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The son of the Lotus and Thunder |
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The sun set over the capital of Silla and I hurriedly walked back to my home in the forests behind the city of Kumsong. I had taken the form of a young maiden that seemed interested in the ways of this city, however, that was not my true self. Beneath this humanesque shell was a monster, a monster feared by the humans and every other creature. I was a kumiho, a fox that had lived for 1,000 years and had gained nine tails plus some wisdom. However, as it has been to my dismay since I was a child, I need human blood to survive.
After taking my refuge in the trees, my real exterior began to show through; hair as green as the flora around me, eyes the color of emeralds, tan skin, a crimson lotus marked my forehead, and silver ears tipped by flaming orange sat atop my head. I also had tails, but I usually only needed one to keep my powers, the other eight I had hidden using magic.
I hadn't retrieved any human blood or meat today, only some fish and some beef from a local farmer, but it would have to do, as human flesh sometimes would make my son sick.
He was different, Yong-Li. He was part kumiho, part girin, and quite a conundrum he was. He had wavy hair like me, and it was a dark teal color. His fox ears were sliver like most kumiho, and he had a small pair of antlers on top of his head, that he got from his father. He didn't care for his appearance and he told me that sometimes he wishes that he could either be one or the other, not both. My mother will sometimes tell him that birth is ordained by the gods, from Bodhisattva to demon, everyone has some place on earth.
My mother had a way with those things, comforting, I mean. I was the ugly duckling of the kumiho when I was a child, and she always had a retort for the others and hopeful wish for me. Now, in her old age, she is the clan elder and I am the queen, ruling over our diminishing population. These are depressing thoughts, but they run through my mind almost constantly.
I returned to our village with my small package, and Yong-Li, seeing it, ran toward me. "Umma, what did you get today?"
"Some fish and beef..." I replied.
He smiled and took the meat from my arms. "Gramma! We can make bulgogi tonight!"
I laughed to myself. He always got excited about dinner. Hopefully tonight he wouldn't have nightmares again...about the humans and about his father.
Chonglin didn't leave out of hostility, nor was I angry that he left. He left for our safety, if the gods from China would find us, they might hurt us, but it was more so that HE wouldn't hurt us.
The thing that Chonglin and I had in common was that we both had other selves. Mine was a feral, bloodthirsty creature of the night, his was a sadistic and almost evil alter ego that took the form of a tiger. We made an oddly good pair that way, despite our differing races. When Yong-Li was born, we both prayed to any god we could think of to grant Yong-Li the luck to have a normal psyche. So far, it had worked and he hadn't shown signs of either dark side.
As I walked in the house, the smell of hot food wafted through the air. My mother knew how to cook a good meal, that was for sure.
She saw me enter. "Ah, Seul-yon, come sit down, ttal, I was just beginning to make dinner..."
"Do you need my help?"
"No, no. It's fine. You did all of the shopping today, so you sit, and I'll fix the food."
I chuckled. "Yes, Mother."
When I sat on the bamboo mat, I looked over to see my son running around the room, making growling sounds. I just shook my head.
"Yong-Li, what are you doing?"
"I'm being ferocious."
"And why would you want to be ferocious?"
"To scare all the evil spirits away so they don't steal our food."
I laughed, "They won't steal our food. Grandma will make sure of that."
She nodded. "That's right. Those spirits will have to get past me first."
I patted the floor next to me. "Come here, sit down."
As he ran to sit down, he tripped and tumbled over, landing with a "Mow..."
This sound shocked me, but it made me realize that Chonglin really hadn't left, but had left a part of himself here in the form of Yong-Li.
 Chibi-Speck · Tue Dec 08, 2009 @ 03:51am · 0 Comments |
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