by T. Isilwath
‘Don’t die! Please don’t die!’
He ripped her leather shirt along the seam to reveal the twin fang marks on the top of her left shoulder, and he realized that she must have rolled at the last moment in an attempt to protect her throat.
‘The shoulder, not the neck, and it was a juvenile male. They aren’t as deadly as the adult females,’ he reasoned with hope in his heart.
Not willing to cut her with his filthy hands, he picked up the discarded dagger and used it to slice open the bite wounds. The blood that seeped out was sluggish and stained black with the venom, and he quickly covered the open wounds with his mouth, sucking as hard as he could and drawing out the poison as he had done with Kaemon’s snake bite years ago. The venom made his lips and tongue go numb, but he kept at it, spitting out the tainted liquid and drawing more until the blood flowed red and freely from the slices he had made.
‘Now I have to get her to the shrine so they can give her the antidote.’
He knew that going to the village was the last thing his vixen wanted, but he had no choice. There was no time to waste, and if he didn’t bring her directly to the shrine, there would be a delay. A delay could mean life or death for his beloved, and he only hoped that Joanna would understand why he had made the choice that he did.
Speaking of delays, he sensed the coming of the other scout before it actually arrived, but this oni-gumo didn’t stand a chance. As soon as he caught the fresh scent headed his way, he reached into his center of power and touched the spot that still tingled. He felt the energy rush down his arms and into his palms as soon as he tapped the source. Then he waited, letting the power build in his hands until they were practically vibrating with it.
Foxfire was unique in that it burned cold. While it could be used to ward off heat-generating flames (and even put them out by smothering them), its real killing force was in the striking power of the blow. So when the second demon spider came out of the trees, he let the energy loose, and the emerging fireball slammed into the beast with the full force of his desperate rage, knocking the monster back and splitting it right in two. It screamed and convulsed before rolling onto its back and curling its legs up like its brother as it gasped its last.
Satisfied that the thing was quite dead, he gathered Joanna into his arms and cradled her against his body. She was too cold for his comfort and barely breathing. A low whine escaped his throat as he held her, looking down at her lax face and closed eyes.
‘Please live. Please. I couldn’t bear it if you died,’ he begged as he licked the gash on her shoulder, knowing the healing properties of his saliva would help clean and close the wound.
Lifting her up as if she weighed nothing at all, he supported her underneath her back and legs and ran for the shrine as fast as he could go. The village wasn’t all that far away, and he hit the shrine garden at top speed, jumping up onto the engawa and ringing the bell frantically. He was just setting Joanna down on the polished wood when he heard running footsteps coming to answer his call. One of the shoji doors on the exterior of the long porch slid back as both Kaemon and Suzuka came running.
“Hanyou, what is wrong?” Kaemon began, then saw his bloodied clothing and the limp body in his arms. “Kami-sama…”
“Help her, please!” he begged, not bothering to hide his desperation.
Kaemon knelt on one knee next to him and pulled back the torn leather to see the wound. Akihiro heard him hiss and cluck his tongue.
“Oni-gumo,” the priest breathed, the contempt obvious in his voice. “Sister, prepare the oni-gumo medicine. Quickly!”
Suzuka nodded and turned on her heel, running back into the house.
“I sucked out most of it,” he said as Kaemon examined the gash.
“Was it a female?”
He shook his head. “No. A male. A juvenile.”
Kaemon grimaced. “A scout. Well, that will work in our favor. Its poison won’t be as deadly as a mature Queen’s. Is this who I think it is?”
“Yes, Kaemon-sama. This is Joanna.”
The priest gave a curt nod. “Let’s get her inside.” He picked up his precious burden once again as both he and Kaemon stood, and followed the man as the priest slid back a second door that opened onto one of the house’s sickrooms that were kept clean and ready to accept patients. Each was the same size and had its own irori firepit sunken into the center of the floor. A futon was rolled off to one side with blankets and a pillow next to it, and other necessary supplies were stacked by the opposite wall.
Kaemon rolled out the futon while he held Joanna in his arms and waited.
As soon as the bed was ready, he gently lowered his vixen onto it and took off her boots, silently wishing Suzuka would return with the medicine.
“How long ago was she bitten?” Kaemon asked.
“Not long. I found her shortly after it happened.”
“I trust from the look of you that you dealt with the scout.” He smiled grimly. “They will not be searching for a new nest anymore.”
“They?” Kaemon repeated leadingly.
“There were two. Both are dead now.”
The man nodded. “Were you injured?”
He shook his head. “No. None of this blood is mine.”
“I am glad.”
“Where is Ichiro-sama?” he questioned, noticing the elder priest’s absence.
“My father had to go to a neighboring village. I expect him back within a day or two. In the meantime, I am seeing to the duties of the shrine.”
‘Hence why I am now sitting inside the house for the first time in thirty years,’ he thought dourly. Neither Ichiro nor his father had ever allowed him into the house itself. The most they had ever offered was a dry spot on the engawa during the rains. In an odd way he was glad that Kaemon was in charge because he knew he would have fought if anyone had tried to keep him away from his vixen’s side.
He smelled the acrid scent of medicine, and he perked his ears up as the interior shoji doors slid back, and Suzuka entered carrying a cup of steaming liquid and a kettle. He saw her pause, and her lips tightened into a thin line when she saw him in the room, but she did not make any comment. She came over to them and knelt, placing the kettle beside the cold firepit.
“We need to get the medicine into her, but it will be dangerous while she is unconscious,” she said. “We must be careful or she will get it into her lungs.” He reached out a hand for the cup. “I will do it.” She gave him a disapproving look. “You are covered in blood and stink of death. You should not even be under this roof.”
Before he could stop himself, he heard a warning growl rumble out of his throat as his protective instincts were triggered, and he saw Suzuka’s eyes open a little wider in surprise.
“Hanyou…” she gasped.
“My sister is right on one point,” Kaemon quickly interjected. “It would be best for you to get out of those dirty clothes and wash the blood from your hands. Cleanliness in a sickroom is very important. I assure you that your Joanna will be safe in our care until you return.”
“Joanna?” Suzuka repeated.
“Yes. Joanna is this woman’s name,” Kaemon explained before he could speak.
He hesitated. He didn’t want to leave his vixen’s side, but Kaemon was right. He was covered in oni-gumo blood and his claws were black with it. No doubt his lips were stained as well from where he had sucked the poison out of the wound. All things considered, he knew he must look a fright, and it was probably best if he did go bathe and change. Joanna was in capable hands, and he was certain that it would be safe to leave her for a short time. But still he feared letting her out of his sight. Either Kaemon or Suzuka could easily Seal the door and prevent him from coming back inside, and he worried that he would not be able to get back in. Kaemon seemed to sense his unspoken fear and moved to reassure him.
“Go, Hanyou. I promise you that nothing will happen while you are gone.
It is much better for your Joanna’s health if you clean y
ourself up.”
“I will go, but I will be back very shortly,” he reluctantly agreed, even as his fox blood protested. There was no need to leave, it argued. He could just lick the blood off if he wanted to get clean.
“We will clean her wound and dress it.”
He nodded as he slowly rose to his feet. “Please be careful with her. She has a medicine pouch attached to her belly. It must not be disturbed.”
“I understand,” Kaemon answered.
“I’ll be back soon,” he repeated and left the room through the exterior door.
As he walked down the engawa, he heard Suzuka address her brother, and he paused to listen.
“You cannot mean to allow him back in here,” she scolded.
“Dear sister, he will tear this house down around our ears if we try to keep him out,” Kaemon replied calmly.
“We could Seal the doors.”
“And have him howling to be let in all night long? No, Suzuka. It’s best to leave things as they are.”
“But Father will…”
“I will deal with Father once he returns. In the meantime, I am in charge and I say we let Hanyou be with her. Believe me when I say that we will court more trouble than we want if we attempt to Seal him out.”
“You know more about this than you are saying,” Suzuka accused. “Who is this woman and why is she dressed like… that?”
“She is someone Hanyou knows and is very close to.”
“You aren’t telling me… She isn’t… She wouldn’t… No woman would….” she sputtered in shock.
“He owes her a life debt and she is very dear to him. That is all you need to know about their relationship,” Kaemon admonished.
“You knew about this didn’t you? That is why you have been having so many hushed conversations, and why you grew quiet when I was around.”
“It is not my place to speak of another’s personal affairs. Now we should clean her wound and get her ready before Hanyou returns.” He didn’t stay to listen to any more of their conversation. He had heard what he needed to hear and confirmed that Kaemon was not going to Seal him out. The fact that Suzuka wasn’t happy about him coming into the house was of no surprise, but he wasn’t concerned with what she thought. It was a small miracle that all of this should happen while Ichiro was away and Kaemon was in charge of the shrine. He thanked the gods for his luck and hoped that it would continue to hold. If it didn’t, Joanna would likely die.
Hopping off the engawa, he ran for the forest and headed to the sacred grove where he gathered some things he thought Joanna would need and took a change of clothes for himself. Then he went to the stream near the grove and quickly scrubbed himself clean. He briefly returned to the hollow and stuffed supplies into her sleeping bag, zipping it up to make a makeshift carrying sack.
At the last moment, he took Joanna’s gitaa in hopes that having the instrument with her while she recovered would help lift her spirits.
Washed, changed, and anxious to return to his vixen, he hurried back to the shrine. There was a moment of uncertainty as he approached the closed shoji door of Joanna’s sickroom, and he worried that Kaemon had changed his mind and Sealed him out. But he sensed no barrier when he reached to slide the door back, and it opened without resistance. He breathed a sigh of relief and stepped in. The room was illuminated by the lit coals in the irori firepit, and he smelled the scent of more medicine in a kettle hung over the heat.
Joanna was alone in the room, but he noticed that she had been changed into a white yukata and he frowned. That meant that someone had undressed his vixen, and he hoped that it had been Suzuka and not Kaemon. He couldn’t bear the thought of another male touching his beloved. Setting the sleeping bag full of her things down beside her futon, he drew out one of her colorful woven blankets and replaced the thin coverlet that was on her with it. In doing so, he saw that whoever had stripped her had left on her black “sport bra” and “bike shorts” that she wore under her hunting leathers because he could easily see the darker material showing faintly through the white cloth. He also noticed that they had left the strange talisman that she always wore around her neck; the “geepeehess” as she called it, and he was glad that they hadn’t removed it because he knew she would not want the item to be lost.
He listened to make sure that no one was coming, then gently peeled back the yukata to check her medicine pouch. Pressing the “buttons” on the pouch in the way Joanna had taught him, he made it do its magic and give him her blood number. When the pouch beeped and displayed a 219 on the lit window, he recognized it as being too high. Immediately he touched the next sequence of buttons to make the pouch give her more medicine to bring the number down, but he knew he had to wait a while before checking the number again because it would take some time before the medicine took effect. He had brought all of her medicine with him, both her insulin and the ingredients for her tea, but she was getting dangerously low on insulin. The last vial was half empty, and he wasn’t sure how much she had left in the pouch itself.
All of the warnings Kaemon had given him came back to him and he shuddered, praying that she would have enough insulin to see her through this crisis.
The next two days would be critical. Those who were going to recover from an oni-gumo bite usually suffered from a high fever as they fought off the poison, and many times it was the fever that killed them. If she lived through the fever, chances were she would survive, but he knew he would have to watch her carefully and check her blood number to make sure it was staying where it should.
He heard footsteps and hurriedly rearranged his vixen’s clothing, recovering her with her blanket. A moment later the interior shoji slid back and Suzuka came in. She looked at him, and he saw her hold back a comment as she set down some small white cloths and a wooden bucket full of fresh water.
“I brought her blanket,” he explained, noticing her odd look at the brightly-colored cover.
The miko nodded and brushed a hand across Joanna’s forehead, frowning.
“There’s no fever. I know,” he confirmed. “By tonight or tomorrow morning I’m sure.”
He said it more for himself than for Suzuka. He knew that if Joanna never developed the fever, it meant that the poison had taken over, and his vixen would slowly die without ever waking.
The young priestess nodded again, and he realized that she probably wasn’t speaking to him as she turned to the warm kettle and poured another cup of oni-gumo medicine. He watched as she brought the cup close to Joanna’s lips and dipped a hollow reed into the liquid. Placing one finger over the end of the reed, she trapped medicine inside it and lifted it up so she could insert it between Joanna’s lips.
“I’ll do that,” he offered, putting out a hand.
Suzuka regarded him for several moments with a cold, unreadable expression on her face, then she slowly gave him the cup and reed. He nodded to her in thanks and placed the cup on the wooden floor as he slid his hands under Joanna’s shoulders and neck and gently lifted her up to rest on his knee. He brushed back her hair tenderly and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders to make sure she would not be chilled while he treated her, then he lifted the cup and reed and began to slowly feed her the warm liquid. He held his breath after he gave her the first tiny dose, waiting anxiously until he saw her throat move to swallow. He sighed with relief and began giving her the rest of it.
“This is medicine, Joanna-sama. It will make you better,” he explained as if she could hear him.
He had heard victims of oni-gumo bites say that they could hear what was going on around them while they were recovering, but that they couldn’t move because the poison paralyzed them. Not all of them reported having the same experience, but there were enough of them for him to behave as if she were conscious and simply unable to respond.
“It smells terrible, and I’m sure it tastes worse, but it will help you. I promise,” he assured her as he slipped the reed between her lips again. “I’ve brought you to Ichiro-sama’s shri
ne and you are in his house. His daughter, Suzuka-sama is here with us and Kaemon-sama is nearby. But I am here, too, and I will stay by your side until you wake up. I won’t leave you. I promise.” Joanna did not respond, but he didn’t expect her to. Feeding her the medicine with the reed was very slow going, but he continued to give her the small amounts until the cup was empty. Suzuka had stayed and watched him while he treated and talked to his vixen in soothing tones, but she still did not speak.
When he was finished giving Joanna the medicine, he handed the cup back to the young woman, and she took it to rinse it out while he positioned Joanna back on the futon and covered her up.
“Should I give her another dose at sunset?” he asked as Suzuka dried the cup with a clean cloth.
The miko turned her head towards the closed exterior door, her face pensive, then she slowly nodded.
“Okay,” he agreed.
Suzuka left while he was making sure that Joanna was comfortable, and he breathed a sigh of relief when the interior door slid closed behind her. The miko’s silent disapproval was not appreciated even if he didn’t hold her prejudice against her. Treating Joanna under her stony glare had been uncomfortable at best while he tried to maintain a pleasant and encouraging voice, and he was glad when she finally left the room.
Now that they were alone, he checked her blood number again and was happy to see that it was down to 104. He smiled and brushed Joanna’s cheek with his hand, crooning softly to her. Then he placed Joanna’s sleeping bag next to the futon, emptying out the supplies he had brought and arranging them along the side of the room. He had thought to bring his own favorite blanket, and he placed it on top of the makeshift bed. He didn’t think his vixen would mind him using her bedding while she convalesced on the futon.
Curling up beside her to wait for sunset, he settled down on the soft, smooth material and closed his eyes. His race to find Joanna, his fight with the oni-gumo, and his mad dash to bring her to the shrine had all taxed his strength.
Not to mention that he’d thrown two large fireballs, and that took a great deal of energy. There was nothing more for him to do but watch and wait, and sunset was still some time away. It was best for him to get what rest he could now because once the fever started he would have to remain constantly alert.