Session 31. (27/11/09)

With Doctor Who-like timing, we see the mountain lion spot Miyoshi, break into a run, ready itself for the pounce - and cut to "Meanwhile in Starvation Gorge"...

Meanwhile in Starvation Gorge, Kachamaru is leading the tribe up the trail to the (as yet unnamed) Pass. He chivvies them along and they make it up the long slope in good time. The tribe tires, and the descent on the west side of the watershed is more laboured. However, they press on and when they approach the tree line Kachamaru spots the large cairn that marks the trail's passage into the forest, and soon the blazes are reacquired. By day's end they reach Miyoshi's camp - now deserted - and go hunting. Kachamaru feeds his family on a dead rabbit, two stunned voles and half the remaining stores.

The following day the tribe starts with a hunt, as Kachamaru remembers how rich the area was for game. He bags two rabbits, then kills three songbirds with one arrow - one directly and two as the shaft of the arrow spun around after hitting a tree in the middle of the flock. He later improves even on this as he sneaks up on a flock of five songbirds, quietly enough to only scare one away, and toast the rest with Breath of the Dragon. With other hunters having similar luck, the tribe's stores are greatly replenished, and in the afternoon they move out and follow the blazes to the south and into a ravine where they find the remains of a camp, and settle down for the night.

The mountain lion leaps into the air: Miyoshi seems frozen to the spot; meanwhile, further up the valley, Mineo and Kokuma are catching up with Miyoshi. Then Kokuma has a look at the trail and realises that actually they are falling behind. They press on, but then they come to a place where the valley, and the river, head northwest while Miyoshi's trail goes southwest, up towards a ridge, and doesn't return. "He must have had a good reason for going up there," opines Mineo. "Nah, he just got lost!" sneers Kokuma. Mineo's faith in his master is unshakeable, so he stays in the spot and does some fishing while Kokuma scouts out the valley to the northwest. Kokuma comes across a game track and finds two wild pigs. He kills one with a critical hit from an arrow, but the second is more difficult. He hits it with one arrow, then a second, but it still manages to limp away. The blood trail is easy to follow, though, and the pig is too injured to outrun Kokuma, so he simply runs after it and dispatches it with his trusty tetsubo. Trying to find his way back, Kokuma comes across Miyoshi's tracks again. He works out that Miyoshi must have got back to the main valley by another route. Then, struggling under the weight of two whole pigs, he returns to Mineo. "Ooh, that looks good! I haven't seen a single fish. Maybe I'm using the wrong bait. I think I saw a beaver. We used to eat beaver..." he muses, nostalgically.

The mountain lion flies through the air; in slow motion we see the stupefied Miyoshi look with horror, raise the spear he suddenly has in his hand and thrust it into the lion's shoulder, deflecting its strike. The lion drops to the ground, snarling. Miyoshi thrusts again and scores a good hit, but the lion bites Miyoshi for even more damage. They circle each other, then Miyoshi thrusts again and the lion collapses, dead. Whistling a "Well, that wasn't as bad as I thought" tune, Miyoshi makes a comfortable camp, cooks "Tiddles" bourgignon and, having determined there is no way past the rockfall blocking the way to the sea, settles down to rest, eat and recover hit points and attributes for the next two days. When he eventually stirs himself he goes hunting and finds five grouse just asking to be shot. So he does, killing one with his first arrow and with the next kills a grouse which falls and brings down two more. As they struggle to right themselves, Miyoshi puts a single arrow though them both.

Up in the hills, the tribe follows the stream through a narrow valley as it descends westwards towards the briefly-glimpsed sea. Kachamaru tries to keep the pace up by carrying the loads of some of the old and young, but he soon tires. He plays his flute for a while, but "It's a Long Way to Tipperary" doesn't go down well. But then he returns to his forte, acting and magic, and reciting some old incantations with some of the words changed goes down a storm. With Yoshi leading the way they make three ri progress and find another abandoned camp at the Junction of Two Valleys.

The next day continues in the same spirit, with Kachamaru putting on a show, changing clothes with the woodcutter's daughter and doing the "Fairy Ring" number. It brings the house down. By early afternoon, two ri further down the valley, the tribe stops to hunt, having only eaten stores the previous day. Yoshi and Kachamaru return with three stoats and a fox, not enough for both families but avoids having to use too much of the stores. Spirits are high, the smell of the sea is in the air - and roast stoat.

At almost the same spot a day and a morning ago, Kokuma and Mineo break camp. They cover the blazes on Miyoshi's route with charcoal and moss, and blaze a new trail on the direct route down the valley. By midday they meet up with Miyoshi, who tells them about the abundant game, which has been throwing itself in front of his bow - he is carrying four grouse as proof - and the blocked end of the valley. Miyoshi says he was just on his way to look for another way to the sea, but Komako wonders if there is any way over the sides of the valley. Struck by inspiration, he looks for animal tracks leading up out of the valley, but finds none. The only tracks not going up the valley lead into a dark cave cut by the river under the solid slab of rock that has fallen across the end of the valley. The cave smells of bears. The three splash along the passage on a ledge next to the white water, but it is totally black and soon they are barking their heads and limbs on the ceiling and walls. Returning to the valley, Kokuma fashions a torch from some dry, resinous wood and they try again. About twenty yards down the tunnel the ceiling comes down almost to the river surface. Someone might go through, but it would be a one way trip to the unknown. Kokuma asks Mineo and Miyoshi to go back out of the tunnel, taking the torch with them. He stands alone in the dark, hoping to see faint daylight through the gap between the ceiling and the river, and hoping not to see the reflection of two large eyes, but in fact he sees nothing. He shambles out of the cave and rejoins the others. They debate whether they should look for another way to the sea or stay in the valley - after all, it is well stocked with game. They decide to stay and wait for the tribe.

Just a day later the tribe arrives in the valley. At first they make camp further up, but on a hunting trip, in which Kachamaru bags two turkeys, the hunters discover the advance party and bring them to Koshamain. He asks Miyoshi what the valley is like. He replies that it is full of game but access to the sea is blocked by a rock fall. However, this does mean that it is sheltered from the worst of the weather and would make a good base for the winter. Kokuma pipes up and says there is a bear in the valley. Not to be outdone, Miyoshi says, "Well there was a mountain lion, too." Koshamain deliberates for a few minutes then announces that the valley will be their home, at least for the winter, and sets everyone to start making communal huts to live in.

< Previous  |  Home  |  Bushido  |  The Wood 2  |  Next >