Darkness had fallen over the harsh forest of Kalcazell. The weak spring sun had long since departed from the vast, burnished copper sky, and even the nesting birds had fallen silent; no longer calling sleepily to one another as they guarded their territory through the blackness. The stars did not twinkle merrily; the trees did not whisper their evening songs tonight.
Kaze stood - perched high in an old bay treetop - making no movement, no sound. His green eyes swivelled unblinkingly in their sockets, absorbing everything in the atmosphere that reached them. He took a deep breath in through his nose; his heightened sense of smell detecting the vaguest trace of stranger in the forest. A twig snapped underfoot, releasing the sharp tang of new wood broken to the air, and his elven ears pricked up, feline-like. His upper lip curled into a silent snarl as he readied himself to attack whatever had intruded into his domain and his solitude.
***
Haitou nestled between the roots of the old willow tree, his legs cramping from the lotus position he was sitting in. He would not, could not, let that distract him from his meditation however. He inhaled the sweet scents of the valley surrounding him; tasting the gentle caress of the lavender and lilacs blooming in the new spring season. He began once more to focus, listening for the heart-rending melody that the trees sang once all outside disturbances had vanished. It did not come.
He concentrated harder, frowning as he strained his mind to hear the beautiful notes. It did not come. Slowly, he opened his deep purple eyes and let the moon glint off them. As they adjusted to the darkness that blanketed Dohonzem Valley, he saw nothing out of place in the familiar scene of wild flowers, untamed trees and the lush grass, which carpeted the rich dark terrain beneath his rear. Haitou scanned the landscape before him; everything was as it should be – right down to the dark looming shadow of the forest of Kalcazell on the distant horizon. He frowned, sighing as he furiously searched for the cause of nature’s musical interlude. He froze as the rustling leaves of a nearby tree were brought to his attention by a single raven flying off into the night, forced out of its resting place by an intruding stranger.
***
Kaze inhaled again, his muscles tensing as he caught suggestions of sweat, dust and the sour tang of metal on the subtle breeze that chose this moment to blow. He climbed down from his lookout spot; his large frame barely making a sound on the dirt covered ground as he touched down. His eyes moved erratically, his ears poised, and his nose detected the unwelcome scents more strongly as he followed it, padding carefully along a dark path in silence.
Suddenly, the foreign smells reached his nostrils with a new intensity, and he jerked his head up as the intruder to the forest dropped silently and swiftly from his branched hiding place, like a stone on top of Kaze, pinning him to the forest floor and pressing a shining blade to his throat.
***
Haitou methodically turned his head to face the tree, the bones in his neck creaking as he did so, careful not to make any other movement. His eyes drank in every detail of its bark, leaves, and structure, anxiously searching for the being that had frightened the raven.
There came a terrible, piercing, shrieking, yell from the maple’s branches and a spinning enemy whirled its way towards Haitou from the shadows, long tendrils of hair whipping his face as it came closer. His efforts to escape were wasted as his attacker landed with thud that knocked the breath out of his chest, on top of him, their silvery sword now barely an inch from his pale, delicate throat.
***
Kaze struggled under his captor’s weight, careful not to move his head or neck closer to the sharpened metal. For someone of such a slight build, the intruder was impressively skilled at holding his or her enemies beneath them with minimal effort. His enemy spoke in a deep voice, harsh with lack of use, but smoothened by time and wisdom: “
Stop struggling fool!” Kaze spat in their face in reply. The intruder slowly raised a hand and for one moment Kaze thought they were going to strike him, but they simply pulled down the mask of cloth covering their head, revealing a chiselled, masculine face, grazed with stubble and divided by scars, the dark eyes narrowed.
“
That was a very dishonourable thing to do.” The male spoke quietly, “
I shall give you one chance to redeem yourself.” He reached into the folds of material enveloping his body and extracted a small pouch, “
Relieve me of my burden of gold with your strength and I shall spare your life and retreat honourably from your forest.”
The intruder sprang off Kaze and leapt gracefully to the base of a distant tree, placing his blade back into its sheath as he did so; “
But fail, and your life is mine for the taking.” He finished with effortless confidence, leaving Kaze in no doubt this stranger would not hesitate in cleaving his head from his body with a swipe of that blade.
He was torn between his dislike for attacking strangers, his confusion at this particular one’s request and arrogance, and his strong desire keep his head and body together. The stranger was still standing at the base of the tree, chin raised, and not moving. Kaze decided that he preferred the forest without this bizarre stranger, and with a wolf-like growl, launched himself at the offending enemy.
***
Haitou tensed under the slight weight that was pinning him to the ground with a ferocity that had him panicked. He concentrated, employing an old trick that he had learned several years ago, slowing his heart rate down so that it barely beat beneath his chest. He felt his body go limp, his eyes closed, blood flow restricted as his body cooled underneath the weight above him.
Though he could not see, the rest of Haitou’s senses were acutely aware of his surroundings, he heard the soft rustle of his enemy’s clothing, felt the weight shift off his chest. Then came a cold harsh laugh and a clipped high tone: “
Nice try, I know your tricks!”
His heart rate sped up and his eyes flew open in alarm; nobody had known he could restrict his life force as a defence mechanism… His captor lifted a pale, spindly hand, the long fingers callused and roughened by years of sword practice, and removed the cloth from her face, revealing it to be oval in shape, with sharpened features and almond-shaped blue eyes inset into it like sapphires. The small mouth stretched into a smile as she spoke in voice like birdsong: “
I’ve been watching you for a while, Haitou – yes I know your name,” As his eyes widened in shock, “
And I know all about you. You show great potential as a disciple.” She paused, her light and slender frame tensing, “
But you must prove yourself.” Reaching into her pocket she extracted a brown leather pouch and placed in on the ground to Haitou’s left. She then sprang off Haitou, leaving his shocked frame lying on the ground and landed lightly, one foot either side of the small bundle.
“
Get up.” The stranger commanded Haitou. He did so with some reluctance, remembering his opponent’s sharp blade.
“
If you retrieve the gold inside this pouch, I will let you become a disciple of mine and other’s teaching. You will gain the knowledge you so crave, and achieve what you dream of. Do you accept my challenge?” Haitou stood numbly, his brain barely able to comprehend what was happening tonight. An unknown stranger had shown up in his home, attacked him and was now offering him the chance he had always dreamed of, the chance his heart had ached for since he had begun his studies alone; a chance to learn the secrets of meditation, sword-fighting and defensive skills. He bowed respectfully to the woman and nodded “
I accept.”
***
The stranger easily deflected Kaze’s blow by delivering a swift blow to his chest. He fell back in surprise as the breath was knocked from his lungs, but staggered quickly back on to his feet.
“
You must build up your strength, little warrior, if you wish to take the gold from me by force.” Smirked the stranger. This irritated Kaze. He rushed at the man again and again, his opponent easily guarding the gold each time he attacked. Finally, frustrated beyond all reasoning, Kaze gave a terrifying yell and launched himself wildly at the dark stranger, dimly registering the eyes widening in surprise. His left hand closed around the sturdy throat, and his right seized the man’s wrist, eventually extracting the small prize from beneath the supple, brown fingers. He got up from the ground on to which they had fallen, panting heavily and glaring at his defeated opponent who lay there, grinning. He stood up carefully, and faced Kaze.
“
Highly un-stylish, but effective all the same.” His grin widened. “
Congratulations, you achieved your goal… However…” Kaze’s posture changed, he tensed every muscle he possessed and stood up a little straighter, “
Victory shows emptiness, little warrior.” The man smiled wisely. “
You won your prize of gold, meaning that either you wish to spend it on material possessions,” Kaze raised an eyebrow in disgust, “
Or, you wished me out of your forest, so you may continue living alone. Both are not wise choices Kaze.” Kaze recoiled a little in shock at the knowledge that this man knew his name, “
Please, reconsider your lonely existence. I am a teacher of attacking and defensive skills; you show great potential as a student. Come to The Stone Circle tomorrow at noon, if you wish to improve your body, and mind. There are others just like you, Kaze.” The mysterious man gave one final smile, turned and vanished into the darkness, leaving Kaze standing alone once more, thoroughly confused, his fingers still clasped around the stranger's token.
***
The woman nodded in acknowledgement of Haitou’s acceptance and adopted a defensive stance, her sword raised to just below her chin, eyes focused intently on him. Haitou took a deep cleansing breath, narrowed his eyes in concentration once more, and began his attack. He leapt speedily towards his opponent, aware he had no weapon, but in the knowledge that it was possible to win without one. Landing on the ground, facing the woman directly. He bent his knees, trying to get as close to the earth as possible. She took a swipe at him with her sword and he caught her arm in his grip, stopping the blade in its tracks. She twisted again, and he was forced to retreat a little to avoid being maimed. He dived for the bundle, landing on his stomach, arms outstretched, and his fingers closed around the worn leather. He reached up with his legs, his feet connecting with the woman’ wrists; knocking the sword from her hands. He flipped himself over quickly and propelled himself forward with his hands, landing clumsily a few feet away from the now weaponless woman. She bowed to him.
“
Congratulations, Haitou.” She smiled, her eyes heavy. “
But victory shows the emptiness in you.” Haitou frowned at her, confused.
“
You won because of your desire to get something for yourself. It is a credit to you that this was self-improvement that you so desired, but it is a desire nonetheless. Come to The Stone Circle tomorrow at noon to begin your training and improve your being.” She gave one final bow before moving over to pick up her sword, sheathing it and flying up into the trees once more, dancing her journey away from him among the leaves and the sleeping birds. Haitou was left standing alone, holding the leather pouch.
***
The two teachers met in silence and stood waiting. Soon, four others joined them, all wearing the same outfits of dark material that hid their bodies and faces. The six teachers stood in a circle, eyes turned towards the dark man who had met with Kaze. He spoke in his deep, slow voice: “
I take it we now have six new pupils?” He questioned them. The five others nodded quietly. “
Good. It is the start of a new year, we will need our rest for tomorrow. Go.” The five teachers bowed their respect and vanished back into the night, leaving the man standing alone, smiling to himself: “
And fine students they will be…”
