It wasn’t something that could be called a battle; even “skirmish” seemed like too respectable a concept to be applied to what occurred this morning in the town of Edo. Certainly there were two opposing forces armed with military weapons attempting to kill each other, but they seemed more like gangs fighting a random, uncoordinated brawl than anything else. Several armed warriors had managed to actually raid the town. Peaceful villages that aren’t engaged in a feud with another group are more wary of their surroundings and capable of raising alarm than Edo was. That, or maybe the disjointed look of the raid wasn’t so uncoordinated and the attackers were actually rather competent in their approach and breaching of the town. Either way, the violence was over for the moment, as figures retreated away from Edo as fast as they arrived and escaped any attempt at pursuit.
All of this could be seen from one of the nearby hills, an appropriate place for a highborn bird to watch violence unfold between exiles and glorified bandits. Satisfied with the scenes she had witnessed, Tōka rose from where she had been seated, breaking the image of proper posture that she had created. As she did so, three others had their posture broken as well, only they did not rise to their feet with grace, but fell over from the strain in their muscles and the relief of their freedom of movement. They gasped and wheezed as their control over their own bodies returned to them, and their sweat-drenched hands gripped the earth as they stabilized themselves. They were seemingly meant to be a part of what had unfolded before them, and though it was assuredly painful to watch one’s comrades fight while being unable to rush to their side to help them, they had not presented any alternative to the Tengu. Tōka, not following the main road (or any road, really) that one would expect a traveler to take, gave the warriors quite a surprise when she appeared behind them as they readied themselves for a fight. Not knowing who she was or what she was there for, and not being in the state of mind to calmly ask for explanations, they aimed to seize her. So she seized them.
With their forced seiza broken and the feeling of their limbs returned, they didn’t seem as enthusiastic to engage with the woman who appeared before them. They seemed to contemplate it for a moment, but the fighting was already over and a glance from the Tengu did not signal an unwillingness to extend their imprisonment. So they left, cautiously taking steps backwards down the hill with their eyes darting between themselves, behind them, and always back to Tōka until she was comfortably out of view. As her companions retreated away to the woman who had sent them here, Tōka eyed the path she would take. It was a walk through the grass straight into the town, and her sandals traced the line she had drawn. Soft blades cushioned most of her steps, though the occasional bit of rocky soil broke up the monotony with a sharper sound.
More of a leisurely stroll than a determined march, the Tengu took in more of the surrounding area than she had bothered to acknowledge during the previous conflict. It was nice and serene despite the contestation taking place, with farmlands stretching this way and fields stretching that way, and the sea mere moments away. One could view storm clouds off menacing the water’s surface and any traveler unfortunate enough to be there at the time, but miles existed between them and the coast. Here there was sun and light wisps of white dancing in the sky. While no place deserved the pain and death that conflict brought, the thoughts of such things befalling such a place strengthened Tōka’s resolve. There were many places in the world like this, and they all needed to be protected from greater horrors than this world alone could produce.
When she reached the perimeter of the town, a building stood directly before her blocking her access. It was entirely possible and, for many other people, wholly reasonable to simply walk around the structure and look for a more proper entrance, but Tōka had chosen this approach and would not falter here. Loosening her kimono to provide enough slack to free her shoulders from the silk, she prepared to loosen her restraint as well. For once there was no need to hide what she was for fear of scaring the locals and ensuring decades of fearful glances and attempts to oust her from that particular town or village. Here, the revelation of what she was would be beneficial to her goals, and it would announce the arrival of someone who should not be ignored.
And so, Tōka stopped subduing her own power for the sake of subtlety and ensured that anyone in the surrounding area capable of sensing such things could sense her. Large black wings unfurled behind her until they were fully extended. After a brief moment where every feather seemed to stretch and taste the air it had been deprived for so long, they flicked, slamming the air unfortunate enough to reside under her wings into the ground with an immense force and a loud bang. Scattering dirt and dust all around her, Tōka launched herself into the air before retracting her wings and fixing her clothing. By the time she landed, the only oddity about her was that she had descended from above. There were, naturally, stares but not as many as to be expected–the populace had seemingly become accustomed to odd people behaving in odd ways–and many were much more concerned with making sure that there weren’t any more enemies roaming the streets or another attack looming just out of sight.
Using the mansion, her destination, as a point of reference, Tōka meandered through the streets seeing how well the interior matched the exterior. With the fighting believed to be managed, if not entirely over, merchants began to go back to their business and manage their stock. This one had fresh fish, that one had bolts of cloth, and one even sold jewelry ranging from simple to precious stones. Though her purse weighed heavy with gold and jewels taken from Delhi to Kyoto and everywhere in between, nothing really caught her eye at the moment. Perhaps more browsing would reveal something she’d be willing to spend her money on, but that would have to wait for some future day. She might not have been in some great hurry to arrive at the mansion or have someone approach her on behalf of the Kitsune ruling here, but it was pertinent to at least vaguely move in that direction. Tōka only hoped that, despite the recent raid by an enemy, that whoever they sent would at least be polite and aware of their station in comparison to her.
All of this could be seen from one of the nearby hills, an appropriate place for a highborn bird to watch violence unfold between exiles and glorified bandits. Satisfied with the scenes she had witnessed, Tōka rose from where she had been seated, breaking the image of proper posture that she had created. As she did so, three others had their posture broken as well, only they did not rise to their feet with grace, but fell over from the strain in their muscles and the relief of their freedom of movement. They gasped and wheezed as their control over their own bodies returned to them, and their sweat-drenched hands gripped the earth as they stabilized themselves. They were seemingly meant to be a part of what had unfolded before them, and though it was assuredly painful to watch one’s comrades fight while being unable to rush to their side to help them, they had not presented any alternative to the Tengu. Tōka, not following the main road (or any road, really) that one would expect a traveler to take, gave the warriors quite a surprise when she appeared behind them as they readied themselves for a fight. Not knowing who she was or what she was there for, and not being in the state of mind to calmly ask for explanations, they aimed to seize her. So she seized them.
With their forced seiza broken and the feeling of their limbs returned, they didn’t seem as enthusiastic to engage with the woman who appeared before them. They seemed to contemplate it for a moment, but the fighting was already over and a glance from the Tengu did not signal an unwillingness to extend their imprisonment. So they left, cautiously taking steps backwards down the hill with their eyes darting between themselves, behind them, and always back to Tōka until she was comfortably out of view. As her companions retreated away to the woman who had sent them here, Tōka eyed the path she would take. It was a walk through the grass straight into the town, and her sandals traced the line she had drawn. Soft blades cushioned most of her steps, though the occasional bit of rocky soil broke up the monotony with a sharper sound.
More of a leisurely stroll than a determined march, the Tengu took in more of the surrounding area than she had bothered to acknowledge during the previous conflict. It was nice and serene despite the contestation taking place, with farmlands stretching this way and fields stretching that way, and the sea mere moments away. One could view storm clouds off menacing the water’s surface and any traveler unfortunate enough to be there at the time, but miles existed between them and the coast. Here there was sun and light wisps of white dancing in the sky. While no place deserved the pain and death that conflict brought, the thoughts of such things befalling such a place strengthened Tōka’s resolve. There were many places in the world like this, and they all needed to be protected from greater horrors than this world alone could produce.
When she reached the perimeter of the town, a building stood directly before her blocking her access. It was entirely possible and, for many other people, wholly reasonable to simply walk around the structure and look for a more proper entrance, but Tōka had chosen this approach and would not falter here. Loosening her kimono to provide enough slack to free her shoulders from the silk, she prepared to loosen her restraint as well. For once there was no need to hide what she was for fear of scaring the locals and ensuring decades of fearful glances and attempts to oust her from that particular town or village. Here, the revelation of what she was would be beneficial to her goals, and it would announce the arrival of someone who should not be ignored.
And so, Tōka stopped subduing her own power for the sake of subtlety and ensured that anyone in the surrounding area capable of sensing such things could sense her. Large black wings unfurled behind her until they were fully extended. After a brief moment where every feather seemed to stretch and taste the air it had been deprived for so long, they flicked, slamming the air unfortunate enough to reside under her wings into the ground with an immense force and a loud bang. Scattering dirt and dust all around her, Tōka launched herself into the air before retracting her wings and fixing her clothing. By the time she landed, the only oddity about her was that she had descended from above. There were, naturally, stares but not as many as to be expected–the populace had seemingly become accustomed to odd people behaving in odd ways–and many were much more concerned with making sure that there weren’t any more enemies roaming the streets or another attack looming just out of sight.
Using the mansion, her destination, as a point of reference, Tōka meandered through the streets seeing how well the interior matched the exterior. With the fighting believed to be managed, if not entirely over, merchants began to go back to their business and manage their stock. This one had fresh fish, that one had bolts of cloth, and one even sold jewelry ranging from simple to precious stones. Though her purse weighed heavy with gold and jewels taken from Delhi to Kyoto and everywhere in between, nothing really caught her eye at the moment. Perhaps more browsing would reveal something she’d be willing to spend her money on, but that would have to wait for some future day. She might not have been in some great hurry to arrive at the mansion or have someone approach her on behalf of the Kitsune ruling here, but it was pertinent to at least vaguely move in that direction. Tōka only hoped that, despite the recent raid by an enemy, that whoever they sent would at least be polite and aware of their station in comparison to her.