literature

The Children in the Blizzard

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Snow swirled around the mountain peaks, making it even harder for the elegantly dressed snow spirit to fly. Unlike the yuki-onna, she was a kori-ite, and meant no harm to the humans that traversed Mt. Koutetsu every day.

Goodness, the winter winds are strong this year... she grimaced as she bravely hovered up the hill.

The sound of human crying snapped her to attention. Young humans...I have to help!

The wind had calmed a little, so she hurried up a path, where she found two frightened children, a boy and a girl, huddled inside. She reached for a well loved reddish brown flute at her side, and played a gentle flourish, as if to tell the children. "It's okay, I'm here to help you."

"Y-you're not a yuki-onna, are you?" the girl stammered.

"No, she's a kori-ite--her robes are a different color!" her brother assured her, pointing out the spirit's elegant blue, green, and purple robe. "That, and yuki-onnas don't carry instruments or weapons."

"What's your name, kori-ite-san?" the girl asked.

"My name is Setsuna." the spirit replied as she examined the two children for injuries. "What were you doing on the mountain by yourselves?"

Oka-san asked us to gather some yuzu for her, but when we got done, we played a little to pass the time, and then this storm blew up." the boy explained as he retrieved a basket of lemon-like berries.

"I see.." Setsuna smiled. "I'll take you two down the mountain--I'm sure your oka-san is worried."

She glanced out of the cave, where she saw the winds had died down. "The winds have calmed for now--we should make it back to the valley if we hurry."

"Okay!" the children replied as they followed Setsuna out into the snow.

For a while, the walk down the mountain was uneventful, but then the girl asked "Will you tell us a story, Setsuna-san? That way I won't worry about being ambushed by oni.

"This is why I carry my bow--in case we meet any oni. Setsuna smiled.

"Make it a story about a hero that slays an oni! the boy suggested.

"Well, this one is about a hero, at least." Setsuna assured the boy before beginning "In a certain village lived a young man named Ryota, a priest's apprentice who had near superhuman strength--he could pick up massive boulders as easily as a piece of grass, and pull up trees by their roots as easily as picking a flower. Because of his god-like strength, the villagers affectionately called him Ryutaro, which means 'dragon boy'".

After making sure the children had made it over a log, she went on "One day, the priest informed Ryutaro that a huge martial arts tournament was being held in the capital city in honor of the empress' birthday. One of the warriors, a man named Kokanja, had heard of Ryotaro's amazing strength, and had issued a challenge for him.

She explained "Now, Kokanja was a master of the tiger style of martial arts, and had lines out the door at his dojo. He regularly competed in tournaments large and small, and some said that he had never lost a match."

"Wow!" the boy gasped, scenes of fighters dancing through his mind.

"The priest told Ryutaro that the choice was his to accept the challenge--if he did not want to accept it, he would not force him." Setsuna's voice brought the boy to reality. "Ryutaro replied that he did not fear Kokanja, nor did he fear a demon or monster. The priest smiled and said that before he left for the capital, he should at least ask the gods' protection."

"And then?" the girl asked as the snow gave way to a path covered in leaves.

"The whole village turned out to see Ryutaro off, wishing him victory in the tournament." Setsuna went on. "Every time Ryutaro passed a shrine, no matter how large or small it was, he would ask the gods for spiritual strength and protection."

"As we should--the gods love hearing our prayers." the girl smiled.

"In one village, he overheard some villagers putting him down while conjecturing how Kokanja would win." Setsuna continued. "He stormed over to them, and said he was the very Ryutaro they were badmouthing--and vowed that he was going to win. A girl met him on the road, and tried to give him some advice, but it went in one ear and out the other--Ryutaro was that confident.

"Bragging usually gets you defeated--that's what Mamoru-sensei always says." the boy commented.

Setsuna smiled at the mention of her beloved's name before continuing "Before long, Ryutaro arrived in the capital. Many skilled fighters were there, and Ryutaro watched some of the matches before he prepared for his match."

"Did Ryutaro win?" the girl asked as the leaf covered path gave way to a dirt road.

"The time finally came for Ryutaro and Kokanja to battle." Setsuna intoned. "A huge crowd had gathered to watch this face-off between tiger and dragon martial arts."

"The dragon should beat the tiger!" the boy grinned.

"The whistle blew to start the match, and Kokanja started off strong with moves such as Thundering Kick, Byakko Guards the Road, White Tiger Moves the Mountain, and Byakko Descends from Heaven." Setsuna continued, listing the different tiger style moves on her fingers. "Ryutaro was quickly overwhelmed, despite his valiant efforts to defend."

She gave a reassuring smile to the girl, then went on "Then Ryutaro remembered what the girl on the road had told him--though Konanja was very strong, he did have one weakness--the question was, where was the weak point?"

"In his stomach!" the boy guessed.

"In his back!" the girl suggested.

Setsuna had a different idea. "Just as all hope seemed lost, he spotted the girl in the stands, pointing to her forehead. He concluded the weakpoint was at Konanja's forehead."

"Oh..." the children mused.

"He started fighting back, and landed the move Seiryu Returns to the Sea at that spot." Setsuna continued. "Everyone watched in horror as Ryutaro followed that with "Seiryu Roams the Mist, sending Konanja flying all the way to the other end of the arena."

"That must've been one strong move!" the boy smiled.

"Ryutaro was declared the winner, and was rewarded the victor's crown, but deep down, Ryutaro knew the girl he had met was really the god Shoki watching over him, and that night, he gave thanks to the gods for his victory."

She concluded "Ryutaro went on to become one of the greatest fighters in the world, but though he never lost a match in his long and fruitful career, he didn't boast about his strength anymore after that!"

She noticed a signpost leading to the village. "And here we are."

"Thank you, kori-ite san..." the boy smiled as he dug a coin from his pocket. "It's not much of an offering, but please take it as a sign of our thanks."

"I accept your gift." Setsuna smiled. "But next time you venture into the mountains, be mindful of the winds."
First vignette of Setsuna

In this scene our brave kori-ite rescues two frightened children that got caught in a blizzard while playing.

Setsuna uses a certain motif on her flute to let people know she means them no harm (actually Waka's motif from Okami)

(real tale: "Folktales from Japan" episode 167, story 2)
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