Always Be Appreciative of Opposable Thumbs

Chapter Fourteen: Don't Rely on Ugly Birds

 Sera jumped first, tumbling expertly into the bushes. As she got to her feet and brushed herself off, she looked up at the window to see Jyoji hesitating. Clutching his mandolin case to his chest, he peered down the two-story building, his face pale in the moonlight.

"What are you waiting for?" she hissed.

He glanced at his case. "What if I crush my mandolin? Without music, my life would be meaningless."

Rolling her eyes, she held out her arms. "Toss it down."

"What?"

"Toss it down to me and I'll hold it while you jump."

He hugged the case closer. "I'm not sure I—"

"Come on, Jojo, think of your muse!"

He hesitated another moment before biting his lip and letting out a long breath. With obvious reluctance, he threw his mandolin down to her. She caught it and tossed it over her shoulder and then waited for him to jump. Closing his eyes, he released the side of the window and plummeted to the ground. She winced when he hit the bushes with a sickening crack. Still holding onto the case, she rushed over to him to be sure he hadn't broken his neck.

"You're not dead, are you?" she asked.

A low groan assured her that he was indeed still breathing. Taking his hand, she helped him to his feet. He rubbed his shoulder and shook the leaves out of his hair before accepting back his mandolin, squeezing it tightly to his chest, as if the few moments apart had in fact been years.

"All right, the stables," Sera said, checking their surroundings to be certain they had not been sighted.

"Right. This way."

They snuck through the backyard and soon came upon a small shack of a building that smelled strongly of manure. There were only about five stalls, each occupied by some beast of burden, including a really ugly blue-faced bird that looked like it wanted to claw their eyes out. Each animal regarded them for a second before returning to its food bucket, except for one mule who nickered a greeting.

Jyoji smiled as he greeted the creature. "Okami," he said, leaning his forehead against hers.

"All right, let's saddle her up and get out of here before—"

Something stirred outside. Sera stifled a gasp and instinctively sank into the shadows. Jyoji tightened his grip on Okami's halter as someone drew closer.

Panic started to rise in Sera's chest, but she refused to let it take over. She looked about the dark stables, searching for some way to escape. But before she could even begin to formulate a plan, the door creaked open and a shadowy figure entered. As familiar footsteps approached, Sera's eyes fell upon the ugly bird.

"I know you're in here, drag—"

She tore open the bird's stall door and gave it a hard whack on the behind. The beast let out a rumbling growl and raced towards the intruder, leaping several feet into the air and attacking him with its razor-sharp talons. The man with the limp toppled to the ground and scrambled to get away as the furious bird continued its assault.

Sera didn't wait around to see what would happen next. She grabbed Okami's halter and Jyoji's arm, dragging them outside. When they were clear of the stables, she hauled herself onto the mule's back.

"What now?" Jyoji asked as he jumped up behind her.

"My friends are in the village square. We'll go find them and get the heck out of here."

She gave the mule a good kick in the sides, but the animal refused to move. She tried again and again until Okami released a loud whinny and planted her bottom firmly on the ground, allowing Sera and Jyoji to slide off her back.

"Your stupid mule is broken," Sera said.

"She's not broken, you're just not doing it right."

"What, does she have an on button I need to press?"

"You've already pressed all of her buttons, that's the problem. You seem to do that a lot." Jyoji approached the mule and gently stroked her nose. "She's a sensitive soul. You need to be kind and gracious."

Sera watched with mild disgust as he spoke softly to the animal and scratched her chin. After a few seconds of sweet talk, Okami was back on her feet. Jyoji shouldered his case, climbed atop the mule, and then held his hand out to Sera. She took it reluctantly. Okami glared at her, ears back and teeth exposed, but she settled down when Jyoji patted her mane.

"Your mule is just as weird as you," Sera mumbled as she wrapped her arms around Jyoji's long torso.

"You know, you seemed so nice when I first met you."

"Excuse you, I'm a peach."

The devil bird squealed in terror as it ran past them. They looked back to find the man with the limp standing just outside the stables with a strange device in his hands. Narrowing his eye at them, he pulled a trigger and released a projectile. It hit the bird, knocking it to the ground and trapping it in a giant net. The animal cried out and struggled to escape but to no avail. With a wicked grin, the man turned his gaze to Sera and aimed the device at her.

"Go, go, go, go!" Sera cried, tightening her hold on Jyoji's waist.

He urged Okami forward, and she took off with impressive speed. They raced through the empty streets, dodging stray children and drunk folks staggering off to their next drink. Sera kept glancing over her shoulder to see if the man with the limp had followed them, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Whoa!"

Jyoji pulled at Okami's halter as a dark figure appeared before them.

The man with the limp.

"Dang it! How is he so fast?" Sera said.

Steering Okami in the opposite direction, Jyoji tried to lose him by zigzagging along the road. Again, though, the man with the limp somehow managed to cut them off. Three more times they tried and failed to evade him. Eventually, they were forced into a dead-end alley.

"Now what?" Jyoji asked Sera.

But she had no plan. No lies, no schemes, no nothing. After running for so long, he had finally caught her. It wasn't fair. Why her? What did he want with her? She didn't even remember destroying his home or his livelihood. So why wouldn't he leave her alone?
"Give me the girl and I'll let you leave in peace," the man said to Jyoji.

Jyoji sat straight and tall. "Look past your prejudice, sir," he said, his voice strong and heroic.

The man cocked his head. "Prejudice?"

"She and her people have caused you no harm. They are an amazingly talented and dying breed. Let them live in peace."

"What are you talking about, boy?"

Jyoji uselessly tried to talk his way out of their predicament. This was ridiculous. He was getting them nowhere fast, and Sera was in no mood to get caught. Leaping off the mule, she pushed past the man with the limp and escaped into the night.

Forget the mule, forget the cart, forget them all. She'd find the Fairy on her own like she had originally planned. She didn't need friends or geese or old ladies in shoes or tone-deaf minstrels. Besides, Hugo would be glad to be rid of her, and as long as Hugo was happy, Willow would be happy. No love lost—

Something hit her from behind, and she tumbled to the ground. Attempting to rise to her feet, she found herself tangled in a net. As she struggled to free herself, a shadow fell over her, and she looked up to see a single dark eye glaring down at her.

The man with the limp gave a nasty smirk. "End of the line, dragon girl."