Siinji - Or, Ankūro and the City of the Golden Boughs

19

19

Almost within reach,
Tease of a nearby ending,
Further than first thought.
- Momiji.

As they prepared to set out on the next leg of their journey, Yurivno became surrounded by chattering, excited children. As though every child in the fishing village had appeared from nowhere after the storm had passed. Little faces gaped in fascination at Yurivno and she felt a wash of self-consciousness pass over her.

It wasn't the first time she had experienced such reactions on the island of Kaguta. Kannai were rare even in the big regional capitals. These people had probably never seen an Other-Kin in their entire lives. She doubted many even knew Other-Kin existed. Fae, Dragon-Kin, Driadin, Kannai were all creatures of legend to these people.

Despite her embarrassment, she tried not to shy away from the attention as little hands and fingers reached towards her. Hesitating touches of her tail, which she swished, on purpose, as fingers neared. Some were more bold than others, caressing her fur, reaching up to poke at her muzzle and whiskers.

"Oi! Oi!" The old woman swept among the throng of children, waving her walking stick above their heads with one hand, shooing them away with the other. "Not toy!"

At Ankūro's fearsome visage, the children bolted in several directions, screaming and laughing, rushing to hide behind parents and convenient obstacles. Once she had cleared the children from around Yurivno, the old woman gave a her a pursed-lipped nod and returned to her sack. Usually, the old woman would flip that heavy looking bag up, onto her shoulder. Today, she took greater care.

Taking a deep breath, Ankūro lowered herself, and rose with the bag hanging from her shoulder in a far more reserved manner. Yurivno found that odd. She looked towards Tuccé, but he hadn't seemed to notice at all, bent over before one child, grinning at the wide-eyed little one. With a flick of his fingers, Tuccé produced a bright coloured shell from somewhere and held it out for the child, who snatched it away, running to her friends to show them what the desert dweller had given her.

Giinshiro, in an insane show of determination, had already pushed his little fishing boat back out into the water. He gave her a little wave, a toothy grin crossing his face, and then turned to raise the small, square sail of his boat, beginning his song once more. Even as Giinshiro and his boat floated away, out to sea, Yurivno could hear the man's singing, drifting upon the breeze back to shore.

"Looks like we aren't wasting any time." Joining Yurivno, shifting the strap of his bag upon his shoulder, Tuccé nodded towards the old woman. "Walking again."

He sighed, shaking his head and began to follow Ankūro, who had already almost reached the outskirts of the village, head down as she strode in the direction of the boot mountain. Yurivno lifted her own bag, slipping it onto her shoulder and watched them both as they walked. Tuccé looked all around him, giving waves to the villagers he passed, glancing into the sky, squint-eyed, watching the clouds for heavier or lighter rain.

Ankūro walked like she had when fooling the guards, back in Akāi. Slouched, leaning upon her walking stick, shoulders hunched. Yurivno could not tell if she were acting the old woman, or whether the years she carried in her eyes and upon her face had finally caught up to her body. It seemed strange to see her so frail.

They soon left the fishing village behind, along with cherubic faces of the children, eager to take one last look at the Kannai that had passed within their midst. It seemed strange, to her that she had encountered no fear within the village. As polite as the people of Kaguta were, outwardly, Yurivno had noticed the murmurs and whispered conversations in other parts of the island. She had heard the fearful thoughts that they had seen some kind of demon, or dread creature among the more curious, fascinated and ebullient snippets of conversations. Only, not in that village.