The Sun Prince

Ch 5 Pt 1 - A pox on all dogs

The stray dogs' incessant barking snapped at Kuro's spine as he and Ren raced up the river.

Trying to lose the dogs in the city was pointless. They'd only sniff him out. But so was trying to outrun them. Like that other pox called samurai, dogs were endurance hunters. They'd chase him until he stumbled from exhaustion. Then— Kuro shuddered at phantom bites tearing at his neck.

The red-lacquered torii gate and bridge leading to the Dragon God's shrine rose around the corner. On top of the bank,the Imperial Palace walls loomed above the artisan residences. Kuro didn't need to glance back at the dogs or see up ahead. They were running out of shoreline, and swimming across the river just begged for arrows in the back.

Kuro swore under his breath and scooped up a handful of rotten fish from his kimono. He really hoped this worked. He spun to the side, losing precious distance between him and the dogs, and chucked the fish at the river. "Go get it, you stupid mutts!"

The dogs snapped their jaws at him, but careened into the river. The waves crashed against them and they struggled against the current.

"Ha!" Kuro jabbed a finger at them.

One dog managed to paddle back to shore, even as the other was swept back to the Riverbank Settlement.

Kuro's eyes bulged, and he tensed, ready to flee. The dog whimpered, tucking his tail between his legs, and scampered after its friend. Even mutts had someone who cared about them. Only Kuro was completely alone.

Shrugging that thought off as stupid, Kuro leaned against the torii pillar and gasped for breath. Two scraps left. He peeled them off. Such a waste.

Ren had kept running past the bridge, but after Kuro's breathing evened out, Ren trotted back to him and collapsed against the other side of the pillar. "What was that?"

"Dogs." Kuro cupped the scraps in his hand and peered at the shrine for signs of the Dragon God's displeasure. Humans no doubt thought the floating palace the lowliest of the four main shrines. Unlike the palatial shrines of Inari or even the condensed one-room shrine of the Storm God's Eastern Shrine, only a few wooden bridges connected four miniature shrines. Even weak local gods had bigger shrines sitting next to the roads.

Then again, humans were probably so stupid as to think that shrines were made for their use. The Dragon God, like most dragons, loved his treasure and hated thieves. So the dragon hid his main shrine beneath the waves. And why not? He and his familiars all had gills. He probably wouldn't have bothered with anything upon the land if he hadn't needed human worshippers. So he gave them a few places to leave their coins and pray for temperate weather, and a bridge to reach his domain.

Kuro narrowed his eyes. Claw marks bit deep into the bridge pillar and rails. A fang mark pierced another rail. The demons grew bold. Kuro clenched his jaw. Even if the Dragon God was wise enough to know the neutral spirits hiding on his shores weren't responsible, the humans would certainly blame them. Just like those two Undesirable women who should have known better. They lived alongside neutral spirits.

"Really?" Ren laughed.

"Dogs are not funny."

Ren leaned around the torii pillar to grin up at Kuro. "You think I don't know what a dog is."

Kuro wrinkled his nose. "Then don't ask stupid questions."

Ren leaned his head back on the tree. "They thought we were demons."

Kuro grunted.

"They live right next to the Eastern Barrier."

Not more of this nonsense. If the Undesirables tainted the barrier with their presence, as so many humans assumed, then the Dragon God would have drowned them years ago.