Chapter Sixteen

This place, it is so different from the forest I used to live in… the known animals making the same sounds were far, almost in a world apart, as was the wind rustling the leaves, only howling hollowly now as if uttering empty words, nor was the pitch-black hunting grounds that are illuminated only once in a while by the moonlight, no… here there are too many sounds, smells, people, vehicles, to many types of machinery buzzing in my ear, talking, chatting, panting, breathing, hearts beating all around me.

But what bothers me the most is this smoky smell this place has, not from waist or sweat, but a strange heavy smell of dust that the clear humid woods did not have, beyond the many artificial odors around of oil and that fake sweet flower scent.

I knew for a fact that human senses weren't that good, but to live in these conditions… is to kill what is left of them.

But as things finally seem to calm down around me I have time to think things through and how I wish to proceed, after all there is a limit to how far I can get with just going with the flow like this.

Hm… How should I do this? There is no point in attacking without restrain, no, not after all the trouble I went through to get here unnoticed, it would be waste, a sin even, to not use this advantage to the utmost benefit.

Plus it would be strange to simply make havoc around, destroy the city, only to end up back to hunting them in the woods like before.

No… If I'm smart and careful with this, this city can become my hunting ground, a jungle of metal, I just have to adapt to this new environment.

Yes, that is, I need to learn how to best hunt them here, and for that nothing better than to learn how to communicate for their strange habits to come to light, not pile up together in obscurity.

Finding my way on those rooftops is far easier than walking on the streets, plus I find it simpler to keep myself hidden with so many crevices and shadows, and as a tendency of all earth creatures humans do not look up either, so as a tiger I can hunt them from above their heads, and far easier than trees these buildings offered steady grounds to step on.

I climb around, tasting the air, watching over the many inner walls this place has with other colors painted on their doors, until I find a good place to watch and learn, far from walking blindly, I manage to reach the interesting, fancy and expensive area of this red district.

Lying in wait I stare, the round circular central area beyond rounded by many shops, but on the contrary of the ones so far, this area has more… restrain and better breed per say, the buildings tall with red round lamps at the front wooden gate, many with inner gardens with small rivers, carp fish swimming about, bamboos and white pebbles, stones making paths among the garden and leading to the wooden buildings and open porches filled with white and brown doors that opened to the side.

A very defined style indeed, strongly akin to the other parts of town that I've seen so far, very distinct from the mechanical grey style and interesting to look at.

I start to understand why this part is different when I observe the people walking around, and not the goods since most where kept inside the buildings, a different pattern after the show-offs from before, but mostly at the high class walking about, some even from the military, most with vehicles of their own, or even drivers; plus another difference are these wide roads and sparse huge buildings.

Is almost like they squished one side to fit the other.

However I could see why this side had such an easy-going way very quickly; because up above and not very far stood a golden door with another mecha at the front, a silver polished one this time, guarding the gate of what seemed to lead to heaven, paint and crafted in gold and keeping the world beyond it to its own.

Gold line… they must come from there uhm… so there are, what, different types of people? For what I can guess it may be from their occupation, separated in this color system, so what do the golden ones represent? And why some of the militaries can pass thought there as well?

I watch them for a while in silence, hearing them and memorizing more and more words, watching a recurrent word, 'payment', being used, and figuring that there must be some sort of reason to why there is this system, some sort of compensation.

So akin, so unnatural, so foreign to me that makes me wonder how humans could create such complex formations and systems while many stronger and smarter creatures out there were left to hunt and fight for their own food every day.

How nature is strange, making such a creature out of its womb while others were left out, in a completely different world.

I'm taken away from my thoughts when a drum is hit at the center, making me realize that the circular open area is actually a stage with a small wooden cover to the side from where a man comes out at the sound of calling drums and flashing lights.

He is wearing a strange outfit, something that is closed at the front diagonally and goes down like a skirt and almost covers his feet, all held by a large belt closed tightly over his waist, sometimes being concealed by the big wide sleeves with the movement of his arms, all black with only the patterns of a single red phoenix flying draw on the side and ending on his back, a fancy yet discreet type of clothing.

The man, holding something in his hands that propagate sounds, starts talking very energetically on the stage:

"Ladies and gentlemen! My name is Takamori Shunsen, and as is tradition of our household, the Phoenix Nest, tonight we are to celebrate the ascension of one of our young phoenix ladies who are now ready to bloom into the finest flower! She is the supreme at the arts of music, dances like a fairy tiptoeing in the air, and has the grace of the purest lotus flower. Please, a round of applause for our muse of tonight, lady White Lily!"

A lot of people stop to listen, and some who were on the side already awaited for the presentation, applauding and cheering for what's about to happen.

As the man only uses hard words that I cannot understand I'm left to wonder what all of this is about, and as the man in black leaves the stage all lights around it are cut, letting only the silhouette of a white figure to fluster her way towards the center of the stage, bringing a faint sweet odor with her.

But the show really begins when the spotlight lays on her.