Flight of the Warrior Chapter 13 - Hunting

Once he knew in which direction to find her, he urged the black horse a little faster. The beast seemed to have a reserve of energy that was boundless, in fact like a demon itself. It was well capable of the speeds he demanded of it.

When he first came upon the horse it was wild and crazed, having been shot by a bow through the flank. He was unsure at first if he wanted to catch and treat the animal but somehow he had been drawn to do so.

Following the hapless creature for two days, keeping a short distance, he was able to close the gap slowly. Each time he moved marginally and then sustained the distance for another hour, moving only when the horse was comfortable. Eventually he was able to lay a hand on the nose of the thing and with some coaxing remove the arrow.

He enjoyed riding in preference to flying, even though he made slower progress. Atop this preternatural mount he felt more powerful somehow. He certainly had experience of coming upon a battlefield and men and horse alike fleeing from his charge. The black horse would set back its bat like ears, lower its neck and charge with such force that a tremendous wind tunnel was created, making it hard for enemies to stand steady. This provided him with the opportunity to relieve a man of his head.

He smiled at the memory. It was diabolical splendour.

He knew that war was coming, a new threat from across the seas. This did not displease him, but was simply a potential new source of income. A ronin for hire in times of unrest was never without currency.

He was however, concerned that the advent of war may come sooner than expected. He hoped for at least a week with his little Toraneko, to teach her he was her master. Not only did she provide him with physical delectation, he felt there was more to discover. There was much he wanted to know, and he would make her tell him.  How was it that she could fly, or know how to manage the short sword she had some skill in wielding? And more than that, what else did she know?

There was predictability in his daily life, but with her, there was the unknown. A new type of entertainment awaited him. There for his taking.

The little fool had left a trail. He had picked up the scent playing on the wind without too much difficulty but he was perplexed by the direction it was taking him. First the ravine into which he had to fly, and then to the hilltop where a bare hut sat abandoned. He saw the disturbance in the snow where a body had flailed about, and then the trail went cold. He had spent valuable time absorbed in the patterns in the snow. Could two people have made these marks? If so, who was the second person? The man he had seen at the hut? A mentor who had taught her some of the skill necessary to be a warrior? In any case he needed to be on his guard.

It took some time focussing on countless whispers on the wind before he found the one he sought and recommenced the hunt. He was headed to the coast, maybe two days ride between him and the open sea. One day if he flew. He contemplated his options and decided to ride till nightfall, rest, then fly the remaining distance. By then he would know exactly where she had fled.

And where it was he would capture her a second and final time.