Demon Slayer: Wisteria Furin

The Marsh

The mist hangs low and heavy, obscuring the view a few meters ahead. The cypress trees were spaced out and the birds amongst the branches were even more sparse. They called out for each other with their screeches.

Large stones jutted out of the saturated soil, perfect stepping stones for the lone girl who was making her way deeper within.

On the crest of one stone she paused. She looked around before she made her next step, her arms resting in the crux of her haori's front.

She closed her eyes and was still.

The wind whistled through the branches and tousled her hair.

Twing,...

The sound of her earrings, small versions of traditional wind chimes, furin, decorated with paintings of wisteria flowers, rang out in their gentle twinkling.

She turned her head and snapped open her eyes.

'"The wind...this way."

Into the mist, she continued.

He's tall, towering like the trees even though his frame is slumped forwards. His dirty fingernails create trails in the mud as he stalks his way through the marsh. The demon's skin is moldy green in color and his irises have gone milky. He has not been a human for a very long time.

Twing

The breeze carries the sound and her scent towards him, and he turns.

The girl has perched herself on a stone, her silhouette shrouded by the haze.

She takes a deep breath and a moment to tie up her sleeves before the battle. She doesn't have long to draw her blade. The sound of metal scraping against her scabbard rings out.

"You smell,...amazing!" He lunges at her.

"Ichi no kata- Jin Senpu Sogi"

She tunnels through to the other side, tearing into the demon's side. The demon was faster than he seemed and dodged before taking the full brunt of the attack. He was still up.

The demon swung his claws behind him to where she'd landed. Her blade clanged against his nails, which were as hard as steel, and deflected his attack. Three of his fingers fell to the ground, but he was unfazed.

Back and forth, he clawed and she slashed, a dance through the terrain. The sound of rushing water grew closer as the scenery changed. Their battle has brought them to a roaring river making its way over the lip of a steep hammock.

In her human condition, she needed to take a breather. Gusts of wind were all she left behind as she flipped back, soaring through the air and returning to her familiar position, perched on a rock.

She was breathing heavily.

I need to finish this quickly. If only I hadn't underestimated his speed, this wouldn't have been dragged out as long as it has.

The demon lays his eyes on her, salivating, eyes wild.

But he's using up his energy as well, getting more and more feral by the minute.

"I'm...starving, let me,...let me eat!"

As he makes his mad dash towards her, she steadies her hand.

This is it!

SNAP!!!

The demon skidded to a halt and snapped his head to look behind him.

A boy covered in mud with eyes full of fear stared at them. His weight had snapped a dry branch, probably in an attempt to escape.

"You,...how dare you leave my plate!" The demon, now lunging at the boy, snarled and roared. The child was frozen in terror, not even putting his arms up to protect himself.

Twing

Time seemed to still as she took the boy in her arms. But time is unforgiving and did not slow enough for her to be able to evade completely.

As the demon swiped, his claw tore a gash in her right leg. The mere force of the blow was enough to send the two humans plummeting down with the waterfall. Her arms were still wrapped around the boy.