Salutation!

Quite a long chapter for the first, or so i think, we'll see how much i can write in the future. If you see mistake help me correct them.

Someone had said that my bullet point wasn't needed, and yes they aren't i just want to make easier to differentiated between narration and speaks. and i don't think it's a bother no?

Bah... thanks for reading!

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Chapter One : Little warriors

Hearing master Chen, they looked at each others before going in the carriage.

* Xia He - ne...Do you know how to drive one?

* Tomoe - not yet. Master told me that someone will teach me.

* Xia He, smiling mischievously - I will. Our charge is not that brittle, perfect to teach. But do please be attentive, my bottom can take only so much.

* Tomoe,  seemingly serious - I'll try, but I won't take any reclamation.

Xia He burst laughing with that answer soon followed by the titan.

And so travelling not totally at the rear guard, the two young women where chatting, beginning to bond. The plan was to travel for a month to the city of Mù Lǜsè, nearly 600km away in the north-east.

In this early spring the trip, even in this giant forest was pleasant. The huge ancient trees spread a wonderful cover to the sun, but there was largely enough light for the smaller trees and bush could live. So, brown trunks and green foliages cut those reddish-brown wooden tower, with here and there a glade or one pure grayish white colossal trunk. The wild life, who could hear them long in advance, were but all hidden; if not for the birds and some fearless one who looked at them passing with a somewhat “indifferent interest”.

This huge forest, spawning on more or less half of the Qi-Zhen Empire, the homeland of the majority of therianthrope, and a big chunk of Tomoe's homeland too, was the biggest on this continent and probably of the know world. So, as the majority of the caravan was of one of the Empire, things were going smoothly and with more speed than normal; after all the carriage themselves were made for this forest.

For more than 10 days the trip was nearly uneventful, and somewhat boring. Tomoe and Xia He where often chatting with one or the other leading the cart. In fact it was more Xia He chitchat and prattle, with Tomoe occasional answer or comment. But for some reason both were content with that, not that the tiger girl loved her voice so much, but Tomoe smart and witty remark, and more than once, sarcastic sting made her day. Her laughter could often be heard a few carriage away.

More than once too, Tomoe read aloud, for her, one or another passage from a book, even complete chapters at times.

At night both talk a lot with others, and even with her strange eyes Tomoe was quite popular, which her new friend made fun of. She was loved too, by the few child, more than often reading them bed stories. As she was also often helping; searching for burning wood, setting the camp, taking care of the horses and other small things; she was asked by Master Chen to take Xia He job. Strangely (or not) the little one heard it and rush to beat the wolf-man to ground. Of course, he took it laughing, and let her trip him; or was he unable to truly defend himself? His safety (or not as he nearly died laughing) was by the hand of the other concerned one. She made herself the fury's target as she said “why not”.

On the twelfth day early in the morning they were awakened by the same two little girls who slept with them. Of course it was nothing urgent, just nature's call. Taking the midget some tenth meter away from the guard on duty, Xia He with the enhanced sense of her race spot something of.

* Xia He - Tomoe take the girls to the camp quickly please.

* Tomoe, alert by her friend's tone - We're not far from the guard, they can go by themselves. That's not here is it not?

* Xia He, after a sigh - Girls, run to the camp and alert them please.

* The girls, voices shaking a little - yea... / yes...

* Tomoe - I should have taken the other.

* Xia He, seeing that only one sword were in the hand of her partner - You'll be fine like that?

* Tomoe with a wry smile - even if I wasn't there's no time left.

As she said that a small group a ten mismatch men in poorly kept gear got could be see.

* Xia He, in a whisper – There's other group encircling the camp it seems. We'll be alone.

The men said nothing, but their perverted smile were enough. As they came near the girls, the two took of at the same time even without one making a signal. As they run to the two nearest men they reveal their weapon they had concealed behind their back.

Seemingly loosing her footing, and falling forward, Tomoe took the bandits by surprise, the fall was calculated, and with this long step she came closer to him in a low stance. Putting all her power in her right leg she got up with her sword doing a beautiful arc upward to the left. Meeting only a piece of leather armour as resistance the first blood was split, with a gash from just above the hip to the neck, splitting the artery. Next with a diagonal step she turn her blade downward and cut a second one as neatly as the first in a diagonal. A third one seeing two friend being cut, tried to attack her, but his haste due to the surprise attack took the better of him. She evade the hight cut and used his movement to cut his belly in a counter.

At the same time, Xia He took literally of, jumping above the nearest man. As she came down she revealed her claws, but their size were frightening, even Master Chen one were smaller. In fact all her hand had grown a bit. Before her foot touch the ground she slashed diagonally the one before her from neck to hip. But she wasn't finished, crouching as she came down; she put power in one leg as she get up, turning to the one behind her. He had not move at all, having unexpectedly lost track of her, and so she open his back, slashing his spine in the process. As Tomoe, her next victim tried to attack her, albeit he tried to pin her with his short sword. Making a half turn she let his neck meet her claw as his sword was piercing nothing, 10 centimetre away from her stomach. Putting some strength in her arm she shred his neck into a bloody mess.

So in just a few second, 6 of the ten guy were down. And the two teenage girls; or so they thought they were; nearly at the same time, turn to them just 3 or 4 meter away. One was smiling childishly with her ears twitching and a flapping tail, the second was expressionless, as if they weren't even worth something. Fear crippled them, will rage possessed them, affecting their decision, and disturbing their capacity. So with a roar they launched themselves at the girls.

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It took even less than ten second before four more slashed body fall on the earth. Without loosing their tension, the two girls search for some other, before turning to the camp. After checking they run to the camp making a small detour by their thing, one to take her second kodachi, the other having already return her hand to normal, took her clawed gauntlet.

And so they came to help the guard. Not that it was necessary, but one could see they had some annoyance to discharge. Seeing they could, they run a bit in the forest before returning and be behind the group of bandit. Launching themselves in the battle both keeping close to each other.

No one had seen them as the closed by, so they took every one by surprise. Spread other the entire length of the caravan that they had surround, a hundredth attacker were not fending very well even if they were a bit more than twice the defender.

As they took them in the back defenceless, and in a few moment four more met lost their life. But before they could go on, a loud roar erupt. Looking at each other, they nod and begun to run to its origin.

Upon closing on the figure of master Chen, four men were engaged with him. From their movement to their gear, they were clearly at an other level, and were probably the chiefs. The big wolf-man was obviously the biggest threat so they had gang him up, but they could just put him on the defensive and the fight was dragging on. Tomoe put a hand on her friend arm as they approached and forced her to slow down, meeting a very angry scowl.

* Tomoe - Let's not rush in, I want to see if we must take care on only one or two.

* Xia He, bewildered - We can't...

* Tomoe, cutting her - We must wrap this quickly but we can't let our guard down. He wouldn't be happy if you were injured.

Xia He looked at the expression of her friend. She saw knowledge of her attachment to the big wolf, and her fear for her. She look to him, seeing they were just ten meter away, and seeing to he wasn't in a dangerous situation. Just a deadlock, and others would take too much time to help. She took a very deep breath calming her, and judging the four enemy therianthropes.

Two wolf, a rat, and a bull one; they looked carefully, trying to judge their skill from their stance, the way they moved, their attack and defence. In the ten or twenty seconds they looked they had understood one thing, they were quite good, but it was their number that permit the deadlock, not their skill. At the same time each said “I take the wolf on the left/right” and with a wink they rushed in the battle.

The rat saw two shadow rushing behind his friends and warned them, allowing a quick escape of the two. Chen looked at them a second, smiling before pointing his large flambard to the other two with a broad smile, and rush at them.

Tomoe's adversary had a broad sword in hand and a wooden shield with a dented metal plating. His studded leather armor looked quite well maintained with just a few rust spot, and when he saw her, scorn and lust flashed on his face.

* Dickhead - You should go hide before being hurt but don't worry you'll be entertaining us before long!

Tomoe said nothing, she prefered to let the steel speak.

She covered the distance in a moment, inverting the grip on right blade, the mune(1) leaning against her forearm. He grin seeing her shifting to a defensive handling and raised his blade to strike her. Just before coming in contact she took a step to his right and blocked his blade with her left one and with a twisting half-step ahead, striked sideway with her right one. Taken by surprise he could just weakened the hit with the side of his shield. Blood begins to flow from above his hips while he put some distance between them cursing her.

She didn't let him change the pace, rushed at him lowering her stance. Like before, she took a step left, he was expecting  she would use the same thing again, like so many of the young one. So he took a step side way to put some distance will putting power in his sword to keep her in place. At the same time he strike t her undefended side with his shield to stun her. But that was her trap, when coming at him she had reversed her right grip back to “normal” using it to block his sword and used the recoil of the block turn her body.

She exposed her back to him, letting is blade overpowered her. But that only served her purpose, and give her more centrifugal force. At the clash, seeing his movement, she had begun to change the grip of her other sword, so when she finish her turn her sword was meant to pierce him on his back. Sadly, for him, he was a bit unbalanced, and her sword only slashed his right shoulder but that only meant more pain and struggle, his sword arm limp on his side. He could only curse her, as she striked his shield and she pierced his guts at the same time. Then exalting his last breath he understood, he clearly underestimated her. Not only she wasn't as young as her face and height could let someone think, but that “defensive” stance of the nito-ryu style was her preferred one, and one not defensive, but offensive with the teaching of her dojo. Having finished her opponent she scan her surrounding for threat before looking at Xia.

Xia He opponent had the same armor but used two dagger. Hearing is partner speaking to Tomoe his lewd smile increased, but it froze when she replied.

* Xia He, sighting - Why can't we meet some ruffians who can think with their head and not their pathetic dicks?

She was shaking her head as she spoke, but rush to him when finished.

Cursing her , he struck as soon as possible, only to be parried the plate of her gauntlet backhand.   She tried to punch him in the face at the same time, which he evade easily but that was a feint on her side to block his line sight. With a movement of her wrist she grab his and tug at it. The sudden traction on his arm wreak his timing for his second strike which only brushed against her skin. Still keeping her grip she took advantage of her small stature and passed under his arm and punch his elbow on the underside. He shouted as his arm took a wrong angle, pain surging, disabling him for a moment. She didn't let her assault stop, tugging sideway on his arm as she mowed down his leg, tripping him. She let his weight pull her to finish him down by elbowing his neck.

Satisfied with the breaking sound she look around while she got up, to be surprised another time by the sword proficiencies her friend was showing. That even took the better of her as she forget to look around for threat. Had she not she would have seen the small ferocious smile of Chen at the sight of Tomoe leading the ruffians by the nose.

Soon after Tomoe turned to look at her friend, to see a flash in her eyes locked on her. She tremble a little for the first time but not in fear, that she was sure, but she didn't really had the time to grasp her feeling. Both turn her eyes to where the other battle should have been to see only two... no, four therianthrope part, likely to be of two corpse. Coming closer to each other they search for the towering wolf to see him helping the other on one side slaughtering happily the bandits. With dry laughter on Xia He part, they rush to help the other side.

A few minute after every thing was finished. On the caravan side only a few small cut and bruise, if not for one lucky strike which struck a guard in the stomach. But that was nothing the healers couldn't save, even if he was grounded for few days the sword having pierced one kidney.

The loot wasn't much, but would be welcome, and distribute evenly to all who took part in the battle.

A little more than one hour and half after the attack, as the sun was up and they were all ready to go.

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(1) the mune is the back of the blade. And if you wonder why i don't just say it, why should i when their is a word for it! (and i love japanese!)