The Wings of Dreams

Despite following her all the way to the Yellow Sea.
    I hate this. I’m sulking like a little kid. That’s what annoyed her the most.
    Shushou finally fell asleep. But not for long. She awoke in the middle of the night, momentarily confused as to why she was awake at all.
    She was groggy with drowsiness and her mind was muddled. She turned her attention to the goat. She should be able to make out its white coat in the dark. She couldn’t see it. It was sleeping behind the tree or on the other side of the bush. Sure this was nothing to be alarmed about, she reached for the halter rope.
    Shushou had rested her head against the trunk, using the thick mat of roots as a pillow, with her feet stretched out beneath the bushes. The halter rope was tied around the tree right next to her head. She gave it a light yank. Feeling no response, she tugged again. The slack reeled in without any resistance.
    This isn’t right, she thought, then noticed that the rope was wet. Wet from what? she wondered. Before she could puzzle out a reason, she was holding the unattached end of the rope in her hand.
    The goat— She was wide awake in a flash. The rope draped over her head was torn in two.
    The goat’s not here. A shiver ran through her. The hand pulling on the rope was sticky and damp.
    She barely managed to stifle the shriek rising to her lips. She wanted to fling the rope aside and clamber to her feet. Summoning all of her inner strength, she managed to hold on. Gripping the rope in her trembling hand, she held her breath and pricked up her ears.
    I can’t move, she told herself. I can’t make a sound. She couldn’t stop her eyes from searching the darkness or her breath from growing ragged in her throat. She breathed in and out as quietly as possible. Her heartbeat thundered so loudly in her ears she couldn’t hear anything else. Though it wasn’t like a shrieking commotion would come flooding in if she could only still her racing heart.
    It is close by? Or rather—
    She sharpened her senses but couldn’t hear anything other than the sound of her breathing and beating heart. She could vaguely make out the outlines of the trunk, the undulating mat of knobby roots, the shrubs and bushes within reach of her outstretched hand—and there was nothing there.
    Where did it wander off to?
    The thought had barely crossed her mind when something wet splashed across her cheek. Like a drop of water. One, then two. The drops struck her cheek and ran down her face. Splashed onto her forehead and ran toward her eyes.
    It must be raining—it was coming from— above—
    In the tree. Her eyes were focused on the roots. The forking branches of the tree did not extend into her field of view. Raising her eyes, the tree’s canopy covered her like an indistinct shadow.
    The drops continued, bringing with them a raw and rusty smell. She could no longer ignore what must be right before her eyes. Her heart in her throat, she looked up. She didn’t move her body, only held her breath and tipped her head back.
    A blob of white was caught in the branches above her head. Next to it squatted a big black silhouette.
    A spasm-like shriek rose up from the pit of her stomach. Her chest convulsed. Her throat burned. Her mouth made no sound. Not because she’d successfully swallowed the scream but because she’d momentarily been struck dumb.
    Her body went numb. Her chest throbbed. The white blob stretched apart and tore in two. More drops pattered down.
    It’s going to notice me. If she kept standing there it was bound to notice her. She should run away while it was consumed with consuming the goat. It only had to lower its gaze the tiniest amount to see her.
    I’ve got to flee first.
    But how to run away without making any noise? That was the last thing worth worrying about. The beating of her heart, the grinding of her teeth, should have given her away in the first place.
    Except—I can’t move. Not even her little finger. I really was a fool. The regrets crowded into her thoughts. Gankyuu—save me—
    As if in answer to her prayers, a man cried out, “Hey, the horses!”
    The branch creaked, the thing over her head shifted its position. More voices hollered back and forth. With a grotesque splatter and a reeking smell, the white blob fell to the ground next to Shushou’s feet.
    The branch creaked again, bent like a bow, and sprang back. Followed by the neighing of horses and the hustle and bustle of people on the move. Shushou trained her