An army that had failed.
As the young scout crouched in the passage, the smell of stale air and dirt surrounded her, and the images of the Crab's assault on Hiruma Castle played in her mind.
Tsuneko was in the group that led the attack, harrasing the Oni and goblins from behind, surprising the beasts. As the Hiruma force rained arrows of jade upon the foul creatures, a small group of scouts broke and returned to the side of Hida Yakamo, telling him of numbers and advantages. As Tsuneko and her cousins drew the force of creatures away from the castle, a great cry erupted from the trees, and a swarm of Crab and Naga bushi flooded from the forest, smashing into the ranks of the evil Oni, goblins, and ogres.
The initial fight was over quickly, as the Crab and Naga forces secured the western outer wall and towers, and quickly prepared to lay siege to any beasts within the walls.
As before, the Hiruma went to spy upon their enemies, so the Crab would not charge blindly. Those were tactics left to the Lion. As the great army under the command of Yakamo made their way into the castle, Tsuneko felt as if she were in a dream, watcihng the evil things flee from the walls of Shiro Hiruma.
She had stood on the walls of her ancestors, and gripped the aged stone in her hands. It was not a dream.
When the Naga dissapeared, it became a nightmare.
The Naga had slipped away soundlessly, and without notice. Tsuneko was near Yakamo when he began to receive reports of the Naga's abscence from all sides. As she followed the Daimyo's party to the north wall of the castle, she saw the truth, and they all realized the situation had changed. The sun began to sink into the horizon of trees, and already the dark denizens of the Shadowlands began to surround the castle in force, preparing to avenge themselves upon the Crab.
Tsuneko turned to her Lord in confusion, only to see his eyes narrowed, looking to a point away from the wall. The scout followed Yakamo's gaze down to the trees, and she saw why the Crab Daimyo gripped the wall with his hand of jade hard enough to break the rocks.
She saw a figure in soiled blue robes stride to the fore of the Oni, and point to the men on the castle walls. At first, Tsuneko thought she was having a delusion, but soon realized she saw only too well. She rocognized the broken face of Kuni Yori, and oculd read his intentions as he spoke to the dark beasts.
After that, Yakamo had ordered the Crab to fire into their ranks, then retreat into the castle. As the arrows flew, Tsuneko followed her Daimyo silently into the bowels of her ancestral home. She prayed that an arrow had found the traitor's throat, but she knew one had not.
That was long ago. For what had seemed like an eternity, the beats simply waited at the gates of Hiruma Castle, knowing full well that attack would be a waste when they could wait for their enemy to starve. Even after the ratlings had come to aid the Crab, it was not enough. Yakamo had failed, and his Clan would pay the price.
Or so it would be, perhaps, for any other Clan, Tsuneko thought to herself as she readied her katana and put her hand on the beads of jade at her neck. The Crab will not roll over and die as easily as that traitor Yori would wish. Tsuneko gripped her katana and quickly made her way through the rest of the tunnel. She saw the night sky ten feet above her as she reached the end of the upward slope. The scout crept out of the hole, behind the lines of the Oni and goblins, and made her way around them to the north of the castle.
She stood there a moment, looking at the castle that the spirits of her ancestors had called home. She walked without sound behind an Oni, and thought of the men and women starving behind the fours walls. Without the slightest noise, her blade moved through the night air and made it's way through an Oni's neck. Tsuneko quickly wiped the blade clean as the Oni's body fell to the ground with a loud thump. The noise attracted a small group of goblins, chittering madly as they turned and saw the young Hiruma standing over the fallen body.
They came upon her, and her blade flashed again. A goblin fell, screaming, alerting more of the creatures. Tsuneko smiled inwardly as more goblins came running towards the noise. She ran, moving like the wind through the trees and around the blackened rocks, leading the goblins and Oni behind her. She slowed down once, spun and beheaded another goblin, just to make sure they would keep following her.
As she started running again, she felt the rusty blade of a goblin catch her across the leg, but she ran on. She did not have time for hesistation.
She did not have time for the fear that threatened to consume her.
She led the screaming bakemono back to the hole that she had surfaced in, and jumped in, rolling her way down the slope, then pulling a small support near the entrance. The earth above her heaved, and she ran faster as the ground collapsed on the entrance to the tunnel. She smiled again as she heard the muffled screams of an Oni and many goblins.
Tsuneko leanred against the wall of the tunnel and gasped for breath. She prayed to the kami that her distraction had created the opening that Yakamo-sama had needed to get through to the lands of the Crab. To get through to the aid they desperately needed.
Hiruma Tsuneko's breath became more ragged as she reached the end of the tunnel inside the castle's walls. She felt dizzy, and the edge of her vision began to go black.
The last thin she heard before passing out was, "Hunger is beginning to overcome her, as it is all of us..." and rough hands caught her from falling...
Chono grunted as his tetsubo caved in the skull of the last Oni, and it dropped to it's side, dead on the ground. The bushi looked all around the Wall, and saw that it still stood.
Once again.
Hida Chono pulled off his helm and sighed, then barked, "I will want full reports of our army's strength as soon as possible!" Behind him, a soldier called back "Hai!" and Chono smiled. He made his way to the edge of the wall, and in his heart her knew the Crab would never be defeated in spirit. As he surveyed the bodies, both foul and friend, he also realized that there were other ways to be defeated.
"Return to me, Sister," He whispered quietly towards the Shadowlands, where Hida Yakamo and his army charged into nearly a year ago. She will return, he thought to himself, as will Yakamo. They will return, and this Wall will be here, unbroken, to greet them.