Session 33. (11/12/09)

But first there is some unfinished business from episode 10. Kokuma is high up in the valley, slowly and methodically tracking the bear he led there, and comes to the realisation that it has circled round and headed back down the valley towards its cave - and the village!

The others have already discovered that it has circled round, because it has found the village and is rampaging in one of the longhouses - the very one the heroes and their families have made their home for the winter. Angry bellows come from the hut - the bear roars too - and women and children pour out of the hut like squirrels from a burning tree. The bear is particularly angry because during its hibernation, Miyoshi snuck into the cave and tattooed "Unu" (Ainu for "Mother") onto its front leg - Miyoshi explained that he misunderstood when someone asked for "Mother" to be tattooed on his bare arm. In fact it's not so much the tattoo that has enraged the bear, it's the fact that Miyoshi has to shave it first, and it is now very cold.

The heroes arm themselves, which is easier said than done when their armour is in the hut with the bear. Fortunately, the bear is at the opposite end to their weapons, so they quickly pick up what is closest to hand and take stock of the situation. The bear is angrily clawing and biting anything it can find. Several garments have been shredded and the bear has a metal pot stuck on one foot. Miyoshi cautiously advances halfway down the hut. Kachamaru fires three Darts of Wood, but all three miss. Mineo charges at the bear and hits it with his sword for 11 damage. Yoshi, who was late arriving, grabs a sword after a quick search. The bear, stung with pain and seeing only one target in range, bites Mineo for 9 damage. Miyoshi closes to spear range and sticks the bear for 7 damage. Kachamaru charges at the bear, but trips over a roller skate that just happened to roll into the middle of the hut at the wrong moment and sprawls on the floor, dazed. Mineo tries to hit the bear that has its teeth sunk in his arm, but misses. Yoshi charges in but misses. The bear lets Mineo go and goes to worry the prone Kachamaru, raking him with its claws for 10 damage. The heroes finally get their act together. First Miyoshi lands a critical blow from his spear for 30 damage. Then Kachamaru picks himself up and scores a critical hit with his sword, dazing the bear and doing 7 damage. Yoshi follows up with a hit for 12 damage and Mineo lands a third critical hit for 12 points. The bear reels, dazed. Miyoshi's spear point misses, but Kachamaru and Yoshi bring synchronised katana blades and of course these do the job, finishing the bear with 10 damage each.

Unable to agree how to break the news to Kokuma, the heroes decide not to tell him. The villagers gather to start butchering the carcass. It turns out to be a male bear ("shiuk"), not a female bear ("kuchan"). When Kokuma returns he says nothing, though he can hardly fail to notice half the villagers cutting up and preparing bear meat. That evening there is a feast with dancing and singing, and of course bear steaks. Mineo and his wife, Miyoshi, Kachamaru and Yoshi's wife join in enthusiastically; Yoshi, Miyoshi's wife and Kachamaru's wife are less energetic; Kokuma is nowhere to be seen.

The next day Koshamain asks the former Wajin to go and explore the caves where the river runs under the fallen rock. Kachamaru checks his river depth marker - yes, it is still hidden under feet of snow. At the cave the explorers find that the river is still mostly frozen and the level is low, though running quite quickly. They clamber down into the cave. Kachamaru casts Light to see by, while the others light torches supplied by Kokuma, who is sulking in the village. Mineo brings a spider-silk rope reclaimed from the various giant spider adventures and woven into a rope over the winter by his wife. They advance to the point where the ceiling comes down to the normal river level. Now the way is passable, but only by wading in the fast-flowing, icy water. Miyoshi decides to lead the way, and of course Mineo must go with him. They both take hold of one end of the rope and Yoshi and Kachamaru pay it out to them. They are both shocked by the temperature of the water, but neither is put off. Miyoshi even boasts that it isn't as cold as his shaving water and strips off his outer layers. Mineo asks if he has misunderstood about "hunting bear" again. Yoshi and Kachamaru pay out the rope, and after 13 arm spans (yards) Miyoshi shouts that they are past the obstacle as the roof has gone up again. In the flickering light of Mineo's torch they can see a number of fissures in the cave wall and a larger flat area above the stream level. Mineo climbs out on to this flat area. He realises that it will be very hard to get back upstream without help from the rope, so he unties himself very carefully. Miyoshi decides to report back to the others and perhaps bring them through to help explore, so he tugs furiously on the rope. Yoshi and Kachamaru immediately start hauling on the rope, but they get their pulls out of sync and Kachamaru lets go of the rope at just the wrong moment as the current takes Miyoshi, and Yoshi is pulled into the river. Mineo sees his boss suddenly swept downstream and beyond the reach of the torchlight. Meanwhile Yoshi survives the shock of the sudden immersion and tries to swim back. He loses ground slowly as the current and Miyoshi's weight on the rope pull at him. Mineo looks down and sees the rope, realises that he can't pull it with a torch in one hand so he puts the torch down on the cave floor, carefully avoiding the puddles. Miyoshi tries to swim back but is carried eight yards down the inky black tunnel. Mineo takes the sheath of his katana and tries to snare the rope with its belt hook but misses. At the other end of the rope, Yoshi has been pulled into the stygian blackness, so Kachamaru bravely wades in after him - holding on to the side though. Yoshi is six yards down the tunnel, out of Kachamaru's reach. Kachamaru dispels his light and casts Stage Lantern so he can see in the dark. Yoshi manages to swim back against the current to within a yard of Kachamaru, who grabs for him but misses. Further downstream, Miyoshi manages to swim back and Mineo snags the now-slack rope and starts pulling. He backs up with the rope until he reaches the cave wall where he wedges himself into a small fissure and runs the rope around his body. He starts to wind Miyoshi in like a fish on a hook. Then he feels the other end of the rope start to pull as Yoshi tries to reach Kachamaru, so Mineo uses the extra force to pull Miyoshi to the bank. Yoshi, with Mineo now giving some slack, swims within reach of Kachamaru who grabs him and, bracing himself against the cave roof, pulls him to safety and grabs the rope. They both pull, nearly jarring Mineo out of his fissure. However, Mineo pulls Miyoshi up onto the ledge where he lies gasping like a floundering haddock. Suddenly Mineo hears a roar behind him and turns to see an enormous she-bear lumbering out of a fissure. Miyoshi shouts, "There's a b-..." then hurls himself into the water as Mineo, hot bear-smelling breath on the back of his neck, dives in, grabbing at the rope. Sensing some commotion, Kachamaru and Yoshi start pulling the rope back up to the entrance of the tunnel. What will they find on the end of it?

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