The Tale Of The Fox & The Scorpion
Falling Rose Petals
The Tale Of The Fox & The Scorpion
Beautiful flowers of pink and crimson fell like raindrops around the young traveler, her face wearing years of travel, conflict and resolve behind a dark oak half mask. The menyoroi depicted a large grin, that ran from ear to ear, of sharp yellow teeth. An elegant silk red kimono with faded orange and black highlights. A katana and wakizashi tucked into her black fabric belt. The young kirin’s sad teal eyes drifted upwards to the stone path in front of her.
“It’s always the things you love that will kill you.” She whispered to herself as she continued upward.
Every step felt heavier and heavier as she climbed higher and higher up the mountain towards the sky. Her swords’ sheaths bounced; clanking off each other as if they were locked in deadly combat. She paused at the first plateau to gaze at the circular training platform. Wooden kirin-shaped mannequins stood one by one, each with cuts and slashes all around its frame. Years of repetitive training had weathered the practice dummy. They needed to be replaced soon. The wind blew harder as the kirin samurai thought about all the time she had spent perfecting her skills there.
Ever since she was old enough to walk, her father, an ash-colored kirin with a graying forest green mane, brought both herself and her twin brother to the mountains to train in the art of the warrior. Days of seemingly endless hikes, practicing magical spells and sparing. Sometimes, her father pitted the two twins against each other until the sun set on the glade where they lived. It was a test that nurtured the stonewall resolve she had today. Her brother was less fortunate, being on the losing end of most of the matches she could remember.
Their father would force her brother to sit under a near waterfall for hours in hopes that it would strengthen his mind and will. Eventually it works, turning him into a patient but ruthless samurai. The memory of the day she and her brother received their titles flowed back to her as she touched the streaks left in the area’s flat andesite floor.
~~~~~~~ 名誉 ~~~~~~~
“From this day furth, Damask Rose and Eden Rose, you are both now samurai of Clan Rose.” Their father spoke to them in front of a small crowd of other kirin, all formally dressed in fine multicolored silk. “For your final trial, you must duel each other to gain your titles.”
“I don’t plan on losing.” Eden Rose proudly proclaimed as she locked eyes with her twin.
“It’s not matter who wins and loses.” Their father, Rambling Rose, pulled both of them in for an embrace. “But instead it is a matter of tradition to show all of what you have learned.”
“Daaad! Let us go,” Damask Rose whined, trying to break free of his father's strong forelegs. “We’re trained samurai now and this is just embarrassing!”
The graying Rambling Rose released his kids and bent down to them while letting out a small chuckle, “You’re still my children though. One of these days I might not be around to make fun of you two. Both of you know that when our emperor demands a task done of us, we must complete it. It brings honor among the clan.”
“Yes dad.” Both white-coated foals responded.
“Now, take your positions. We’ve stalled this tradition long enough.”
Both foals took positions on opposite sides of the circle platform across from each other. Together they drew their wooden blades with their magic and took their starting combat stances. Eden Rose, dressed in a red kimono, stood with her right forehoof forward, raised the blade to the left of her pink mane with fading streaks of white, the tip pointing straight forward as her eyes stared down the blade’s edge. While Damask Rose, dressed in a deep tan kimono, took a wide stance, his left forehoof in front, placing the blade lower in front of him with the tip pointing diagonally straight down. The twin stood quiet, waiting for the command from their father, who simply smiled looking at his kin. With the single strike of his hoof on the ground, the foals charged.
The filly swung first with a wide downwards slash. Her brother quickly knocked her blade up and used to the end of his hilt to jab Eden in the chest. She slid and Damask smirked. Eden scowled and ran towards her brother again; her blade high above her head with the edge pointing straight up. Damask quickly changed his stance to block his sister’s rapid strikes. Every connection of the wooden sword forced him to take a step back. The kirins watching cheered at the displays of skill.
Damask, growling at every blow on his blade, smirked when he found an opening to go on the offense. Just as his twin swung down, he quickly flattened his sword and slammed it towards Eden. His twin stumbled to block the attack. The blades connected once more, locking together mid-air. The siblings pushed at each other; neither one willing to submit to the other. The magic holding the wooden blades began to fade causing each twin to slide back.
They took deep breaths and wiped the sweat off their brows. The world seemed to slow as each twin focused, as both tried to regain their breath. They stared at one another, slowly mimicking the same stance. Eden and Damask placed one hoof calmly ahead of the other as they tilted their blades forward. The twins began to circle each other, watching for even the smallest opening to attack. The crowd waited with anticipation.
They didn’t have to wait long as the young filly charged at the colt, tucking her blade close to her chest. The colt responded by taking a step back with his leading hoof. Eden had watched this move performed by her brother for years. He always telegraphed his big moves. Damask brought his sword next to his left hip. The filly pretended to attack with a high strike by raising her blade. Her twin violently swung at her open chest.
He fell for it. Eden shifted her weight by rolling to the right, dodging Damask’s strike deftly. Swiftly, she struck him from the center of his chest all the way up to his chest bone. The colt’s magic on the blade faded as the strike caused him to lose his balance. Eden Rose beaming with joy as stood proudly with her blade gracefully pointing to the sky while her brother fell to his knees along with his wooden sword.
The crowd roared into applause at the climax of the match. Eden sheath her sword and consciously went over to help her brother. Instead of tears or rage like she was expecting, her twin surprised Eden with sweet laughter.
“You always were too smart for me,” Damask grinned as she helped him off the ground using magic to brush off the dust on his clothes.
“We both know that’s the only way I can win,” Eden Rose retorted.
“Don’t sell yourself short, sister.”
Their father sauntered over to his children. He was tailed closely by a pale, yet beautiful, pink mare. She was dressed in a hooded black kimono with the hood up to cover her head. The twin quickly ran over to their mother and embraced her. Floribunda Rose pulled her children in tightly.
“I’m so proud of you two.” Their mother’s soft words brought gleeful little smiles onto the small kirins’ faces. Their mother let out a few small wet coughs.
Worry crossed Rambling Rose’s face, as he wanted to attempt to help his wife who stopped him. She smiled as she raised at a hoof.
“I’m fine dear.”
The twins’ graying father sighed and then signaled his children to come to him. Eden and Damask both scurried over to Rambling Rose and knelt in front of him; their mother stood by with prideful tears running down her face.
“My children. You both have successfully completed the ceremony of the setting sun. But before we can go home you first must receive your titles and pledge our nation’s code,” He turned to Damask. “You may have lost but the patience and strength you’ve learned will win you many battles, my young Scorpion.”
Rambling Rose paused as Eden’s twin brother whinnied. Her father turned to her, “Your swift thinking and cunning fight style will always leave your opponents in bewilderment, my young Fox.”
Eden Rose gave a wide grin that beamed with overwhelming joy. This was all she ever trained for, all she ever wanted.
“Now please recite our nation’s code,” Rambling Rose asked.
The twins spoke simultaneously, “Duty and loyalty to the emperor. Always fight with honor even in the face of defeat. Show compassion by protecting those who can’t protect themselves.”
“Excellent, no—“
Their father was cut off by Floribunda Rose coughing up blood and falling over. Rambling Rose rushed over to his wife as his children watched in frozen horror.
~~~~~~~ 名誉 ~~~~~~~
Eden shook her head rapidly, not wanting to relive the rest of that memory. She continued upward on the beaten path.
The gentle wind at the bottom of the mountain with beautiful flower petals caught in its firm grasp had been quickly replaced by golden trees. Leaves fell silently all around the young samurai as Eden only stopped for a moment to take a short rest. She removed her mask to reveal many scars and fresh cuts on an otherwise beautiful soft face. The young traveler took a long breath and took in her surroundings. Studying each tree, each blade of grass and each falling leaf until Eden noticed a large opening ahead of her.
The center of the clearing was occupied by a single large Ashen Oak tree. The bark of the tree was almost black, close to the same color of freshly fallen ashes. It’s body twisted up to the sky with its branches outreaching like arms trying to pray. It’s larger than average, its five point crimson leaves at the top providing a blissful protective shade from the day’s heat. Eden walked over to the base of the Ashen Oak, carefully removing her katana with a simple levitation spell and placing it on the ground in front of where she lied down. She did the same with her saddlebags; using her crimson magic, Eden removed a small cloth wrapped bag, covered with tiny little smiling foxes. Untying the knot of the bag revealed thin brown rectangular rice crackers which Eden happily began to eat.
Her mind began to drift as her teal eyes glanced upwards to watch the pasting clouds. She closed her eyes and allowed her mind to once again wander in her memories.
~~~~~~~ 名誉 ~~~~~~~
“The wind blows harshly, only the sweetest ones away. Falling rose petals,” Eden wrote down the words she just spoke. Using her magic, she folded the paper into a small featureless bird and released it into the wind that swiftly carried it away. She grabbed another rice cracker from on top of her fox-covered cloth.
“Beautiful words.”
Eden turned her head to find her twin brother, now a young stallion, his mane pulled tightly back in a bun. Damask levitated, with his cerulean-colored magic, a small tray with a teapot and two cups onto the ground in front of his sister.
“Thought you might want some company. You’ve been coming out here alone a lot.” Her twin stated, trying his best to hide his worry. He poured tea into each cup and took a sip from his.
Eden floated her own cup over to her lips, but paused just before taking a drink. She blankly stared at her reflection in the liquid, “Father told me a long time ago that our ancestors can receive our words through the wind no matter where they are now.”
She took a long sip from her cup.
“Who have you been trying to talk to?” Damask asked softly.
“Mom.”
Both the twins sat there in silence, just enjoying each other's company and the tea. Eden’s brother finished the rest of his drink with a quick chug then turned to his sister.
“You think… I could try?”
Eden tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and giggled quietly, “Writing a haiku? I thought painting was your thing.”
“It is but,” Damask sighed. “I just want to show mom I can do more than just wield the sword and the brush.”
Eden’s giggles turned into hearty laughter. Her brother’s entire face flushed with a reddish-pink.
“What?! I can be poetic too!” Damask neighed.
His twin levitated over a piece of paper and an ink quill over to him, “Then impress me, oh great poet!”
“You know I will.”
Damask Rose tapped the quill against his cheek as he looked around him. His mind and eyes wandered to different trees and animals that scurried across the clearing. His eyes lit up as he neatly scratched down some words. He cheerfully held the paper up.
“Like rays of sunlight, we wander away from home. Just hoping to return.” Damask’s smile slowly faded as Eden chortled.
“I think you might want to work it.”
Her twin crossed his hooves, “I thought it was pretty good.”
His sister snatched the paper out of his cerulean magical grasp with her own crimson telekinesis. Damask began opening his mouth to protest, but stopped when Eden folded it into a small crane.
“How about we let mom decide,” She let the bird blow off with the breeze with a starry look in her teal eyes. “Sounds fair?”
Damask Rose gave a soft smile. “Yeah.”
~~~~~~~ 名誉 ~~~~~~~
The young kirin wiped away the tears running down her face then laced the katana back into her fabric belt and returned the remains of her snack to her saddlebags. Eden began to climb the mountain once again. The leaves the siblings made tiny boats out of to watch sail down the river nearby to the valley fell all round her. These were the trees that her and her twin brother used to play war in. This was the forest they grew up in together, happy.
Eden changed her pace from a trot to a full on gallop. She tried her hardest to outrun the memories of her past. They hurt too much. Eden bolted out of the golden forest and skidded to a halt, kicking up dust in the process. The color from her face drained as she stared at the endless rows of white tombstones, each ladened with roses of different colours at their bases.
Eden quickly hid her face behind her wooden half mask. It was out of respect for them, but the sight only made her feel completely hollow. In the distance, on the precipice of the mountain was a temple. Eden Rose lowered her gaze to the ground as she continued to her now visible destination trying her best to keep her memories at bay.
~~~~~~~ 名誉 ~~~~~~~
Eden crimson magic grasped the hilt of her sheath katana firmly as she stared down the three yak invaders in front of her, each equipped with a flamboyant white helmet and spear. The largest one spoke, “Surrender or yaks crush tiny kirin!”
With no response, the massive yak lunged at Eden Rose spear first. The young samurai sidestepped the attack swiftly and sliced up, straight through the yak’s lower torso to his neck. He dropped his spear and tried to stop the bleeding as he fell to the ground. The other yaks screamed for their fallen ally, charging at the still kirin. Eden gracefully cut down the last two enemies with single strikes from her blade. She bowed her head in respect as the final yak bled out and died.
“Fox,” her twin brother slid down the short hillside behind her. “We located the main camp of the northern invaders and the emperor has called all samurai back for a frontal assault.”
Eden cleaned the blood of her blade by sliding the dull edges between the below of her left foreleg before returning back to its sheath with a satisfying click. Damask looked at his sister’s masked face and, with a free hoof, wiped the blood and muck from her face.
“Don’t wanna look bad if we meet the emperor, now do we?” her twin chuckled.
“There’s only a war going on. I think I can be forgiven for how dirty I am.”
The siblings both at the same time broke out into smiles and then laughter. As they traveled up the hill to their destination, the twins looked out at the battlefield below. The decaying bodies of both yaks and kirins filled the field, their blood turning the river that flowed through the middle red, with those still living were locked in combat. Crashing steel and magic could be seen all over. For every yak defeated, five kirin would fall. The average, poorly trained hoofsoldiers stood little chance against the size of the yaks without numbers. Eden looked on in complete disgust. It was like the fantastical war stories that their father had told them before bed had become real, too real.
“We need to finish this war soon. Too many kirins have had their lives cut short.”
“They know what they signed up for, Eden,” Damask retorted in the moment. “They’re soldiers.”
At the top of the hill, they were met with their father dressed in ornate black armor, with orange highlights, that wrapped all around his torso. His crimson horn popped out of a hole in his helmet in the middle of two white antlers. A dark oak menyoroi covered Rambling Rose’s mouth. His armor clanked rhythmically as he paced anxiously.
“Excellent. Both of you are here,” Their father gestured for the twins to follow him. “I’ve just received orders for Clan Rose to lead the second assault on the invaders’ base.”
“When are we heading out?” Damask raised an eyebrow.
Rambling Rose walked over to the northern edge of the hill and pointed out at the roaring battlefield below, “As soon as Clan Flame and the first assault group clear us a path.”
The twins watched the wave of kirin below march forward towards the wooden highwall base nearby,cutting down any foes in their path. The first assault group’s march was proceeding well in the twins’ minds. Then both Eden’s and Damask’s teal eyes went wide as the main doors to the yaks’ camp burst open and five yaks charged straight at the wave of kirin. Each one had a pair of kegs tied to their sides. Flaming arrows were shot from the top of the camp’s walls just as the pack of yaks descended on the kirins. The arrows made contact with everything, but when the first arrow pierced one of the barrels a loud explosion shook the glade they fought in. The fireball created a chain reaction that killed everyone in the nearby area, leaving deep craters.
Damask raised a hooves to cover his mouth, “Those poor souls...”
“Those monsters!” Eden roared. “They sent their troops out to die for what? Nothing! They have no compassion.”
Rambling Rose lowered his head for a moment before stating proudly, “That’s why we must fight them head on and show them the true meaning of honor.”
The words caused Damask to relax and puff out his chest. Eden’s eyes wandered over the pools of blood and body parts of the kirins below. She shook her head.
“Fighting the invaders head on…” The young mare frowned. “It’s suicide.”
“Then we’ll die a warrior’s death for our emperor and for the glade. Gather the forces, we’ll leave to end those savages shortly.”
~~~~~~~ 名誉 ~~~~~~~
Eden relaxed herself by pacing her breath with each step up the stone step. Her eyes were met with a beautiful shire of crimson pillars and ivory white walls. The floor in front of Eden was engraved with a large rose that touched all corners of the building. It was the tomb where all the great defenders of the Clan Rose were buried.
Eden Rose approached the center of the room and sat down. With her magic she pulled out her sheathed katana and gracefully rested it on the floor just in front of her. Eden did the same with her half mask, unlooping it from each of her before placing it in front of her blade. Then the young mare reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a piece of paper with a quill and small ink bottle. Dabbing her quill in the ink, Eden began to compose a haiku. Her eyes drifted over every small crack in the floor. She listened to the quiet wind peacefully enter and exit the tomb. Finally, her eyes rested on the shrine front of her. As Eden’s quill danced gracefully across the paper, so did her memory.
~~~~~~~ 名誉 ~~~~~~~
“For the emperor and the glade! Charge!” Rambling Rose commanded.
The stampede of kirin warriors echoed their leader’s cry and charged blade first at the northern invaders camp. Eden gave her twin a worrying look as the party met virtually no resistance, only dust. The group of kirin passed over the field of charred dirt and bodies. Eden looked at the post-carnage and noticed one the fallen kirins was still alive; still coughing up blood on themselves. The young warrior ran over to the fallen soldier and looked over the wounds on what was left of her body. The soldier’s legs were gone; all that was left were messy piles of red and white muscle mixed with bone. Eden ignored her father’s calls to fall back in line and focused on comforting the mare’s last moments. The soldier tried to speak but only crimson liquid came out. Her eyes swelled up with tears that ran down her face. Eden Rose took the mare’s hoof knowing there was nothing she could do.
“Fox! We have to keep moving forward!” Rambling Rose shouted, his words finally pushing past his daughter's mental barrier. Even better would be Rambling Rose shouted, snapping his daughter out of her trance and pushing past her mental barrier.
The young mare stood up and stared at her father who was only a few yards away, yet the distance that divided them felt farther. The large doors of the yak camp flung open as a wave of northern invaders charged at the kirins. Through the dust Eden saw that the barrels were once again tied to these soldiers. She galloped as fast as her hooves would carry her towards her family. Arrows fired from the camp blotted out the light from the sun as Eden drew closer to the front of the battle, but time wasn’t on her side.
She watched as the same fate fell upon the first assault occurred to the second, but this time got to watch her father and twin brother get caught up in the explosion.
*** *** ***
The young warrior’s tears fell onto the paper as she finished the stroke of ink on the final character. Eden rested the quill on the ground and lifted the paper with her magic to her face.
“I exist for you. I shattered them for us. Our people are free.” As the last word left her lips she folded the paper into a fox just before releasing it into the wind. Eden looked forward at the stand that held an ornate set black armor with orange highlights. It sat just behind a small stone monument that read, ‘Rambling Rose’.
The incense on the grave was still burning.
“Beautiful words.”
Eden turned her head to find her twin brother, the complete right side of his body was encased with a darker shaded scar of his coat like claws. Damask approached her, “Do you mind if I sit with you?”
Eden shook her head and the siblings sat together. Damask stared at their father’s grave while Eden couldn’t stop herself from staring at the scars. Her brother looked over to her but looked away when they locked eyes. Something was amiss.
“Eden,” Damask’s words weighed heavy on her. “The Emperor has branded you a traitor.”
“And they ordered you to kill me, didn’t they?”
Her twin’s eyes rapidly shook as he stared at his sister, “You defied our code a-and slaughtered the northern invaders in their sleep.”
“I sacrificed everything for the glade. So our people’s lives wouldn’t be treated like cannon fodder.” Eden raised her voice with every word while putting away her things.
She stood up and began pacing. Eden looked down at her shaking hooves and noticed them starting to turn black.
“If we don’t fight by our code, what makes us better than the enemy,” Damask asked. “Your dishonor only teaches our kind to fear us.”
“Honor didn’t save you on the battlefield. Honor didn’t end the war. I gave them hope!” Eden roared before starting to leave. Her twin blocked her.
“You were my sister,” Damask paused just staring at his sister. “I will have to continue the line of Rose... without you.”
“But I’m still your twin.”
“No, you’ve become a monster,” He glanced at Eden’s darkening legs as his magic manifested around the hilt of his blade. “A nirik.”
“I won’t hurt my family.”
“You already have,” Damask claimed coldly while slowly unsheathing his katana.
Eden took a step back as her brother tossed the sheathed of the blade aside; pointing his katana directly at her. Damask swung rapidly at his sister, who tried her best to dodge the attacks. Eden used her hooves and telekinesis to defend herself, but even using her magic to move the blade away didn’t stop her from getting cut. Her kimono was torn and cut, now soaked and caked with her own blood. Eden fell back onto the ground. Using her father’s grave she pulled herself up and locked eyes with her father’s armor. Eden removed the menyoroi on her face and placed it on the grave.
With a heavy heart, Eden pulled out her sheathed katana with her crimson magic from her belt and raised it above her head. Slowly she unsheathed the sword, each wave in the blade reflecting the rays of setting sun in front of her. Eden turned to face her twin brother; tossing the sheath aside. She pressed her lips into a thin line as she stared longingly into Damask’s eyes.
The twins began to circle each other. Growing closer with each step as they watched for their opening. Sudden pain from the cuts caused Eden to stumble and Damask charged forwards with a downward slash. She quickly blocked the strike and slammed him with the butt end of her hilt. Damask gasped and slid back.
The stallion caught his breath and started approaching his sister. He stopped just before Eden, flattening his katana. The mare was unfazed by the stance change. Both warriors charged at one another quickly clashing with two connecting strikes on each other blades before jumping back to switch stances.
Damask Rose brought the katana high above his head with a scowl on his brow. Eden Rose copied her brother but stumbled again. Her brother frowned at her. In response, Eden stood as tall as she could, her body visibly shaking. She crossed the blade across her chest and widened her stance. Her brother was taken aback by the form. Eden took the chance to take the initiative.
As she approached, Damask took a step back with his leading hoof. Eden sighed. Her twin brought his sword next to his left hip before violently swinging upwards at his sister. Damask watched in horror as Eden shifted her weight all by rolling to the right and with two moves cut down to meet his sword. The stallion’s blades broke in two and flew through the air freely. Eden grimaced with her katana shining in the setting sun while her twin fell to his knees.
Damask turned onto his back to face her, “You disgraced me. Grant me a warrior’s death!”
“I have no honor,” Eden replied coldly while grabbing her sheath to carry her katana. “Go home. Go back to your family.”
“I-I can’t fail the Emperor,” He stared at the ground, sitting up and mumbling while static filled his eyes. “They’ll w-want a head...”
Eden turned to look at her brother, who just sat on the ground hunched over silently sobbing, then to her father’s armor one last time. The young ronin turned her back on her past to hobble back towards the exit of the tomb. She paused to look down at the mountain’s path before her. It brought her a strange peace.
“I can not fail the Emperor!”
Eden’s ears perked up at the sound of Damask’s scream. She turned around to her twin charging her with his wakizashi in his mouth. His entire body was blackened as blazing flames replaced his mane and tail. Every step he took left a trail of fire in his wake. Damask Rose readied to swing as he was only a few hoofsteps away from his sister.
Eden quickly sidestepped the short blade and with one quick draw of her katana sliced her twin’s bottom chest up to his collarbone. The blood of her sibling glistened in the last rays of sunlight. Eden tightly kept her eyes close to hold back tears as she heard the sound of Damask stumbling past her and falling to the ground with an eventual thud. Hot tears erupted from her eyelids as the ronin looked at her brother, who reverted back from his nirik form.
Eden cleaned the blood off her blade and sheathed her katana before going to her brother’s side. She propped Damask on her shoulder so both siblings could share their last moments together. Her twin violently coughed up blood while trying to speak, only managing to let out a whimpered whisper. Eden leaned her ear close to listen.
“You always were… so smart,” Damask managed to get out between dry coughs with a tiny smile. “Find me... in the next life.”
“I will.”
He then embraced his twin in the tightest hug he could. Eden squeezed back until slowly the strength in Damask’s hug faded and his forehooves fell to his sides.
The last heir of Clan Rose screamed. Rage mixed with sorrow as she fully transformed into a nirik. The flames on her glowing brighter and hotter with each longing cry. Her teardrops fell like flowers of pink and crimson around the twins as the sunset on the glade.
