Mirror'd Images
Mirror'd Images
(Please note, this story will be updated roughly every week, or as time allows.This story is copywrited Joseph A. Bullard, and the character's respected furs in the story are copywrited by thierplayers. Please be patient, and please, do not copy, or edit it, and call the story yours, Its mine, k?)
A lone nightengale sang from a low hanging
branch of a white petaled dogwook tree
bordering the palace grounds of Mezu
prefecture, Edo, Japan. The sun hadn't
risen yet, and would be a good two hours
before it had. Yet, a single fur was
awake, seeking solace in the temple
gardens, preferring the company of the
nightengale's song, and her thoughts in
her mind.
A female sat near her favorite place,
consisting of various temples, courtyards,
and private palaces of the Daimyo,
(lordship), sitting in near darkness, but
her senses clear and sharp around her,
mostly from her training as guardian to
the Shogunite, Lord Tokugawa, his wife
Sherri, and Kiyomi,the only daughter of
Tokugawa, crowned princess of Edo Fields.
She only ventured outside after seeing the
family was safe, and notifying the palace
guard she would be outside in the gardens
and to be notified in case an emergency.
Her official title was 'Personal Guardian
to Kiyomi Tokugawa', but she was hardly
just a guardian. She was Kyomi's best
friend, confidant, and sister, yet adopted
daughter to Tokugawa. Her title also
afforded her confortable living, the best
in servant care, even in a place in the
Emporer's will, after he passes away, but
thankfully, that dosent appear soon.
The place she sat was where a palace guard
found her as but a toddler, hastilly
carried in the arms of a family friend
after her village was raided by bandits,
leaving her without parents. The family
friend had stumbled onto the grounds and
died, leaving Yasha clutching the woman's
bloodied robe, an arrowhead embedded in
her back.
The guard sounded the alarm and awoke the
Emporer, but the female died before
telling anyone of the toddler's name or
family. The only things identifying the
little girl was a torn and tatterd outfit
with 'Yasha' sewn into the back of the
collar, identifying the garment as hers,
along with a small silver medalion on a
cord round her neck, inscribed was a
single kanji word,'Loyalty', which had
been her keepsake since her birth.
Yasha reached with two fingers and touched
the medalian, remade into a choker around
her throat, set into a piece of thick
violet cotton, a striking contrast to the
off white-grey fur of her throat. Standing
at only 5'2 tall, Yasha was a bit shorter
than females of her breed and age. Being a
skunk, she had the standard markings, but
the colors were lighter and reversed,
being white/grey instead of black/white.
Her eyes are a stunning grey-green, hair
long white wave to the small of her back,
combed over the right side of her face,
covering a nasty scar, suffered when she
was slashed from the attack on her home.
Her hands and feet had the requisite
gloves and boots of contrasting grey to
her white furred arms and legs. Her tail
was thick and white, with a grey stripe to
the tip, flopping backward as she walked.
"Mayhaps I need to get to sleep." Yasha
spoke to herself as she stood, pulling on
her Geta sandals, adjusting the robes to
her kimono and dress. Smiling up to the
nightengale for accompanying her with the
soothing music her spirit needed to hear,
she departed back to her chambers.
"Was your outing pleasant, Miss Yasha?",
the guard asked as she walked past. Being
newly assigned the post, he wasn't used to
the company.
"It was refreshing, and much needed, thank
you, ....umm..." Yasha's ear flopped to
the side as she realised she hadn't seen
him before. "May I ask your name?"
"I'm Zander." The male wolf beamed as he
had a chance to say more than good morning
to anyone before. He was just out of
training, and his eyes were bright, and
his tail wagged as he spoke. "Thank you
for taking the time to talk to me,
Yasha-sempai."
"No need to be so formal when I'm alone."
Yasha smiled pleasantly as she spoke.
"Mayhaps we may talk again when your off
duty, but my duties are to Lady Kiyomi
first, but then..."
"But then what, Yasha dear?" a female
voice sounded from behind the white-fured
mephit, almost causing Zander to jump out
of his skin as he snapped to attention.
"Looking to escape with our newest guard?"
she giggled as she stood in the doorway to
her chambers.
"You are awake, Lady Kiyomi?" Yasha bowed
as Zander stayed at attention.
"Hai, I heard you talking as I was getting
a drink of water." Kiyomi smiled a bit as
she stretched her arm above her head with
a murr. She stood at a nice 5'4 height,
with raven black hair, to the middle of
her back, striking blue eyes her mother's
no doubt, but the dark, smoke grey fur,
and the panther features, make no mistake
her lineage to her father, along with his
intellect, but strenthened by her mother's
grace. Her four foot tail swayed behind
her, often conveying her moods. She was
currently dressed in a small silken kimono
that fit tightly around her, vivid colored
in emerald green with lilys, down to mid
thigh. "I heard you wishing to escape if
you had the time with poor Zander there?"
"Oh, yes Kiyomi, I was just wondering if
you were going to alert the other guards?"
Yasha poked her tongue out at the
pantheress with an exaggerated wink, as
Zander blushed crimson, trying to keep his
composure.
"Well, if you do go out, do try to make it
back by lunch, with Zander in one piece,
with details." Kiyomi smiled as she waved,
entering her room with a yawn.
"Yes my Lady, good evening." Yasha bowed
as the pantheress slid the door shut with
a klack. "Ill report again in the
morning."
Yasha bowed to Zander smiling as he
visibly relaxed, entering her own room,
and securing the door. As she slipped into
bed, her thoughts returned to what had
been troubling her the previous few
nights.
The 'Tournament-of-Edo-Fields' were fast
approaching, only a few days away. She was
training for her second year back, having
placed within the top 4 competitors, and
was highly favored to win. But besides
that, the nightmares from a past she had
no reccollection of was draining her mind
and spirit as she slept, wearing her out
to the point of taking mid afternoon naps
to recover. If she was to keep from
embarrassing herself in the Tournament,
she had to get her head on straight, while
she had the chance.
<><><><><><><><><><>
Yasha awoke the next morning with a start,
being jolted from her dream with a muffled
wail and her face deep in her pillow. She
couldn't remember what happened, but it
certainly scared her. She placed her her
paw on the side of her face and felt
blood.
Jumping out of bed to the bathroom, she
ran and cleaned the blood off her face
from a scratch in side of her face,
looking like the scar had opened up again.
Now she was really confused. "The scar is
twenty years old, no way it should have
opened again!" She rubbed an oitment on
the cut, holding a towel over her eye. The
oitment gave off a slight irritant, which
caused her eyes to water a bit.
After breakfast, she discussed what
happened when she awoke, to Kiyomi as they
took thier customary walk around the
palace grounds. The sky was a bit
overcast, but the air was pleasantly warm,
and breesy. The walk was a daily ritual
for them both.
"Mayhaps you scratched at yourself during
your sleep, you're lucky you didn't get
your eye, it would've been serious."
Kiyomi replied as she looked at the scar
with a trained eye. She had studied
medicine and healing magics for about 3
years from tutors that stayed with the
family. But she was clearly baffled.
"Yes my lady." Yasha replied as they
rounded a corner to a side courtyard,
where the guards were training thier
routines and katas. With permission, Yasha
walked off the walkway, and joined in
doing the form with the guards, unzipping
the side of her tight kimono dress from
her knee to the outer side of her hip, so
she could finish the form with the two
required kicks, finishing in a cat stance.
Kiyomi smiled and applauded, along with a
few other students. "Well done
Yasha-nesan, no wonder you're highly
favored in the tournament."
"Well it is my favorite kata of the set,
right sensai?" Yasha smiled pleasantly as
the teacher bowed to Kiyomi, and the
students followed suit.
"Sensai, a question...?" A young male wolf
raised his paw as he knelt down. "Why must
we have our arms to the front as we kick,
its easier if we hold them to the side for
balance and more power"?
"I thought you were gonna ask her for a
kiss." A young puma male with black fur
poked the wolf in the ribs as he stage-
-whispered just loud enough for everyone
to hear. The teacher even cracked a smile
as Yasha's ears pinked considerably.
"Come to the front for a demonstration,
Ura." The teacher pointed to the
whispering puma up to the platform with a
side ways smile to Yasha. He was a stocky
husky wearing a grey workout gi, with a
multistrpied black belt. "If you can
successfully hit Yasha as she does the
kata, without you getting hit in return,
she'll kiss you and Graytail both."
The group of students hooted and cheered
as Ura stoood up and walked to the
platform. "Im going to enjoy planting a
wet one on you Miss Yasha."
"I'm sure it'll be a memmorable lesson."
Yasha asssumed her defensive stance, her
paws ready for Ura to start the attack.
"Sweeping Blades."
Ura started the attack with a punch, and
ducked as Yasha blocked the punch, then
threw her left leg over his head in a
crescent-kick.
"First Blade !" the instructor barked out
each attack in succession as the kata
flowed in front of the students, with
Kiyomi watching carefully. Yasha spun
around, sweeping her leg out to trip Ura.
"Second Blade !"
Ura jumped back over the sweep, and then
grabbed her collar, pulling her up to her
toes, even with his eyes, being a good 4
inches taller and 40 pounds heavier.
Instead of him attacking Yasha, he planted
a wet kiss on her mouth, fully and hard,
holding her head in his huge paws so she
couldn't move away.
"Yeeepppp... Mllrrrlpphhh!!!" Yasha's eyes
widened as she was kissed so blantantly,
but what really infuriated her was his
pressing his tongue against her clenched
teeth.
Ura just stood and grinned evily, proud of
himself as he readied for Yasha's attack,
as he held her collar tight.
Yasha broke off the kata, and took it into
her own hands before the instructor could
break the hold, and Kiyomi put her paw out
to him, to let Yasha continue.
Yasha clamped Ura's hands tight to her
top, with her left paw, while driving her
right arm hard up into his elbows, causing
him to yelp. She then flared her arm out
to the left, sweeping his arms from her.
Before Ura could pull away, Yasha grabbed
his left arm tightly, raising her hand to
block his next strike at her muzzle.
"Hook, Fourth and Fifth Blades !"
Yasha held Ura's wrist and applied
counter-clockwise pressure to keep him
from falling over, then kicked her left
foot and connected his muzzle fairly hard,
but keeping her power in check. Planting
her left foot down in a twist stance, she
then spun herself out in a blurr, her right
rear side to Ura, driving a devastating rear
kick to his ribs knocking him back about
eight feet after letting his paw go.
Lady Kiyomi's mouth hung open as Yasha
held her leg out in the kick, fully
extending her leg for effect.
The instructor pointed to the fallen
student, while mentioning the points of
the technique to the others. "That kata
was flawless, however you must remember to
release your opponents hand before the
second kick connects. Otherwise you risk
injury or breaking your ankle, knee, leg,
or foot, due to the closeness of the kick,
and the extension of the leg. The power
you generate in a rear-side kick is
immense, you're using the strongest
muscles in your legs for the kick."
Yasha nodded as she satknelt down to the
side.
Ura growled as he stood, his fur
bristling, his eyes red in rage. "That is
no lady, she'll never survive a street
fight !" He lept up as Yasha sat down,
readying to stomp both footpaws on her
tail. "Charging Ram ."
Yasha reacted by twisting to her left,
planting her right foot beside her left
knee, readying for the punch and rush at
her. But, the attack never came.
"Improvise this, Yasha !" Ura leered as he
crouched next to the kneeling skunkette,
grinning. He then splayed his claws and
raked them up the side of her face, up her
vulnerable right side, cutting her deeply
from her jaw to her eye. "Dragon Slash and
Stomp !"
Yasha screamed out in pain as she fell
backward, clutching her bloodied face,
rolling to avoid Ura's double footpaw
stomp aimed at her head, sweeping her leg
out in sheer desperation to knock Ura off
his feet somehow. But as he did before, he
jumped over her sweep, and grabbed her by
her hair, and kissed her a second time,
mocking her.
But after kissing her again, Yasha was
ready to fight back, and to end this
quickly. She headbutted Ura under the
chin, and sidestepped, driving her elbow
into his chest, knocking the wind out of
his lungs. She then dropped her fist,
smashing his jewels, then slid her elbow
in a blurr up to Ura's muzzle, dizzying
him. "Feet of Lightning !" Yasha jumped
straight up, and drove both her feet with
a thundering crack, as her skirt flared
kicking into the side of Ura's head,
flipping him backward off the training
area, landing on his side, knocked
unconsious, as Yasha landed heavilly on
her hands and knees, and falling to her
side.
Kiyomi jumped up and ran to Yasha's side,
grabbing a towel and helping Yasha sit up.
"Yasha, sis, are you alright? Let me see
your face."
Yasha moaned a bit as she turned and faced
Kiyomi, her eyes kept closed. There were
three long cuts, two fairly deep, and
bloodying the side of her face. The cuts
were open and from the jaw to her eye.
Kiyomi pressed the towel to Yasha's cheek,
the blood wasnt flowing, but Yasha needed
a healer's help. Hopefully a healer would
be able to close the wounds with minimal
scarring.
Kiyomi reached for a small wood flute, and
gave 3 short blasts. Within 15 seconds,
two snow leopards, royal palace guardians
dressed in purple and white battle robes
arrived and flanked Kiyomi and Yasha,
awaiting the orders of the princess.
"Yasha, hold this tight..." Kiyomi gave
Yasha the towel.
"Teacher, I need that student awake." She
watched as the students gathered around
Ura, still out cold. Her voice was low and
her tail wagged very slow.
"Yes my Lady." The teacher reached for a
small packet of smelling salts, breaking
them open, and waving them under Ura's
nose, reviving and helping him stand.
Kiyomi stepped over to Ura, with the
leopards beside her, her tailtip wagging
angrilly. "You made an attempt to tear off
my beloved sister's face, and mocked her
and me by foolishly resorting to...."
"Well, aparently..." Ura started to reply,
interrupting Kiyomi, but was quickly
silenced by the snowleopard's huge paw,
clamping his muzzle shut, and grasping a
huge section of the nape of Ura's neck.
Sending a numbing shock down to his knees,
buckling them, forcing Ura to kneel down.
"You are NOT to interrupt Lady Kiyomi
while she is addressing you. You will only
respond when she wants you to answer, but
if you interrupt Lady Kiyomi again, i'll
personally rip your tongue out !" The
leopard stood a good foot taller and
appeared to be cut from granite, his
yellow eyes drilling into the fox's skull.
"Nod if you understand, whelp !"
Ura nodded, eyeing the leopard warily.
"You retaliated against Yasha after being
shown a kata. And you also humiliated her
by scarring her face, and kissing her, not
once but twice !" Kiyomi folded her arms
in front of her chest.
"I bet that was her first kiss from a
male." Ura snapped at the leopard's paw
going for his muzzle. "Unless you were the
first to kiss her, then that would mean
she wouldn't be interested in males."
Kiyomi growled and slapped Ura hard across
the mouth, her ears flat, and her voice
shrill in a his, her tailtip wagging in a
blur. "Do you realize I can have you
killed for that insult? You'd better be
thankful I'm in a forgiving mood. You are
an embarrassment to the palace and to the
province. I intend to make you pay for
your absurdity toward my sister and me
today for the rest of your despicable life
!"
Kiyomi sent for another fur from the
palace, a notetaker from her fathers
council. Decana was a long blond haired,
female feline, dressed in a simple grey
kimono, black pants with the kanji symbol
for 'Council' embroidered on her robe.
She carried a scroll and an inkpad with
her, she wrote the minutes of the council
meetings. Her demeaner was quiet, but her
knowledge of law made her an indespensible
asset to Kiyomi's father's team of
advisors.
"You called for me, Kiyomi-sama?" Decana
bowed as she stood beside Yasha. "What
happened here?"
"Decana, a situation has risen here. And I
need your and the council's approval for
an ordinance here." Kiyomi stared straight
at Ura. "Please copy this to file, and
have council review this."
Decana readied with the quill and ink
stamp, and copied as Kiyomi stated the new
ordinance.
"Since Ura decided to retaliate against
Yasha, by using unjust force and injured
her. Let this new ordinance be passed."
Kiyomi started, her arms crossed in front
of her chest. "Any fur, male or female,who
lives or visits here, assaults another
fur in an attempt to injure or kill with
little regard for thier safety, be
immediately arrested, and charged in the
attack. The severity of the punishment
shall match the injury to the victim. From
a warning to the attacker if little or no
injury is found, to death by execution if
death happens to the victim or a female
looses a unborn if pregnant and attacked."
(top)Mirror'd Images
