I was up on the hill watching the pitch black clouds travel towards our small farm the thunder rumbled in the distance and the black clouds would light up with flash of lightning, it was late afternoon and the chill of the strong winds that precede the summer storms was welcoming after the sticky, hot day that had just passed. I was rounding up the animals and stock to get them into the stables safe from the storm. The dog was rounding up the last of the sheep towards the gate that led down the fenced lane way to the stables, as the last animal went through I headed for the gate and quickly closed it behind the last sheep before he could attempt a charge at the opening, it saw that it wouldn’t have a chance and gave a little buck in agitation and ran off towards the stable. I latched the gate and noticed Lucky sitting beside me. He was looking at me for appreciation and attention I gave him a pat on the head and rubbed his ears playfully “Come on boy lets go inside before the storm hits” I said.
Lucky was only young when he wandered into or small farm injured from a fight, we healed him and took care of him and he has been loyal to us ever since.
Mother was cooking a sweet smelling soup when I got home “Your back dear so soon dear, are all the animals in the stable” she asked me “Yes mother I replied, that storm looks bad I might check them later on tonight” I replied. We ate dinner in silence.
I never knew my father mother said he died in a great war before I was born but some how I thought she was hiding the truth I never did ask my mother who or what my father really did it always pained her to talk about him so I left the topic alone.
The storm had reached the farm and it was loud, thunder cracked after each consecutive bolt of lightning and it was pouring down rain.
“Thank you mother the soup was delicious I think I might go check on the animals”
“Ok dear well I am going to go to bed, be careful dear”
“Yes mother good night, here boy I called to Lucky”
I grabbed a lantern off the wall and lit it. Lucky and I went to the stables, I could hear the animals making distressed noises over the storm, I could also hear another vivid sound in between the thunder claps, it was a low rumble and it wasn’t thunder. I shrugged it off and entered the stables I tried to settle the animals down while Lucky played in the hay “Geez thanks for the help boy” I said jokingly to him. I managed to settle the animals down and they were a little bit calmer. I suddenly heard yelling it was a mans voice more to the point it was a group of men I could hear, I heard my mother scream a ran out of the stables into the pelting rain, the rain was cold against my skin as I looked towards the house and saw a large group of soldiers all on horse with one at the front of the group, he was dressed fancier than the others as though he was their leader. They were facing the door of the house and then the door slammed outwards kicked by a soldier he looked like he was struggling to get out of the house until I realised he was trying to drag my mother out with the help of another soldier who followed. “Leave her alone” I yelled unheard by the soldiers of the steady rain I bolted down to commotion Lucky overtook me barking and growling, he reached the first soldier and latched onto his leg the soldier yelled out in pain and another soldier hit lucky over the head with the hilt of his sword Lucky went limp obviously knocked out by the force the man used. Lucy’s attack had turned their attention my way I looked at my mother “Run” she yelled, but before I could think about it two soldiers had charged at me. I tried to run but I slipped in the mud, the soldiers caught me and held me with ease despite my attempts to struggle free I bit one on the hand he yelped and then hit me on the head, a jar of pain went through my head and neck, the blow half dazed me, they dragged me over to the circle that had now surrounded my mother.
“So this is him.” said the fancy dressed man, he had a moustache and his hair was done in a samurai pony tail he was drenching wet as we all were standing in the torrential down pour. I looked at my mother, she was staring into space her eyes closed I could see by the subtle movement of her lips that she was praying. Looked at her and than to the man again. “Give me the incantation” he said, mother continued praying “Give me the incantation” he shouted this time, mother stopped praying “No” she said in a calm, steel voice “You will never learn the secrets of his power” se said forcefully.
“Fine he said, kill her we’ve no need for you, we have the boy that’s all we need”
One of the soldiers drew his sword, “NO!, leave her alone” just as his sword pierced her flesh she gasped in pain and then she fell to the mud, I jerked free of the soldiers hold and ran towards the soldier that had murdered my mother and started to hit him, he knocked me down with ease, I fell next to my mother who lay in the mud clutching her wound she reached out to me “I love you dear” she whispered “Mother..” I said as the tears started to flow, and the she closed her eyes and went limp. I cried and laid on my mother. I could feel the grief leave my body as a new more powerful feeling took over my body. I could feel the anger well up inside me, I had never felt this before one of the soldiers tried to pull me up and all of a sudden the power that was building up inside me was released.. Everything was blank………
I woke with a start also waking Shadow who flew up with fright. “Its okay Shadow, just a nightmare” in fact it wasn’t just a nightmare.
It has been 17 years since my mother was killed that dark night the last thing I could remember was everything going black and when I came to all the soldiers were dead in a mangled mess and Nobunaga had lost two limbs but was still alive. My mothers body had disappeared so I ran far away and as fast as I could.
I vowed that i would find Nobunaga when i was strong enough and get revenge for my mother.
I was never welcome in any village as a young lad because of my appearance, because of my cursed red eyes. I was often shunned as the spawn of the devil. I ended up being chased away from every village I came across. As a young boy I would sneak in and steal food and then sleep in the stables and arise before the owners would come to milk the cows and set off to the next village. One night I made the mistake of stealing some sake and getting drunk, I slept in to long and was discovered and beaten badly, I was thrown out onto the road by the owner and left for dead. If it wasn’t for Shadow I would have been carrion food, Shadow had chassed off the scavengers that wanted to feast on my flesh, for what reason was unknown to me at the time but I was grateful.
I was found shortly later by a wandering mercenary his name was Jubei Yagu he took me in and brought me before his clan elders, I over heard them talking about a dark power and it landing into the wrong hands, I heard them say I was bad fortune so my tutelage was bestowed upon Jubei’s conscious and any ill omen would smite him alone.
Jubei called me Raven because of the raven that followed me everywhere, he taught me everything I needed to survive, the ways of a warrior mastery of the sword and the quill and the secret arts of the Ida ninja clan that he himself had learnt many yeas ago in his travels. I was often asked to have practice duals with the other boys of the clan, they also began to despise me as I was never bested in a dual, they would often jeer at me and call me a demon, one boy hated me more than the others he was a few years younger than me his name was Saito he never talked and never crossed my path and he would always stare at me in contempt.
I would often run away for days at a time but Jubei without fail would find me and bring me back.
He continued t teach me everything he knew and even taught me the secrets of the Yagu clan that he had learnt from his father. We became close and I looked up to him I eventually started calling him father, and then the time of my boyhood was to come to a end and the last part of my training was to begin my transition into man hood. This included leaving the clan for years at a time, I saw several of the older boys leave and come back a year or two later, I would be jealous and wish I could travel and now that I had reached the age it was my time.
Jubei wished me well on my travels but the rest of the clan seemed glad to see me off.
I said good bye to Jubei and walked away with my pack of rations on my back and a flask of water on my sash.
I didn’t look back and only thought of my vow to revenge my mother...
I grabbed my sword with blinding speed as I heard a rustle in the bushes, I drew my sword slightly and saw the familiar green glow the blade gave off , my sight adjusted to the night the moon was full so it was a clear and bright night, Shadow squawked quietly, questionally “Shhh,” I whispered softly to him, I leaped to my feet and drew my sword completely with a swoosh just as the ginger cat slinked out of the bushes it looked at me inquisitively and then to Shadow, but it had already caught a meal and was satisfied and tired and strode off towards the nearby village to fall asleep at its masters feet.
“I am to paranoid Shadow” I said to him as I sheathed Jato back into its home the glowing ceased as it clipped into place. I laid back down under the willow tree, its hanging branches swaying softly in the cool night air. Shadow settled back onto his perch on a nearby bush and squawked in satisfaction and fell silent.
I could hear the faint noise and rabble of the local Inn as drunkards fought and laughed as I fell back to sleep thinking of what tomorrow will have in store.
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