Ink Stained

30: let it begin, let it end*

Kagetora chuckled at the Bakeneko's affront. He looked back over at the wash of dulled green forestry. He could hear the minute sounds that filled the forest – from the flapping of waking baby chicks squawking for food, to the moles that dug deeper beneath the surface of the land in search of warmer havens, and the crunch of ice on the thick bed of snow as the land animals not yet in hibernation prowled, sniffing and snuffling.

It stopped snowing only minutes ago, and the canopy of trees all around him were covered in a thick blanket of pure white that reminded him of her hair. Hair that turned white as a result of the things that had been done to her.

Mood souring at the memory of looking into those tortured honey brown eyes that belonged to the girl who had once tried to kill him with a gun – a mere gun, how laughable – his lips turned down as he listened to the sounds of the birds only just now waking up and emerging from their burrows in the trees, and tasting the forest all around him.

He could understand why Tengu had turned their lives around, centuries ago, and decided to become protectors of the forests and mountains when humans began exploiting nature for their own benefit. Something beautiful as this needed to be protected, lest it be cut down and forgotten as so many things were wont to. Tengu were Ayakashi of war, but only when there was an actual war going on. Otherwise, they sought to protect the things that mattered to them. To live in peace.

It was admirable.

Unfortunately for them, peace was a short-lived thing, rarely ever an actual fact of life. It was more of an illusion, something perfect to strive for, but almost impossible to attain.

"The Daitengu have begun their Torimaku." Sato commented lazily. "In a clearing south from here. Pretty good place to do it, actually."

Kagetora frowned. Shin wasn't here yet. "Who are they doing it on?"

"Yoshida Jirou."

"The shapeshifter?" Kagetora asked. "Not the dragon?"

"Not the dragon who hasn't awoken yet, no," Sato nodded. "He's the only one of them who comes close to Shin's strength."

"The dragon would be a better bet." Considering what he really was beneath that skin of Tengu he'd worn all his life.

"He's still recovering." Sato reminded him. "They're pretty desperate, at this point. Shin killed the Nue who were going to tell Kouta what's been happening, and then he attacked Haru. Now the Kamigami are going to be involved if they don't do something about him soon."

"Jirou's not close enough." Kagetora's upper lip curled at the mention of the useless gods. "They are desperate, and foolish."

Sato made no comment on whether or not he agreed with Kagetora's sentiment on what the Daitengu were doing. He just continued to wash his face, his fur-clad shoulder, and then moved to his leg, stretching it up high above his head before bringing it back down.

Kagetora looked down at him, watching him for moments longer. "Don't you ever get tired of doing that?" he asked.

Sato paused in cleaning, his leg held out in front of him. "Doing what?"

"Cleaning your fur all the time."

"That's like asking a human, 'don't you get tired of shitting all the time'?" Sato answered. "I'm pretty sure they do."