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Post by Jenny on Jul 5, 2012 21:32:05 GMT -5
Lei rubbed his chin thoughtfully to envoke the memory. "Ishikawa, I think he was called. Didn't talk much, as I remember. But bless the gods, he could fight, that one."
"Huo will rendevous with us in the morning after formation. Shouldn't take long, I'm sure he already has names in his head. The formalities are another way to honor them in front of their brothers-in-arms. It's a way of rememberance, so to speak, in case they do not come home."
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Post by KD on Jul 5, 2012 21:42:19 GMT -5
Thrade nodded quietly. She insisted he needed to rest though she double checked to make sure everything was ready to leave in the morning before she joined him. As she often did, Thrade curled up beside him and watched Lei sleep for a bit before drifting off herself. It amazed her how a man willing to take so many burden's on his shoulders could sleep so peacefully.
Huo had no doubt warned his men about the unusual woman they would be traveling with, but Thrade still got stares as she moved about preparing the horses the next morning. Lei's was a fine horse who had Thrade's full approval. As was the case with animals that spent any amount of time around the druid, he seemed a tad more aware and smarter than other horses but he was attached firmly to Lei. Thrade didn't ride, though she could. It was faster and would burden them down less when she chose a form and traveled with it, she had several that were as fast as the horses. It meant, however, that she was wearing her shifter skins, which were little more than scraps of leather. Any comment on them received the matter of fact reply that pure blooded shifters of her line didn't wear clothes at all in general.
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Post by Jenny on Jul 5, 2012 21:55:47 GMT -5
When Lei emerged from the Shen residence, he carried several large scrolls rolled up and sealed with wax, proving to contain writings of secrecy, most likely studies of maps and strategies of which were noteworthy. He tucked them away in one of the saddlebags and mounted his horse, which had picked up on the importance of the day and did its best to reign in the emotions radiating from it’s rider, the stallion’s good breeding improved by Thrade’s touch to its very soul and mind. When Thrade joined beside the stallion’s side, it was remarkably calm beneath Lei’s weight and willingly kicked into a gallop at Lei’s command, eager to please the both of them. The horse exhibited something akin to love for the shifter and her gentle husband.
The trio made haste towards the rendezvous site, a secluded place where the formations would not catch the attention of passers-by. The less attention to the mission the better for them all. Lei nodded to Huo Ting, indicating that he was ready, who immediately barked a command to move out. There was a great thundering of hooves as the battalion of several dozen men flanked the rear. Once they were well out of the city limits, they merged onto the main road for ease of travel, diverging only to pass civilization which were prone to wagging tongues.
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Post by KD on Jul 5, 2012 22:10:44 GMT -5
Two shadows passed overhead. One was Cezir, swooping ahead to keep a watch. The other was Thrade, also in the shape of a falcon. It was an adventagious form, letting her travel swiftly and allowing her to see more of the land.
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Post by Jenny on Jul 5, 2012 22:25:01 GMT -5
Before nightfall, Lei called for a halt to make camp. As Lei made a round with Huo Ting to make sure everything was secure for the night, the fires were lit and a simple dinner was composed for the soldiers, the same fare for all, including Lei and his wife. Lei was glad to have Thrade by his side in her unshifted form, for even though she had been near, a falcon was nearly not the same as someone he could hold and sleep beside. A night watch was posted upon following military regulations. Lei was able to relax in this security, and the night passed peacefully. There was even a tough of nostalgia for Lei of days before, and he squeezed Thrade all the tighter as she slept, for he was thankful that she was in his arms and not in the hands of a madman warlord. He had awoken for a time, and watched Thrade’s face in sleep, smiling softly. He kissed her cheek tenderly and settled back down for the night, hoping that the journey would continue so simply. The plan was for the two of them to abandon the militia before reaching Kyushu, where the soldiers would hide themselves in a more remote part of the mountains that bordered the city of Shimabara while Shade and her contact did their part, and Lei and Thrade did theirs, in an attempt not to lock Heian-Kyoto in the midst of two warring factions if it could be prevented.
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Post by KD on Jul 5, 2012 22:34:14 GMT -5
Cezir slept on a branch overhead, although he was alert to every sound. The falcon was pointedly settled on a tree above Lei and Thrade, however, so there was no doubt who was first in the falcon's priorities. Thrade slept soundly in his arms, her face peaceful in sleep. She sometimes struggled with nightmares...understandable considering all they had been through...but they rarely came when Lei was with her.
She tended to stay in a falcon form but changed accordingly to fit the landscape as they traveled. Thrade had been the one to suggest she keep an animal form when they reached the city such as a rat or a cat, something that could hide easily, giving the impression Lei was alone. While she worried it would make him a target, it had the advantage of being another weapon.
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Post by Jenny on Jul 5, 2012 22:43:42 GMT -5
A soldier had the opportunity of second night watch with the captain, and in his nervousness blurted out the unwise comment regarding military tradition that it was bad luck to have a woman among them. This halted Huo Ting immediately, whose body went rigid in indignation. He stiffly addressed the soldier to hold his tongue and put such nonsense out of his head, for Thrade was as good as any man, and a valuable ally, for they now had not only man but nature on their side, and that was a weapon gifted to none such as he. The soldier turned his eyes down in embarrassment for offending such a powerful and admirable man, and apologized immediately. Huo Ting’s response was that he was not the one who should hear an apology for such idiocy but rather Thrade herself. He was given a warning not to spread such ideas, for if Lei Shen heard wind of it, the journey would not remain so pleasant. Huo Ting, for one, sent the soldier away for some good old fashioned military punishment, to run circles around the camp without pause until sunrise. Needless to say, the punishment worked, and the soldier was practically slumped over his horse upon sunrise, and was cajoled by his fellow men who had witnessed the punishment for themselves for the remainder of the watch.
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Post by KD on Jul 5, 2012 22:51:23 GMT -5
Thrade, for her part, accepted the apology graciously. She seemed rather amused by it, though she appreciated Huo Ting's support and his insistence they not spread such superstition. It wasn't the first time Thrade had heard such sentiments but the poor soldier, like anyone she had questioned, was hard pressed to tell her exactly why it was bad luck, pointing out that sailors she had known had similar superstitions...which had never stopped a boatful of nothing but men from being taken down by a storm.
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Post by Jenny on Jul 5, 2012 23:09:00 GMT -5
To the soldiers blessing, the apology had been private for Lei was busy discussing the day's movements with Huo Ting, with the captain making his own suggestions, which Lei did not dismiss outright. For stragegy was best planned by more than one viewpoint, although Huo Ting was not so well versed in these things as Lei, having been unscholared and a soldier all his life since the age of thirteen. But, in his own right, had achieved a great deal himself for being of such low birth and now named a captain of his majesty's royal army, for his instincts had never failed him, a trait Lei found valuable. As the two of them seperated with a clear plan in their heads, Lei paused to kiss his wife before taking up the reigns, for there would be only one time of pause before the day's end. Again, Lei took lead with Huo close beside.
Just after mid-day they halted for that rest at the bank of a wide river, making use of the water to fill up their canteens and to let the horses loose to drink their fill. Rations were passed around, for even the amount of food had been foreplanned, and with the temperature rising the further south they went, a full belly would only make them sick, unused to the warmer climate.
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Post by KD on Jul 5, 2012 23:14:22 GMT -5
Thrade was standing by the river and frowning, her bare feet resting in the very shallows of the water. She didn't like the feel she was getting from it, for it was flowing from the south. There was nothing physically wrong with the water, it wasn't tainted and the men would not be harmed from drinking it. But Thrade read the currents in a different way, feeling the voice of the river itself, and it was carrying pain further along its track. The pain of the people or the pain of the land, she wasn't sure which it was yet.
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Post by Jenny on Jul 5, 2012 23:17:31 GMT -5
“Thrade?” That soft voice came from behind her as Lei stepped towards the bank, having seen the distress on her face. “Is something wrong? Are you unwell?”
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Post by KD on Jul 5, 2012 23:22:26 GMT -5
"I'm fine, my love," she assured him quietly. "The river isn't, at least not further up. Not tainted but...it carries the voice of the land, you know...and the land in the south is not well..."
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Post by Jenny on Jul 5, 2012 23:30:56 GMT -5
Lei glanced upriver, towards the south. Thrade’s gift was reading nature, while he was gifted in the human spirit and the divine. With avoiding the populace, Lei had not picked up on the same distress that she had until this time. He trusted her instincts and frowned lightly, that easy feeling leaving him as quickly as an oncoming storm blocked out the sunlight. “We can cure this, my love. Haru has faith in us, and I have faith that this wound can be closed. I must close myself to the knowledge that the human spirit fails time and time again and focus only on this instance. Protect your heart as well, my love. Come, we should move on. I know this feeling pains you, I will not see you so distressed. We will make haste, we have delayed long enough.”
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Post by KD on Jul 5, 2012 23:34:45 GMT -5
"They succeed time and time again as well." She moved up beside him, sliding an arm around him and settling against his side for a long moment, taking comfort from his presence. "Especially with you to help them."
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Post by Jenny on Jul 6, 2012 1:29:07 GMT -5
Lei lifted her hand and kissed it gently. "I am glad you are by my side, Thrade. If this proves to be a dispiriting matter, it would be hard to bear alone." He reached down and caressed her cheek. "From the moment I met you, since that time we destroyed the corruption in your world, you have completed me. You make me whole."
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