Hunting Season

 

Ryosuke never came back. The girls had gone to sleep and awaken the next morning, happy. Now their true quest would begin. Finally, just maybe, they could try to live in peace.

As they made great headway through the desert via stallions, they each had the same thought in mind. Revenge would be sweet.

They were on their way to Temple Araki, located in the deep wooden forest of the Milorian Mountains. Only two paths lead up the mountain, one was the easy way, which everyone took, and the other was the hard way, which they were taking.

“Okay, so there are seven lords, Suichi Araki, Koji Tsugawa, Akira Nobunaga, Yoshida Tanaka, Kiyomori Sakamoto, Chikamatsu Masao, and Lord Raikon.” The horses were walking so they could talk without having to yell.

“Let’s stop here.” Kesaru spoke for the first time since they had left Jrek City hours ago.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Temple Araki is up ahead. I don’t want them to see the horses, so we’ll stop here before walking the rest of the way.” Kesaru had already jumped off her horse and was turning it towards the city. With a powerful slap to its flanks, it took off. Mayoko and Unaki only stared at her.

“They’ll be in the way. You both know we can run faster than they can.” Kesaru never even bothered to look up at them. Instead, she reached behind her back to extract two scimitars.

“Have you had those on you the whole time?” Unaki had descended from her mount, as had Mayoko.

“Yeah. They were a gift from Master Gansu. He says that they’re…anointed. By what, I have no idea, but I rarely go anywhere without them.” She spun one on her hand and smiled as the sun’s rays hit the tip, making it sparkle.

“Hmm.” Mayoko walked towards the forest. “You know, if I didn’t know better, I would say this is the same exact spot we went in nine years ago when we raided. I’m right, aren’t I?” Unaki nodded. Mayoko truly could remember anything. Her mind was… photographic.

“So Kesaru, what’s our form of attack?”

“Remember the attack plan from nine years ago?” Both girls nodded.

“Good. How about we, shake things up a bit?” She smiled. They laughed wickedly. The restoration of an attack from years past would do more than shake things up. It would stir memories that many were still trying to forget. Memories of a past that they thought long dead.

 

*    *    *   *

Suichi Araki was sitting under a cherry blossom tree, eating lunch with his family when the alarm sounded. Stricken, he jumped up immediately. There had been no attacks in the last years, not since the treaties had been signed. Who dared to attack now? Not even bothering to heed the words of his screaming wife and the armor in her hands, he walked past her, out into the outer courtyard.

What awaited him was something that had haunted his dreams for many of nights. It had taken him all of five years to rid himself of the horrid images, but now here they were once more. The general of his army was posted, literally, in the outer courtyard for all to see. His throat slit, his armor gone and his shirt open. Red marks marred his skin where blood trickled. He shook his head. He knew. He knew that this time, this time it wasn’t a dream.

Gazing around, his eyes fell upon the soldiers who all stood off to the sides vomiting, some trying not to cry. Once more, he looked at the defiled general and squinted. On his chest… something was written there. Taking several large, quick steps, he walked up to where he could read it, but not have to be extremely close to the body.

BENDERS

Seeing it with his own eyes, he fell back from the body.

“My lord!”

“Get away from me!” Araki swatted at the soldiers that tried to help him. “I have to get out of here. I-I have to leave! Ready my horse!” He fled wildly into the temple. He didn’t stop till he reached the room he and his wife shared. He snatched up his bedroll, armor, and sword. Running out, he met his wife coming in. He didn’t say anything to her, just pushed her down and kept going. His horse was ready when he reached the inner courtyard. He hopped on and was almost ready to go when a shrill whistle went throughout the outer courtyard. During that one intensifying moment, his heart nearly stopped.

The doors that led from the inner courtyard to the outer courtyard bulged under some tremendous force and then spit in half diagonally; they fell. Masses of dust and debris filled the air, making it hard to see. He coughed and shielded his eyes, as did several other soldiers. Blurry images. Shadows of figures blocked the only entrance and exit.

As the dust cleared, so did his vision and he nearly choked on his own spit as he swallowed. Standing their, were three he thought he would never see again. Three people he never in his life had wanted to see again, and yet, there they were.

Dragon, Phoenix, and Fox. They stood there menacingly, just like before.

“You- You’re dead!” Araki shouted. He was quivering atop his horse.

“Really?” That one, the Fox, cocked her head to the side. With a look of pure evil, she smiled.

“Can the dead be living?” The Dragon spoke. Her eyes, as black as night, were directed at him.

“Can you justify what you speak? Did you see it with your own eyes?” The Phoenix walked toward him. They moved towards him as one, graceful and seductive. A Dragon with eyes as black as the night to match her soul. A Fox with a smile more wicked than that of any. A Phoenix with a blade of steel ten folds hotter than the sun. These women, these demons, were crueler and more vicious than any known demon had ever been. These women, they were known to all as Spirit Benders. They used the spirits of the animals tattooed on their bodies to become that animal. They killed without mercy.

“Why are you here?”

“It’s your time to die Suichi Araki.” The Phoenix pointed her sword at him. “You and the other Supreme Lords thought to conspire against us, and for that, you shall be punished. You tried to kill us, but you didn’t succeed. That was your mistake.” And in the blink of an eye, she was before him. “Step down.”

Before he could do anything, his soldiers attacked. They stood little to no chance. The Dragon took out one half of them using only two scimitars, while the other half were taken out by the Fox, who used shurikens and her fists. In seconds, his army was diminished.

“Now then, get down.” He did so without resistance. The one known as the Dragon walked up to him.

“How would you like to die?” She whispered it in his ear. He swallowed. “Answer me, or I’m going to make it slow and very painful!”

“Daddy! Daddy!” The sound of a child behind them all made them turn.

 

*    *    *    *

Kesaru looked over her shoulder to the wraparound porch. A boy child of no more than five or six , the same age Mayoko’s little brother had been when he was killed, stood upon it, tears streaming down his face. Neither she nor Unaki said a thing as Mayoko walked over to Araki’s son.

“Leave him alone!” Araki yelled, causing Kesaru’s hand to wrap around his throat, cutting off his oxygen.

“Don’t speak unless you’re told.” She looked back at Mayoko. She had the child in her arms and was walking away, back around the other side of the temple, away from all of this chaos. Kesaru knew Mayoko wouldn’t harm the child. Even if his father was one of the monsters that had killed her brother, she wouldn’t take the sins of the parent out on the child. That wasn’t her way.

“So, have you decided?” Kesaru’s attention was back upon Araki.

“I want-“

“Too late.” Kesaru dodged to the left as Unaki swung her sword down and lopped off Araki’s head. “We didn’t get a choice, so why should you?” She nudged his body with the tip of her boot. His head was five feet away. Unaki walked over to pick it up. Walking with determination, she went over to one of the bodies laying facedown on the ground. She kicked it.

“Get up.” Kesaru watched with more curiosity than shock as the body moved. A boy, a mere boy of fifteen and no more, stood. He was clever to lie down. To act as though he were dead would have spared him if it were any other people attacking. Oh well. Too bad for him Unaki had an excellent sense of perception. Kesaru observed now as Unaki thrust the head into his hands. “Take this to Lord Sakamoto. Tell him, the Spirit Bender Sisters are coming for him next. Now go!”

Without hesitation, the boy raced away to do her biding.

“Won’t he be surprised!” Mayoko laughed.

“Oh yeah. Where’s the kid?”

“With his mother. I sent them both down the front of the mountain. They have enough food and water to last them until they reach the city.” Silence fell between them.

“So,” Kesaru flicked already coagulating blood from the blades of the scimitars, “I guess we’re off to the springs, huh?” She and Unaki both were looking at Mayoko.

“No.”

“But I just told that kid-.” Unkai’s mouth had fallen open.

“I know. I want him off guard when I come for him.” Mayoko smiled. “How about we head over to Masao’s place in the desert?”

“That’s backtracking!”

“Not really. I know a nice little shortcut from there to Sakamoto’s and then to Tsugawa’s.” They didn’t bother to ask how. They just trusted her to know. So, without further ado, they left, on their way back down the mountain and on to Masao’s temple.

Author's Note

If you notice the chapters are taking longer and longer to post, I started working again, 5 days a week. I type when I get home, sleepy, so if you notice any errors that I didn't notice when proofreading, let me know. Thanks