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Post by eika on Aug 17, 2010 10:13:38 GMT -5
The mountains were dangerous. In the usual way - youkai tended to hang around them, bandits frequented the more used trails and ascetics would often travel through them - but for her, the mountains were a trap, luring her close and then triggering at the worst time. But still, she always came, no matter how often she found herself caught in the buffeting of high winds, no matter how many times she had to fight the urge to simply disappear. What was a body? Blood and bone, both chains that jut kept her confined to the ground. She didn't need it - she could fly free, without the irritating urges to eat, to sleep, to rest...
Eika was used to such thoughts. Sometimes, much of her life seemed to have happened in the limbo, when she waited for a true answer to her dilemma. Stretching, she stood poised on the mountain's peak, eyeing the distant ground warily. This held no physical danger for her, the rush of adrenaline as she chose her own method of descending - but it was something of a challenge. How quickly could she go before the wind became too much to fight off? In her true form - as always, her human form was too confining, too grounded for her to favour it - she tossed her head and leaped, paws deftly finding places to push off as she hurtled downwards. It was an impressive feat, to rush down the side of a mountain at this speed, but she preferred to do it when she was sure that no one was watching. It always took so much out of her...
The ground came ever closer, and she almost regretted it - the speed was addicting. The air howled in her ears, whipping past like something tangible. But eventually the steep angle leveled out and she slowed down, landing gracefully on one of the winding trails. Breathing in and out deeply, more to calm herself than because she was tired, she looked around, knowing that no matter how stealthy she was, she would most likely encounter someone here. The important thing was to flee as soon as she knew they were there...
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Post by ueda koji on Aug 20, 2010 12:03:38 GMT -5
The rings jingled pleasantly as the staff struck the ground.
The man holding the staff didn't seem to notice the sound the rings made. He had gotten so used to the sound it would be strange not to hear it. Of course, the sound disturbed the animals nearby: Birds tittered as if they heard a mating call while small ground creatures scurried beneath brush. That made the bushes jerk ominously, and the monk eyed them warily, well aware the dangers of these mountain paths. A ball of fur exploded in the path in front of him, causing him to stop and reach inside to robes for a sutra automatically. But it was only a squirrel who danced nervously before shooting back into the woods.
Koji relaxed and put the sacred sutra away. He started moving again. The mountains were a nice break from the cities even if they were rough and uncivilized. But even he had to admit the complete chaos of the city became overwhelming. It had so many little luxuries, ones he missed already, but every now and again it was nice to "rough it." Naturally, he hoped he would find someplace to lay his head, but during the day time he was quite content to meander around the woods. He had a small meal he had bought before leaving the city he had been bumming around in that morning, so he wasn't worried on that end. And he had some protection against demons. He himself wasn't powerful, but Buddha would lend him power and strength. No, he wasn't very concerned.
He glanced up at the sky. It was a wonderful blue, the kind no artist could ever truly capture. The fluffy clouds that dotted the sky drifted slowly, occasionally hiding the sky from view. He liked this scene: A lone man on an empty road surrounded by nature and cheerful birds. Perhaps, he thought idly, I will make my home somewhere like this when I grow old. Well, maybe somewhere with less trees. Somewhere a little more open would be better. And somewhere flat. The temple where he had grown up had been on the bottom curve of the mountain with the village beneath them in the village. He was heartily sick of having to hike to return home nearly every day.
Indeed, he was tired of it now, and a bit hungry, so he found a comfortable place to rest. He sat awkwardly on the large rock, hoping his robes wouldn't get too dirty. He reached inside of them and pulled out the bento. He opened it, just now realizing how hungry he actually was. Though it was cold and simple, it looked delicious, and his stomach growled in response. He lifted the chopsticks from on top of it and took a bite. He smiled. Yes, it was very good, well worth the money. He stayed there for a while, taking a few bites every now and again. He gazed into the distance, not really seeing what was in front of him. He had drawn back into his mind and mulled over the whispers he had heard.
They were about some demon named Naraku, and that seemed to be one of the only consistent things about the rumors. Some said he had been killed, others said he was only in hiding. The other thing everyone could agree on was how fearful he was. The man could manage terrible and frightening feats, and he seemed unstoppable. Koji had no doubt the demon would be one day defeated, if he was so fearsome, but for the interim he was concerned about what would happen until then. Of course, the villagers could only be exaggerating; they were known to do that. Still, he'd investigate the matter when he reached the temple, he decided. It couldn't hurt and might be helpful.
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Post by eika on Aug 22, 2010 19:43:44 GMT -5
It was so easy to forget the need for caution. So easy, especially when the wind still whispered to her of freedom. Who needed tangible things, like a body? Doing this was always dangerous, because the adrenaline stayed, reminding her of what it felt like to be as light as air, to move as freely as it, without the constraints of a physical form. It was as close as she could get short of losing herself, really... And even then, it was chancy. She could feel the pull, and, to distract herself she chose a random direction and ran, letting her paws touch the ground to remind herself that there was something solid in the world.
She was usually wary and on alert, but her mind wandered more than usual after a stunt like this, and in her desperate need to find a balance before she lost herself, Eika didn't bother to check the air for scents. Which led to her leaping down the trail, her wild rush halted by the sudden sight of a man sitting on a rock, calmly eating something.
Her disdain for anything properly mortal stretched from humans to other youkai, a sort of detached haughtiness from her own belief in what she was. However, she wasn't so foolish as to act on that disdain, preferring to simply avoid most encounters. But she had literally walked - well, ran - into this one, and judging from that staff, he was a monk... She didn't think he could kill her, but she didn't want to stick around and test that theory either. Ears pinning back and the wisps at her back curling inward, she took a step back, pale blue eyes glancing at the trail she had taken. Run back, or try to keep going? Or perhaps she could take to the air, but she didn't want to put herself in too much danger now.
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Post by ueda koji on Aug 23, 2010 13:14:24 GMT -5
Koji did not realize, of course, he had picked a lousy spot to rest. The sudden demonic presence caused the monk to start, and he swung his gaze over to some sort of large creature. It stepped back, seeming a little indecisive. He automatically reached into his robes for his sutras, his eyes never straying from the youkai. The creature seemed nonthreatening enough, but one never knows...
It would be a shame to exorcise it, Koji thought, for it was a breathtaking beast. Oddly blue with strange patterns, he could honestly say he had never seen anything quite like it. Of course, there were many types of youkai, and one couldn't be expected to live to see all of them, but the creature was unique from most of what Koji had seen. He would say that it was a Yourouzoku. It certainly had the look of one, if one could ignore its blue fur.
The strangest thing about it was that he hadn't sensed its approach as quickly as he should. One moment Koji was peacefully eating his meal, the next a large youkai was suddenly there, staring at him. It was slightly disconcerting. He wouldn't say that he was a very powerful monk, but still he should have felt its imminent presence sooner. The creature must have moving very fast, he decided, for it to be upon him before he had had time to gather his wits.
He set his bento aside and stood slowly. His eyes narrowed as he his groping hand reached out to grasp his staff. He really didn't want to be engrossed in any sort of battle when he would quite obviously be killed, but he sure wasn't going to sit there like a lump on a log waiting for the youkai to possibly kill him. "Go away!" he tried. "I mean you no harm." Of course, the youkai would probably think he was trying to lure it into a false sense of security, but that was beside the point.
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Post by eika on Aug 23, 2010 14:46:01 GMT -5
Eika's eyes narrowed. Here was enough danger to finally chase away a bit of the overwhelming adrenaline and lightheadedness - she could not simply prance by a monk, after all. Tensing up as he reached for his staff, she took a step back. She could either go back or forward, but he could interpret the latter as an attack. And the trail curved downward from here - if she went back, she would be going higher, and she really didn't want to test just how strong her willpower was. Thankfully, he didn't seem eager to make the first move, and she wasn't particularily inclined to fight, even if it did edge closer to balancing her.
Her surprise at his words showed, ears twitching as she paused. Her gaze became considering - he did not wish to fight, and she clearly didn't want to as well. "I apologize, but I cannot turn back, for reasons of my own. Will you let me pass? I do not wish to fight." Or, you know, she could just leap over him... But he had doubtless been in fights before, and sudden moves could lead to both of them reflexively attacking. And right now she needed to stay in contact with the ground. It was almost a physical need, to let herself float away, and she had to exert a great deal of will to keep from being distracted and letting herself feel the wind.
"Is that acceptable?" she pressed, hoping he wouldn't think that she was trying to deceive him. She usually couldn't bother with deception - she was never focused enough, and she was an uninspired liar anyways.
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