Meke's Story

The Aschen had gotten the drop on Kahl and the other Mira, but they had overlooked the main hunting party that edged its way through the jungle at the sound of gunfire. Mira were seasoned hunters and had survived worse than guns in their Aeloran homeland. They knew how to make themselves scarce, and how to move unseen. It was this talent that they employed today as they lay in wait to assess the situation. Among them was Leonis, the Shief of the Ra'shak clan that made its home here in the Veshrac Jungle. He knew the Aschen's knack for detecting their presence before they could get into visual range, and so he would need a suitable distraction before his people could move in to retrieve those captive.

He knelt down beside the young Shamana, Ryth, with his greataxe slung over his shoulder, but even on one knee the Mira Shief's bulky form towered over the child at his side.

"Just like in practice," he told the lad quietly. His voice was a hushed whisper so as to not carry through the dense foliage. "And remember, don't think it, feel it. The spirits will know what to do."

To an outsider, bringing a child to the staging ground of an ambush was a grossly irresponsible act, but for the Mira, it was a right of passage they had all endured in their homeland of Aelora. One had not the luxury of being coddled.

Ryth looked up at Leonis, his bright green eyes wide but determined. He nodded in understanding. He knew what he had to do. The child turned back to the scene unfolding in the clearing, and focused his gaze upon the trees and other foliage near to the Aschen soldiers. He raised his hand towards them, faintly glowing wisps of light forming around his clawed fingers.

---

Meanwhile not far from where Leonis and the rest of the tribe lay in wait, two figures crept their way ever closer to the trio of Mira being held at gunpoint by the Aschen soldiers. Tapu knew well that the Aschen had powerful weapons, and so speed and surprise were more valuable here than strength. And that's where Achack came in. Achak was an Edgewere Swampcat, native to Aelora, and with its Aeloran heritage came all of the speed, prowess, and physical fortitude of Aeloran predators. As large as a horse, but as light footed as a leopard, the feline maintained a perfect balance of stealth and power. Its thick mane of fur held vibrant hues of greens, blues, violets and crimsons that shifted and blended beneath the rays of sunlight that made it down through the thick canopy and it was right at home in a tropical environment. Swirling stripes of black on bluish-grey fur added further to the camouflage.

They chose their approach from the trees overhead with Tapu laying flat atop Achak so as to make it harder to distinguish the pair from another - easily leaving them mistaken for nothing more than a wild animal should any of the soldiers take note of them in the thick canopy.

Tapu's hands gripping the thick mane of fur beneath him, and there was a tenseness to both of them; it was a poised readiness that threatened to break free of its reigns, but both waited with brimming anticipation for the signal to move in.

With an almighty creaking of wood, ancient bark began to shift and bend. The great trees of the jungle contorted, their branches flexing and twisting as a new life was breathed into them. Thick vines shot from the ground and the treetops to wrap themselves around the soldiers, tearing guns from hands and pulling their legs out from beneath them even as the trees themselves pulled their roots free and swung heavy branches at the intruders. From the grass that stretched upwards in an attempt to tangle and trip the steps of the soldiers, to the thorny bushes that slung their irritatingly spiked appendages at any exposed flesh they could find; it seemed as though all the flora in the area was converging upon the Aschen. That said, it did not appear that even the mighty trees sought to kill in their assault. They were satisfied with knocking the soldiers from their feet, to pin them with thick roots or vines and leave them incapacitated.

Over the explosion of splintering wood and snapping vines came the exhilarated cry of, "Woop!"

A shadow passed overhead as Tapu and Achak leaped from one writhing tree to another, skidding down a length of bark to launch themselves down into the midst of the fray. Claws tore into soft bark and the weight of the pair left the branches creaking dangerously, but they moved with the seasoned grace of hunters.

As they neared the four captives, Tapu leaped from the back of Achak and caught a loose hanging vine. "Yahoo!" he bellowed as he swung down to land among the trio of captive Mira.

He had a wide grin upon his face as Achak touched down beside him in a spray of dirt and mulch from the forest floor.

"Starting the fun without me?" he asked Kahl before shoving Achak towards the wounded Mira. "Go on, get him out of here, Achak."

The great cat shoved up against Kahl's side to get him back on his feet.

Meanwhile Makya grabbed hold of Jada's arm and started pulling her away as the opportunity for escape presented itself. "Come on, we need to get out of here!"

---

“Go on,” Ryth murmured under his breath, as though his allies within the clearing would be able to hear, though it was not the case. “Run now!”

Leonis grunted his approval as he rose back to his feet.

"Get the Shamana back to the village," he told one of the Mira at his back. "The rest of you with me."

“Leonis!” Ryth protested, turning to look sharply back at the older Mira. “I can still help! What if there are more?”

Leonis and the rest of the Mira warriors were already moving off into the jungle though. Ryth growled with irritation, staring after them for several long moments before the warrior who had been left behind coughed to garner his attention. The Shamana turned to him with a scowl, "Fine." he muttered, turning to follow the other Mira away back towards the village.

The Aschen men began to move in, weapons at the ready to finish off the rest of the group, but suddenly the trees, the foliage and everything else began to come to life. Crackling and moving around them causing confusion among the soldiers.

One was suddenly swept off his feet with a loud shout he hit the ground, struggling against the foliage and shouting. This started chaos among the men as the trees moved in.

A branch wrapped around the feet of the Corporal, and he unleashed his weapon, a series of deafening pops followed as the Men started shooting at the trees, splintering them and setting them ablaze with their weapons.

The Sergeant was separated from his rifle, and branches had tangled themselves around his legs. He withdrew his pistol and fired up at the trees, blue bolts of light splintering their thick oaken trunks into fiery splinters that shot out in all directions. A fourth hurled a plasma grenade at one of the trees, which detonated and splintered the trees and set the nearby ones ablaze. But eventually they were overwhelmed and restrained by the branches. One of them however was not.

"Tango-Two One Seven, requesting Air Support on grid four nine seven carom one one nine!" He called out into his radio, struggling against the thorny branches that ripped at his flesh.

"Acknowledged Tango-Two One Seven, Apollos en-route for napalm strike." The Radio message was loud enough for all the Mira in the area to hear, and anyone familiar with modern weapons would have a very good idea what was about to come next.

Kahl gripped the fur of the mighty cat and hauled himself vertically over the beasts back. The knee would take time to heal, but his pride was hurt beyond what time could heal. "Shut up." The hunter muttered, shaking his head and giving a brisk laugh. "Good to see you."

The wounded Mira patted Achak. "Good to see you too." and then he slumped himself over and gripped on for dear life. Kahl was going to kill that sergeant and his men, they would pay the blood price for what they had done to his pride and his knee, this was his new goal, his reason for being.

Vengeance.

When everything went crazy Baako retrieved his weapons and grabbed his kill. There was no way Baako was going to leave his kill behind. He had worked hard for it. Once Baako had gotten out of the fray. He joined up with Leonis and the rest of the party. Baako felt the the worst of the day was over. Baako had his kill and his weapons and all was well.

Baako hung at the back of the group as he usually did. He wondered what became of the human woman with her strange skin and staff. The Bakko heard something about Napalm. Baako wasn't one hundred percent sure what napalm was but he was pretty sure it had something to do with fire. Fire wasn't good. Baako looked to Leonis to see if he understood what the Napalm meant. Baako didn't want to tell everyone to hightail it out of there if Leonis was going to. Leonis was the leader after all.

-to be added later-

Not far from the lake where Kyo was picking through the wreckage that had washed ashore was another late evening traveler making his way down the road at an even pace.

Meke had the look of a drifter to him with a distant expression and the dirt of the road dulling his thick fur to a dreary grey and copper. He had little in the way of possessions on him save for a hide waterskin and worn leather satchel strong over shoulder and across his chest to hang at his side.

The sloshing of water caught his ear as he neared Kyo's location and the light padding of his footsteps on the dirt road fell silent.

For a moment he said nothing as he glanced to the setting sun on the horizon and then back to Kyo.

"Pardon me," came the deep rumble of a voice from Meke's throat.

Even with his unusual height and heft one might have mistaken him for one of the Torajin known to make their home within the Shénshèng Mountains, but though his Losenyu was passable there was a roughness to his pronunciation that betrayed his foreign origins. Placing his accent was difficult though as it held a touch of an archaic Terran dialect likely unfamiliar in these parts coupled with the influence of local Hafirjan tribals languages which were prone to varying greatly from tribe to tribe.

The footsteps of the approaching Mira had drawn Kyo's attention shortly before he spoke, though the sound of the sloshing lake had disguised them until he was close by. Though catfolk were not an altogether unfamiliar sight on Lósénji Island, with the Torajin making their home nearby, one of Meke's stature and build was rare, and so it was with wariness to her movements and voice that she turned to greet him. "Greetings, traveller." she said, stepping from the water onto the beach and pacing towards where her shoes and bow lay. She offered Meke a shallow bow.

"How can I help you? It is late to be on the road." It was rare for Yōsái to see travellers at all, let alone two in one day, and certainly not from beyond the Island, as this large catfolk undoubtedly was, judging by his odd accent and unusual size. Perhaps the fates smiled upon them, and sent them skilled and wise strangers to help with their plight. Kyo almost snorted with cynicism at the thought.

Meke returned the shallow bow with one of his own. The Mira warrior had been in Losenji long enough to have picked up some of their local customs enough to get by passably.

"I hoped you could tell me how far the next settlement is between Yōsái and Mount Senji," he asked.

The sun would be set soon, but he had no concerns with pressing on into the night. Few would give thought to robbing the Mira when there were easier, and more wealthy travelers to be found. Food on the other hand was a matter of note. Poaching off settled lands was likely to raise more trouble than he was looking for right now and so he weighed the options of pushing on, or staying the night in Yōsái where a meal could be found.

So the big cat had business at Mount Senji, did he? It was a common destination for travellers coming from the mainland. The monastery drew people from all walks of life to study there from all across Shintenchi. "Yōsén Town is about three hours' walk from here," she replied, "But you would have to detour on your way to the mountain by an hour to stop there for the night. The nearest settlement that lies on the direct route is a half day's walk at least."

She shook her head, "It's a bad time to be travelling alone in these parts overnight." Kyo gestured towards the wreckage, "The kappa in the lake have been attacking folk both on the lake and on the shore, under cover of darkness. They've brought down several boats like this. If you insist on pressing on, I suggest you avoid the lake's edge, detour further away from it."

Meke grunted. He didn't fear the kappa that Kyo spoke of, but half a days walk was further on than he cared to push on.

"I will aid in your kappa situation, if you can spare me room and food for two nights," Meke replied.

He nodded towards the shore.

"Some fences along there where the bank is steepest would make the roads safer. One can see clearly along the beach even in the dark, but the foliage there provides cover and the steep fall makes for a difficult climb out of the water," he pointed out.

He rubbed at his lower jaw.

"I will find men from Yōsái to help build these fences."

The girl's eyebrow rose at the stranger's suggestion, her gaze following his nod. "I do not know that we have the spare wood..." she started, before catching herself. Kyo paused for several long moments before nodding. "It seems a good idea. A start, at least. I will speak in your favour for these terms, though I do not think any will turn away help. The ministry may not approve of the unauthorised development, but the kappa can take them for all the help they've been."

She frowned for a moment, "Of course, it will take more than fences to solve this in the long term. If only I could figure out what had changed to make the kappa act this way... I had thought to look in the wreck here for anything that might lead me in the right direction, but I found nothing of use."

"Perhaps a kappa is needed," Meke replied thoughtfully.

Shaking the matter from his thoughts for now he offered a hand to Kyo.

"I am Meke."

Kyo took the hand, nodding her head. "Takeuchi Kyo, but if you are to be my guest, you can simply call me Kyo." she replied, "Come, it is getting late and my father will be wondering for me. If we leave it much longer he will try and cook for himself, which can never end well."

With the Mira in tow, Kyo started down the short road back to the village.

No matter where one went in the small village of Yosai, there was one smell that remained ever prevalent. Fish. This was especially true in the local fish market where the days catches were strung up over stalls and heaped in buckets. For those unaccustomed to living in a fishing village the smell could be quite pungent, as was the case for Meke.

He had come to Losenji several months prior, but he was still adjusting to the locals high fish diets. It wasn't until he had arrived here that he had ever encountered eating fish at all, but red meat was a scarce commodity on the small island.

The Mira drifter drew a few curious glances from the locals, but most simply mistook him for an unusually large Torajin. Word had already spread that he was staying at the Takeuchi residence, and that was enough to satisfy most peoples curiosity as to his arrival in Yōsái.

Most, but not all.

Sitting on one of the outdoor tables that was set up right outside a stall, a white-haired man with an eye patch sat. He was dressed in nice, but inexpensive robes, and sat to his left was a large leather pack. He had looked up just in time to spot the large catman, who was so obviously-

"...not from around here, right?" he called out, giving him a bright, friendly smile. "Have time to sit with a stranger and talk? Perhaps have some grilled fish. This is the best stall for spicy trout!" He gestured to the other side of the table. "Don't worry, this isn't me trying to advertise my own wares. I'll treat."

Meke glanced overhead at the early morning sun beginning its ascent into the sky before rubbing lighly at his furry jaw.

"I must see to some errands," he told the white-haired man. "But I can spare a talk if you would sell me some of that fish."

He gestured to the barrels of trout.

Getting up, the man reached over to the barrels, drawing one close to him. "How much you looking for?" he asked, retrieving some string and hooks. "Also, if you don't mind a few questions, where you from? Whatcha lookin' for here in Yosai? We don't get many strangers like yourself." He rolled up his sleeves, looking up at the large cat man expectantly.

"Two," Meke replied. He riffled around in his clothes until he produced the rumpled money. He smoothed it out as best as he could before handing it across to the white-haired man. "And it is not Yosai that I seek. I am traveling to Mount Senji, and the Yuànsén Monastery."

"I am here only for another day. Takeuchi Kyo has spoken of your kappa problem. I am looking for workers to begin building a couple of fences along the steeper banks of the lake to make your roads safer again."

The man looked up at Meke, hooking the fish onto a rope. "Looking for some workers, huh?" He eyed all the fish that had been caught that morning. "Hmm..." Then, at all the obvious business he was receiving for the catch.

"And you think you'll find those workers in Mount Senji and at the Monastery?" he asked. "There's a lot of hard working men here, y'know. Your luck would probably be better, especially with fishing getting so difficult. People are looking for work." He held the fish out to the man.

"I'm looking for work. And I have a brother!"