Crow and Fox

Karamaru stayed still, like a shadow against the wall, having let Konnokami pass through to the magical spring. Konnokami felt this without even turning around. There was a stiff breathing in the air, a delicate rustle of feathers, when Karamaru almost wrapped himself in his wings, as if he was hiding from the darkness. It will still come, if you close your eyes. It will be cool and tasteless, like water, and dreams will come to the surface. Anywhere, including this cave, dreams could be sweet or terrible like poison. They could even come true from time to time, and not necessarily if one had them before the fifth day of the week, which was called the day of metal and tasted like silver with the applied gliding of silence. I will never tell anyone my dreams of you, Karamaru. Neither before the dinner we will share, nor before the supper, which our enemies will finish. Somewhere far away, at the distance of eleven steps and one midnight, which has not struck yet, a lonely beam of light was sharpening the stones, and water flowed into a small pool, entwined with flowering shadows. It was the name of those plants, breathing darkness. Their smell could bring memories of passing thunderstorms, and white veins on the petals were branched like a lightning of spilled milk. The spring was not crying over it. Those were tears of joy. And Konnokami wanted to see, what this joy looked like. Even if Karamaru had approached and stood near him, everyone could see only their own thoughts and feelings in the water of Mount Tenhu, everything, that was in their hearts, instead of empty reflections, switched from left to right. No one could see dreams of others there, even if he was in those dreams right now. Actually, Karamaru has been in Konnokami's dreams for many years, if only like a nameless abstract vision without a face, but with an earring in the right ear, which was a sign of his ability to love Konnokami in return. There was no time to even look back... and the crystal water burst like a swollen blister, making a clean path for the rising sun. The fox's vertical pupils expanded involuntarily, having immediately caught in the murmuring darkness of the spring a glimpse of blue long feathers, which tumbled loose over the crow's shoulders. The fabric of the kimono with a belt, slowly being untied by elegant fingers, slid down a little, revealing more of the tanned skin. The illusion had eyes with the sparks of flower pollen, and a fan of curved eyelashes covered an impossible, unreal promise. The lips were sensually moving, curved into an alluring smile, by which it was possible to read completely different intonations in the familiar words... ...my lord Konnokami... And a completely different sea would sound inside him, a different lump in the throat would be swallowed together with an understanding, that it was only a reflection of his own dreams, only a mirage, making him want to throw himself at the feet of this crow, singing like a siren, and into this pool. Konnokami's head was dizzy from the slow, tender poison of his own hopes, his heart was eagerly pounding, and his hands, just like his eyes, involuntarily reached for the illusion, but only the cold and wet moon in the water was touched. Its radiance instantly faded, shrinking from the sunny circles on the tips of the fingers, as if the needles had pierced them to taste blood, but drops of light appeared on the skin instead. It was bright, burning, but not blinding. Konnokami drew the curtain of darkness up, and the flowering shadows turned to him with all their petals, listening to what the heavy breath was talking about. Karamaru could not hear anything at this distance, except for every shade of the white noise. But he could see, that the water, responding to Konnokami's touch, rose and came into his a pale palm like a soft sphere, a lively crystal, which has not been frozen yet. On the contrary, it seemed to be heated up by Konnokami's usually yellowish, but right now white-hot skin, and the wild swarm of bubbles scared the remaining reflections away. Claws on Konnokami's free hand cut off one milky leaf of the flowering shadow carefully. This plant was often used to brew a delicious and strengthening tea, indeed. Konnokami dried the leaf, evaporating the required time itself out of it in mere seconds, and tea-leaves fell into boiling water to tell fortunes in a teacup later. Konnokami wanted to know, if that earring in Karamaru's right ear really meant something. He hoped so, but Konnokami was aware, that the magical spring had clearly exaggerated his chances to win such a beautiful high-flyer bird's heart anyway. The Nine-tailed fox... Of course, Karamaru have never had any doubt about that or about master Gennarisai's other words, but to see with his own eyes such an incredible power, which was as natural and easy as breathing for this mythical creature, was still amazing. And yet, there was nothing remarkable in this fox's appearance. Not a handsome man at all, short in stature, with pale skin, which was faded as if he had a chronic fatigue. His hair was long, but not too thick, and to hide that fact, the strands, pressed against each other, were put into the ponytail tightly. That was the tenth tail, if one would count it too. In fact, Karamaru would not have given him a second look, if he had seen Konnokami on the streets of Edoropolis. At best, Karamaru would have noticed a strange pink cloak as the only memorable, yet still unattractive detail about him. But the plain appearance could not have ever been more deceptive. Konnokami was the real Nine-tailed fox. The living legend. The crows of Karakara clan have always thought, that Nine-tailed foxes were coming to this world on the eve of disasters to prevent them. The dogs of Inuyama clan assumed, that every disaster was their doing, and crows worshipping the Nine-tailed foxes were a dangerous cult. Two hundred years ago many influential clans believed the dogs, stirred up the rebellion, put a new dynasty on the throne. There was no Nine-tailed fox in that generation, and blood was being spilt in streams without any natural disasters. But in truth, after the Fox Hunt in those two centuries, which were hypocritically called "pure", there were much more tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, epidemics and bad harvests than ever before. And there was no one to stop that. Only fairly recently, perhaps a few decades before Konnokami's birth, the acting shogun restored his Kitsunezuka clan in the status of roju, senior advisers, in spite of Inuyama clan's disapproval. The shogun, nevertheless, wanted to atone for the bloodshed of the past and his ancestors' arbitrariness, since seemingly no Nine-tailed fox has been born in the last two hundred years, and it looked like they would never appear again. But the Nine-tailed fox has already appeared. What could that mean? That meant, he was brewing tea for master Gennarisai, gazing at the water musingly. "If I may ask you, lord Konnokami..." - Karamaru spoke softly. He spread his wings again, letting himself out of that cocoon, but did not feel anything new, only uncertainty, as if his words were a little out of place here. - "How does it feel, to have such power?" Konnokami turned around eagerly, raising his red eyebrow, and the counter-question rolled down its fine arc: "And how does it feel, not to have it?" Karamaru was slightly confused. His bare feet were only wrapped in fabric in the middle, and bird talons timidly scratched the stones when he shifted one foot to the other, searching for the right word: "Well... as usual?" Karamaru suddenly realized, that his words have painted a whole picture with Konnokami's smile, which was soft, like a fox's tail, when he shrugged his shoulders. "I feel as usual too. I do not know, how else could it be. This power has always been part of me since I was born. It has been growing together with me... just as your wings have been growing together with you" His gaze, like a blue silk with golden threads, slid down the shining feathers, reflected in their shade of deep twilight with lighter sparks of happiness. Karamaru's wings, as if they were also flattered by such attention, stretched out gently, showing the strength and grace one would need to dance in the sky. "Can the Nine-tailed foxes fly?" - Karamaru asked suddenly. He was curious and less tense now, watching the sphere of water changing its color, as if the veins of jasper were growing inside it. The tea-leaves were swirling like a cherry snow. "Yes. Those tails, which are made of energy, can move all over my magic aura. That means, I can grow them on my shoulder blades and shape into wings. I tried that, my tails can be used for flying. Would you like to fly together with me someday?" - Konnokami put this question out of blue. It was not something Karamaru would expect a lord to ask his subject about. Being a ninja crow of Karakara clan, Karamaru did not remember the last time anyone had asked about his wishes at all. And such a dishevelled confusion hatched out of this thought's eggshell, that Konnokami decided to specify, just in case. - "Do you like flying?" No one has ever asked Karamaru about that either. Besides, only Gennarisai's calculating pragmatism allowed him to keep his wings. Clans of crows had started to use that punishment only after the Fox Hunt, as if, having lost the patronage of the Nine-tailed foxes, crows lost the ability to accept their own differences and respect each other. Something had been broken then, but no one could tell, what exactly it was, and how to fix it, if they did not know, how else could it be... "Yes, of course, I like flying, lord Konnokami. As soon as you take your rightful place as the leader of all crows, I will gladly keep you company any time", - Karamaru promised respectfully, but sincerely. He was most curious to look at those wings, made of magical tails. - "Also, when you are bringing tea to the master, be careful in the corridor after the seventh floorboard," - he added quickly in an undertone. Gennarisai had said nothing against warning the Nine-tailed fox, after all. Moreover, Karamaru was appointed to the position of his bodyguard, and he could guess, what pitfalls and reefs were hidden behind the obscure "try not to spill the tea". Every ninja student had to go through that test, when it was their time to bring tea to the master. It was forbidden to tell other young crows about that, but Konnokami was not a crow. The fox's tail waved knowingly. It was especially easy for emotions to go down regal spine to the very tip of it, where red autumn in furs were replaced by white winter abruptly. "I will keep that in mind. Thank you," - his sliding short glance cooled the boiling water instantly, having fallen into it like two cubes of blue ice. - "Are there any teacups?" - asked Konnokami in a business-like tone. Having nodded, Karamaru took the tray out of an unnoticeable at the first glance niche in the stone wall to the right of the spring. He still did not dare to come closer, thinking too badly about Gennarisai's order to allow this image to be cut into magical water bloodlessly. Karamaru wanted to suppress those thoughts, because the master could not be wrong, but that was too difficult. It was much easier for him to just watch Konnokami take one of the cups and carefully pour water with tea-leaves into it with a brief splash. "I do not see any point in another test, but fine," - the thought was the same for both of them, haunting, like a melody of three-stringed lute. Konnokami simply said it aloud, putting a cup on the tray, which he had taken from Karamaru's elegant hands with a grateful nod. - "Do you want some?" The sphere of water was not so round anymore, it grew thin, like a waning crescent, having dropped part of itself into the second cup, and everything, that had left, flowed into the third one. There was too much space and loneliness in the sky for just one moon. "I think, it tastes good," - Konnokami appraised the tea, having taken the first sip, as if he tried to show Karamaru, that the secret ingredient was not dangerous at all. The silent consent moistened Karamaru's lips and warmed his hands. He drank some of the tea, offered to him, cautiously, and froze in a strange mixture of euphoria and superstitious tremor in his shoulders. It was the blood of the universe, where everyone could have their own sun, and it went down his throat like a flowering sunset, when the shadows lengthen, carrying a trail of aromas and letting butterflies into the stomach. "So that is how the Nine-tailed fox's magic tastes..." - Karamaru noted in amazement. Karamaru happened to drink this tea, made of mountain water and the flowering shadow plant, more than once, but now it seemed to him that he took a sip of the ripe light itself, which immediately filled his body with fresh strength to the very tips of his feathers. What doubts could master Gennarisai have? The ones, that needed to be dispelled anyway. "I am glad, that you like it. When I take my rightful place, we will be working together, so I will brew it for you whenever you want," - Konnokami got to his feet in one smooth movement, as soon as both of them had finished the tea, and Karamaru took empty cups off the tray quickly, having left only one full cup for master Gennarisai. "Is it not too dangerous for you to go with me now?" - having fallen like a drop of blood into the crow's pupils, which were expanded in the dim light, Konnokami's question was neither the last, nor even the first, but still unusual. It diluted slowly, and the misunderstanding was not thicker than water. "I am your bodyguard, lord Konnokami" "But this test is prepared for me. You do not need to prove anything to master Gennarisai," - there was reason in Konnokami's words. It did not matter, that the pause had finally dissolved, and the new chapter had forgotten to start. Karamaru awkwardly turned away, putting the teacups, which had been washed in the nearby stream, back into the niche on the wall. "As you wish, lord Konnokami" - still, it sounded like a glimpse of relief in Karamaru's pronouncedly polite voice. There was more honey than tar, when his yellow eyes, having looked up, met the blue lights. - "Be careful" "I will," - the sketch of smile with a quick stroke of emotion flashed on a paper-colored face. There was no lines, he has been always drawing outside of them. Konnokami could assume, that there was something like an obstacle course with traps in the corridor, but he still did not have any idea about the point of Gennarisai's test. Karamaru did not understand that either, following Konnokami at the safe distance, like a winged shadow behind his shoulder. He was sure, that the test would be the same as the initiation of ninja warriors, and it would take place on the linear segment of the corridor in front of master Gennarisai's office... ... and because of that the sharp whistle in the air turned out to be even more sudden. The darts did not care to look before they leaped. They have not even waited for the seventh floorboard to be stepped upon. Like needles, sewing the walls together, they forgot the threads and did not think about that. Karamaru reeled back into the cave of the spring instinctively, but Konnokami slipped forward in an elusive motion, evading darts with grace and flexibility of the flame. He rose his hand, still holding a tray with outstretched fingers, and not a single speck of dust fell into the tea. The dancing blades, creaking and leaving their stone scabbards, were unhappy with an unsuccessful hunt, and trajectory of the pendulum was predictable. It did not slow Konnokami down, this time he was holding a tray with tea near his chest. The dash forward was swift, but at the same time incredibly smooth, as if Konnokami was floating, and the walls were moving instead of him. The reddish ripples of magical energy were hardly noticeable on the pink cloak near ​​his shoulder blades. But sometimes fox's tails could become wings, indeed. They had materialised only partially, but it was enough to keep Konnokami in the air two seconds longer, than the law of gravity stated. And he safely landed on the other side of the long field of spikes, which had suddenly grew out of the floor cracks. Karamaru had to blink twice to trust his eyes. They were not lying, they were not even lied to. Konnokami's eyelids were actually almost closed, with a slight flicker of scarce red eyelashes. Like a copper fence in front of vertical pupils, that did not prevent him from dodging darts, arrows and spears neatly. It was not the same set of obstacles, which all crows had to overcome to became full-fledge ninjas. The traps were springing too quickly, and every one was deadly, to tell the truth. It was next to impossible to see them and react in time. One could only predict it with a calm knowledge of the next lightning strike. And so, there was nothing else on that spot, just a sign of relief coming from an empty space through its wounds. Konnokami glided like a smoke between the plumes of fire, gathering sparks all around. His magical energy was flowing out of every pore on his skin. That aura was amazing and almost tangible, like an orange mist in the air. The Nine-tailed fox was truly breathing it. The way, he was moving, could remind of a dance, if there was a fan in Konnokami's hands, not a tray. Random drops of tea were jumping up, like excited spectators, who could not sit still, but they never missed the tea cup, while falling back. Having made another leap smoothly, Konnokami found himself at the corner, from where the test for the crows had always began. He uncoiled like a spring, raised his eyelids, dropped his tails or rather those ghostly tendrils, which have been already disappearing, resembling a shaggy air near the bonfire. His heart was like a flame. It burst into brilliance, having made his own throat dry. Konnokami tilted his head back and swallowed, looking relaxed at last. Karamaru felt rough sandpaper in his throat as well. "You went too far, master Gennarisai," - Karamaru thought. He realised, that those traps, the existence of which he had not even known about before this day, were here not for tests, but to prevent enemies from going deeper into the shelter. Karamaru took an uncertain step forward, wary of untouched and hungry blades, which could still lie in wait. Their rusty fangs had not been broken. Konnokami turned his head towards him, watching Karamaru's every step tensely. Probably, he was wary of that danger as well. The solar coronas around the pupils of his eyes became more visible, glowing with warmer colour and resembling thin cracks. The ice broke silently, when the magical energy had flashed like a tail of a comet. Having looked to the right, bewildered, Karamaru saw an arrow, frozen in the midair. He ducked at once, having almost fallen onto the floor, and only then the arrow was set to motion again. It smote into the wall and stuck there, quivering. "You have good reflexes," - Konnokami noted with a quick glance, but he did not want to know, if the arrow would have scratched Karamaru's feathers, had Konnokami not stopped its flight for a few seconds. "Thank you, lord Konnokami," - Karamaru did not know that himself. Suddenly he wondered, whether it was difficult sometimes for the Nine-tailed foxes to use their innate powers, as if it was for crows to fly against the wind. Karamaru did not dare to ask that question aloud, but the answer could be seen in Konnokami's elusive winged smile, which had landed on his pale lips suddenly, but was encouraging. If the birds need to fly against the wind, they will fly, without showing anyone, whether it was difficult or not. The stone floor of the shelter felt light steps of wicker sandals and even delicate sharpness of the fox's claws one more time. Flagstones were wondering, how the Nine-Tailed fox could get there again. It felt like he had never left, had never flown out of the wound of this cave, like pink blood. What two hundred years could mean for a mountain? Even the grey streaks of avalanches, having been left on bushy slopes, eventually were blinked away. Konnokami hold out his free hand to Karamaru. The fox's fingers looked long, because of the pointed and well-groomed claws. The sickly paleness of his skin did not compare itself to the beautiful tan on Karamaru's palm, but was happy to feel its grateful warmth and keep it close. Konnokami locked his fingers tighter around Karamaru's hand, helping him get up off the floor. Now Karamaru was so near, that the air had tripped over Konnokami's cheekbones, while escaping the movement of the crow's blue eyelashes. Konnokami could even see that they looked like tiny feathers as well, and the colour was the same. These blue northern lights, which could make one smile even during the polar night, were shining on every feather, and Konnokami suddenly realised, that Karamaru smiled back to him, still holding his hand and opening up his heart. Because that was master Gennarisai' order. But both of them did not suspect, how important it was for Gennarisai to see exactly that. He needed to know, whether Konnokami's magical powers would stop the attack, which was aimed at Karamaru, acting purely on instincts. Gennarisai had never doubted, that no hair would fall from Konnokami's first, real tail during the test. The obstacle course was not the point. And the tea did not matter either. The important thing was, that the Nine-tailed fox's incredible reflexes had allowed him to protect his future bodyguard without hesitation or thinking. Rescuing Karamaru also was like breathing for him. Gennarisai relaxed and smiled. He breathed out as well, having opened his eyes and closed the walls, with the surface of which he could see, while using his magical powers as a master medium. His consciousness came back, like a stray animal, but it did not feel any hunger. Broken glass in the pupils did not leave a scratch on it, only the smell of burnt sugar got lost in the mustache. Gennarisai's smile was too sweet for someone, who was not used to making mistakes, and he was glad, that he would not have to start making them today. Konnokami was not able to see anyone's thoughts, like the spring water of Mount Tengu. He was more like fire, and illusions were blazing like brushwood. They were as unavoidable as coals, which remained after all the lies had burned down. Then, you need to add fuel to the fire, Karamaru. Let it be yellow, like your eyes. This order was clenched by Gennarisai's wiry fingers, which had been measuring seconds in their own way, tapping on the wooden surface of his cane, one moment before that. The sand in a hour-glass did not dare to correct him, although Gennarisai was pleased with everything right now. It did not happen too often. Even to Gennarisai's meticulous eye, Karamaru's behaviour was fully thought out from a tactical standpoint. He was not showing false interest in the Nine-tailed. That would have only raised suspicions from an unattractive, to tell that frankly, fox, who was impossible to fell in love with at the first sight. And yet, Karamaru was accepting his help and protection benevolently, he spoke the right words and even kept silent in the right way. If only he had more time to force all the cautious thoughts out of the Nine-tailed fox's mind... Gennarisai heaved a deep sigh. He knew, that the rush, of course, was unacceptable in such delicate matters. He had to be patient, had to believe in the bet, he had made on Karamaru's beauty and charm. Even if the world would end in a few months, and there would be nothing else to burn... ... except for you, lord Konnokami. That is why Karakara clan sacrifices Karamaru to you, so you could burn for us Gennarisai's dry aging fingers ran across entirely different words, written on some old faded paper, as if he was expecting these hieroglyphs to crawl under his skin, like red ants. It was the list of names. The founder and the first shogun of Edoropolis, lord Kasume. The sacrifice was Muramasa. The first female shogun of Edoropolis, lady Arimura. The sacrifice was Karasuma. There were three more male foxes and one more female fox. The same situation was with the crows, who were given to each of them for life by the clan. The list was not long, but it wanted to be remembered. After all, the paper was not even touched by the fire, when the old castle, that had to be rebuild anew with blue tiles on the winged roof, had collapsed during the Fox Hunt. However, the list has never expected to be continued with two more names. Hopefully, not the last names in history. Because Nine-tailed foxes have always been coming to this world on the eve of disasters.