Zei Sho.
The name ignites the embers of rage in my soul. His foul voice rings between my ears. His wicked cleaver slices through me as though he were here. Anger washes my body with hateful heat. The scroll hangs, rocking back and forth on the branch that snatched it from me. Curiosity seizes me. My paw reaches for the exposed flap. It's begging to be pulled. Begging to show me more of the secret not yet unraveled. But, just as my paw nears parchment, I stop.
Sometimes curiosity must be suppressed. An honorable cat is able to identify when it is one of those times. Quickly, I wrap the parchment tightly and grab the red twine. It fumbles and flops awkwardly between my toe beans as I try to get it into position.
Sweat lines my paws. Anxiety flares. Heat singes my cheeks and the back of my neck. Azura is bound to show up any minute. A suck-up like her would surely expose my transgression without hesitation. The twine slips just as I go to pull it. Damn it! I yank it back into place with a hiss.
With enough persistence and more than a few curses, I manage to reseal the scroll, pulling the twine tight with my teeth as both paws struggle to hold it in place. The rush of victory is short-lived. Shit, the knot is noticeably less elegant. In fact, it looks more akin to a wad of garbage than the original thing. There's no time. I can't risk a redo, nor do I have the means to become a knot master. Maybe Azura won't notice. Her precise golden gaze finds its way into my mind. Damn! Of course she will! Perhaps, if I keep hold of it until the handoff… But I can't call any attention to it. No. What am I thinking? She would never miss something so obvious, not even if I acted my part perfectly. Knowing Azura, she'd—
"What'd it say?"
Azura's voice sends me airborne, shocking me up into a tangle of branches. My skin crawls. My throat goes dry. She'll have me killed for this. The moment she sees Jellybean, she'll have him cut me down. I'm sure she's already celebrating her return as Master's top pupil. Will he take me back after I reawaken? Will I even wake back up at the same shrine? My head spins. My legs buckle as my paws hit the ground.
"W—, what do you mean?" I stammer. Ugh! How cowardly! Playing the fool? But I can't help it. I don't want to feel the pain of another death. Not yet. "What did you say?" I listen to the dumb questions leave my fearful lips like a shameful spectator.
She raises a questioning brow. Her golden eyes leave no room for escape.
"I didn't open it. It was a branch. I closed it right away, I swear," I appeal.
"Keep your voice down, Bokuden." She moves closer. I recoil, raising my paws in defense. "Will you stop? Just tell me what it said already."
"I… Wait, you're not mad?"
"You're killing me," she huffs, snatching the scroll away. Deftly, she unties my sloppy excuse for a knot, rewraps the twine with controlled precision, then seals it gracefully with a knot as elegant as the original.
"A name… That's it. That's all I saw." Just thinking of it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. "Zei Sho."
"Zei… Wait." Azura cocks her head. "Isn't that the cat—"
"Who brought death and destruction to my siblings? Who killed me? Yes. And yes."
"I knew something was off," Azura mumbles, her eyes narrowed on the scroll. "It's unlike Master to be clumsy with his nihonshu…"
"Ever since that first meal, I've had suspicions. Now they're confirmed. Master is hiding something," I say sourly.
"Whoa, hold on," Azura lifts a paw to stall my anger. "I'm sure if Master is keeping a secret, it's for a good reason."
"I have to know."
"You can't, not yet."
"He knows something! I can't just let that go."
"I understand, but—"
"Understand? Do you? Then how can you expect me to pretend this never happened? How am I supposed to sit through pointless lectures, haul pointless rocks, and do pointless missions while I know the cat commanding me is keeping me in the dark? For all I know, he could be aligned with that scum!"
Fury fills my lungs, my eyes, my ears. It fills me until I'm close to bursting. Until I know nothing but rage. Whack. Azura's paw slaps down, popping me on the forehead. I feel my snout snarling, my teeth grinding, my claws flexing, suddenly aware of the hostility spilling out of me. Whack. Another hearty smack to the forehead. The fog of my fury dissipates. My vision clears. Azura's eyes, gleaming gold, glare at me, her brow twisted up.
"Watch your mouth," she growls.
"I—"
"Shut up! Our master, aligned with some cat like that? Do you hear yourself?!" She lifts her paw above my head again. I flinch back, ducking my head. "How dare you talk about him like that? After all he's done? If not for him, you'd be scrounging through the streets, starving, maybe flattened on the concrete, maybe tossed in a cage or locked away in some prison."
She's right. It stings, admitting it, but I can't deny that Master Chingon has done far more than any other cat has for me. Shame pulls my head down, heavy as a salver's collar. "It's just…" I lose track of the words, or perhaps they feel less justified.
"Well," her paw lowers, "like it or not, you cannot bring this up to Master. Not now. I doubt he'd actually cut us down, but I've never seen him act like this."
"I know," I mutter bitterly. "If I ask him now, he'll know I saw the scroll. There's no telling what that senile cat would do to me then."
"Senile? I told you to watch your mouth," she threatens.
"Psh! Have you met him? Lives under a tree, wears a jacket, walks upright, and is high on nip from morning to night—what else should we call that?"
"Old and different doesn't mean senile."
"Yeah, sure." I roll my eyes. "Maybe you're just blinded by his skill."
"Maybe you're just blinded by your anger."
Our eyes lock. Glare fighting glare, neither willing to relent. Her brow presses down angrily, matching mine. The corner of my mouth twitches, my muscles tense, my breath catches in my throat. The silence surrounding us grows louder and louder, longer and longer, heavier and heavier.
"Ughhh," she sighs, tossing her head up. I wince as she takes a step closer, expecting another paw to the face. Instead, she plops down, sitting a couple whiskers away from me. "Listen… I know your pain, I really do, but you can't let it cloud your perception of the world. Not everyone with a secret has malicious intent. Master has his eccentricities, that's for sure, but he's an exceedingly wise and caring cat. He wouldn't have taken you in if he weren't on your side. And what could he possibly gain from deceiving you? As far as I can tell, letting you in has only given him more crap to deal with. So, please trust him."
Sound arguments. Sound indeed, but the raging fire in my soul is not so easily cooled. The drive to kill Zei Sho burns like an inferno; its flames lick out greedy and merciless. They hunger for fuel, for things to turn to ash, and anything even vaguely associated with my mortal enemy is subject to their relentless heat.
"How can I trust a cat that keeps such an important secret from me?"
"By understanding that there may be more at play than you realize. By remembering all of the kindness and value he offers you. The food, the home, the skills to complete your task—one day.
"Hmm."
"Come on, Bokuden. We're in the same boat, ya know?" She tilts her head towards the scroll, then places a paw on my shoulder. I didn't know her touch could be so gentle. "If you really can't trust Master, at least trust me… alright?"
Her sincerity stirs something deep in me. It relaxes the tightness of my jaw, loosens my clenched paws, and softens the strain on my soul. I draw a deep breath, hold it, then vent it through my nostrils. Despite the justified suspicion, I can't rightfully claim to have ever sensed any dishonor in the puffball. Nor in Azura, regardless of her antagonizing. I feel inclined to believe her. Perhaps it is all our fighting; combat does give a unique chance to see into someone's soul. Or maybe it's a deep desire, one that tugs quietly at my heart. A want cowering in the shadow of my hatred. A longing for that which was stolen from me—a place to belong, and others to belong with. And, as she said, what would Master Chingon gain from this deception? Or Azura for asking me to trust him?
"Fine, I will choose to trust you, but only if you stop sneaking up on me all the damn time."
"Aw, but you have no idea how much fun it is watching you leap into the air," she smirks.
"Good work, by the way," I remark. "With those dogs, I mean. Facing a threat like that head-on takes courage."
"And you did a wonderful job following your senpai's orders," she chuckles. "Well, not really; you did end up breaking the only rule we were given… so…"
"The sun is getting low," I ignore her mockery. She has earned a pass, this time.
. . .
Red and orange struggle for dominion above the horizon. They shimmer and dance across the water's rippled reflection, dodging and striking at the cool blues in perfect balance. The melody of songbirds' evening chorus rings out as they announce the impending nightfall with joyous harmonies. The sunlight slowly takes the same striking golden hue as Azura's eyes as it casts long, brutal shadows along the canal, the first envoys of night sent to scout in enemy territory. As the stream flows and birds rush to their roosts, we sit, waiting without a word. My mind races while the ever-present murmur of humanity fills the sky with the city's standard buzz. War horns blare randomly, the ground rumbles as massive metal snakes slither below, and humans babble as they pass. I wonder, if not for Zei Sho, would my family have ever found this canal? Other than the dogs, it is quite a pleasant place. We would've enjoyed sitting here like this, together.
"It's time," Azura says.
We sniff the dusk air, checking one last time for nearby dogs, then move down the slope towards the fern patch. There are more humans along the canal now than earlier. Most of them, segregated into groups of two, sit on blankets along the side of the path, gazing up at the twisting battle in the sky. Some hold rectangles aloft, perhaps as offerings to the powerful colors. As per usual, the few who notice us only show fleeting interest before returning their attention to other human matters.
As we reach the ferns, I notice the top of a sandogasa poking out from the rich, green plant life. The conical, wide-brimmed hat, woven from pale straw, lifts as we approach, until a smoke-gray cat appears underneath. His eyes narrow on us. His white-dappled snout set with a wide smile.
"Jellybean-sama?" Azura questions suspiciously.
The gray cat pulls the sandogasa hat from his head. He stands upright and steps through the ferns, revealing a long, flowing orange scarf wrapped around his neck and a loose blue shirt left unbuttoned.
"Two Nekotsu and a scroll… You must be Pablo Chingon's pupils." He offers a courteous, if not sloppy bow. "The name's Kendrick, sole apprentice of Jellybean Sensei and wielder of the Solar Purr."
I begin to step forward, but Azura halts me with a cautious paw.
"It's unusual for Nekotsu to advertise their Martial Purr so openly," Azura notes with an untrusting glare.
"True," Kendrick chirps with a bright smile. "However, Jellybean Sensei and Pablo Chingon are long-time friends, pretty much brothers. I figure, if our masters are so close, that basically makes us friends, or at least trusted allies… right?" His blinding smile never fades. His warm orange eyes move peacefully from Azura to me, back and forth, waiting for reciprocation.
"Only an honorable cat would wear such an honest smile in the face of strangers." I offer a bow.
"Or a swindler," Azura mumbles as my head tips low.
"…I am Bokuden. This is Azura, wielder of the—"
"Just Azura," she interrupts, slapping at the back of my head with her tail. "And as nice as it is to meet the apprentice of our Master's friend," she explains not so convincingly, "I'm afraid we have been given explicit orders to give this scroll to Jellybean and Jellybean only."
"Oh, yeah, please forgive Jellybean Sensei. He's gotten super stubborn in his old age. Yeah, he wouldn't make the journey himself; maybe couldn't. He has a pretty hard time getting around nowadays, not that he'd admit it, especially not to his old friend. And nothing can change his mind when he gets all, you know. But he did send me with these." He pulls two folded pieces of parchment from inside his large hat, unfolds them, and holds them up for us to read. One has cat-code clearly scribed by the same paw as the secretive scroll. The page even retains the scent of Master Chingon's pipe smoke, making its authenticity unquestionable. Must be the message Master had Radu fly over. The other is penned by a different paw. Quick, angry lines dart back and forth, as if the writing of them was a supreme inconvenience. It begins with a brief but intimate description of the Dojo—meant to establish trustworthiness—and a couple of insults aimed at Master Chingon, the type only ancient friends would dare say. Next comes a not-so-sorry apology for altering the plan, and an overly detailed apology for any annoyance Kendrick is likely to cause. At the bottom, "Jellybean" is signed with grand swoops and flourished flicks of the paw.
"Hopefully, these prove I'm a friend."
"This proves that you're either trustworthy or a thief with enough skill to rob an old cat," Azura huffs, swiping at the parchment. Kendrick, never losing his smile, pulls the page back. My jaw drops, it's the first time I've ever seen Azura made to look slow. Her glare deepens.
"Your thoroughness is really impressive, Azura," Kenrick compliments. "So is your speed. Luckily, I'm not a thief. But I'll admit to stealing a few extra winks of sleep when Sensei isn't watching." He laughs heartily at his own admission.
"I sense nothing but honor in his heart. We should trust him," I whisper in Azura's ear.
"That's nice, Bokuden. Thanks!" Kendrick continues to smile.
Seems his keen speed is rivaled by his exceedingly sharp hearing. This joyful cat is one to be wary of. Hopefully, his intentions are as pure as his aura.
"Do you know what all this is about?" Azura asks, flicking her tail at the scroll.
"No. Well, not really. Jellybean Sensei is famously tight-lipped. Getting any info from the cat is a pain, especially secretive stuff like this. But…"
"But?" Azura presses.
"But, he has been mumbling to himself a bunch lately… I think it's 'cus he's getting a little, you know. I don't know, maybe it's…" Kendrick stops, noticing Azura's paw tapping on the ground. "Never mind. The point is, I overheard him mumbling over that message the crow delivered. Hmm… what was it? Oh! He was saying something about knowing this day would come. Then something else about your master being a fool all those years ago. 'A damn fool,' he said. No offense. The rest was too… mumbly to catch," Kendrick shrugs.
Azura and I share a wary glance.
"Concerning, huh?" Kendrick says with a dry chuckle. "And get this! Later that day, I stumbled upon Sensei taking inventory around the forge. The forge! Can you believe it? Ooo, you should've seen his face! He was pissed! Like even more than usual!"
"Is there a reason something like that would be unbelievable?" I ask.
"Ha!" He claps my shoulder with a jovial paw. "Oh… Wait, you're serious? Not from around here, huh?"
"Jellybean was once a renowned weaponsmith, long, long ago," Azura explains, her face cold as stone, her eyes veiled in thoughtful worry.
"That's right! Sensei was the best of the best," Kendrick smiles, panning to the air as if it could reveal the past. "Not many cats have the skills needed to forge weapons, ya know? Legend has it only five have existed in the entire history of this city, but you know how reliable legends are. Anyways, something like four, five… hmm, maybe it was six decades ago, Jellybean Sensei cooled his forge for the last time. Hung it up. Vowed never to create another weapon or even stoke another flame. Not ever again. 'Till now, I guess."
"What could force a skilled craftscat to denounce their art?" I wonder aloud.
"No one knows. Well, no one I know. Those who do definitely aren't sharing. Oh well…" Kendrick stretches out his back and rolls himself onto the ground, landing in a lackadaisical lounge among the ferns. "One thing's for sure, though… Whatever it was that caused Sensei to renounce his forge is serious business. And that means, if something is forcing him to get the forge up and kicking again, then it must be even more serious. Heh, I'd be shuddering if it wasn't so warm," he notes, licking a tuft of askew fur on his wrist.
"Concerning," I agree. "Tell me, friend, does the name Zei Sho mean anything to you?" Azura kicks my leg, her eyes bulging.
"Let's see…" Kendrick ponders, squinting up. "Nope. Why?"
"Don't worry about it," Azura answers for me.
"Ha, I won't. Well, anyways." Kendrick looks at us questioningly. "This has been great and all… I think we've all got a long friendship in store, ya know, but I'd really love to get that scroll now. It'll be dark soon, and I need to get going…"
"True." A thick line of burning orange sears the tops of distant buildings as a wave of dark blue looms overhead, waiting to crash down on the horizon. "Master will surely eat that entire fish without us if we delay too long," I say to Azura.
"Oh, yeah… Can't let that happen, right? Us cats, ya know? Always got to get our fish on," Kendrick laughs awkwardly. "The other day I was eating all kinds of fish and stuff, and wow, it sure was good… Because, ya know, I'm a cat. We sure do love—"
"Very well," Azura interrupts Kendrick's strange spiralling, tossing the scroll to him. He springs from the ground, catching it with ease. "But be warned, if you turn out to be a thief, know that I will hunt you down and flay your flesh from bone."
"Oof, scary." Kendrick shines on Azura with a genuine smile. "I'm so glad we're friends now. I'd hate to be on your bad side. Same to you, Bokuden. I'm sure we'll meet again soon!"
"Looking forward to it." I offer a pleasant bow as Azura grits her teeth at him. "Travel with swiftness and ease."
Kendrick sends a loose bow back to me. Though his back is far too bent, the beaming smile is more than enough to make up for the poor form. With a final nod to Azura, Kendrick spins around and meanders away, slinking along the path without an apparent care in the world.
"What a kind cat."
Azura shakes her head. "We're in serious trouble if we need to rely on allies like that."