~ by Amanda Pizzolatto
He glanced out the window; the rain had finally stopped, but the clouds still hung overhead, slowly making their way towards other thirsty regions. He gave out a sigh; ‘a little too slow,’ he thought, though he was thankful for the prospect of mud to help him capture his quarry. He turned to go back into his room, but he paused. His large, slightly pointed ears had picked up something. He turned back to the window and pressed an ear against it.
There it was again. He quickly opened the window and went still, every fiber of him concentrating on the sound. Whatever it was, it was getting louder, and closer. He clenched his teeth, for it sounded dangerous. He quickly sniffed the air before shutting the window and the curtains. With swift movements, he changed into a bat-like suit, completing his natural bat-like abilities, and climbed out the window to get to the roof. The city below was buzzing with everyday noises, but he had been trained well and focused again only on the mysterious sound.
It was moving in a different direction now. He jumped from roof to roof until he got to an ancient temple. He quickly hid behind one of the arches; whatever was making that sound was almost there. He snuck a peek, and stifled a gasp. A large plant-bird hybrid was slowly advancing on the temple. As it got closer, he got a better look at it, though he wasn’t quite sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. It had the body and for the most part the head of an owl, the tail of a snake, a Venus-fly-trap for a mouth, sundew flailing arms, and snakelike eyes.
A soft growl escaped his lips as he noticed the two conspirators, known as Umpidori and Urshi. His eyes widened when he saw a figure slumped between them. He slipped back into the shadows and covered his ears; the monster let out another sonic wave as it passed his hiding place. He stayed very still, waiting for Umpidori and Urshi to pass by. He knew it wouldn’t take long for them to find him, but he had to assess the situation before deciding on a plan of action, and he would have to do it quickly. Finally, Umpidori and Urshi walked past, and he gritted his teeth as he got a good look at their prisoner. It was Sishachi! The idiot was probably caught while trying to get vengeance for his parents’ murder. So, he basically had to fight two of his worst enemies, plus their pet, and get Sishachi out without hurting him or getting himself killed.
“All in a day’s work,” he muttered. He just wished he could have called for backup from Tsubasi, but it was too late for that now. It would take everything he had, and a miracle, to pull this off.
He stepped out of the shadows and into the path behind the three. “Did you want to see me?”
Urshi jumped at the sound of his voice, while Umpidori merely turned and cackled, “Ah, hello Koumoko, I see you got our call, or more like, Dosashu’s call. You like our pet?”
Koumoko barely blinked. “What do you two want?”
“Oh, you know, a test subject for our pet, Dosashu. If you fight him, we’ll let your little friend here go. If you don’t, well, we’ll have no choice but to pit him against you, after we feed your little friend to him,” grinned Urshi, showing Sashaci’s unconscious face to Koumoko.
“And what would happen to me if I engage your… pet in combat?”
“Oh, just some bruising, maybe a broken bone or two, but you’ll live…this time.”
“This time?”
Umpidori smiled. “Yes, this time, Koumoko. Dokusha does wish to see your timely demise, after all. Should we deprive your greatest enemy of such a pleasure? I would like to, actually, but I did form a contract with him and, as such, must comply to his wishes. For now… what is your answer, Koumoko?” A moan escaped Sishachi’s lips, causing the trio to glance at him.
Koumoko smiled while they were focused on Sishachi; he was coming to, if not already conscious. Perhaps there was a chance, after all. He quickly wiped the smile off; he couldn’t let them know of the backup.
“Hmm … must we return the boy? He is such a cutie, I would so like to play with him.”
Umpidori crooned, “Don’t worry, we may have another chance. Now, Koumoko, your answer, please?”
Koumoko glared at him. “Very well, I shall.”
Umpidori gave a knowing smile. “Good, I’d hope you would. Let us move your little friend out of the way, and then you may begin.”
Koumoko glanced back and forth between the retreating trio and the creature looking him over. The creature gave him the willies, for it was comprised of the three greatest enemies of the koumori, and technically his enemy. The Venus fly trap could represent Urshi, the owl could represent Umpidori, and the snake was definitely Dokusha.
“Very well, we are at a safe distance! Koumoko, Dosashu, begin!”
Koumoko studied the creature, and moved quickly as its sticky arms lashed out at him. For the most part, he opted to stay out of its way, but it kept pushing him into corners and other tight places, forcing him to actually hurt it. He had tried to avoid that; hurting any of the three creatures by themselves would cause them to backlash dangerously. But it seemed that they wanted him to hurt it, and once he accepted that, he let it all out. He unsheathed his sword and slashed at Dosashu, trying to cut off both of its arms to give him a bit of a chance against it. He finally managed to cut off one arm, but it cost him, for he had to get close, leaving him open to capture by the other arm. He struggled to get out, but the more he struggled, the tighter it squeezed and the sleepier he got.
To everyone’s surprise, it let out a scream. The earth underneath it was attacking! Koumoko let a smile of relief spread across his face as Sishachi quickly bound Umpidori and Urshi in the dirt before freeing Koumoko. He led Koumoko to the stairs of the temple, then turned around and faced their adversaries.
“Do that again, and you’re dead!” he growled.
Koumoko was too sleepy to correct him, but he let the black-haired teen take him away. He did have to smile when Sishachi attempted to carry them both with his hummingbird wings, even though Koumoko was too big for him to carry. Finally, they got far enough away where the two could sleep without interruption.