Post by Javelina aka Wu Tugu on Sept 9, 2004 23:34:27 GMT -5
Wu Tugu stroked the crest of his horse's mane and murmured in his ear. It had been a long ride, frought with peril, and his horse seemed as relieved as was Wu Tugu that the country had turned to the dark shades of the forest’s greenery. Wu Tugu sat down against a tree stump and closed his eyes. He tried to empty his mind and meditate, but he couldn't escape the memories that flooded into his thoughts like the restless waves of an ocean storm..........
......................
It had been a day of blood. It had been a day of glory. Wu Tugu and Liu Shun, his beloved horse, had just rode off the battlefield at Xia Pi, when a messenger had raced towards him, carrying the banner of Shu and the ribbons of royalty. Obviously this was a herald from his Lord, Ding Feng.
The young warrior who delivered the message was worn from his journey but he placed his head to the ground and held out a scroll of fine royal parchment.
Wu Tugu read it:
“My friend, I am sending you on an errand, and I know not where it will lead you, but I trust that you will take this duty to heart, just as you have done with your duties as a warrior. A stranger arrived at my palace with a fantastic tale and a map. Follow this map, as I have judged this man as a friend of my kingdom, and in these troubled times, we must trust our hearts. Go to the place shown on the map and use your best judgment when you arrive. Do not allow yourself to be seen. Perhaps you will find something of value, either to our spirits or to our earthly souls. Signed, your Lord and friend, Ding Feng, King of Shu.”<br>
After thanking the warrior he rode to his tent and prepared for the journey. He promoted a lieutenant to act as general and to watch his army, and then he rode west toward Qiao. Soon he saw a glaze of smoke from the direction of the city ahead and he turned south, riding off of the road and into the wild countryside. For three days he travelled. He crossed the road between Xia Pi and Shou Chun and then when he hit the river he continued south along the bank, keeping himself hidden by the scrub and trees that lined the banks of the broad river. When he came to the bridge , he crossed to the east side of the river, crossed the road to Jiang Xia and then headed through the forest toward the foot of the steppes. Once he had reached the top of the plateau, Wu Tugu skirted the roads and passed the nearby city during the night. Finally he stopped to rest beneath a dark stand of trees, freeing his horse to graze in the lush grasses.
Hours passed....
.... Wu Tugu shook himself from his memories...It was time to focus on the present!
He pulled out his map and studied it as he pulled at his bitter pipe. The smoke cut at his eyes and he finally put it out, stealing himself for the final leg of his journey.
Just who had this stranger been that could have won the trust of his lord so easily? The thought gave him no comfort, yet he knew that Ding Feng was like a falcon when sizing up a man’s worth. Little could have been missed by his watchful eyes, but still……. He mounted his rested horse and slowly inched his way into the boulder-strewn field ahead.
Soon he noticed a path developing in the foliage, little more than the width of a man’s waist. Liu Shun snorted his disapproval, but Wu Tugu urged him onward. As the horse and warrior broke out into a clearing Wu tugu saw before him a small mountain. The path wound through the boulders and scree and held its course up the winding slopes. Wu Tugu dismounted and began to walk, holding the reigns of his horse, and leading his worried friend on up the precarious slope. Suddenly a twig snapped beneath his feet. and as he bent quickly to examine it, the rush of an arrow whirled past his head above him and impaled itself into a nearby tree.... A trap!
Now he moved slower. He came to a pit covered with loose leaf and branches. As he uncovered this new trap he peered down into the pit and the stench of rotting flesh filled his nostrils. He stared down at the jumbled mass of a human corpse, impaled on 3 foot long spikes at the bottom of the deep hole.
Continuing he found another contraption... a bent arch of mesquite ready to fing itself across the path if a yarn at his feet had been tripped. The tiny barbed thorns that covered the branches glistened with a deadly poisonous resin.
Onward he crept. Every 5 minutes Wu Tugu paused and waited for another 20 minutes as silent as the tree owl. He had to be cautious, for this would be no place to meet a band of rebels or bandits, and there was apparently something lurking here that was much much worse than bandits…..
As he neared the summit, a familiar odor came to him. Was that the smell of…. Adzuki bean soup….? His mouth watered as he continued on. By now, Wu Tugu realized that if someone had been camped on top of this mountain it was very likely that he had already been spotted, unless…..
unless they had already moved on……
Wu Tugu tightened his grip on his spear and stealed himself for the worst….
He stepped out onto the flat near the top of the mountain...
......................
It had been a day of blood. It had been a day of glory. Wu Tugu and Liu Shun, his beloved horse, had just rode off the battlefield at Xia Pi, when a messenger had raced towards him, carrying the banner of Shu and the ribbons of royalty. Obviously this was a herald from his Lord, Ding Feng.
The young warrior who delivered the message was worn from his journey but he placed his head to the ground and held out a scroll of fine royal parchment.
Wu Tugu read it:
“My friend, I am sending you on an errand, and I know not where it will lead you, but I trust that you will take this duty to heart, just as you have done with your duties as a warrior. A stranger arrived at my palace with a fantastic tale and a map. Follow this map, as I have judged this man as a friend of my kingdom, and in these troubled times, we must trust our hearts. Go to the place shown on the map and use your best judgment when you arrive. Do not allow yourself to be seen. Perhaps you will find something of value, either to our spirits or to our earthly souls. Signed, your Lord and friend, Ding Feng, King of Shu.”<br>
After thanking the warrior he rode to his tent and prepared for the journey. He promoted a lieutenant to act as general and to watch his army, and then he rode west toward Qiao. Soon he saw a glaze of smoke from the direction of the city ahead and he turned south, riding off of the road and into the wild countryside. For three days he travelled. He crossed the road between Xia Pi and Shou Chun and then when he hit the river he continued south along the bank, keeping himself hidden by the scrub and trees that lined the banks of the broad river. When he came to the bridge , he crossed to the east side of the river, crossed the road to Jiang Xia and then headed through the forest toward the foot of the steppes. Once he had reached the top of the plateau, Wu Tugu skirted the roads and passed the nearby city during the night. Finally he stopped to rest beneath a dark stand of trees, freeing his horse to graze in the lush grasses.
Hours passed....
.... Wu Tugu shook himself from his memories...It was time to focus on the present!
He pulled out his map and studied it as he pulled at his bitter pipe. The smoke cut at his eyes and he finally put it out, stealing himself for the final leg of his journey.
Just who had this stranger been that could have won the trust of his lord so easily? The thought gave him no comfort, yet he knew that Ding Feng was like a falcon when sizing up a man’s worth. Little could have been missed by his watchful eyes, but still……. He mounted his rested horse and slowly inched his way into the boulder-strewn field ahead.
Soon he noticed a path developing in the foliage, little more than the width of a man’s waist. Liu Shun snorted his disapproval, but Wu Tugu urged him onward. As the horse and warrior broke out into a clearing Wu tugu saw before him a small mountain. The path wound through the boulders and scree and held its course up the winding slopes. Wu Tugu dismounted and began to walk, holding the reigns of his horse, and leading his worried friend on up the precarious slope. Suddenly a twig snapped beneath his feet. and as he bent quickly to examine it, the rush of an arrow whirled past his head above him and impaled itself into a nearby tree.... A trap!
Now he moved slower. He came to a pit covered with loose leaf and branches. As he uncovered this new trap he peered down into the pit and the stench of rotting flesh filled his nostrils. He stared down at the jumbled mass of a human corpse, impaled on 3 foot long spikes at the bottom of the deep hole.
Continuing he found another contraption... a bent arch of mesquite ready to fing itself across the path if a yarn at his feet had been tripped. The tiny barbed thorns that covered the branches glistened with a deadly poisonous resin.
Onward he crept. Every 5 minutes Wu Tugu paused and waited for another 20 minutes as silent as the tree owl. He had to be cautious, for this would be no place to meet a band of rebels or bandits, and there was apparently something lurking here that was much much worse than bandits…..
As he neared the summit, a familiar odor came to him. Was that the smell of…. Adzuki bean soup….? His mouth watered as he continued on. By now, Wu Tugu realized that if someone had been camped on top of this mountain it was very likely that he had already been spotted, unless…..
unless they had already moved on……
Wu Tugu tightened his grip on his spear and stealed himself for the worst….
He stepped out onto the flat near the top of the mountain...
