FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 2

Shogun Kero takes his sword form over the throne, a blade the length of a rabbit's body with a soft curve to it, the handle inscribed with his name on one side and the crest of his family on the other. The handle is long enough that four paws could wrap around it. The blade is lined with chips and crake that have been tampered over hundreds of time giving the blade the appearances' of being covered in spider webs. The sheath is cut from a dark red wood and fire tempered to lock in its inner glory, a simple holster for a magnificently honed blade; it is a cruel weapon for a brutal heart.

Most Shogun would walk with a royal entourage, Kero needs no such thing, when he walks the streets the wise make room for his passing, the clever keep their eyes turned down, and the 'in the know' do not address Kero till he has spoken.

When the Shogun walks the streets of his kingdom he always knows where he is going first, a bar located only a short walk from his doorstep run by the Grass family, as Kero's shadow darkens the doorway a yearling girl holds a clay cup up to the Shogun, Kero nods his head with a grunt and drinks his water with mint leaves. He drops a handful of coin at his feet as he walks on.

The Shogun's second stop is the Maple farm. Only here does he address his family opening the door to conversation. "These trees where a gift from me to the Bark family, these trees bleed milk in the spring and cotton in the fall, the armor worn by king Nine was grown from this manger. I trust Bark and his keen to care for them and reap their blessings in my name. But this is only the beginning of the magic's Nine left in my care."

Sun looks to his father "I do not see the magic. We have planted, grown, and re-grown many trees here, and elsewhere. it is not magic that makes the trees grow."

"Boy, you have never left this island, you do not understand that the cotton trees grow only here at the foot of this mountain."

"the Monks living at the top of those stares on high told me so 'it is the seed, not the tree, that has power.' These trees will milk no matter where you plant them."

"for men that speak only in whispers they seem to have much to say." Kero complains "Next, to the rock farm."

The shoguness looks to her escort "that is where your friend Wind was born I understand."

The Shoguness escort dresses in green; she keeps her hood up and covers her face with a vale. The vale is a symbol of tribute paid to the shogun, escorts have no name, escorts have no loyalties outside of their service to the family. An escort is 'Crissined' at 14 years of age and after their 'Crissining' they are expected to serve the family for 14 years afterwards they are awarded a mate and as much land to live on as they can build a wall around. Should the escort displease the family they are sent home with no ill will, should they die before the 14 years have passed their mother and father are given a wine barrel of silk and gold to pay for time served but should the escort lose their virginity will in service then the escort forfeits this contract and payment becomes void.

The Escort softly speaks "my youngest sister lives there as do her young. She is friends with your children. She plans to move into the church on the hill soon, much like Sun."

Kero briskly leads the group onwards. As they approach the grate hole in the island that is the Rock farm he looks down with a mild nostalgic grin "this is what makes us different from every other rabbit to ever live. The melting stones, heat them once and they turn to quicksilver, let it freeze thereafter and it becomes all but unbreakable. Over the years I have used the melting stone to craft shields that no arrows can puncher and swords on armor could keep out. If there was anything on this island that my uncle regrets having left behind surly it would be this..."

As the story goes on a pebble strikes Sun on the back, he pays no heed at first but when a second strikes him he turns to look. There hiding in the trees a hand full of yards away dressed in a grassy green garb is Wind. she has been friends with Sun since they were quit young. It has been some time since they last came face to face, yes they both go to the monastery for schooling but the monks like to keep the classes small and almost never let boys and girls sit side by side, rarely are they even aloud to sit in the same room as one another.

Since their last meeting Wind has grown tall and slender in many was starting to resemble Suns mother, the Shogoness. Wind bacons Sum forth, he complies sneaking away from his father to go see his friend and classmate. Wind giggles at his approach noticing his excited little shuffle. Wind draws the staff from her back, she twist one end of it and a long thing blade drops out of that end, she flips it around and a second drops out the other. Wind then discards her staff and tacks the two blades handing one off to Sun and keeping the other for herself.

Without a word Wind spins forward swinging her long knife at her childhood companion. Baerly keeping up with the events before him Sun dips backwards throwing his arms out in a shield, one high to protect his face the other low to cover his chest down to his hip. Wind hops in to tack a second slash. Sun pivots in getting to close to Wind for her to hit as he pulls his arms into his chest in a mantis like movement. One of his hands drops onto Winds wrist to grab her, the other he holds to her elbow to keep it straight. With a twist of the hip and a shuffle Sun thrust Wind at a tree.

Sun remembers this game now, every kid in the kingdom new one variation on it or another, it is called 'Fox and Hare' as he recalls, he can't seem to remember ever playing it with knives though, when he played he like to use sticks. The two players keep jumping at each other kicking and pushing till they can get there opponent to lay on their stomach, the person to push them over then sits on their back to pin them down and the pinned needs to offer the pinner a gift to get back up or the game is over. Last time Sun and Wind played together the currency was rocks and all the players where aloud three. (last time it was Moon, Wind, and himself as well as Winds three older sisters and her baby brother playing. He can't seem to remember the outcome)

Wind bounces back into battle with a thrust. Sun cross-steps to her side and slaps her hand down then drags his hand up her arm to slap her across the noise. Wind it seems has seen this trick once before as her hand is there to intercept the slap. Wind grabs Sun's hand and twists his wrist palm up lifting him up onto his toes, as she drops him she delivers a palm-punch to his side sending him toppling over.

Wind runs in eager to pin Sun and win this game, Sun rolls up onto his hip outstretching one lag to discourage the charge. Wind grabs his lag and pushes it to the side, she hops he will roll off to the side to keep his balance but Sun rolls twice and when Wind jumps on him she is sitting on his chest.

Sun bucks his hips making Wind fall forward onto all fours. Sun slides one hand under her chin and the other over her crown to grip her head, he pulls down on one side and up on the other forcing her to roll off of him. The two of them jump back to their feet and there is a back and forth for a time as the two of them continue to strike then retreat waiting for the other to offer them an avenue of attack.

After some time Wind seems to throw the match. She performs the simplest and most exploitable tactic in the game. The one every boy tries first when learning fox and hare. She holds her weapon in front of herself and runs in full bore. Sun drops his weight back and grabs her arm with both hands walking her backwards dragging her face down onto the dirt. Sun climbs onto Winds back laying over her to pin her to the ground.

Wind giggles again satisfied by the game and rolls her hips up just once noticing the weight on her back in a more instinctive thin intentional way. Sun gasp and crawls away sitting up against a rock. Wind fallows suit getting up. "Hello Sun. how have you been?" at last they great each other.

"Better then you I suspect. You aren't even old enough to be an Escort and I understand you have children."

"I made a mistake, got scared, I was told that I was going to fallow my sister into the life of an Escort and in a fit of childish rage did all sorts of things to make myself unappealing to your father. I kissed half the boys in the tea house. I laid with both man and women, some twice my age. I even rested red mettle to my breast burning symbols onto my fir like we do with worker mules."

"All that to keep away from my father?"

"and more, I wanted to grow up, have children, wall I was still young and strong enough to see them grow up themselves. I didn't expect that I would have five of them before being welcomed into the priesthood and not know who fathered them."

"when we were children I thought it would be me that was the father of your first born. Likely out of wedlock and in some dark corner of the church..."

"me too." Sun and Wind both giggle childishly at the honesty and indecentsy of the statement. Wind crawls in offering a quick kiss to Sun.

Moon whistles to announce her approach. The two young lovers back away from each-other startled by the shrill sound. "Shogun Kuro is ready to return home, he is sending mother and her Escort to fetch party complements for our guest."

Wind acknowledges Moon with rising one hand in greeting as Sun looks away shyly adjusting his robes. "Hello Moon. I was hoping to see you."

Moon runs her hands down her lags and falls into a kneeling position tucking her gown beneath herself. "What were you looking for me for?"

"Have you ever stood on the balcony nearest the west wing exist at the monastery?" Wind asks.

"That's the side overlooking the dale right?" Moon rolls her eyes up thinking about the monastery's floor plan.

"Have you ever visited the dale?" Wind goes on.

"It's a drop 90 body's length down the bluff before you reach the dale. One way in and no way out as far as I know." Moon explains then looks to her brother "I don't know anyone that has been down there do you?"

Wind cuts in before Sun can reply "I found a trail of stepping rocks not far from the church that leads in that direction. There far too small for any normal Usagi to crawl down but maybe..."

Sun cuts in "If the path is so narrow that only Moon could fallow than why bring it up?"

"Climbing spikes, if she can crawl down leaving us a trail of climbing spikes to jump down we can fallow her and have an easy way back too."

Moon claps "I like this plan! I love exploring."

Sun ducks his head with hesitation "this isn't like running amuck in the town square, we aren't likely to find friends down there or places to hide if things don't go according to plane."

Wind looks to Sun "we might not need to go back up the bluff in the end even, I think that the river west of here might even be fed from a basin on the other side of the bluffs."

"Then we should walk around the hills and come in from the north." Sun rubs his neck as he is thinking about the plan under discussion.

The thundering voice of Kuro calls the children to attention "*grunt*, you are speaking of Shinto Valley, no Usagi has ever set foot on that cursed soil, and yes faith river does run through the valley." Kuro passes forth standing over Wind "you, go home, be with your children." He turns his gaze onto Sun "you, go to the tea shop, tell them that we are taking their maid and five baskets worth of herbs to the castle for a special assignment. Bring Moon with you."

No one dares say a word, everyone nods their heads and runs off to carry out the shogun's orders.

***

As Sun and Moon return to the tea house the yearling, who Sun knows as Lafe, runs up grabbing Sun in a huge proclaiming "Prince Sun." the energetic bounces up and down a moment till Sun places a hand on her head pushing her down

"Lafe," Sun explains "My father, the Shogun wants you to bring five baskets of herbs to the castle."

Lafe's mother, who is called Weed, steps out from the back of the shop "that is more than twice what he asked for last time he was here."

Sun bows "I will help Lafe, of course." He looks to the mother "My father would like her to stay in the castle as well to help tend to the needs of our impending visitor."

Weed looks momentarily shocked but calms herself as Sun finishes his explanation "I was going to say, the Shogun has a taste for younger girls but not Lafe young." Weed, who is no small women walks up to Sun and Moon caring with her a small bag, the older, experienced women kneels next to the kids sliding them each a piece of candy from within her pouch. "Lafe darling, go with the prince, make sure that the shogun has everything he needs."

Lafe jumps up at her mother kissing her.

Weed laughs as she stands up. "come on, let's start packing."

The lot walk into the back of the tea house and start working on setting up for the upcoming party.

***

The long bout lands, armies of Usagi dressed in green blouses and matching bottoms jump out, all perfectly uniformed right down to a long thin straight blade tucked into the back of their trousers and a powder keg and riffle slung down their backs, all are dressed so that the belt of buttons across there breast are there only identifying feature.