Miyoshi Seikai "The Iceman"

"Breakfast"

Part Three

To catch a breakfast, or indeed any meal when surviving in remote locations, is of course, a fundamental skill requirement. Not just 'the knowledge', the 'how to', because invariably, it is not the theory which is important, but the actual success rate. Theory, and being well read, don't really count for much when your stomach is threatening to consume itself from hunger.

To survive, is only to extend functioning whilst trying to get elsewhere, thriving, is a whole other ball game.

All shinobi, from whatever school, or training, were taught to be self sufficient. From the moment their eyes first focused on the world, being taught initially through play, was a carefully structured program. So from the outset, their coordination and awareness made connections which would become reflex over time.

Lessons became tougher as babe grew to toddler, from infant to child, more 'real', and no, there wasn't a one hundred percent survival rate amongst students. Each rising generation worked to an 'acceptable loss' ratio. In many tests there were no second chances. Survival aside, most of the schools also 'cleared house' often, or if you want the truth of the word, 'culled', and there was never such a thing as a surviving failed trainee.

Escaping, from a trainee perspective, also never proved successful to any who attempted it, those who did break their bonds with the elders only managed to do so because they were extraordinary to begin with. There were indeed a few who escaped, and avoided the bounty on their heads, to lead mercenary lives, and a few became legends.

Miyoshi Seikai was one of these such legends, between both Iga and Koga schools, he was only spoken of in hushed tones if the name 'The Iceman' came up. He was a whispered anomaly, many believing he was simply an invention to test their psyche, particularly as he apparently had no reason to turn.

A super shinobi, the pride of Koga, with a noble bloodline, cited to oversee the school in the future, there were big plans brewing...

(Writers note: Whoever is relating the tale, usually leans in closer and drops their voice at this point, about to share the 'meatier' part of the story. )

…Something happened, to this day no one has revealed what, something snapped his soul…

He imposed self exile, made himself an outcast and severed all ties and allegiances.  But he's out there still, because no one sent to erase his actions, have ever lived to crow success.

(Writer's Note: This is where both parties will 'ooh', and 'aah', and possibly add 'omg' for good effect. )

Both schools now have an uneasy tolerance of his existence, largely because his personal agenda has saved them countless extreme missions, removing targets they were uncomfortable dealing with.

Politics were just as much a part of the shinobi schools as any other level of fuedal Japan, they just preferred to stay without publicity.

So, back to breakfast, the catching of it with one's own hands...

Fish? You might suppose would be on the menu. Yes, there was a mountain stream, but it is only that, fed by a small spring a little further up the mountain. The campsite was chosen because anyone turning up to fish, would have been a 'problem'.

Anyone coming at all, was a problem.

Rabbit? Or some other furry forest creature? Seikai had never used a snare to catch anything else than an intended human target.  Enough said.

Bird's eggs? Well, you're getting warmer, there's a lot of bird species seeking the same solace as Seikai in the alpine peaks of Kai, but it's not the season for eggs.

That's enough guessing. 

This is how to catch breakfast when you are a Koga trained elite assassin.…

            ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Any skillset requires continued, frequent use in order to stay sharp, especially when it comes to speed and timing.

Miyoshi Seikai had been born with an extraordinary connection to these two things. The first display of it had left his mother in shock, when at barely two months old, as one of her hairpins slipped, the baby had reached out  in a flash and snatched it in passing, then giggled as he handed it back to her.

Years of years later, and a shinobi who could move between seconds, between heartbeats had been crafted.

What now edged quietly within the forest shadows, however, had become even faster, with practical experience adding to his evolvement.

Birds were plentiful at this time of year, with many of the conifers beginning to release their seeds. Most of them were of a size that would make little more than a slightly coated toothpick, but there were some native species which promised a heartier start to the day.

This was what one Miyoshi Seikai was studying closely as it moved from pine tree to pine tree, its camouflage almost as good as its stalker.  A speckled front, which moved with the dappled sunlight, and the rest rather shadowy plumage, perfect for blending in whilst it foraged for its favourite food,  pine nuts.

The speckled nutcracker wasn't a slow bird, by any stretch of the imagination, and this particular morning, Seikai was looking to push his skills through the healing process, so when a pair of tubby Ryukyu pigeons flapped by him, he didn't even flicker in his concentration, despite them being a much easier meal to catch.

Cold, calculating eyes never left the bird's every twitch and dart, as it chiseled open a pine cone, carefully positioning himself to where he knew the bird would eventually go...

...the forest floor.

These industrious birds left no cone unturned, as it were, and as the speckled target followed his prediction, Seikai slid within the shadows, silently preparing at the edge of the small clearing it had flown down to.

Nervous at ground level, the bird hopped and darted, from pine nut here, to pause and check there, and as the breeze softened, Seikai flexed his fingers in readiness, taking a slow, deep breath...

On the exhale, he projected his voice to the other side of the clearing, giving the sound of a snapping branch…

The bird instantly launched into frantic flight away from the noise, directly toward the waiting Iceman...

The only thing it registered, was flight….and death.

Seikai's arm flashed out, catching the  bird's wing in mid swoop, the follow through having an added flick which snapped the bird's neck…

And in less than a second, breakfast was obtained.

There was no grin of satisfaction, or congratulatory chuckle, he had made himself use his left arm, and muscles now sang at their sudden use after inactivity over the past few days. The stitches across his chest also burnt with complaints of being pulled so suddenly.

But still, it felt a decent workout, he had nodded to himself, and then made his way back to his campsite to roast his breakfast winnings.