The bear, the fox, and the maiden fierce.
The way the Shirokane family told it the family was founded by a woman named Shirokane. Shirokane was a headstrong woman who feared nothing and refused to marry any man and any man her parents attempted to marry her to were swiftly chased off by any number of things. One harsh winter harsher than most brought with it a man eater, a bear that stood twice as tall as any man with an appetite to match. Although most feared leaving their homes for fear of the bear Shirokane did not and would go to the river each day to collect water on one of these trips she heard the yips of a fox, following the sound she found a fox with it's paw caught in a hunter's trap. Shirokane freed the fox but received a bite in doing so. When Shirokane returned home her mother questioned her on what had happened to her wrist and Shirokane jokingly replied that she had finally found a man who could bite back. That night a traveler knocked at the family's door a man with hair the color of blood and piercing eyes, the man called himself Daisuke and asked for shelter for the night and was granted it. The next morning when Shirokane went to fetch water Daisuke followed her when they returned Daisuke asked Shirokane's father why the other villagers had not gone to fetch water. Shirokane's father told him that no one wanted to be the bear's meal and only Shirokane was foolish enough to risk it. Daisuke then asked why did they not just kill the bear if it was such a problem to which Shirokane's father merely laughed and told Daisuke that there were none strong enough to take the bear. Daisuke replied that he would kill the bear if he was given Shirokane in return to which Shirokane's father laughed but agreed that if Daisuke could kill the bear that he could marry Shirokane. Shirokane claimed that she would kill the bear and would never marry a man she did not see as worthy. Without another word Shirokane grabbed her father's bow and left to track the bear Daisuke followed behind her nothing but a fan in his hand. Shirokane asked how he planned to kill the bear with a fan to which he replied he did not. For three days the two tracked the bear on the first night when they made camp alongside a road a nobleman passed by and upon seeing Shirokane commanded her to accompany him when she refused he ordered his guards to bring her by force as soon as the first of the twenty guards took a step forward each of the guards began acting strangley some fell to the ground foaming at the mouth, others began running on all fours yipping and yapping, seeing this the frightened the Nobleman and he turned heel pushing his horse as fast as it could run the guards quickly following at his heels on all fours. On the second night as the two sat by the fire a hunter with his two hounds approached as they came close the hackles of the hounds rose and they barked with such ferosity that Shirokane turned to Daisuke only to find he had disapeared. The hunter asked why Shirokane was travelling alone to which Shirokane denied when the hunter offered to guide her to a village Shirokane asked him to leave and when he did not she did instead and although at first he followed her he quickly lost sight of her. Within moments of the hunter and his hounds losing Shirokane Daisuke was by her side once more when questionned his only reply was he held no love for dogs or hunters. The third night the two found themselves surrounded by bandits who quickly found themselves surrounded by floating balls of green fire and gathering stormclouds above. With a calamatous sound lightning struck killing the bandits yet Shirokane and Daisuke found themselves untouched. By the fourth day they found the bear's trail tracking it to its' lair where it hid inside growling and roaring but refusing to leave the safety of the cave. Without a clear target Shirokane's arrows could not find their mark and so Daisuke found a smaller back entrance that the bear could not escape from. While Shirokane waited for the bear Daisuke created a small fire and used his fan to blow smoke into the cave and force the bear out. As soon as the bear was in sight Shirokane loosed an arrow into the beast's eye killing it in moments. As they travelled back to Shirokane's home Daisuke admitted that the victory over the man-eater belonged to Shirokane. Upon returning to the village Shirokane's father gave his blessing for Daisuke to wed Shirokane but Daisuke only said he could not as he was not the one to kill the bear. Shirokane told her father that since she had killed the bear she could choose to marry or not and that she had chosen Daisuke for her husband and so the two were to be wed. The two were wed on a clear summer day but that did not stop rain from falling and at the wedding feast Shirokane asked about Daisuke's family to which he only replied that he had never truly left his homeland and from the forest the eyes of foxes could be seen watching a fox wedding.
Comments