A Chronicle from a Time of Darkness

by PhycoKrusk

Chapter 2

The market in Taiyō-sen opened early, and it remained open even as the afternoon sun was well into its descent back below the horizon. Even so late in the day, it was filled with the sounds of sellers trying to catch the eye of buyers with words as well as reputation. That day, however, there were three words that rang out over the market that had truly not been heard there before. Or at least, not for a very long time:

“Look out below!”

However pleasant the day had been for one particular vegetable seller, an eagle who prided himself on his flawless produce, it was ruined in an instant when one Phineus Wilhelm suddenly dropped out of the sky, sliding across his stand's counter and taking several vegetables with him as he went careening down into the dirt. A moment passed before he was able to collect his wits enough to look down at the mess that had become his wares while the small phoenix, an eagle like him, slowly pulled himself off the ground and started dusting off his clothes. A glance around the market revealed that buyers and sellers alike had stopped what they were doing to gawk. A single, sharp glare sent them scrambling back to their business with a clear message: Mind your own business.

The eagle looked again at the mess on the ground, at his broken, smashed, and bruised vegetables, and then gave Peewee a narrow-eyed glare. It reminded the phoenix of the look his father would give him when he misbehaved. It was not a happy look, not one bit.

“Um... oops?” he offered shyly.

“Well, your landing would be properly described as ‘terrible’.” The vegetable seller's attention was drawn away from Peewee as Owlowiscious gracefully touched down beside them. “But your form was excellent. Especially for gliding that distance. Heavenspire's a long way from here, after all.”

When the vegetable seller looked back to Peewee, his expression was not one of anger, but amazement. "You, glided all the way here from Heavenspire?" he asked. “But, but that's almost twenty ri!” <The approximate distance a person can walk in one hour.>

Peewee couldn't help but quirk his brow. "Is that good?" he asked tentatively.

“Good? That's incredible!” By this point, the vegetable seller seemed to have forgotten about his ruined produce, instead wearing a wide smile as he heaped praise on the young phoenix. “That’s at least ten times what most fledglings your age can usually glide before they have to stop. Your father must be an amazing teacher.”

Before Peewee could reply, Owlowiscious stepped in, one wing raised to fend off any kind words. “I’m really just a family friend, and this accomplishment has little to do with me. I’m a terrible instructor.”

“Still! What an accomplishment it is.” The merchant looked down at Peewee with a smile that shined with tribal pride, and Peewee looked down at the ground and smiled sheepishly. Such was the way of eagles.

“I hate to cut this encounter short, but we have to get on our way. I’d also hate to leave any ill feelings, so why don't you let me pay you for your lost product.” Even before he finished speaking, Owlowiscious was already bringing out his purse. Without missing a single beat, he withdrew and laid a single, ovaloid silver coin on the stand's counter. “One buban* should cover everything, I would think, although I’m no expert with merchandise.” He was certain that if the merchant's eyes grew any bigger, they’d fall right out of his head.

(*) See author’s notes below

“Sir, all I lost were a few cabbages, sweet potatoes and some daikon. That's almost a week's earnings for me.”

“Well, don’t forget that you’re doing a favor for me.”

At that, the eagle cocked his head to the side, confusion spread across his face. He was fortunate that Owlowiscious did not wait before continuing. “Before long, it will have been one thousand years since the Day the Earth Froze and Darkness Covered the Land. And while we certainly owe a great deal to Empress Philomena for the army she raised and led, what carried us through that day and allowed Animalia to survive and rebuild was community. For the first time since anyone could remember, we all stood together as a united people.

“We fortunately don’t have anymore days like that, but even today, community is what carries us into the future. I want to do something for the people of Taiyō-sen, but I don’t know the kinds of things they want or need. You do know those things. Maybe one buban is too much for your product, but surely it’s enough for the community to enjoy something for itself. Would you help me make that reality?”

The vegetable seller smiled widely. “It would be my honor to help you with this. I know exactly what to do too! Oh! Are you two staying for the celebration, then?”

“That’s right!” Peewee replied a little too happily. “We even get to help with it. But just a little bit.”

“Is that so?” The vegetable seller gave Peewee a smile, and then Owlowiscious a knowing smirk. “Then I really have kept you long enough. You two should get to it, and thanks again for the money. I know exactly what to do with it. I’ll see you at the celebration.”

“Hopefully, we'll see you before then, but at the celebration for sure.” Owlowiscious raised his wing and waved farewell, which both Peewee and the vegetable seller mimicked. “Good day!” The traveling pair took their leave as their newest acquaintance excitedly told his neighbors what had just transpired, but barely made any progress before Peewee suddenly issued a loud grumbling, and then it was Owlowiscious' turn to wear a knowing smirk. “Goodness! It sounds like you had a tiger for lunch!”

Grinning sheepishly, Peewee covered his stomach with both wings, trying to keep it from further embarrassing him. “I actually didn’t have lunch. I know I should have, but I was so excited to come with you, I couldn’t eat anything!”

“That’s usually the case, I’ve noticed.” Ruffling the feathers on the phoenix’s head, Owlowiscious directed his attention towards another stand, this one serving hot food. Or so it appeared, give the smoke rising from a nearby grill and sign simply proclaiming, ‘Hot Hot Hot!’ Several baskets stacked around it, resting on kettles suspended over fires, added to this appearance, as did the kettle without baskets atop it, likely holding soup. The alligator standing behind it, staring vacantly into space, was all that made Owlowiscious wary, but it was a small thing, easy to ignore as they approached. “Good day, friend!”

No sooner had Owlowiscious announced himself and Peewee than the alligator behind the stand immediately whipped out a wooden skewer and wooden paddle. The paddle, offered to Owlowiscious, had a freshly grilled cuttlefish stretched across it. The skewer, for Peewee, was stuck through six fried —

“Dumplings!” the phoenix exclaimed happily, standing on the tips of his toes and taking the skewer in one wing. “Exactly what I wanted. Thanks!”

“And I’m partial to cuttlefish, myself,” Owlowiscious chimed in. “Excellent work, friend, however you did it.” And however he managed to get cuttlefish so far from the ocean. “How much?”

Standing up just a bit straighter, the alligator closed his eyes and moved one clawed hand from left to right, his open palm facing downward, before executing a graceful pirouette into the open space beside his stand and dropping into a bow, both arms gesturing towards the village. His outlandish behavior was somehow less attention-grabbing than the fact that he'd paired a deep blue shirt with a skirt (common garb among both alligators and crocodiles due to their short legs making trousers impractical) that was dyed a bright pink and embroidered with an elaborate burst of cherry blossoms.

To the credit of both Owlowiscious and Peewee, it only took them a few moments to recover from their shock.

“Well, it’s definitely one of the strangest welcomes I’ve ever received, but without a doubt one of the warmest as well,” the owl remarked. Peewee, rather than saying anything, pulled one of the dumplings off the skewer and ate instead. Owlowiscious simply continued. “We can’t stay, unfortunately, since we have a prior meeting out by the farms. I don’t suppose you might know the fastest way there?”

The alligator simply rose from his bow and resumed what he had been doing before, staring at Owlowiscious blankly. His eyes blinked, once, slightly out of sync with each other.

Both Owlosiscious’ and Peewee’s eyes widened in shock. “I, erm,” the owl began. “I see! Thank you, and thank you for the food as well. Perhaps we’ll see you at the celebration?” The alligator gave a definitive nod, waved farewell, and then calmly returned to his stand. Owlowiscious and Peewee continued on their way, perhaps a bit faster than was really necessary.

“You heard him, didn’t you, Owlowiscious?” Peewee asked, finally breaking the short silence that had fallen over them. “He spoke, but he didn’t move his mouth or even make a sound! And then the dumplings. He had them before I even realized I wanted them! Are all crocodiles like that?”

“Alligator,” Owlowiscious corrected, “He was an alligator, Peewee, and no. I’ve met alligators and crocodiles both, and while they're certainly tight-lipped, as it were, none of them were anything like that. He possesses a truly mysterious power.” There was a brief pause as the owl glanced back over his shoulder, and then his gaze returned forward. “We should keep an eye on him. If anyone’s going to cause trouble during the celebration, he’ll be the one to do it.” Peewee swallowed audibly and tried not to think about the implications of those words.

They continued their walk in silence. If there was one good thing to come of the encounter with the alligator, it was that the dumplings and cuttlefish he possessed were undeniably the best that either Peewee or Owliscious had ever tasted.

---

Later....

The sun was close to setting when Owlowiscious and Peewee finally reached the farms outlying Taiyō-sen, and moved further still as they passed by a few of the peasants still in the fields, trying to harvest just a bit more grain or a few more vegetables before stopping for the day.

“In any case, that was how I defeated the Hone-onna of Deep Water Crossing,” said Owlowiscious as he concluded recounting one of his adventures in which he faced and destroyed a murderous phantom. From anyone else, it might have seemed slightly unbelievable, but for a Demon Queller, who specialized in dealing with yōkai <malevolent spirits> like that, it was hardly an unusual tale.

“Wow,” Peewee replied. “Your stories are always so exciting, Owlowiscious! But they sound so dangerous, too. Do you ever wish you weren’t a Demon Queller?”

“Almost every day, Peewee. But when presented with a choice of how I was to develop my magic, I chose the path of a sorcerer. To this day, I’m sure I caused more damage than I am aware of, but it can’t be helped now. To be a Demon Queller is my karma, and my greatest hope is that you learn from the mistakes I made and choose a different path.”

Instead of responding, Peewee lifted one wing and pointed down the road ahead of them. “Someone’s coming.” When Owlowiscious looked, there was indeed someone on horseback riding towards them.

“Yo! Down th’ road!” called a woman's voice.

“Ho! Up the road!” Owlowiscious called towards the rider, one wing raised in greeting. As they drew nearer and slowed their horse to a trot, it became evident where the voice had come from. The rider was of the dog tribe, brown-furred and dressed as a peasant farmer would be expected to in tight-fitted (compared to most) brown trousers and a matching shirt, with a red kerchief to around her neck. Owlowiscious figured she must have had at least some money to be able to afford a horse.

“Well, how d’ya do?” she asked as she came to a stop in front of the pair, southeastern accent strong and indicating she was either a more recent arrival than some of the other families in Taiyō-sen, or more original, depending. “Can’t say we see too many fancy-dressed gentlemen like yourselves out here. Y’all get turned around passin’ through the village?”

“Believe it or not, we’re right where we need to be,” Owlowiscious replied. Out of habit, he started moving to assist the dog when she dismounted, but he held his position. There was a short bow and quiver of arrows hanging from her saddle; woman or not, his ‘assistance’ would have, in this case, been less than helpful. “I’m Owlowiscious Nightwatch, and my young companion is Phineus Wilhelm.”

“I’m Winona Earthwalker, an’ for th’ time being, I guess I’m th’ one in charge ’round here. Least fer th’ next couple days. What can I do for th’ two o —”

“Mama!”

All eyes were drawn to another voice, this one belonging to a much younger dog as she came riding up on a much smaller horse. A pony, Owlowiscious realized. It seemed like there were ponies everywhere. The girl herself was dressed much in the same way as her apparent mother, save for the kerchief around her neck being pink rather than red, and worn a bit looser and tied in a small bow instead of a more utilitarian knot. As her mother did, she slowed her steed to a stop in front of them, and was immediately apologizing. “Oh, I’m sorry, mama. I didn’t ya had gues — wow! A phoenix!”

Her apology forgotten, she swung one leg over the pony's head and executed a flying dismount that would have made a soldier proud. The instant she was on the ground, she was practically standing on top of Peewee. “I’ve never met a phoenix before! Hey, do ya wanna go ridin’? I can show ya ’round the farms!”

“Ryder!” Winona snapped, immediately grabbing the younger dog's attention. “Now that ain’t no way t’ talk t’ guests when they jus’ got here.”

“But mama! No one else’ll play with me! Can’t I just show ’im around? Just a little bit?”

The older canine was put off by the plea. “Well,” she began. “Ih, uh, I s’pose it’d be alright if —”

“Can I go, Owlowiscious?” Peewee asked, cutting her off. “Can I?”

“Well....” the owl started, stroking his beak with one wing and turning his eyes upward as if he were giving it serious thought. And in an instant, both Peewee and Ryder were right in front of him with their widest, winningest smile on.

“Pleeeease?”

“Alright, alright, enough already.” The owl feigned feeling faint. “Go, have fun! But remember your aunt’s rules.”

If the mention of his aunt’s rules really meant anything to Peewee, he didn’t show it. Both he and Ryder gave yells of joy, the former quickly clambering back into the saddle of the pony she rode over. “C’mon!” she said, reaching down to the phoenix.

“Thanks!” Peewee replied happily, taking the girl’s hand and climbing up behind her into the saddle. She didn’t wait even a moment before turning the pony back towards the farms and urging it into a canter. “I’m Phineus, but you can call me Peewee, if you want to.”

“I’m happy t’ meetcha, Peewee! I’m Ryder, an’ this here is Applejack, the best pony in the whole world!”

As the children rode off, their conversation, excited though it was, rapidly became indistinct, and then could no longer be heard.

“Well, it looks like she was right, as usual,” Owlowiscious commented after a moment. “Getting out of Heavenspire and into the real world was exactly what he needed.”

“That so?” Winona asked, turning her attention to Owlowiscious. “Ya don’t see many phoenixes away from th’ cities, so I figured it was somethin’ like that. But you? You’re a mystery. Don’t look like any noble I’ve ever seen. Most of ’em want nothin’ t’ d with us peasants out here on th’ farms. Same time, though, I doubt a little phoenix would be set free t’ run around with a commoner for company.”

“You’ve got a pretty good eye for this sort of thing,” the owl replied. In turn, he regarded the canine. “The fact is, noble or not, I spend much of my time traveling. And, actually, when I think about it....”

Winona watched silently while Owlowiscious angled his gaze upward in thought. “Since I came to be in the Empress’ employ, I think I’ve spent more time on the road than I have in my own house.” A beat. “That’s a strangely sobering thought.”

“I would think so,” Winona said in agreement. “Can’t imagine spendin’ more time away from home than in it. What’s so important that it’s got ya runnin’ this way an’ that all over creation? Ya some kinda spy or somethin’?”

A small chuckle prefaced Owlowiscious' response. “I might have been, if yōkai had any information that was worth spying for.”

The question he had been expecting, or one of them at any rate, did not come, and when Owlowiscious looked over to Winona, she looked that much paler despite her brown fur. “You’re,” she began, swallowing hard. “You’re a Demon Queller!”

“Well, yes, I —”

“There’s no demons or yōkai here that need slayin’, so you can get on you’re way!”

Owlowiscious was taken aback, unable to hide the confusion on his face. Not a minute earlier, Winona seemed extremely pleasant. “I’m, sorry if I’ve offended you somehow, but I don’t know what you mean,” he said in an attempt to placate her. It didn’t work.

“There ain’t nothin' for you t’ find here, okay? You didn’t find nothin’ th’ last time, an’ you still won’t find nothin’!”

“Ms. Earthwalker, I promise you, I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

Winona opened her mouth to speak again, but Owlowiscious immediately raised up a wing to stop her. Immediately after that, he crossed the same wing over his chest, closing his eyes and drawing in a deep breath, before exhaling and sweeping his wing out as if he were pushing something away from him. When he spoke next, it was with perfect calm.

“I am a Demon Queller, yes, but I am not here as a Demon Queller. To the best of my knowledge, there are no yōkai in Taiyō-sen, and seeing as this village holds a special significance to Empress Philomena, if she even suspected there was such a presence here, she would not have sent her nephew with me. She would have sent soldiers. I can see that you had some unpleasant experience in the past, and as it is not my wish to make you uncomfortable, I’ll take this opportunity to collect my charge, and then depart.”

Without waiting another moment, Owlowiscious turned in the direction that Ryder and Peewee had ridden off in and spread his wings to take flight —

“W-wait!”

Owlowiscious stopped and looked back over his shoulder to regard Winona, who didn’t look as desperate as her voice had sounded a moment before. Rather, she looked more embarrassed than anything. “I-I mean, um. That is, uh,” she stammered, struggled to find the words.

“Yes?” Owlowiscious asked, turning to face her fully, his expression softening and wings returning to his side. That seemed to finally give her either the courage or presence of mind to finish what she meant to say.

“I, apologize for that. It’s just, well, we ain’t had any yōkai out this way for a long time, and I guess when I found out you’re a Demon Queller, I just assumed that’s what you were here for.” She paused long enough to nervously shuffle her feet, and then she drew a bit closer. “But if that was the case, I don’t figure you’d bring a child out here, like you said, even if he is a phoenix. I guess what I mean t’ say is....”

Breathing deeply, Winona dropped to her knees and then bowed forward until her forehead touched the soil, leaning on her hands for support. “I’m sorry for snappin’ at you the way I did, an’ I hope you won’t punish Ryder for my inhospitality.”

Owlowiscious prefaced his response with a warm smile, kneeling down in front of Winona. “I’m not interested in punishing anybody, Ms. Earthwalker, and I can’t say your reaction was unreasonable, either. There’s nothing to forgive, but your apology is appreciated all the same.” Winona looked up to see Owlowiscious offering a wing to her. Relaxing visibly, she grasped it and then both rose back to their feet.

“I’m very happy to hear that,” she said. And then her expression brightened just a bit more, as if an idea had occurred to her. “Say, if y’all don’t plans for the rest of the evening, why doncha stay for supper? I mean, I still feel kinda bad for before, an’ I ain’t seen Ryder that happy t’ see another young’un in... sakes, I can’t even remember when. We got some spare futons, too, if’n y’all would like to stay th’ night, save some money on th’ inn.”

Owlowiscous looked up at the sky, and could not deny how late it had become. If he and Peewee left right then, they might make it back to the market and could find the inn before nightfall. Maybe. And safe though Taiyō-sen seemed, he wasn’t particularly keen on being caught in the dark.

“Ms. Earthwalker, we would be honored to be your guests tonight.”

Author's Note:

I've changed to the method of sharing notes on terms and such to the format used in later chapters, so if you notice a discrepancy in their presentation, that's why. The inline method used here looks cleaner, I feel.

(*) The "buban" is not any actual currency. I actually do have a chart showing the different denominations and what they're worth, but I'm not completely happy with how they are divided, and in any case, it's not really relevant for the story.

Original author's notes below.

---

Can it be that it took me less than a month to write another chapter for something? It just took the right material, I guess. Oh, and of course, here are some supplement notes to go with the annotations above.

*: About 2.4 miles or 4 kilometers; roughly the distance that can be walked in one hour.
1: Fictional currency. I'm happy to share the exact breakdown, if you'd like.
2: "Haunts." Any of a multitude of supernatural creatures, including ghosts and shapeshifters.

Comments

[suijin]

'easy yo ignore' should be to, right when you're introducing Gummy.

Also, towards the end, 'if ya'll don't plans' likely was meant to include a 'have'.

On to next chapter.

[PhycoKrusk]

3181779
And this is why you should never write when your tired, hungry, and slightly frustrated.