wore a traveler's dress, much like their own, only theirs was in much better shape and had not been cut short; the reed sandals they all wore leaving dusty footprints in the path as they walked.. They were accompanied by children of many different ages, all in farmer children's clothing that was a little too big for them and smaller reed sandals that were either too small or too big. The men wore farmers clothing, simple hemp trousers and a long hemp or cotton shift that covered their chest to their knees. People carried bags and some pulled carts of vegetables or rode on larger carts of hay being pulled by heavy brown oxen. It was incredible. So many people on one road at the same time. There were more people on this road then there ever was in their old village. They stared at all the people oblivious to anything else. Daitan watched them, gauging their reactions to seeing so many people. He wasn't disappointed. They stared at the people walking by and jumped a little when a man with a vegetable cart went by, the wooden wheels making loud noises against the dirt. He noticed that they would get closer to the ground when something startled them before catching themselves and straightening up again. How odd. He reached over to touch Aki's shoulder. A loud gasp and a shift of feet over the dirt, and Moriko had his wrist in a vise grip with Aki pushed just out of his reach. Her eyes widened, “Oh. Daitan. You- ugh- you startled me. Sorry.” She released his wrist and dragged Aki to catch up with the others, who had never noticed that they had stopped. Daitan shrugged it off and walked on too, though it continued to nag him for some reason. He couldn't shake it. He pushed it to the back of his mind and talked to Yuusou who had taken up talking to him about something or other a little while ago. They continued on.

Big and painted with red, the gates to the Capital were huge. Aki and Moriko stared as they walked by, following the men in front of them. They were as tall as trees. The city walls were half that height and wide enough for armed guards to walk up there, looking down on the swarms of people moving in and out of the gate. Daitan came back and pulled them out of the crowds to where Yuusou, Hiroko and Zousataru were standing. “Welcome to the Capital ladies. Come. We will show you where you can lodge during your stay here.” They bowed their heads, “Thank you.” Hiroko led them through a maze of blandly decorated huts until they came to a courtyard wall. Moriko looked hard at it. This looks familiar… Zousataru waved to them and ran around the other side, opposite to the way they were going. Daitan leaned over to them, “He's got a wife that lives over on the other side of the manor.” Aki made a small `oh', but other then that, they said nothing. Hiroko stopped in front of a wooden gate and motioned for Daitan. They pushed open the gate and walked in. Moriko and Aki followed them into the courtyard. The grass was long while ponds and flowers dotted the gardens around the manor. The manor itself was painted red, the color faded like it hadn't been redone in a long time, with some yellow designs and a black roof, unlit torches were placed around the outer corridors and guards nodded in greeting when they walked by. This place seems so familiar to me. Why? Moriko walked closer to Daitan, “Who is the lord here?” He looked at her, “There is none. He was killed seasons ago, so now this place is used for soldier lodgings and lodgings for anyone who doesn't have a place to stay.” “We don't have any money…” He laughed, “Then you'll fit right in! The soldiers here barely get paid and there are-” He counted on his fingers, spacing out for a moment. “There are two girls, an old man and those three brothers we found out on the edge of the forest a while ago.” She nodded. Yuusou ran ahead and she followed him with her eyes. A building of some kind was up ahead. It looked like a bunch of huts pushed together; there was a small hole in the hay roof that revealed the wood- work underneath. Smoke was rising from one of the many smoke holes in the roof, signaling a cooking fire. Hiroko said something to Daitan and walked off. Aki looked at Hiroko as he walked away, “Where's he going?” Daitan pulled the reed curtain aside to reveal a door. “He lives at the soldier's lodge with the rest of the higher ranking men.” Aki walked in behind Daitan, “What about you?” “I live here with Yuusou and some of the other guards and soldiers. This is known as the guard's house. Come on. I'll show you your room.” He walked through the dim corridor. Moriko walked up beside Aki as they took in their new surroundings. The walls were worn down, but still in pretty good shape. There were unlit lamps hanging in some of the corners, and small, lit candles on the walls, sitting on little bronze candle dishes that had been hammered into the wall. The rooms were blocked off by the same type of reed curtain as the one at the front. Daitan stopped by a door with no curtain, “This is the kitchen. It's not much, but there is always a fire going in here. This is the biggest room in the place, so when nobody has anything to do, which is often, we sit in here.” “Doing what?” He shrugged, “Talking, eating and those two girls will try to get everyone to let them do their hair.” He chuckled quietly and mumbled something to himself. “Your room is down here.” Her walked down the hall and stopped at a door, pushing aside the curtain. “Here it is. Not much, but its better then sleeping on the streets.” They walked in and examined the room. There was a small pit in the center of the room for a fire, a metal pot sat next to it looking like it needed to be washed, badly. A large pallet of fresh hay was in the corner, plenty big enough for the two of them; a reed basket sat in the corner along with another half finished basket and a pile of dried reeds. “Whose is that?” Moriko pointed to the baskets. Daitan shrugged, “Don't know. It appeared there a while ago. I think it belongs to the old man who was here before you. He left for some reason.” Aki went and sat on the bed of hay, grinning. “Where is your room Daitan?” He pointed to the left. “I live two rooms down on the same side of the hall as you.” He turned to leave, “If you need anything Yuusou is just on your right and you know where I'm at.” He left. Moriko yawned, “Ok. Nap time then.” She walked over to their bed and flopped down on the hay next to Aki who was already sleeping, snoring slightly when she breathed. They unconsciously curled up with each other and fell into a deeper sleep.