The meeting place of the Council of Elders was a huge building with a central open air courtyard. Filled bleachers ringed either side of the courtyard except where a huge dais with multiple thrones sat. Of the five thrones, two were filled, the rest sat empty. The central chair held a mole-like yukoi, short and stocky with a young looking girl kneeling next to him,
her eyes taking in everything. To the mole man's left sat a beautiful woman that made me double take. She looked familiar.
Meele stood beside me, in his full yukoi form, his draconic wings held tight against his back. He looked around studying the assembled yukoi coolly many of them bowing or shirking away from his gaze. He thought at me through the cuffed earrings we both wore. Its been a long time since I was last here. Yet nothing really has changed except those on the thrones. The woman sitting in the left one is your mother.
I studied her for a moment, trying not to stare at the yukoi sitting easily in her throne. Where I was uncomfortable in my skimpy dress, she seemed at ease in her, for lack of a better word, teal leather bikini top and hip hugging skirt. Her hair hung to her waist full and silky, a deep crimson with ribbons of violet running through it. Human-like, pointed ears, delicately arched eye brows, eyes that were a mirror of my own, blue with diamond shaped pupils, and a small upturned nose. Her lips were a bit fuller then my own, tiny fangs showing when she smiled. On her forehead she had a symbol similar to Meele's. A white full moon hung above a red crescent moon that held within its curves a black moon all of it smaller then my palm. In her chin and cheekbones I could see my own, as if I were looking at an edited picture of myself. It was quite eerie.
Her slender waist was encircled with a thin silver chain bearing silver disks. As she stood, I could see that her skirt, green with a repeating pattern that matched her forehead symbol, hung her hips to her toes. Zaori sandals and little white socks covered her feet- I guess she got cold toes same way I did. Course, I was wearing knee high black boots with red laces so couldn't complain.
"Ryu Meele, so good of you to grace us with your prescience once more after these thirty and two years," she said, her voice and bearing regal. It was hard to believe that she was the one who had birthed me. When she said Meele's name it sounded like "may-ray." Guess it was either his original name or its how they said his name here.
"I have my reasons, Inu Marika," Meele said, leading the way across the hall. I followed a step behind and to the left as he'd told me to do.
"Indeed," she said, her eyes taking me in. There was no recognition in her eyes as she looked at me, nothing that might have tied us together after all these years. I guess I was hoping for a tender moment of reunion. Instead I got, "She doesn't look like much, Meele."
My temper got the better of me and I spoke before thinking. "Well, you can't blame Meele- if my mother, the yukoi of my parents, had actually been worthy of bearing a child, I might look more impressive."
Meele glared at me for a moment. Behave, Cara! He turned to Marika. "Forgive her, she knows little of Counsel etiquette."
Marika's eyes narrowed sharply at my words. "No, Ryu Meele, let the little hanyu speak for herself. I don't mind teaching her Counsel etiquette if necessary. Unless she is stupid, she'll learn rather quickly."
"That's enough, Inu Marika," said the mole man, standing at last as Meele and I came to stand in front of the dais. "I am Shinkoru of the Asian Elders Counsel, Lord of the Tunnel Yukoi Clan. Welcome, Ryu Meele and Inu Cara."
"In... Inu Cara?" Marika stuttered for a moment before regaining her composure. Her ears twitched before she tilted her head to study me. "Is that so?"
I bowed to Shinkoru, my hair almost brushing the floor as I'd been instructed. "I thank you for your welcome, Elder. Inu Marika, I am indeed Inu Cara, my mother was a dog yukoi."
"The bitch gave birth to a hanyu and then left her for dead in California on the eastern side of the Pacific," Meele said, his voice calm and cool, as if he cared little for the circumstances of my childhood. "I found Cara as a young child and have watched her since, teaching her how to control her powers."
"Powers?" Shinkoru asked, obviously intrigued. He turned his head to the child beside him. "Raffia, test her, if you would please. Lightly."
"Yes, my lord," she said, rising to her feet and approaching me. She wasn't a child at all, just a very short, slender woman. A long sleeved,
skin tight dress hugged her body from neck to mid-thigh in an earthy brown. Pointed black slippers covered her feet until she tossed them off before leaving the dais. She was full yukoi, pointed ears and diamond eyes, black hair brushing her shoulders in carefully styled spikes.
"I am Raffia, second in command of the Tunnel Yukoi of the Pacific. I bid you greetings, Inu Cara."
"I return your greetings with many thanks and wishes for your good health," I said, bowing to her.
"She has manners," Raffia said, tossing a glare over her shoulder at Marika. "And she's beautiful too, my lord."
"Thank you," I said with a genuine smile. "I like your slippers, where'd you find them?"
"At the Seiyu in Fussa," she said with a smile in return. "Moving along though, I would like to duel with you, Inu Cara."
"Just Cara is fine, Raffia-sama," I said.
"Call me Raffia then," she said with a small smile. "All right, Cara, will you duel with me? First blood, no holds barred, no permanent maiming or poison."
"Sounds good to me," I said, removing my cloak. I handed it to Meele, who moved onto the dais to watch the fight. I stretched for a moment, going up on tip toes. Relaxing I took a defensive position to the shorter Raffia and said, "Okay, first blood wins. I'm ready when you are."
She grinned at me, her face changing, becoming more, well more angular, as if she were partly changing into an animal, probably a fox from what I could see, before holding up her hands. Claws slid from her nails, vicious and thick. Her hands looked more like paws then hands now. I nodded and matched her movements, letting my own claws come out, sharp and canine. I couldn't retract them like a cat could but they were stronger for it. The rest of my body shifted into my yukoi form, stronger, skin darker and thicker. My eyes, human before, now held diamond shaped pupils, bringing a surprised lift of the eyebrows from my opponent as she circled me.
The look in Raffia's eyes suddenly changed from gentle to harsh, as if there were a different person looking out of those earthy brown eyes now. I felt my full power around me and knew that it shone in my eyes like lightning in a blue tinged bottle.
Even the way she moved was different, low to the ground, almost slinking. I imagine it worked well against tall opponents, but at only 5'5" myself it wasn't a huge difference to her 4'9". We circled one another, our feet landing in time to a music only we could hear.
"Get on with it," a voice from the stands that surrounded the central courtyard of the Council Hall called. It seemed to spur Raffia on and she launched herself at me.
I barely managed to dodge aside, bringing my elbow down on hers. There was the sickening crunch of bone as she flew by me and landed, crouched upon the floor, hissing a rather fowl comment, favoring her left arm.
"That's not very nice," I said, tilting my head to the side as she turned to face me once more.
"Since I am a fox and we are not a nice lot, its appropriate," Raffia said, slurring her s's slightly. "Let us try this once more."
"As you wish," I said, launching myself at her without warning, claws aiming for her wounded arm.
