Servant in the Isles

Shirou's Izakaya

Afternoon

The Forest

Silent footsteps jumped across the forest canopy. The hero in a crimson and black cloak stalked for its prey. His ears flicked in the direction of his prey to the sound of their steps along the forest floor. After a few more jumps, golden Irises peered through the darkness and found his targets. He ceased his movements and adjusted his line of sight atop the tree.

'Distance: About 500 Meters. Not too far of a walk.' Never taking his attention off of the targets, Shirou extended his left hand outward, fingers curling around a handle in his mind. 'Trace on.' Magic thrummed through his body, and motes of light coalesced into a familiar long black bow. On a stable branch, Shirou prepared to fire.

'Ashibumi.' His body kept erect, reducing bobbing or swaying. Feet spread apart one arrow length with the big toes set in line with the target's center. The angle of his footing shifted to have evenly distributed weight, keeping the center of gravity between both feet. Shirou applied slight pressure to both legs. His knees stretched naturally into place. He held the bow at hip level, aimed toward the center line of the body.

'Dozukuri.' The shoulders, hips, and feet are held in line with one another, parallel to the floor and straight to the target. The spine and neck are gently stretched upwards with the shoulders kept flat.

'Yugamae.' A glove traced over his right hand as his left gripped the bow. He looked at the targets with calm, half-closed eyes, never blinking or looking away.

'Uchiokoshi.' He raised the bow perfectly straight. His arms and chest relaxed, the shoulders kept flat and stretched forward.

'Hikiwake.' Setting up the full draw of the bow, he pushed the bow to the left as the right arm folds at the elbow. Shirou drew the string halfway, and his right hand moved above the forehead. The bow was pulled into full draw using the back and upper arm muscles.

'Kai.' Each of the previous stages combined to form this posture. The success or failure of the shooting is not determined after the release. It is determined in the completion of the draw. It is the very essence of Kyudo. The spine and skeletal structure expanded, keeping the bow drawn at the optimum length.

'Hanare.' Here, the essence is actualized like flint that strikes steel to create a spark. The mental gun hammer cocked back in his head and then slammed forward. An arrow materialized in his hand and drawstring. A loud crack echoed throughout the wood as the iron arrow fired into the darkness.

A pair of boar-like creatures dug into the soil, foraging for food. Just as they considered a new grazing location, their vision went black. It was a quick and painless end. To the animals around, it seemed as if a single bolt of lightning struck through both of their heads: a two-in-one kill.

Following the release, Shirou continued to hold his position even after the arrow had reached the target.

'Yudaoshi.' He lowering of the bow. He maintained visual contact with the boars as he lowered his hands to the sides. Thus, the hunt has concluded.

Bonesborough

The Saffron Gate

The elder Marcus Silvermoon thanked another customer and put away a handful of snails. Meanwhile, his niece gathered an empty table's plates from the lunch rush. Just as he was about to head back to the kitchen, the bell above the front door rang. "Welcome to the Saffron Gate," he called out. "Come have a-" Marcus cut himself off when he spotted the young man he had contacted earlier. What he didn't expect was to see the young man with large boars over each shoulder. "Dear, Titan. Shirou?"