Session 11. (7/9/05)

Over the remaining 3 weeks of the long winter our heroes are very busy learning new skills, practicing old ones, teaching the Ainu and making weapons. Miyoshi (Jim Loder) studies senjojutsu; Yoshi (Chris Dore) practises and teaches kyujutsu and starts making a bow; Katchamaru (Anthony Hummerston) studies swordsmithing in preparation for making a sword; Mineo (Denzil Brown) studies and teaches kenjutsu; and Haku (Paul Burton) studies the Ainu language. In addition to all this the former samurai accompany the Ainu on hunting trips, hunting on land for martens, bear, musk, deer, reindeer, foxes, otters, hares, and squirrels, and at sea for seals and sealions. They go fishing in the rivers and the sea, help collect and chop firewood, forage for plants for eating and medicine, and so on. In the course of all this they also pick up a smattering of Ainu language and Ainu Classics.

The long cold season draws to an end. The young adventurers and many of the villagers trek along the coast to the village of Mori. Here the Ainu from many other villages are gathering for religious ceremonies, renewing old friendships and general socialising. The central event is the Bear Ceremony. A young bear, kept in a cage which is barely strong enough to hold it, is released and then hunted down by Ainu archers. The wajin guests are encouraged to join in. Yoshi, Haku and four of the Ainu combine to bring the bear down. It is then skinned and consumed. After several days of feasting, the bear's carcase is brought to the mountains where it is ceremonially laid to rest.

The next day a number of hunting parties set out, after long and complicated ceremonies - the guests are again invited. As they walk into the woods above Mori, the Ainu try to explain something about the woods, but Haku can't really follow. He just about understands that the woods are sacred and no-one lives there.

After a while they come across a female bear with a very young cub. The six who got hits on the bear that was released a few days earlier attack and kill the she-bear while the others try to net the cub. Unfortunately only Miyoshi and one of the Ainu seem to know what they are doing, and the cub keeps evading the nets. Eventually Miyoshi has had enough, grapples the bear cub, picks it up under one arm and carries it back. He drops it into one of the nets and carries it all the way back to Sawara. Here the headman, Henke, tries to talk to him, but Miyoshi doesn't understand. He seems to be apologising for something. Henke takes the bear cub from Miyoshi and gives it to one of the other hunters. The hunter takes the cub into his house and ties it to a stake. His wife looks after the cub - even breast-feeding it. Over the coming weeks it is clear that the household is regarded by the other Ainu as particularly favoured by this turn of events.

For the next four weeks the adventurers return to training, teaching and hunting. Mineo starts working on his herbalism, helped by the abundance of flora and local Ainu knowledge. Yoshi completes his bow, inscribes it "Made in Ainu" and takes it to the headman for presentation. The headman, rather than accepting the gift, summons the other visitors and takes them and a puzzled Yoshi out of the village, stopping only at their huts to pick up clothes and weapons. They travel to Shikabe and meet an Ainu hunter called Oynakamuy. He seems to be held in high regard by the villagers. Henke gestures to Yoshi to give the bow to Oynakamuy, then leaves and heads back to Sawara. Oynakamuy knows a little of the wajin language and says the visitors are to go with him on a hunting trip to test the bow out. They head up the river valley and, due to Oynakamuy's skill, meet plenty of game. First they find three martens. Oynakamuy kills one with the new bow, and Miyoshi, Mineo, Kachamaru and Haku combine to kill the other two. Further on they come across three hares. Oynakamuy hits one but it scampers away. Yoshi, Mineo, Kachamaru and Haku combine to kill the other two. Next they encounter four deer. Yoshi and Haku down two; Mineo, Miyoshi and Kachamaru kill a third; Oynakamuy gets a critical hit and kills the fourth, praising the bow as the deer falls. Shortly after the party encounters another four deer. This time there is a nasty cracking noise from Oynakamuy's new bow and he misses his shot; Yoshi, Kachamaru and Mineo hit their targets but only wound them. The all have a second shot as the deer run off, but only Kachamaru hits, the deer falling dead. Yoshi examines Oynakamuy's bow and to his great relief decides it is OK. The hunting party turns and heads for home. On the way back they see six pigeons and let fly a volley of arrows. Miyoshi, Yoshi, Mineo, Kachamaru and Oynakamuy all get hits and kills - only Haku's Darts of Water fail to land.

When the hunting party returns to Shikabe, the place is in turmoil. Oynakamuy goes to his house to find his son slain and his wife missing. Other villagers tell him that Wajin sailors came from the coast, killed his son and took his wife as a prize for their captain. Oynakamuy swears retribution and runs down the path to the sea to rescue his wife. The ex-Wajin follow him.

The path reaches the coast atop a high cliff. From there the adventurers can see a ship anchored a short way off a beach in a shallow bay. The path goes down to the beach; it is a short swim to the boat. There is no sign of Oynakamuy.

Despite being only a short swim, Haku immediately gets into difficulties. Kachamaru makes little progress. Miyoshi and Mineo swim about half way out while Yoshi has stretched out with impressive strokes and reached the ship already. Haku and Kachamaru continue to thrash about near the shore while Mineo and Miyoshi start having trouble further out. Miyoshi gets his act together and surges on to the ship but Mineo keeps going under. Haku uses all his strength getting nowhere and eventually wades back up the beach. Mineo also gives up and lets the waves carry him back to shore. Kachamaru meanwhile remembers how to swim and joins Yoshi and Miyoshi peering over the side of the ship. There is the sound of arguing from on board, but no-one seems to be on watch. On deck, the Captain is arguing with about twenty sailors over the woman. He is angry that they have abducted her and killed her son. The sailors say that as soon as she looks at him she will fall in love with him. She is tied securely to the mast, cursing them all. The shouts carry well over the water and Haku and Mineo can just about work out what is going on. To be on the safe side, Haku casts Traitor Ground under the sailors, coating the deck with slime, while Miyoshi, Yoshi and Kachamaru draw their swords and prepare to attack.

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