A Fox's Whisper

36: |几卂尺| Pt. 1

"Get Sora out of the way," Legion told me as he wiped a trickle of blood from a nasty cut across his lip.

"You aren't serious," I said. All of us were exhausted. I wasn't sure I could even move forward if I tried without my knees giving out. My arms and legs were heavy, my mind so fogged with fatigue that forming words was a hassle. I'd used far too much fox magic, and now I was paying the price for it.

"I am entirely," Legion responded. He did not give either Kazuha or me a chance to respond before he dug his feet into the ground and plunged forward towards Dorobo.

"Legion, wait!!" I screamed. My voice was swallowed by thunder, and I felt very small compared to the rest of the world.

"Do as he says, Inari," Kazuha said, eyes blazing with tenacity. "Go. Now!!"

And then he took off after Legion, leaving me behind surrounded by yokai corpses. I watched as the two of them branched out to either side of Dorobo. I watched as Dorobo lazily picked up his staff from the ground and nudged Sora's body away from him with his foot.

I reached a hand forward as if perhaps I might grab one of them, even though I was a good distance away. We stood no chance. We'd be defeated in a matter of minutes. Had not Sora been felled in the blink of an eye? The world swayed, my vision doubled.

I couldn't move. Why couldn't I move?? I had to. They'd told me to. They needed me to. They'll die. They'll be killed. Sora will be killed, what are you doing, move, move, MOVE!!!

Suddenly I was running forward, racing, tripping, tumbling. My injured ankle was practically on fire and I had to fight every urge to fall to the ground and scream in agony because everything hurt.
I looked up, bleary-eyed from the rain as the sudden sharp sounds of metal upon wood crashed through the air. My fox ears laid flat against my head and my teeth gritted together as a new fight broke out.

Together, Kazuha and Legion managed to force Dorobo backward away from me, away from Sora. I dropped to the ground, mud oozing on my skin as I rolled Sora onto her back. She looked dead, but her chest rose and fell in the signs of breathing.

"Come on. Wake up." I shook her by the shoulders. Her body was limp, her eyes closed. Her skin was sallow, pinched, and sickly. That wasn't from anything Dorobo had done. Not unless you counted him breaking her heart as a deliberate attack. "Wake up, Sora," I pleaded. But she remained unresponsive.

I glanced frantically over at Legion and Kazuha to find them dueling Dorobo with such ferocity and speed that I could barely keep up with their attacks. It made me dizzy just to watch.
I don't know how any of them did it. I don't know how Dorobo defended himself from the two of them, and I don't know how Kazuha and Legion didn't die right then and there.

Legion swung his katana right for Dorobo's neck, and Kazuha went low, bringing his blade towards Dorobo's legs.
Dorobo tilted his staff to block Kazuha, simultaneously ducking to avoid Legion. He used his momentum as he stood to kick Legion's exposed torso, swinging the staff back around to land a blow upon the ronin's back.

Not a moment later did Dorobo have to turn to defend himself yet again as Kazuha thrust his sword towards Dorobo's side. Dorobo spun his staff horizontally, knocking Kazuha's katana back. Before Kazuha could react, Dorobo took a wide stance and jabbed his staff right into Kazuha's chest. Kazuha staggered back, having had the air knocked out of him. Dorobo rotated his hands and his staff met the side of Kazuha's head with a crack that made my stomach squeeze tight. The blow flung Kazuha to the ground, and he left deep trenches in the mud as his body skidded to a halt.

My breath caught in my throat, fear congealing in my bones. But right before Dorobo could attack Kazuha again, arcs of fire burst towards him from Legion's sword.