The House-Spirit and the Forest-Guardian - Part II

Yuame was too surprised to move. Mouth agape, he stared at the wild-eyed hybrid of bird and man, who growled and balled a huge fist -

“Woah woah woah! Calm down, brother!”

A high-pitched, scratchy voice cut in, coming from inside the hut. There was a popping sound, followed by hasty footsteps and rustling of fabrics.

“I can explain everything!” Kaoru exclaimed as he burst outside in human form, his black hair disheveled and his voice hoarse. While one hand was still securing the knot of his loin cloth, he used the other to haul Yuame back on his feet.

The winged man raised a sharp eyebrow at the display, though he did lower his fist. Flustered, Yuame backed into the hut to retrieve the rest of Kaoru’s clothes and escape the stranger’s piercing glare.

“Hmpf! Explain away then, tanuki!” the man boomed, his voice thick with disdain. “Who gave you the right to trespass in my forest and mutilate my tree?!”

“I am sorry, brother,” Kaoru repeated, polite but vexed. He sounded like he had a massive headache.

“My companion and I were supposed to pass through before the snow surprised us, and we had to find shelter. Your wonderful tree saved our lives - and it has not been mutilated!” he added quickly, before the man could yell again.

Through the cracks in the wood, Yuame saw Kaoru step towards the hut and put his hand on the construction. “I merely manipulated its form with a temporary illusion. It should return to normal within a few hours. … Minus a few branches,” Kaoru added in a mumble. Yuame’s eyes flicked to the remains of their campfire, flinching as the muscled man snorted angrily.

“HMPF! Since when do tanuki require huts and fire? You could have burrowed down among the roots! Do you consider yourselves too good to dig in the soil?”

“Uhm,” Kaoru began, searching for a response, but coming up short. Yuame clenched Kaoru’s garments to his chest, before finally stepping outside the hut.

“It is because of me, my lord.” His voice was shaky, and higher than usual as he trembled in the face of the angry man. He could not bring himself to refer to him as an equal like Kaoru was, and the honorable title slipped out before he knew it.

Kaoru had told him about Tengu; proud, winged guardians of the mountains and forests. They were territorial and quick to anger, but as long as their trees were left alone, travelers had little to fear.

But right now, seeing a particularly livid one up close was very intimidating.

The tengu’s nostrils flared, his piercing yellow eyes scanning Yuame from head to toe. “What do you mean, sister?” There was similar contempt in his voice, but not a hint of sarcasm.

Yuame blinked, but before he could speak again, Kaoru slipped between them once more. “Oh no, no my dear, let me handle this. Brother, I apologize once again on behalf of my lovely wife.”

Giving Yuame a meaningful glance, he took his garments from him and hastily began to slide them on.

“She is pristine and delicate, as you see, and burrowing down in snowy soil would have ruined these garments I gifted her. She has taken a great liking to them, which pleases me, but so I had to fashion her this hut, and a fire to keep her warm, because I value her comfort - and my own peace.” 

Leaning closer to the tengu, he lowered his voice as if to confide in him. 

“She’d have nagged my ears off if I didn’t, you know. Oh, if one’s spouse makes an unreasonable but sweet demand, what is a loving husband to do? Don’t you agree, brother?”

“I wouldn’t know. I’m ascetic,” the tengu retorted icily. He still scowled, but his anger seemed cooled, his wings folding down behind his back. Yuame dared to breathe more easily.

This was not the first time he was mistaken for a woman, after all. But never before by a burly forest-guardian.

Kaoru’s quick lie had diffused the tension, but they were not out of the woods yet. The tengu folded his arms (his biceps alone were as big as Yuame’s head) and inspected the hut with unmasked displeasure.

“An illusion, you said. And it will return back to normal soon?”

“Yes, brother. You have my word!”

“Then I shall keep you to your word - and lay claim to your time. We shall wait here until the tree stands tall again like it should be.” Decisively, he glared at Kaoru.

“Not a problem, I hope?”

“O-of course not, brother…” Kaoru grimaced, rubbing at his throbbing temple. He shot Yuame a quick, apologetic glance. Yuame nodded back. To him, it was not an unreasonable demand, and secretly, he was curious about the tengu. As long as they could continue their journey later, he valued the opportunity of being able to speak with another youkai.

If he even dared to speak to him, that was.

Since the tengu only stood by glaring, Kaoru, the single extrovert of the trio, attempted to start the conversation.

“So, asceticism! My deepest respect to you, brother. I myself was never suited for a life of discipline.”

“Clearly,” the tengu grunted. Yuame suppressed a giggle. Kaoru ignored them both. 

“Does this mean I cannot tempt you with a drop of sake while we wait?” he tittered on, sloshing the small gourd he kept attached to his obi belt.

“Hmmm…” The tengu narrowed his eyes, his interest peaked as he gazed intensely at the gourd. He then seemed to listen to any sounds in the forest, his long silver hair swishing over his back as he turned his head like an owl.

“I accept your offering, tanuki,” he finally announced, “Though I shall dilute it with the clear snowmelt from the mountains. I cannot allow my judgment to be clouded by that human-brew.” Haughtily, he stepped away from the clearing, beginning to look for something on the ground.

Kaoru looked personally affronted by the notion of watering down sake. “Ridiculous. Absolutely barbaric,” Yuame heard him mumble under his breath.

Suddenly, the tengu was back before them, giving Yuame another fright by how quickly he moved. An object was unceremoniously thrust into his hands, and Yuame looked down to see himself holding a small bucket formed of the base of an old, thick bamboo stalk. It was cold to the touch - the tengu seemed to have utensils hidden in various places of the forest.

“The head of a stream emerges at the mountainside over there. Your wife may go fetch us some water,” the man said, pointing ahead without even looking at Yuame.

Kaoru bristled but held his tongue, averting his eyes awkwardly. Yuame took the obvious command in stride, and went on his way after a graceful bow. “As you wish, my lord.”

He was in no position to refuse, and hoped the simple act of fetching water would placate their grumpy host. He did wonder if the tengu would act the same way if he knew he was a man.

When he returned, the tengu was holding court in the clearing before their hut, sitting cross legged in the snow. The cold did not seem to bother his bare skin, which was sunburned and calloused, but entirely hairless. Kaoru had placed down his and Yuame’s furoshiki cloths to serve as zabuton cushions, but the fabric would soon turn cold and damp.

The tanuki was still holding a mostly one-sided conversation with the guardian. His smile was polite, though Yuame could tell he was on edge. He also noticed how Kaoru’s chest and arms seemed broader than before, straining against the sleeves of his kimono jacket. He wondered if the transformation was intentional, or unconscious.

The tengu acknowledged Yuame’s return by jerking his chin towards another set of utensils that had appeared in their midst; a gourd similar to Kaoru’s but much larger, and two flat pieces of bark roughly the size of a serving dish. After contemplating the set for a moment, Yuame kneeled to fill the gourd with the water from the bucket, before pouring some on the inside of the bark. The water pulled and raised its own edges, pooling smooth and round in the center. Yuame then took Kaoru’s offered gourd, adding a few fragrant, milky drops to the flat bubble.

Serving the drink to his host was the most unnerving part. Yuame’s fingers shook very lightly as he lifted the bark with both hands, balancing the liquid that threatened to escape at the slightest tilt. When he managed to hand the wooden vessel to the tengu without spilling a drop, the man gave a court nod. He then put it to his lips and tipped the drink inside his mouth, thrusting it back empty towards Yuame before he even managed to pour out Kaoru’s drink. This balancing ritual repeated itself a few more times, before slowly the winged man’s posture began to loosen, and he even began to chuckle at Kaoru’s antics.

Yuame resigned himself to his task, kneeling in the cold snow and pouring drinks. Even if he worked up the courage to say something to the tengu, it was likely the man would just keep treating him like furniture. He contented himself with listening to the two men, observing their expressions and appearance.

Now that he could study the winged man closer, he noticed how his light-colored robe shimmered in the sunlight. What had looked like simple rough-spun fibers at first glance, now appeared to be delicate layers of dry leaves and feathers. Intrigued, he tilted his head to try and discern how the fabric was held together. He was astounded when he discovered shiny threads woven among the fragile pieces, twisted from the tengu’s own thick, silver hair. He became so engrossed that he almost forgot to serve drinks until Kaoru reminded him, making another show out of gently scolding his “beautiful but easily distracted” wife.

Hours seemed to pass, the angle of the pale winter sunlight shifting direction through the bare trees. Behind them, the hut was still a hut. Kaoru loudly lamented the power of his own magic, but in the least, the sake had lightened the mood.

Finally Kaoru stood up and stretched his cramping legs, excusing himself before heading a little ways into the forest down the sloping hill. His footsteps kept removing themselves further until he was out of sight and earshot; clearly he did not want the tengu to know which tree he was about to water.

Yuame and the tengu sat in silence. As expected, the house-spirit still felt his presence was merely being tolerated, not welcomed. When he offered the tengu a smile, the man’s face did not return a single hint of acknowledgement. Giving up on the idea of attempting any verbal pleasantries, Yuame kneeled at the man’s side to refill his vessel.

Suddenly, a hand that was as broad as Yuame’s face wrapped around his wrist.

“Now sister, your doting oaf of a husband might be fooled, but I’m not.”

Yuame’s heart sped up. He swallowed, eyes flicking to the forest where Kaoru had disappeared. He could not see him.

“What do you mean, my lord?” he said softly, resisting the urge to pull his hand back. The tengu’s grip did not yield, his yellow eyes squinting as he seemed to enjoy Yuame’s discomfort.

“Your disguise is a pretty one. Too pretty.” His gaze clung to Yuame’s body, before flicking back to his face.

“You’re not actually a tanuki…” Showing white, neatly aligned teeth, the tengu grinned.

“You’re a kitsune, aren’t you?”