Better Title will probably come as I go farther in. Suggestions are welcome.
Shen's Tale centers around a mysterious wanderer, and her interactions with the spirits of the McCloud area. This is including her adventures with laying to rest The Wraith, a mysterious and dangerous being taking advantage of a natural vortex. Can Shen help the area, or will she meet the end that numerous others have done?
~~~
The sounds of the forest lay heavy in the summer air. A steady drone mingled with the sporadic birdsong of uncounted species, as lizards scrambled through leaves and over rocks. A rock fell into the gorge and splashed into the river. Laughter rose up around the river, a scream, a splash.
The river flowed on, watching impartially. Racing over rock and sand, swirling around swimmers, and caressing fish and plant alike, it touched them all. Consciousness spread out through the water as had been done for eons, it burbled about snowmelt and recent rains.
Elsewhere, the forest sounds were not so peaceful, and unheard. A form crashed through the manzanita and darted between the pines, leaping and bounding, spacing steps as far apart as possible.
"Kyeah!" A swirl of energy, a branch fell behind the retreating entity, still invisible. An angry scream resounded as a second being lay trapped beneath it, the cedar temporarily disempowering the being. The hatred rippled through the forest like a detonated bomb. The first spirit slipped away, headed in the direction of home.
"Nanimo?" Half a mile away, a hiker in white paused on the trail, looking upriver, clutching her staff and omamori. Straightening, she strained her spirit forward, bodily features hardening, slate eyes sharpening. The wind brought the scent of freshly down cedar, stirred dust... animal sounds had silenced, and for her it seemed that even the swimmers at the watering hole were gone. And then, the wave came. Icy blue panic washed over her, closely followed by red and black slashes of pure hatred.
She pulled her spirit completely back into her body, packing it all in her dan'tien, the center, even though she screamed against such rough treatment of herself. Spiritual shields blazed into life around her, deflecting the wave, allowing it to pass over. To mortal eyes, if any had seen, they would have seen someone frozen in time, her white hair spilling behind her, black backpack a little out of place against bamboo staff and white robe.
Just as she let down her shields and expanded back out to her normal size around her body, it seemed a smaller onslaught came. The world reeled when the force slammed into her, sky below her feet, ferns and hemlock passing by. The rocks seemed to wave a farewell as she plummeted past them, and the frigid snowmelt that had been rushing below now eagerly embraced her body.
Her breath stilled, and eyes opened. Instinctively, she began to kick for the surface that she could see. The sun's light called out to her, and with effort she breached the river surface. A rock shot by, and she grabbed for it, clinging.
"Great Kamisama... what the heck just happened?"
Her bosom burned, and not only from the results of water inhalation and shock. Thuds and struggles filled that region.
"Oh no... this isn't good..."
Surveying the area around her, the water continued to rush through the gorge as she climbed her way onto the rock and out of the water.
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