Hummingbird Monster

Chapter 1: Death is never wrong

A pair of twins walk down a flight of large stairs cutting into a lush mountainside, winding back and forth through the steep decline of the hills and tall sharp trees scratching the night sky. One twin had long black flowing hair tied in a loose braid held together by a flower-patterned cloth, her eyes a stunning ultramarine blue that sent onlookers into the depths of the ocean. The other twin had medium-length black hair that framed her face with bangs and amber eyes brighter than the sun, shining even in the darkest of nights.

Both are dressed in matching brown houmongi with a flower pattern traveling down the left side of the fabric. The long-haired twin carried a lantern carefully tucked into the obi tied around her waist, a pouch of money, and the scabbard of a sword tied to a rope around her waist. The other twin held a basket with an empty container covered with a white cloth.

"Sister I think we left too late, I can barely see with this light." The girl with the lantern turns to look at her partner. She rolls her eyes and smirks.

"Kotone we're fine, I'm here. And I took this!" The girl sets down the lantern and pulls out a large blade from the sheath on her side, the metal gleaming in the night.

"Rion put dad's sword away! We don't want to attract attention to ourselves this late at night." Kotone puts her hands on her sisters, trying to pull the blade away from her grasp. Rion fights back and steps off the path, struggling to pull the weapon away from her sister.

"Ko it's okay, I promise I'm okay. Hasano has been teaching me how to fight with this... since dad passed." Rion's grip loosens and she lowers the blade, the tip digging into the dirt. Their dad passed years ago but the wound was still fresh, he died in a battle protecting the town from raiders and their mother passed months later from heartbreak.

Kotone and Rion live with their older brother on top of the mountain by their family's cemetery, they tend to their parent's graves every day and pray at the shrine just a little further down the mountain. Hasano had been gone for a week, tasked with patrolling the boundaries of the town and making sure it was safe from further attack.

"Alright, I trust you." Kotone gives her sister a soft smile and lets go of the hilt, Rion returning the smile before sheathing the sword back under her houmongi. She picks up the lantern and the twins continue their journey to town. They needed to get supplies for the next ceremony tomorrow afternoon but their chores set them back much later than expected and they couldn't afford the trip the next morning.

Once off the staircase, Rion breaks into a sprint laughing in the cold night air as she fills the silence with fun. Kotone gasps, tying up the bottom of her houmongi with a spare length of fabric, and takes off after her sister, screaming at her to wait up. Rion laughs more and runs faster down the path, Kotone struggling to catch up as her breathing gets heavy.

The twins ran into town a giggling mess, turning heads of people enjoying a meal or drink at the raucous and rambunctious actions of Rion and Kotone passing through the streets. People laugh and shake their heads as they watch the young twins weave between couples and families, stuck in their little world of fun.

Kotone catches her sister's sleeve and pulls her back, sealing her victory as her sister falls over in laughter. They share a laugh before Kotone helps her up, they clean off their clothes and head down an alley. Rion leads them to a tea shop in the middle of the town square, leaves and flowers hung dry by different lengths of string tied to the ceiling boards. The owner recognizes Rion and smiles, waving a wrinkled covered hand.

"Good evening young ones, are you here for the usual?" Kotone reaches into her basket and pulls out an empty jar, nodding a yes to the old woman. The woman's hands disappear under the cart and pull out a bundle of leaves, setting them on the counter.