Shadow (book 3)

Zee's mother

Over the past few months Zee has taught me many things such as how to hunt, which plants are edible and how to use my other senses to my advantage. She's taught me some simple jutsu and strengthened my body against the sun. As much as I dislike it, I've grown attached to her these past five months and I feel sad that within the week we will be going our separate ways. Her back to her village and me to find my father.
"Zee?" She hums in response, "do you know anyone named Moriko?"
"Moriko? Hmm let me think...." she places her finger on her chin, lightly tapping it, she does that whenever she's thinking.
"Yeah I think I know of one or two, why?"
"I'm looking for someone," I draw lines in the dirt, "I'm looking for my real father." I hear her move positions.
"Your real father? Well that rules out the Moriko that lives way in the ice lands." She pauses, "but there's a Moriko in my village. I guess if you want to meet them then we'll be traveling together more." A smile spreads across my face as I look up. Without even thinking I launch myself at her and hug her.
"I'll take that as you telling me your coming with me." She says softly, stroking my hair as I snuggle closer, "alright, get your stuff, since you're coming with me we are going to leave now." I nod and get up, gather my things and then walk back over to her.
"Chocolate chip?" She hand me a cookie with a shine in her eyes and she bites the inside of her cheek. This prank again.
I sniff it and watch as she scrawls, "raisins." I say and hand it back.
"Why didn't you just eat it, why'd you have to smell it. It was going to be funny." She mumbles and starts eating the cookie.
"You've done that prank too much, funny for you, I don't like raisins." I side step a trap set on the ground and hear her huff, I smirk.

***

By the time we arrived at the gates of her village she had black paint around her eye and some feathers still in her hair, where she can't see it. I on the other hand had an upset stomach and paint on my face and hair.
"Zee, welcome home," a female shop owner bows, "did you have a nice trip?"
"I did!" She shoves me in front of the old lady, "this here is Shadow, I brought him to meet Moriko." She looks me over and I stay silent, not quite sure what to do.
"Zee, did you name him?" She asks while picking off some paint flakes from my hair with a frown.
Zee frowns with a glare, "no, he named himself."
She laughs and hands us some dumplings, "go on, your mother will be upset if you don't go there before you go see Moriko. And I'd clean yourself off on the way, you know how she is." Zee looks at her reflection in the shop window and takes the few feathers from her hair then turns to me. She takes out a cloth, wets it and wipes the dried paint from both her face and mine.
"If she asks about the red in your hair, just say you wanted to add some color to it." Zee says and starts pulling me in a direction before I could respond. The trip to her house wasn't long, but I was surprised that it was the biggest building around.
"Princess, welcome home, your mother is waiting for you in the living room." A girl bows, a servant? Zee nods a bit hesitant, I have a feeling I won't like her mother. As we get closer I feel a strong energy, one of unhappiness and disappointment. Two men, who I assume are also probably servants, open the door to the living room to reveal a woman who seemed to be in her late 40s. She sat on the only single chair with a deep frown on her face, her energy is like the opposite of Zee's.
"I see you've finally returned," her eyes look me up and down, "and you brought an orphan." Although she didn't say it, I could see the disgust in her eyes.
"Mother," Zee bows her head in respect, "this is Shadow, I've brought him to meet Moriko." Her mother's face doesn't change much, still a disappointed frown.
"Well he's not stay here and I hope that disgusting bird of yours is gone." As she says that I sense Taka shuffle inside Zee's bag. Zee doesn't say anything, just nods.
"Come closer." Zee walks closer to her mother, who looks her over before pulling a random Feather out of Zee's hair that none of us noticed.
"Why is this in your hair?"
"A bird flew by." A lie but her mother seemed to buy it.
"And the red pain in his hair? How's that happen?"
"The bird was caring a message to someone which was dripping with paint." Zee says with obvious sarcasm, but her mother seemed to not care what she was saying.
"Madam, here's your tea." A young girl says hand her a cup, she sips it and then pure anger washes over her face.
"Can't anyone do anything right in this house! I said I wanted it warm, not cold!" I step back, her face was red as she yelled at the girl. She then dismisses us and the girl runs out with the cup, I notice a few tears escape her eyes.
"Come on, let's go see Moriko." I nod, ready to leave.