Not Quite a Falling Star

Chapter 1

One hazy day, a young woman with long, pale hair went to explore the woods near her home. She had walked those woods many times, but this day she chose to follow the stream rather than the trail. She chose to walk without music in her ears, and listened to the hum of the city fade as the rustling of shy creatures in the bushes grew louder. Even the slightest deer could produce snaps and crashing noises, but among the wandering beasts, there was a noise that surpassed them all. It seemed to start from the tops of the trees, many branches snapped, accompanied by a whoosh, and a final deadening thump as the calamity came to an end. Her heart pounded in her chest as she heard the commotion. It was close by, but she failed to see the cause. Perhaps a large bird was injured and fell to the ground, or maybe even a monkey. It was likely something that was in the tree, but it was not small. If it were an injured animal, she resolved to see if she could assist it.

As she approached the direction of the noise, light filled the forest. Many bent and broken tree branches disturbed the canopy. If her ears did not deceive her, she heard what she thought was a low groan. It sounded like a person in pain! She hurried her footsteps until she saw a slumped figure on the forest floor dressed in the most unusual, black clothing. She skidded to the injured person's side and checked for breath. The chest was expanding and contracting in a slow, but staggered manner. She looked to the face, it was an ageless face of a strange looking man, there was some blood and bruising, but it did not seem to have serious trauma. His mouth held a grimace and his eyes were shut tight. Was he unconscious?

"Um..uh..." she spoke timidly, "Excuse me, are you conscious?"

There was no response.

"Please forgive me, I'm going to touch you. I want to see if you are bleeding badly, or if you have any broken bones."

A small, stressed groan, emerged from his lips. The light-haired woman slowly turned the injured man on his side. He was lighter than he looked. She pulled aside layers of cloth until her hand grasped a portion of his top that was covered with thick, wet blood. She recoiled and jumped back.

After a few deep breaths, she gathered the courage to get a better look at the wound. It was a slash across his stomach. Was it from one of the branches? How it got there was not important. What mattered was to ensure that bleeding stopped.

"Sir, I am so sorry, I have to remove part of your top."

This proved to be difficult. He had layers of kimono and something on his back was restricting the motion. That something was a set of lush, feathered wings. Fear took hold again. What she had thought was a feathery, ornate costume, was part of the...man?

"Wh...what are you?" she let slip before gasping and covering her mouth.

"No, no, no I am sorry," she stuttered considering the rudeness of asking someone such a question.

There was no response to either of these utterances. She shook off her trepidation once again and continued to tend to the wound. It was deep and it went diagonally across most of his abdomen. Much to her surprise, it was a clean cut. Was it from a blade? Never mind that. She used a layer of kimono and applied as much pressure as she could. The bleeding was slowing, but so was his breathing. Her concern grew but she forced herself to make a tourniquet before allowing too many questions to plague her mind.

With the bleeding mostly under control, she started to review options for what to do next.

"You really need to go to the hospital, don't you?" she stared at him kindly, but he was no longer lying limp. Somehow, he had managed to prop his back up against a tree. He was still seated, but he was upright. There was a disturbing smile on his face.

"Do you really think a hospital for humans can help me?" his voice was a combination of deep masculinity and something higher, almost playful and childish.

"No...I...I don't really know what to do for you!" She panicked.

"What you can do is leave."

"But, but, sir you are badly injured," tears formed in her eyes.

"This is nothing for a tengu. I will heal in a matter of hours. Now, leave! Leave before I start smelling like human."

"I - I - I am so sorry, Mr. Tengu. I was only trying to help, I thought you might die!" Watery eyes turned to loud sobs.

"Look, I didn't realize how stupid humans are, as I don't interact with them often. Your kindness towards another being was brave and admirable. But I have no interest in being humiliated any further."

Humiliated? What did he mean by that? She had so many questions for him, but she dared not ask. She took a long look at him before she left. Even if he had a rotten attitude, she wanted a clear image of a being she thought only existed in myth until some minutes ago. Bright, yellow eyes stared back at the woman. He held his gaze as long as she did. His face was that of a man, yet not. Despite the bruises and scratches, it was purer than man's face. His hair was the same solid black as the feathers on his wings.

As she departed, she felt concern. Sure, he was yokai, but that did little to allay her worry over that deep wound. Was he just too stubborn to accept the help of a human? She had never met a tengu before, so she knew little about their behavior. It irked her. Moreover, she was curious. When would the chance ever arise to interact with such a being? He said he would heal in a few hours, so she decided to return in a few hours. Besides, the air had cleared much since she started her walk. There was no reason not to continue down that stream she started on. The route home would inevitably lead her to his location again.

The tengu continued to watch the human woman as she disappeared in the thick trees before the stream. Why was she able to approach him without him noticing? Were his injuries so bad they diminished his power? It was just another fight with Retsu. Retsu did seem stronger than usual, but they had sparred many times before. The tengu began to wonder where his enemy was. In the past, the winner would come and taunt the loser, but this time he was nowhere to be found.

"Retsu, you bastard, come face me..." despite attempts to sound strong, his voice wavered.

His eyelids began to close. Before losing consciousness, he muttered to himself, "maybe this is worse than I thought..."