So.  There we were, the five of us, heading to Kamakura to seek help from my 
relatives.  My kin who, at the time, were some of the last people that I wanted 
to face.  For quite some time now, they'd disapproved of my actions, and that 
was before the experiment.  Then there was that warning that they'd sent a few 
days ago.

What was that?  Oh, yes, I said "people."  Is there another word I should use?  
Does it make you uncomfortable, then, that I refer to my family by that term?  
The human language is rather limited in that matter, you see.  Apparently, 
anything that isn't of the species homo sapiens isn't considered worthy of 
possessing rational thought.  Quite a shame to have such a narrow view of the 
world.

It's quite obvious that humans tend to fear and distrust those that are 
different.  They hate what they can't understand.  They look down upon them and 
consider themselves superior to them in some way, shape, or form.  They get 
angry, they fight, they cause pain to themselves and others.  Yet somehow, they 
manage to live on the best they can.

I could say the same about myself and my family.  Draw your own conclusions from 
that.

- = -

Wings of Fate
Chapter 12: A Single Black Feather
by Kate Malloy

created by John Evans and Ardweden

- = -

I won't bore you with the details of our trip to Kamakura.  Suffice it to say 
that we followed the plan, though Kenchi was worrying about the engine on his 
car.  Apparently, it had a tendency to overheat on very hot days and he ended up 
having to make several stops at gas stations while we proceeded on our way.  We 
decided to wait for him and Shuukou to arrive before I went to talk with my 
family.

Akari and I attempted to make some small talk for a little while.  I don't 
exactly remember what it was, probably nothing important.  Soshi sat in the back 
seat, not making a single sound on the trip up.

Mostly, however, my mind was on the meeting with my relatives.  I'm surprised 
that I didn't get into an accident with the way I was distracted.

Of course, when I look back at it, I realize that the meeting didn't go too 
badly at all.  In fact, that was probably one of the few things back then that 
actually worked out fairly well.  Talking with my kin was probably the least of 
our problems.

Yes, I'm rambling.  Humor me a little.

At any rate, the trip passed much too quickly for my tastes, although I'm sure 
that the others were relieved that we managed to make it there without incident.  
Just the fact that we'd finally managed to get out of Tokyo must have made them 
feel a bit more at ease.

I pulled into a small parking lot a short distance from the temple.  Akari and I 
got out and leaned against the car, waiting for Kenchi and Shuukou to arrive, 
while Soshi stayed in the back seat.  Every once in a while, I'd catch Akari 
glancing back at him, checking to see if he was all right.  Back then, I wasn't 
sure how she could tell just by looking, but she seemed satisfied.

A short while later, Kenchi's car pulled up next to mine.  He rolled the window 
down and called over to me.  "Anything yet?"

I shook my head.  "We were waiting for you."

Kenchi nodded.  He and Shuukou got out and faced us.  Meanwhile, Akari was 
attempting to help Soshi out of my car.  Soshi refused her help, of course.  It 
took a few minutes, but he got out stood up on his own.  He leaned against the 
car rather heavily, and there was almost a scowl on his features.  I know he 
hated to have us see him in a moment of weakness.

"So now what?" he asked idly.

I sighed.  The moment was here.  There was no avoiding it any longer.  "Now..." 
I took a deep breath.  "Now I go in and talk to them."

"Do you want us to come with you?" Akari inquired anxiously.

"No." I shook my head again.  "Not yet.  Not until I've had a chance to... 
resolve things."

Akari bit her lip and looked down at her feet.

"I know you want to come," I told her quietly.  "I want you to be there, as 
well, but there's a certain measure of decorum that needs to be observed.  For 
now, at least, I have to go in alone."

Obviously, she still wasn't happy, but she nodded.

I turned to next person.  "Shuukou."

"Hmm?" She looked straight at me.

"They're probably going to want to talk to you after they're done with me.  Will 
you..." I wasn't exactly sure how to finish the sentence.

"I will be perfectly capable of telling them what they need to know," she stated 
firmly.

That was a good enough answer for me.  I glanced at the four of them, wondering 
if it was safe to leave them by themselves.  No, I wasn't worried about any sort 
of attacks from the outside.  I just wanted to make sure that Soshi would be in 
one piece when I got back.  Briefly, I contemplated walking over to Akari and 
asking her to keep the peace.  It wouldn't be necessary, though.  She knew.

"Well, here goes..." I murmured as I turned to walk towards the temple grounds.

"Good luck," Kenchi called.

I smiled wryly.  "Hopefully, I won't be needing very much of it," I answered.

*****

I walked a short distance into the woods surrounding the temple grounds.  My kin 
did not live on the temple grounds proper, but nearby.  How else could they 
harass the monks?  Well, that didn't happen very much anymore.  Mostly now, they 
kept themselves hidden from most of the world.  The days of the old legends were 
past, or so they claimed.  There was no place for them in modern society.  
Unless, of course, they wanted to turn human, which some of them did.  Like me.  
There were a few who had tried to simply live among humans, but most of them 
either gave up and returned to the forest or eventually fell into the human 
race.

My true nature and ancestry were never hidden from me.  I grew up knowing 
exactly what I was.  I learned to hide it well, of course, but I never forgot 
it.  Rather, I relished it.  There's a certain exhilaration in knowing that you 
have a power and a freedom that most people will never experience.

Yes, I suppose that is what drove the five of us to begin our project.  I will 
not deny that in those days, everything was strange and exciting.  Would that we 
had thought ahead a little more seriously about the consequences... But again, 
I'm getting off the subject, aren't I?

As soon as I judged that I'd traveled a far enough distance into the forest, I 
removed my clothes and changed form, which took a few minutes to do properly.  
No sense in angering my kin any further by appearing in the body and garments of 
a human.  It was probably enough of an affront to them that I had so little 
control over my powers that I couldn't change instantly and take care of my 
clothing in the process.  I bundled up my clothes and shoes and stashed them in 
the lower branches of a tree.  I doubted they would be disturbed.  No humans 
wandered around here, and the few wild animals that lived in the area were 
generally wary of anything having to do with my relatives.

I continued on my way into the forest, mentally reviewing what I could remember 
about the Kamakura branch of the clan.  My great-uncle Goranu was the head of 
the family here.  I hadn't dealt with him very much.  From what I could recall, 
he had a fairly good sense of humor, but also a strong sense of tradition.  It 
was likely that he'd take a rather dim view of using ancient family secrets to 
help teach a group of human college students to learn magic.  Then again, he 
might find our current situation amusing in a twisted sort of way.  I had no way 
of telling until I spoke to him.

Somehow or another I'd stopped walking at some point.  Now I was just standing 
in the middle of the path, staring into the trees ahead.  This was getting 
ridiculous.  If we'd managed, so far, to face down shadow demons, fire and 
whatever else that damned group of mages was sending against us, why was I 
having such trouble working up the courage to face my relatives?  What could 
they possibly do to me that was worse than what was waiting for us?

Deep in my heart, I knew what it was that I feared.  Rejection.  If my relatives 
refused to speak with me, refused to help us, then what would we do?  If they 
abandoned us to face this alone, we'd have nowhere else to turn.  Would we be on 
the run forever?

But at any rate, I would not allow my fear to rule me.  No matter what happened 
between me and my kin, I would face down whatever forces were arrayed against 
the five of us.  I refused to give in.  And with that, I continued on my way.

I just hoped that I could keep up my resolve.

My meeting began on a rather surprising note.  I turned a bend in the trail and 
suddenly found myself standing in a clearing, face-to-face with Great-Uncle 
Goranu himself.  Had he used some sort of magic to transport me here?  I hadn't 
felt any such magic being used, but then again, my great-uncle was quite old and 
full of tricks.  On the other hand, he simply could have chosen this spot to 
meet me because he knew it would catch me off guard.  There certainly wasn't any 
evidence of this clearing's existence until one entered it.  In other words, I 
certainly wasn't expecting it to be there.

"Judou," he said quietly.

I bowed deeply to him.  So, it appeared that he was alone.  I wasn't going to be 
facing down  a tribunal of my relatives.  Not yet, at least.

"Finally, you have come," he continued.  "Now, explain yourself."

Where to start?  Should I tell him what happened when the five of us first came
together?  Obviously, he knew at least something of what we had done.  Some of 
the texts and other family heirlooms I had borrowed could only be used for very 
specific purposes.  And he, or someone, had obviously been keeping an eye on us.  
They'd seen the interview on TV and sent the note. I wondered exactly how much 
he knew about our situation.  It was entirely possible that he would know much 
more about what we were facing than we did.

So it seemed that the question he posed to me was not really what we had done, 
or how we had done it, but why.  That question, unfortunately, had no 
straightforward answer.

Certainly, there was the power.  That almost goes without saying.  Another part 
of it was sheer curiosity, I suppose.  How many people would say no if someone 
offered them magic?  The whole process of research, experimentation and 
discovery had been a fascinating adventure.  The question is, would my great-
uncle understand that, or would he simply give me a lecture on how there were 
certain things that those who were young, inexperienced, and overly nosy were 
not meant to dabble in?

"First of all, none of us had any idea that things would turn out the way they 
did," I began.

"They never do," he answered.  "That's still not an excuse, though."

"Yes, I know," I continued.  Maybe I could sidetrack him somehow?  An idea 
suddenly occurred to me.  "I was just thinking about how you always used to 
listen to me when I was little."

He rolled his eyes.  "Judou, you were the most annoying child I knew.  I only 
listened because I knew after a while you'd get tired and shut up."

"You know what I meant," I insisted.  "Anyway, this isn't just about the five of 
us anymore.  If things keep escalating, quite a few secrets could be revealed."

"Didn't you think about that before you started?" he asked angrily.  "Didn't any 
of you *think* at all about the consequences?  Were you so caught up in your 
desire for arcane knowledge that you didn't stop to consider what you were about 
to get into?"

"We did.  We thought about it quite a bit, Great-Uncle.  We didn't go into it 
without any sort of plans."

"Well, you certainly could have fooled me."

"There's more.  It's very possible that if we don't do something soon, the 
existence of the entire tengu people could be revealed to, well, pretty much all 
of humanity."

"Judou..." he growled.  "Is that a threat?"

I shook my head sadly.  "From me?  No.  Great-Uncle, no matter what you may 
think of me, I would never do a thing like that.  I *could* never do a thing 
like that.  But it's a possibility.  Whatever's attacking the five of us is 
getting bolder.  What's stopping it, or them, from coming after you?  They've 
probably known of your existence for years.  This might provide them with the 
perfect excuse."

He was silent.   I doubted that was a good sign.

"Look, all I'm asking is for you to listen to us," I pleaded.  "Just listen.  
That's all."

He sighed.  "I suppose that sounds fair enough.  However, before I can agree to 
hear your companions out, you must first solve a riddle," he said.  "The note 
that we sent you... whose feather was it that was included with the message?"

I blinked.  The feather?  It had seemed like an ordinary crow's feather.  It 
could have come from any bird, or any of my kin.  Why on earth would its origin 
be so important?

It had certainly gotten my attention, though.  As soon as I had received the 
note, I knew exactly where it had come from.  It was a very obvious reminder of 
my heritage.

Wait.  That was it.  It was to remind me of what I truly was.  And therefore...

"Mine," I said.  "It was mine."

"Very good," he replied.  "You are correct.  It was sent as a test to you."  He 
rubbed his beak with one hand in a considering gesture.  "So, it seems that you 
have not completely turned your back on your true heritage.  Take me to your 
companions.  I will hear what they have to say."

As the two of us walked back to where the others were waiting, something 
occurred to me.

"What if I'd gotten it wrong?" I asked.

"Oh, then I would have killed you where you stand," he said calmly.

"Ah," I eloquently replied.

Well, I had been curious, though I have to say that certainly wasn't the answer 
I'd expected.

Why yes, I *do* have a very interesting family.  Glad you noticed.

We walked in silence for several minutes.

"There are a few things you should know before you meet them," I finally 
continued.  "We left Tokyo after the last attack.  Someone burned the forest 
where one of our group was living."

He stopped in shock.  "Burned a forest?" he said in quiet horror.

"Indeed.  It was terrible.  I can't get the memory out of my mind, no matter how 
much I try.  The flames were everywhere.  I ran in to save two of the others.  
Soshi was almost dead.  In fact, I wasn't sure if he would live on the trip out.  
Shuukou was screaming like a madwoman.  It was her forest, her place, her life."

Great-Uncle Goranu took a shaky breath.  This was the first time I'd ever seen 
him as anything less than calm and collected.  "Go on," he prompted.

"The worst part was that I'd seen this happening, and there was nothing we could 
do to stop it."

"What do you mean by that?"

"My power," I admitted.  "My magic.  I am now able to see things before they 
happen."  

"Visions, eh?" he said softly.  "Interesting that you received those powers.  
That's an aspect of your nature that I'd never considered."

I wondered then if he would know why each of us gained the powers that we did.  
I had been suspecting that it had something to do with our personalities, but I 
hadn't speculated on any details beyond that.

We reached the point where I'd left my clothing.  I changed back and got 
dressed, noting his brief expression of distaste.

"I know this upsets you, but it's a part of who I am," I told him.

"It's not the clothing," he replied.  "Do you think that I have never disguised 
myself as a human?  It's your lack of control, Judou.  Your powers are so 
underdeveloped that you can't even deal with something as simple as this."

I bristled.  I knew that he was right.  In fact, I wondered if the seeming 
randomness of my visions was a reflection of my inability to fully utilize my 
tengu powers.  It was something to think about as we continued on to where the 
others were waiting.

I immediately noticed that something was wrong when I walked out of the forest.  
Great-Uncle Goranu was staying behind until I'd had a chance to let them know 
that he was there.  They were clustered together, even Soshi.  There was a 
definite tenseness in the way they were standing.  It seemed like they were on 
the verge of drawing upon the magic, and they'd only slightly relaxed when they 
realized that I'd returned.

"Judou," Kenchi said evenly.

I was getting an eerie sense of deja-vu.

"Yes?" I answered.

"Were you successful?" Shuukou asked.

I nodded.  "May I introduce my great-uncle Goranu?"

He stepped out into the clearing.  Kenchi's eyes widened, while Akari drew a 
sharp breath.  Only Shuukou seemed unaffected by the sight of the ancient tengu.

Well, of course Soshi showed no reaction.  Even if he hadn't been blind then, I 
doubt he would have.

Great-Uncle Goranu, meanwhile, wasted no time.  He walked directly up to 
Shuukou.  She bowed deeply to him.  He returned it, which surprised me.

"You are Shuukou, I presume," he stated.

"I am," she stated firmly.

"May I have a word with you in private before I talk to your group?" he asked.

"Certainly."

The two of them walked over to the other side of the clearing and began to 
converse.

In the meantime, I had made my way over to where Akari was waiting.  "Did 
something happen while I was gone?" I asked her quietly.

She hesitated a moment before answering.  "It was Soshi.  A little while ago, he 
claimed that he was sensing something familiar.  Then, all of a sudden, he took 
off and started running towards the woods.  Before any of us could react, he 
stopped.  We asked him what it was, but he didn't say anything.  However..." She 
paused and looked uncertainly at me.  "I could have sworn that for a brief 
moment, I saw the shadow of a woman in the woods." 

I blinked.  This was unexpected.  Perhaps we hadn't been as careful about being 
followed as we'd thought.

I'm sure that you can probably guess who it turned out to be.  But at the time, 
we still had no idea that she even existed.  All I could think of right then was 
that now I was suddenly in a great hurry for Shuukou to finish talking with my 
great-uncle.  Then maybe we'd all have an idea of what to do next.

*****

And now, in the semi-grand tradition of Chapters 2 and 6...

Omake! ^_^

***

As soon as I judged that I'd traveled a far enough distance into the forest, I 
removed my clothes and changed form.  No sense in angering them any further by 
appearing in the body and garments of a human.  I bundled up my clothes and 
shoes and stashed them in the lower branches of a tree.  I doubted they would be 
disturbed.  No humans wandered around here, and the few wild animals that lived 
in the area were generally wary of anything having to do with my relatives.

It was then that I heard a clicking sound behind me.  I whirled around to find 
Kenchi holding a camera.  Shuukou was with him, giggling madly.

I wondered how fast they could run before I'd catch up to them.

***

"Before I can agree to hear your companions out, you must first solve a riddle," 
he said.

He handed me a Rubik's Cube.

I blinked.  Well, damn it all.

***

From Ravi:

"Before I can agree to hear your companions out, you must first solve a riddle,"
he said.

Well, I had been expecting something like this, and I'd come prepared.  I nodded 
slowly, sliding my hand down into my pocket.  With a sudden jerk, I whipped out 
a brand new nickel and flung it to the side.

"Ooooh!  Shiny!" Great-Uncle chirped as he poinged over and pounced on the
shiny happy waiful coin.

"You were saying, Uncle?" I asked.

He kept staring at the coin.  "Um.  Nothing.  Now what did you want?"

***

From Scott:

"Before I can agree to hear your companions out, you must first solve a
riddle," he said.  "What... is your favorite color?"

***

Again from Scott:

As the two of us walked back to where the others were waiting, something 
occurred to me.

"Damn," I said.  "I left the water running in the kitchen."

***

Yet again from Scott: 

However..." She paused and looked uncertainly at me.  "I could have sworn that 
for a brief moment, I saw the shadow of a woman in the woods."

I blinked.  This was unexpected.  Perhaps we hadn't been as careful about 
maintaining Akari's dosages as we'd thought.

*****

Author's Notes:

Gaaah.  This turned out to be the chapter that Did Not Want to Be Written. ^^;  
I'm not sure why, either.  It felt like my muse and I were having a tug-of-war.

Difficulties aside, however, I'm actually rather pleased with the way it turned 
out.  Now watch people rip it to shreds. ^_^;

Huge thanks go to my prereaders: Ardweden, Phoebe, Ravi, and Scott.  Especially 
Ravi, who had tons of insightful comments and ideas.  Hopefully I managed to 
work most of them in here.  Thanks, oniichan.  I did the best job I could. ^_~

Goranu is named after a character in several books by Kara Dalkey: Little Sister 
and The Heavenward Path.  The only thing that this Goranu has in common with 
hers is that they're both tengu. ^_^

Whew.  Now I can get back to sleep and Chrono Cross.  Wai? ^_~

Kate