maybe i'll post something later... *solemn, pensive music*

WHY WAS THERE NO CAPTCHA WHAT 

Chapter 1 of a new project! Always open to feedback, if you have any!

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Thick rusty dust swirled around Kaede as the cart slammed to a stop, the momentum nearly throwing her off and immediately startling her awake. The horses whinnied nervously, tossing the manes and rearing up as if something blocked their path. The sky was dark with a heavy reddish-brown tint, and an irony musk permeated the air. She squinted, coughing as she cautiously dismounted. Just what was going on? In all her years with these horses, they had never given her problems without reason, and something told her it wasn't just the strange mist that bothered them. 

She couldn't shake the tension from her body even as she laid foot upon solid ground. Something was not right. It was quiet. Too quiet. She, of all people, knew the noises of the forest too well to feel safe in that moment of eerie silence. Her muscles clasped and unclasped, ready for action, even as she soothed her beasts. She would be foolish not to notice something amiss, for their nostrils flared and eyes looked wide and startled. Nothing stirred, but for the heavy breath and hoof-clops of the skittish horses shifting around.

Suddenly a piercing cry sounded to her right. It wasn't a human voice. And it was from high in the air, as if up in a tree. A heavy thud followed it, something crashing to the ground. Dead. Her horses nickered, almost desperately, as if begging to be left alone. Kaede hastily shushed them, head swirling with thoughts, fingers slipping to their harnesses. A low growl drifted up from behind them. She stepped aside as the buckles slid cleanly off, pointing the pair in seperate directions. 

“Go.” They immediately shot off, relieved to be dismissed. She could only hope she hadn't sent the beasts galloping to their deaths. The cart could be replaced. It was something she had fashioned on her own, after all. The horses, though? Not so easily. She took a deep breath, realising the same was true for her own life. They would need a blessing if they were all to be able to reunite after this. She cursed softly, gingerly stepping off the path and doing her best to muffle her footsteps. Every few steps she would halt, listening. There was just silence again.

Then, there was a burst of movement and everything went dark. 

Chapter 2:

It was only for a moment that Kaede's vision smarted. Immediately a fierce ache throbbed through her head and she lowered it back to the ground. Something had hit her, and hard. Keeping her head low, she peered around. There was a figure standing a ways away from her. At first she thought it was a woman, but when it turned its head she couldn't help but gasp. What was that? It did indeed resemble a human woman until halfway up its face, but above the powdered skin and vibrant red-stained mouth sat a bouquet of large flowers splattered in what appeared to be blood. At the centre of the bouquet peeked a large eyeball, far larger than should have been possible, and it now glared, fixed right on her. She flinched, frozen in fear. She couldn't pull herself up, and her head pulsed in hot pain. There was no getting out of this. 

As if sensing her thoughts, a sound like a “thunder-flower,” a kyoī-no-hana¹, she had once seen at a festival in Hua Ning² rang out. A man's triumphant shout followed it, and its strangely-clad owner appeared from between the trees. The thing screeched, apparently hit, and scuttled off on all fours, with him chasing after it. A second man trailed after, seeming to survey the area, looking for something. When he saw Kaede stir, he quickly hurried over. 

“Ah, please have a look at this…” He fumbled around in his sleeve before pulling out a bottle of what Kaede realised were cha-bo³, matchsticks. He struck one upon the special strip on the side of the bottle and held it in front of her face. “Can you tell me what this is?”

“...Cha-bo?” The man looked baffled. This, in turn puzzled Kaede, hazy as her mind was. Was her knowledge that surprising? Sure, cha-bo weren't particularly common in Eiwa⁴, especially not in these parts, but they were a fairly well-known technology of Hua Ning. 

“Uh, let's try this again…” He repeated his question with a new match. This confused Kaede yet more. “The cha-ri⁵? Or cha-bo? What exactly is it you're asking me?” She was starting to get annoyed, and would really rather this man go and get some help. “Would you mind going to the nearest village and-”

“It doesn't work on you…?” The man mumbled, staring at her. “Ah, yes, you must need help, right… But…” The main trailed off, seemingly lost in thought, “Here, can you walk?” Kaede nodded, getting to her feet with effort. Her head was still pounding and her vision darkened as she righted herself. He offered her to lean on him, a proposal which she reluctantly accepted. It was a while before they spoke again. “I must apologise for the injury,” He motioned to her head, “My companion is not exactly… The most considerate.” Kaede bit back a noise of agreement, and kept her eyes forward, a wave of relief washing over her as she saw the glow of a village not far ahead. She straightened herself and drew away from the stranger, and he seemed to understand the gesture, despite looking more like a daiwa-go⁶. She was pleasantly surprised. It was not everyday that a daiwa-go bothered to practise eiwa-go no reigi⁷.