Hunters Moon - IC

[Keeper]

“Well, Master Tails,” Moon said with a slight bow of her head. “As your knowledge of this place seems to be greater than mine you may escort me as my guide.”
With that she began to make her way down the slope towards the water and the distant city on the other side.
“Not that way,” Tails mewled. “There is a settlement to the east on the inner coast of the bay. There will be boats there.”
Moon smiled inwardly. “Then already your services have proven necessary, thank you,” she said.
It had been many days since she had landed on this vast untamed land where the Wyld seemed so fresh and raw. Looking out over the bay sent a tingle down her spine.
She had felt a similar tingle when, after almost a month at sea the lookout had called down from the from atop the merchant ship’s mast that land had been spotted.
As she had requested, and paid for, the merchant captain made for a cove on an uninhabited stretch of the coastline where the ship’s boat was launched and the young Moon dropped to the shingle beach.
Waiting until the confused looking sailors had departed, she had turned upon the forest that rose like a giant green wall at the very edge of the beach.
Although the trees had similar needle-like leaves to those back home, these had trunks twice as wide as a person was tall and stretched up into the sky straight like rods and so tall that it made Moon feel dizzy just to look up at their tops.
The plants here, amongst the trees were so different and Moon had stood for a while under the shade of the canopy with her eyes closed, listening to the noises of the forest, so similar and yet so different to what she was used to.
She smelled the air, fresh and clean with scents both familiar and strange.
Suddenly she had felt self-conscious and wondered how many strange eyes were watching her from the undergrowth, the tree tops, and the mountain sides. For, like home, there were mountains here capped with the last of the winter snow, and a green blanket of trees reaching for those unattainable peaks.
How many of those watching eyes were friendly, and how many were not? That, she had determined, was yet to be seen.
Her moments of reflection over, she had begun her long journey south until the light had faded from the sky. Of course she could easily have continued on into the darkness but instead, in keeping with her homid appearance she had made camp, lighting a small fire and eating some of the rations the sailors had packed for her and tucked into the roll that held the rest of her worldly possessions that was tied over her shoulder.
She had found that sleep did not come easily to her. She had no fear of what or who might come at her during the night but there was an exaggerated level of excitement and nervousness in equal part that did battle in her soul and kept her mind in a wakeful state.
In the end she had given up and pouring water into a small bowl she had concentrated on the reflection of the fire in its dark surface. She had found peace with her cave, safe and familiar.
And so it remained, night upon night as she travelled alone through the vast wilderness, seemingly devoid of any other living soul barring the beasts that the Emerald Mother had placed here. She would explore during the day and sleep in the safety of her den at night.
Until eventually she crested a hill and saw the deep blue waters of the bay ahead and the distant Golden City nestled upon the shores of the bay.

[arcanus]

It was a clear crisp day in early March, that time of year when winter and spring vied with each other for supremacy.

Moon headed down the hill and eventually joined a track leading down to a series of worn boat houses and pontoons, a longer jetty stretched out into the bay, at the end of the jetty was a modest building, the embarkation point for the Golden Bay Ferry.

Stopping at the entrance to the ferry point she made her way over to the the ticket booth, she waited patiently for the seller to stop ignoring her, realising she wasn't going to go away, his face bearing an unmistakable look of distain.

However her cents seemed to be good enough and he begrudgingly handed over a ticket.

On the wooden wall of the ferry stop were yellowed posters, several showed a photograph of two train locomotives meeting, others showed a gathering of white men in morning suits, whilst others adverts for soap, Moon could only take in the pictures the text being in unreadable language.

As she watched the ferry cross the bay, she mentally recounted her instructions from the Court Steward, of a post office she would visit and a strong box awaiting her.

[Keeper]

Moon’s heart skipped a beat as she stood waiting for the ferry to come in. the splendour of this enormous bay caused her to silently give thanks to the Emerald Mother for granting her the opportunity to explore her creation.
But despite the beauty of this landscape it was the inhabitants of this small village that fascinated her more.
She had not really had much to do with those that her peers referred to as Westerners before. Moon even found that term ironic considering her long eastward journey to reach here.
They looked so different to the people of Joseon and China and Japan. But where Asian men’s faces could be quite angular and tended to be smooth, these Westerners had round, stern faces and most of them cultivated hair upon them in the forms of heavy moustaches or scruffy beards.
But unlike the men of her own continent, the man whom she had purchased the ticket from had pale hair, not too dissimilar in colour to the yellowish grass that coated the hillside here.

Another man, gathering a huge fishing net into a neat heap had similar features and colouring, though he was much younger. An offspring, maybe, Moon concluded.

Listening to them speak, their tongue sounded so abrupt and harsh, like angry Poh demons barking and chattering at one another. From the mean attitude of the man in the shack to the fishermen shouting over the shoreline, Moon wondered if there was any joy in these people at all?
But then someone barked across at the fair haired one and they all erupted into laughter. Not the cynical bitter laughter of meanness, but proper belly laughs that none of the men seemed capable of restraining and none could work through. It was infectious and Moon found herself smiling along with them even though she had not been able to share the joke.

As his laughter died down the blond man seemed to notice her. He seemed confused and looked around seemingly searching for someone, but on not seeing them he returned his gaze to the petite ‘China-woman’. He said something in their guttural language and the other men turned to look at her and also glanced about as if looking for more of her.
Blond shrugged and shouted over to the one in the shack who said something short back he too shrugged.

Billy Sanders dropped his netting and wiped his palms on his shirt before approaching the young woman.
Moon could read the man’s posture easily, and his approach was not one of friendship, yet neither was it direct hostility, although it carried with it the threat that things could become hostile.
“Hey! Chinky-girl! Where the hell did you come from?” he called out to her.
Moon could tell he was addressing her but could not grasp the words of heir course tongue.
Honour and protocol dictated that she show an adequate degree of respect, even to potential adversaries. Until, of course, it became obvious that that respect was undeserved.
Moon smiled demurely and bowed in greeting.
“Oh!” Billy laughed at her actions and put his palms together as though praying and bowed mockingly several times at her saying “Ying-tong ying-tong ying-tong!” repeatedly.
Moon stared frowned at him in confusion.
“Ah, no Engrish?” he mocked again but Moon had no idea what was said.
The derisive smile and laughter returned by his colleagues told moon that his intentions were not going to be repesctful.
“Pa? Did she buy a ticket?” he called up to the man in the shack.
“Yeah,” he replied.
Now Billy was beside the pretty oriental girl.
“You got money, China-girl? Dollars? You got Dollars? How much you got? Where’d you get it? How comes A Chink’s got money enough to be wandering around?”
This close she could see that the young man’s skin was pock-marked and dirty and he smelled of a mixture of sweat and fish. It was rather off putting and she wrinkled her nose up.

[arcanus]

Master Tails regarded the wastral leerily chiding Moon, he scowled his ears angling back.

If he chose they couldn't see him, which at the moment he didn't, this despite the fact he was sat on the wooden railing as plain as day.

"So the first thing you must be taught is how to understand these, creatures" he said to Moon distainfully, again due to the lack of reaction Moon noted that only she could hear him

"He's mocking you, by the way!"

[arcanus]

Moon listened to Master Tails whilst not taking her eyes off the pock marked man, he was now leaning over her continuing his aggressive chiding.

A few of the other workers were jeering, egging him on, she noticed he was quickly getting frustrated with her not responding.

"Whats the matter chinky, no speaky English" he sneered leaning in close to her face.

Moon felt a low inner growl, her rage rising, she felt blood on her tongue as her teeth tried to become fangs.

[Keeper]

Moon took a deep breath and released it slowly, practicing restraint, forcing herself to be calm. “Bad grass flows down rivers of hat to create snow and blue,” she said to the man in fluent Mandarin, a bewildered smile fixed upon her face.
“Master Tails, let me know if he understood that nonsense, please,” she added. Her gaze remained upon the third button down on the man’s shirt. Then she gave a short bow for added effect.
The blond man shook his head and shrugged.
“What was that, little chinkie girl? Speak English, goddamit!”
One of the other fishermen called over. “What she saying?”
“Who the hell knows!” Blondie called back with a laugh.
Tails stood up and stretched. “Well, he doesn’t speak Mandarin, that’s for sure,” he said.
“Good!” Moon said openly, now looking Billy directly in the eyes.
“I am taught to treat even my enemies with respect and expect the same in return. You are not my enemy, yet you treat me disrespectfully. This is an unacceptable slight that I cannot ignore, however I will not intend you harm but I will defend myself. Take a step back and leave me to travel on my way in peace.”
When she looked him in the eye, Billy suddenly felt a little uneasy. It was only now that he was realising how pretty the young woman was, for a Chinese girl. That sort of threw him.
When she began speaking it was with obvious forcefulness backed up by something else, something almost primal that pulled at the deep ingrained fears within his soul.
That unnerved him even further. He felt himself sweating.
“Your spirits are darkened by the corruptor, that is clear,” Moon announced loudly, addressing everyone she could see. “But you have time to redeem your mortal souls. It would be a shame to have to tear you all asunder, but tear I will, unless I am left to continue my journey.
“Did that sound impressive enough?” Moon asked Tails
“Bit on the melodramatic side for my tastes. You don’t do threats much, do you?” Tails chuckled. “Better you bared your claws and ripped his head off. That would get the message across.

Billy glanced at the others and saw equally bewildered expressions looking back at him.
“Tell that kook to shut the hell up!” someone called out.
“That’s enough, Billy!” the grumpy old man in the shack called out.
Billy glanced over his shoulder at the grizzled older man.
“I’m just having some fun, Pa!” he answered.
“China girl paid her way. Let her be. Maybe we’ll be getting a lot more of these slant-eyed bastards coming through this way. Don’t make sense to burn that bridge, now does it. Anyhow, I say stop, you goddam better stop. You ain’t too old for a whoopin ya know, boy!”
Billy looked angry but as he returned his gaze to the young woman, it seemed to Moon that he almost looked embarrassed.
He trudged back to the nets under the amused gaze of his friends.
Moon watched him as he walked away until her attention was pulled away as the arriving ferry boat bumped heavily into the jetty.

[arcanus]

Master Tails watched Billy, the young man hesitated looking back at Moon, anger and spite in his eyes, he watched to see if the youth would double back, retaliate, but after a moment of temperful contemplation he snarled and stalked off.

Moon felt a shiver of excitment as the ferry clanked its away across the bay and pulled alongside the jetty.

She boarded and watched with interest as the crew busied around, once done and the passengers boarded the ferry headed back across, as the vessel hauled itself along its chains she breathed in the crisp sea air.

She watched the scores of sea birds wheeling above, ear splitting caws warning each other off as they watched the fishing boats below.

She turned sniffing the air, she cast a sideways glance at Master Tails riding the railling beisde her, she felt he'd noticed it as well.
There was something more than the sea breezes, the gag inducing stale sweat of her fellow passengers and shrieking sea birds, behind the calm day, the blue skies and fluffy clouds there was a storm.

Something had happened recently, that had unleashed something rageful, something angry lurking, something they were heading straight towards.

[arcanus]

Master Tail’s mused some more, he wasn’t aware that the Great Storm had reached as far as the coast, it was possible but perhaps the turbulence in the Spirit Realms was something else.

He turned to Moon “So what is your first order of business once we make landfall?”

[Keeper]

Moon looked down at Master Tails but didn’t respond.
She thought about her task again, yet it didn’t make her choices any clearer.
Perhaps it was her naivety that had prevented her from asking more and planning better. She normally did that well.
Even now, this close to the Golden City she really only had a name, and not an uncommon one at that. Admittedly the majority of those from the lands of the Emerald Mother were of Chinese or Japanese birth so finding someone from Joseon might not be so difficult. It all depended on how much luck she had.
She looked ahead, towards the distant shore, the rising smoke from many chimneys and cooking fires blown into a dark smudge just above the rooftops by the brisk easterly wind.
She could see there were also lanterns’ burning in some of the windows as the sun was approaching the western horizon. It would be dark by the time they reached the city.
It was then that she remembered the letter and how it told of a conflict between the Hungry Dead, the Kuei-Jin and their European vampiric cousins. The night was their world even more so than it was the wolves. She realised that now was when things would finally become serious, the time of exploration and wonder was at an end. Now she had work to do in a land that had already proven its dangers to her.

“I think,” she said at last, “that we must find a place to sleep for the night. It will be dark soon and I fear there are things in this city at night-time that we do not wish to encounter just yet.
“Oh,” Tails responded acidly, “I thought you had fallen asleep or something!”
The cat stretched out on the wooden bench beside Moon. “I was talking more long-term strategy, but yes, you are right. Somewhere to shut ourselves away would be a good place to start. Nothing like boxing yourself in to a single spot. At least we and anyone else interested will know exactly where to find us.” He brought up a paw and began absently licking it.
“Ahhh,” Moon chuckled, “I understand, Master Tails,” she said, a mirthful glint tugging at the corners of her eyes and wrinkling her nose. “You are an outdoor cat. You fear being cooped up inside.”
Tails sat up and frowned. “I am not afraid of being inside!” he protested, “I just prefer to have options, if I should have need to depart quickly, is all!”
“Of course,” Moon smiled and gave a short bow.
She removed a pouch that was tucked inside her tunic and emptied the contents into her palm.
“How much is this, I wonder?” Moon asked semi-rhetorically.
Tails glanced at the strange silver coins. “The Emerald Mother only knows! Looks a lot but could be a little.”
Moon shrugged and replaced the handful of silver dollars back into the pouch.
They sat quietly watching the Golden City loom ever closer. Moon couldn’t help thinking the city didn’t look that golden from here.

[arcanus]

“How is your roar” asked Master Tails
Moon screwed up her nose “I beg your pardon?”
“Your roar, it is a simple enough question, is it a great thunderous thing that shakes the heavens or a melodic song that stirs the forest and makes cubs feel safe, which is it?” He insisted

Behind the pair, a pair of travellers exchanged glances shaking their heads at the crazy oriental girl talking to herself “Fucking crazy gink, fucking crazy” one muttered