A Chronicle from a Time of Darkness

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Interlude 1
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Interlude 2
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Interlude 3
Chapter 7

Prologue

Long ago in the distant land of Animalia, there was great strife between the Ten Kingdoms, and then calamity struck and darkness covered the world.

Windigo, the ancient spirit of cold and hunger, stormed down from the Icelands to the north and led his army of demons on a rampage, destroying and consuming everything in their path. Against their rage, the sharpest swords and keenest minds were powerless, and it surely would have been the end of everything had the Sun, watching from the Heavens in grief, not taken pity on the mortal kingdoms. She saw how they suffered, and resolved at once to help them.

When the kings and queens of the land convened to discuss their plight, the Sun left the Heavens with a portion of Her power and appeared before them as the brilliant and wrathful Maiden of Flames, a being of light and fire far greater than any mortal. She told them all to bring Her the purest of heart in their kingdoms, and She invested them with Her own power to transform them into the first phoenixes, beings of light and fire as She was. She taught them to wage war and shape the world as She did, and made them Her generals. Together, they raised mighty armies that the Maiden of Flames led against Windigo.

For days and nights and days and nights they warred, until the Maiden of Flames took another portion of the Sun's power and crafted it into mighty artifacts that could cleanse even the worst of Windigo's taint from the land. Wielding these six Elements of Purity, at long last the Maiden of Flames broke Windigo's fell power. She bound and shackled him, and sentenced him to darkness everlasting. He was brought back to the farthest reaches of the Icelands and imprisoned in Yomi, a cave where no light could reach, with his worst demons. A great boulder was rolled over the entrance, and a great gate adorned with powerful enchantments was built, sealing it forever from the world of mortals.

The land was poisoned, and so the Maiden of Flames release the power of the Elements into the world, and taught the people to use water to cleanse the soil and the ringing of bells to clear the air. She taught them to use prayer to call good spirits and words to drive away bad. Slowly, the land and people began to recover, and the Maiden of Flames returned to the Heavens to become the Sun once more, leaving Her phoenixes to rule. All was peaceful for many years, but unlike their Mother, the phoenixes were still mortal, and eventually age claimed them and their power passed back to the Sun.

Their descendants tried to rule as they did, but with each generation, disharmony between the Ten Kingdoms grew, threatening to plunge the land into war not seen since Windigo cast his frozen grip across it. Evil,spirits grew ever more brazen until even the loudest bells and harshest words could not keep them away. The few demons who had not been imprisoned with their master began to terrorize the Kingdoms again. Once more did the Sun leave the Heavens, this time in the form of the wise and loving Philomena, not an avatar of fire as she was but a phoenix as her children were.

Under her guidance did the people again begin to see reason. With the power of the Sun, Philomena relit the fires in the souls of the phoenixes, and once more did they walk the land, born now to mortal parents. She released her gift of creation to the world, and those who could hear its song learned to shape the world from nothing, and to use their power to fight and destroy the demons and their dark power.

With balance restored, the Ten Kingdoms united as one, and named Philomena the Empress of Light, pledging loyalty to her. Under her rule, the people and the land again grew strong, and so did Animalia stand together for one thousand years.

So did it stand until the gate sealing Yomi began to weaken, and darkness again threatened to consume the land.

Chapter 1

From the sky, the expanses of green grass covering the land of Animalia seemed endless. And seemed so even if one were flying through the sky, cutting through the air and banking around low clouds like he was, a brown and black speck against the white and blue sky.

Owlowiscious Nightwatch, Master Sorcerer, Demon Queller, and retainer to Philomena, Empress of Light, sucked in a deep breath of cold air as he flew. Although his lungs chilled, the rest of his body was kept warm enough by the thick, black jacket and matching trousers he wore, or in the case of his wings, the thick feathers covering each from shoulder to tip. Briefly, he rose slightly in altitude as he looked over his shoulder to make sure the bag resting on his back and slung across his shoulder and chest hadn't come opened, and then lost altitude as he glanced down at his waist to make certain the sword strapped to his hip hadn't somehow fallen free from its scabbard. Satisfied, he turned his attention forward again to the white wall in front of him. As he broke through that final bank of clouds, his goal appeared in the distance: The glorious city of Heavenspire.

Perched on the side of Jindaiyama, the Great Mountain, it was built in tiered levels, each one progressively smaller as they climbed the slope. On the highest tier rested the Imperial Palace, where the Empress resided. Where the contents of his bag would eventually go. Where it was forbidden to fly to directly, forcing a less direct route.

As the mountain approached, Owlowiscious angled his flight path downward towards a well-traveled and packed dirt and gravel road, landing gently on the path before dusting himself off, ensuring all the contents of his pack were where he'd left them, and then continuing on foot towards the market and its shops built from wood and paper screens. So close to noon, the road wasn't heavily traveled, with only a few parties either on their way to the market or returning from it. One or two, likely on their way to the countryside for a holiday, even recognized him and waved their hands in greeting, which he returned.

Ahead, the city loomed larger still, and the sounds from the market grew louder as Owlowiscious approached. But before the market and city proper was the city gate, for as much of a gate as it could be considered. The road was wide; wide enough for three carts to safely traverse side-by-side (or two of the large caravan wagons that sometimes came from afar, if the drivers felt particularly daring). The primary function of the gate, which was little more than two short stone walls on the road with two of the city guards posted to watch it, was to restrict traffic, making it easier to check for unsavories and contraband, and to make it harder to an invading army to attack: To the right of the gate was the stone of the mountainside, and to the left was a sheer drop down one hundred shaku .

“Ho, Master Nightwatch!” called one of the guards as the owl approached. Owlowiscious knew both of the guards well, or at least as well as he could hope to. Both were of the dog tribe, both had light brown fur in the same shade and hue, both had green eyes, both joined the city guard at the same time, and both were named Ron. Dressed in uniform, consisting of brown trousers and a green jacket with a yellow stripe around the cuff of each sleeve and the Empress' crest on either breast, there was really no way to tell them apart. Owlowiscious had taken to thinking of them as Ron One and Ron Two, but could never decide which was which aside from location; Ron One was always to the left of the gate, and Ron Two to the right.

“Ho, friends!” the owl answered as he approached, coming to a stop just before and to the left of the gate. “What's the news of the day?”

“Oh, not much of anything to note, honestly,” replied Ron One. “In fact, not much of anything to note for over an entire month!”

“It's true. The last big thing around here happened right before you left!” chimed in Ron Two. They even sounded alike. “You remember, don't you, Master? That ruckus with the merchant who tried to summon the goblin-spider?”

“How could I forget?” Owlowiscious asked with a chuckle. “Although I'd say it was it was more of a fracas than a ruckus. Even if we hadn't stopped him, he had neither the materials nor the knowledge to actually summon anything, thank goodness.”

“Well, the point is,” began Ron Two again, “It's been dull without you around, Master. It seems like exciting things only happen when you're home. It's a good thing, too, because we'd be in real trouble without you.”

“The role I play in the city's defense is almost inconsequential, Ron. It's the city guard that does all the real work. Heavenspire is lucky to have such competent defenders.”

Both Rons swelled up just a bit with pride. “You're too kind with your praise, Master,” said Ron One. “But we've delayed you long enough. You only just returned! I'm sure you're eager to get home and have something to eat. Or maybe a drink, even.”

Owlowiscious gave a nod. “I’ll see you around Ron, and Ron. Keep the troublemakers out!” With that, he continued through the gate and further up the road towards the city.

“Oh! Master Nightwatch!”

Owlowiscious looked back over his shoulder to see one of the two gate guards — Ron Two, he decided — running to catch him, although he did not appear to be in that much of a rush. “I nearly forgot! This came for you.” ‘This’ being a nearly plain envelope that bore no markings other than his name written on the outside. “Don't know who it’s from, but it came for you earlier today with instructions to deliver it once you arrived.”

When the envelope was offered, Owlowiscious accepted it and gave it another inspection, learning nothing new. “Peculiar, but thanks all the same.”

“Of course!” replied the guard with a smile and a nod. “Well, better get back to it. Welcome home, again.” Owlowiscious answered with his own nod, and then turned his attention briefly back to the envelope as the dog hurried back to his post. He only pondered it for a moment before moving further along the road, away from the gate and further up the mountain, following the crowd towards the market quarter.

Shuffling further from the thoroughfare and closer towards the shops that began to line the road, he focused for a moment, willing eldritch energy into the tip of the wing not holding the envelope and causing one of the primary feathers to shimmer sky blue, and then stiffen and sharpen enough to function as a letter opener. Which it was used for almost immediately before returning to its original state. The use of magic was not uncommon in Animalia, although the majority of its use did require rituals and foci. Owlowiscious was one of the lucky few known as a Void Shaper, able to call upon supernatural forces to change the world around him without the need for rituals and foci, much as a phoenix could.

But at that moment, the mechanics of magic use and spell casting weren't important. What was important at that moment were the contents of the envelope. A simple letter of no small importance, it was a summons directly from the Empress herself! This was... well, expected, really, given who he was. What wasn’t expected was the designated arrival time of ‘noon.’ A quick glance skyward revealed that if it was not noon at that moment, it was a bit past it.

“Why does this keep happening?” he demand of no one, taking off in a dead run towards the Imperial palace, or at least as close to one as he could manage through the crowd. Without fail, anytime there was a summons waiting for him when he returned to Heavenspire, he was always late, no matter what he tried. He was certain that the Empress was doing it on purpose, especially since this was the first time she’d sent it unmarked. “Out of my way!”

Briefly, he considered taking to wing, but shoved the thought aside as he shoved past a bystander. Even if he had the room he needed to get into the air, Heavenspire had a strict ‘no-fly’ law, except for emergencies. This didn’t quite qualify. Accordingly, by the time he arrived at the palace gates, Owlowiscious was gasping for breathe and all to thankful that his active life did not leave him with a weaker body. His effort to recover the use of his lungs was momentarily interrupted — momentarily — by mirthful laughter coming from ahead of him.

It was, of course, the brown-furred bear sitting on a small chair in front of the palace gate. Tall, a bit rotund, and dressed in an iron breastplate, along with matching greaves, and armguards over his shirt and trousers, spear resting against the wall and sword at his side, he was not a simple guard like the Rons at the city gates, but was a proper soldier in direct service to the Empress, even if the short beard that was not quite as well-groomed as it should have been did much to dispel that particular image. And he was laughing in the way he almost always did.

“Running late as usual, Master Nightwatch?” he asked with a wide smile. He stretched one arm forward, offering a sloshing water skin to the owl. Rather than respond, Owlowiscious elected to accept the full water skin the soldier offered to him, feeling immediate relief as the water cooled his throat. “Every time you come home, your summons is also for the time you step through the gates, and you run yourself half-dead trying to get here. Hm.” For a moment, the bear examined him more closely, before reclining back against the wall surrounding the palace. “Well, I suppose today you're only a quarter-dead, but you know what I mean. I'm waiting for the day when you take your time getting here, just to see how the Empress reacts!”

“You would wait for that, Lantier,” Owlowiscious finally replied, wiping some stray drops from his beak onto his wing, “If it ever happened, of course. I'm afraid you'll be waiting forever, but I’m feeling generous enough to make you a deal.” The conversation, by that point, had become a ridiculous conspiracy, both Owlowiscious and Lantier sporting grins that were dangerously close to being too large for their faces. “On the next summons, I will casually and leisurely stroll up to this gate from across the city if you will shave that ridiculous beard.”

“Ha! We both know that you’ll casually and leisurely stroll up to this gate from across the city years before I’ll shave my glorious beard. I suppose I’ll have to settle for seeing you constantly arriving in such a state. And also in constantly making you even later than you already are.”

Owlowiscious’ face flashed with shock, and then with horror. “I — you... huh?” he stammered, and then he bolted through the gate with renewed vigor, while Lantier stayed behind, laughing jovially. “Damn!” The soldier and the Empress had to be working together, playing some game with him. It was the only explanation that made sense.

Once he crossed the empty courtyard before the palace, he stopped before entering it and took a few moments to compose himself, and then stepped inside, stopping only long enough to grab the ornate, stiff-bristled brush just inside the entrance to dust off the soles of his taloned feet. Only then did he step the rest of the way in and begin making his way across the wooden floor, every step producing a creak in the boards not unlike the chirping of a nightingale; without magic, sneaking through the palace corridors was impossible. As Owlowiscious walked down the corridor and into the main hall, where access to other rooms and floors was located, he passed by a few more soldiers standing guard at the twin staircases leading up and each of the three doors leading to other wings of the palace, who did not acknowledge him at all beyond a quick glance to confirm who was approaching.

Finally, though, he reached the door at the far end, producing the summons for soldiers flanking it. They pushed the red-painted wooden doors open, allowing access to the corridor behind. This next corridor was not terribly long, and ended in the large, iron doors leading to the throne room. The doors themselves were not terribly remarkable, but the soldiers that flanked those doors were another matter entirely, standing worlds apart from the others Owlowiscious has passed by in the previous room.

They were covered head to toe in black, steel armor lacquered and polished to a shine, and adorned with protective incantations and charms etched into the metal and painted onto strips of heavy white paper in vibrant red ink.

Armored masks, shaped and carved to look like spirits, faces twisted in rage, covered their faces completely and concealed their identities and hid their eyes. Each of them was a dog, if Owlowiscious were to guess from their build and posture, but beyond that, they were enigmas.

Their swords and spears, forged from the purest metals and blessed by Empress Philomena herself, all but shimmered and hummed with mystical power.

They stood still and impassive as statues, but saw everything around them, could be fooled by no lie or illusion, and would react to danger faster than the eye could blink.

These soldiers were Tengu, the Empress’ personal honor guard. And no matter how many times he passed by them, no matter how many times he witnessed them snap into action against some demon or wayward spirit that thought it could infiltrate the palace, Owlowiscious never felt comfortable around these faceless, nameless monsters, as if they themselves were more demon than mortal.

Nevertheless, when he came to stop just a few feet from them, he tried to be as impassive and stoic as they were. For the most part, he succeeded. After a few moments, a silent call came, and both Tengu turned to the side in sync and pushed the massive doors opened. Not wasting a moment, Owlowiscious stepped inside and waited, the doors closing behind him. After another moment, a soft breeze beckoned him forward.

The throne room was accurately named, being little more than a large room with a throne at the far end. Filled up, it would easily accommodate a thousand men and women, for the occasions when the Empress wished to address crowds of administrators and lords and ladies at once. Now, it sat as empty as the throne that the owl was approaching. The light blue carpet under his talons — a wide strip down the center of the room — felt softer than he remember, meaning it had probably been replaced recently. When he had nearly reached the throne, one of the Empress' attendants, dressed in a plain lavender servant’s robe, stepped from behind the throne: An aging sparrow named Elegy. She raised one wing and beckoned Owlowiscious to follow her, which he did.

Behind the throne were passages that allowed the Empress' to enter and leave the throne room without passing through the rest of the palace, where security was unquestionably more difficult to maintain. More importantly, those passages provided quick access, after a short walk, to the Empress’ personal quarters. Only a select few were permitted access to these passages: The Empress’ attendants, of course, a handful of trusted advisors, what immediate family she had, the Tengu, and Owlowiscious, one of the privileges of being her personal retainer.

Unlike the throne room, the passages behind the throne were small — large enough, Owlowiscious once noted, for two fully equipped Tengu to fight side-by-side — and simple, with polished wooden floors and walls with heavy paper stretched across and pasted to them. Lighting was provided not by lanterns, but simple rods with a small dollop of gold on one end, enchanted to glow like a torch; sun globes, as they were commonly known. Elegy ignored several of the passages branching off from the main one, moving straight to the stairs at a central junction and then up them. Owlowiscious followed her up to what he knew to be the second-to-topmost floor and down one more short corridor, finally stopping at a pair of sliding doors — screens made from wood and heavy paper, really — leading to another room. Grasping a hanging, tasseled rope, Elegy ran a bell twice, waited for the required seven seconds, and then opened one door enough to slip inside, closing it behind her. Several seconds later, she opened the door again, having received permission to allow Owlowiscious to enter.

Stepping into the Empress’ quarters was not, as some suspected, like stepping into another world. Rather, it reminded Owlowiscious very much of stepping through the door of his own home in the city (for although he was her retainer, he was not permanent staff, as it were). A spacious, single room with a small fire pit in the center (although it was so small it would do little more than provide some warmth and heat water for tea, while his was large enough to serve as a cook fire also), a small shrine occupying one wall (though for Empress Philomena, it was more ornamental than ceremonial), another wall covered in windows to let the outside world inside (presently opened to allow light and a pleasant breeze through), and a final wall covered in bookshelves (though these ones boasted locking cabinets only the Empress could open), and a low writing desk just a short distance in front of the bookcases (behind which the Empress presently sat, quietly scribing a letter). The single biggest difference was that Owlowiscious used the main area for sleeping, while the Empress had a separate room for that. There was also the fact that he had never quite been able to locate her latrine, but he never pondered that particular question for long.

With a nod to Elegy, who let herself back out and closed the doors once more, Owlowiscious approached Empress Philomena, stopping several shaku away from her. It was not for safety’s sake, but for politeness; he had received permission to enter her quarters, but not yet received it to enter her personal space. She stopped briefly to dab her pen into her ink pot, taking the opportunity to raise her unused wing, all primaries folded down save one, which pointed towards the ceiling, acknowledging his presence and asking him to be patient for a few moments more.

Even in the midst of something as simple as writing a letter, Philomena was the very picture of an Empress. Though most strongly resembled an eagle, it was undeniable that features from the other tribes were a part of her appearance, even if no one had ever been able to explain exactly what else they saw in her face; it seemed to be different for everyone. Her red and orange feathers were all perfectly in place, and shimmered slightly in the afternoon sunlight spilling in from the windows. Even her clothes seemed imperial. A white robe, the shoulders stiffed and raised to strike a broader, more imposing figure, symbolized both her purity and her strength, while the red sash draped over her shoulders symbolized her identity as the Sun and her hate of all things evil. The gold that lined the very tips of the sash, so small that it would be missed except by close inspection, symbolized her disinterest in material wealth. Finally, another sash around her waist, colored black and binding the outfit together, symbolized her mystical nature, which could not be truly seen by mortal eyes. Information that Owlowiscious well knew already, but couldn't help thinking over as he waited, as he often did.

The few moments of waiting were filled with the patient, precise scratching of pen on paper, and when the Empress had finished, she just as patiently placed her pen aside, replaced the stopper in her ink pot, gently picked up the letter and waved in through the air three times to finish drying the ink, carefully folded it, placed it in an envelope, and sealed it with wax before applying her crest to the seal. She pushed the envelope aside, and only then did she look at Owlowiscisous.

In an instant, all pretense of formality faded. Her eyes widened with glee, the corners of her mouth, just past her beak, turned upward in a smile, and she clasped both wings in front of her, looking less like an Empress and more like an excited niece. “You have it?”

“After all that flying, walking, and even a very minor demon, I regret to inform you that I do not have it.” Philomena’s expectant smile never faded, and Owlowiscious himself could not keep a straight face for long before adopting an appropriately wide grin. “Of course I have it! Was there ever any doubt?”

Not wasting another moment, he opened the top of his bag and dipped his wing inside. The parcel that came out in the grasp of his primaries was expertly and tightly wrapped in heavy, brown paper. “One book, as arranged, from a series I cannot find anywhere but your library, by an author who I remained convinced does not ex —”

The parcel suddenly glowed a fiery orange and flew from his grasp and into Philomena's, who immediately began unwrapping it with all the excitement of a child who'd been told the paper hid a box filled with candy.

“— ist. Hmph.” As he always did, Owlowiscious walked over to join the Empress and took a seat beside her just as she finished unwrapping the brand new, unmarred, and freshly printed Daring Do and the Mask of Shadows, the art on the cover featuring a horse — a pony, really — with feathered wings, a most absurd looking outfit and eyes that were rather too large for its face, staring at an ebony mask as if it held the secrets of the universe. A book, as he had said, that appeared to exist only inside of Philomena’s personal library. And Philomena herself could not be happier.

“Finally here!” she nearly shouted, looking at the cover with eyes that clearly wanted to throw it open and begin reading the words inside immediately. She restrained herself, though, and instead threw one wing around Owlowiscious’ shoulders, nuzzling her face against his affectionately. In her own quarters, and with only his company, she had no appearances to keep up. “You really are the best.”

After a moment, he managed to slip out from under her wing. “So I’ve been told,” he replied, taking a second look at the strange book. “Who exactly did you say was supplying these for you?”

Clutching the book to her breast as if it were treasure, the Empress only gave him a coy smile. “I might tell you, some day. But until then, as you may have guessed, a secret delivery is not the only reason I called you here.”

“Of course not. That would make too much sense.”

Her smile changing from coy to wry, Philomena placed her book on her writing desk, forgetting it for a moment. “As you know, in two days’ time it will have been one thousand years to the moment since the Day the Earth Froze and Darkness Covered the Land. A millennium since the greatest evil we have ever known was conquered, and this calls for celebration, despite what the doomsayers in the streets would have you believe.”

Owlowiscious just sighed and rolled his eyes. He remembered passing those ‘doomsayers’ in his mad dash to the palace, and while they were doing little in the way of harm, they were an eyesore nonetheless. They had also drawn small crowds around them that made maneuvering more difficult, which had surely delayed him more than he would have been. “I take it from your telling this directly to me that you’re not thinking of celebrating here in Heavenspire.”

“Oh, among all the courtiers and courtesans, in their dandiest clothes, all congratulating and thanking me for everything I’ve done to make Heavenspire so wonderful for them? Ha!” Philomena rose to her feet — a movement that Owlowiscious was quick to mimic — and made her way to the wide windows overlooking the countryside. “Who fought for my generals, Owlowiscious? Who stood against the darkness, never faltering even though their hearts were filled with fear, never doubting for a moment that the Sun would never dim even as their families and friends fell around them?”

Intrigued, Owlowiscious joined the Empress at the windows. Although there were cities, one larger than even Heavenspire barely visible in the distance, the land around the great mountain was largely occupied by smaller towns and villages, themselves surrounded by farmland and pastures, or ponds, or small groves and orchards. Including one in particular that seemed to hold Philomena’s interest the most, a nearly unnoticeable dot in the midst of a spread of fields, a small lake, and bordering an untamable forest that Owlowiscious knew as Mei-Shinrin in Classical Animan, but that was more commonly called the Dark Wood or even the Tangled Skein.

“As you’ve told me, Empress, farmers and artisans. The peasants are the ones who fought and died, even as later narratives ‘corrected’ the accounts so everyone knew it was the noble families who stood on the front lines. And, I assume —” He pointed out towards that nearly unnoticeable dot with the primary feather of his wing — “That ‘peasant hovel,’ as those of high-breeding are so fond of referring to anything that doesn't meet their standard of taste, holds a particular significance to you.”

“That village is Taiyō-sen, and it does hold particular significance.”

Again, Owlowiscious quirked his brow. “I thought that village was new, speaking relatively. It has a Classical name?” Even Heavenspire didn’t have a Classical name, or at least did not any longer, and had stood for a millennium since the Maiden of Flames first commanded its construction.

Again, Philomena gave a coy smile. “Ask one of them, if you can find the time. Their magistrate was notified while you were away, so I imagine they’re in the midst of making sure everything is perfect for the Empress of Light. I imagine you know me well enough to be able to keep them from overdoing everything.” With a half-turn, Philomena extended her wing, the air around it shimmering with magic, towards her writing desk. Several objects on the desk likewise shined fire-orange, floated gingerly into the air and over to Owlowiscious, who deftly took them with his wing. Two envelopes and a large sheet of folded paper, all told. “A letter of identity, in the event you need it, a brief list of what to expect for the preparations and instructions should you need to help the villagers see reason with their grandiosity, and a spell formula should you get bored. You’ll see.”

For his part, Owlowiscious looked at the three items for a moment, and then slipped them into his bag. “I suppose I should leave as soon as I am able?” he asked, receiving a nod for his answer. “Then I shall resupply my purse and be off. By your leave, you majesty.” He bowed deeply, rising only after Philomena had returned the bow — although hers was not nearly so deep, as dictated by custom — and then turned and started towards the doors.

“Oh, and Owlowiscious?”

He stopped suddenly, looking back over his shoulder at the warmly smiling Philomena.

“Bring my nephew with you. He can’t hope to experience the world from here, and I think the atmosphere of Taiyō-sen is exactly what he needs to truly understand the people he shares that world with.”

Owlowiscious quirked his brow at that, filled with just the tiniest bit of concern. “Which nephew?” he asked.

The Empress grinned a sly grin. “Which do you think?”

Owlowiscious furrowed his brow for a moment, but rapidly reached a conclusion with a smile: Of course, there was only one of those nephews that would see any value in experiencing the world outside Heavenspire. “Of course, your majesty,” he began, “It would be to my greatest delight to show your nephew the joys of a ‘peasant’ village.”

With another half bow, he took his leave and returned to the passages outside, then to the throne room, and finally to the passages outside of that. The Tengu he passed when he first entered were still there, and were just as unmoving and impassive as they had been before. Suppressing a shudder, Owlowiscious left them behind and began his trek towards another part of the palace.

It was not a far walk to the Imperial Garden, even from the throne room, and if the truth were to be told, it was perhaps Owlowiscious’ favorite feature of the palace. Carefully trimmed trees of all sizes and varieties, precisely maintained paths, expertly groomed shrubberies serving as a low perimeter wall, and a small stream passing through, it was intended to remind the palace staff of the serenity of nature, so that they would not become lost in the noise of the city. Stepping from the palace and into the garden, the owl drew in a deep breath of the clean air, the temperature perfectly comfortable despite how high on the mountainside he was. Whether this was the result of magic or benevolent spirits that had taken up residence was not clear, but ultimately unimportant.

There were a few soldiers standing at key locations, even if their presence was not strictly needed, as the garden was a poor point to attack from. There were a few administrators taking a moment to calm themselves from the day’s work. And, as Owlowiscious came to a stop and cleared his mind, the sound of a flute being played floated into his ears. It was not exactly the sound of the flute that his attention; he was expecting to hear one before he arrived. What perplexed him was that the music was not very good. The tune was slower than it should have been, and several notes were off-key. Approaching the sound, moving only along the paths as he did, he saw rapidly the reason why the music was not very good.

The flute in question was floating in the air, wreathed in the fire-orange glow of phoenix magic. The music itself was genuine enough, air being pushed through it by wind and invisible force changing the tone as needed. And seated just a short distance from the flute, one eye squeezed shut and tongue pinched between his beak, was a small phoenix of the eagle tribe, dressed in the robes of a noble, focusing intensely and expending far too much energy on what should have been a straight-forward task. Finally, the boy’s concentration faltered and the spells broke, the flute silencing and dropping lamely to the ground.

Without wasting a moment, Owlowiscious began applauding (although in all his study, he had never figured out how clapping his wings together could produced the same sound as a pair of hands). The boy looked over in alarm, and he immediately smiled as brightly as the sun. “That’s a new trick, isn’t it?” asked the owl.

“Owlowiscious! You’re back!” The boy leapt to his feet, charged and with a flying leap, throw his arms around his elder's waist in what would have been a crushing hug, had he been older. All the same, Owlowiscious was nearly bowled over by his enthusiasm.

“Well, I missed you too, Peewee.” He ruffled the feathers on the boy’s head, and gently as he could, pried him off. “And I know for a fact that you weren’t doing anything like that before I left. If you’ll walk with me and tell me what you’ve been up to for the last month, I’m thrilled to listen.”

Phineus Wilhelm, or ‘Peewee’ as he preferred, was the son of a merchant, and to most of Heavenspire, was of absolutely no consequence aside from being a phoenix. The distinct lack of this sort of behavior from Owlowiscious, coupled with his happy willingness to tutor the child in the finer points of spellcasting, explained completely why one was something of an idol to the other. Accordingly, after Peewee scooped up his flute and Owlowiscious caught up to him, he proceed to speak nonstop about the events that had transpired in the absence of his mentor, from spells he had been practicing, to interesting foods he had eaten, to when he attempted to sneak into the Empress’ quarters to find out exactly what books she kept in her library.

For all their stoniness, the Tengu that caught him had been quite good natured about the whole thing, letting him off with a warning and a promise that it would be kept secret. That, at least, is what Peewee was pretty certain had happened; the Tengu had been silent as a statue throughout all of it, so it was a little difficult to tell. But since nothing had come of up, that was surely what happened. Probably.

As they walked and talked, the subject eventually turned from Peewee to Owlowiscious, and what the latter had been doing while he was gone. Of course, the retrieval of the Empress’ book was summarized as not knowing what the contents of the parcel were (which, truth be told, was not a complete fabrication), but the festival to celebrate a thousand years without darkness could not be avoided in any way. Least of all when Peewee finally learned that such a festival was being held and eagerly rushed to the garden wall so he could peer at the almost unnoticeable dot of Taiyō-sen in the distance.

“As she wants you to make sure it goes okay?” the phoenix asked, eyes wide with amazement. “Wow! You really are her favorite!”

“Peewee!” Owlowiscious' admonishment was admittedly less stern than he had intended. “Now where did you hear something like that? You shouldn’t trust the palace gossip, you know. Just because someone says I’m her favorite, doesn’t mean that I am.”

“But she said you were her favorite,” Peewee replied, turning around from the view of the countryside to face Owlowiscious directly.

Oh.

“Well, that changes things a bit, I suppose. What else did she say?”

And at that, the little phoenix realized what had just happened, his smile faltering. “Um. She also said that people might get jealous if that kind of talk got around and that I shouldn’t repeat it to anyone, not even to you, just in case.” He was caught, and probably in trouble too. “Oops.”

“Oops, indeed.” Owlowiscious ruffled the feathers on Peewee's head once more with a chuckle. “But if you won’t tell, I won’t either. Deal?” The only response was the return of a smile and a definitive nod of the head. With that, the matter was settled, and their attentions could be turned to the original matter.

“In any case, it’s not so much that she wants me to make sure it goes okay, as you said. The villagers are more than capable of that by themselves. She only wants me to make sure they don’t get so wrapped up in trying to make everything perfect that they don’t enjoy it themselves.” Owlowiscious approached the wall then, and looked down at the village, or at least to the more visible lands surrounding it. “She also said, in no uncertain terms, that you get to come with me.”

If the phoenix’s eyes got any bigger than they did at that moment, they would have covered half his face. “Really? I get to go with you?” When Owlowiscious nodded, Peewee jumped and shouted for joy. “Is the horse ready yet? Or! Do I get my own horse? I haven’t been riding that far before! Not on my own horse. Can I please ride my own horse? Please?”

Owlowiscious just chuckled and shook his head. “No, there won’t be horses for this trip,” the owl replied, looking out over the wall at the almost unnoticeable dot he would soon be standing before, “After all, what need do we have of horses when we have wings?”

Peewee, for his part, looked and was thoroughly confused. “But, I can’t fly yet...” he said feebly.

“Well, perhaps you aren’t flying just yet, but I understand you become quite good at gliding. And Taiyō-sen is not so far if you travel in a straight line from up here to down there.” Owlowiscious turned his head and smiled down at the phoenix, whose own face was now brightly lit with an even bigger smile, eyes wide with excitement; as always, Owlowiscious had a cunning plan. “It’d be good practice riding thermals, and I’ll bet if we do everything just right, we could glide all the way there without any walking at all. It would be almost like flying.”

“Yes!” For a second time, Peewee jumped for joy, this time into Owlowiscious’ waist for another hug. “You’re the best, Owlowiscious!” The hug was short-lived as the phoenix bounced anyway, so giddy he wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself. “This is the best day ever! I, oh, I have to pack! I’ll go pack my things!”

“Pack light!” called Owlowiscious as Peewee hurried back into the palace. With a chuckle, the owl turned and looked over the wall once more, down at that almost unnoticeable dot that was Taiyō-sen, and smiled. Having the past weeks of adventure capped with a nice, quiet evaluation and then the grandest festival he could hope to see in his life fit perfectly into his vision of a perfect day. And in two days’ time, that festival would be the perfect end to a perfect day.

And with himself, the Empress and an entire troop of Tengu present, for a change there was absolutely nothing that could go wrong.

Author's Note

For those who wonder, Usagi Yojimbo is a big inspiration for writing this, and although I doubt I'm able to match Stan Sakai's style perfectly or even get close, I like to think I'm doing a pretty good job.

As you may have noticed, any terms that get use and are not English will be explained in some fashion, either directly or in a note immediately following the word in question.

Chapter 2

The market in Taiyō-sen opened early, and it remained open even as the afternoon sun was well into its descent back below the horizon. Even so late in the day, it was filled with the sounds of sellers trying to catch the eye of buyers with words as well as reputation. That day, however, there were three words that rang out over the market that had truly not been heard there before. Or at least, not for a very long time:

“Look out below!”

However pleasant the day had been for one particular vegetable seller, an eagle who prided himself on his flawless produce, it was ruined in an instant when one Phineus Wilhelm suddenly dropped out of the sky, sliding across his stand's counter and taking several vegetables with him as he went careening down into the dirt. A moment passed before he was able to collect his wits enough to look down at the mess that had become his wares while the small phoenix, an eagle like him, slowly pulled himself off the ground and started dusting off his clothes. A glance around the market revealed that buyers and sellers alike had stopped what they were doing to gawk. A single, sharp glare sent them scrambling back to their business with a clear message: Mind your own business.

The eagle looked again at the mess on the ground, at his broken, smashed, and bruised vegetables, and then gave Peewee a narrow-eyed glare. It reminded the phoenix of the look his father would give him when he misbehaved. It was not a happy look, not one bit.

“Um... oops?” he offered shyly.

“Well, your landing would be properly described as ‘terrible’.” The vegetable seller's attention was drawn away from Peewee as Owlowiscious gracefully touched down beside them. “But your form was excellent. Especially for gliding that distance. Heavenspire's a long way from here, after all.”

When the vegetable seller looked back to Peewee, his expression was not one of anger, but amazement. "You, glided all the way here from Heavenspire?" he asked. “But, but that's almost twenty ri!”

Peewee couldn't help but quirk his brow. "Is that good?" he asked tentatively.

“Good? That's incredible!” By this point, the vegetable seller seemed to have forgotten about his ruined produce, instead wearing a wide smile as he heaped praise on the young phoenix. “That’s at least ten times what most fledglings your age can usually glide before they have to stop. Your father must be an amazing teacher.”

Before Peewee could reply, Owlowiscious stepped in, one wing raised to fend off any kind words. “I’m really just a family friend, and this accomplishment has little to do with me. I’m a terrible instructor.”

“Still! What an accomplishment it is.” The merchant looked down at Peewee with a smile that shined with tribal pride, and Peewee looked down at the ground and smiled sheepishly. Such was the way of eagles.

“I hate to cut this encounter short, but we have to get on our way. I’d also hate to leave any ill feelings, so why don't you let me pay you for your lost product.” Even before he finished speaking, Owlowiscious was already bringing out his purse. Without missing a single beat, he withdrew and laid a single, ovaloid silver coin on the stand's counter. “One buban* should cover everything, I would think, although I’m no expert with merchandise.” He was certain that if the merchant's eyes grew any bigger, they’d fall right out of his head.

(*) See author’s notes below

“Sir, all I lost were a few cabbages, sweet potatoes and some daikon. That's almost a week's earnings for me.”

“Well, don’t forget that you’re doing a favor for me.”

At that, the eagle cocked his head to the side, confusion spread across his face. He was fortunate that Owlowiscious did not wait before continuing. “Before long, it will have been one thousand years since the Day the Earth Froze and Darkness Covered the Land. And while we certainly owe a great deal to Empress Philomena for the army she raised and led, what carried us through that day and allowed Animalia to survive and rebuild was community. For the first time since anyone could remember, we all stood together as a united people.

“We fortunately don’t have anymore days like that, but even today, community is what carries us into the future. I want to do something for the people of Taiyō-sen, but I don’t know the kinds of things they want or need. You do know those things. Maybe one buban is too much for your product, but surely it’s enough for the community to enjoy something for itself. Would you help me make that reality?”

The vegetable seller smiled widely. “It would be my honor to help you with this. I know exactly what to do too! Oh! Are you two staying for the celebration, then?”

“That’s right!” Peewee replied a little too happily. “We even get to help with it. But just a little bit.”

“Is that so?” The vegetable seller gave Peewee a smile, and then Owlowiscious a knowing smirk. “Then I really have kept you long enough. You two should get to it, and thanks again for the money. I know exactly what to do with it. I’ll see you at the celebration.”

“Hopefully, we'll see you before then, but at the celebration for sure.” Owlowiscious raised his wing and waved farewell, which both Peewee and the vegetable seller mimicked. “Good day!” The traveling pair took their leave as their newest acquaintance excitedly told his neighbors what had just transpired, but barely made any progress before Peewee suddenly issued a loud grumbling, and then it was Owlowiscious' turn to wear a knowing smirk. “Goodness! It sounds like you had a tiger for lunch!”

Grinning sheepishly, Peewee covered his stomach with both wings, trying to keep it from further embarrassing him. “I actually didn’t have lunch. I know I should have, but I was so excited to come with you, I couldn’t eat anything!”

“That’s usually the case, I’ve noticed.” Ruffling the feathers on the phoenix’s head, Owlowiscious directed his attention towards another stand, this one serving hot food. Or so it appeared, give the smoke rising from a nearby grill and sign simply proclaiming, ‘Hot Hot Hot!’ Several baskets stacked around it, resting on kettles suspended over fires, added to this appearance, as did the kettle without baskets atop it, likely holding soup. The alligator standing behind it, staring vacantly into space, was all that made Owlowiscious wary, but it was a small thing, easy to ignore as they approached. “Good day, friend!”

No sooner had Owlowiscious announced himself and Peewee than the alligator behind the stand immediately whipped out a wooden skewer and wooden paddle. The paddle, offered to Owlowiscious, had a freshly grilled cuttlefish stretched across it. The skewer, for Peewee, was stuck through six fried —

“Dumplings!” the phoenix exclaimed happily, standing on the tips of his toes and taking the skewer in one wing. “Exactly what I wanted. Thanks!”

“And I’m partial to cuttlefish, myself,” Owlowiscious chimed in. “Excellent work, friend, however you did it.” And however he managed to get cuttlefish so far from the ocean. “How much?”

Standing up just a bit straighter, the alligator closed his eyes and moved one clawed hand from left to right, his open palm facing downward, before executing a graceful pirouette into the open space beside his stand and dropping into a bow, both arms gesturing towards the village. His outlandish behavior was somehow less attention-grabbing than the fact that he'd paired a deep blue shirt with a skirt (common garb among both alligators and crocodiles due to their short legs making trousers impractical) that was dyed a bright pink and embroidered with an elaborate burst of cherry blossoms.

To the credit of both Owlowiscious and Peewee, it only took them a few moments to recover from their shock.

“Well, it’s definitely one of the strangest welcomes I’ve ever received, but without a doubt one of the warmest as well,” the owl remarked. Peewee, rather than saying anything, pulled one of the dumplings off the skewer and ate instead. Owlowiscious simply continued. “We can’t stay, unfortunately, since we have a prior meeting out by the farms. I don’t suppose you might know the fastest way there?”

The alligator simply rose from his bow and resumed what he had been doing before, staring at Owlowiscious blankly. His eyes blinked, once, slightly out of sync with each other.

Both Owlosiscious’ and Peewee’s eyes widened in shock. “I, erm,” the owl began. “I see! Thank you, and thank you for the food as well. Perhaps we’ll see you at the celebration?” The alligator gave a definitive nod, waved farewell, and then calmly returned to his stand. Owlowiscious and Peewee continued on their way, perhaps a bit faster than was really necessary.

“You heard him, didn’t you, Owlowiscious?” Peewee asked, finally breaking the short silence that had fallen over them. “He spoke, but he didn’t move his mouth or even make a sound! And then the dumplings. He had them before I even realized I wanted them! Are all crocodiles like that?”

“Alligator,” Owlowiscious corrected, “He was an alligator, Peewee, and no. I’ve met alligators and crocodiles both, and while they're certainly tight-lipped, as it were, none of them were anything like that. He possesses a truly mysterious power.” There was a brief pause as the owl glanced back over his shoulder, and then his gaze returned forward. “We should keep an eye on him. If anyone’s going to cause trouble during the celebration, he’ll be the one to do it.” Peewee swallowed audibly and tried not to think about the implications of those words.

They continued their walk in silence. If there was one good thing to come of the encounter with the alligator, it was that the dumplings and cuttlefish he possessed were undeniably the best that either Peewee or Owliscious had ever tasted.

Later....

The sun was close to setting when Owlowiscious and Peewee finally reached the farms outlying Taiyō-sen, and moved further still as they passed by a few of the peasants still in the fields, trying to harvest just a bit more grain or a few more vegetables before stopping for the day.

“In any case, that was how I defeated the Hone-onna of Deep Water Crossing,” said Owlowiscious as he concluded recounting one of his adventures in which he faced and destroyed a murderous phantom. From anyone else, it might have seemed slightly unbelievable, but for a Demon Queller, who specialized in dealing with yōkai like that, it was hardly an unusual tale.

“Wow,” Peewee replied. “Your stories are always so exciting, Owlowiscious! But they sound so dangerous, too. Do you ever wish you weren’t a Demon Queller?”

“Almost every day, Peewee. But when presented with a choice of how I was to develop my magic, I chose the path of a sorcerer. To this day, I’m sure I caused more damage than I am aware of, but it can’t be helped now. To be a Demon Queller is my karma, and my greatest hope is that you learn from the mistakes I made and choose a different path.”

Instead of responding, Peewee lifted one wing and pointed down the road ahead of them. “Someone’s coming.” When Owlowiscious looked, there was indeed someone on horseback riding towards them.

“Yo! Down th’ road!” called a woman's voice.

“Ho! Up the road!” Owlowiscious called towards the rider, one wing raised in greeting. As they drew nearer and slowed their horse to a trot, it became evident where the voice had come from. The rider was of the dog tribe, brown-furred and dressed as a peasant farmer would be expected to in tight-fitted (compared to most) brown trousers and a matching shirt, with a red kerchief to around her neck. Owlowiscious figured she must have had at least some money to be able to afford a horse.

“Well, how d’ya do?” she asked as she came to a stop in front of the pair, southeastern accent strong and indicating she was either a more recent arrival than some of the other families in Taiyō-sen, or more original, depending. “Can’t say we see too many fancy-dressed gentlemen like yourselves out here. Y’all get turned around passin’ through the village?”

“Believe it or not, we’re right where we need to be,” Owlowiscious replied. Out of habit, he started moving to assist the dog when she dismounted, but he held his position. There was a short bow and quiver of arrows hanging from her saddle; woman or not, his ‘assistance’ would have, in this case, been less than helpful. “I’m Owlowiscious Nightwatch, and my young companion is Phineus Wilhelm.”

“I’m Winona Earthwalker, an’ for th’ time being, I guess I’m th’ one in charge ’round here. Least fer th’ next couple days. What can I do for th’ two o —”

“Mama!”

All eyes were drawn to another voice, this one belonging to a much younger dog as she came riding up on a much smaller horse. A pony, Owlowiscious realized. It seemed like there were ponies everywhere. The girl herself was dressed much in the same way as her apparent mother, save for the kerchief around her neck being pink rather than red, and worn a bit looser and tied in a small bow instead of a more utilitarian knot. As her mother did, she slowed her steed to a stop in front of them, and was immediately apologizing. “Oh, I’m sorry, mama. I didn’t ya had gues — wow! A phoenix!”

Her apology forgotten, she swung one leg over the pony's head and executed a flying dismount that would have made a soldier proud. The instant she was on the ground, she was practically standing on top of Peewee. “I’ve never met a phoenix before! Hey, do ya wanna go ridin’? I can show ya ’round the farms!”

“Ryder!” Winona snapped, immediately grabbing the younger dog's attention. “Now that ain’t no way t’ talk t’ guests when they jus’ got here.”

“But mama! No one else’ll play with me! Can’t I just show ’im around? Just a little bit?”

The older canine was put off by the plea. “Well,” she began. “Ih, uh, I s’pose it’d be alright if —”

“Can I go, Owlowiscious?” Peewee asked, cutting her off. “Can I?”

“Well....” the owl started, stroking his beak with one wing and turning his eyes upward as if he were giving it serious thought. And in an instant, both Peewee and Ryder were right in front of him with their widest, winningest smile on.

“Pleeeease?”

“Alright, alright, enough already.” The owl feigned feeling faint. “Go, have fun! But remember your aunt’s rules.”

If the mention of his aunt’s rules really meant anything to Peewee, he didn’t show it. Both he and Ryder gave yells of joy, the former quickly clambering back into the saddle of the pony she rode over. “C’mon!” she said, reaching down to the phoenix.

“Thanks!” Peewee replied happily, taking the girl’s hand and climbing up behind her into the saddle. She didn’t wait even a moment before turning the pony back towards the farms and urging it into a canter. “I’m Phineus, but you can call me Peewee, if you want to.”

“I’m happy t’ meetcha, Peewee! I’m Ryder, an’ this here is Applejack, the best pony in the whole world!”

As the children rode off, their conversation, excited though it was, rapidly became indistinct, and then could no longer be heard.

“Well, it looks like she was right, as usual,” Owlowiscious commented after a moment. “Getting out of Heavenspire and into the real world was exactly what he needed.”

“That so?” Winona asked, turning her attention to Owlowiscious. “Ya don’t see many phoenixes away from th’ cities, so I figured it was somethin’ like that. But you? You’re a mystery. Don’t look like any noble I’ve ever seen. Most of ’em want nothin’ t’ d with us peasants out here on th’ farms. Same time, though, I doubt a little phoenix would be set free t’ run around with a commoner for company.”

“You’ve got a pretty good eye for this sort of thing,” the owl replied. In turn, he regarded the canine. “The fact is, noble or not, I spend much of my time traveling. And, actually, when I think about it....”

Winona watched silently while Owlowiscious angled his gaze upward in thought. “Since I came to be in the Empress’ employ, I think I’ve spent more time on the road than I have in my own house.” A beat. “That’s a strangely sobering thought.”

“I would think so,” Winona said in agreement. “Can’t imagine spendin’ more time away from home than in it. What’s so important that it’s got ya runnin’ this way an’ that all over creation? Ya some kinda spy or somethin’?”

A small chuckle prefaced Owlowiscious' response. “I might have been, if yōkai had any information that was worth spying for.”

The question he had been expecting, or one of them at any rate, did not come, and when Owlowiscious looked over to Winona, she looked that much paler despite her brown fur. “You’re,” she began, swallowing hard. “You’re a Demon Queller!”

“Well, yes, I —”

“There’s no demons or yōkai here that need slayin’, so you can get on you’re way!”

Owlowiscious was taken aback, unable to hide the confusion on his face. Not a minute earlier, Winona seemed extremely pleasant. “I’m, sorry if I’ve offended you somehow, but I don’t know what you mean,” he said in an attempt to placate her. It didn’t work.

“There ain’t nothin' for you t’ find here, okay? You didn’t find nothin’ th’ last time, an’ you still won’t find nothin’!”

“Ms. Earthwalker, I promise you, I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

Winona opened her mouth to speak again, but Owlowiscious immediately raised up a wing to stop her. Immediately after that, he crossed the same wing over his chest, closing his eyes and drawing in a deep breath, before exhaling and sweeping his wing out as if he were pushing something away from him. When he spoke next, it was with perfect calm.

“I am a Demon Queller, yes, but I am not here as a Demon Queller. To the best of my knowledge, there are no yōkai in Taiyō-sen, and seeing as this village holds a special significance to Empress Philomena, if she even suspected there was such a presence here, she would not have sent her nephew with me. She would have sent soldiers. I can see that you had some unpleasant experience in the past, and as it is not my wish to make you uncomfortable, I’ll take this opportunity to collect my charge, and then depart.”

Without waiting another moment, Owlowiscious turned in the direction that Ryder and Peewee had ridden off in and spread his wings to take flight —

“W-wait!”

Owlowiscious stopped and looked back over his shoulder to regard Winona, who didn’t look as desperate as her voice had sounded a moment before. Rather, she looked more embarrassed than anything. “I-I mean, um. That is, uh,” she stammered, struggled to find the words.

“Yes?” Owlowiscious asked, turning to face her fully, his expression softening and wings returning to his side. That seemed to finally give her either the courage or presence of mind to finish what she meant to say.

“I, apologize for that. It’s just, well, we ain’t had any yōkai out this way for a long time, and I guess when I found out you’re a Demon Queller, I just assumed that’s what you were here for.” She paused long enough to nervously shuffle her feet, and then she drew a bit closer. “But if that was the case, I don’t figure you’d bring a child out here, like you said, even if he is a phoenix. I guess what I mean t’ say is....”

Breathing deeply, Winona dropped to her knees and then bowed forward until her forehead touched the soil, leaning on her hands for support. “I’m sorry for snappin’ at you the way I did, an’ I hope you won’t punish Ryder for my inhospitality.”

Owlowiscious prefaced his response with a warm smile, kneeling down in front of Winona. “I’m not interested in punishing anybody, Ms. Earthwalker, and I can’t say your reaction was unreasonable, either. There’s nothing to forgive, but your apology is appreciated all the same.” Winona looked up to see Owlowiscious offering a wing to her. Relaxing visibly, she grasped it and then both rose back to their feet.

“I’m very happy to hear that,” she said. And then her expression brightened just a bit more, as if an idea had occurred to her. “Say, if y’all don’t plans for the rest of the evening, why doncha stay for supper? I mean, I still feel kinda bad for before, an’ I ain’t seen Ryder that happy t’ see another young’un in... sakes, I can’t even remember when. We got some spare futons, too, if’n y’all would like to stay th’ night, save some money on th’ inn.”

Owlowiscous looked up at the sky, and could not deny how late it had become. If he and Peewee left right then, they might make it back to the market and could find the inn before nightfall. Maybe. And safe though Taiyō-sen seemed, he wasn’t particularly keen on being caught in the dark.

“Ms. Earthwalker, we would be honored to be your guests tonight.”

Author's Note

I've changed to the method of sharing notes on terms and such to the format used in later chapters, so if you notice a discrepancy in their presentation, that's why. The inline method used here looks cleaner, I feel.

(*) The "buban" is not any actual currency. I actually do have a chart showing the different denominations and what they're worth, but I'm not completely happy with how they are divided, and in any case, it's not really relevant for the story.

Original author's notes below.

Can it be that it took me less than a month to write another chapter for something? It just took the right material, I guess. Oh, and of course, here are some supplement notes to go with the annotations above.

*: About 2.4 miles or 4 kilometers; roughly the distance that can be walked in one hour.
1: Fictional currency. I'm happy to share the exact breakdown, if you'd like.
2: "Haunts." Any of a multitude of supernatural creatures, including ghosts and shapeshifters.

Interlude 1

Wake up!

Owlowiscious jolted awake at the silent command, throwing his blanket off with one wing and grasping his sword with the other. There was no need for his eyes to adjust to the darkness; he had been asleep for several hours, and it was not close to morning yet. His surroundings included his sword and jacket, neatly folded beside the futon he was sleeping in, a second futon containing the still sleeping Peewee, a small lantern that had been put out hours ago, the wooden walls of the outside of Winona's house, and the two interior walls made of wood and paper, one with a sliding screen.

Aside from his own breathing, everything else was quiet.

Focusing for a moment, Owlowiscious reached out with his magic, the air around him wavering imperceptibly with carefully released power. And then he released his grip on his sword, stood and quietly made his way into the large main room, being sure to close the screen behind him. The main room reminded him of his own house, in a way, being large and square with a fire pit in the center, although unlike his, this was large enough to be effectively used on all four sides at once, and he imagined there must have been days or nights when the room was filled with family and friends. Not far from the fire, reduced to little more than a single, glowing ember, were three more futons. Two were occupied by Ryder and her grandmother, Granny Earthwalker (and as best as Owlowiscious had been able to deduce, her name actually was Granny Earthwalker). The third was suspiciously empty.

Moving quietly past them and to the screen at the front of the house, he slipped outside. A glance down the long porch to one side revealed only the night, but a glance to the other side revealed a figure sitting down on the steps that rose from the ground. Approaching quietly, he wove his magic one more time, conjuring a small, glowing orb from the aether, bathing the area in pale moonlight. The figure looked behind it when the glow appeared, surprised at being found.

“Owlowiscious?” Winona asked quietly, almost hissing. In an instant, her attention was drawn towards the orb that hovered near the owl's head as he walked. “Is, is that, f-fox fire?” Owlowiscious was still in the clothes he'd traveled in, but at some point, Winona had changed into a dark blue night robe, which she had pulled just a bit tighter when she realized she was no longer alone.

But to her question, Owlowiscious shook her head. “Kitsune-bi, what you call fox fire, is enchanted to draw you towards it once you see it. This is just a little trick so we don’t need a lantern.” With a careful flick of his wing, the orb departed from him and settled just outside the porch, floating in the air. “I’m sorry if my presence here is keeping you awake. You must have had an awful experience with the last one.”

“Not-not really. Last Demon Queller out here was, well, professional, I guess. Showed up, asked a couple o’ questions, poked ‘round a bit, an’ then he was gone.”

Owlowiscious considered that for a moment, and then asked, “Do you mind if I sit?” Winona slid further to one side, allowing the owl to take a seat beside her. “I really don’t want to pry, since it’s not my business, but why didn’t you tell him where it was? He would’ve been furious if he found out you were hiding it from him.”

The shock on Winona’s face said far more than her words probably could have. “How did... how did you...” she stammered.

“You mentioned it, whatever it was, when I asked about the last Demon Queller. Don’t you remember?”

Shock gave way to confusion, and then relief. “Oh,” Winona replied, turning her gaze towards the ground in front of her. “Yeah. I guess I did.”

“Your melancholy’s not because of the Demon Queller, is it? It’s because of the reason he was out here in the first place.”

In response, Winona drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly. I-I can't talk ‘bout that, Owlowiscious. I just can’t. Not with you, not with anybody. I just can’t.”

Owlowiscious watched Winona for a moment, and then with a sigh, turned his attention forward. Even with the dim light overhead, he could see Jindaiyama, or at least its outline in the distance. Heanvenspire was invisible in the night sky, and he noted that the moon was obscured by clouds and wonder if he might be able to see the city had it been visible. The thought of the moon drew his attention up to the floating orb of light, just above their heads. Looking up towards it, it looked like the full moon in the sky. He squeezed his eyes partway shut as he chased down another thought, and then a peaceful smile overtook his features. “Ms. Earthwalker —”

“Winona.” Momentary confusion was pushed away as the canine continued speaking. “I don’ care much for formalities, neither. If you’re jus’ Owlowiscious, then I’m jus’ Winona.”

“Well then, Winona, do you know the story of how the night came to be?” It was Winona’s turn to look confused, so Owlowiscious continued his line of thought. “The story of why you don’t see the sun and moon in the sky at the same time anymore.”

“Well...” Winona cocked her head to one side, trying to remember if she did know it or not. “No, I...” She looked up to the sky, seeing the glowing orb and how much it did look like the moon in the sky, before turning back to Owlowiscious. “Did they use t’ be?”

“Mmhm.” Owlowiscious shifted, angling himself to more fully face Winona, and then began the story. “Mukashi mukashi, long, long ago, before even the oldest of our ancestors walked on this earth, the Sun was the wife of the Moon, and they were always in the sky together, she performing her duties, and he, his. One day, the Sun’s cousin... well, her name doesn’t translate from its Classical form very smoothly, but Sustenance is pretty close. One day, Sustenance called for the Sun to join her for a feast, that they might discuss the future, and how they should guide the world. Unable to leave her duties, the Sun asked her husband, the Moon to go in her place, which he agreed to.

“When he arrived, Sustenance greeted him warmly and took him to the table. She then drank a small cup of water, and then spat out a boiled fish onto a plate.”

At this, Winona blanched. Owlowiscious just chuckled and continued his story.

“She then ate a pine needle, and spat out a roasted venison chop. A bit of daikon, and spat out vegetables, and finally a spikelet, and spat out rice into a bowl. The meal was absolutely exquisite, but the Moon was so disgusted by the way it was prepared that without even thinking, he drew his sword and cut Sustenance down where she stood.

“When the Sun found out what her husband had done, she was beside herself with fury. She condemned the Moon, vowing to never look upon him again, and then moved to a different part of the sky. Since then, the Sun and Moon have not been seen together in the sky. He would still plead with her though, sometimes appearing just above the horizon while she was high in the sky, begging her for forgiveness. After a very long time, she finally relented, and invited him to join her in the sky. While she was performing her duties, he came up to join her and visited her for a time before she sent him away again. He asked if he could return to her again later, and she agreed to consider it. Thus, we sometimes see the Moon just above the horizon in the day, when he pleads to be allowed to visit her, and rarely, we see him come out to visit with her during the day, which is where the eclipse comes from.”

A few moments of silence passed while Winona considered the story she'd heard. “Well, thanks for sharin’ that with me, Owlowiscious. But I can’t help but think there’s a lesson in there that I’m not quite hearin’.”

“Once, the Sun and Moon were always together,” Owlowiscious began, raising one primary feather from each wing towards the sky and bringing them together. “But a terrible event drove them apart.” His wings separated. “But after a time of contemplation and inner struggle, reconciliation brought them together again, however briefly.” Once more, his wings rejoined, and then he dropped them back down, folding them over one leg. “After a terrible thing happens, reconciliation, either with another or with yourself, however large or small it might be, only comes with time. Maybe today, you can’t talk about what happened. Maybe not tomorrow, either, or the day after, or the day after, or the day after. But one day, you’ll be ready, and on that day, you’ll be able to move past what happened.”

For another few moments, Winona was quiet, watching the ground in front of her. And then, a smile, however small, crept across her muzzle. “Peewee’s gonna turn into a fine young man, if that’s th’ kind o’ tutorin’ he gets from you.” And then, she leaned over and embraced the owl firmly. “Thanks.”

Owlowiscious was stunned for a moment, but then returned the embrace for a few seconds before he broke it. “I should get back to bed,” he said, rising from his seat on the step. “And so should you. We both still have plenty of work before the celebration. Good night, Winona.”

“Yeah. G’night, Owlowiscious.” Their farewells said, Owlowiscious turned and walked back towards the entrance before he was interrupted.

“Hey, Owlowiscious?”

The owl looked back over his shoulder with a ‘hm.’ Winona took in a deep breath before she continued speaking. “When I finally get ‘round t’ talkin’ t’ someone ‘bout what happened, d’you s’pose maybe I could talk t’ you?”

Owlowiscious smiled widely. “Of course. At worst, I’ll only be a letter away, or come find me in Heavenspire. The city guards all know where to find me.” One out of place detail caught his eyes, and with a wave of his wing, the glowing orb of light dissipated into nothingness. “Good night, again.”

With that final farewell, Owlowiscious entered the house again, and then stealthily returned to the futon he was sleeping on. For a few moments, he reflected on the moment of unity he shared with Winona, and how it contrasted with many of his interactions with the administrators in Heavenspire. As he drifted back to sleep, he noted than maybe coming to Taiyō-sen was something he needed as much as Peewee did.

Author's Note

The story within this story is a retelling of actual mythology.

Anyone who read this Interlude (and/or the previous chapter) before the revisions I've made has probably noticed a difference in the way Winona's speech is presented; namely that while the extraneous contractions are left in, the deliberate misspellings of various words are not. I feel this is easier to read while still keeping the character and spirit of how she speaks.

Chapter 3

“Rats?!” Winona exclaimed, almost spilling her soup. “Three weeks o’ agonizing over the sounds in th’ walls o’ some old house, o’ being afraid to sleep because they thought yōkai might get them, an’ it was rats?”

Owlowiscious had been recounting one of his adventures over breakfast; a simple but delicious affair of rice, miso soup, pickled cucumbers and soft-boiled eggs. Despite her advanced age, Granny Earthwalker was still nothing short of a master when it came to food.

“Rats,” Owlowiscious repeated, raising the last of his cucumber to his beak with his chopsticks. “I don’t mean to deride ‘country folk,’ but that’s exactly what it was in this case. The further you get from the cities, and accordingly, the less education there is, the more likely people are to assume supernatural causes when an explanation for something isn’t readily apparent. This village was especially unlucky because they didn’t even have a priest to try an exorcism. They didn’t even think to try burning the thing down because they were afraid of upsetting some spirit or demon.”

“Yup, that sounds ‘bout right for us country folk,” Granny added. “Livin’ ‘round here long as I have, I know better now, but when I was jus’a li’l girl out t’ th’ east, I saw yōkai in mos’ everythin’ I set eyes on!”

“Well, interestin’ as that is, I do believe that y’all got plenty o’ errands planned out for th’ day,” Winona said. “Don't y’all think you outta get a move on?”

“You are, of course, absolutely right Winona. Come along Peewee.” Placing his bowl on the floor by the fire pit, Owlowiscious gave a low bow and then rose to his feet, Peewee mimicking him. “Thanks for allowing us to stay here the night, for dinner, or supper last night, and breakfast this morning. If we’re able to, I hope we might see all of you again before we go back to Heavenspire.”

“Well, I hope so too. G’bye, Owlowiscious,” Winona said as owl and phoenix picked up and donned their jackets.

“Don’t either o’ ya be strangers now, y’hear?” Granny followed as they picked up their bags.

“Bye Mister Nightwatch! By Peewee!” Ryder added as Owlowiscious slid the screen to the front of the house opened.

“Bye Miss Earthwalker! Bye Ryder! Bye Granny!” Peewee replied as he and Owlowiscious stepped outside.

“Goodbye, everyone," Owlowiscious finished as he slid the screen shut. “We should visit here as often as possible, my small friend.”

“Owlowiscious?” Peewee asked. “Are those soldiers out there?”

Owlowiscious looked towards where they were walking. Just as Peewee had suggested, further down the road, although still well within the farmlands, was a contingent of soldiers.

“What.” Owlowiscious said. A moment later, more of his wits were about him. “What!” he demanded of no one in particular before immediately starting down the porch rapidly. “Peewee, come on. We have to find out wha —”

BONK!

“Yow!”

The sound and exclamation all matched perfectly with the pain that appeared in the top of Owlowiscious’s head the instant he left the porch. Even as he tried to rub it away, he had no need to turn around to know who his assailant was; the mirthful laughter gave everything away.

“Gone for a day, and already your dairokkan is getting dull. You’ll never survive the first week of your eventual retirement!”

Scowling, Owlowiscious turned around to confront the bearded bear who was his friendly antagonist, standing just around the corner of the house’s outer wall where he couldn't have been seen.

“Lieutenant Bearington!” Peewee all but scrambled up Lantier’s leg, he was standing so close. “I didn’t know you we're going to be here! Are you staying long? Are you here on a secret mission?”

As expected, Lantier laughed again. “It’s good to see you too, Little Wing. Keeping the wise old owl out of trouble?”

“What is goin’ on out here?”

All three turned their attention to the newly arrived fourth, finding Winona hurrying down the porch towards them. “I heard yellin’. Y’all okay?”

“Everything’s fine, Winona,” Owlowiscious said in an attempt to placate the agitated farmer. “Just the Lieutenant’s idea of a joke. I suspect his beard has finally addled his brain.”

“Lieutenant?” Coming to a stop, Winona finally took a good look at Lantier, dressed in his armor and carrying a spear. “Oh,” she said, suddenly looking less than pleased. “Sorry, Owlowiscious. I didn’t realize you brought soldiers with you.”

“Neither did I,” Owlowiscious replied. The throbbing in his head finally subsided enough that he didn’t feel the need to rub it anymore. “Speaking of soldiers, I assume you have some explanation for having your men out here in force, Lieutenant. These people have been through enough, fussing over the preparations for tomorrow. They don’t need armed soldiers ransacking their homes too.”

The apparent implications of that possibility set Winona instantly on edge, but Lantier just laughed it off. “Just a quick look for obvious contraband, nothing more. They even have standing orders to wipe their feet before entering. After that’s done, though, I don’t expect we’ll have much to do. I don't suppose you have any ideas, Master Nightwatch?"

Owlowiscious quirked his brow for a moment, and then a mischievous grin spread across his face. “As a matter of fact, I do,” he said. “Winona, what would your neighbors say to a few extra extras hands around the fields today?”

That, it seemed, was simply too much for poor Winona. “Oh! Erm, no, we couldn’t. That is t’ say, I mean, they’re soldiers, an’ all, an’ it’s messy, dirty work we do here.”

“Nonsense!” Lantier's bellowing reply brought Winona as close to terrified as Owlowiscious had ever seen in the brief time he knew her. “Farm work is good for the soul. It enhances the constitution and improves the demeanor. Without farm work, I wouldn’t be half the man I am today.”

“So much about you suddenly makes sense,” Owlowiscious muttered. No one paid him any mind. Winona certainly didn’t, her demeanor turned to smiles in an instant.

“Well, if’n that’s th’ case, I don’t figure anyone’s gonna mind some extra help,” she said. “We’re happy t’ have you, Lieutenant....”

“Bearington. Lantier Bearington, at your service,” said the Lieutenant with a bow.

“Winona Earthwalker, at yours.”

“I’m glad that you two are getting on so well,” Owlowiscious interjected, reaching into his bag and withdrawing his list. “But Peewee and I have quite a bit left to do and not nearly enough time unless we get going right now. Winona, I don’t suppose you might know who we should see regarding, erm.” A quick check revealed he still needed to see to...

“Weather preparations?”

“Hm.” Winona scratched her head in thought, briefly. “Well, I reckon there’s a couple o’ folks it might be, but you should probably check with Tank. He lives in the big compound with the wall ‘round it on the east side o’ th’ village. Can’t miss it.”

A compound with a wall was not the sort of thing Owlowiscious expected to find in Taiyō-sen, and he couldn’t help but wonder what the wall was for as he stowed his checklist back in his bag. “Well, he sounds like a peculiar fellow, but I rather like peculiar. It should be interesting meeting him.”

Winona gave a wry smile at that. “Yeah. Interestin’. That’s what it’ll be, why not?”

Owlowiscious quirked his brow, but let the comment slide. “We should probably be going,” he said. “We still have plenty left to do and only one more day to do it. Any advice for speaking with, erm, Tank?”

“Well, he's mighty proud o’ his many accomplishments, as he likes t’ call ‘em. Try not t’ draw his attention to one of ‘em or y’all will be there all day listenin’ t’ him gab,” replied Winona. “Y'all comin’ by for supper? That’s an invitation, case you was wonderin’.”

“We’ll try, but even if we miss it, we'll likely still be back around sundown. I owe the Sparrow Union(*) money, and you know how fast news travels with them. Better not to take a chance with the inn. Maybe I’ll tell you about it when we get back.” With that, Owlowiscious took a moment to adjust the strap of his bag and then turned toward the road. “So long.”

"Bye again, Miss Earthwalker! Bye Lieutenant!" added Peewee before hurrying to catch up.

Their farewells said, owl and phoenix set off down the road back towards the village.

(*): Coalition of sparrow families and houses, famous for their hospitality to guests and ruthlessness to debtors.

Later....

Owlowiscious had been expecting a low wall around the compound. Something to keep animals from wandering in. He certainly was not expecting a solid construction of stone towering over ten shaku tall. The massive wooden gates blocking the way in did not do much to convince him that he and Peewee were not standing outside of a fortress.

What had captured his attention most, however, was the large brass crank protruding from the wall next to the gate, and just as perplexing, the sign next to the crank that did little to alleviate the mystery of the situation even as Owlowiscious read from it.

“Turn crank at moderate speed until needle rises to green area. Continue turning crank until gate opens. Enter before gate closes.”

For several moments, neither Owlowiscious nor Peewee said a word as they stared at the crank, the silence finally broken by the owl heaving a heavy sigh. “Well, why not?” he asked nobody in particular. “It’s not the most unusual thing I’ve been asked to do.” Briefly stretching, he grasped the crank with both wings and, with some difficulty, got it to start turning. The act became easier with each turn, and before long, he could hear a low hum accompanying the activity.

“It’s moving, Owlowiscious!” Peewee exclaimed. “It’s moving fast! You’re almost there!”

A few seconds later, the gates began swinging inward with a sound like metal rollers turning. Releasing the crank, Owlowiscious followed Peewee inside, wondering briefly what sort of mechanism operated the gates. His attention was quickly drawn to the compound they had entered, however, when he realized that there didn’t seem to be enough buildings to warrant the use of a wall. There was a small structure to one side of the large courtyard that looked to be of simple construction; most likely, it was a house, although it could scarcely have been large enough for more than a single occupant with minimal amenities. In some fashion, that made the purpose of the large outdoor space a bit more obvious. If this ‘Tank’ fellow did much entertaining, it must have been primarily outdoors.

More interesting was the structure on the other side of the compound from the small one. It was substantially larger, but more striking was the fact that it appeared to be made largely from stone rather than wood, as was typical of most structures that weren’t intended to be fortresses. There were no outward signs to give away the structure’s purpose, but the smoke billowing from a flue near one end implied that it was presently occupied. With nowhere else to go, Owlowiscious made his way towards it, beckoning Peewee to follow.

The doors — wood reinforced with iron bands — posed a solid obstacle. Owlowiscious raised one wing and, curling his feathers in an approximation of a fist, hammered on the doors as hard as he could. Several seconds passed without a response, and finally, he grasped one of the large rings suspended from the iron bands and, noting that the door appeared to slide, pulled it to the side enough to allow Peewee and himself entry.

“Get down!”

Without a second thought, Owlowiscious threw himself on top of the phoenix, dropping them both to the ground as a streak of light, heat and sparks shot over their heads and out into the courtyard. A moment later, the relative quiet outside was shattered by an explosion.

Owlowiscious looked at the resulting cloud of smoke with a mixture of awe and worry. If they had been hit by that....

“Well!”

The owl's attention was then drawn back into the stone building, and to the large tortoise that was ambling towards them. Whatever clothes he might have been wearing were obscured by the heavy brown and black (likely from scorching) leather apron he wore, concealing his entire front. A pair of heavy leather gloves and heavy goggles over his eyes completed his outfit, whatever it was. Bits and pieces that became visible to Owlowiscious through the smoke revealed various tools, many of which he couldn't immediately guess the use of. “Won’t be using those fuses again.”

“Good! You could have hurt or killed one of us!” Owlowiscious shouted, pulling himself back to his feet. “What were you thinking?”

The tortoise stopped in front of him and stood his ground. “Well, I was thinking that nobody was going to throw the gate open when I was working with potentially dangerous and flammable substances.”

Logic took hold in Owlowiscious’ mind immediately. “Oh,” he said. “Yes, I suppose that makes sense. I do hope you’ll allow me to apologize then. This is my fault.”

The tortoise just waved his words off. “No one was hurt, and now you know.”

“Um, sir?”

Both Owlowiscious and the tortoise looked down at a pensive Peewee. “You're, erm, you’re on fire,” he said, pointing at the tortoise's arm.

“Hm?” The tortoise followed Peewee's direction to the small flame that had sprung up on one of his gloves. “Oh.” With neither fanfare nor urgency, he simply swatted the flame out, double-checked that he was no longer in immediate danger, and then pushed his goggles up to his forehead. “Any case, don’t think I’ve seen either of you around before. Visitors from afar, come to purchase some soon-to-be-famous fireworks from soon-to-be-famous me? Looking for a contraption? Need directions?”

“None of those, actually. I’m Owlowiscious Nightwatch, and this is Phineus Wilhelm, from Heavenspire. By chance, would you be “Tank?’”

“Ha! I knew you two were here to get fireworks!” The tortoise exclaimed before settling down. “Or maybe a contraption. Any case, you got it right. Donson Atello at your service. Most folks call me Tank.”

“Oh, good. We were hoping we’d find you, actually. You see, we're here to inspect the preparations for tomorrow, and I understand you might be in charge of the weather preparations.”

Even as Owlowiscious started speaking, Tank began to smile, and by the time Owlowiscious had finished, Tank's smile was bordering on maniacal. “Got it covered,” he said, hurrying back into his workshop. The smoke, although it was beginning to clear, still obscured whatever he was doing, and Owlowiscious and Peewee were forced to wait with only the sounds of metal being moved around to accompany them.

When Tank finally did return, he was carrying what was easily the largest firework rocket either of them had ever seen; nearly as tall as he was. The sky blue paper holding it together did nothing to prevent them from rapidly backing out of the doors where it was safe. Safer, at least. Nevertheless, he had managed to arouse their curiosity, since it was in no way clear what this had to do with ‘weather preparations.’

“Don’t worry, this one is totally safe,” Tank said. “Just sit back. You’re going to love this.”

Their curiosity was only aroused further as Tank, carrying the almost comically large firework across his back, walked almost halfway across the yard of his compound — almost one hundred shaku away — before planting it in the ground, striking a match, lighting the fuse, and then turning and sprinting back to his company as fast as Owlowiscious could recall ever seeing a tortoise run. The need for this became obvious when the firework suddenly covered the ground in an especially large cloud of smoke as it went streaking up into the sky, far higher than most fireworks would, and then exploding in a burst of white smoke and sound, although without the trademark colors usually associated with pyrotechnics.

The firework detonating would not have been noteworthy were it not for the very obvious ripples that spread throughout the sky from the epicenter of the burst. Moments later, the few clouds that were in the sky, even those that had not been near the explosion, began to quickly dissipate until there was nothing left but clear blue at least as far as the borderlands around Taiyō-sen.

Owlowiscious and Peewee were silent for a moment, mouths agape, and then they both broke into smiles.

“Wow!” cried Peewee.

“Incredible!” exclaimed Owlowiscious.

“Ha! Knew you'd like that! Took me a while to get the composition just right, but once I got past that particular hurdle, it works every time. All three times I’ve tried it so far,” Tank replied. “It doesn’t really seem to work when it’s raining, but this way, I can make sure it doesn’t start raining until after the Empress goes back to Heavenspire.

“So. How cool was that?”

“Cool?” Owlowiscious asked, taking his attention away from the sky and turning it back to Tank. After a moment, he realized what he was being asked. “You just cleared every cloud from the sky without using any sort of obvious magic, and you’re worried about whether or not it was sufficiently cool?”

“Well, sure. Maybe if this was just some big name from Heavenspire, it’d be a different story, but this is the Empress of Light coming to see my sky. It has to be perfect.”

Owlowiscious regarded Tank for a moment, and then turned his attention back to the sky. “Then lay your concerns to rest,” he finally said, looking once more to Tank. “Because ‘perfect’ is the only word I can think to describe it.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that. And speaking of things that are perfect....”

Owlowiscious followed Tank’s gaze over his shoulder, and was immediately forced to do everything he could to keep his wits about him. Somewhere in the middle of Tank’s demonstration he had gained a third visitor. She was of the cat tribe, and she was beautiful. Her white fur was clean, smooth and immaculately brushed. The robe she wore was perfectly straightened and dark blue — so dark that it might well have been the color of a deep lake — with embroidery of a frog on a lily pad underneath the branches of a willow tree. The lids of her eyes were brushed delicately with a pale, violet shadow, and the sun was kept off her shoulders by a deep, purple parasol. She carried herself with the dignity and grace that suggested a noble upbringing, but without the haughty disdain that frequently marked a noble upbringing. Owlowiscious wasn’t even aware that he was gawking.

“Why, dearest Tank, I didn’t know you’d taken to entertaining guests,” she said, her voice just so that Owlowiscious needed a few extra moments to shake himself out of his stupor. “I’d have come by later if I did.”

“Oh, don’t be silly, babe,” Tank remarked. “You’re always welcome here, and actually, your timing is perfect. Pretty sure that Hoots and Shorty here were going to be looking for you, next.”

Another moment passed before Owlowscious, scowling hard, turned his eyes on Tank. “What did you just call me?”

“They’re here seeing folks about the celebration tomorrow, something about making sure everything is just right. And since you're the one in charge of the adornments, and decorations, and what-have-you in the pavilion, you’re the one they’ll be needing to see, and such.”

That was enough to refocus Owlowiscious on the matter at hand. “Oh, uh, yes, that would be correct. I think.” A beat, and then Owlowiscious cleared his throat. “What I mean to say is that I’m Owlowiscious Nightwatch, and this young fellow beside me is Phineus Wilhelm, of Heavenspire. We’re here, as Mister Atello said, to inspect various aspects of the celebration tomorrow, just to make sure... well, essentially just to make sure nothing catches fire unless it’s supposed to. Which, after meeting our tank-ish friend here, suddenly seems like a very legitimate concern.”

“Oh, fear not. Tank is hardly a danger to anyone but himself. But enough of him. I am Opal Essence, a humble artist here in Taiyō-sen.”

“Ha! Humble is right,” Tank practically shouted. “She’s the best there is from Taiyō-sen to Heavenspire, leads the Artists’ Union here, and her beauty is second only to the Empress. But you’d never known any of that if you asked her about it.”

“Tank, please, you're making me blush!” Despite her claims, however, Opal was clearly basking in the praise. “Besides, if these gentlemen really are here to inspect our work, I’m sure they’d rather see it than listen to us talk about it.”

“Yes, yes, that would be good, I think.” Owlowiscious looked down to Peewee for further agreement, only to find the phoenix still locked in a lovestruck stupor. A stupor which was quickly and effectively ended with a light slap to the back of his head.

“Yow! Uh, yes! Quite right, and wot wot!” Peewee said quickly. Before screwing his face up in contemplation. “What are we talking about?”

Owlowiscious chuckled. “Don’t worry about it, Peewee. We're going to go oversee more of the preparations with Miss Essence.”

“Oh. Cool!”

“Cool indeed. Miss Essence, if you wouldn't mind leading the way. And perhaps, you'll tell us how you managed to let yourself in without making so much as a sound?”

“Ha!” All eyes moved to Tank. “Good luck with that. I’ve been asking her for as long as I've known her how she manages that.”

All eyes moved back to Opal, who only cocked her head to one side demurely. “A girl must have some secrets." With only a smirk, she turned and made her way back towards the gate. Owlowiscious and Peewee nodded their farewells to Tank, and then followed Opal while the tortoise returned to his work.

Even later....

Owlowiscious’ concerns about the pavilion had been simple ones. Too much color, or too many adornments had been chief among them. His concerns turned out, to his relief, to be unfounded.

“I naturally intend no offense, Miss Essence, but I had been expecting there to be more,” he said. “I expected there would be too much, truthfully. But this? What you’ve guided the creation of? This is perfect.”

The perfection he beheld in the pavilion was the placement on either side of the raised stage of a white and red banner depicting the sunrise; another symbol of Empress Philomena. The rest of the pavilion was decorated with hanging scrolls that were neither extremely large, nor incredibly ornate, but simple and honest in the manner one might expect of a peasant village; watercolors and ink washes depicting butterflies, cherry blossoms, and chrysanthemums.

“It's very kind of you to say so, Mister Nightwatch,” Opal replied, turning her head away in playful shyness. “I confess, at first, I was planning to do more. Much, much more. But as I came to consider our options, I realized that the Empress must surely see large displays in Heavenspire all year-round. Displays exalting her glory above all. If this celebration is to be truly memorable, it's presentation should be unexpected. This, what you see now, is what it should be.”

“And how is it you decided that this was what it should be?” Owelowiscious asked.

“Well, as you well know, the Maiden of Flames was a warrior without equal. But I’ve met a few warriors, and without fail, no matter how great their skill, no matter how glorious their battles, it’s not often that they recall that first,” Opal replied. “I only have stories as my guide, but first and foremost, the Maiden fought because she pitied our lot in life. She fought for us. I imagine that, what the Empress thinks of first when she remembers those days is not the glory or heat of battle, but those who fought alongside her. Those who fell fighting with her.

“It just seemed to me that this celebration should remember more than just the battles to save the land, more than the Empress we still have. It should be a celebration of the strength and courage of those who aren’t here anymore to see the great and enduring empire they helped to forge. They shouldn’t feel left behind.” For a moment, her mood threatened to turn melancholy, and Owlowiscious saw his chance.

“Kaeru,” he said.

“Hm?” Opal's attention was back on him, rather than whatever was threatening to cause her grief.

“I was just commenting on your robe,” Owlowiscious replied. “Normally, you see a swallow paired with the willow tree. Grace and good luck coming together to create happiness. I don’t think I’ve seen a frog with a willow tree, before.”

“Hmph,” Opal said with an almost shy grin. “I suppose it’s no surprise. You were educated in Heavenspire, after all. But although I do like to think of myself as graceful, it’s neither good luck nor happiness I desire. Not now, at least. All I truly desire is to return home, some day. Everyone must have a dream.”

“Dreams are part of what makes life worth living, Miss Essence. You are graceful, elegant, kind, supremely talented in a great many things, from what I’ve seen, and have that spark of dedication that will carry you far. Wherever home might be, I’m certain you’ll find your way there again.”

Opal’s smile became less shy and more content in that moment. “It’s very kind of you to say so, Mister Nightwatch.”

“Owlowiscious?”

Both Owlowiscious and Opal turned their attention downward to Peewee, who looked unexpectedly worried. “There's something happening outside.”

With his attention refocused, Owlowiscious realized that Peewee was right. Through the open pavilion doors, he could hear what sounded distinctly like shouting. It wasn’t clear what was being shouted or by whom, but it sounded especially fervent. The already large crowd that had gathered was doing nothing to alleviate his developing concerns.

“Miss Essence, do you have any idea what might be happening out there?” he asked, looking to the cat.

Unfortunately, she only shook her head in response. “I’m afraid I don’t. I haven’t been here as long as some, but I don’t recall anything like this ever happening. But if that shouting is really as angry as it sounds, it can’t be anything good.”

“I suppose we ought to investigate, all the same.” Without waiting for agreement, Owlowiscious started towards the exit.

None of the adventures he’d had in the past had done anything to prepare him for what waited outside the pavilion.

Author's Note

Not much to add here. The changes made so far have been largely cosmetic. Next chapter is unlikely to have significant revisions, but will probably have noticeable ones.

Original Author's Notes Below:

Honest question: Is anyone bothered by the amount of whitespace this story seems to have?

*: "Sixth sense"; more accurately, "warrior's intuition"
1: Coalition of sparrow families and houses, most commonly associated with inns (whether owning or just working in them). Nobody is better at hospitality than sparrows (most inns have at least one sparrow in them), but at the same time, no one is more tenacious about collecting on debts.
2: A unit of length, equal to about 1 foot/30 centimeters
3: A unit of length, equal to 10 shaku

Chapter 4

"You are deceived, people of Taiyō-sen! You are fed lies like rice to blind you to the truth of the false goddess sitting on the mountain throne! I have heard and come bearing a message from the gods, commanding you to free yourself from the blinders and take back what has been stolen from you!"

It was so far an impressive speech, full of fire and passion. And one that Owlowiscious could not directly witness from the back of the crowd. "Who is that? Do you know?" he asked of Opal. Unfortunately, she looked just as lost as he felt.

"I don't. And I don't understand. Nothing like this has ever happened before, to the best of my knowing. But he can't be from Taiyō-sen. I've never met anyone here who doesn't hold the Empress in the highest of regards!"

"A suspicious occurrence, for sure." Once more, Owlowiscious tried to see over the crowd, but without flying, it would be impossible. "If I could only-"

Suddenly, he realized that he and his companions were less alone than they had been. Turning quickly to the side, he was faced with the alligator at the market the day before. Owlowiscious' eyes blinked, once. The alligator's eyes blinked, one, slightly out of sync with each other. And then, he grabbed Owlowiscious by the shoulders.

"H-hey!"

Without warning, Owlowiscious was suddenly hefted up over the alligator's head and in the blink of an eye, was zig-zagging over the heads of the crowd. Mere moments later, he was all but dropped back to his feet. Immediately, he spun to look behind him and, perhaps more importantly, to glare at the one who had moved and deposited him without permission. He saw the crowd looking perplexed at his sudden appearance in front of them. He saw that despite the energetic and somewhat violent method he was moved by, no one in the crowd had been shoved out of place. And in the back of the crowd, he saw the alligator, standing next to a surprised but not especially perplexed looking Opal, giving him an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

It was an amazing demonstration of his willpower that Owlowiscious managed to turn back around to address the 'messenger of the gods' and quash the desire to ask the dozens of questions that hoped to address exactly what had just happened to him.

"And lo, does the deceiver's servant appear to silence the truth!" the messenger shouted. What struck Owlowiscious as most unusual was that he was a sparrow, and while sparrows were up to many things, political dissent had not previously been one of them. Certainly, it would not have been anything so overt or incendiary. Furthermore, the white robes and black sash he wore was an obvious mockery of the same clothes frequently worn by the Empress. If he was looking to start a fight, what more could he have been doing to stoke tempers?

"What will you do, o slave to the false Sun? Irons? Some trick of magic? Perhaps you'll just run me through and be done with it!"

The crowd, already incensed, was getting angrier, but was also growing apprehensive now that everyone widely know that Owlowiscious was apparently sent there by the Empress. Combined with the soldiers that had arrived and moved through the village earlier, it was leaving them on edge, even if it would have made sense to them in hindsight.

Closing his eyes momentarily, the Demon Queller focused his magic. When he opened his eyes again, it was like the world around him had become a water color painting, lines and colors standing in sharper contrast to each other. But most importantly, as he stepped closer to the sparrow claiming to carry a message from the gods, he could see clearly that his face bore no markings of evil. Owlowiscious closed his eyes again, this time opening them to find the world returned to normal.

"I'm just here to warn you that there are Imperial soldiers in the village today," he said both calmly and casually. "And I can promise that at least a few of them will react poorly if they hear you speaking this way. Do what you will, but I advise against causing trouble."

That was all he had to say to the messenger, and he turned to the crowd next. "As for the rest of you, I know that what he says is upsetting, but I advise you pay him no mind. Let him realize on his own that no one cares to hear his message."

And that was all he had to say on the matter. He simply walked back to where he had originally emerged from the crowd, which was now giving him a wide berth, and back to where he'd started from. The messenger continued speaking, albeit with slightly less fire than he'd had previously. Likely, he meant to disparage Owlowiscious' courage or conviction, but the owl had relegated him to unpleasant background noise and remained largely calm. Opal, however, had not done the same; she was livid.

"That was it?" she demanded.

Owlowiscious looked from Opal back to the self-proclaimed messenger of the gods, then down to the ground, brow tightly knit in thought, and then back to Opal before offering, somewhat weakly, "Yes?"

"Well, he- you- Argh!" The feline attempted to wring out the handle of her parasol in frustration. "Do something! Arrest him! I don't care what you do but do something!"

"Even if it were within my power to arrest him, what do you propose I arrest him for?" Owlowiscious asked very seriously. "Making a spectacle of himself in public? If there were a law forbidding that, every street performer in Animalia would be imprisoned right now."

"He spoke against the Empress! Your Empress! Insulted her!"

"And again, there is no law forbidding such a thing. The only thing that prohibits us from doing exactly what he did is our respect for the bounds of good taste, and you and I both know that such concepts are lost on him."

"So that's it, then?" Opal deanded once more. "You're just going to stand by and do nothing? Say nothing? From our conversation earlier, I had thought you regarded the Empress as a friend, but now I see that impression was mistaken!

"And you!" She practically whirled on Peewee, glaring daggers at him. "Aren't you going to say anything? What is he even teaching you to make you stay silent at a time like this?"

The phoenix withered under her gaze and looked to Owlowiscious for help. But there was no rescue. Rather, his tutor smiled encouragingly and nodded, and small though the help was, Peewee managed to stand up a bit straighter. "He taught that laws have to be applied equally," he said with carefully measured words, "Or not applied at all, or else they have no meaning." Another look to Owlowiscious was met with another nod and a gesture to continue, and he stood up straighter still. "And that no matter what I become in my life, I have to be ready at all times to defend those around me from those who would abuse the law, no matter what they became in their lives. Even if I should meet thieves, or murderers, or oni(*), or bakemono(1), it's my duty to make sure the law is applied equally. Even if I have to use a sword to do it."

There were several moments of silence before Opal spoke again, and when she finally did, all she could say at first was, "Oh."

After she'd taken a few moments to interpret what Peewee had said, she managed to say, "Oh.

"I didn't, I just... oh, no...."

All pretense of anger had washed away, replaced by worry and even a bit of grief. Without wasting a moment, Opal dropped to her knees and bowed as low to Owlowiscious as she dared without touching her face to the ground. "Mister Nightwatch, please, please allow me to apologize," she pleaded. "I assumed much more than I should have, and insulted both you for your actions, and the Empress for placing her trust in you. I've committed a terrible error."

Before she could say anything else, Opal felt a comforting wing on her shoulder, and looked up to find Owlowiscious kneeling next to her. Not smiling, but not angry either. "Miss Essence, I won't say your words weren't hurtful, but I understand them," he said. "It's plain to see that you hold the Empress in high regards, and you were looking for some way to defend her when you felt you couldn't. An admirable trait, if a bit overzealous in this case. Now, up with you. Your robes are getting dirty."

Taking his when when offered, both Owlowiscious and Opal rose back to their feet, the matter mostly settled. "Thank you for understanding, Mister Nightwatch, but I feel I should take my leave of you now. We both have work yet to do, and I feel I've distracted you long enough." Opal took the opportunity to begin leaving, but Owlowscious once again laid on a wing on her shoulder to stop her.

"Miss Essence, I've a proposition to make," Owlowiscious said. "Why don't you take Peewee with you, as your assistant? He's quite good at it, I think." Before Opal could either agree or protest, Owlowiscious raised a wing to stop her. "There are three reasons why I brought him with me. The first and chief reason is because I enjoy his company very much." At that, the phoenix's smile grew brighter. "The second is because I felt having an assistant would benefit me, and it has. But the third reason is because the Empress felt very strongly that begin confined to Heavenspire would severely inhibit his own ability to experience the world, and I'm inclined to agree. Much though I enjoy his company, I think both his learning and enjoyment will be greater if he follows you for the remainder of the day. Until dinner time, at least."

"Oh. Well, I..." Opal began, casting a look down at Peewee. In turn, he was looking up at her, expression excited and eyes full of hope. She folded almost immediately. "I think that's a wonderful idea! What about you, Phineus? Can I count of you to help?"

"You bet, Miss Essence!" Peewee exclaimed with a small hop in the air. "I'll be the best assistant you'll ever have!"

Opal smiled widely and warmly. Oh, the exuberance of youth. "Come along, then. We've so much yet to do and so little time!"

"Before you go, Miss Essence?"

Both Opal and Peewee turned their attention back to Owlowiscious. "I still have my own tasks to see to. Do you know who will be performing tomorrow's blessing? I understand that Taiyō-sen has a shrine, but I haven't seen where it might be."

"Ah, of course. That would be Priest Nousagi. He's probably at the shrine you haven't seen, on the outskirts of the village. Go towards the farms, but take the right fork instead of the left. You can't miss it."

Owlowiscious nodded his understanding. "I do hope we'll meet again before I depart," he said, "Peewee, I'll see you for dinner. Look after Miss Essence for me, and stay out of trouble."

"I will, Owlowiscious! Abayo!"

As he turned to leave, Owlowiscious heard Opal repeat to Peewee, "Abayo?"

"It means like, 'so long,'" the phoenix replied, "Owlowiscious knows a lot of Classical words, and he teaches me some of them. I don't have any brothers, but I like to pretend that he's mine."

With a slightly large smile, the owl set off for the shrine.

Soon after....

With gentle grace, Owlowiscious touched back down on the road. With his inability to fly, Peewee had been slowing him down, even if the company more than made up for it. But taking to the mostly empty skies shortly after reaching the edge of the village, he saw that Opal was right; the shrine really was difficult to miss, at least from the ground. Had he not been looking for it while flying, he well may have missed it. A path led off the road shortly before forking. The path to the right led up a small hill and ultimately to what looked to be an earth mound house that had been burrow directly into the hillside. The rounded wooden door and rounded windows looking out, as well as the clay chimey jutting a short distance up from one side of the mound marked the architecture as a style from the far west; it stood to reason that Priest Nousagi was a rabbit.

The path to the left led through a small gap in a grove of trees, through which Owlowiscious could see a fleck of red paint through the leaves. Stepping through the gap led to a path that was rougher than the one leading off the road, moving straight through the trees and small shrubs that filled the grove. At the end of the path was the fleck of red paint he saw; the trees had been obscuring a large torii(2). Next to it was a small, stone basin with three wooden dippers resting atop it, and now the sound of running water could be clearly heard. This was the entrance to the shrine.

Stepping up to the basin and grasping one of the dippers, Owlowiscious filled it with water and, careful of how much he was using, washed the tip of his left wing, and then the right. Folding the primaries of his left wing tightly enough to hold water, he poured a bit from the dipper in to the cup he'd formed, and then poured the water from his wing into his mouth, swished three times, and spit it out. Finally, he turned the dipper upwards, allowing the last of the water in it to wash down its handle, before replacing it on the basin. Only then did he pass through the torii, deliberately avoiding walking down the center of it.

The shrine grounds were themselves a garden that reminded Owlowiscious a bit of the Imperial Gardens, although only insofar as it was a designated space where nature could grow without fear of being cut back by civilization. There was a small, dirt path from the torii he passed through to a second, smaller torii that marked the entrance to the shrine itself. The ground surrounding the path was covered in fluffy, green moss, and several trees spaced unevenly through the garden stretched upwards towards the sky, their leaves and branches providing shelter. The right side was blocked in by a stone cliff, fifteen shaku high- the one on which the priest's house was. A small watefall cascaded down it into a brook that wound in front of the shrine before joining the larger stream which served as the border to the garden's left. Likely, that stream not only kept the basin outside filld with water, but also was essential to the farmers for their crops. Over the stream, Owlowiscious could see the border of Mei-Shinrin, the Dark Wood. But though said to be full of yōkai, from there it seemed no more dangerous than any of the dozens of unhaunted forests he'd seen in his travels.

Approaching the shrine, which seemed to be cut into the earth itself and lit with two small fires by the entrance, Owowliscious crossed a small footbridge that carried him over the brook and left him just in front of the inner torii. With quiet practice, he removed his bag and placed it on the moss just outside of the torii, careful not to let them touch. He then removed his sword from the sash around his waist and placed it on top of his bag, following it with a dirk hidden inside of his jacket. Exhaling deeply to clear his thoughts, he stepped through the torii.

The shrine interior was simple, as a shrine ought to have been. An offeratory box, a bell, and most importantly, a mirror placed in front of the doors to the inner shrine. Owlowiscious mentally checked off the steps as he went through them; placing a small offer of a few mon(3) into the box, ringing the bell once to clear and quiet the air, stepping before mirror and standing in the shrine's center line before bowing twice to show respect for the spirits, clapping twice to invite them to the shrine and ask to hear his prayer, silently saying a prayer for the people of Taiyō-sen to be prosperous, bowing once more to thank the spirits for hearing his prayer, stepping to the side and out of the center line, and finally turning around and exiting the shrine.

Outside of the inner torii, he replaced his weapons on his person, donned his bag once again, and then exited the garden, returning to the road and continuing on to the hill next to the shrine with the strange, mounded house he saw.

The door was, as best Owlowiscious could tell, made from unpainted planks of dark cedar, held together with two bronze bands spanning the width of the door, although the wood did appear to be lacquered. In the center of the door was a bronze knob, as expected of far western styles. If the priest was not a rabbit, Owlowiscious would have been very surprised. To one side of the mound house, where the chance of flooding from rain water was the lowest, there was a small vegetable garden. Sparing no time to investigate it, the owl stepped up to the door and knocked three times. A few moments later, the knob turned and the door opened.

As expected, there was a rabbit in residence, white-furred and wearing a stern, but not unfriendly expression. Dressed in a dark blue jacket with the barest thread of a red shirt visible just near the top as a rabbit was wont to wear, the black, ankle-length skirt he also wore signified beyond a doubt that this was a priest; rabbits always preferred trousers, living lives where they were almost constantly in conflict with one another, but the skirt was traditional for a priest. "Ah, I thought heard someone in the shrine," he said,. "Have you come for a blessing?"

"I'm always happy to receive a blessing," Owlowiscious replied, "But in truth, I'm here regarding the celebration tomorrow. I take it you must be Priest Nousagi?"

"That I am," the priest replied, "Down from Jindaiyama, I take. Please, won't you come in and have some tea with me?"

"Of course, Priest Nousagi," Owlowiscious said with a bow. "Thank you for you hospitality. I don't mean to be a bother to you. I'm sure you must be very busy."

"Nonsense, I'm always happy to receive guests. Please, come in. My home is open to you."

Stepping back from the door, the priest allowed Owlowiscious entry. Just inside the door was a small foray with a dirt floor that quickly gave way to the regular floor of the house, raised two shaku from the dirt entryway and covered with woven mats. Briefly, the priest sat down on the raised floor and brushed the soles of his feet while Owlowiscious closed the door behind him. Once finished, the rabbit pushed himself up onto the floor proper and passed the brush to Owlowiscious, who followed him after repeating the same task.

The inside of the house was simple. The were four small, wooden columns that rose up to meet more wooden crossbeams in the ceiling, providing the support needed to prevent the roof from collapsing. The central, and seemingly only room was large enough for several people to sit comfortable, and likely for them to sleep as well if needed. There was a sliding screen against the back wall and to one side, which Owlowiscious guessed was for storage. Next to the screen was a small bookcase and writing desk. Across from that was a clay fireplace in the center of the wall that looked to be the center of a kitchen, a wooden table with cabinets underneath to either side of it, one covered with small boxes and some fresh vegetables, the other with a few knives and a somewhat unorganized jumble of pots. It was to this second table that the priest moved, rummaging through the jumble of pots and quietly as carefully as he could. It was then that Owlowiscious broke the silence that had grown between them.

"I don't mean to pry," he began. "But I couldn't help but notice the way you walk. You carry yourself like a warrior would. I take it you haven't always been a priest."

The priest chuckled in reply. "You have a keen eye, friend. You don't seem the sort to hold the past against someone, either, with so casual an observation."

"The past is relevant only so far as it helps us plan for the future. The present is what truly matters. Perhaps you were a criminal once upon a time, but now try to do good wherever you can. Does it matter so much if one was once despicable, when they are now exemplary? The past is like the current in a stream. It can carry us forward, but can also hold us back. The secret to navigating it is knowing when to go to shore and move beyond it."

"Well said." There were a few moments without words as the rabbit finally located his kettle. Moving to a large, ceramic jar on the floor near his pantry, he removed the lid and began to ladel water into the kettle. "Nousagi is a name I've gone by for only a few years, once I became a priest. In my life before, however, I was a warrior in one of the great houses to the west, as ruthless as you would dare imagine. Back then, I was known as Angel Bunny."

"Angel Bunny?" Owlowiscious asked with an edge of disbelief in his voice. "As in, Angel of House Bunny?"

"You know the name?" the priest asked.

"I know the House name," the owl clarified. "I suspect that many do. Some say only the Empress' Tengu are superior warriors to those bearing the Bunny name."

"And what do you think?"

"I've never seen a Tengu fight, and knowing what I do about them, I hope that I never have the opportunity."

"Wise words," Angel replied. Satisfied with the amount of water in the kettle, he placed it over the fire to heat, and then took a seat nearby on the floor, placing a small tray with a few sweets on it in front of him. Owlowiscious sat across from him, and accepted a treat when offered. For a few moments, that sat quietly and ate before Owlowiscious spoke.

"I hope you'll forgive me for asking, but what made you decide to give up the warrior's life for that of a priest?"

"A pony."

A moment of total silence passed between them. "I hope you'll forgive me for asking, but would you mind elaborating a bit?" Owlowiscious asked. Angel just chuckled.

"As I said, I was a house warrior in the west. I was ruthless, just as I said. I was also conceited, arrogant, controlling, and abusive. I spoke and looked down on those I saw as beneath me, which was everyone. I paid the oyabun and kobuns(4) only as much respect as necessary to avoid the worst reprimands. To this day, I remain convinced I was the absolute worst example of a rabbit you could hope to find," he said.

"What changed you, then?" Owlowiscious asked.

"I only paid my house's oyabun and kobuns enough respect to avoid reprimands. I freely insulted others, even if I somehow had enough sense to not raise arms against them. Eventually, another house decided they finally had enough of my insolence. They waited until I was away from my village before they struck. I was escorting the kobun along with several other warriors. The other house set upon us when we were moving through a mountain pass along the side of a river gorge, and it was a slaughter, even if they were focused on me. If I had run, they would have let the others live, but I was so wrapped up in myself that I stayed and continued to fight until I was the only one left. Finally, the cornered me on the edge of the pass, and in the heat of battle, I lost my footing and fell into the river, and was swept downstream."

Angel stopped telling his story then, long enough to remove the kettle from the fire and pour some into the teapot and the cups sitting on the floor before them. The kettle went onto a small, stone slab to cool further, and then the rabbit continued. "I don't know how far I was carried, but when I finally awoke, it was on a river bank with a pony nudging my shoulder with her nose. I'll never forget her, because her coat was the color of millet seeds. I've never seen a pony before or since with a coat the color of millet seeds. In any case, once I woke up, she backed away quickly and kept her distance. I can't say I blame her, with how cross I was.

"She was infinitely patient with me as I stumbled through the woods. No matter how I tried to chase her off, she would always retreat just out of reach, and then press towards me from different sides, as if she were trying to guide me somewhere. Even when I cursed at her and threw rocks and sticks, she always came back. Eventually, I grew so tired I collapsed, and she came over and leaned down so I could climb onto her back, and she carried me the rest of the way out of the forest, and then a few ri across the plains to a village. She wouldn't near it, but brought me close enough that I could walk. I was so stunned from the journey that I didn't know what to think, and I kneeled down and embraced her. Finally, she turned and trotted back towards the forest, stopped just once to look back at me, and then turned galloped away. That was the moment I resolved to become a priest."

Pushing himself back to his feet, Angel lifted up the teapot and, crossing to the basin on the wall, poured out the water in it. Owlowiscious noted that it must have drained out to the stream somehow. "And then what?" the owl asked. "You returned to your village, and then told the oyabun you wished to retire from a warrior's life?"

"That is, in fact, exactly what I did," Angel replied as he returned to his seat on the floor. With the teapot resting beside him once more, he turned his attention to opening the jar of tea leaves. "It wasn't that simple, of course. For me to go from the bully I was to a priest would have caused outrage among the houses, at the least." Two scoops of dried leaves went into the teapot and the jar was sealed again. "No, if I truly wanted to be a priest, he told me, I would have to surrender my position within the house and leave for another part of the empire. I told him I understood the reason why. The same day, I began to sell everything that I could not pack into a cart and pull by myself." The water in the cups was emptied back into the teapot, and the tea began to steep. "And after a very long walk, here I am in Taiyō-sen.

"Is your curiosity satisfied?"

Owlowiscious pondered the question for a few moments. "About you, and about why I came originally, yes. I have no doubts that your prayers will be perfect for tomorrow." Angel smiled slightly and nodded in response.

"I hate to cut first meetings short," Owlowiscious continued, "But after tea, I'm afraid I'll need to go. I've promised the family my assistant and I are staying with that I'd be back in time for dinner."

Angel nodded again, before asking, "Your host is Winona Earthwalker, correct?"

"Erm, she is," replied Owlowiscious cautiously. "How did you hear?"

"Word travels."

Owowiscious quirked his brow, but elected not to pursue the matter. "You're acquainted with her, I take?"

Again, Angel nodded. "She doesn't visit the shrine much, and so far I haven't been able to bring myself to blame her. The last she spent any great time here was during a very difficult time in her life. She's since taken to saying that she can carry herself just fine and doesn't need help from the spirits, but I'm sure there's more to it than that. Would you mind terribly if I accompanied you tonight, Mister Nightwatch? I'd like to visit her for a time, if I could. I'm quite concerned about her."

"As any priest should be for those under his guidance," Owlowiscious replied, "I'd be happy to have you accompany me, and truth be told, it might help to set some of my own concerns to rest, if you can help her confront some of her troubles."

Angel smiled a bit more widely at that. "You have a kind heart, Owlowiscious Nightwatch," he said. "And I hope that after tomorrow, you stay around for a while."

And soon after that....

The travel back to Winona's house was filled with light conversation. Angel answered questions that Owlowiscious had about Taiyō-sen, particularly with regards to its history, and in turn, Owlowiscious answered questions about what had been happening in the world at large. When they finally did reach the house again, the stopped at edge of the porch long enough to wipe their feet with the brush that hung from the wall, and then walked to the screen and opened it-

"Surprise!"

Owlowiscious was. Waiting for him in the main room was Winona, Ryder, Granny and Peewee, as expected, but also Lantier, Tank, Opal, the vegetable seller whose stand Peewee had crashed into when they arrived, plus some of the other farmers he'd seen in the fields, and a few others from around the village. Twenty, all told, plus Angel who not so subtly pushed him inside and closed the screen after.

"You knew, didn't you?" Owlowiscious asked Angel with smirk.

The rabbit offered a smirk of his own. "Word travels. And when Gummy is concerned, it couldn't hope to travel faster."

"Of course," Owlowiscious replied. Looking to one side, he saw the alligator, whom he assumed must be 'Gummy,' offering him a small jug made from thin, lightly baked clay. Accepting it and bringing is close to his face, he smelled the familiar scent of sake. "Sōdō(5)?" he asked. Gummy nodded in reply and, with an ever widening grin, Owlowscious brought the jug to his beak, turned it upward, and drank quickly until every last drop was gone, and then smashed the vessel against his head and threw his wings into the air in triumph, accompanied by the cheers of everyone around him.

Everything after that passed in a flurry. There was eating, and drinking, and even some music when someone produced a flute. Through it all, however, Owlowiscious was careful not to drink too much, and above all to keep his eye on Gummy. As a host, his manner was impecable. As everyone else stood or sat and talked and enjoyed themselves, he seemed to never stop moving, sliding or pirouetting this way and that to make sure that no one ran out of food or drink. And when he appeared next to those who seemed to have run out of conversation, one of them would invariably recall something that happened and the talk would continue.

He had just about started to reconsider his earlier suspicions when he was suddenly bumped into by Lantier and Winona, who had perhaps more to drink than she should have and was using the former for support. "Owlowiscious!" she almost shouted. "Th' Lieutenant an' ah were talkin', and he says ya tell some great stories, an' I remembered th' one ya told me, an' I got t' thinkin' that maybe ya knew some more!"

"More stories?" Owlowiscious replied with mock horror. "I don't know, Winona. Too many stories may shatter the mind. I've never been brave enough to find out."

"Stories?"

Owlowiscious turned his head, and there was Peewee with Ryder in tow. "You're telling stories? You tell the best stories!"

"Well, I haven't started telling one yet-"

"I heard about your stories, too!" called someone else, one of the other farmers.

"A story would be great, if you won't mind."

"A story! A story!"

"Alright, alright!" Owlowiscious said loudly, unable to keep from chuckling. "A story then!" His proclamation was met with cheers all around, until the owl waved his wings to indicate they should be silent. When they finally were, he posed a simple question:

"But what kind of story?"

"An adventure!" That came from Ryder, who somehow worked her way to the front.

"Tell us about Heavenspire!" called someone else.

"No! Tell us about far-off lands!" cried another.

"Tell us an adventure!" Ryder shouted again, practically bouncing up and down.

"Kaidan!"

Silence fell over the assembled crowd again and everyone looked to Peewee, practically bouncing just as Ryder had been before he spoke up. Ryder, suitably, was the first to break the newest silence. "What're 'kai-dan'?" she asked.

Peewee missed not a single beat. "Ghost stories! Real scary ones," he said excitedly. "And sometimes, Owlowiscious uses his magic, and makes them even scarier!"

"It's an excellent idea." All attention turned now to Angel as he made his way towards the front of the group. "Tomorrow, we commemorate the thousand years that have passed since the Day the Earth Froze and Darkness Covered the Land. What better way to prepare for it than by remembering the horrors we've been spared from? Kaidan sound like an excellent idea." It didn't take more than a moment for the shouts of agreement to come.

"Yeah, Priest Nousagi's right!"

"Tell us a ghost story, Mister Nightwatch!"

"Kaidan! Kaidan!"

"Tell the scariest story you know!"

"Oh," Owlowiscious replied to the crowd, "The scariest one? Are you sure?" Suddenly, everyone was less sure than they had been. "No, Priest Nousagi is right. And what better way to remember the horrors we were spared than by hearing the most terrifying tale of all?"

Owlowiscious brushed past some of the crowd, wings outstretched and feathers beginning to shimmer sky blue with magic as he approached the far wall of the house. As everyone else sat down around the fire pit, the light and heat it gave began to greatly diminish, even if the flames themselves did not. Everyone further drew closer together when the many lanterns themselves dimmed to practically nothing, plunging the house into total darkness save for the fire that suddenly seemed like their only protection. Along the far wall where Owlowiscious had last been seen, an extremely faint light appeared, gradually growing brighter until it resolved into a paper lantern, painted with an ink wash of a peony flower. A lantern entirely unlike any that were scattered around before the darkness came.

And then from out of the darkness, came the voice of Owlowiscious, carrying with it a gravelly quality that sounded almost sinister.

"Mukashi mukashi...."

Author's Note

*: A type of demon akin to an ogre
1: A (usually malicious) shapeshifter, often an animal that can transform into a person
2: An arched gate that separates the mortal world from the spirit world; the gate protects each world from being contaminated by the other. Here is a typical example.
3: A small, round coin made from bronze, the smallest unit of currency
4: Literally, "foster parent" and "foster children." The relationship between groups in a rabbit house is like an extended family, even when no blood relations are present.
5: A traditional party thrown by crocodiles and alligators, where the objective is to eat, drink, and make merry as much as possible without getting sick, passing out or being incarcerated (if you have grumpy neighbors). Literally, "uproar."
6: For those who missed the edit in the interlude, traditional start to folk stories. "Long, long ago...."

Interlude 2

Long, long ago, there lived a warrior named Iemon Tamiya, who lived with his beautiful wife, Oiwa. They were a happy couple, well liked in the village that was near their home, but were very poor. Despite this, Iemon loved his wife very much, until one unfortunate day when he was speaking with the village magistrate, Kihei Ito. The two were fast friends and got on well, with Kihei almost thinking of Iemon as a son.

"I would he overjoyed and honored to have you as part of my family," Kiheo said to him that day, "It's too bad in this case that you're already married, for my daughter Oume is of age, and very beautiful." Iemon laughed and assured him that while he had no doubts that Oume was beautiful, he was indeed married already, and that Oiwa must have been just as beautiful.

But that small statement, that it was too bad Iemon was already married, was all it took to plant a seed of wonder in the young man's mind. That would have been the end of it had he disregarded the idea, but instead, he cultivated it. Before long, he was looking at his wife not with love, but with disguised disgust. Soon, he could see only faults in her. Even her sneezes, daintly and quiet though they were, may as well have been typhoons to him. "Oume wouldn't sneeze at all, I'd bet," he'd say to himself when no one was around to hear him. With each day that passed, his resentment of Oiwa grew and grew, until finally, he could stand her no longer.

One night while dinner was being prepared, he offered to help Oiwa with the cooking. "You work so hard for this household," he said, "And especially for me, almost useless though I am. Please allow me to ease your burden." Oiwa was surprised, but all too happy for the help. When dinner was served, Oiwa was surprised that Iemon did not start eating right away. "I have something on my mind I'm trying to think through before I start to eat," he told her, "But please don't wait for me. You work so hard, you shouldn't have to wait." Oiwa was perplexed, but did not question her husband's words and began eating. It was not long before Oiwa began choking, eyes wide with shock and fear. Iemon had poisoned the food, planning to blame her death on an accident.

He watched with horrified fascination as her face changed colors and she fell onto the floor, writhing in agony. But not once did she stop breathing, even after Iemon had to stand outside to avoid looking on her. When he was certain she must have been dead, Iemon finally stepped back inside their house, to find in horror that Oiwa, for all her suffering, had not died. The poison had disfigured her terribly, causing part of her face to begin sloughing off. To his shock, she turned ti him and spoke. "Husband," she said, "I feel terrible. What has happened?"

Iemon's resolve broke. "You have fallen ill," he replied, "But you should soon recover." He realized that she could not remember what he had done, and counted himself lucky for it. But he still did not accomplish what he had meant to, and Oiwa was still alive and in his way.

That same night, Iemon proposed they talk a walk to enjoy the night air, and her mind addled as it was, Oiwa happily agreed. It was not to be enjoyed long, however, for Iemon led his wife towards the seaside cliffs just down the road from their house. "The ocean looks exquisite tonight," he said from the cliff's edge, "Come my love, come here and have a better look." And no sooner had Oiwa come to look than Iemon pushed her over the edge to her death. The deed done, he returned home and went to bed to wait until morning. As he drifted off to sleep, he dreamed that he heard a woman giggling, somewhere far away.

The next morning, Iemon rushed into the village, claiming that he could not find his wife. A search was begun, but her body was not found, and the villagers surmised that she must have gone for a walk for a reason only she could know, and had fallen off the cliffs in the dark. Knowing Oiwa could not have survived the fall, Iemon agreed and asked to be alone so he could grieve. Despite this, Oume went to comfort him anyway, and several days later, they were engaged to be married. Each night that passed, Iemon dreamed that he heard a woman giggling, and each night, she sounded closer than she had been the previous night.

Finally, came the evening of the wedding, and it was going to be as perfect as perfect could be. The guests had all arrived and were seated in the village square. The priest was ready to perform the ceremony. Iemon was dressed in his finest robes and Oume in her own robes and beautiful overcoat, a veil covering her face. The ceremony proceeded, although Iemon could hear Oume giggling lightly the entire time. She was not disturbing anybody with it, and so he thought nothing of it. When the time came, he lifted the veil from Oume's face, and gasped in horror as he not his bride, but the disfigured visage of Oiwa. Without a second thought, he drew his sword and cut her head from her shoulders. To his continued horror, the head that fell upon the ground was not Oiwa's, but Oume's. With her blood still on his sword, he fled from the wedding and to his house, hearing Oiwa's giggle in the distance and gradually gaining on him.

Throwing the gate shut behind him, he resolved that it was best he not venture out again until the sun had risen. Suddenly, a loud and violent knocking came from the gate. Iemon could hear Kihei shouting at him from the other side, demanding he come out and answer for what he had done. Frightened, but realizing there was no other way out, Iemon opened the gate. Once again, there was Oiwa, having tricked him by using Kihei's voice. Again, Iemon drew his sword and cut her head from her shoulders, and again, he could only stare in horror as the head that fell to the ground was not Oiwa's, but Kihei's. Again, she had tricked him into committing murder, and again, he fled, Oiwa's mad giggling ringing in his ears as he ran.

He had not the presence of mind to think of where he was running until it was too late, and he found himself standing at the edge of the cliffs he had pushed Oiwa from weeks before. Realizing where he was, he immediately turned around to flee, and looked right into the face of Oiwa. he screamed, and before he could even think of his sword, Oiwa pushed him over the edge to his death, just as he had done to her.

By the time the other villagers arrived, they saw Iemon lying dead at the bottom of the cliffs, and concluded that he must have thrown himself off, unable to suffer his guilt. With nothing else to be done until morning, they turned to go home, some of them certain they could faintly hear a woman giggling.

So is it that Oiwa became the first onryō, the ghost of one wronged who stalks the earth to exact vengeance. So is it that she came to punish the unfaithfulness and selfishness of those still living, appearing to visit torment on them, heralded only by her giggling as it draws ever... closer....

Immediately....

The screen to Winona's house was thrown open with such force it was perhaps a miracle it didn't break. Instantly, the night air was filled with a torrent of screams as the villagers of Taiyō-sen came spilling out onto the ground, tumbling and tripping over one another in a mad dash to escape the ghost of Oiwa, who had suddenly appeared to them from the peony lantern that had served as the focal point of Owlowiscious' story as the images of it played out before them from magic. Those who were farmers didn't even wait to see if anyone else made it out. They simply broke into a full run back towards their homes.

Those who weren't famers, save for the Earthwalker family, did stay for their friends, pulling each other to their feet. Lantier was the only one who stayed behind, spinning about to face the house and drawing his sword. In a fit of surprising courage, Peewee charged and stood near him, stretching out his wings an instant before they burst into raging flames leaping up towards the moon, bathing everyone in light and very tangible heat. But even they watched with fearful eyes; if yōkai came for them now, they could never hope to escape.

"What's wrong?"

Theose fearful eyes immediately turned to angry scowling when they saw that Owlowiscious had stepped outside, looking smugly, and falsely perplexed at the scene before him.

"Was that too much?"

And thusly....

Owlowiscious vainly struggled against the ropes binding his wings to his sides and his feet together. His demands to be released were little more than muffled grunts around the cloth that had been tied around his beak. All around him in Winona's house were the various villagers who did not have the luxury of their own homes being within sight distance- chief among them being Tank, Opal, Angel, Gummy, and of course Peewee, Lantier, Winona herself, and her family- in various states of troubled sleep. The cook fire, even with nothing above it to be cooked, had been stoked as high as they had dared to make it, and every spare lantern that could be found was lit. It may as well have been day inside of the house, with how bright it was. No one had so much as thought to use any of the bedrooms; it was safer if they were all together, after all.

"Nng." Tank stirred awake, and after a few moments, turned his attention towards the owl. Seeing his chance, Owlowiscious tried once again to demand his release. "No can do, friend," Tank replied. "Not until the sun rises, at least. And don't bothering asking me to loosen the gag, either. Everyone here knows you can't be trusted to not open your beak and give us nightmares." The tortoise sounded just a little too cheerful as he recounted exactly how Owlowiscious came to be in his current situation.

And then, he turned to look the other way, where Opal curled up against him just a bit more tightly. Of everyone, she was having the most peaceful time sleeping, with the seeming exception of Tank and Lantier, the latter who had decided to stay more to put everyone else at ease. "Well, I guess it's not all bad," Tank concluded. "Anyways, see you in the morning, Hoots." And he promptly shut his eyes and nodded off again.

For a final time, Owlowiscious tried to voice his objections, before giving up and laying his head down on the floor with a growl.

Author's Note

Full disclosure: I really phoned this one in. Suffice to say, other projects are taking my attention, but after Shyuuki Taisai (Shinto harvest ceremony) today, I got the drive I needed to finish this.

Even if it was just a re-telling of actual folklore that I phoned in something fierce. I did manage to smash it out in about 2 hours, though, so that's something?

Chapter 5

The Earthwalker home was filled to bursting with laughter not long after breakfast was finished.

Winona, Ryder, and Granny Earthwalker were laughing harder than they had in a long time.

Angel was laughing in a manner very unbecoming of a priest.

Tank had rolled over onto his side laughing, unable to sit up any longer.

Opal's ladylike giggles had not lasted long before she joined Tank on the floor.

Gummy made no noise, but was positively vibrating with what could be considered laughter.

Peewee was no more able to keep quiet than anyone else.

Lantier was laughing a loud, booming laugh that was still nearly lost in the cacophony.

Owlowiscious was not laughing, and had it not been for his feathers, his head could have been mistaken for a large beet; he was flushed with more embarrassment than he’d felt in recent memory. "Was it really necessary to recount that particular story, Lieutenant?" he asked once everyone had managed to get themselves mostly under control.

"After last night, Master Nightwatch? Yes, it was absolutely necessary, and nothing less than exactly what you deserve." Through it all, Lantier's smile never diminished, and in the end, Owlowiscious couldn't help but smile back, however slightly.

"I suppose it is."

"Who cares about last night anymore?" Tank asked. Placing his hands on either side of his head, he gave his neck a practiced twist, popping a kink out with the sound of a firecracker before returning to face forward. "Not when today's the day. The day all of our hard work and preparation finally pays off. And speaking of hard work and preparation-" He stood up rather suddenly- "I should really finish everything before the Empress arrives."

Those who knew of him weren't surprised, but Owlowiscious, Peewee, and Lantier were positively shocked. "You're not ready yet?" the owl asked, disbelieving. "You had all day yesterday to work!"

Tank offered a noncommittal shrug. "Why do today what you can tomorrow? Anyway, I’ll catch all of you later. Ah… what was it you said, Shorty? Aba….”

“Abayo?” Peewee suggested.

“Yeah, that’s it! Abayo!”

With a final wave, Tank turned about and let himself out without another word. Everyone else simply watched him go in silence before turning their attention to Owlowiscious, who looked as though he might explode.

“Well,” Angel began, grasping for a diplomatic phrase. “At least you don’t need to worry about Tank taking the festival too seriously?”

“Right. Tank taking the festival too seriously,” Owlowiscious deadpanned back, not taking his eyes off the screen that separated outside from in. “That’s what I’m worried about."

All across Taiyō-sen, the final preparations for the festive were going into place under the afternoon sun. Banners depicting the Empress’ heraldry- a firebird encircled by its own wings- were raised all across the village square. Several stands intended to serve food, normally confined to the market, were being moved so that treats could be served after the night’s blessing. Fireworks were being set up in locations where they would not obstruct traffic or pose a fire hazard, to decorate the night sky in commemoration of the victory that had been achieved over darkness a thousand years prior.

The villagers of Taiyō-sen made up the bulk of those laboring to finish preparing, although some soldiers were milling about not only for security, but also to offer help where they were able to (per Lantier’s orders). A number of visitors from outside the village, a few of them commoners but most of them nobility from Heavenspire, were arriving as well, although they did nothing to help with the preparations and did their level best to stay as far away from the flurry o activity as possible.

That same flurry ceased immediately as a shout rang out from the sky: “She’s here!”

Owlowiscious swooped down low and landed in a swift run, hurrying towards where he had seen Lantier standing from above. “She’s here!” he shouted again. Immediately, the flurry of activity resumed, and this time the visiting nobles did participate in the mad scramble to clear a wide path in the streets, opening the way to the pavilion.

Dodging through the crowd, Owlowiscious spotted Lantier again, barking orders to soldiers to establish a secure perimeter around the square, just in case; although the agitator who had been in the square the day previous had not been seen since, he was not being discounted. As he approached, so did another villager- an elderly turtle who seemed to have no trouble hurrying about- as he quickly pulled on a blue jacket, either breast adorned with Philomena’s heraldry in red. The turtle was the village magistrate, and the jacket was a symbol of loyalty to the Imperial Court. Quickly, the magistrate took up position in the center of the open path leading to the pavilion’s entrance. Lantier stood to one side of him, and Owlowiscious quickly moved to the other as the rest of the village hurried into place on either side of the path as a procession appeared over the crest of a hill down the road.

In the lead were two soldiers, garbed in heavy battle armor and armed with spears and swords, mounted on horses, walking slowly and deliberately down the road. Behind them marched a detachment of fifteen foot soldiers, five abreast in three neat ranks, wearing lighter armor and likewise armed with spears and swords. Behind them was a sight that those native to Taiyō-sen had never seen before, and from that moment on, would hope they would never see again; the black armor of two tengu. The tension that suddenly filled the air was palpable; even those incapable of shaping magic could sense the otherworldliness of those elite warriors, and knew rightly to be afraid of them.

What was behind the tengu, however, immediately took the minds of everyone off of them. Carried by eight immaculately dressed servants was the Empress’ palanquin, built from cherry wood polished to a high luster and adorned with little more than white silk veils that keep out the impurity of the world while allowing those who lived in it a chance to glimpse the perfect purity of Empress Philomena, however shrouded that purity was. Where the palanquin moved, the sun seemed to shine just a bit brighter, the grass became a bit greener, and the wind just a bit more gentle. No mere noble, the Empress was everything that the people of Taiyō-sen could have imagined; divinity given form.

Trailing behind the palanquin was another group of twenty servants, two abreast in ten ranks almost as neat as the soldiers before them, dressed in unpatterned orange robes. Each pair of servants carried between them a trunk containing the Empress’ effects. Behind them was another detachment of fifteen foot soldiers in three ranks of five, and finally two more mounted soldiers in heavy armor at the rear.

The procession moved at a comfortable but deliberate pace. As it entered the village and began to pass by the crowd of people, each of them would bow their head, and then turn to face the direction the procession was moving once if had passed them. After several minutes, they finally came to a stop and the palanquin was allowed to rest on the ground. The foot soldiers divided their attentions, those on the outsides of the ranks turning to face outwards, with those inside continuing to face ahead. The tengu, with such precision that they might have been mistaken for machines, turned and marched to the left side of the palanquin, which faced towards the pavilion. Coming to stand at attention at the front and back and facing towards the pavilion (and, Owlowiscious would later reflect, towards the miracle that was taking place as the magistrate managed to keep his composure), they each reached to the side and drew away the silk veils.

Empress Philomena, dressed in robes and sashes that seemed almost as divine as she did to the village of Taiyō-sen, turned her head to the side to regard the scene before her, taking a moment to observe the details, and then she turned her body and stepped outside of her palanquin.

The moment that Philomena set foot on the ground, there was a wave of tension that spread through the crowd. Silently and methodically, every man, woman and child present kneeled down on both legs- first, the left, and then the right- and then bowed far forward, their hands just in front of them as a support. Their faces nearly touched the ground, but were kept just a hair’s breadth away; they showed their highest regards, but did not to debase themselves in the Empress’ divine presence. As it had always been, as it should be.

Owlowiscious and Lantier were the only exceptions; each kneeling on the left leg, right arm resting across the right knee, left hand (or wing, in the owl’s case) planted on the ground, gaze deflected downward just enough that they could not look at Philomena’s face, but upward enough that they could watch for danger. They showed their regard, but greeted the Empress as a warrior, ready to spring to action at a moment’s notice.

With measured steps, the tengu marched forward down the cleared path towards the magistrate, Philomena following behind them at an even pace, and the score of imperial servants following after her. They came to a stop just in front of him and his two companions, standing stock still even as the final footsteps fell quiet.

“Great phoenix Philomena, Empress of Light,” the magistrate said, looking upwards from his position on the ground just enough to observe Philomena’s movements, but not enough to actually look at her face, “We welcome you to our humble village, and are honored to be graced by your radiant presence.”

Philomena replied with a very shallow standing bow, and did not speak a single word. Protocol dictated that she remain silent, in order to preserve the purity of her voice for that night’s blessing. After she rose, the magistrate returned to his feet- the rest of the village remaining on the ground- and gestured towards the pavilion, his eyes ever cast downward. “We have prepared a place where you may rest from your journey, and refresh yourself. Please, follow me.”

The magistrate turned and walked towards the pavilion. Owlowiscious and Lantier rose from their positions on the ground, turned about, and followed the magistrate. Philomena followed them, the two tengu followed her, and the Empress’ servants followed them. At the pavilion’s entrance, the magistrate stopped and stepped to one side. Owlowscious and Lantier both stopped and stepped to either side. The rest of the procession halted long enough for the tengu to move into the lead, and then they all entered into the pavilion one after the other, Owlowiscious and Lantier remaining outside. Once the last two servants stepped inside, they turned around and drew the curtains just inside the entrance shut. Only then, did the villagers in attendance rise from the ground.

They lingered for a few moments of respect, and then, in an orderly manner dispersed from around the pavilion to prepare for the main event.

“Owlowiscious!”

On hearing his name, Owlowiscious looked up from the spell formula he had been studying. It was a simple spell that produced a bright flash of sunlight; hardly the most impressive spell the Empress had in her library, but one with an interesting formula all the same. he was near the pavilion entrance, to one side so he would not be in the way of everyone else hurrying to get inside as the sun began to set.

A small trunk had come with the Empress’ procession, and carried in it formal clothing for Owlowiscious and Peewee. The owl’s, which he now wore, included a loose, pleated skirt, shirt, and a large jacket, left open and almost reaching to his ankles; a traditional outfit for formal occasions. Much like his other clothing, this outfit was also dyed black, although the inside of the jacket was still red, and there was a further difference of the Empress’ crest being embroidered onto either breast of the jacket in white thread. His outfit was formal, but still marked him as a Demon Queller; that fact would always weigh on his shoulders, no matter what.

He was happy to see not only Peewee, but also Gummy, Tank, Opal, Winona, Ryder and even Granny Earthwalker approached him, and smiled widely.

Gummy, for reasons Owlowiscious could not completely comprehend, had not changed at all, wearing the same combination of deep blue shirt and pink skirt he’d worn when Owlowiscious first met him. Strangely, it didn’t look like the same shirt and skirt, merely an identical set. He had a feeling that trying to convince the alligator that he should wear some thing more ‘appropriate’ would be futile.

Tank, at least, had the sense to change into something appropriate for the occasion, matching a grey skirt (pleated and undecorated, unlike Gummy’s) with a black shirt and a white formal jacket with red interior, a symbol of purity and joyfulness. Peewee likewise had a grey skirt and black shirt, but instead had an orange jacket with red interior, a symbol of a phoenix’s ever burning fire and magical strength.

It was no surprise to see Opal in a robe, although the one she was wearing, midnight blue and patterned with cherry blossoms, was more tightly fitted than any other she'd lately been seen in, and was paired with a green sash tied tightly behind her back. Seeing Winona and Ryder dressed in formal robes of their own, respectively dyed a pale yellow and pink and decorated with plum blossoms and a nightingale flying through bamboo, was a bit of a surprise, although seeing Granny Earthwalker in a robe (hers white with decorations of small butterflies and pine trees) was less jarring. All of them wearing colors and symbols of peace, life, longevity, and joy.

Owlowscious folded his spell formula and placed it inside of his jacket. “You all look beautiful,” he said, before adding, “Even Tank.”

“Oh, Owlowiscious, you charmer,” Tank replied with a very forced air of wistfulness in his voice and a feminine wave of his hand. “You’re going to make me blush, with words like that.” They all had an easy chuckle at that before Tank continued on to ask, “Shall we find our seats?"

"You should, and I wish you the best of luck in that," Owlowiscious replied. "Peewee and I are required to sit up front, I suspect so the Empress' guard can keep an eye on us more easily.”

“Oh, drat,” Opal said with a pout, “Well, I suppose then we’ll have to meet up with you both afterwards. I understand Tank is going to show us all a most fantastic fireworks display after sunset.”

“I am?” Tank asked. The moment he received a sly look from Opal, he immediately spoke again. “I am! Yes, that is a thing I have been planning to do and have made arrangements for already, and not at all something that was only now suggested to me that will require commandeering the existing fireworks.”

Opal tittered at the tortoise’s expense, and Owlowiscious simply waved the exchange off. “I look forward to see all of you afterwards. Until then!”

Stepping into the pavilion, the group divided in two, Owlowiscious and Peewee moving up towards the front most row. Unlike most gatherings inside of the pavilion, there was no quiet discussion in the air, but instead only reverent silence. The floor had been filled end to end with villagers and visitors alike, a soft, fabric mat spread across the floor to prevent legs from aching too badly from kneeling; the ceremony, including the blessing, was scheduled to last almost one hour. Along the walls of the pavilion, rows of chairs had been placed, spaces reserved for the noble families that had come from abroad. As with the floor in the center of the pavilion, nearly all of them were filled already.

At the very front, a stage had been erected, and upon the stage, a temporary shrine sat, looking like little more than an enormous wooden box, several shaku wide and tall, with two large doors mounted to the front. Inside would normally be a mirror, as well as several other objects sacred to the spirits, but with the unusual nature of the ceremony that day, it was instead Philomena and her tengu who were inside. To one side of the stage was a large drum, ready to be played.

Kneeling next to the stage was Angel, dressed fully in ceremonial vestments; a pleated skirt dyed a deep purple, and heavy, white jacket with long, large sleeves. Upon his head rested a tall, black hat, a symbol of his mystical connection to the Heavens. Unfolded before him on a short desk was a copy of an ancient text, one of the first treatises written on the divinity of the spirits, which he read to remind him of the mysterious and unknowable nature of the spirits.

Finally, on some unheard queue, he folded the text closed, and slid it just slightly to one side, moving it from his immediate focus but not far from his mind. Pushing the sleeves of his jacket out of his way, he rose to his feet, and walked a precise path in a precise manner to a second drum located at the back of the pavilion. Kneeling beside it, he turned to regard a pair of drumsticks that lay on a stand near the drum, and then reached out and lifted them up, taking one in each hand and holding them just above the drumhead.

The drum sounded loudly when Angel struck it, and again, and again with each successive strike, the rhythm starting slow and building to a crescendo and then slowing again, stopping on a single, powerful beat. With each beat, the air in the pavilion turned crisper, although not colder, and lighter as tiny eddies of impure energy were pushed out and away from the pavilion. The drumming continued for another couple of minutes, both to fully purify the air and to inform the spirits that their presence was requested for an audience. Once he’d finished, Angel calmly and methodically folded his drumsticks together and placed them reverently on their stand, before pushing the fabric of his jacket aside, rising to his feet, and making his way back across the pavilion to the stage at front.

The routine was a simple one. Angel would, at the stage, kneel again, facing towards the audience, and say a short prayer in Classical Animan to thank the spirits for answering their request. He would then open the shrine doors where, instead of a mirror, Empress Philomena would be sitting, as she was the spirit they were seeking an audience with. He would thank her again, and then the audience would thank her and bow. He would offer her some food and drink the village had to offer, and she would thank him and the audience for sharing. She would bless the audience (it was not exactly certain what she would say), and thank them for inviting her. Angel would thank her for hearing them, the audience would thank her, and then he would close the shrine door and wish her a safe journey. Finally, he would play the drum at front of the pavilion, by the shrine, to clear the air for her departure.

Angel kneeled by the shrine, facing the audience, and said a short prayer to thank the spirits for answering his request. He then turned partway to his side and opened the first door of the shrine. The shocked and terrified gasps that rose from the audience caused him to break protocol and look at the Empress early, and he too recoiled and toppled backwards, pushing himself further away. The Empress was nowhere in sight. Inside of the shrine were both of the tengu that had arrived with her, one of them on the floor and slumped against one wall, blood pouring from a ragged neck wound. The other was still standing, held fast to the other wall with his own sword impaled through his neck. Behind them, despite the dozens of lanterns in the pavilion, was pitch black darkness, making the shrine seem even more cavernous than it could have possibly been. The audience, Taiyō-sen natives and foreign visitors alike, could do no more than stare in horror at the scene before them.

That horror only grew when in the darkness, two points of angry red light appeared, like the flames of candles. It was only a moment later when realization dawned, and everyone present realized they were eyes. The ghostly visage of a terrifying creature appeared, like nothing any had seen before. Its face was almost flat like that of an oni, but it had no protruding nose like one; instead, its nose and mouth were at the front of a small mound, as if someone had taken a dog’s muzzle and shortened and rounded it. Blood was smeared all over its mouth. Thick, wild, white hair surrounded its head, partially obscuring two ears on either side. But what was most frightening was the mouth, as it housed numerous fangs that were tangled and sharp, several of them too long for the space they occupied, protruding past its lips.

"At last!"

Its voice was crushingly deep, leaving a chill in the air of the pavilion as cold as the deepest winter, and even the soldiers of the hardest heart shivered as the atmosphere around them grew heavy and oppressive.

"A thousand years, I have waited for this day! Your queen is defeated, and I am coming for you! With her blood on the mirror, I will be free, and I will come for you all! I will freeze the breath in your bodies and sharpen my teeth on your bones! Cower, for your end is upon you!

"I am coming!

"For you, I am coming!"

The visage faded away and light returned, leaving only the two impaled tengu to indicate that anything had ever happened at all. Among the people of Taiyō-sen, the effect of the apparition’s appearance was immediate and expected. As one, they began to panic, screams and the stomping of feet filing the air as everyone tried to get out at once. The soldiers held their ground, for what that was worth, although they were able to do little more than be carried along with the crowd. In but a fraction of the time it took the pavilion to be filled, it was emptied again.

In the streets outside, the situation was no better. The crowd had devolved rapidly into a mob. The residents of the village were trying desperately to get back to their homes. The visitors from outside were trying desperately to get away from the village. The soldiers were trying desperately to regain control, to prevent the panic from causing injury and death to others. It was a perfect storm of chaos. And then from the skies, a voice called down to them.

"Be still!"

Among the people of Taiyō-sen, the effect of the command, as clear as a bell, was immediate: They instantly stopped struggling and turned their eyes to the roof of the pavilion. Perched there was the Demon Queller Owlowiscious Nightwatch, forgotten by all in the panic. And there were none who could look away from him, the air around him shimmering, wavering, vibrating with barely contained magical power.

"People of Taiyō-sen, you will return to your homes calmly and immediately. Visitors from afar, you will proceed to the inn calmly and immediately. Bar the doors, and do not open them for anyone other than myself, or Empress Philomena. All others will remain where they are until they receive further instructions. Lieutenant Bearington, I would have words with you. Now disperse, as you have been directed!"

The shimmer in the air faded, and a moment later, the crowd below began to obey the commands given. Mere seconds after they looked away from the pavilion to begin their way home, as calmly and immediately as they could hope to be, Owlowiscious collapsed backwards on the pavilion roof, gasping for breath. Scrambling from his hiding place further up the roof, Peewee hurried to his side, just slightly winded himself. “Owlowiscious! Are you okay?”

“Y-yes,” the owl stammered, taking another moment to finishing catching his breath. “And, thank you. Without your magic, I could not have cast that spell.”

“What spell did you cast?” Peewee asked with a edge of awe. “I’ve never seen anything like it before, but it felt…” He paused, thinking over exactly what he’d felt. “It felt like a spell that auntie would cast. Did you learn it from her?”

Despite the fatigue he felt, Owlowiscious could not hold back a smile. “Clever as always,” he said. “It’s a spell she herself developed for situations like these, to command obedience in those that hear her voice. The Voice of the Maiden compels the ears to listen, just as it did a thousand years ago. But it needs so much power, even she hardly uses it, except for emergencies.”

“Oh.” Peewee looked out over the streets, quickly emptying of people. “I guess this was a pretty big emergency.”

“Ho, Master Nightwatch!”

Owlowiscious shifted his position to look over the edge of the pavilion roof, Peewee stepping to move beside him.On the ground below was Lantier, and a few of his soldiers. “You wanted a word with me?” he asked.

“I did, yes,” the owl replied. Gathering himself up, he hopped into the air with a flap of his wings and glided down to the ground, as did Peewee, although both of them did so unsteadily. back on solid ground, they both turned to face Lantier and his soldiers as they approached.

“Just get to the point right off,” Lantier said before Owlowiscious managed to finish even thinking of his next words, “You know who that face belonged to, I’m sure. You know what’s happening, don’t you?”

“I have a hunch,” Owlowiscious responded. "But that hunch isn’t anything good. In fact, it’s the worst possible thing, but unless I’m mistaken, and I hope that I am, that face belonged to none other than Windigo, and if it did, then it means the gate that keeps Yomi sealed and separated from our world is weakening.”

The effect of those words was immediate: The eyes of everyone, including Lantier and Peewee, widened in fear. “Th-that means…” Peewee began, unable to finish his thought.

“It means that the world might end tonight.”

Owlowiscious looked towards the new voice- everyone did, he suspected- to see none other than Angel, as well as Opal, Tank, Winona, and Gummy standing off to one side. Eavesdropping. Of them all, only Angel didn’t look frozen with fear.

“I believe I told you all to return to your homes,” Owlowiscious said to them scoldingly.

“I felt I should make sure you didn’t need me before I left,” Angel replied. He walked towards Owlowiscious, the rest of his group scrambling to follow less out of need and more because of the perception of safety in numbers. “And these four decide to see if they could help as well. I suppose that broke whatever compulsion you made us feel to obey.”

Owlowiscious narrowed his eyes. “You can help by not repeating a word of what I’ve said to anyone,” he said. “Perhaps no one else recognized Windigo, but I’m certain they all know the story. If they hear his name, they’ll panic.”

“I hate to interrupt, Master Nightwatch,” Lantier interjected, “But we need to marshall our forces. I doubt we’ll have more than a few days before Windigo’s armies begin arriving.”

“You’ll have less time than even that, Lieutenant.” Owlowiscious turned to address him directly, and make sure there was no misunderstanding. “I believe Windigo is going to appear here, tonight.”

“T-tonight?” yelped one of the soldiers, looking like he might faint ore ben die of fright.

“He can’t actually leave Yomi,” replied Owlowiscious. The soldier seemed to calm down at that. “Even discounting the gate, there’s the boulder that was rolled over the entrance, plus whatever safeguards that the Maiden of Flames may have left in addition. If he intends to leave, he’ll need some other way to do so. I believe that’s why he mentioned putting the Empress’ blood ‘on the mirror.’ To open up another doorway to move through.”

“Through a mirror?” That came from Tank, an incredulous expression of his face.

It was Angel who answered him. “Mirrors are a conduit through which we can communicate with the spirits,” he said, "And Windigo is an okami, one of the Great Spirits that was present when the earth was created. Why shouldn’t he be able to move through them, if he so desires?”

Owlowiscious puzzled at Angel for a moment, but quickly returned to his stern expression. “So you’ve figured that out,” he said, “I have to ask you five not to spread that knowledge around, either. They’ll think he can leap out of any reflection, even the water in the kettle.”

“But he can’t, of course,” Angel continued, once more leaving Owlowiscious perplexed: Priests were supposed to be austere guides for mortals to understand the will of the spirits. How could a priest possibly have so much to say? “Through mirrors, we can communicate with the spirits, but we still can’t see them. It would take a special mirror for a spirit to move through it, and again, Windigo is an okami. You and I both know, Master Nightwatch, that if Windigo wishes to leave Yomi, there is only one mirror that could hope to accommodate him.”

The Demon Queller scowled at the priest, but couldn’t bring himself to be angry. Rather, he felt a great sense of both awe and camaraderie. For him to reach that conclusion that quickly, Angel would have to had studied the Ancient Matters extensively, or at least extensively enough to be considered a reliable authority. “The Origin Mirror would be the only mirror that he could hope to use, yes.”

The Origin Mirror was a name that everyone in Animalia knew. It was the first mirror ever used to view the divine realm of spirits, and in truth, was the first mirror. All other to come after it were inferior imitations, and had hardly any of its power. This fact did nothing to ease the concerns of anyone that was hearing it. Everyone was, in fact, suddenly terrified that an ancient horror would be on them before they could hope to mount a defense. Everyone except for Owlowiscious and Angel.

“Master Nightwatch, where is the Origin Mirror?” Angel asked, “Nearby, I would guess, but wherever it is, I know what you’re thinking. You might be able to stop Windigo from passing through and escaping from Yomi.”

“The Empress told me that Taiyō-sen held special significance to her,” Owlowiscious replied, folding his arms across his chest. “I didn’t understand why at first, until I remembered something she’d told me many years ago when I asked about the Origin Mirror and where it was. She told me it was nearby in an unlit skein, and that the world was so tangled around it, no one would ever find it.”

Puzzled expressions surrounded him, until Tank’s eyes widened with realization and he looked over his shoulder to the north towards Mei-shinrin, called the Dark Wood in modern dialect. Also know as the Tangled Skein. “No way,” he said. All eyes turned to follow his gaze, and shortly, those who did not know already had their own epiphanies.

“Nearby, in an unlit skein, with the world so tangled around it, no one would ever find it,” Owlowiscious repeated. “It was right in front of me all this time, and had today’s events not occurred, I might have never figured it out.”

“You’re going into the Dark Wood?” Opal asked, turning back to face him. “Alone?”

“No soldiers can be spared here,” Owlowiscious replied, “We need every one of them to be here, ready to contain Windigo if he tries to leave Mei-shinrin, save for the few who will need to leave to warn Heavenspire, and the rest of Animalia. If Windigo escapes, it will take every one of us, fighting together, to stop him.” The owl turned to face Lantier. “Lieutenant, I wish you the best of luck. Take your men and form as much of a barrier as you can at the forest’s entrance. And pray that their efforts won’t be needed.” Orders given, he faced towards the farms and spread his wings, ready to begin his lonely journey.

“I’m going with you.”

Owlowiscious froze, and then looked back over his shoulder at Angel, who did not appear in any way to be joking. “No, you’re not,” the Demon Queller said, returning his wings to his sides. “That’s no common sort of forest. It’s filled with old magic, older than the Empress. It’s one thing for a Demon Queller, but that forest is no place for a priest.”

Rather than being cowed and agreeing to logic, as Owlowiscious hoped, Angel simply narrowed his gaze and folded his arms across his chest. “Did you forget our discussion yesterday?” he asked. “Did you forget I was counted among the best warriors of my house? Of all the houses? Maybe a priest has no business in the Dark Wood, but that won’t matter, because you aren’t taking one. No soldiers can be spared from the defense here, or in Heavenspire, but the world will not miss one priest, so let me be very clear. I am going with you, whether or not you take me along.”

Owlowiscious regarded Angel in silence. He did not miss the expression the other four were wearing, either. Opal and Tank were surprised, clearly not having known of his story. Winona was unsurprised, likely having heard the story in Angel’s attempts to help her. Gummy was unreadable, just as he had always been.

“Fine,” Owlowiscious finally said. “If you can furnish a weapon, then you may travel with me.” Angel replied with a small smirk.

“I’m coming too.”

Owlowiscious’, and indeed, everyone eyes shot over to Opal. “You’re what?” Tank demanded to know.

“Absolutely not,” said Owlowiscious.

“Absolutely yes,” Opal fired back with a stomp of her foot. Not wasting a moment, she stormed over to the owl, not stopping until her scowling face was almost right against his. “How many haunted forests have you had to stumble through, Demon Queller? How many yokai are you really familiar with?” Her scowl deepened. "Explain to me how it would benefit you to go into that dreadful place without a guide, or a second Void Shaper, or where I am concerned, both? Does it benefit you to do that?!”

There were several things that seemed important to Owlowiscious at that moment. Asking Opal exactly how she was, as she implied, familiar with navigating haunted forests was one of them. Why she had neglected to mention she was a Void Shaper was another. But of those, and the myriad other things that seemed important to Owlowiscious at that moment, there was one that seemed more important than all of the others together, and that was not making Opal Essence angry at him.

And so, rather than giving voice to any of his other questions or concerns, he simply said, “No ma’am,” with much less confidence than he’d intended, and resolved to say nothing more on the matter. Opal, pleased with her victory, adopted a smug, self-satisfied grin.

“Well, then I’m coming too!” Tank added.

“Oh, come on!”

“And don’t even bother trying to logic me out of this, Hoots,” the tortoise continued, “I bring no special skills that could possibly make navigating the Dark Wood any easier. But there is no way I’m letting Opal wander around that place unless I’m there to keep an eye on her. Try and stop me.”

Tank folded his arms across his chest and stood up as straight as he could. Before that particular moment, it had never quite registered in Owlowiscious’ mind just how much larger Tank was than almost everyone else present, as immaterial to the situation as that was. He may as well have been trying to argue with an actual wall; he didn’t even bother with a counterargument, and simply shifted his gaze to Winona, who suddenly became nervous and looked off in another direction. “You too, Winona?” he asked.

“Well, uh….” Winona fidgeted, wringing her hands to together, and finally drawing in a deep breath and meeting Owlowiscious’ eyes. “Ah’m, like Tank, Ah guess. Ah don’t really have nothin’ special I can bring, but… Ah, with everythin’ that happened with, y’know…” Again, she averted her gaze, but only for a few moments, and then she was looking at Owlowiscious again. “Ah feel like this’s somethin’ Ah gotta do.”

For a moment, Owlowiscious was silent. He looked at Gummy.

Gummy looked back at him blankly and blinked, once, each eye slightly out of sync with the other.

Owlowiscious raised both his wings up and buried his face in his feathers, his last refuge from the absolute insanity that had somehow claimed the entire world when he wasn’t looking. “Alright,” he said after several seconds of praying did not change the reality of the situation. Resigned to fate, his dropped his wings back to his sides and raised his head high. “It's settled then. Do whatever you need to prepare yourselves, and then meet at Winona's in no more than one hour. If you're late, we leave without you."

He was answered with nods, and the the group dispersed, leaving only Owlowiscious, Peewee, and Lantier in the street. The first buried his face in his wing tips again.

"Owlowiscious," the bear said after a moment of silence, his voice lacking its usual mirth, "You've never once given me any reason to doubt your judgment, but are you sure about this?"

"No," was the reply. Owlowiscious uncovered his face again. "I don't think we should be doing this at all, but they're right, as much as I hate to admit to it. I'll have a better chance with them than I will alone, and we need as many soldiers here as possible. This is a terrible idea, but in the absence of any others, it's also the best one."

In an instant, his expression changed to a determined scowl. "Lieutenant, I don't suppose we could trouble you for some waterskins and dry rations."

"Master Nightwatch, these aren't yokai threatening us. This is one of the ōkami, the likes of which haven't been seen on earth for a thousand years. You can have absolutely anything you think you might need," Lantier replied. "Just ask, and if we have it, it's yours."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. We'll need all the help we can get."

Author's Note

And we’re back here again. Really and truly, I think I’m going to take a short break from writing in the Skitchverse, and focus on Chronicle for a bit, including going back over the older chapters and sprucing them up in addition to adding new ones. Part of that sprucing up is the changing of “Wendigo’s” name to “Windigo,” in keeping with established FiM canon. As much as this has to do with established canon.

I’m also trying something new with the words that need translations, particularly with the ones that can’t be easily figured out from context, by placing the translation directly after the word as used, rather than in the footnotes at the end. I think it was suijin who pointed out that having a big block of definitions at the end of the chapter, requiring judicious use of the Find function, breaks the flow of the story too much. I think he’s right. Words that can be guessed, at least in part, from context, or that require some kind of explanation will still appear in the footnotes, and words that have been defined previously will not be defined again. I would like to know how this works for all of you, and if it works well, I’ll do it that way from now on.

Chapter 6

Opal Essence was an artist’s artist, skilled in painting and inking, competent in poetry and dance, and passing in the lute and zither. She was neither famous nor widely-known, but her skill was enough to have caught the attention of a few lesser nobles in Heavenspire. As such, her house was more than comfortable, a full half of it serving as her studio, and the rest more than spacious enough to permit a dedicated kitchen (small though it was) and sleeping quarters, with a well-appointed living area decorated with short tables, vases and ornamental jugs produced by other artists, and even rugs.

On the night that Windigo abducted Empress Philomena and appeared before the people of Taiyō-sen, the size of her house and the luxuries she had been able to afford were the furtherest things from her mind. With a creak of old hinges, Opal eased opened the lid of the trunk she kept in the corner of her sleeping quarters. The contents were unassuming; a simple pair of brown trousers and matching shirt, a green jacket, and a heavy, hooded cloak of dark leather. None of these things immediately interested her, and she dug into them, withdrawing a small, wooden box covered in lacquer and opening it.

Inside was a small figurine of a frog, carved from ivory, scratched in several places, worn in several more, and unpainted. A small, inconsequential trinket that one might give to a child to reassure them that they would return home from a long journey. That same figurine had been with Opal Essence when she first came to Taiyō-sen, many years ago. She hoped that whatever magic had allowed it to guide her there was still around to guide her back one more time.

Angel’s house was a priest’s house. A place for both peaceful living and quiet contemplation. It was not separated from the strife of the mortal world in the same way that the shrine was, but it was a place he could go to for a time to distance himself, however temporarily, from the troubles around him. It was a priest’s house; it was not a warrior’s house.

Angel stood in his vegetable garden, tossing aside one final shovelful of earth, and the shovel along with it. Buried there, away from his house of peaceful living and quiet contemplation, was a wooden trunk that had only survived many years of rain water and insects due to a sealing layer of beeswax. For the first time since he’d become the shrine priest of Taiyō-sen, Angel broke that seal and opened the lid of the trunk.

Inside, exactly where he’d left them, were a tough, leather jerkin studded with steel rivets, arm and shin guards, a dagger and, drawing most of Angel’s attention, a curved broadsword still in its scabbard. Reassuringly, none of the visible metal appeared to have rusted.

Angel looked at the sword for a few moments, and then asked the spirits for forgiveness before gathering everything in his arms and carrying it inside his house.

If asked, Tank would not have bee able to easily or accurately describe the inside of his tiny house. It held little more inside than a cook fire, some pots, and a futon that was used less often than he would admit. It was his workshop that he really lived in. It was in that workshop that he would often fall asleep, where he would eat his meals, where he would live his life. It was his workshop, and the precisely organized chaos contained within, that would have defined Tank for anyone who used a person’s home as a metric to gauge their character.

With a grunt, Tank hefted a chain over his shoulder and pulled hard, walking the length of his workshop while a long panel on the floor slid out of place. When it could slide no more, the tortoise stopped and took a moment to catch his breath, and then turned and looked down into the compartment that had been revealed.

His various failures were spread out before him, hidden away so only his successes were on display.

Devices and contraptions that didn’t work, or that didn’t work the way they were supposed to. Plans and blueprints that proved too complicated, expensive, or impractical to actually build. Pipe dreams that even the brightest minds of Animalia could not have hoped to build (not yet, Tank had told himself). And in the greatest number, his not-yet-famous fireworks that never worked the way they should have; some of them would only fly along the ground but never into the sky, others produced a fantastic explosion with hardly any colors or patterns, and still others- particularly his early experiments with exotic components- were simply unsafe in every possible sense of the word.

They were absolute failures as fireworks, but with the prospect of the end of the world in front of him, the wheels in his head started turning. In a matter of moments, he’d hopped down into the hidden compartment, and began to remove the few pieces that may have had some use after all.

The Earthwalker house was as much of a home as any of them could imagine it being. It was in that house that Granny Earthwalker had cooked the first meal she’d eaten when she came from the east. It was in that house that Winona had inked her first agreement to train horse for the Imperial Army. It was the house where Ryder had been born, and walked her first steps, and spoke her first words. It was a house so full of memories, that it seemed there was no room in it for secrets.

In the Earthwalker home, a small section of the floor in one corner had been removed, and from beneath the house in a small space cleared in its foundation, a bundle had been removed and spread out under the dim light of lanterns and cook fire; one of the last secrets the house had room for. Ryder and Granny Earthwalker looked at the articles with surprise and shock respectively, but Winona could only look at them with a mixture of disgust and determination.

“Mama? Is that-“ Ryder began before Winona cut her off.

“Yeah, hon. It is.”

Winona shut her eyes and heaved a high, resigned sigh. “After all these years, Ah never, ever thought…” She trailed off, and her thought went unfinished, pushed to the back of her mind. “Ryder? Ma? Could th’ two o’ ya, h-help me with this? Ah, Ah gotta help Mister Nightwatch an’ everyone save th’ Empress, an’ Ah think… Ah think Ah’m gonna need this.”

Any further words were cut off when Winona felt Ryder latch onto her arm. “Mama, don’t go!” the youngest Earthwalker pleaded, tears already spilling from her eyes. “If you go, then, then something’ bad’s gonna happen, an’ Ah’m never gonna see you again! Ah jus’ know it! Don’t go, mama! Please, don’t go!”

“Oh, Ryder!” Winona yelped out. She seized her daughter in the tightest embrace she could, unable to hold back her own tears. A moment later, Granny wrapped her arms around both her own daughter and granddaughter, and for several long seconds, the three of them sat on the floor, embracing and crying, until Winona was finally able to get herself under control. “Ah know it’s scary, hon,” she said, “But sometimes, there’re things in life that we got t’ do, even when we don’t wanna. This, this is something’ Ah got t’ do. But Ah’m gonna be okay. Ah’m gonna be okay, an’ Ah’m gonna come back home t’ ya, an’ then… an’ then Ah’m gonna tell ya all th’ things Ah never did. All th’ things Ah shoulda told ya a long time ago.”

Her words seemed, at least a bit, to help Ryder calm down herself. “Ya promise?” she asked with a sniffle, looking up at her mother with tears still in her eyes.

“Yes, hon. Ah promise.”

Winona hoped, and silently prayed to the spirits that resided within Taiyō-sen, that she would be able to keep that promise.

Gummy’s house was the furthest thing from his mind on the night that Windigo abducted Empress Philomena and appeared before the people of Taiyō-sen. In truth, his house was often far from his thoughts, as he occupied himself almost exclusive with his stand in the market, moved temporarily to the square in front of the pavilion, and with small parties and gatherings he held for the benefit and enjoyment of others. There were more than a few people in Taiyō-sen who wondered if the alligator even had a house; they certainly never seen him returning to one after a day of work.

Accordingly, Gummy did not have much to do to prepare himself for the journey ahead. But there was still so much to do. He stood at his stand in the market, pen in hand, ink pot at the ready, and two short stacks of paper in front of him. The stack to his right only held blank sheets, but the left was growing as he wrote out, at lightning speed, a complete accounting of all his wares, instructions on how to operate his equipment, recipes, important dates, upcoming events, and most importantly of all, step-by-step-by-step directions to maximize enjoyment at any social gathering.

The front most page in the left stack held only the title, ‘Just in case,’ although it didn’t really matter. He’d have plenty of opportunity to clear everything away, before anyone got worried, once they’d saved the Empress.

Probably.

Nearly one hour had passed by the time Owlowiscious finally made his way in silence down the road toward the farms. Peewee was with him, as was Lantier and a small detachment of soldiers; the rest had dispersed to protect the inn, the residences in Taiyō-sen proper, and the outskirts of the farms. These few were the least experienced under Lantier’s commander, and he felt they would benefit most by being close to their commander.

Looking ahead, he could see the traveling companions he had been so reluctant to bring, waiting for him a short distance from the Earthwalker house. Gummy caught his eye first, having not changed his clothes in the slightest. The large pack he wore on his back did not struck the Demon Queller as being in any way suitable for danger; if the presence of a lantern (at that moment lit and in use) and skillet hanging from it did not give that impression, the presence of what he was certain was a sleeping bag certainly would have. All the same, Owlowiscious could not bring himself to be surprised in the least. The alligator at least had a few knives in scabbards attached to his pack, even if they looked like they were meant for cooking rather than fighting.

Opal, at least, he changed into trousers and a jacket, and even had a leather traveling cloak on her shoulders. She did not seem to have brought much else, and the only weapon she had looked to be a dagger (although if she was, as she implied, a Void Shaper, there may have been some magic she could rely upon instead, Perhaps she even knew a bit of sorcery, much as he doubted it). And, perhaps as expected, she still managed to be beautiful, even from a distance.

Tank simply looked outlandish. He’d changed back into plain, heavy trousers and a jacket, both brown, but was also wearing leather covers on his thighs and forearms. Hardly thick or heavy enough to afford and protection from an arrow or blade, but they were probably the closest thing to armor he had. What truly gave him an outlandish look, however, was the fact that the pack he was wearing, as well as much of his belt and even a bandolier that looked to be covered in miniature fireworks, or small, metal spheres with fuses attached. Each of his thumbs and index fingers was adorned with a ring that, under the light of Gummy’s lantern, looked to be covered in some kind of abrasive material.

It was Angel, however, that was the most incongruent to Owlowiscious’ eyes. That he’d changed into dark blue trousers and boots was not terribly jarring. Even the leather arm and shin guards and studded leather jerkin, although unexpected, weren’t shocking. What was incongruent, for a man of peace, was the western-style broadsword hanging from his belt. It was certainly not the sort of thing that a priest would be able to procure on short notice.

“Your old equipment?” Owlowiscious asked when they reached the group. “I’d have thought those would’ve been the first things you parted with on your journey to becoming a priest."

“I admit I’m a bit ashamed by it, but I never could bring myself to get rid of them. ‘Just in case,’ I told myself,” Angel replied. He fidgeted with his jerkin suddenly, trying to pull some of the leather under his arms away from his chest. “The fit's a bit tighter than I remember, though.”

“It’s too bad there’s no time to see an armorer,” Owlowiscious remarked. “Come on, we’ll meet in front of Winona’s house. The four of you showed on time, and I find I have no reason to expect her not to.”

With no small degree of annoyance that there really was no way to talk them out of going with him, Owlowiscious continued down the road with everyone in tow. His annoyance morphed into surprise, as he expected everyone felt, when he turned off the road to begin moving towards the lamp-lit front door of Winona’s house.

Finding six horses saddled and waiting for them was no surprise; it was not a secret that the Earthwalkers made their living in part by training horses. That Ryder, who looked like she’d been crying, was helping with their tack, however reluctantly, was as normal as any of them could have hoped for. What did catch them by surprise, however, was the stone-faced Winona that was cinching the saddle on one of them, or at least what she wore. She’d changed back into her usual trousers and shirt, or so they would assume, but made the outfit an eclectic mess with additions. Thinly hammered steel guards and greaves, painted sea blue and trimmed in black, covered her arms, shoulders, thighs, and shins, strapped on top of heavy, black cloth leggings and matching jacket. Her chest was covered with a steel breastplate painted to match the guards. Somehow, some way, Winona Earthwalker, a peasant farmer, had acquired a nearly complete suit of soldier’s armor, even if it didn’t fit her quite as snugly as it should have and the color clashed with her clothes; it was clear that it was not ever sized or intended for her.

What stood out most among all of this was the sword that hung at her hip, suspended from a thick, leather belt.

Collectively, the who group stopped to try and comprehend what they were seeing. Peewee reacted the quickest, hurrying over and wrapping Ryder in a strong embrace. That set her crying again, and it was all the phoenix could do to guide her away from the horses and back towards the house as the others resumed their approach. As Ryder was led away, Winona tightly gripped the saddle she was working on and rested her head against the horse’s flank. Her deep, measured breaths made it clear she was trying hard not to cry herself.

Opal and Angel were the next to break away and approach, the former taking Winona into her own embrace and the latter laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. Between the two of them, Winona seemed finally able to steady herself. Only then did the rest approach, although the soldiers dispersed around them to meet with other patrols.

“You know how to use that?” Owlowiscious asked, gesturing to the sword at Winona’s hip. She looked at him for a moment, Opal disengaging their embrace as she did, and then gave a firm nod.

“Well as Ah can.”

“Good. And the horses?"

It worked. Winona sucked in a hard breath, and was fine for the moment, now that she had a distraction. “It ain’t quite half a ri from here t’ th’ Dark Wood, if we jus’ go in a straight line an’ ferget th’ roads,” she said. “But Ah figure we maybe need all th’ time we can git. Th’ horses won’t go in, but they can find their way back here once we get there.”

“That’s a good idea, Winona,” Owlowiscious replied. He approached the horse Winona had just finished tacking with his wing outstretched. It snorted when he touched its nose, but otherwise offered no protest. “We should get moving. The sooner we go, the sooner we’ll be back."

With another nod, Winona climbed up into the saddle, an action mimicked by everyone else, although Tank’s nickered in annoyance with how heavy he was. Being mounted bolstered their courage a bit, if not by very much. “You know the fastest way from here to the entrance?” Owlowiscious asked.

“Course Ah do.”

“Then lead on. There’s no telling how much time we might have, or how long it’ll take us to navigate through Mei-Shinrin.”

Winona turned her steed towards the open fields of grass and cast a glance back towards her house. Ryder was sitting on the steps leading up to the porch, still looking miserable. Peewee was sitting with her, almost in the exact same way that Owlowiscious had sat with her two nights previous, with a consoling wing on one shoulder. Finally, Lantier was with them as well, hand on Ryder’s other shoulder as he offered quiet assurances.

Wrenching her gaze forward again, she urged her horse to walk, and then trot and then gallop. The othesr did the same, even if some of them felt certain their horses were only following Winona’s. In the distance, the foreboding tree line of the Dark Wood sat, barely visible under the light of the full moon, which seemed to shine just a bit brighter than before they started their journey.

They took what comfort they could from that bright moonlight, knowing that once they entered the forest, they might never see it again.

Author's Note

It’s kind of weird, actually having a buffer of material.

It has also occurred to me that I’ve been throwing “sorcery” around (mainly here and back in chapter 2), and haven’t really provided an explanation for how that fits into the overall framework of magic. So, I’ll tell you all what; in the next full chapter (not interlude, which is coming next), I’ll provide you all with some context on that.

Interlude 3

When the Maiden of Flames descended from the Heavens to rally and lead the Ten Kingdoms against Windigo and his army of demons and monsters, She had ridden on a falling star.

When Windigo and his army of demons and monsters had been subjugated and imprisoned in Yomi, and the Maiden had released the Elements of Purity into the world and taught the people of the kingdoms to purify their land and protect themselves from corruption, She was left without a way to return to her home in the sky. But the Maiden was an embodiment of the Sun, itself one of the ōkami present when the world was created, and was well-versed in magic and the ways of the spirits, and was nothing if She was not clever.

She gathered the greatest silversmiths from the Ten Kingdoms and commanded them to smelt an enormous quantity of silver, according to Her exact instructions. This molten silver was then to be poured into a circular mold, many shaku across, which had a shallow pool of water below it while the smiths prayed to the earthly spirits that inhabited the world with them. When the silver had cooled, the mold was removed and the silver was anointed with more water while the smiths prayed. The silver was then to be polished for one day each with small stones, and then with fine sand, and then with ash, all while the smiths prayed. Finally, it was anointed once more with water, and the silver disc had become a mirror which perfectly reflected every detail of the world, including those which mortals were not able to see unassisted.

The Maiden of Flames, the kings and queens of the Ten Kingdoms, the mighty phoenixes She had created, the silversmiths, and many more then carried this mirror deep into a forest near what was known as Jindaiyama, a mountain so tall it could be seen from almost anywhere in the Ten Kingdoms, that was filled with magic. In forest, She led the procession to a small stream, and ordered many of the trees cut down and the stumps removed, and the wood from the trees to be cut into timber. A shrine was built around the mirror, and a second shrine around that. A great torii was built, and the shrines became separated from the world of mortals. Around the outer shrine, a great garden was planted to thank the forest spirits that had sacrificed their trees that the shrines could be built. Many stones were brought from along the bank of the stream and were used to construct a well where water from the stream was collected, as well as a small pathway through the garden. Finally, a great stone wall was constructed around the shrines and gardens, with an enormous wooden and metal gate becoming the only way in or out.

The Maiden instructed several of the people who had come with Her in the ways of the spirits. How to contact them, how to appease them, how to interpret their desires, and told them that it was now their task to maintain the relationship between mortals and spirits, and so made them the first priests and priestesses. Their training completed, the Maiden entered into the inner shrine, and channeling the magic of the Sun, turned the mirror into a gateway to the Heavens, which she stepped through and returned home.

It was from this mirror that the origin of mirror making was derived, as well as the origin of priests and shrines, and the origin of the relationship between the world of mortals and the world of spirits, and so it became known as the Origin Mirror.

As time passed and the Ten Kingdoms descended into chaos once more, the spirits of the forest became distrustful of mortals and began to chase them away, before secluding themselves. Reports of malevolent yōkai, and even bakemono in the forest began to spread, and the people avoided the forest. This forest, becoming ever more foreboding, became known as Mei-shinrin, or the Dark Wood. When the Sun returned as the Empress of light, Philomena, she did not attempt to guide mortals back to the Origin Mirror, feeling that her presence would only upset the spirit of the forest further.

As more time passed, the location of the Origin Mirror became lost, and the Mirror itself passed into legend and became known only by avid students of history. Until one night, one thousand years after Windigo was first sealed away in Yomi, when a Demon Queller from the capital of Heavenspire, and an artist, an inventor, a merchant, a rancher, and a priest from the village of Taiyō-sen set foot nervously into Mei-shinrin in an effort to save the world for a second time.

Author's Note

There’s just something about these interludes I really like. I suspect because they are generally short and allow me to dump a bunch of information about the world without having to work the exposition into dialogue or narrative.

Yes, just this short little thing is all you get right now. Phyco Day is coming up here, so this will cause delays. However, I'm making good progress on the next full chapter. Promise.

Chapter 7

"Why ever did I agree to this?"

It had taken a full half hour of trekking through Mei-shinrin before Opal had begun complaining. The forest was more than dark (although Gummy's lantern, as well as a few glowing orbs conjured by both Opal and Owlowiscious helped with that, a bit), but was also cold, muddy, littered with roots and rocks and other things that were easy to trip over in the dark, and was filled with all manner of yōkai that had yet to reveal themselves but would doubtlessly visit misfortune upon the party with malignant glee.

In truth, no one had bothered to stop Opal from complaining because they were thinking similar thoughts themselves; the worst she'd received was a briefing scolding from Owlowiscious to 'stop giving them away.' She answered with a huff, but otherwise fell silent as she led the way.

The path that led in from the outskirts had been quickly abandoned, which was why they had to trek through the mud and over tree roots. The only explanation the cat had provided for the change in course, and several subsequent changes was that it wasn't the right way, followed with a reminder that they needed to stay right behind her no matter what. It was an unfortunate turn of fate that the path she led them down also traversed past thorny bushes and low-hanging tree branches that seemed only too happy to hit heads that were too high from the ground. Finally, after losing count of how many branches had hit him in the nose, Tank could hold his opinions back no longer: “I hate trees.” If anyone agreed with him, they were not vocal about it.

With a roll of his eyes, Owlowiscious set his lights to float around him at a distance, and resolved to address a question he’d had since they left Taiyō-sen. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, Opal,” he began, moving alongside of the cat, “There never really is a good time for it, although I would say this comes close, but do you practice any sorcery?”

In response, Opal huffed in irritation. “Even now, you can’t stop being what you are?” she asked. “Aren’t there more important things at stake than what I do or don’t practice?”

“Normally, what you do or don’t practice would be of the highest importance, but present circumstances are hardly ‘normal.’ Truthfully, I’m hoping you do at least dabble with it. Nearly any edge we can have right now would be welcome.”

“Well, I…” Opal paused, although it wasn’t clear to Owlowiscious if it was to decide what she should say, or simply to make sure her words were palatable. His thoughts on the matter were momentarily interrupted when he nearly walked into a low-hanging branch. After he’d ducked under it and caught up again, Opal continued. “I suppose that is sensible. Unfortunately, my magic is all I can offer. I have no talent for sorcery, nor do I especially wish to learn.”

“Beggin’ yer pardons.” Both Opal and Owlowiscious turned to find that Winona had stepped up and was walking alongside them now as well. A glance over his shoulder showed Owlowiscious that the remaining three in their group had likewise caught up, wearing expressions of interest (except possibly Gummy; it was still so hard to tell). “But, Ah keep hearin’ ya’ll talk ‘bout magic an’ sorcery. Ain’t those th’ same thing?”

“Not quite, Winona,” Owlowiscious replied. “Think of it like-“

“Painting.”

At once, all attention was focused on Opal. “Painting?” Owlowiscious asked.

“Yes,” she replied, “Painting. Think of the world like a great canvas. The senses you have, your mind, muscles, organs, all of those are like a paintbrush. But most of that canvas is blank because your brush is short, and cannot reach very far. Magic is like a longer brush, allowing you to reach areas of the canvas you otherwise couldn’t. The greater your aptitude, the longer the brush.

“Sorcery, on the other hand, is like painting outside that canvas. You’re still limited by the reach of your brush, but you aren’t limited by the canvas anymore. With magic, a Void Shaper can make wood as hard as steel. With sorcery, a Void Shaper can change wood into steel. ‘For a sorcerer, nothing is impossible,’ they say.”

“That’s what they say, but what they say is incorrect,” Owlowiscious interjected, his tone dark. When Opal turned her attention to him, her expression was less annoyed than he might have expected, and more curious. “Haven’t any of you ever wondered why sorcery is treated the way it is? Why a Demon Queller is as interested in sorcerers as they are in yōkai? It’s because of that saying. ‘For the mortal, what is not permitted is what is not possible. For the sorcerer, all things become possible. When all things are possible, all things are permitted.’ When there are no constraints, no limits to what can be done, it makes it easy to justify irresponsible actions. Irresponsible actions make it easy to justify despicable actions, and despicable actions make it easy to justify impure actions. Without discipline, sorcery invariably leads to evil."

"Invariably?" Tank asked. "Really? Just, always evil if there's no discipline?"

"The same could be said of fencing," Angel interjected, "Or really, about anything that grants power beyond normal means. It's a facet of nature to exploit power for personal gain. Even the ōkami aren't safe from that particular trap."

"And you wanted to teach this nonsense to me!" Opal said just quietly enough to avoid angering Owlowiscious. "Probably in the hopes I'd wear immodest clothing, tie you up and then order you around." Owlowiscious missed the sky smirk on her face.

"I what?!" he exclaimed before clamping his wings over his beak. He hasn't meant to be quite that loud.

Opal, Tank and Angel all had a chuckle at the owl's expense. It was a chuckle that came to a halt as suddenly as they did when Gummy darted in front of them and frantically gestured back the way they came. Looking over their shoulders revealed that Winona had stopped walking and was staring off to one side, her expression haunted.

“It was here,” she said lightly, almost choking on the works. “He’s here!” And then, she took off running into the forest.

"Winona, stop!" Opal shouted desperately as she sprung into pursuit. "You're chasing fox-fire!"

"After her!" Owlowiscious was hot on Opal's heels, and the other three were not far behind. Branches whipped them in their faces and mud threatened to slip their feet out from under them even more than it had been, but they ran hard, not daring to lose sight of Winona as she sprinted headlong through the trees.

Before long, they managed to catch her, after she came to a stop in a small clearing. Unlike the rest of the forest floor, covered in rocks and earth, the clearing was covered in soft grass that grew very short. Several small boulders were scattered here and there, but hardly in the density they had been. Compared to what they had been trudging through, the clearing was brightly lit by moonlight. Finding Winona had been a small matter, as she had stopped almost immediately after arriving, looking across the grass at something. When the others had caught up properly, not one of them had the time to say anything before their attention became firmly fixed where Winona’s was.

Sitting across the clearing, watching them, was a fox far larger than any of them had ever seen, the nine tails resting on the ground next to it signifying that this was anything but an ordinary fox.

The kitsune regarded the others for a moment, and then looked briefly to Winona before standing up and walking into the trees, disappearing from sight almost immediately. The spell it had worked over Winona was seemingly broken, and she made no move to follow it further. Rather, her attention was captured by the clearing itself.

"Right, right here," she said, nearly choking on her words. She fell to her knees, and in an instant, her friends were around her. Try as they might have, however, they could see nothing else other than themselves.

"What is, Winona?" Opal asked. She kneeled on the ground with Winona and placed an arm across her shoulders. Now that they were close, it was possible to see the beginnings of tears in her eyes. "What's right here?"

"My husband."

An uneasy silence passed over the group, not one of them certain how best to break it. Winona found her voice first.

“Ah, married ‘im out east, an’ then we came here,” she continued. “He, he was a soldier, an’ marryin’ me, it didn’t sit well with ‘is family, so we came here. Ah was, ah was so, h-happy. He, he brought ‘is horses. Good, good horses, an’ we started trainin’ an’ breedin’ ‘em, an’ Ah was so happy.” Tears were freely flowing from Winona’s eyes now. “An’ then we were gonna have a baby an’, an’ Ah was so happy. An’ then he starts gettin’ weird, starts stayin’ out at night, an’ Ah get worried an’ I ask ‘im an’ he says I shouldn’t worry. He’s jus’ workin’ on a project, an’ it’s gonna be finished soon an’ he’s gonna show me, an’ I jus’ let ‘im do 'is thing.

“An’ then one night, he wakes me up an’ says he’s finished, an’ he’s ready t’ show me. So Ah get up an’ follow ‘im, an’ he takes me, he takes me right here an’ he’s got this, shrine he built, but it’s all wrong. An’ he says he knows how we can always be happy an’ never worry ‘bout nothin’, us an’ th’ baby, an’ not even th’ Empress could take that away, an’ all we had t’ do was, was kill mama at th’ shrine he built. An’, an’….”

Winona could say no more, and buried her face into Opal’s shoulder, sobbing. The cat simply held her, stroking her hair and gently shushing her.

“Ah never told no one. That, that Demon Queller came an’ Ah was so scared o’ what could happen after, Ah never told no one. Ah’m so scared…."

“We all have secrets, Winona,” Opal said softly, “Secrets we never want others to know. I….” She paused for a moment, and then held Winona more tightly and drew in a deep breath. “I never knew my parents. My sister raised me in a forest just like this one. Dark, and haunted. Yōkai and bakemono were my first playmates.” By then, Winona’s sobbing had quieted somewhat, now that she had something to occupy her mind. “I don’t like to tell my story, because most people immediately assume the worst about me. But I want you to know my story, so that you’ll know that you aren’t alone. Whatever challenges lie ahead of you, you never have to face them alone, if you’ll let me help you.”

Winona did not respond verbally, but drew in a shaky breath and nodded into Opal’s shoulder.

Owlowiscious glanced to his three companions who were still standing. Tank, although keeping quiet, seemed uncertain of how he should react. Angel did not look pleased with the situation they now found themselves in, but he too was keeping quiet. And Gummy….

Taking his attention from them, Owlowiscious turned back towards Opal and Winona and took a step towards them. “Opal.” She looked to Owlowiscious when addressed, and while she’d been ready to defend herself, he resumed speaking before she could say anything. “It won’t do any good to leave right away, with Winona in this state. Is it safe to rest here for a bit?”

Opal considered the question for a moment, and then turned her head this way and that. Owlowiscious wondered, however briefly, how different the world must look to her eyes, having grown up in a place so strange to him. Finally, she looked back to him and nodded. “It should be, as long as we don’t stay past sunrise.”

“Good.” Owlowiscious gave a nod to Angel, Tank and Gummy, and the three of them stepped a short distance away to begin setting up camp. Task given, Owlowiscious turned back to the two women and kneeled on the ground beside them. “Winona,” he said, laying a wingtip on her shoulder. A moment passed before she realized she’d been addressed and looked to him. “In the short time I’ve known you, you have demonstrated great strength of character and excellent moral fiber. Whatever you are, you are not your husband, and I trust you with my life.”

Sniffling, Winona nodded and gave him a grateful smile. “Thank, Owlowiscious. You too, Opal.” She nodded to the cat, and then somewhat unsteady pushed herself back to her feet. “Ah’m, Ah think Ah’d like t’ rest a bit, if we could."

“We’ll stay as long as we can, or as long as you need,” Owlowiscious replied. He turned and looked over to the rest of his friends, and then rubbed his eyes before looking a second time to make sure he hadn't imagine what he had seen. He hadn't.

In the brief few moments that Owlowiscious hadn't been watching, Gummy had, with assistance, managed to dig a shallow pit in the ground, build a cook fire, and set a small kettle to boil over it. At that moment, he was busying himself stuffing buns into a bamboo basket to be steamed. As he had the previous day, Owlowiscious forced all questions regarding how this was possible from his mind. Particularly the question of where the water had come from.

Provided they survived, there would be time for those questions later.

With the exception of Gummy, not one of the six had ever considered how much something as simple as a hot, steamed bun was able to boost morale. A quick snack, a little tea, and they once again felt ready to face the challenges ahead.

Then, the mist had appeared, barely a thin veil at first, but soon so thick that they were all forced to walk in a single row, using magical lights and the lantern Gummy had brought to keep from losing each other. Unable to see what might be hiding in the mists, they had resolved to travel in silence until the mist broke.

Their self-imposed silence was itself suddenly broken with a shout of, "Waagh!" as Gummy's lantern dropped out of sight. That the cry came from the alligator was so jarring that a moment had passed before the rest had realized what had happened. But even before they could begin searching, the silence was broken again.

“Everyone stand still!” Owlowiscious ordered. His wingtips glowed brilliantly with sky blue magic, and he gave his wings a single, forceful flap. The still air was suddenly stirred into action as a strong wind was called forth from nothing, and the mists swirled as they were pushed away. As they cleared, everyone saw immediately what had become of Gummy. They were on the edge of a ravine that they had not seen in the mist.

“I hate ravines!” Tank exclaimed as he rushed to the edge. “Gummy!”

Down below, well out of reach, was Gummy, clinging to an exposed tree root for all he had. The others looked over with a mixture of fear that he was in so precarious a position, and relief that he was not worse off. A moment later, everyone heard the ‘clang’ as Gummy’s skillet, having fallen free from his pack, hit the ground below.

“Don’ move, Gummy,” Winona said to him, “We’ll getcha.”

“How?” Opal asked, “How are we going to reach him?”

“We’ll, we’ll think o’ somethin’,” Winona replied moments before all discussion devolved into panic.

“Don’t let go, Gummy.”

“Can he climb up? Can you climb?”

“It’s too flat! He can’t grab anythin’!"

“Rope! Did we bring rope?”

“Gummy has it!”

“What do we-“

All semblance of discussion ended suddenly, and the five panicking adventurers looked over the edge of the ravine, down at the alligator holding onto a tree root for his life.

“Are, are you sure, Gummy?” Owlowiscious asked. “I don’t know if….”

Gummy’s only response was to briefly remove one of his hands from the tree root. Thumbs-up.

“If…” Struggling to find some support, Owlowiscious looked to his other companions, but they were at as much of a loss as he was. What else could they do? “Okay, Gummy. If you’re sure. On three, then.” Taking in a deep breath, the owl removed his satchel and passed it to Angel for safekeeping.

"One.“

Owlowiscious stepped to the edge of the ravine.

“Two.“

Gummy braced his feet against the stone cliff face, and then Owlowiscious jumped down after him.

“Three!”

Gummy released his grip and pushed away from the side of the ravine. An instant later Owlowiscious slammed into his chest and the alligator grabbed onto the owl's waist. Owlowiscious' wings spread wide and he flapped them furiously, but carrying his own weight, plus one alligator and whatever improbable amount of equipment said alligator was carrying himself, was something they were not quite up to task for. They didn’t fall, but their rocky, half-gliding descent was anything but graceful, a mess of flailing limbs and curses that ended abruptly when they collided with the boughs of a cedar tree.

At the top of the ridge, the rest of their friends cringed at the collision that sounded like it was anything but gentle, and waited in silence for several moments, breath bated. Finally, the silence was broken.

“Gummy?” Tanked called down at the tree. “Hoots? Are you dead?”

“Stop calling me that!” came the shouted reply.

“Oh, good, they’re fine,” Tank concluded with a nod. The others were less certain of that.

“We found the path down, Owlowiscious!” Angel called next. “We’ll meet you as soon as we can!”

Whether they waited for him to reply or not, Owlowiscious was uncertain; he was too busy disentangling himself from the branches that had broken his fall (and, if the pain in his chest was any indication, perhaps a rib as well). “Gummy?” he asked shakily.

The response came as a series of ‘thumps’ from lower on the tree, and when he looked down, Owlowiscious saw his rescued friend, standing on the ground some twenty shaku below, and not looking at all like he had just extracted himself from a cedar tree after crash landing into it.

Gummy waved up at the owl gaily.

Owlowscious scowled, resolved that he would figured out how Gummy had managed such a feat later, and then leapt sideways, out of the tree. When his wings spread this time, they had no trouble carrying him to the ground gracefully, even if they ached in protest. Keeping his left wing at full extension, however, proved to be a terrible idea; the pain that burned in his chest grew to a bonfire. Landing roughly and collapsing to his knees right then, he felt comforting and concerned hands on his shoulders almost immediately.

“I’m alright,” he choked out, “I’m hurt, but I’ll be alright. Just, give me a moment.” Taking a few moments to calm his breathing and steady his mind, he focused, and the air around him began to shimmer. It was no small task to stay focused as he felt bones in his chest grinding together as they were forced back into position and bonded. After several seconds of agony, the spell ended, and Owlowiscious heaved a heavy sigh of relief. Forcing the body to heal correctly was draining and had created a powerful throbbing in his head, but already the pain in his chest had subsided into a dull ache, and while it would take several days at least to heal completely, at least he could function again.

Rising back to his feet with Gummy’s assistance, he turned back towards his friend and was promptly greeted with a small piece of mochi in his face. Already pushed past his initial irritation at the alligator trivializing their earlier crash, Owlowiscious pinched the candy between his primaries, popped it into his mouth, and chewed.

“Mmm!” he decided with a smile, “Red bean!”

Gummy nodded happily, even if it was a bit difficult to tell since his expression still never seemed to change, and then pointed off in the distance, through the trees in the ravine. Owlowiscious looked, and then rubbed his eyes before looking again. The mist still hung in the air around them, even if it was not nearly as heavy as it had been when Gummy fell, but in spite of it, Owlowscious was certain that he knew what he saw.

In the distance, through the mists of Mei-sinrin, was a village.

Author's Note

Winona’s bit was hard to write; it just wouldn’t come together.

Gummy’s was easy to write; it came together like it was made of magnets.

I find this distressing for some reason.

Still experimenting with brackets, as you all can see. I think they work, and surprisingly, they make things much easier for me since I don’t need to format words into author’s notes later. They look cleaner too, I think. I also might well change Windigo’s design. The current one isn’t working for me the way I thought it would be.