Steph's Fiction

Author's note: Story written in Fall/Winter 2003.

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Kakari peeked over her shoulder to ensure that she was alone, then she gave the oven a good, swift kick.

Nine rockhopper eggs! All ruined. She'd been meticulously gathering them for nearly a week. Out of her ten, only a precious one had survived into a finished snack. Why did her mentor instruct her to bake these, anyway? What was the point of it all?

Kakari wiped the matted fur out of her eyes and took a deep breath.

The training was important, she knew, but she was becoming restless with this part of the lesson. The once-dreaded scorpions she could now kill effortlessly. The pit was beginning to bore her. She itched for more.

She wearily trudged her way down the street towards the gate bordering Shar Vahl's city walls and the lip of the crater. Her eyes focused on a city guard. Perhaps he'd brighten her day with a few spare coppers.

"Jasir!" she stepped up to him expectantly. She didn't even have to ask anymore, Jasir had gotten so used to her asking for coppers every time she walked by. He'd become equally accustomed to refusing her request. A stern look was all that was needed to send her on her way.

Kakari was beginning to believe that all her training in the art of begging was completely useless.

Discouraged, Kakari struggled to muster up the drive to enter the pit for another hunting session. Her usual thirst for action was dwindling.

Suddenly, Kakari's fur prickled from the back of her neck down to the middle of her shoulders. Cat eyes widened, she listened and watched for danger. But the street offered nothing but an eerie silence. She continued a cautious few steps along her way. She started to relax when she was convinced the coast was clear.

"You are collecting young rockhopper eggs." The mysterious voice came from nowhere!

Kakari's tail fluffed. She hated being caught off-guard. "Who's there?" she demanded. Her sharp eyes could still find nothing. The shadows consumed the streets.

"A proposition," said the voice. It was not until he stepped out of the shadows that Kakari's eyes could decipher an outline of his tall form. "Collect your remaining eggs, plus four more for me. I'll cook them."

Kakari squinted. She still could not clearly see his dark face. "Consider it a deal," she spoke. "But, who are you, stranger?"

The shadows were already beginning to disappear. "Kenkaishin ShadowWalker," said the fading voice.

"How might I identify you once I find the eggs, stranger?"

There was no reply. He was gone.

(Kakari, sixth season.)

( /ooc I hope it's okay that I wrote you into the story, Kenkaishin. )