Drunkard's Walk Forums

"Oyuri!" Grandmother Kozue called. "Oyuri!" She winced as a pang welled up in her old bones. Winter had struggled mightily against spring
this year, and remnants of the battle lingered in the shade of the woods near the edge of the fields her family worked. "Where is that girl?" They only had a month to prepare the fields for the year's rice crop, and they would need every hand that
could be spared for the task.

Sometimes Grandmother despaired of Oyuri ever amounting to anything. The empty-headed little thing had the fool notion in her head of being some daimyo's
wife, despite her fondness for the wild places at the edge of the Forest of Bloody Snow. Kozue's own grandmother had told her the tale of a great fight
among the cherry trees between two daimyo's armies which had so soaked the ground of the forest with blood that the blossoms would forever more be red. It
must be true, the trees that marked the border between farmland and the Forest were beginnig to bloom, and the blooms were red like they had been as long as
Kozue remembered.

A thread of worry began to gnaw at Grandmother Kozue. Had Oyuri gone farther into the woods than the shrine to O-Inari? There were rumors of Tanuki, Kappa, and
a two-tailed fox had even been spotted by one of the woodcutters over the winter. She returned to her cooking fire, to make sure that today's meal had not
burned, when she heard a tired "Tadaima" on the genkan.

"Oyuri!" Kozue scolded, while enfolding the dear child in her arms. "I was so worried when you didn't come right away. Are you all
right?"

Oyuri hesitantly returned the hug. "This one is fine, Grandmother. In fact, this one is better than she has ever been."

Kozue smiled slightly. "Well, dear child, where did you learn to talk like a courtier? You might catch yourself a lordling yet!"

"This one met a Lady near O-Inari-sama's shrine, and she talked like this," Oyuri said, her eyes closed in a playful smile. "She taught me
how while we viewed the cherry blossoms."

Kozue was so glad to see her granddaughter was all right, she never noticed when the sun came out from behind some clouds. She also never noticed the fox ears
and tails added to Oyuri's shadow.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

Awesome - I can hear the Lady Snowblood theme (or at least the builders from the remake of Zatoichi)

Have I ever mentioned that you rock?

Speaking of which, dug up this pic from my collection:


--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

ooOOooh

very nice
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy

Tampopo clutched her tanto nervously; this was the final act of her first assignment as a kunoichi. She had easily infiltrated the lordling's household as a servant, especially as it seemed his staff was full of attractive peasant girls like herself. Lady Kagebara, the leader of her clan, had told her that this would be easier compared to most such assignments as Lady Oyuri, the lordling's wife, did not seem to get jealous of her husband's roving eyes. In fact, the time the lordling had taken Tampopo to bed, Lady Oyuri had joined them.

The kunoichi smiled at the memory. What the young Lady lacked in skill, she made up for in talent and enthusiasm. It was a shame that she had to die. The grip of the tanto grew damp as Tampopo steeled herself to drive it home. Kagetsuki-sensei had told her her first kill would be hard, especially if she'd been infiltrating for a long time. She licked her suddenly dry lips. Lady Oyuri slept before her, utterly unaware of her doom standing above.

She closed her eyes. Forgive me, Oyuri-chama. As the tanto slid home, Lady Oyuri's eyes shot open and her gaze seemed to bore into Tampopo. Fear and disbelief gave way to a calculated look of cunning. Tampopo stepped back as her victim's eyes blazed golden with slit pupils and a shadow seemed to flow from her mouth. Frozen in fear, Tampopo could do nothing as the shadow surrounded her and seemed to burrow into her heart.

The fox opened Tampopo's eyes after assimilating the kunoichi's memories and looked over her new body. All in all, it was a bit of an upgrade. She stood over her former host and made a mystic pass, pulling forth a purple flame. She didn't want to forget her courtier's training, after all. It was too useful for the next Kunoichi Queen.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

Tampopo knelt properly before the wizened form of Lady Kagebara. The leader of the kunoichi village had called this meeting and her advisors Kagetsuki no Mae and Shika no Mae flanked her, gazing at the ranks of kunoichi before them.

"This is a little abrupt," Kagebara began. "However, I am getting on in years, and my leadership is beginning to suffer." She reached down and took a sip of the tea on a tray beside her. "To that end, my advisors and I have decided to pass leadership of the village on to the next generation." She let the chatter die down and continued. "We have chosen three candidates for the position." Kagebara coughed fitfully into her fan and made a gesture, causing three of her subordinates to present scrolls to a like number of the kneeling kunoichi.

Tampopo received her scroll with good grace and noticed out the corner of her eye that Kagetsuki Okiku and Shika Sumire were the other two recipients.

"Each of you has been given details of a village which has been decimated by the poor management of their daimyo. The first of you to return with suitable recruits or an alliance shall be our new Lead Shadow. You are dismissed." The wizened elder left the hall, soon followed by the village's kunoichi.

The fox within Tampopo thrilled at the assignment. This would be so interesting! She reviewed the scroll, and began her journey to the Flower River Village.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

...ara ara. ^_^
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"V, did you do something foolish?"
"Yes, and it was glorious."

Glad to see you back at work on this Fox.

Shayne

aiyah...
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.