Chapter 5
The Earthwalker home was filled to bursting with laughter not long after breakfast was finished.
Winona, Ryder, and Granny Earthwalker were laughing harder than they had in a long time.
Angel was laughing in a manner very unbecoming of a priest.
Tank had rolled over onto his side laughing, unable to sit up any longer.
Opal's ladylike giggles had not lasted long before she joined Tank on the floor.
Gummy made no noise, but was positively vibrating with what could be considered laughter.
Peewee was no more able to keep quiet than anyone else.
Lantier was laughing a loud, booming laugh that was still nearly lost in the cacophony.
Owlowiscious was not laughing, and had it not been for his feathers, his head could have been mistaken for a large beet; he was flushed with more embarrassment than he’d felt in recent memory. "Was it really necessary to recount that particular story, Lieutenant?" he asked once everyone had managed to get themselves mostly under control.
"After last night, Master Nightwatch? Yes, it was absolutely necessary, and nothing less than exactly what you deserve." Through it all, Lantier's smile never diminished, and in the end, Owlowiscious couldn't help but smile back, however slightly.
"I suppose it is."
"Who cares about last night anymore?" Tank asked. Placing his hands on either side of his head, he gave his neck a practiced twist, popping a kink out with the sound of a firecracker before returning to face forward. "Not when today's the day. The day all of our hard work and preparation finally pays off. And speaking of hard work and preparation-" He stood up rather suddenly- "I should really finish everything before the Empress arrives."
Those who knew of him weren't surprised, but Owlowiscious, Peewee, and Lantier were positively shocked. "You're not ready yet?" the owl asked, disbelieving. "You had all day yesterday to work!"
Tank offered a noncommittal shrug. "Why do today what you can tomorrow? Anyway, I’ll catch all of you later. Ah… what was it you said, Shorty? Aba….”
“Abayo?” Peewee suggested.
“Yeah, that’s it! Abayo!”
With a final wave, Tank turned about and let himself out without another word. Everyone else simply watched him go in silence before turning their attention to Owlowiscious, who looked as though he might explode.
“Well,” Angel began, grasping for a diplomatic phrase. “At least you don’t need to worry about Tank taking the festival too seriously?”
“Right. Tank taking the festival too seriously,” Owlowiscious deadpanned back, not taking his eyes off the screen that separated outside from in. “That’s what I’m worried about."
All across Taiyō-sen, the final preparations for the festive were going into place under the afternoon sun. Banners depicting the Empress’ heraldry- a firebird encircled by its own wings- were raised all across the village square. Several stands intended to serve food, normally confined to the market, were being moved so that treats could be served after the night’s blessing. Fireworks were being set up in locations where they would not obstruct traffic or pose a fire hazard, to decorate the night sky in commemoration of the victory that had been achieved over darkness a thousand years prior.
The villagers of Taiyō-sen made up the bulk of those laboring to finish preparing, although some soldiers were milling about not only for security, but also to offer help where they were able to (per Lantier’s orders). A number of visitors from outside the village, a few of them commoners but most of them nobility from Heavenspire, were arriving as well, although they did nothing to help with the preparations and did their level best to stay as far away from the flurry o activity as possible.
That same flurry ceased immediately as a shout rang out from the sky: “She’s here!”
Owlowiscious swooped down low and landed in a swift run, hurrying towards where he had seen Lantier standing from above. “She’s here!” he shouted again. Immediately, the flurry of activity resumed, and this time the visiting nobles did participate in the mad scramble to clear a wide path in the streets, opening the way to the pavilion.
Dodging through the crowd, Owlowiscious spotted Lantier again, barking orders to soldiers to establish a secure perimeter around the square, just in case; although the agitator who had been in the square the day previous had not been seen since, he was not being discounted. As he approached, so did another villager- an elderly turtle who seemed to have no trouble hurrying about- as he quickly pulled on a blue jacket, either breast adorned with Philomena’s heraldry in red. The turtle was the village magistrate, and the jacket was a symbol of loyalty to the Imperial Court. Quickly, the magistrate took up position in the center of the open path leading to the pavilion’s entrance. Lantier stood to one side of him, and Owlowiscious quickly moved to the other as the rest of the village hurried into place on either side of the path as a procession appeared over the crest of a hill down the road.
In the lead were two soldiers, garbed in heavy battle armor and armed with spears and swords, mounted on horses, walking slowly and deliberately down the road. Behind them marched a detachment of fifteen foot soldiers, five abreast in three neat ranks, wearing lighter armor and likewise armed with spears and swords. Behind them was a sight that those native to Taiyō-sen had never seen before, and from that moment on, would hope they would never see again; the black armor of two tengu. The tension that suddenly filled the air was palpable; even those incapable of shaping magic could sense the otherworldliness of those elite warriors, and knew rightly to be afraid of them.
What was behind the tengu, however, immediately took the minds of everyone off of them. Carried by eight immaculately dressed servants was the Empress’ palanquin, built from cherry wood polished to a high luster and adorned with little more than white silk veils that keep out the impurity of the world while allowing those who lived in it a chance to glimpse the perfect purity of Empress Philomena, however shrouded that purity was. Where the palanquin moved, the sun seemed to shine just a bit brighter, the grass became a bit greener, and the wind just a bit more gentle. No mere noble, the Empress was everything that the people of Taiyō-sen could have imagined; divinity given form.
Trailing behind the palanquin was another group of twenty servants, two abreast in ten ranks almost as neat as the soldiers before them, dressed in unpatterned orange robes. Each pair of servants carried between them a trunk containing the Empress’ effects. Behind them was another detachment of fifteen foot soldiers in three ranks of five, and finally two more mounted soldiers in heavy armor at the rear.
The procession moved at a comfortable but deliberate pace. As it entered the village and began to pass by the crowd of people, each of them would bow their head, and then turn to face the direction the procession was moving once if had passed them. After several minutes, they finally came to a stop and the palanquin was allowed to rest on the ground. The foot soldiers divided their attentions, those on the outsides of the ranks turning to face outwards, with those inside continuing to face ahead. The tengu, with such precision that they might have been mistaken for machines, turned and marched to the left side of the palanquin, which faced towards the pavilion. Coming to stand at attention at the front and back and facing towards the pavilion (and, Owlowiscious would later reflect, towards the miracle that was taking place as the magistrate managed to keep his composure), they each reached to the side and drew away the silk veils.
Empress Philomena, dressed in robes and sashes that seemed almost as divine as she did to the village of Taiyō-sen, turned her head to the side to regard the scene before her, taking a moment to observe the details, and then she turned her body and stepped outside of her palanquin.
The moment that Philomena set foot on the ground, there was a wave of tension that spread through the crowd. Silently and methodically, every man, woman and child present kneeled down on both legs- first, the left, and then the right- and then bowed far forward, their hands just in front of them as a support. Their faces nearly touched the ground, but were kept just a hair’s breadth away; they showed their highest regards, but did not to debase themselves in the Empress’ divine presence. As it had always been, as it should be.
Owlowiscious and Lantier were the only exceptions; each kneeling on the left leg, right arm resting across the right knee, left hand (or wing, in the owl’s case) planted on the ground, gaze deflected downward just enough that they could not look at Philomena’s face, but upward enough that they could watch for danger. They showed their regard, but greeted the Empress as a warrior, ready to spring to action at a moment’s notice.
With measured steps, the tengu marched forward down the cleared path towards the magistrate, Philomena following behind them at an even pace, and the score of imperial servants following after her. They came to a stop just in front of him and his two companions, standing stock still even as the final footsteps fell quiet.
“Great phoenix Philomena, Empress of Light,” the magistrate said, looking upwards from his position on the ground just enough to observe Philomena’s movements, but not enough to actually look at her face, “We welcome you to our humble village, and are honored to be graced by your radiant presence.”
Philomena replied with a very shallow standing bow, and did not speak a single word. Protocol dictated that she remain silent, in order to preserve the purity of her voice for that night’s blessing. After she rose, the magistrate returned to his feet- the rest of the village remaining on the ground- and gestured towards the pavilion, his eyes ever cast downward. “We have prepared a place where you may rest from your journey, and refresh yourself. Please, follow me.”
The magistrate turned and walked towards the pavilion. Owlowiscious and Lantier rose from their positions on the ground, turned about, and followed the magistrate. Philomena followed them, the two tengu followed her, and the Empress’ servants followed them. At the pavilion’s entrance, the magistrate stopped and stepped to one side. Owlowscious and Lantier both stopped and stepped to either side. The rest of the procession halted long enough for the tengu to move into the lead, and then they all entered into the pavilion one after the other, Owlowiscious and Lantier remaining outside. Once the last two servants stepped inside, they turned around and drew the curtains just inside the entrance shut. Only then, did the villagers in attendance rise from the ground.
They lingered for a few moments of respect, and then, in an orderly manner dispersed from around the pavilion to prepare for the main event.
“Owlowiscious!”
On hearing his name, Owlowiscious looked up from the spell formula he had been studying. It was a simple spell that produced a bright flash of sunlight; hardly the most impressive spell the Empress had in her library, but one with an interesting formula all the same. he was near the pavilion entrance, to one side so he would not be in the way of everyone else hurrying to get inside as the sun began to set.
A small trunk had come with the Empress’ procession, and carried in it formal clothing for Owlowiscious and Peewee. The owl’s, which he now wore, included a loose, pleated skirt, shirt, and a large jacket, left open and almost reaching to his ankles; a traditional outfit for formal occasions. Much like his other clothing, this outfit was also dyed black, although the inside of the jacket was still red, and there was a further difference of the Empress’ crest being embroidered onto either breast of the jacket in white thread. His outfit was formal, but still marked him as a Demon Queller; that fact would always weigh on his shoulders, no matter what.
He was happy to see not only Peewee, but also Gummy, Tank, Opal, Winona, Ryder and even Granny Earthwalker approached him, and smiled widely.
Gummy, for reasons Owlowiscious could not completely comprehend, had not changed at all, wearing the same combination of deep blue shirt and pink skirt he’d worn when Owlowiscious first met him. Strangely, it didn’t look like the same shirt and skirt, merely an identical set. He had a feeling that trying to convince the alligator that he should wear some thing more ‘appropriate’ would be futile.
Tank, at least, had the sense to change into something appropriate for the occasion, matching a grey skirt (pleated and undecorated, unlike Gummy’s) with a black shirt and a white formal jacket with red interior, a symbol of purity and joyfulness. Peewee likewise had a grey skirt and black shirt, but instead had an orange jacket with red interior, a symbol of a phoenix’s ever burning fire and magical strength.
It was no surprise to see Opal in a robe, although the one she was wearing, midnight blue and patterned with cherry blossoms, was more tightly fitted than any other she'd lately been seen in, and was paired with a green sash tied tightly behind her back. Seeing Winona and Ryder dressed in formal robes of their own, respectively dyed a pale yellow and pink and decorated with plum blossoms and a nightingale flying through bamboo, was a bit of a surprise, although seeing Granny Earthwalker in a robe (hers white with decorations of small butterflies and pine trees) was less jarring. All of them wearing colors and symbols of peace, life, longevity, and joy.
Owlowscious folded his spell formula and placed it inside of his jacket. “You all look beautiful,” he said, before adding, “Even Tank.”
“Oh, Owlowiscious, you charmer,” Tank replied with a very forced air of wistfulness in his voice and a feminine wave of his hand. “You’re going to make me blush, with words like that.” They all had an easy chuckle at that before Tank continued on to ask, “Shall we find our seats?"
"You should, and I wish you the best of luck in that," Owlowiscious replied. "Peewee and I are required to sit up front, I suspect so the Empress' guard can keep an eye on us more easily.”
“Oh, drat,” Opal said with a pout, “Well, I suppose then we’ll have to meet up with you both afterwards. I understand Tank is going to show us all a most fantastic fireworks display after sunset.”
“I am?” Tank asked. The moment he received a sly look from Opal, he immediately spoke again. “I am! Yes, that is a thing I have been planning to do and have made arrangements for already, and not at all something that was only now suggested to me that will require commandeering the existing fireworks.”
Opal tittered at the tortoise’s expense, and Owlowiscious simply waved the exchange off. “I look forward to see all of you afterwards. Until then!”
Stepping into the pavilion, the group divided in two, Owlowiscious and Peewee moving up towards the front most row. Unlike most gatherings inside of the pavilion, there was no quiet discussion in the air, but instead only reverent silence. The floor had been filled end to end with villagers and visitors alike, a soft, fabric mat spread across the floor to prevent legs from aching too badly from kneeling; the ceremony, including the blessing, was scheduled to last almost one hour. Along the walls of the pavilion, rows of chairs had been placed, spaces reserved for the noble families that had come from abroad. As with the floor in the center of the pavilion, nearly all of them were filled already.
At the very front, a stage had been erected, and upon the stage, a temporary shrine sat, looking like little more than an enormous wooden box, several shaku wide and tall, with two large doors mounted to the front. Inside would normally be a mirror, as well as several other objects sacred to the spirits, but with the unusual nature of the ceremony that day, it was instead Philomena and her tengu who were inside. To one side of the stage was a large drum, ready to be played.
Kneeling next to the stage was Angel, dressed fully in ceremonial vestments; a pleated skirt dyed a deep purple, and heavy, white jacket with long, large sleeves. Upon his head rested a tall, black hat, a symbol of his mystical connection to the Heavens. Unfolded before him on a short desk was a copy of an ancient text, one of the first treatises written on the divinity of the spirits, which he read to remind him of the mysterious and unknowable nature of the spirits.
Finally, on some unheard queue, he folded the text closed, and slid it just slightly to one side, moving it from his immediate focus but not far from his mind. Pushing the sleeves of his jacket out of his way, he rose to his feet, and walked a precise path in a precise manner to a second drum located at the back of the pavilion. Kneeling beside it, he turned to regard a pair of drumsticks that lay on a stand near the drum, and then reached out and lifted them up, taking one in each hand and holding them just above the drumhead.
The drum sounded loudly when Angel struck it, and again, and again with each successive strike, the rhythm starting slow and building to a crescendo and then slowing again, stopping on a single, powerful beat. With each beat, the air in the pavilion turned crisper, although not colder, and lighter as tiny eddies of impure energy were pushed out and away from the pavilion. The drumming continued for another couple of minutes, both to fully purify the air and to inform the spirits that their presence was requested for an audience. Once he’d finished, Angel calmly and methodically folded his drumsticks together and placed them reverently on their stand, before pushing the fabric of his jacket aside, rising to his feet, and making his way back across the pavilion to the stage at front.
The routine was a simple one. Angel would, at the stage, kneel again, facing towards the audience, and say a short prayer in Classical Animan to thank the spirits for answering their request. He would then open the shrine doors where, instead of a mirror, Empress Philomena would be sitting, as she was the spirit they were seeking an audience with. He would thank her again, and then the audience would thank her and bow. He would offer her some food and drink the village had to offer, and she would thank him and the audience for sharing. She would bless the audience (it was not exactly certain what she would say), and thank them for inviting her. Angel would thank her for hearing them, the audience would thank her, and then he would close the shrine door and wish her a safe journey. Finally, he would play the drum at front of the pavilion, by the shrine, to clear the air for her departure.
Angel kneeled by the shrine, facing the audience, and said a short prayer to thank the spirits for answering his request. He then turned partway to his side and opened the first door of the shrine. The shocked and terrified gasps that rose from the audience caused him to break protocol and look at the Empress early, and he too recoiled and toppled backwards, pushing himself further away. The Empress was nowhere in sight. Inside of the shrine were both of the tengu that had arrived with her, one of them on the floor and slumped against one wall, blood pouring from a ragged neck wound. The other was still standing, held fast to the other wall with his own sword impaled through his neck. Behind them, despite the dozens of lanterns in the pavilion, was pitch black darkness, making the shrine seem even more cavernous than it could have possibly been. The audience, Taiyō-sen natives and foreign visitors alike, could do no more than stare in horror at the scene before them.
That horror only grew when in the darkness, two points of angry red light appeared, like the flames of candles. It was only a moment later when realization dawned, and everyone present realized they were eyes. The ghostly visage of a terrifying creature appeared, like nothing any had seen before. Its face was almost flat like that of an oni, but it had no protruding nose like one; instead, its nose and mouth were at the front of a small mound, as if someone had taken a dog’s muzzle and shortened and rounded it. Blood was smeared all over its mouth. Thick, wild, white hair surrounded its head, partially obscuring two ears on either side. But what was most frightening was the mouth, as it housed numerous fangs that were tangled and sharp, several of them too long for the space they occupied, protruding past its lips.
"At last!"
Its voice was crushingly deep, leaving a chill in the air of the pavilion as cold as the deepest winter, and even the soldiers of the hardest heart shivered as the atmosphere around them grew heavy and oppressive.
"A thousand years, I have waited for this day! Your queen is defeated, and I am coming for you! With her blood on the mirror, I will be free, and I will come for you all! I will freeze the breath in your bodies and sharpen my teeth on your bones! Cower, for your end is upon you!
"I am coming!
"For you, I am coming!"
The visage faded away and light returned, leaving only the two impaled tengu to indicate that anything had ever happened at all. Among the people of Taiyō-sen, the effect of the apparition’s appearance was immediate and expected. As one, they began to panic, screams and the stomping of feet filing the air as everyone tried to get out at once. The soldiers held their ground, for what that was worth, although they were able to do little more than be carried along with the crowd. In but a fraction of the time it took the pavilion to be filled, it was emptied again.
In the streets outside, the situation was no better. The crowd had devolved rapidly into a mob. The residents of the village were trying desperately to get back to their homes. The visitors from outside were trying desperately to get away from the village. The soldiers were trying desperately to regain control, to prevent the panic from causing injury and death to others. It was a perfect storm of chaos. And then from the skies, a voice called down to them.
"Be still!"
Among the people of Taiyō-sen, the effect of the command, as clear as a bell, was immediate: They instantly stopped struggling and turned their eyes to the roof of the pavilion. Perched there was the Demon Queller Owlowiscious Nightwatch, forgotten by all in the panic. And there were none who could look away from him, the air around him shimmering, wavering, vibrating with barely contained magical power.
"People of Taiyō-sen, you will return to your homes calmly and immediately. Visitors from afar, you will proceed to the inn calmly and immediately. Bar the doors, and do not open them for anyone other than myself, or Empress Philomena. All others will remain where they are until they receive further instructions. Lieutenant Bearington, I would have words with you. Now disperse, as you have been directed!"
The shimmer in the air faded, and a moment later, the crowd below began to obey the commands given. Mere seconds after they looked away from the pavilion to begin their way home, as calmly and immediately as they could hope to be, Owlowiscious collapsed backwards on the pavilion roof, gasping for breath. Scrambling from his hiding place further up the roof, Peewee hurried to his side, just slightly winded himself. “Owlowiscious! Are you okay?”
“Y-yes,” the owl stammered, taking another moment to finishing catching his breath. “And, thank you. Without your magic, I could not have cast that spell.”
“What spell did you cast?” Peewee asked with a edge of awe. “I’ve never seen anything like it before, but it felt…” He paused, thinking over exactly what he’d felt. “It felt like a spell that auntie would cast. Did you learn it from her?”
Despite the fatigue he felt, Owlowiscious could not hold back a smile. “Clever as always,” he said. “It’s a spell she herself developed for situations like these, to command obedience in those that hear her voice. The Voice of the Maiden compels the ears to listen, just as it did a thousand years ago. But it needs so much power, even she hardly uses it, except for emergencies.”
“Oh.” Peewee looked out over the streets, quickly emptying of people. “I guess this was a pretty big emergency.”
“Ho, Master Nightwatch!”
Owlowiscious shifted his position to look over the edge of the pavilion roof, Peewee stepping to move beside him.On the ground below was Lantier, and a few of his soldiers. “You wanted a word with me?” he asked.
“I did, yes,” the owl replied. Gathering himself up, he hopped into the air with a flap of his wings and glided down to the ground, as did Peewee, although both of them did so unsteadily. back on solid ground, they both turned to face Lantier and his soldiers as they approached.
“Just get to the point right off,” Lantier said before Owlowiscious managed to finish even thinking of his next words, “You know who that face belonged to, I’m sure. You know what’s happening, don’t you?”
“I have a hunch,” Owlowiscious responded. "But that hunch isn’t anything good. In fact, it’s the worst possible thing, but unless I’m mistaken, and I hope that I am, that face belonged to none other than Windigo, and if it did, then it means the gate that keeps Yomi sealed and separated from our world is weakening.”
The effect of those words was immediate: The eyes of everyone, including Lantier and Peewee, widened in fear. “Th-that means…” Peewee began, unable to finish his thought.
“It means that the world might end tonight.”
Owlowiscious looked towards the new voice- everyone did, he suspected- to see none other than Angel, as well as Opal, Tank, Winona, and Gummy standing off to one side. Eavesdropping. Of them all, only Angel didn’t look frozen with fear.
“I believe I told you all to return to your homes,” Owlowiscious said to them scoldingly.
“I felt I should make sure you didn’t need me before I left,” Angel replied. He walked towards Owlowiscious, the rest of his group scrambling to follow less out of need and more because of the perception of safety in numbers. “And these four decide to see if they could help as well. I suppose that broke whatever compulsion you made us feel to obey.”
Owlowiscious narrowed his eyes. “You can help by not repeating a word of what I’ve said to anyone,” he said. “Perhaps no one else recognized Windigo, but I’m certain they all know the story. If they hear his name, they’ll panic.”
“I hate to interrupt, Master Nightwatch,” Lantier interjected, “But we need to marshall our forces. I doubt we’ll have more than a few days before Windigo’s armies begin arriving.”
“You’ll have less time than even that, Lieutenant.” Owlowiscious turned to address him directly, and make sure there was no misunderstanding. “I believe Windigo is going to appear here, tonight.”
“T-tonight?” yelped one of the soldiers, looking like he might faint ore ben die of fright.
“He can’t actually leave Yomi,” replied Owlowiscious. The soldier seemed to calm down at that. “Even discounting the gate, there’s the boulder that was rolled over the entrance, plus whatever safeguards that the Maiden of Flames may have left in addition. If he intends to leave, he’ll need some other way to do so. I believe that’s why he mentioned putting the Empress’ blood ‘on the mirror.’ To open up another doorway to move through.”
“Through a mirror?” That came from Tank, an incredulous expression of his face.
It was Angel who answered him. “Mirrors are a conduit through which we can communicate with the spirits,” he said, "And Windigo is an okami, one of the Great Spirits that was present when the earth was created. Why shouldn’t he be able to move through them, if he so desires?”
Owlowiscious puzzled at Angel for a moment, but quickly returned to his stern expression. “So you’ve figured that out,” he said, “I have to ask you five not to spread that knowledge around, either. They’ll think he can leap out of any reflection, even the water in the kettle.”
“But he can’t, of course,” Angel continued, once more leaving Owlowiscious perplexed: Priests were supposed to be austere guides for mortals to understand the will of the spirits. How could a priest possibly have so much to say? “Through mirrors, we can communicate with the spirits, but we still can’t see them. It would take a special mirror for a spirit to move through it, and again, Windigo is an okami. You and I both know, Master Nightwatch, that if Windigo wishes to leave Yomi, there is only one mirror that could hope to accommodate him.”
The Demon Queller scowled at the priest, but couldn’t bring himself to be angry. Rather, he felt a great sense of both awe and camaraderie. For him to reach that conclusion that quickly, Angel would have to had studied the Ancient Matters extensively, or at least extensively enough to be considered a reliable authority. “The Origin Mirror would be the only mirror that he could hope to use, yes.”
The Origin Mirror was a name that everyone in Animalia knew. It was the first mirror ever used to view the divine realm of spirits, and in truth, was the first mirror. All other to come after it were inferior imitations, and had hardly any of its power. This fact did nothing to ease the concerns of anyone that was hearing it. Everyone was, in fact, suddenly terrified that an ancient horror would be on them before they could hope to mount a defense. Everyone except for Owlowiscious and Angel.
“Master Nightwatch, where is the Origin Mirror?” Angel asked, “Nearby, I would guess, but wherever it is, I know what you’re thinking. You might be able to stop Windigo from passing through and escaping from Yomi.”
“The Empress told me that Taiyō-sen held special significance to her,” Owlowiscious replied, folding his arms across his chest. “I didn’t understand why at first, until I remembered something she’d told me many years ago when I asked about the Origin Mirror and where it was. She told me it was nearby in an unlit skein, and that the world was so tangled around it, no one would ever find it.”
Puzzled expressions surrounded him, until Tank’s eyes widened with realization and he looked over his shoulder to the north towards Mei-shinrin, called the Dark Wood in modern dialect. Also know as the Tangled Skein. “No way,” he said. All eyes turned to follow his gaze, and shortly, those who did not know already had their own epiphanies.
“Nearby, in an unlit skein, with the world so tangled around it, no one would ever find it,” Owlowiscious repeated. “It was right in front of me all this time, and had today’s events not occurred, I might have never figured it out.”
“You’re going into the Dark Wood?” Opal asked, turning back to face him. “Alone?”
“No soldiers can be spared here,” Owlowiscious replied, “We need every one of them to be here, ready to contain Windigo if he tries to leave Mei-shinrin, save for the few who will need to leave to warn Heavenspire, and the rest of Animalia. If Windigo escapes, it will take every one of us, fighting together, to stop him.” The owl turned to face Lantier. “Lieutenant, I wish you the best of luck. Take your men and form as much of a barrier as you can at the forest’s entrance. And pray that their efforts won’t be needed.” Orders given, he faced towards the farms and spread his wings, ready to begin his lonely journey.
“I’m going with you.”
Owlowiscious froze, and then looked back over his shoulder at Angel, who did not appear in any way to be joking. “No, you’re not,” the Demon Queller said, returning his wings to his sides. “That’s no common sort of forest. It’s filled with old magic, older than the Empress. It’s one thing for a Demon Queller, but that forest is no place for a priest.”
Rather than being cowed and agreeing to logic, as Owlowiscious hoped, Angel simply narrowed his gaze and folded his arms across his chest. “Did you forget our discussion yesterday?” he asked. “Did you forget I was counted among the best warriors of my house? Of all the houses? Maybe a priest has no business in the Dark Wood, but that won’t matter, because you aren’t taking one. No soldiers can be spared from the defense here, or in Heavenspire, but the world will not miss one priest, so let me be very clear. I am going with you, whether or not you take me along.”
Owlowiscious regarded Angel in silence. He did not miss the expression the other four were wearing, either. Opal and Tank were surprised, clearly not having known of his story. Winona was unsurprised, likely having heard the story in Angel’s attempts to help her. Gummy was unreadable, just as he had always been.
“Fine,” Owlowiscious finally said. “If you can furnish a weapon, then you may travel with me.” Angel replied with a small smirk.
“I’m coming too.”
Owlowiscious’, and indeed, everyone eyes shot over to Opal. “You’re what?” Tank demanded to know.
“Absolutely not,” said Owlowiscious.
“Absolutely yes,” Opal fired back with a stomp of her foot. Not wasting a moment, she stormed over to the owl, not stopping until her scowling face was almost right against his. “How many haunted forests have you had to stumble through, Demon Queller? How many yokai are you really familiar with?” Her scowl deepened. "Explain to me how it would benefit you to go into that dreadful place without a guide, or a second Void Shaper, or where I am concerned, both? Does it benefit you to do that?!”
There were several things that seemed important to Owlowiscious at that moment. Asking Opal exactly how she was, as she implied, familiar with navigating haunted forests was one of them. Why she had neglected to mention she was a Void Shaper was another. But of those, and the myriad other things that seemed important to Owlowiscious at that moment, there was one that seemed more important than all of the others together, and that was not making Opal Essence angry at him.
And so, rather than giving voice to any of his other questions or concerns, he simply said, “No ma’am,” with much less confidence than he’d intended, and resolved to say nothing more on the matter. Opal, pleased with her victory, adopted a smug, self-satisfied grin.
“Well, then I’m coming too!” Tank added.
“Oh, come on!”
“And don’t even bother trying to logic me out of this, Hoots,” the tortoise continued, “I bring no special skills that could possibly make navigating the Dark Wood any easier. But there is no way I’m letting Opal wander around that place unless I’m there to keep an eye on her. Try and stop me.”
Tank folded his arms across his chest and stood up as straight as he could. Before that particular moment, it had never quite registered in Owlowiscious’ mind just how much larger Tank was than almost everyone else present, as immaterial to the situation as that was. He may as well have been trying to argue with an actual wall; he didn’t even bother with a counterargument, and simply shifted his gaze to Winona, who suddenly became nervous and looked off in another direction. “You too, Winona?” he asked.
“Well, uh….” Winona fidgeted, wringing her hands to together, and finally drawing in a deep breath and meeting Owlowiscious’ eyes. “Ah’m, like Tank, Ah guess. Ah don’t really have nothin’ special I can bring, but… Ah, with everythin’ that happened with, y’know…” Again, she averted her gaze, but only for a few moments, and then she was looking at Owlowiscious again. “Ah feel like this’s somethin’ Ah gotta do.”
For a moment, Owlowiscious was silent. He looked at Gummy.
Gummy looked back at him blankly and blinked, once, each eye slightly out of sync with the other.
Owlowiscious raised both his wings up and buried his face in his feathers, his last refuge from the absolute insanity that had somehow claimed the entire world when he wasn’t looking. “Alright,” he said after several seconds of praying did not change the reality of the situation. Resigned to fate, his dropped his wings back to his sides and raised his head high. “It's settled then. Do whatever you need to prepare yourselves, and then meet at Winona's in no more than one hour. If you're late, we leave without you."
He was answered with nods, and the the group dispersed, leaving only Owlowiscious, Peewee, and Lantier in the street. The first buried his face in his wing tips again.
"Owlowiscious," the bear said after a moment of silence, his voice lacking its usual mirth, "You've never once given me any reason to doubt your judgment, but are you sure about this?"
"No," was the reply. Owlowiscious uncovered his face again. "I don't think we should be doing this at all, but they're right, as much as I hate to admit to it. I'll have a better chance with them than I will alone, and we need as many soldiers here as possible. This is a terrible idea, but in the absence of any others, it's also the best one."
In an instant, his expression changed to a determined scowl. "Lieutenant, I don't suppose we could trouble you for some waterskins and dry rations."
"Master Nightwatch, these aren't yokai threatening us. This is one of the ōkami, the likes of which haven't been seen on earth for a thousand years. You can have absolutely anything you think you might need," Lantier replied. "Just ask, and if we have it, it's yours."
"Thank you, Lieutenant. We'll need all the help we can get."
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At the beginning, I was planning on suggesting that you put more emphasis on aspects of the main cast's personalities that made them different from their pony counterparts. Then, as I got closer to the end of the chapter, I couldn't help but feel as if you were going in that direction already. I guess now I just have to wait and see.
Also, that part where Windigo showed up was... confusing. If he can't reach the physical world, how did he kill the tengu? And what happened to Philamena?
Anyway, the flow of this chapter was a serious improvement, so now, after inflating your ego a bit, onto the corrections!
'Banners depicting the Empress’ heraldry- a firebird encircled by its own wings-'
I'm having some trouble picturing this, could you explain a little more (not much of a correction, I know, but ...)?
“Well, I suppose then we’ll have to meet up with you both afterwards, then."
The incusion of two thens here is redundant.
'instead, its nose and mouth were at the front of small mound,'
I'm honestly not sure what to tell you about this one.
'And there none were none who could look away from him,'
That first none shouldn't be there.
3888740
In the order they were mentioned:
Thanks.
That will be explained.
Example, even if not exactly what I mean:
pingmag.jp/images/article/animal-kamon-design10.jpg
Fixed.
I’d like to see you describe the face of an ape when the world you’re working in has nothing comparable.
Fixed.
As an aside, the new format I am trying for “Classical” terms: Better or worse than before?
3889937
He's an ape? Also, there aren't, like, monkeys or anything? Can't even compare him to a fish?
Also, I was talking about how the sentence ended with "the front of small mound."
The classical terms are kind of hit and miss. Keep trying.