"Let me go!" The cat screeched as Ichi felt the fluffy body worming through his arms. "I don't need your help!"

Ichi stopped and turned as the cat leaped out of his arms. Heaving breath, he walked over to the treeline, leaning on the closest tree, slinging his sword into his belt loop. Sweat poured down his face as he gave her distance.

"I'll watch then. If you need help, your tanuki is right here."

"Don't mock me!"

The cat charged the shield the Mountain Lord wailed on, spears of light formed around her in midair and shot into the shield of light. The cracked shield shattered into pieces when the spears hit it, embedding shards of light into the bear's black fur. They all melted, steam flowed off the bear like water evaporating.

"Know your place, Sacrifice." The Mountain Lord swirled into a black blur and the cat went flying. Slamming against a tree near Ichi rushed to her. Blood spilled everywhere. Ichi panicked, looking back from the bear to the cat as her chest heaved and the bear advanced on them.

The cat's eyes glowed, staring into Ichi's he felt his body freeze.

"Tanuki, forgive me." The cat said. Then, Ichi's consciousness flickered out.

From a distance, as if in a dream, his body rumbled. A far away sensation, muddled out. A thrum went through him as his heart started thumping. Then, he heard the drums. Don. Don. Don. Ichi's consciousness gathered together, as began to think this must be a dream. What was he doing again? Don Don Don. The drums got faster. Don Don Don Don. Ichi remembered the samurai, an old scene appeared in his head from a movie.

Two samurai stood across from each other, then, they charged past one another swinging their swords then froze. A blood spray shot out from both of them.

Then, Ichi awoke. He was on the ground with the cat placing a paw on him as light enveloped a huge gash across his chest. The Mountain Lord was lying some distance away, roaring out and rolling around as it's blood marred the tall grass.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," the cat repeated under her breath the gash on his chest closed.

"What happened?" Ichi croaked out in a smaller voice than he thought he had.

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"I possessed you. Then, I lost consciousness. You must have awoken somehow, and then you must have done that to the Mountain Lord." The cat shifted her eyes to the bear.

"I should've ran, shouldn't I." Ichi said.

"Yes, that would have been the smart thing to do." The cat answered.

"Got a plan, stupid cat?"

"I am not stupid!"

"You're stupid for getting me into this mess."

"You're stupid for staying!"

The Mountain Lord rose to it's hind legs, staring down at Ichi.

"Superb." The bear rumbled out.

Ichi and the cat looked at each other.

"Again," the cat said, "and this time, let me take full control. Stay calm, I can handle this."

"Nah," Ichi said, "let's do it together."

"I don't even know how we could do that! I can't trust you to fight!"

"Then run, I'll stay here and die." Ichi said.

The Mountain Lord advanced on it's hind legs, pulling back his arm like the blade on a guillotine.

Ichi tightened his grip, his wooden sword still in his hand. The cat looked into his eyes, disappearing. He felt the cat enter his body. This time, Ichi stayed conscious. A thrum of energy crackled around him as his wound closed.

A big bushy tail shot out from his butt ripping his clothes. Then, a black and white cat tail shot out accompying it.

"I am the current of the river," Ichi's voice echoed out. He stood up.

One cat eat popped out on his head on the bushy tail's side, One round bushy ear popped out on his head on the cat tail's side.

"I am the flow in the water,"

Ichi held his sword aloft. Memories of his old days in the city he grew up in, all those fights to prove himself, passed through his mind like a flim reel. The Mountain Lord swung down.

"I am the leaf of the wind,"

Ichi dodged, eyes open, he felt the blow woosh cutting his ear a sliver.

"No heaven or hell rules man, only man may rule himself,"

Ichi stepped forward, stabbing the bear through it's gut in one strike.

"Grow like a tree, be the branches to balance all life!"

Light shined through the wooden sword, as energy traveled directly into the Mountain Lord's guts. The bear's bulk expanded out, light shining through the dark, until it exploded. Ichi stood there, covered in it all, as the Mountain Lord fell back. A thud echoed out as the bear crinkled the tall grass around him, forming a funeral wreath.

The Mountain Lord whispered out.

"Fool. Mankind cannot surpass nature. We are all there is. You will come to see that, may you live long enough."

Ichi twirled his sword and stabbed it into the dirt ground with a thud. He clasping his hands together in a line as he let go.

"If that is true, Mountain Lord, then I will use nature to surpass nature."

Whispers rumbled out from the Mountain Lord.

"Such stupidity. Typical of a Tanuki. Suit yourself. You live with mankind, and yet you are one of us. You will understand. You will-" the whispers died out.