Aargh!
The singular outcry echoed through the vicinity, reverberating across the various trees and thick patches of foliage. It was a sound that was relatively short-lived, quickly drowned out by nature's unending melodies.
The gurgle of rushing streams. The chirping of songbirds. The wind through the fallen autumn leaves.
All things considered, it was a rather
insignificant noise made by a singular crow.
And yet, it was enough to make one abnormally large grizzly bear look up from its spot and swiftly glance around, a fish wiggling around in its mouth. With its one good eye, it surveyed the area closely, long after it failed to detect any imminent danger. Once the bear had confirmed the absence of nearby creatures, it resumed its fishing as if nothing had happened.
It was only after the brown behemoth lowered its guard that a figure hidden high up in a nearby tree finally opted to move. A shade of black and purple flipped from one of the branches, hanging upside down by the legs. Previously hidden by the dense treetops, the individual didn't make a sound as he scribbled carefully over what appeared to be a makeshift book.
A pair of neon purple hues calmly surveyed the creature as it waded through the shallow depths for another fish, documenting each movement. Once satisfied, the onlooker decisively snapped his journal shut and shoved his writing utensil into his pocket before dropping upright on a branch below him. At the same time, the one-eyed bear snagged two more fish from the river and promptly took his leave, giving the area one final survey before departure.
"Old Man One Eye." Tzano Hunojima laughed slightly, his grin stretching from ear to ear. "He's quite the observant guy. Dontcha think?"
Aargh! Aargh! Aargh!
One cry quickly morphed into the whole forest breaking out in excitement, with more and more birds chiming in. Crows and ravens that had previously remained just as hidden as Tzano fluttered closer to the bright-eyed youth, abuzz with energy. One particular crow, much bigger than the rest, landed on the same branch where Tzano was perched, something that no other crow had done. This same crow immediately pecked delicately at the youth's bare feet, almost in an affectionate way.
"Alright, alright." Tzano waved his hand slightly downwards. "I hear you guys. No need to shout."
At this, the birds immediately silenced themselves until not a sound could be heard among them.
"Also, one of you nearly gave away my position." Tzano grinned as he looked around. "You do that again, and some of you are getting turned into a pot roast for the War Games."
The crows immediately broke out once again, their noises filling the air.
Tzano shook his head in response to this before glancing down towards the Obsidian Crow by his feet.
"Benkei. Go send word to Ouzo. He should be in the southern part of Aigawa Prefecture, gathering some herbs for me near the shoreline." The black-haired youth reached up towards the branch he dropped from and pulled down a hidden satchel. "Tell him and the rest of the flock to meet us back at the Nest. I'm gonna head back and start working on my new project, so I'll be needing those herbs as soon as possible."
(("Of course, Zan. Just don't forget my reward when I return.")) Benkei flapped his wings, prepared to take flight.
"How could I possibly forget?" Tzano responded as Benkei took off. "You remind me every day."
As Benkei's large figure disappeared over the treetops, the purple-eyed individual immediately swiveled around on his heels and faced the other direction. Without a single pause, he crouched down, planted his arms, and jumped. Flying around ten meters, Tzano grabbed onto another branch near the end of his leap and swung off it to maintain momentum. Then he kicked off another tree the second his feet made contact, propelling him up and forward once again.
The crows, seeing this, immediately took off after the youth, following closely behind as Tzano moved from tree to tree as if it were a casual stroll.
Together, the boy and the crows weaved through the branches, moving in tandem with the youth taking the lead.
Over intersecting rivers with herds of deer grazing nearby. Through trees with crimson-red leaves that had yet to fall from their branches. Over shallow cliffs that occasionally forced the black-haired youth to run along the forest floor. A normally long and arduous trip for others seemed to be nothing more than a short frolic to Tzano and his entourage of black avians.
After running through thick underbrush and leaping from trunks, the forest eventually opened up. The myriad of trees gradually spaced out more and more before they eventually stopped altogether, forcing Tzano to stop his forward movement.
Which was fine because he had finally
reached his intended destination.
The crows that were following him rushed ahead without him, heading towards the enormous oak centered in the middle of the clearing. A tree that towered over the others in its sheer height, girth, and foliage. A grand tree that would've been seen as special and unique, even without the enormous treehouse built into its upper half.
Intricately crafted stairways, ladders, and ropes extended outwards from various points, allowing one to climb up or descend without hassle. A subset of stairs wrapped around the middle part of the tree's trunk, made for the common civilians who were either too old or incapable of making the ascent by regular means.
Three levels of rooms, balconies, rope bridges, and lookout posts. A veritable mansion that existed above the very ground.
The spot that Tzano affectionately called the Nest.
The black-haired youth knew he wasn't alone in the treehouse the moment he set foot on the first step.
On normal months, the Nest would remain unoccupied and underutilized by everyone apart from Tzano himself and the countless number of crows that had made it their home. Belonging to the Hunojima Clan for generations, the villagers saw it as bad luck to set foot on it without permission from the respective Clan. They would either avoid going near it or put in a request to visit long before actually visiting.
Thus, for the most part, the Nest was one of the few places that Tzano could go to avoid interacting with other people.
He wasn't averse to the company of others. Rather, he was always trying to improve on his own studies and needed complete silence in order to make any sort of progress. Some of the experiments he ran required nothing but absolute concentration to avoid potential disasters.
With all that being said, there was one exception among the villagers.
An exception that didn't hesitate to make itself known the moment Tzano had made his way along the first rope ladder. Coming through with a bang.
And a swipe of a comically humongous hammer.
Tzano barely had time to vacate the bridge before it was blown to smithereens, leaping towards the nearest tree branch as the ruined wood and rope rained down from the sky.
"You always manage to evade it somehow." A young, feminine voice echoed through the area. "Figured I would've had you that time for sure."
"Maybe you would've if you didn't lug around a two-hundred-pound hammer," Tzano retorted, casually hanging from a branch with one hand. "I've seen bears with more stealth."
The new arrival laughed as she stood up on the other side of the ruined bridge, swinging the mentioned club to rest on her shoulder.
Vibrant red hair that fell to her waist, hair that twisted and curled wildly in every direction like a lion's mane. Fair and rather smooth skin that further highlighted her colorful locks and bright clothing choice. A pair of crimson-colored eyes, bright white teeth, and a button nose gave her a fiery appearance and commanded the gaze of those who happened to be nearby.
No matter where Akai Teruko went, she was always the brightest light in the room.
"I don't need stealth. I just need to be faster." The young girl shrugged as she took a step away from the bridge. "A tad quicker and you wouldn't even be conscious right now."
Tzano swung from the branch and onto the same spot where Akai was positioned some meters away. "If that had hit, I wouldn't even be ALIVE right now. I'm just lucky you have the mobility of a drunk sloth."
"Not my fault you can't take a hit." Akai waved.
"Also, I'll be needing 5 gold coins for breaking that bridge." Tzano immediately held out his hand and rubbed his fingers together.
The young girl immediately made a shocked face. "5? That's highway robbery."
"Sounds like a you problem."
There was a small pause, interrupted only by the repeated sound of crows in the far distance. After a few seconds, though, the two of them burst into laughter, with Tzano once again lowering his hand.
"So, what brings you here?" The black-haired youth asked, turning around and heading higher up the Nest. "I don't assume it was just to destroy more of the treehouse."
The two continued to talk as they made their way up the stairs.
Their previous interaction, upon which Akai attempted to crush her friend's skull, had taken place just below the first floor of the Nest, where the rope bridges connected.
The area that Tzano was heading to was located on the second floor of the main section, a library of sorts where the Hunojima Clan kept its vast knowledge collected over the last century. Considering its immense size and its rather odd structure, it would take a little bit of time for the two to get where Tzano wanted. It allowed the youth to pry all the information that he wanted from his childhood friend.
And it was admittedly a lot.
Because it had to do with the incoming War Games.
"From what I hear, a fourth Village in the Prefecture is going to join this year's Games." Akai waited while Tzano made his way up a trapdoor that would lead to the library. "In exchange, they're gonna send more Samurai to overlook and maybe choose more candidates than in previous years."
"And you think this might raise your chances?" Tzano asked. Without asking, he reached out a hand and helped the girl up through the trapdoor.
Akai carefully stood up while shaking her head. "It could raise OUR chances, Zan! There's no greater path to becoming a warrior or Samurai than this coming War Games. This is our chance!"
Tzano didn't say anything, unable to look his friend in the eyes as he made his way towards a singular part of the library.
The War Games.
It was an event hosted by different villages near the end of every year, just before the start of winter. The primary goal of the event was to breed camaraderie between villages, samurai, and the reigning Shogun by proxy. Festivities lasted a full week, with villages closest to one another gathering and partaking in food, drinks, and games.
However, for most, this was truly a secondary goal.
High-ranking Samurai clans from all across the various Prefectures attended each and every War Games around the continent, in hopes of scouting potential subordinates.
Aigawa Prefecture wasn't any different.
To be scouted was regarded as the highest honor, granting local fame and prestige, money, and the chance to rise through the ranks within the Samurai. For the budding youths, this was their chance to show everyone what they were worth and achieve the dream of becoming someone important.
However, Tzano wasn't one of those youths.
"Akee. You know me better than anyone." The black-haired youth carefully took his satchel off his shoulder and put it on the nearby desk. "Probably more than even my own father. Definitely more than him, I would say."
Akai immediately frowned, as if only realizing they weren't on the same page. "Right."
"Would you say that I'm one to get excited by this?" Tzano still didn't look her in the eyes, his back turned to her. "For something as stifling as a tournament of violence?"
Akai seemed to be at a loss for words. "Well, I....."
"Because you'd be absolutely right." The youth immediately turned around, a bright smile on his face. "There's nothing I'd love more than helping you reach that Samurai rank."
Akai was lost for a minute, clearly taken aback before immediately breaking out into a smile.
"I knew I could count on you Zan." The young girl called in excitement, her usual tomboyish nature disappearing as she rushed in for a hug. "I'll be counting on you."
Tzano smiled as he hugged her back, though his smile was much smaller than usual. "You can always count on me."
Then Akai pushed away and resumed her usual demeanor by punching the boy in his shoulder.
"Alright. I'm gonna go and let the enlisted that you'll be participating." The redhead turned around and sprinted towards the trapdoor, the same place where she left her hammer. "Tell Benkei I said hello! I'll feed him some corn later."
Before Tzano could even reply, she was already out the door and down the steps.
"Always on the go." Tzano shook his head as he walked towards the desk once again. "Truly. Someone worthy of becoming a future Samurai leader."
Aargh!
Before Tzano could take a breath and fully get his bearings, a familiar cry immediately caught attention.
Near the wall of the library, where a pane of glass had been set up to let light in, was a large square opening, one large enough to fit a small child. There, perched on the opening, was an Obsidian Crow as large as Benkei had been. To many others, it actually looked not much different from Benkei himself.
"Oh. Ouzo. You're back." Tzano immediately stood up straight, a genuine smile forming. "I wasnt expecting you until later. I sent Benkei-"
(("Ships!"))
Tzano was immediately interrupted as Ouzo fluttered down to rest on top of his satchel, the crows own satchel still fastened to its back.
"What?" Was the youths only response.
(("Unidentified ships spotted at the sea! My brothers shot down with arrows!"))