Read in Landscape!!!
Away from village boy now stole beneath a crescent moon
To go to home where man prepares to meet his coming doom.
As all about him gather things and meet inside the square
To climb to mountain ranges high where folk it's danger's dare
In hopes to flee the fate that's gave by coming kitsune's wrath
They ready selves for trek along a foreign wending path.
But boy unlike the rest of mass had little goods to keep
Alone his sling and tools he used when wilder places seeks
The boy for things he need to live the pelts and furs he sells
Alone these things the child does keep as goods in place he dwells.
So while the mind of others turn and think of gath'ring things
The meager goods they all do want to high in mountains bring.
His mind has turn to man he met not long ago in time
To go about the village kept and see if boy can't find
The warring man to turn him far from current path he meets
In hopes that man the mountain shelter sure with rest would seek.
Through crowds of houses child now went no one to pay him heed
Or folks to issue words or task that gives preparing deed.
Until at last he came to rented home in which the man now stayed
Inside by self preparing well for task himself had gave.
And stilling heart inside the boy now went with silent pace
Bit still as quick as silence lets he shuffled on with haste.
Inside at table man is set a bonsai tree he clips
With skillful hand and little knife the limbs he deftly nips.
And long the boy in wonder sets and stares thing he makes
Until the warrior starts to speak so caution quick abates.
"The haste of your coming in night and the silence that the boy aspires
Does tell you think your on a quest with intention great and dire.
What purpose comes the boy to set beside this man
What goal has turned you child to this current bidden plan.
Now come and set by side and tell me the thing that you seek
I'll know the words the boy does own if he but simply speaks."
And child does start but slowly draws to side of man whose friend
The one he helped through forest sprawled and all the pathway's bends.
Beside the man the boy does set uneasy lays his heart
Yet still he pushes ever on to try and meet his part.
And turn the man from path he seeks though path he seeks was great
Yet still the child does think it wins yet naught but dieing fate.
Then sudden just as words do start to form inside his mind
Already man has spoke and ask what purpose current binds
The little boy at such a time to come unto his place
And also bearing such a speed along with sudden haste.
"Now speak my little child and do tell what's the thing that you seek
What causes boy to leave from his work and his senior meet?
What chore has bid your path to yet stray from preparing well
To go along to the mount and with village folks to dwell?
Are you come to turn my path as so many times before
And cause this man to stray and leave his battling chore?"
And boy now spoke yet quick in haste though word did bode not well
To turn the man from task he sought though task was great and fell.
"My cause your words have noted right
I come to turn the man from fight
And bring him far away from place
At quickest speed and fastest haste
For fury fell atop this land
Will fall just like the seer had planned.
And man will also die at last
Pursuing current course and task."
But warrior simply shakes his head and further works his craft
He cared not still to face that beast and meet the kitsune's wrath.
He goes about and clips his tree not turning head aside
To boy that seeks to save his life the one that current bides
Beneath his roof with wearied heart and frantic look on face
To try and bid him flee from beast with rest in greatest haste.
And sudden anger filled the child to see his stubborn will
As warrior bore so little care of whether man was killed.
"Why grant so little care for life
You'll surely lose in waging strife.
Against a foe you can not beat
A fact betrayed by words you meet
From seers mouth no living man
Against that beast may ever stand
Or slay the creature dead in field
Yet even holding blade you wield.
Why wage this pointless warring work
When thing will only lead to hurt?
No hope you hold to current win
And surely life of beast you'll end."
Then warrior turns not eye from tree but speaks his fated cause
And told the child of thing he kept his people's warring laws
That guide their paths for whole of life and bid the conduct gave
Though thing did often bid them hurt and frequent led to grave.
"By Bushido's ancient code I am bound to ever live
To do as clan has sworn since birth and work as laws have bid.
And ever on I'll surely press fulfilling words it speaks
And man will work to do it's task till death it makes me meet."
When hearing words the child's surprised by faith he kept to laws
That many other warring men disposed at soonest cause
And boy does ask again this quest as those before had ask
What reason men do follow code and work as thing does task.
"The code you follow ask a deal
For men to die on battle field
And nothing certain ever grant's
Not even briefest things that's scant
And thing is often use to hurt
By bidding men to harmful works
Those lower still than stations gave
By orders made as others bade.
Why harken close to ancient code
Though man so far from home abodes
And none among your kin would tell
That warrior ancient law did fail?"
Again his eyes were fixed on tree to neither side he turned
Nor cease to guide the plant on grow his work he dared not spurned
But answered calm with gentle tone much greater still than roar
For down to very soul of boy his answer quick now tore.
"A many thing a man inside this world can lose
Except for vows he's bid to keep and the path he did chose.
Those thing will stay when the rest does leave to the bitter end
Thus to these things a man must stay loyal and work to fend.
For path you walk is only as loyal as the feet it treds
Betraying man it keeps when his legs have drifting sped.
All else will leave a man except for the work he seeks
And the ancient laws he is bidden all his life to keep."
And boy when hearing voice of man now stood aghast at thing
To see the trouble vows to man by ancient code did bring
Instead he works to try appealing hard to other life
The things that men enjoy when resting well from all their strife.
"Then think of family man does own
How death will leave those people lone
And steal from folk the peace they keep
By virtue gave of act you seek.
For world does hold the joy of life
You risk to lose with pointless strife."
For first of times the warrior paused and starred away from work
With wearied worldly eyes his gaze now spoke of deeper hurts.
Then words from mouth like whisper crept and told the child a tale
How judgement man had given once had great at time yet failed.
"Now long ago my fabled sword from a witch I stole
To help achieve a thing I set as a questing goal
At time I owned the chance to slay the woman where she stood
And rid the land of all her ways forever on and good.
But I stayed my hand at time and then drove her far from home
To places far from former keep and there forced her to roam.
And many years did pass and my works were mighty wrought
By the power of my Chidori the ancient saber to this man had brought.
No other men before my might could yet ever fight or stand
Against my magic saber made by an ancient mould and plan
And aided by the skills I held in my own well-trained arms
And many learned that to fight me does only invite harm.
And years I prospered long and well and my marriage came
A bride I loved for long my clan allowed me to then claim.
And all I wanted well in life was held within my hands
As though the fates conspired long to grant me comely plan.
And seasons passed for long and my wife with child did grow
And after many moons to man a boy was born a bold.
A pleasant babe with strength beyond what man had kept
He'd struggled not for skills I had to hone and quick became adept.
And tall and healthy he did grow his arms and legs were strong
As seasons passed us by and the years became yet long.
The springs and summers passed and the falls and winters fell
Upon the land my family lived and the fortress they now dwelled.
And boy did love the world and went about it's wilds
And learned the crafts we asked as any goodly child.
Then came a day in winter when boy to his family did come
With a growing excitement in his voice that beat about like thrum.
To ask if child could go and in the snow with others play
Where all the rest of his friends in their childish games did lay.
"My father please I ask you bid
And time in snow with other's give
The boy to go about and play
Where rest of children current lay."
And boy by parents was grant that he at present hour's allowed
To leave his home and go to join with rest of crowd.
So out he went for long much longer than we thought
And came inside again, and with him foul air was brought.
At time no thought I gave except that boy had tired
And energy he's normal grant by his play had long expired
But every day he went again and fouler mood would grow
Till man along with wife did see some mischief sowed.
The one day he did not come and out to children we went
On hasty legs and pace by our filial worry sent.
But children claimed the boy but only a handful of times
Amidst their mass was kept where other babes could find.
And worry spread in our heart what had our little child done
To go about alone and without the others run?
The whole of woods we searched and finally boy we found
Inside the timbers child by the blinding snow was bound.
To our home we quickly rushed but he cold and white became
Much colder than a man can grow before his life it claims.
And many days we worked to warm our child's form
But colder grew the babe as the many days were worn.
And grief on home had fell at the chief and awful cost
To suffer child's death is a parent's highest loss.
Then sudden boy awoke and began again to speak
And favor ask his parents to again yet go and seek
The snow outside their that child did greatly want
As though his form with craving his very mind did daunt.
"I ask again to go outside
And deep in snow to long abide
By self inside the winter deep
That boy has claimed for self as keep
Release this child from bed he lays
The place you bid me current stay
And let me go for briefest time
Into the falling snow to find
The respite thing to child does grant
I bid you sure as time be scant."
But man and wife refused to grant the babe his quest
And wished that both from the start had done what else was best.
And kept him from the falling snow though for thing he ever longed
With a passion great and fell that was growing ever strong.
So days again did pass and boy's increasing wroth
And bid again to leave at any given cost.
To go to where snow was kept though his form was sickly ice
We held him tight to his bed with our grips like binding vice.
And many days did pass as such our heart a fear
That death of child did grow did ever draw yet near.
Then came a day when hope abound for first in long
As child woke with warmth and spoke with voice that's strong.
And great relief did come though the battle was surely grave
We thought our deed was done by our many efforts gave .
And boy now sat aloft and spoke again with ease
A sound that both me and my wife did great at time yet please.
Then as the day began to wear I left to court then go
To fill my task and work at my clannish rank and role.
Behind my wife with my son inside his room did stay
Her heart at gentle ease that babe was spared from grave.
And as all who have a sickly child was eager then to babe yet please
In hopes that work she wrought his hurt would help to ease.
"My mother please I ask you bring
Me warming broth a pleasing thing
To sooth the cold I current feel
Perhaps a better state to deal.
On head of boy whose downward laid
I ask this smallest comfort gave."
And quickly woman rushed to the grant the boy request
And simply thought that such for the babe was doing best.
She went and stoked the flame and then made the babe his broth
To bring the thing to the boy in a pitcher very hot.
But once she came to the room she dropped the bowl she made
As child no longer in his bed at that time was current laid.
Instead the room was empty and boy had fled so bold
To comforts that the child had found inside the hostile snow.
To court she fled though stopped yet still I could hear her scream
And up from seat I came to her comfort hasty deem.
And over wails I then did ask what was wrong at that present time
As horror flooded my chest at the answer man did find.
Then all the warring men to the countryside did go
To the place where we former found our child in the sullen cold.
And many hours passed and his body none did find
As our hopes did shrink with the day and the greatly passing time.
Through forest both we tread and nothing inside we saw
No answer either one did hear though so loudly we did call.
And many hours went as our hope began to fade
Inside that dreadful forest where the ice and death did lay.
Then sudden we heard a laugh that came from our flanking side
A dreadful cackling thing that a deeper malice hides.
We turned our head to see from what that noise did sudden come
Our hearts in our pounding chest did beat as though a drum.
On top a hill that's bald as it was striped of all it trees
There stood the creature high that our heart did present grieve.
The Yuki-Onna dressed in white with a savage face and grin
And depraved thing that spoke and told her cheifest sin.
Onto her hand we both did gaze as the gaunt thing did hold
Our child in a grip so tight with his features pale and cold...
And both we screamed when we saw what was this sight at current time
As man unleashed his blade and hill did hasty climb.
But sudden blast of snow did the warrior knock to ground
I looked again and the pair were nowhere in sight to be found.
But laughter filled the air, fain at the evil it had made
As the wind did calm still inside that haunted glade.
Through all the lands we searched but the boy we never found
Nor dreadful woman of the snow wherever witch was bound.
And a strange palor on my wife then suddenly did start to come
With a beating heart I watched her fade to the sounding of a thrum.
She never speaks at present and her gaze does so often lay
Upon our child's yard that we made the boy as grave.
What once was love to a hatred had sure at time now turned
Though knowing not the act commit to any malice earn.
I often feel her eyes as they lay upon my form
With glaring gaze of rage that great resentment born.
And Koyo-Te my master passed my only mortal friend
The only one in this world that loved me to the very end.
Not leaving son through his will but leaving just the same
As the night did come to pass when it was right for death to claim
Him far from hand of those he loved and to lay his body down
Inside the rolling earth that in Nihon's land is found.
And Bushido code's my guide and is what man at end is left
The thing to which I cling from which I'm never cleft.
So law is thing I'll not betray for thing has not betrayed this man
As long as breath I draw and as long as I can fight and stand."
And boy by greatest silence struck does fail to turn or move
Though doing so at present time would surely great behoove.
Then falls his eyes upon the sword and great his mind does rage
Why keep that witches gruesome steel though magics made it's blade?
For sure he knows that thing has warped this warring man's own mind
If still a use for ancient sword the swordsmen dares to find.
And boy does know this thing is truth and many other's know
Before they met in forest keep where boy does often bode.
For sure no man would willing wield the blade as once before
When seeing wretched act he saw the witches wicked chore.
And all the folk from which he sprang would also know this thing
They too could see unwholesome work on mind of man it brings.
For sure they drew away from man in fear of thing he holds
And hold in turn it claims on man in spell so fell and bold.
Till all alone it's made him stay to better senses warp
And all the goodly things of life in man's own life to thwart.
Thus making easier task to break and drive him forth to doom
And grant him well the thing it want his early grave and tomb.
But boy though heart was hurt for man did feel a greatest fear
That side that blade and man it wields he dare not stay yet near.
In silence boy does rise from seat and bows yet low to man
Though wishing well to run away is caution still his plan.
And out to night that's filled with crowds the child does slowly go
And leaves the man to stew alone inside his present bode...
Hey guys what do you think of that chapter??? Kind of depressing right but I hope you stick it out!!! Only two more to go!!!