Wep'keer, City of the Oina (Bailey and Kouzai)

Okuninushi and his sister, Sakuyahime, awoke early the next morning to the smoke of a smoking fire and roasting fish.  She Who Runs With Scissors still appeared to be asleep as they rose, and so the twins sneaked from their room and out into the main area of the home.  In the main room, Kemushiri sat by his own fire pit, a bear fur draped across his shoulders as he tended to some small, silver fish roasting on a grate over the flames.

There was a second fire in the very large fire pit.  Now that the twins looked, the fire pit was large, as was the house.  They hadn't noticed yesterday but the house was large and rectangular.  The fire pit was tiered, with four sets of steps leading down to the dirt floor of the pit.  This included the main floor if that counted as a step.  The walls were lined with curtained alcoves which the twins realized were beds, places for a family to sleep.

"Welcome," smiled Kemushiri, not turning around as he shrugged off the bear skin and walked over to the second fire.  There were two pots dangling over the flames.  One seemed to bubble and simmer and the other smelled of boiled salt herring.  "What are you making?" asked Sakuyahime politely.  "Oolichans," smiled Kemushiri as he pointed to the small silver fish that were broiling on the grate, "And in this pot I'm heating up some Oolichan grease and in the other, boiled salt herring."

Okuninushi was not fond of fish, but he didn't hate it either.  With a sigh, Okuninushi had a feeling there was going to be a lot of fish to eat while he was here.  "Do Oina eat meat?" he asked curiously.  Kemushiri nodded, "We do," he explained, "We eat whatever the gods have provided for us here.  Fish is extremely feritle in the waters, and sometimes we shall hunt animals in the frozen wastes.  We do not kill in Yosh'pet, for the place is dark enough without death making it worse.  Lately though, we have no seen many animals.  Most are holed up because of the ice and snow, and many more have gone to Yosh'pet to hide from the dreadful winter, and we will not chase them there.  So for now, we eat fish."

Sakuyahime warned her brother not to be rude with a single look, and took the wooden bowl Kemushiri was giving her and Okuninushi.  The bowl was filled with boiled salt herring, grilled oolichan and healthy serving of oolichan grease slathered over it.  "Enjoy," smiled Kemushiri, "It's my mother's recipes.  She would make the best food; I hope my food matches up to it."

Bailey woke to the smell of something cooking, but didn't want to fully open her eyes right away. Instead, she listened to the voices around her. She could tell by the distance that the twins had already ventured out of the room, and were probably speaking with the Tribal leader, Kemushiri. Bailey rose slowly, trying not to disturb how her blades had been tucked under her. It had almost become a ritual in a way on how she got up. She'd spend a few minutes getting her mind to calm down from the nightmares that plagued her sleep, then slowly move to insert each blade back into it's sheath. Her dagger required attention with a wet stone and a polish rag, but it would wait until she could get home. Until then, it would remain as a lethal stabbing tool instead of her usual intent of a throwing tool.

Once everything was in place, she stood and made her way into the other room just as Kemu had begun to hand out the bowls. "Looks like I woke up just in time." Bailey said in a semi-cheerful voice as she sat down with the twins.

Kemushiri nodded, giving a light chuckle.  He placed a carved wooden bowl and a small plate in front of each of his guests as they sat on the lowest row of steps.  One plate held the oolichan that were fried over the grill.  They were greasy looking, but delicious.  The heated oolichan grease was slathered over the boiled salt herring that sat in the bowl.  Kemushiri handed out the wooden spoons and forks for the group to start enjoying themselves, though the knives he gave out were metal.

He chuckled after Okuninushi made a comment about his knives being wooden too.  Sakuyahime only shot her brother a glare though, elbowing him so hard in the ribs he almost coughed up his oolichan.  She then looked over at Bailey.  The girl, though rested, looked tired.  "Are you okay?" asked Sakuyahime silently as Kemushiri returned to the fire pit to dote over more food, and while Okuninushi was busy hacking up a lung and getting his breath back to hear anyone else.

"You look a bit out of it right now," stated Sakuyahime plainly.  She and Bailey had known each other for almost a month now.  They faced near death several times, twice at the hands of the Oina.  They traveled across Nippon, across a sea and now across a frozen wasteland together.  It was time to start caring about one another like the family the were becoming.

"You've got company by the way," said Kemushiri to Okuninushi, keeping his voice at a whisper so he did not disturb the girls' talking.  While Bailey and Sakuyahime conversed in their corner, Kemushiri went on about how a disgruntled, narcoleptic bear who slept while balancing on a massive spherical stone had showed up in the village last night, and would not sleep again until he had found the house that contained Sakuyahime and Okuninushi and Bailey, and then fell asleep just beyond their front door.

Okuninushi half sighed, half laughed.  It was Nemuri the bear, there was no doubt about it.  That bear had followed their scent from that cave in the frozen wastes to the Oina city of Wep'keer.  The bear hadn't faced a single hardship on the way here, as it seemed to get here in one piece, looking for his new friends.  Okuninushi would need to talk to that bear one day; when it wasn't always sleeping of course.

Bailey wasn't sure what was in the bowl that had been handed to her, but it smelled delicious and it was food. Something, that after a while in her training, she realized was a delicacy to have delicious and warm food to devour without having been the one to cook it. Although the last month and a half or so with the twins had countless times of them cooking, she didn't realize how much she missed being taken care of. Even if it was just simply a bowl of fish already cooked. She started in on the bowl, half moving mindlessly as she watched the twins talk with each other for a moment. They were so similar yet so different, and reminded her everyday of her own set of twins back home.

As she looked up from the bowl to take in a deep breath, Bailey noticed Sakuya was talking to her, asking if Bailey was okay. Am I okay? Bailey wondered to herself. Physically, she was fine. Her body ached from their trek and the attack, but it wasn't damaged. Her skin was still intact minus a scratch or two here and there. But Mentally. Mentally she was going to be fine until night fall.

"Yes, I'm okay. You worry a bit much." Bailey replied, her voice matching in pitch and tone as she spoke. "I just didnt sleep well, thats all." She didn't want to alert the boys about her tiredness, she was sure they would see it soon enough when they started practice.

Knowing she would need all the strength she could get, Bailey downed every last bit of food in the bowl, even the pieces she didnt like. She had gotten way too used to downing horrible tasting food when Amaya decided she wanted to help mommy cook. Although the food was extremely delicious, something in it seemed to disagree with its taste buds when it wasn't coupled correctly with the other sauces and spices in the food.

Kemushiri took out a pipe and smoked it after he had finished his two servings. He motioned to the food still being warmed by the fire as he looked at the group eating. "Feel free to have seconds," he smiled with a chuckle, his wrinkled hand scratching his stomach, the other holding his pipe firmly to his lips. Sakuya was admittedly hungry and ate another serving of everything. Okuninushi, being a teenage boy, was starving and voracious in appetite, and polished off another three. There was lots more though, as Kemushiri always cooked like he was feeding a village. Kemushiri motioned to Bailey, and offered her more as well.

Later, long after breakfast was over and Kemushiri's pipe had been smoked, he picked up his wooden walking stick and pointed towards the front door that led to outside. "Come, we are going out," he said calmly, gently and slowly pacing himself towards the exit, "There is something I must show you; follow close and dress warm. It will be cold and treacherous." The twins wondered where the old man was bringing them, as did Bailey no doubt, though they could not speak for her, but they dared not ask for fear of offending him.

Okuninushi and Sakuyahime followed quietly and calmy behind the old man as he led them out into the village. It was still dead. Not many Oina ventured out during the day now; not with the blistering wind and snowstorms that now plagued Kamui. Yet Kemushiri, the oldest man anyone had ever seen, was leading a group of kids out of the village, towards the chasm opening in the back, through a tight canyon in the frozen mountain crater where Wep'keer sat. The canyon, tight though it was, led the group to a massive depression in the landscape. It opened up into a flat area.

Directly in front of the group stood a disused altar covered in snow. A sword pedestal in the middle, with no sword. Behind it, a massive, frozen lake, with three tall trees poking out the middle of some mound-like object in the center. Probably an island. The three's were funny looking though. Even at a distance they did not appear to be made from wood, and they only had 6 branches, 3 on each side, that were aligned so perfectly, 3 on each side, that one would almost mistake the three trees for the mast of a ship. But there was no way to get a boat into this lake; it was land locked...right?

To the left of the ground was a set of icy, snow-covered stairs that led up staircase in the side of the cliff-face that lined the bowl-like landscape of this lake and ascended towards a raised platform, where a small shrine and a large stone door stood, in the distance, behind the door, stood two massive mountains. It was breathtaking. Beautiful and stunning. There were no words. Just wonderment.

Bailey graciously took another bowl of food, not totally sure when she would get the chance to eat again and wanting to use the heat of the food to keep her internal temperature high enough to control. A when she was younger, Bailey learned quickly to maintain a burning sensation inside herself just in case she ever needed its use for safety or survival. Food was an easy source to keep a fire burning inside someone, the same kind of fire that would keep the average person warm during the night. As food breaks down in the belly, it warms them and keeps a regulated temperature throughout their body, extending out from their core to their hands and feet. Bailey relied on this for her fire bending when she wasn't able to pull from an existing flame, where others had a tendency to use anger and emotion to fuel their flames. 

Bailey looked up every once and a while to check on the others, but remained silent. She wasn't sure how long the training was going to last and she was beginning to get eager to hear from her children. They are in good hands, she tried to tell herself before hearing Kemu usher them out the door. They were her twins, and her only family left now. Even Takeda, her closest friend, had vanished before she came looking for him. All of that however, was before she had heard where the twins were headed and knew they needed her help. Bailey stood and gathered her only warm clothing, a small and snug jacket she used to hunt in. Brushing the jacket on, she was mildly aware of someone watching her closely. 

Shaking the feeling aside, Bailey turned and followed Kemu out of the unit and into the frigged air. Suddenly, she became immediately grateful for the last bowl of food she had eaten, as the jacket wouldn't keep her warm for long. Bailey focused on keeping a small fire building inside her to keep her from shivering the whole way to where ever they were being led. The act was easier with her eyes closed, being able to imagine the small ball of fire burning inside her core, heating the rest of her body without scorching her from the inside out; but Wep'keer wasn't familiar to her and she had to keep an eye on Kemu the whole way. 

As they came across the plain that he had lead them to, Bailey completely forgot all about keeping the fire going and let it shrink back to her own body's heat source as she bewildered at the sight ahead of her. Had she closed her eyes, she would have missed the whole thing. Such beauty and grace displayed by the ease of the mountain side that Bailey couldn't believe how wonderful it all was. 

Bailey was fully speechless for the first time in their entire trip. Not a single sound passed her lips as she tried to exclaim the beauty she saw, not even a gasp from taking a breath would produce a sound.