The dance was wonderful, the dance was beautiful, all consuming, all knowing… the dance was life.
His blades left silver trails through the air as they moved, deceiving the pitiful warriors before him, ending their lives quickly and easily. He could feel the blood trickling slowly from numerous cuts upon his body, yet the pain was a far off, distant thing, as if it belonged to another body, another man.
He could smell the faint traces of fire on the air, a taint that any sailor knew and was wary off. The battle was almost won, the heart of the enemy was burning to ash, all there was left was to get the limbs to acknowledge that.
Intellectually, with what was left working of his mind, he knew he had to get out of there soon, that his body was slowing down, becoming weary from the heat and the exercise. Yet…
The battle was not over.
And so, pausing for a few seconds within the ring of enemy that circled him cautiously, Huifeng gathered his flagging reserves, and dove once more into the fray.
Huifeng rested his weary, battered body against the cool bark of the tree behind him, pulling his helmet off and setting it casually to one side. Wounds still bled slowly, he could feel the seeping dampness staining his clothing, yet he could care less about the wounds that littered his body. None were life threatening, so none needed to be cared for just yet. Let the badly injured be cared for first, he was unimportant in the great scheme of things.
A piece of cloth torn from the dead body of an enemy served to clean his swords of the blood that stained them, for he refused to sheath his swords while they were still dirty.
That was not the proper way to treat good weapons.
“So, you treat your weapons well, yet ignore your own needs,” the gruff voice broke through his weary brain, startling him enough to look up sharply.
Cai Ti knelt down beside him, accidentally jarring Huifeng’s left arm, brows knitting together as the other hissed in pain.
“As I though, noble thoughts fill that skull of yours,” Cai Ti snorted as he pulled the sleeve up enough to expose the fairly shallow, yet long, gash. His eyes swept over Huifeng’s body, a grimace flickering across his face as he did so, “Alright, you’re coming with me and letting me bind your damn wounds, before you up and die on us from sickness gained from nothing but pride.”
“But…”
“No buts. Come.” Cai Ti rose, offering his hand to the black clad pirate’s son.
Huifeng sighed, sheathing his swords before grasping the offered hand with his right, hissing in slight pain as he was drawn upwards.
That was when it all came crashing down upon him, the pain from countless small cuts, and various deeper wounds as well.
The last thing he saw before everything blacked out were the concerned green eyes of the general, Cai Ti.
The general reacted swiftly as Huifeng’s body crumpled like a puppet that had suddenly had its strings cut. Scooping up the body, and grimacing as he felt the numerous spots of blood that had soaked through the man’s clothing, he turned and headed back towards the camp.
Worse than I thought. Sun Zhen was right to warn me about your habits, Huifeng. How you’ve survived as long as you have is a mystery to me.
Cai Ti strode quickly towards an empty tent that he had had set up, snapping out orders as he did, focusing on not harming the slim youth in his arms any more than he already was.
For he had just realized how small and light Huifeng truly was, and, as he looked at the face of the unconscious man, it finally hit him, how young he was. It was almost impossible for him to have more than 20 years.
Why was he so withdrawn, then?
He was…. floating……. So calm… so calm…
I do not wish to awaken, for if I do, I’ll have to answer question after question. Why didn’t I get my wounds seen too, why did I dive straight into the fray, why didn’t I retreat when I felt myself tiring.
Why don’t I talk.
Yet reality has a way of intruding, and it forced itself upon him before he could truly gather his wits about him once more, leaving him blinking up at the canvas tent..
I’m in a tent?
He could remember nothing after Cai Ti had attempted to help him rise, with the intention of seeing to his wounds. There was just a big empty space between then and now… whenever now was.
Turning his head slightly, ruby eyes narrowed as he took in the cramped confines of the tent, yet he was grateful that no one else was in the tent with him. No one to chatter, no one to press, and no one to stop him.
For what he was about to do would be frowned upon by everyone, and he had no intention of sticking around any longer than needed.
Shoving covers aside, Huifeng shifted himself until he sat upright on the edge of the cot, testing his body for any adverse reactions. It wasn’t so much that he hurt, for he didn’t, or at least not that much, but he was wary of passing out again. He could see his armor set out on the floor to one side, and his bag thrown in a corner near it.
Good, everything’s here. That makes it much simpler.
The tight bandages restricted his movement slightly, but not too much, since he could still move about with fair ease, as he discovered while stretching to grab his armor. Snaking a foot out at the same time that he examined his armor, searching for weaknesses, Huifeng drew his pack closer to him, as well as the boots that were set beside the pack.
Finally, satisfied that his armor had survived virtually intact, the man swiftly dressed, pulling on a layer of soft, skin tight cotton first, before fastening his armor on over it, and pulling a final layer of thin silk on top of that, pulling gloves and boots on last. His helmet and swords fastened to his belt with efficient, smooth movements of his hands, as he mentally prepared himself.
And now, the true test…
Rising cautiously, he paused the minute that he was fully upright, waiting for his body to warn him of any impending weakness… nothing.
Good. Time to vanish. Good bye, people. Perhaps I’ll see you again someday… perhaps.
Pushing a flag of the tent to one side, he cautiously glanced about outside, before calmly moving out into the darkness, pausing to orient himself by the stars, before slipping off into the darkness. Sentries were easy to slide passed, as they were not looking to halt anyone heading away from the camp.
Free. And there were none to tell him otherwise.
It was time to investigate the world.
The years passed slowly, and just as slowly, the young, quiet boy turned into an experienced, and still quiet, man. Huifeng grew a few inches taller, till he was probably even taller than his father, if only by a few inches. His muscles developed, and his fighting ability increased from practice that he was acquiring on every mission.
Yet some things did not change. His outfits for one, remained completely black, though he had the red one refitted for his new frame, just as a reminder of home, as he never wore it. And he remained just as withdrawn, if not more so as time went on.
His reputation, though, grew as he traveled, and he became known as the “silent ghost”, though he felt no pride in the title, and many desired his services for taking care of problems, or for being a bodyguard.
In truth, even the life of a masterless warrior was paling, and he was slowly losing his desire to interact even the small amount that he still was with other people. The presence of people, talking, chattering people was beginning to wear on his already thin desire for company.
And there were some days when he wished that he could just find a huge forest and lose himself within, becoming a recluse that none could ever find.
And there were some days when it was more than a wish, it was a desire.
This was one of those times when he truly desired to just vanish from the world, and so he had retreated to his refuge, a rather large forest, where few, if any, dared to travel.
The quiet was beautiful in its fullness, as there were no chattering humans, just sounds of wildlife going about its daily business.
Huifeng awoke slowly, a luxury he only allowed himself when he was alone like this. Stretching carefully, he shifted his position just slightly, balancing on the thick tree limb with unconscious ability as he did so. It wasn’t unusual for him to sleep in trees, though many considered it odd…
But who cares what others think, I sure don’t.
So, so thinking, he twisted himself just slightly over his point of balance, twisting in midair as he fell, to land on his feet in a move that would have any cat jealous in no time.
He rose without ceremony, or even any more aerobatics, casting his eyes over his camp to check if any wild animals had been through during the night.
Just to see something oddly colored curled within the remains of his fire.
What in the world…
Sneaking closer, he peered at the thing. Flame colored wings, or he assumed they were wings, were half open over the slightly glowing coals. They almost reminded him of a spider’s legs, the way they were designed, except that there were ten limbs instead of eight, and there was that flame colored membrane stretched between them. The creature’s body was a deep black color, with tiny highlights of purple that the morning sun picked out. Scales of deep blue ran down the creature’s underbelly, extending from the neck to the tip of the tail, which ended in a strange array of curving blades of blue and red, two larger blades, one on each side of the tail tip, curved just slightly, glowing blue in the light. From those blue blades extended yet more blades, four on each side, and a brilliant red color.
Cat like ears flicked as a tiny breeze brushed against them, drawing his eyes towards the creature’s head. His eyes widened as he saw the large ruby jewel that rested in the creature’s forehead, then with a start, he realized it was watching him with eyes as bright a ruby as his own.
::I am BlackFlame… formerly a messenger for the celestial dragons…:: The creature, BlackFlame, ducked his head in embarrassment as he spoke those words into Huifeng’s mind.
Huifeng narrowed his eyes in annoyance, Out. No talk in head.
BlackFlame shrunk back even further, wings and ears drooping, ::I… I am sorry… I cannot speak any other way…::
Truthfully? He blinked in slight amazement as he listened to the chirps and tiny growls that escaped the small creature’s throat as it tried to speak. Actually, once he got passed the surprise of having someone talking in his mind, talking with this crea… no, with BlackFlame, wasn’t hard at all.
Come then, out of there. Huifeng offered his hand to the small dragon, watching in interest as the creature rose and shook the ashes from its hide and scales, then carefully began to climb up his arm, to settle down about his shoulders.
::How is it that you can hear me?:: BlackFlame was obviously puzzled over that for some reason, and his next statement clarified his puzzlement, ::I haven’t yet met anyone on this world that can hear me, except for you.::
He shrugged, focusing on relighting the fire and building it back up, I don’t know why I can hear you, I just can.
Together they settled into a comfortable silence, as Huifeng settled back to cook himself a breakfast. No reason to eat a cold one when he had no where to be and no mission to accomplish.
::There’s someone coming I think…:: Flame stood on his hind legs, fanning odd wings to help himself stay balanced, looking from side to side suspiciously.
He just reached a hand up and stroked Flame’s head soothingly, No, it’s just a predator, attracted by the scent of the food.
::A predator?::
Yes, a hunter, a stalker, a wild beast that desires to steal from me.
Blackflame let out a soft “meep” sound as a large tiger ghosted through the thick foliage and eyed both of them. Slowly, the creature circled them, sometimes vanishing into the deeper shadows, where only its glowing eyes were visible.
Huifeng, though, did not move a muscle more than he had to in order to continue cooking, as if he hadn’t heard or seen the tiger step into the clearing.
He ignored the creature still, pulling the pan off of the fire and scooping his food onto a plate, before using his fingers to eat the hot food, ignoring the heat that tried to burn his calloused fingers.
::Why do you ignore it?:: Blackflame seemed confused, as he glanced from Huifeng to where the tiger was, then back again.
Why shouldn’t I? It’s not doing me any harm.
::But… it doesn’t seem very…::
Friendly? It’s a wild animal, Flame. Wild animals are not friendly, but this one will do me no harm, I’ve known him from days past. He finished off what he had cooked, setting the plate down and licking his fingers clean, there was a little creek not far, and he’d go to that soon, to get water for dousing the fire completely and for washing as well. But for now…
::You know this creature?::
Remotely, was his simple answer, as he pulled his pack over and rifled through it, pulling out a piece of smoked meat and tossing it at the edge of the clearing, This forest has been my haunt for a while, and this tiger’s territory has always been where I rest. We have an agreement, he and I. He doesn’t disturb me, and I toss him the occasional piece of meat.
Ruby eyes watched the magnificent creature as it strode from the forest and eyed him, before bending its head and lifting up the portion of meat, settling down at the edge of the clearing and tearing into it.
He’s more like me than I am like many of my own kind. We’re both loners, both silent, both hunters and stalkers and killers.
::Are you truly that different from everyone else?::
Yes, I am. He held a hand out to the great tiger, making a soft purring sound deep in his throat as he did so. Green eyes pinned him for a long moment, yet he didn’t move a muscle, or shift his eyes from those of the tiger.
Flame held still more from fear than anything else, as the beast slowly rose and ghosted towards Huifeng, butting against the man’s hand once, before settling down at his side.
::You… he… … why is the tiger…::
We are old friends, Blackflame. I saved him once, raising him up and healing him after his mother was killed. Stupid move, probably, he’ll get killed himself one day by humans, he’s too unafraid of them for his own good.
Blackflame folded his wings tightly against his side, slowly sliding over onto Huifeng’s other shoulder, to put some distance between himself and the big cat.
He sighed, leaning against the comforting warmth of the only creature he ever truly showed affection towards. Tomorrow… tomorrow he’d have to go into town, at least for a time. Supplies were needed, things he couldn’t hunt or forage for on his own. But that was tomorrow. He had an entire day in front of him before he had to face the human world again, and he intended to make the most of it.