A branch stuck to the ground, slightly pointed right. A sign left by Ichimaru, telling that the escape route had changed, and Kumari followed it with no hesitation. He still hadn’t catch up with him, but he knew he’d do it before the end of the day.
The terrain was becoming steeper as he advanced. The thieves were clearly trying to reach the mountains that marked the end of his lands, and he couldn’t allow them to escape. He had run through the whole afternoon, and he’d keep going for days if necessary. His honor was at stake.
“From all the things a lord has, what is it that he must treasure the most?”, his father asked him once, while guiding him through a run along the river shore.
“His castle!” little Kumari guessed, panting.
“Wrong! Anyone can pile up some rocks and call it a castle! Try again!”
The boy slowed down, out of breath. He had to stop before giving another answer.
“His sword?”
His father stopped too. When he turned around, the boy knew he was wrong again.
“It’s his honor. A lord’s word is the mark of his reputation. Never let a promise unfulfilled. Understand?”
“I do.”
“Good. Now promise me you won’t stop running again before we’re back to the castle.”
Kumari sighed.
“Yes, father.”
The young remembered those words well. With them, his father taught him to be a noble, and with those long runs he gave him the strength and resistance to put such lessons in practice. Never to rest while a promise was yet to be honored. The bear demons knew well the value of that attitude.
Another sign, a branch stuck into the ground near a small group of trees, next to the river’s shore. But, this time, it didn’t point to any direction but upwards. When he stopped to analyze it, he recognized the dog demon’s voice by his side.
“Don’t look here”, he whispered from behind a tree. “Just keep running. You’ve been followed.”
Kumari assented discreetly and moved ahead, wondering who could have tracked him. Maybe the thieves were setting a trap? He hastened his steps, hoping to draw the enemy into Ichimaru’s ambush. It didn’t take long for him to hear the sound of a fight.
He turned back and ran to help his frind, and arrived in time to see him knocking the pursuer down into a pool of guck.
“Got him?!”
“Yeah! It was a rare sort of mud demon”, he replied, laughing. At least until a ball of mud hit his face.
“Who are you calling a mud demon?!” Sazume got up from the pool, mad at her brother. “Damnit, Ichi, look at what you did to me! My boa is a mess!”
“Cute. Very proper behavior for a lady.” Ichimaru cleaned his face and stared at his sister, their eyes making it clear that they were ready to jump at each other’s neck.
And, all of sudden, they laughed together, for Kumari’s relief.
“What took you so long?”, Ichimaru asked.
“You think it’s easy to run off while dad’s watching? What’s the matter, Kumari? You look surprised. Did you really think I was going to let you two have all the fun without me?”
“Cut the chatter, sister. You came here because you recognized the thieves’ smell too, didn’t you?”
The girl sighed, somewhat worried.
“The scent of the fox demons’ blood was too strong back in the camp, so I didn’t realize it by then. But, when we started moving again, I sensed it… It must be them.”
“What do you mean? Who’s ‘them’?”, Kumari asked.
