Ch. 4: The Secret Samurai

Darkness filled the room, a soft blanket of shadow enveloping the troubled warrior. Aspect tossed around fitfully on his bed, before lifting his head with a growl of annoyance.

Dinner had been that of turmoil, for although Isu had seemed to try his best at pleasing his soon-to-be wife, as Aspect had learned, it appeared that Snowshoe was insistent on being difficult. And yet Aspect felt almost sorry for her.

Perhaps it was a sense of affection that made him biased towards her unknown cause. Perhaps there was something deeper, as Isu had forementioned. Either way, her plight plagued the mind of the black fox, to the point where he couldn’t sleep.

Eventually Aspect gave up on sleeping and looked out his window. The moon was full, and he only had so much time before the trip to Dragonscale Ridge.

Perhaps the fresh air will clear my mind.

That much was true. He had always slept out in the open, so it was likely that being in an enclosed space was hindering his ability to sleep. So he slipped on a simple jacket and hopped out the window, heading for the woods.

An owl could be heard as he trudged through the forest. Suddenly he pricked his ears, straining to pick up a noise.

There it was.

A faint clang of steel echoed beyond him, and Aspect slunk through the foliage, silent and stealthy.

He peered through some bushes and caught his breath. Before him in an open clearing was a mysterious figure, one that he didn’t recognize. They- presumably he- wore a full set of armor typically worn by that of a great Samurai. A helmet covered his face, so that Aspect had no way of identifying him in the pale glow of moonlight.

The mysterious Samurai stood, holding a gleaming sword in his hand as he faced away from Aspect.

If he’s come from an enemy province, Aspect thought, then I’ll have to either report him to Isu or take care of it myself. If I don’t do anything, there’s a chance that I’ll be accused of aiding an enemy against the Shogun, and I can’t deal with that right now. He didn’t realize that as of yet nobody knew he had spotted the Samurai. And if he told Isu, then he would be asked about why he was out so late. What were his reasons for coming to the woods? Perhaps Isu would take it as if he were spying him out for the Narabetsu province.

He came to the conclusion that he would have to face the Samurai himself. If he didn’t want to fight, or wasn’t there to spy, then Aspect would send him away and possibly report it in the morning. But if he were to attack, he felt that he could drive him off easily. Either way, Aspect knew that the Samurai couldn’t stay, and he intended to use this against him.

“Sir!” He called suddenly. The Samurai jumped, dropping his sword and whirling around to face him. Even then his face was still covered, though Aspect noticed that he was very short and skinny.

He stepped forward, facing him regardless. “Who are you? Are you friend or foe?” He narrowed his eyes when the Samurai only stared at him in silence. “Answer me.”

No words came from the warrior, an eerie silence filling the long pause. Just as Aspect was prepared to ask him once more, suddenly the Samurai rushed forward without any warning.

The warrior gave a mighty leap, flipping overhead, armor glittering in the moonlight. The steel was seemingly weightless on his small body as he landed behind the Black Warrior and tried to knock him out.

But Aspect had seen this technique before, though not from someone clad in armor. He ducked and, as the warrior rushed forward, grabbed his arm and threw him aside. The Samurai rolled with the sudden force and sprang back up, hardly affected. He lunged, grabbing the Black Warrior by his cloak and pulling him close.

Aspect thought he could pick up an achingly familiar scent, but pushed it aside and instead moved just enough for an oncoming punch to miss his face. The recoil rushed like a jolt through the Samurai’s body, and Aspect threw his knee upwards as close as he could to his adversary’s neck. It seemed to have worked, and as the warrior staggered back, letting out a high-pitched cough, the Black Warrior delivered a flying kick and threw his opponent down to the ground.

The spar was over. His opponent laid still on the ground, uneasy gasps escaping his lips as he struggled to catch his breath, choking up swallowed debris. Aspect saw it as an easy victory and turned, no longer concerned. “I’ll take that as a foe.”

But he stopped dead in his tracks when the Samurai finally responded, no longer a voiceless enemy, but rather a familiar presence that he longed to better understand.

“You fight well.”

Aspect turned slowly, his face flushed red. Before him, sat among the foliage, was the beautiful Blacklai Fox he had met earlier, the one who had plagued his thoughts the moment they met.

“Snowshoe?”

Her eyes glimmered with amusement, despite a trace of blood running down her face and her fur dusted with debris. She lifted her helmet, her blue fur streaming in the soft breeze, the moonlight catching it so that it seemed to glow.

“Lucky guess, Black Warrior.” The Lady Snowshoe replied with a grin.

Aspect couldn’t believe his eyes. The elegant, soft and beautiful Blacklai Fox he had met earlier, the one who was to be the mate of the Shogun, the one who had summoned an official to look after her… was she actually a powerful and formidable Samurai? “I…”

“I’ve wondered about you,” She continued, interrupting the awestruck fox. “You seemed so aloof when I first saw you, standing alone behind the official. I couldn’t see what the whole hubbub was with you coming here. But now I understand.” She stood and walked to him, lifting her gaze to meet his. “You are truly a great fighter, and very strategic. I am honored to have had such a refreshing spar with a talented warrior.”

“As- as are you,” Aspect stammered suddenly, taken aback by her praise. He tried not to let himself get lost in her shimmering eyes and focused on her breastplate instead, but that just ended up taking away all his apparent ability to speak coherently.

She glared at him after a moment, respect being replaced with mild disgust. “Why are you staring at my chest?”

“AH! UH-” He backed away apologetically, looking at the ground instead. “...It’s, um… well made? Yes, well made. Well made chestplate! Where… how’d you become a… er… are you a Samurai?”

Snowshoe snorted, sitting down. “If you’re thinking that I’m looking for a mate, you’re dead wrong,” She spat. “I didn’t even want to be here, courting Isu. The gods themselves couldn’t keep me away from him for more than a day! He’s a clingy furball, and I don’t need another creep tailing me, thank you very much.”

Shame rushed through Aspect as he looked away. “...I… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. Nor did I mean to harm you.”

She looked at him, the anger vanishing from her gaze. “No harm done.” Then she patted the ground next to her invitingly. “Come sit down.”

Relieved, he obeyed, and they sat together for a few quiet moments. Aspect breathed in her sweet scent, and he thought it reminded him of vanilla.

Finally Snowshoe sighed and glanced at him. “Can you keep a secret?”

“Of course.” Aspect swallowed, vowing to do whatever he could for the maiden beside him.

“...Whatever you do,” She said, fidgeting with her hands, “Don’t tell Isu. The gods know that he may as well be horrified, or worse yet, tell my father.”

Shocked, Aspect stared at her in disbelief. “So you’re not a Samurai?”

“Not officially.” She began to grow uncomfortable, and she got up, carrying her helmet.

“Wait, Snowshoe.” The Black Warrior said suddenly, and she turned to face him. “What?”

“I… I promise I won’t tell anyone.” His gaze locked with hers for a brief moment. “Your secret is safe with me.”

She dipped her head. “I appreciate it.”

“And, um…” Aspect struggled to find the words for everything he wanted to say, but he could only get out a smidget of them. “...Would you… can you meet me here again? Tomorrow night?” He held his breath as he waited for her answer.

Snowshoe’s eyes gleamed. “You can count on it. BUT-” and here she pointed a finger at him- “If you so much as say a single word of me being out here, I’ll have your tail off. Got that, Mister Black Warrior?”

He nodded, smiling. “You have my word.”

Right before she could disappear through the foliage, Aspect added, “And, by the way, Snowshoe… the name’s Aspect.”