Wandering Warrior

Round 1

    She had been watching him for a long time. Since he'd first entered her forest days ago now it seemed, carrying a large white canvas sack over his right shoulder. A wandering warrior surrounded by powers not meant for mortal hands. It was what first caught her attention. Spirits, like her, were attracted to humans like him because of it.

    Curiousity had drawn her to him like a veritable moth to the flame.

    Dusk was settling in her forest, the trees were already singing their lullabies. The flowers were on the verge of falling asleep, their petals folding in on themselves. The sun had turned the sky of her forest a dark pink and purple. She should be dancing on the wind across the treetops right now, twirling in the air like an autumn leaf with her arms outstretched.

    Except she wasn't. She was blended perfectly into a large tree, keeping herself hidden from the warrior to better observe him.

    He was not a tall man, more than a couple inches under six feet she'd hazard a guess. His short hair was black like a raven's wing, a faded, red headband was wrapped around his forehead, the tails of it hanging down his back. He had somewhat bushy black eyebrows that accentuated his near black eyes. He sported a square jaw that was lined with an uneven stubble.

    The white clothes he wore looked worn, dirty and torn. The karate gi had the sleeves torn off, the edges of the material was frayed and tattered. A black belt was knotted at his waist tightly, four kanji symbols were sewn into the material, she could not read them from here. The pants he wore were also frayed and tattered at his ankles. He was barefoot.

    His sack was dropped at the base of a tree and he sat down, cross-legged, and leaned back against the bark. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he placed his hands on his knees. A faint wind rustled his shirt, lifting it from his muscular chest.

    She crept away from the tree she was hiding in and hovered close to where he sat, meditating. She had noticed that when he stopped to rest, he slept sitting up for an hour or so before he would start dancing around for hours. It wasn't the same kind of dance she did when the wind blew just right. He used his legs and arms very differently, fighting more than dancing. She had no way of knowing that he was actually training, honing his martial arts, keeping his body in peak physical condition.

    Her dainty feet touched the ground just in front of the warrior. She sat before him cross-legged, the same as he. She debated for a moment whether she should materialize in front of him when he spoke, startling her.

    "I know you're there." His voice was even-toned, balanced with a hint of gravel. She froze before him and then relaxed as he opened his eyes. He was staring in her direction and she thought he could see her before he frowned suddenly and she watched him look from left to right. His black eyes searching her forest.

    His frown deepened, his mouth remained a thin line. She could better see him now that she was closer. She could also read the kanji on his belt. Wind, Forest, Fire and Mountain. She was curious as to what that meant, but not curious enough to materialize.

    There were rules to follow before she could appear to a human. He could not bring harm to her forest. As a Yokai she had to make sure he would respect this. Humans were dangerous, they did not live well with the spirits that surrounded them.

    The black eyes closed and he took in a deep breath, his chest expanding, the muscles bunching. He leaned his head back against the tree and she watched as his entire body relaxed.

    He did not move for a long time and when he opened his eyes again, she found herself leaning forwards to better look into their depths. Their faces were a mere inch apart. His eyes weren't focused on her rather he was looking through her. She was still invisible.