Through the Eyes of the Dragon

Chapter 8

Chapter 8 – Backstabbed

Masamune was suddenly whisked off to his time as a youth as he and his men trekked through the tangled Herban labyrinth. He reckoned being a skillful hunter, his sharp senses allowing him to easily find his way through the mountains, outer ring woods, and congested battlefields. One eye or not, it never really mattered to him. Kojuro used to joke that he must have born some sort of internal compass, but he never really cared what it was. It was useful, and that was all.

Thus, while many of his companions were completely lost, Masamune and a few others took lead, scanning the ground for tracks, hints, or clues that they were headed in the right direction. It was a painstaking process, however, considering that a great deal of Herba’s fighting force consisted of guerrilla fighters and ninja clans.

“You’d think I’d be smart for once and bring my best trackers along...”the Aerosian lord sighed after another aimless night of wandering passed by. He watched tiredly as his men mingled about to create a makeshift camp, some already debating rotating watches and such.

“Mmm, perhaps...” General Tachibana murmured, handing his lord a small bottle of rice wine, “But as you said, you never know when the other kingdoms may strike. Some of our best trackers happen to also be our best fighters, so to leave the kingdom unguarded is foolish...”

“You’re starting to sound like Kojuro! Quit it!” Masamune scoffed playfully, thwacking his general in the shoulder with the bottle before taking a few swigs.

Smiling slightly, Muneshige rolled his eyes and took a seat in a nest of gnarled tree roots, his ears listening to the echoing liveliness of the nocturnal Herban forest. “… Do you… think Kagetsuna is here...?” he murmured after a concerto of night critters was allowed to resound through the Aerosian’s resting area.

Masamune chose not to respond, for he knew better than to get his hopes up on futile matters. Simply shrugging his shoulders in his response, he turned to wander ahead a bit, his left hand rested lightly upon the hilt of his katana. Unlike typical battle situations, he had only brought his two katana with him on this trip, for there was no point in extravagance during a diplomatic mission. Rather, it was best to relate than to show off. Also, with all these twisting, thick, and very humid trees…

“Come on out, Herba-ninja. Or whatever you are. I don’t like being spied on,” he yelled into the pitch-black darkness after some time, his one eye narrowed analytically. At first, nothing out of the ordinary stuck out at him. Then finally, a shadow shifted to his right, causing the bushes around it to ripple and the insects to chirp irritably.

“My, the Dragon is quite sharp, is he not? To think I was almost fooled by your right eye... then again, I suppose it wasn’t sight that gave me away, was it?” the mysterious shadow murmured, its voice low and raspy like the night.

Masamune smirked at that, his brow twitching at the mention of his little ‘weakness’. “Nah. Truth is, I can smell you. Dragon’s are awfully good predators, y’know?”

“So I’ve heard...”

“Mind showing your face? Otherwise, I’ll have to resort to calling you ‘tree-man’. And I doubt you’d like that.”

Chuckling slightly as he began to realize how true the rumours were about the One-eyed Dragon’s personality, a lanky man in camouflage flickered into the view, his features more agile and speed-oriented compared to the Aerosian peoples.

From the trembling light of the campfire, Masamune could pick out only what appeared to be lengthy, clay-brown hair that was braided neatly down the man’s back. Some strands were left untidy as to emulate thinner branches, and he appeared to be unarmed. ‘Yeah right. Like Herba-ninja can truly be defenseless...’