Tails High

by Paul Kidd

  The monster raved and gibbered, bubbling as its yammering skulls sank back beneath the swamp. Kuno glowered at the creature, then sat himself down – well back away from the edge.

  The man gave a frown.

  “I wonder if the creature will decide to tear down trees and make a ramp to reach our refuge?”

  Chiri blinked. “Ah. That is not a pleasant thought.”

  Thankfully, there was no new commotion from below. The monster seemed happy to lie in wait – ready to ambush its prey as it tried to escape.

  The forest grew pitch black as the sun finally sank away. Their little fire spread a pool of yellow light – flickering in the random airs. The fugitives drew close about the flames, grateful for the warmth.

  Chiri carefully removed the soup from atop the fire, and shared it out between them in cups taken from her bags. The warmth and taste of soup was painfully welcome: it seemed to somehow keep the darkness at bay.

  The hollow, drum-like sound of the forest spirits drifted from the night – just here and there, somewhere in the distant trees. Chiri looked out towards the forest, one hand against her heart, her eyes full of worry and concern.

  “Kuno san. I am worried about Tonbo san and Sura. I am ashamed that I did nothing to save them.”

  The handsome samurai never wavered – never showed doubt. “We have not abandoned them. We will rescue them as soon as we can.” Kuno reached over to take Chiri’s hand.

  “They know to trust us.”

  A silence stretched – broken only by the haunting, weird sounds out in the forest. Finally Mifune reached for the comfort of his sword.

  “Kuno san. Will we fight the monster?”

  “We will fight. But it will be dangerous.” Kuno – still armoured – gave a brisk nod. “You should keep well clear.”

  Mifune straightened his shoulders. He turned to face Asodo Kuno, and gave a stern, determined bow.

  “I want to fight beside you! This is the path of honour!” The boy held his bow, trying to hide his embarrassment. “I am not trained to the sword, Samurai san. I would be grateful for a pointer or two, before we engage the beast in battle.”

  Kuno looked at the lad carefully. Mifune had immaculate manners and beautifully polished accents. He also had a solid core of good intent. He had survived a night in the forest, evading a monster that had bested countless other men. Asodo Kuno nodded in approval, liking the young lad very much.

  “Spoken like a true samurai, Mifune san!” Kuno folded his arms. “But has no one taught you anything of the sword? Have you no father to teach you?”

  Mifune looked quietly away.

  “To my shame, I have not.”

  “I will teach you.”

  Kuno looked out over the darkening forest. Beneath the trees, the world was absolutely black. The corpse monster could move about unseen. The samurai nodded, then settled back to keep a watch over the night.

  “In the darkness, the forest will be un-navigable. The monster would run us down. Therefore, we will wait for dawn before we act.”

  Chiri inspected their frail little refuge.

  “But first, we must survive the night. What if the creature attacks?”

  Kuno rested a hand upon Mifune’s shoulder. “You have two warriors protect you, Chiri san!” The man gave a bow. “I know you have ideas forming. Please be assured that we will protect you. I ask you to concentrate only upon formulating a plan of attack.”

  Chiri knelt with her pink tail curled about to her front. She bowed to her two companions.

  “Thank you, my warriors. It shall be done.”

  Kuno built up the campfire, while the others arranged raincoats and slabs of bark to help protect them from the rain. They settled down to watch and wait, sheltering gratefully from the storm.

  Out in the woods, the tiny spirits played…

  Back in the Sano township, the night rains drifted down over rooves, dripping runnels down into the streets. The winds gusted back and forth from time to time. Doors and windows were all shuttered over, and only tiny slivers of lamp light managed to filter out into the open world.

  Two stone lanterns stood on the porch of Sano Moko’s headquarters, glowing with a flickering yellow light. They were the only tiny beacons in the night. Sano Moko stood back in the shadows of the eaves, her naginata propped against the wall behind her. She watched out towards the distant forest, long hair hanging damp and limp beside her face.

  Imperial Magistrate Masura came out onto the porch, waving his guards away. He stood quietly beside Sano Moko. She bowed to him, and he bowed in return. They both turned and gazed out into the rain.

  After a long time, Sano Moko finally spoke. Her voice was lost and hollow.

  “I tell myself, that I have done what is best. I tell myself that I acted wisely.” She slowly flexed her hand about her sword. “Every drop of blood, every inch of flesh in me screams at me to race into the forest. But duty holds me in place here.”

  Magistrate Masura gave a sigh.

  “A life is lighter than a feather. Duty weighs as heavy as a mountain.” He forced himself to turn away from the forest. “Here we stay.”

  Magistrate Masura and Sano Moko walked together over to the far corner of the porch. Rain spattered down into a little pond nearby, shivering downwards through a broad old pine.

  Moko stood and watched the water falling. She bowed her shoulders, feeling the weight of the world pressing down.

  “You never realise how much they mean to you, in all their foolishness.”

  Masura had to turn his face away.

  “He wants to be a hero. We constrain them with what we believe is right. But zen lives in a child’s heart. Perhaps what he wants is what is best for him?”

  Sano Moko gave a frustrated sigh. She covered her eyes with her fingers.

  “He is irritating!”

  “Headstrong!”

  “Annoying!”

  The magistrate wiped at his face. “Engaging.”

  They both turned towards the darkness – towards the forest, helpless to effect fate. Magistrate Masura straightened his shoulders, and tried to compose his troubled soul.

  “We have friends.” The man nodded softly. “We must trust in them – and remember that a samurai does not indulge in futile fears.”

  The rains fell, and the distant horizon lit up with lightning. Sano Moko and Magistrate Masura remained in the dark, keeping to their quiet, helpless vigil.

  A cold grey dawn came to the forest. The light penetrated slowly through the heavy boughs and dripping leaves. It brought no warmth – but finally the clouds had begun to clear. A few patches of brightness had opened out high above the quiet woods.

  In the mighty tree high above the swamps, Kuno had taken young Mifune under his wing. He had the boy standing beside him, holding a sword, carefully showing the lad how to grip, and how to calmly take a basic stance. Kuno spoke with quiet patience, gently guiding his new student along the way.

  “Here. Hold it with the right hand, gripping from the bottom fingers. You may leave your index finger loose, like this. Then the left hand – grip the same way, with one fist’s width between them. Not too wide! Line the join of your thumbs and your hands along the spine of the blade. Excellent!” Kuno used his own sheathed sword to show the proper line of Mifune’s hips and shoulders, helping the boy nudge his left shoulder back into proper stance.

  “Right foot forward – just stand naturally. Weight about sixty percent forward. Your hips and your shoulders are both in the same line. Settle the sword here, at the tanden line – at the belt. The point aims for your opponent’s throat, here.” Kuno effortlessly took his own stance. He lifted his own heavy sword, and cut down and forwards, making the big, curved blade slice.

  “When you cut – think into the tip, into the kisaki: this last section of the blade. Think here, and not into your hands. The tip moves before the hands. Big movements. Cuuuuuut – pah - like this!” The samurai cut, wringing his hands forward, his whole body
behind the movement. “Back down to your centre. Never hug the sword. Never tense the arms! Technique, never strength.”

  Mifune tried a cut. Kuno walked to watch from the side – adjusting and encouraging. He corrected the boy after a few movements, placing his hands back to cover his middle.

  “Back to centre. Keep centre, and you are safe. Keep centre, and you are stable. Centre your soul, and all fear vanishes.”

  The samurai gave a bow. He showed Mifune how to carefully and properly sheathe a sharp blade – with respect, certainty and grace. Pleased, Kuno exchanged a bow with his student.

  “We’ll make a Spirit Hunter out of you yet. It is good to have another warrior with us!”

  Mifune seemed three spans taller. He looked at Kuno with hero worship in his eyes.

  “Thank you, Kuno san. Thank you!”

  Chiri had been in her rat form, sleeping curled up in a warm nest made of her own clothing. The rat spirit awoke and blinked her pink eyes, then scratched herself vigorously with one hind foot. She looked about at the early dawn, and then shimmered and flickered, changing into her human-like form.

  Bifuuko was immediately on hand to help Chiri bring order to her hair. The nezumi arose and looked carefully out at the forest, checking for signs of little spirits and huge monsters.

  Mifune came excitedly over, flushed with pleasure as he bowed to her in greeting.

  “Chiri san! Good morning! I found mushrooms for breakfast. They were just growing wild in the bark!”

  Chiri gave a welcoming bow.

  “Good morning, Mifune san. Your spirits seem high.”

  “I have been keeping guard.” The boy puffed himself with pride. “Kuno san has been teaching me the sword! I will be ready to face the monster with him!”

  Kuno bowed to Chiri. He retrieved their pot from the embers of their little fire. Breakfast was soup with fresh, seethed mushrooms. Kuno set it out for one and all to share, and the trio ate an oddly cheering breakfast high above the swamp.

  Chiri finished off her breakfast, bowing in gratitude to her stalwart hunter-gatherers. She then set aside her bowl and smoothed out her robes. Mifune and Kuno settled beside her, waiting to hear her thoughts upon their situation.

  Chiri organised her thoughts for a moment, then settled back to speak.

  “Here it is.” The rat nodded softly. “To escape the forest, we must defeat the corpse monster. The corpse monster cannot be defeated without Sura. Therefore, we must recover Sura and Tonbo from the forest spirits.” She frowned, thinking the antics of the spirits. “Children. They are children…”

  Chiri turned and looked to Mifune.

  “Mifune san – you saw a child’s bones in the forest by the lake. Do you remember exactly where?”

  “Yes Chiri san. The creek to the east – perhaps a quarter ri. They were beside a fallen tree covered with orange fungi.”

  “Were they old bones?”

  “I believe so, Chiri san. They had moss growing on them.”

  “Then I will make a deduction.” The white rat spirit neatly folded her hands.

  “Ten years ago, a child enters the forest. The corpse monster slays it. The child dies – and becomes a ghost…” Chiri gave a nod. “The village headman said that the first child who died was a paragon. A potential shugenja. If so, then the child would make a formidable ghost.”

  Chiri turned and gave a little bow to her companions.

  “I must go alone, find the bones and say the prayers for restful repose over them.”

  Mifune looked quite appalled by the idea.

  “You will find them? But that means descending to the forest!”

  “I will go in my animal form, Mifune san. In that shape, I can perhaps evade the monster. Bifuuko and Daitanishi will guard me.” Chiri nodded to the two little elementals, on hand and ready to move. “If I lay the ghost to rest, then its victims will regain their shape – and we will have Sura and Tonbo back with us.”

  There was a sudden crack and crackle of breaking bushes far down below. Chiri, Kuno, Mifune and the elementals all lay flat and moved to the edge of their high refuge. They peered down into the forest.

  The corpse monster had begun tearing up small trees and underbrush at the edge of the swamp. The vast, hideous blob had anchored itself amongst the trees, using its tentacles to wrench and rip at the foliage. It hurtled the timber into the swamp, crashing it up against the rock outcrop and making a slowly-growing pile.

  The corpse monster was making a ramp.

  Kuno rose and stood, boldly watching the monster at its work. He reached for his helmet, and tied the chinstraps tight.

  “Mifune san and I will engage the monster in battle and distract it.”

  Mifune quickly bowed to Chiri. “Go, Chiri san! Go quickly!”

  The boy clenched his sword, looking quite determined. Chiri rose up and clasped his sword arm, looking at him in complete confidence. Mifune absolutely glowed.

  With a sudden blink, Chiri changed into her animal form. The beautiful little white rat emerged from amongst her empty clothes. She bowed to Mifune and Kuno, then sped off to the edge of the tree, Bifuuko and Daitanishi with her. The air elemental gripped the scruff of Chiri’s neck, and the rat simply leapt straight out into space.

  Bifuuko’s wings blurred, slowing Chiri’s fall to a drift. They sailed down, keeping the tree between themselves and the monster. Chiri splayed out pink feet, and Bifuuko brought her to a landing in the mud. Daitanishi sped ahead, crashing and cleaving a path forward through the tangle of brush and brambles. Chiri and Bifuuko came close behind, struggling through the wrack that choked the boggy shore. The rat reached solid ground, and instantly pelted off towards the deeper woods.

  The tree on the rock outcrop shuddered as the corpse monster raged below. Mifune ran to one edge of their little refuge to watch Chiri disappear, when suddenly Kuno caught a flash of movement from the corner of his eye.

  “Mifune san!”

  The monster had hurtled a rock about the size of a human head – flinging it with insane speed. The boy ducked, and the rock smashed through the branch beside him.

  The corpse monster lunged forward, piling up brush and weeds and logs. The ramp came together with frightening speed. The massive beast screeched in hatred, skull mouths snapping and baying in demented hunger. But its attention was fixed upon Kuno and Mifune. Chiri rose from a drift of leaves and broke cover, running off through the trampled underbrush and heading east towards the creek.

  Some of the countless skulls grafted into the monster’s body caught sight of Chiri as she flashed through the leaves. A part of the titanic blob began to turn – then more and more of the creature hauled itself around.

  Skulls opened their mouths in numbing screams, shooting out bone-tipped tongues that whipped through the air like javelins. Chiri leapt madly aside, spinning and rolling as weapons speared into the trees and soft ground all around her. She dove behind a tree, sheltering there as more and more of the monster surged towards her.

  The corpse monster lumbered sideways, heaving its bulk up and out of the pool. The creature gave a numbing scream of hate and blundered towards Chiri. Kuno immediately plunged down the crevice in the side of the mighty tree, slithering and skidding. Mifune followed him, and they landed down on the rocks in a great shower of bark and leaves.

  Kuno never hesitated. The monster’s ramp was there below him. The armoured samurai leapt down onto the reeking ramp, landing amongst logs and stones. He ran straight at the monster’s rear as it plunged into the trees pursuing Chiri. Mifune scrabbled down onto the ramp and followed, racing to attack at Kuno’s side.

  Both warriors slammed their swords into the reeking flesh of the monster. Kuno lunged, throwing his entire body weight behind the point of the blade, twisting deep. Skulls screamed, and tentacles began to form. Mifune cut down into the nearest, his blade bouncing off as he accidentally struck at an angle. He tried to copy Kuno, seeing the samurai literally leap forward as he cut, his body behind t
he blade as the curved edge sliced into his enemy. Mifune’s next cut bit home, and a tentacle sagged, almost sliced clean through.

  The monster’s vast jaws formed – right beside the two warriors. The beast gaped its rusted fangs, tentacles forming, thickening – flailing towards the two insects that dared attack it. The monster raged towards them, smashing saplings flat. It hurtled a length of timber like a harpoon, and Kuno deflected the missile away with his blade. He ripped a massive cut across the monster’s face. ‘Friendship’s Sword’ sliced deep. And then Mifune and Kuno were off and racing through the woods – ducking lethal missiles that slammed into the trees. They drew the monster away from Chiri and fled on into the woods.

  The little rat spirit raced through fallen leaves and tangled roots, ducking through the thorns. Bifuuko bore her up as she stumbled. Daitanishi flickered through the leaves ahead, pausing to act as a stepping stone when Chiri needed to make a leap across fallen logs. She heard the corpse monster as it pursued her friends into the dark woods far behind. Trying to ignore her terror for her companions, she pelted onwards through the underbrush, racing madly through the ferns.

  Chiri ran and ran, battling onwards even as her lungs began to seize and burn. She slithered across a broad field of mud, then leapt her way madly through a great brake of fallen timber. The rat almost fell – caught by Bifuuko as she tumbled from a broken tree. She landed in a great patch of meadow flowers, coughing and sputtering polled from her nose.

  Chiri shook her head and blinked.

  She was in a little clearing full of white and golden flowers. Ropes of flowering vines hung from the trees nearby, and great bushes filled with blossoms shimmered in the sun.

  The place was dominated by a single, huge old tree – a great, broad oak with branches filled with bright cascades of forest orchids. Panting, Chiri staggered back to her feet. The little rat looked about herself, dazed and amazed at the sudden golden light.

  The place had a weird tingle of sorcery about it – as though the very air were somehow alive. Still panting hard, Chiri took a few small, hesitant steps towards the tree. Bifuuko and Daitanishi joined her, and all three stared up into the leaves and flowers.