Yukiana blinked and opened her eyes. It was strange, but she could tell that her field of vision had more than doubled. She could see more of her surroundings, in a greater detail than she ever had before. Everything that was within her vision seemed to almost glow. It was brighter, as if illuminated by the light of day, though she knew that this was impossible.

  She was deep within the dark confines of a ship’s hull, stocked full of barrels and boxes of cargo and little else. She could smell for what seemed like leagues, everything, from the salted fish in nearby barrels to the sweating men above deck to the faintest whiff of prey lurking about the ship. She could hear it, the mouse, scampering on the other side of the hull. She could hear its tiny heart beating when it stopped momentarily to rest. Her senses were so potent, so intense, that it nearly overwhelmed her.

  It was the sage wisdom of her new teacher, Tanuki, that prevented her from being swept away completely. “When you change forms, you will gain more than just the likeness of that which you put on, but you will inherit some of the vital properties of that being. Your new form and your true self will constantly be at war with one another. If you are not careful, your transformation will become corrupt and observably false. Even worse, you could lose the transformation altogether. Imagine being a bird soaring above the clouds and then suddenly reverting to your human form. Errors like that can be fatal. To prevent either of those from happening, you must remember to balance your transformation and your true self. You must always remain balanced.”

  “I am balanced,” Yuki repeated to herself. “I am balanced.” She took a small step forward. Her paw flattened and felt awkward against the rough timber of the ship. However, she did have incredible balance, in the physical sense. She could tell that if she extended her claws, she would have an even greater grip. She took one step, and then another. Her long tail seemed to sway innately, keeping her balanced, and her lithe and supple frame allowed her to quickly traverse among the boxes and luggage that filled the bottom of the hull. She jumped up and landed atop a large crate. It was too easy, almost effortless. She leaped again, but this time she did not reach her target. Panic began to rush over her as she felt the drop in her chest, but no harm came. She landed safely on all fours without the faintest sound or twinge of pain.

  “Not bad,” she thought to herself. “I rather like being a cat.”

  Her teacher had decided to try out a new form that day and selected one of a common alley-cat. He thought it a simple enough transformation, and one that would be quite useful, for cats often were inconspicuous creatures, and generally regarded as lucky. This form, if perfected, would provide her with a mode of stealth that would be invaluable in the future.

  Each day since their departure from the New Capital, Yukiana had been challenged to deepen her powers of shapeshifting, powers she had gained by making a pact with a mysterious kami only several days before. She had done this to escape certain death, and still hardly knew this strange being that was now mortally bound to her. Yet so far, he had been faithful and kept his promises, and therefore she felt obligated to do the same for him.

  Even so, Tanuki was a hard teacher and she often compared him to her former musical instructor, Mokuwahara-sensei, back in her home village of Kokoro. He would never just give her a transformation, but instead gave her a task or trial to achieve while she was transformed. The challenge was that she must maintain the form until the task was completed. Unfortunately, she had so far performed rather poorly and had yet to complete a single trial. She would have become greatly discouraged if it were not for her teacher’s reminders that she had only just inherited these new powers.

  “You will soon get it. Just keep trying,” Tanuki said reassuringly. Yuki, however, was not too sure he had chosen his new partner wisely but had no other choice but to keep at it.

  “Now to find that mouse,” she thought.

  As this was her first transformation into a cat, she felt that she had better hurry and try to catch the mouse as soon as possible, not knowing quite what she was capable of. She could hear the rodent pawing around the far corner of the hull, and now that she had partially adapted to this new body and its senses, she crept low atop the piles of boxes, drawing nearer while trying to keep silent. She felt a pang of pity for the poor creature, for her steps were unmarked, and the mouse’s heartbeat maintained its steady, oblivious pattern.

  She soon reached the edge of the crate several feet above where the mouse was gnawing on a hunk of fish that had fallen off the top of one of the barrels. Yuki had to do her best to control her instincts, for the fish seemed more appealing to both her natural and feline tastes. But she did not need the fish for the trial, she needed the mouse, and after several moments of great inner turmoil, she regained control and focused her bright eyes on the chittering rodent.

  Her soft tongue intuitively moistened her nose as her muscles began to draw tense and ready for a pounce from a height. She let her mind go and felt her body take over. She leaped silently to the ground, landing right on top of the unsuspecting creature.

  “I have you!” she thought triumphantly but watched as the mouse bolted away. She had forgotten to bear down with her claws, and now only held on to tiny tufts of fur. Her cat eyes widened, and she took off in hot pursuit, cutting left and right, as the mouse, now all too aware of her presence, ran with frantic haste.

  She did not let up, and with the aid of her predatory speed and agility, it was only a few seconds before she was just behind it. She could feel the mouse’s tail sweep against her whiskers, and she let out an audible hiss of agitation. Things were moving faster than she was used to, and she could feel herself giving more control to the transformation to stay balanced.

  Suddenly, Yuki fell forward, slid, and crashed headlong into one of the barrels, spilling the cold fish on top of her so that she nearly drowned in scales. She was a human once again.

  She sat up and coughed out fish water that had likely congealed in the barrels for days, nearly gagging from the intense saline taste. Her body was covered with water and slime and a few live fish wriggled at her ankles. She had lost the form prematurely.

  “Not again!” she lamented aloud. “I thought I had int this time!”

  “You certainly started well,” a calm voice came suddenly from her side. It was Tanuki, and he stood atop the crate beside her with a look of suppressed amusement. “You simply let your human emotions interrupt your focus.”

  “But I thought that I had control this time!” said Yuki dejectedly, slapping away a fish that had jumped its way into her lap.

  “You had control. But you were close to catching the mouse, and in doing so you would have completed your first trial. You allowed that exhilaration to overcome you, and your focus waned. You must not give way to your emotions but keep a clear mind. Remember, balance!”

  Yuki forced a nod and did her best to hide her disappointment. “I’ll do better next time,” she murmured.

  Tanuki smiled tenderly. “We shall have many opportunities. Come now, let us rest. We shall soon reach our new home.”

  Stolen novel; please report.

  The pair came out from the cramped hull of the river barge and retired to Yuki’s personal quarters, where she was able to bathe and refresh herself. They had been on the waters for several days, departing from the Old Capital by way of the seafaring Hino. It was piloted by the industrious Captain Yoko, who graciously agreed to provide her passage from the Old Capital to the mouth of the river Kei. He had regretted his part in her kidnapping and readily agreed to take her a few days’ journey north. It was rather fortunate, for it was Yuki’s first and only idea of escape after they had fled from the castle grounds. Thinking back, she would have had a far more challenging time trying to depart by land and she had no money or resources to pay for any other transport.

  The Hino was still docked near to where she had left it those few months before, so it was easy to locate. The ship had only been employed a few times since her ordeal, and the crew was restless. They, as a whole, were encouraged by her presence, this time without the grim shadow of Daisuke Kondo beside her.

  Yuki had asked to be taken to the mouth of the river Kei because there she would be within the boundaries of the province of the Tora. While the Tora domain was by no means far from the Old Capital, being its neighboring province to the north, it was one of the few places on the islands where she might find refuge. She had been on good terms with the daimyo’s son, Tora Sōichirō, and may be able to depend on his charity for solace, at least until she developed her powers further. She had once been a councilor of sorts to this young man, but their relationship was cut short by the wrath of Lady Ishihara, and her subsequent imprisonment in the castle of the Shogun.

  “I hope he remembers me,” Yukiana thought nervously as the morning sun rose, beginning to warm the cool autumn air.

  When they reached the mouth of the river Kei, Yukiana was transferred to a river barge headed upstream and left the crew of the Hino with many goodbyes and well wishes. Only the captain would be going with her, for he still felt partly responsible for her desperate situation. He intended to see her safely to Kei City, the capital of the Tora domain, and to make sure she was to be well cared for. He was adamant about this and could not be dissuaded even after quite a bit of pleading on Yuki’s part. He generously paid the fare for her on an old river junk, and they set out almost immediately.

  After three days of travel, they arrived at their destination, the city of Kei, which was situated within the rugged Tora province.

  Yuki looked up and saw, spanning across the white jagged rock that hedged them in on both sides, a great wooden bridge. It was nearly one hundred feet above the level of the river, made of thick, lacquered wood, and crossed the gorge with extraordinary craftsmanship, for there were tiles laid upon its sides like that of a castle. It was known as the Tora-bashi, the Bridge of Tigers, and it stood as a testament to the impressive Tora clan who had dominated these lands for hundreds of years. Yuki could also perceive, though obscured by the rocks and trees, the roof of a sturdy fortress in the distance, and knew that she was close.

  The city of Kei was located upon these rocky heights, a rather unusual place to have a capital city. While castles and fortresses were often built in elevated places, cities were often found in the lowlands, near open plains where rice could be harvested easily. It was not so of Kei, where people seemed to dwell atop a sea of clouds. The city was nicknamed Kumori-shi, referring to the mist that would gather about the city in the early mornings and late evenings, leaving it hidden from outsiders. It gave Kei an ethereal air and made it seem different from all other cities of the Islands. While actual tigers were not native to the Islands, they were heard of in the Far Countries, and from there, the origins of the Tora house were said to have come. Thus, the city of Kei resembled those from ancient dynasties, who once built their kingdoms in the skies.

  The original architects had ulterior motives for their design of the city, for the lofty location made assailing it much more difficult. The city was bisected by the Kei River, but the gorge in which the river sat was too deep to allow for any naval attack, and the walls too shear to mount a proper invasion. If one were to attack Kei, they would have to climb, and find the hidden passages through the hills and rock, which were vigilantly guarded. It was no surprise that Kei had never been sacked, though many times the Dragons of Ryu had sought to take it.

  The boat pulled aside the edge of the river, where there was a small dock jetting out from an indentation in the gorge. Yuki understood that this was one of the few areas where supplies could come into the city via the river. This was done by a system of wooden elevators which were lifted by rope and pulleys. As there were no stairs leading up the gorge, it would be impractical if not impossible to bring supplies up on foot. The elevators satisfied the condition of pragmatism and security, as they could easily be pulled up or cut in the event of a siege. Several guards stood nearby the elevators anticipating their arrival, glaring at them ominously.

  When the riverboat captain had secured the vessel to dock, the guards quickly boarded, checked papers, and then asked to inspect the passengers.

  Yukiana had been on the bow as they arrived, and made her way back, with Tanuki at her heels, while Captain Yoko was summoned from his quarters.

  “What business do you have in Kei?” the lead guard asked brusquely, as Yoko strode up to Yuki’s side. She noticed that all of the guards appeared unusually young, perhaps just a year or two older than herself. The lead guard in particular seemed to wear a mocking smile and had an air of false bravado often found in young men.

  “We have business with Sōichirō Tora,” Yuki ventured, trying to project confidence.

  The lead guard’s eyes seemed to hover over her with distaste, obviously expecting the older and more intimidating Captain Yoko to speak. The Captain nodded his head, corroborating Yuki’s words.

  The lead guard looked back and forth at the two, seeming even more perturbed. “Do you not know that the young Tora has succeeded his father only recently? He is daimyo now.”

  This was a surprise to Yuki, who had not at that time heard the events of the battle of Shinohara and the route of the barbarian horde. After a few moments of contemplation, she mustered up her confidence once more and said, “Nevertheless, we have business with the same man. Please take us to him.”

  To this, the youthful guard scoffed harshly. “It cannot be done.”

  “And why not?” she asked.

  “Our borders are closed to foreigners,” he explained. “We are in the midst of war.”

  “War?” cried Yuki. “With whom?”

  The guard did not answer. He merely turned and began consorting with the other men, seemingly done with this young woman and her inexcusable ignorance.

  “Excuse me!” Yuki insisted forcefully.

  The lead guard slowly turned, raising an eyebrow. “Begone woman!” he barked.

  Captain Yoko moved to step forward, growing furious at this young guard’s insolence, but Yuki put her hand out to stop him.

  “This was my idea,” she whispered to him. “I must see it through.” She then set her gaze upon the young man and glared at him fiercely.

  “When Sōichirō-sama hears of this impudence I swear you shall rue the day you spoke to me thus! I was his personal consort in the New Capital! He ordered me to come and meet him here. Do you understand what that means?”

  The guard froze for a moment but did not altogether buy the ruse. “Consort?” he asked. “What consort? I’ve not heard of a consort.”

  “That’s where I’ve seen her before!” one of the guards in the back spoke up. “I saw her as a servant of Lady Ishihara, though she is greatly changed. I could not immediately tell it was her.”

  Yuki felt sick at such a description of her, for she knew he was referring to the eye she had lost, more than the lack of fine robes and makeup. However, she mustered the last of her courage and said, “You should know well that the Old Capital is a dangerous place...”

  The lead guard looked at her intently, a subtle change starting to come over him. “We lost most of our able-bodied men in the battle of Shinohara Beach,” he said, biting his lip. “Curse the Shogun!”

  Several moments of utter silence followed. Finally, the lead guard spoke again. “Come then, prove your tale to the daimyo. But be warned, he is in no mood to play these days. Ever since his father died, he has been in a violent disposition. He is the Tiger now.”

  Yuki gave a short bow and followed the guards off the ship. Tanuki stayed at her heels and had not yet been noticed. She kept her interactions with her kami as secretive as possible. They communicated mostly through looks or whispers, though a few times she had slipped and spoke openly, and had gotten confused looks from the crew or the captain. The crew had viewed the animal as her companion and did not object to his presence for she had suffered much harm. She and her teacher always trained in dark and secluded rooms, and none had seen either transform. Tanuki thought it wise to keep their powers a secret, at least until both were much stronger.

  Yukiana followed the guards to one of the wooden elevators and stood in the center, with the guards circling her and Captain Yoko. After a moment or so, they were lifted, slowly but steadily, up the side of the gorge.