Chapter 8
Awai and Kero stay locked in the castle for months on end, the streets grow restless, Sun, Moon, and Wind suddenly find they have much more time on their hands to act like kid. As the royals stay deep in the meeting even the church closes their doors. To any that would sit and ponder, thinking of the future might become maddening.
When the first snowfall comes and Kero is still locked away in his throne room Moon takes action, she grabs Sun and Wind then returns to the hidden valley in search of the witch called Jessica.
As if drawn by instinct Moon finds her way back swiftly to the witches’ den.
The sun has barley cracked the sky in the hidden valley, Jessica sleeps harshly, her bruises flooding her dreams with memories of her failures, reminds her of the evils that she let loose on the world in the name of selfishness, and visions of the pain her greed has root on her loved ones. She sleeps the sleep of the restless dead. Kari, the god of hunger whispers in her ear in her sleep
Jessica crawls out of bed and sits up at her mirror, her reflection is only half there, she feels she is getting better, when she first awoke after selling her soul to Kari she had no reflection at all, now she can almost see herself in the mirror. The mirror speaks to Jessica “You have kept yourself away for such a long time, this face of civility, it is but a mask, I face that you ware by the cold light of day.”
Jessica speaks to her mirror “you are dozy, you have been awake to long, return to your eternal unrest, bother me no more.”
“and you have lived to long, you were old when this world was still young.” The mirror grows hands and reaches out to grab at Jessica, Jessica leaps backwards away from the mirror only to find herself tripping over her bed.
Jessica looks around rubbing sleep from her eyes waiting for her breathing to calm. She can feel the weight of her confrontation still pressing on her breast as she takes deep breaths her eyes close and her hands hug herself calmingly. Is she awake, is she asleep, often times it is hard to tell. Years of quite living in the headend valley has nearly robbed her of the ability to know which is which.
Jessica reaches around her bed to pick up a cup filled with honey and cashew nuts, she has many like it sitting around her house. Cashews and honey is something pure, something innocent, one of only a dozen things in Jessica’s memories that Kari hasn’t turned against her.
Jessica dips her noise in the honey sniffing deep, she lets loose a long soft breath, she now knows she is awake, here in the waking world Kari is far less powerful, here in the sundrenched dawn Jessica can fight the god of hunger, and maybe even win.
Jessica has hardly pulled her red cloak over her shoulders before there is a knock at her door. Jessica outstretched hand call on her walking stick drawing it from the wall into her grasp, she then steps into her front room and point to her door unlocking it. “if you are my friends you may enter without fear.” She calls out the door.
Moon rushes in seemingly in midsentence as she approaches the Weever talking far too fast for Jessica to understand. Sun and Wind step in behind with a much greater sense of apprehension “…Nero a Usagi from another island should up and killed our friend Lafe, Mom throw him off the island, and then Sun told Dad that he wanted to go fight Nero, then dad went to the wolves and found a magic axe, then the church closed and all the monks went to the castle and…”
Jessica shackes her head and lowers her ears, she brings one hand to her breast and with her staff makes a lowering motion trying to cut off Moon before at last shouting “shush!”
Moon freezes, Sun steps forth to pick up the story much calmer. “Our father,” Sun starts
Jessica corrects him “your father.”
Sun starts again “threw a party to celebrate the arrival of our brethren from across the sea. There was an accident, Lafe, the tea mead’s child was felled that day. Nero’s magic staff had slayed her. I feel Nero needs to be punished so I told father…”
Jessica stops him “the man Nero’s magic staff killed the child, not Nero himself?”
Slow and uneasy Sun ducks his head, only know does it dawn on him what he had said and more importantly what he has done. Sun’s mouth opens to speak but he stands in silence. Wind and Moon look to him waiting in anticipation. When at last Sun starts to speak again his voice is quivering and what should be words is more of a broken sob.
Jessica waves Sun forth, “come child, rest your head in my arms.” The old witch holds her hand out to Sun. Sun melts into her grip. Jessica’s eyes close as she squeezes the rabbit boy. A light flashes in her mind as voices echo in her mind, voices from a past yet to come.
“I thought you indestructible. I thought wrong.” Male voice
“The Drums never stop.” Female voice
“what was the mother, becomes the daughter.” Young voice
“even immortality has its limitations” foreigner’s voice.
Jessica whispers with Sun “I fear events have transpired that that will cost us all a grate deal.”
Wind looks to the elderly mouse “I don’t understand what you mean.”
Jessica uses one claw to push up her glasses “the price of blood IS blood; the price of tears is more tears. The Shogun has no fear of the nothing. He will fight in the name of the dead, he will see many of us die for honor and honor alone.”
Wind’s eyes look cold. “we are all warriors. Many of us have held a blade as long as we could walk.”
“War comes easy to the Usagi, once blood has drawn there seem to be endless need for more.” The wizard breaths deep thinking hard. “Come,” she picks up her cloak and walking stick. “It has begun.”
The groups takes the shortcut back to town, going up and over the bluffs. The doors to the church are open, a stiff wind has kicked up, and a light rain has blown in. Sun, Moon, and Wind whisper with one another shortly before Jessica replays to a question not yet asked “Stalemate is the best thing we could hope for.”
Wind points “she reads minds.”
Sun and Moon nod.
As the group reaches the castle the gates are down and the doors open. I pyros the twenty feet long and forty wide has been dropped from the third floor window and hung along the lip of the fortress, it is a blueprint showing the dimensions of a boat, mostly rounded and flat with a dome covering it and a pair of hammers attached to gears and leavers with the word “Kame” written across the base. Every man and woman strong enough to walk have gathered around the fort as Kuro takes stage.
“…A group of Hebi, wearing the mask of True Usagi have unholyed the land on which we sleep, the land that we love, the homes of our mothers and fathers. They have brought fear and anger to our beloved, to our sons.
For lifetimes we have worked the melting stone, studied the legends of blades, mother and child dance hand in hand. For 100 generations we celebrated our mastery, our conquest of this sanctified land.
The old die to make room for the young. And blessings have rained on you from on high. Your fathers payed for life and in return you give him your memories.
For lifetimes your fathers have kept you safe, never has this generation needed to know blood or death by the hands of: okami, uni, hebi, tora. We are Usagi, we know no fear.
Yet today our brothers, who have not seen our victory come here to underwrite us, to take away that which is not theirs to have.”
Kero holds his axe in the air and call down to the army below “Usagi! What is your Name!” in fanatical rage the audience holds their swords overhead in cheer “Usagi what do you do!” the bloodhungery roar carries on. The genital rabbits looking almost doglike as they howl at their pack leader. “Then it is time to prepare for War!”
Jessica slaps her staff to the ground and her voice silences that of the crowed as she shouts “Listen to him not!” Jessica holds her hands up parting the crowed as she makes her way through the courtyard “He who has no name, he who you call the Jade Emperor, he would never sit and watch as Rabbits feed on Rabbit blood. The voices of the stars call down to you and command that you look away and let he who sins suffer in silence, your brothers and sisters seek out opens hands, do not show them closed fist…”
Kero jumps down to ground level proclaiming “have we not suffered this witch long enough? The dead demand retribution. Humble yourself or join them.”
Jessica turns her staff to face Kero, light spills from its head like flaming water, then flashes out thunderously startling almost all to look on it to their knees. Kero is abstinent, old magic and simple devilry unimpressive to him. “you speak to the dead only with your thoughts, I speak to them with my lips. Do not fallow this path to its final ignorance.”
The two personalities square off Jessica holds her head high with the power of a giant In her voice as she stands before the massive beast of a man that is Kero. Kero reaches on hand down and robs the wizard of her staff “we have become Okami, and Okami do not yield. Okami, do not hide, Okami have no forgiveness, and much vengeance.” Kero pulls one hand to his cheek threatening to show Jessica respect with the back of his hand.
Moon pulls Jessica behind herself as she steps in to take the punishment on Jessica’s behalf. A slap on the noise form the king of rabbits is enough to lay any man or beast on their back, Moon has no exception Kero’s hand falls on the girl and she crumbles under his weight.
“retribution by proxy.” Kero points at Jessica then drops her staff on the ground “Moon bleeds today so you don’t have to. Become wise, learn to bow your head and tuck your tail.” He turns to walk into the castle again “any beast that know how to carve wood, fallow me, there is much to be done.”
