|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 8:00 am
< >
Quote: Someone lights a candle. Another calls out an incantation, and the words spill from your own mouth to join the voices of everyone else; you've been prepared for this moment since you were a child. The summer ritual is beginning. It is a family tradition, adapted from old familiar rituals, and this is the first time you have been allowed to participate. How does it go? Have you practiced enough? What is the goal of this ritual? Your entire family is here, on top of everything else, which is making things a little chaotic, isn't it? Or is your family the type to be constantly orderly?
“I'll bring the candles over in a minute!” he called out to no one in particular, well, if the entire family was here someone was bound to hear him and relay the message.
Mu Ying bent down and picked up the tray of candles and incense from the floor. He then got up slowly, carrying the tray carefully as he made his way across the corridors towards the pavilion in the courtyard. It was funny how he didn't need the candles to see in the dark, or at least, he had been so acclimatized to seeing under the moonlight that the ceremonial candles did little for him. Just up ahead, he could see that most of the family had gathered and were taking their places, prompting him to quicken his step towards his destination.
By the time he had ascended the flight of steps, the chatter had mostly died down and eyes were drawn to him as he brought in the final things needed before the ritual began. Mu Ying bowed towards the elders before he entered, treading silently towards the center where he knelt down and placed the tray in front of the clan's elder. Taking another bow, Mu Ying got up and left to take his position beside his mother at the side. Getting into kneeling position once again, the young man stole a gaze at the sky before focusing on the elder again. The gibbous moon hung brightly in the sky, but the night was still young – they would remain in prayer until the Hour of the Tiger.
The elder had set out the rest of the items, lighting the candles and finally the incense. Silence dawned upon the pavilion, all eyes were respectfully drawn towards the wise elder who set the sticks of incense in the burner.
“一拜”(The first bow)
Hands were brought together and all heads were bowed in unison. Slowly, the head were drawn back up again, awaiting for the elder's second chime.
“二拜”（The second bow)
Heads went down and back up again.
“三拜” （The third bow)
And again.
Mu Ying breathed in deeply as he got up from the final bow. All was calm around him, his heartbeat had dropped to a slow and steady ebb. His mind was clear from all distractions; he was prepared for what came next.
The elder broke the silence once again, chanting the first few verses in such a haunting quality that even the crickets that chirped on warm summer evenings as these fell hush. A cry to the goddess, thanking her for her guidance and deliverance, for a year of prosperity, for their souls she had blessed. Mu Ying, eyes closed, took in each word with deep reverence. Then it came, the chorus of voices, chanting these words once again and following it up with the rest of the verse. Amidst the sea of incantation, Mu Ying could single out the sweet voice of his mother's chanting, as well as his father's just one place away. The words flowed from his mouth as he listened to his parents steady voices for a while until he let the other voices drown them out again. It was soothing to hear, the voices of many, in a family whose people would normally operate solitarily. The verses his mother would recite to him as a child, this was the first time he would hear them spoken in unison by the entire family. He had memorised it all, Mu Ying knew that the chanting would soon draw to a close.
Another bow.
The chime of the cymbal indicated that the second segment was beginning. Mu Ying glanced to his side at his mother. Her eyes were lowered and her lips wore a faint smile. She looked so serene. Yet, her child couldn't help but worry for her, given what would come next.
The chiming has stopped, and it had begun. The next three hours of observed silence was for each one of them to connect their souls to nature, to take in and bathe in its energy, to respect what connects them to their avian companions. Each man and woman who possessed an avian counterpart would know this, how important it was to respect nature, only then there could be the soul to soul understanding so essential in their partnership. The pavilion was now filled with statues.
Three hours of no movement for Mu Ying was nothing, he had been trained by his father to endure much more. An hour on his knees went by quickly, Mu Ying remained unmoving but the sound of the uncomfortable shifting by his side told him his mother wasn't coping as well. His mother, being married into the family, never received the same endurance training as most of them did. Yet, she would still join the family in their rituals – she was so incredibly brave. Mu Ying remembered the sensations of numbness, the pins and needles, the weakness in the calfs and finally, the complete loss of feeling in the legs. He could see her gripping her skirt tightly, and it hurt him to see his mother suffer in silence. His eyes met with another pair of those filled with the same emotions as his.
As if she knew they were watching, she forced a smile and gave the two men at her sides a reassuring, but ultimately unconvincing glance. Honestly! How could she expect them not to worry.
Looking into his father's eyes once more, the two men reluctantly turned away from their precious woman - a mother and a wife, to commit themselves to the ritual again. Mu Ying desperately wished for it to be over soon. Somehow, he knew his father felt the same way too. Mu Ying withdrew into himself, listening to the night, the sounds of silence. A part of him was counting down the number of minutes....the number of seconds....
A long-awaited chime. A call for the final bow. It was over.
Mu Ying immediately leaned over to help his mother to her feet. Could she stand? Should I carry her? Worry was written all over his face. In response, his mother simply grinned grimly at her two crutches as she slowly got up from the floor. The trio stood there for a while. Neither men were willing to let go until they were convinced she was alright. They helped her around for a few steps, before she let out a weak, but genuinely amused laugh as she teased the two men for worrying too much (to which she received two looks of indigence). Some of the other male relatives were calling for Mu Ying's father to join them for the post get-together through the night, causing a look of exasperation to spread across the grown man's face. His wife nudged at him playfully, “Go, go,” she said.
A quick exchange of looks was all the father and son needed before they parted. Mu Ying carefully escorted his mother back to her chambers where he massaged her legs and kept asking if she was alright. Insisting one more time that she would indeed be alright, and that he should go back to join the others, the mother and son parted for the night. Mu Ying lurked outside her quarters a bit, only leaving when he saw her sound asleep.
A familiar set of talons that perched themselves onto his shoulder told him that he was in the company of his best friend again. The owl nipped playfully at his fin, and the two of them made their way back to where the men had gathered for their story-telling. Seating himself a comfortable distance from the main crowd, Mu Ying lifted the bird from her perch and sent her off into the sky. Mu Ying then snacked on the sweets passed around as he listened to merry makers tell of their heroics and some other tall tales. Nights off like these weren't so bad after all.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2012 8:42 pm
< >
The emperor is dead.
His hands trembled as he wrote those words, his mind unable to comprehend the full scale of its implications and consequences. What – no that wouldn't do, he needed to give the context.
Confrontation at the ancient north
Shinta, Tenjou, Hua An, Mizuki
His handwriting was haphazard, barely legible but still recognisable as his. He folded the slip of paper, his hands still shaking. Would they believe him? Would they take his word? This information would no doubt cause an uproar in the household and send feathers flying. It was much easier for them to claim that this information was falsified, untrue, blasphemous and the seedling of a conspiracy. But today's events had more than one witness, for sure, there would be others that could testify. From what he could gather, there were a few belonging to the legion.
His silent companion had arrived, perching upon his shoulder. Night had begun to fall since their candid but fruitless search in the afternoon. Mu Ying clenched his jaw tightly as he secured the note into the small bamboo tube attached to Xue Ning's foot. He was a fool, for not being able to recognise that the woman was indeed Hua An, for not being able to understand what was going on until it was all laid out for him to see. Could it be then, that the man she had them all keep an eye out for was the emperor? Mu Ying cast that thought aside, he shouldn't be making such assumptions. Furthermore, what was given was but a physical description, it could have been someone else. And even with that, nothing could be certain since the emperor had gone into seclusion, hidden away from the public eye.
But he was dead. Dead since when?
Xue Ning's doleful eyes were cast upon him, staring unwaveringly. He reached out to stroke her feathers, and then set her off into the darkening night sky. He would soon regret it, and began to chase the owl on foot. He knew he could not have written any more on the tiny slip of paper, yet he felt he should. The message was all wrong.
Technically, it wasn't. But there were so many false assumptions that could have been drawn from it. Mu Ying glanced up at the sky at Xue Ning which was now far ahead. He really had to run now.
Lady Mizuki. The enigmatic priestess. Could they trust her word? What did she mean by watching over Lunaria for her? Thoughts raced through his mind as he dashed through the Main Street, the grosteque and horrible sight was just a blur in the background. No, no, he panted, stick to the facts, don't make any assumptions.
But it was too hard not to. Even the wisest in the family would not be able to resist. The message was far too provocative, it lacked a shred of restraint on his part. This was his fault, and he would be held responsible for it.
The gates to the household were open, a small crowd had gathered, anticipating his return. Their expressions were grim, but there was confusion, even fury in their eyes. Up the steps the doors of the meeting room slid open, and out stepped his father. The look in his eyes ...
There was nothing said. Mu Ying entered the room, knowing what was in store for him. The young man bowed before the elders and the door slid shut behind.
There was a lot of explaining to do.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2012 10:30 pm
<>
Suspended.
Mu Ying lay on his back, staring at the ceiling listlessly.
Suspended from duty until further notice.
The young man rolled over onto his side and stayed there. It was painful, how he could be so awake when he wanted to sleep. The night was still young. Mu Ying stared out of the window into the dark sky, remembering, recalling, wishing he could be out there ... yet not really. He was being punished, and rightfully so, for that inflammatory message he had written in the heat of the situation. The elders had scorned him for being naive, inexperienced and above all, lacking in discretion, all of which he couldn't deny in the face of his blatant idiocy. He had, perhaps, redeemed what was left of this pride as a watchman, a member of the Shen clan, in his completely factual recount of the events. Clear and unadulterated information, not swayed by his beliefs or that of others. Just how the way things should be.
Still, it was hard to appease the elders who had been clearly riled up by the thoughtless message, partially because what had been written still stood true. The emperor was dead. There had been a confrontation between the two factions ... three perhaps, on the grounds of the ancient north. Change was in the air and the wanton deaths on the streets and the incident on Cherry Tree Hill were pointing towards something.
Not my division, he reminded himself.
Xue Ning clicked her beak irritably as she hopped from side to side on the window ledge. Her partner being suspended meant that she too, was not free to fly. Technically, she could, but which other member of the family would choose the harbinger of bad news for duty? She was just as restless as he was.
Mu Ying rolled over back onto his back and took to staring at the ceiling again. His father had not spoken to him since, mainly because he was out on constant duty looking for more clues as to what had really happened. The entire household had in fact been dedicated towards verifying what he had said, but it was still too early to confirm anything, and the higher ups have been keeping very quiet about things. It was entirely possible that he could be forever branded as a liar and an insurgent trying to instigate further conflict if no supporting evidence could be found. Already, there were some whispering things behind his back. Mu Ying wondered then, if he were to be excommunicated from his clan, what would he do?
...
Go to the Academy. Graduate. Get a normal life.
... But what was a normal life in the midst of all this warring? The rural countryside, maybe, Xue Ning might like it there.
Mu Ying smirked and clapped a hand over his eyes. Now wasn't the time to think about all this. He really needed to get some rest, the last thing he'd like to experience is getting kicked out of the academy for sleeping in class again. And then he'd seriously be in trouble.
Yes, just get some sleep.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 12:03 am
< >
It has occurred to me that despite all valiant efforts to do so, I cannot keep awake in class. That is, unfortunately, what I think. I would like to back this claim with further evidence, such as the the number of times I have been thrown out of class for dozing off – thrice, including today. And while not paying attention during normal lessons is more... forgiving, not being at the peak of concentration during martial arts training has proven to be very costly. I am most thankful and fortunate sensei did not catch me slip up during kyuudo practice, I would have really been a goner then.
Perhaps I'm not cut out for this. I would very much like to go back to doing what I was made to do – but that has become not an option. Thinking back upon that mistake, maybe it is true that that wasn't what I was meant to do after all. No, I doubt it. It's the thing I'm good at, or until I find myself another niche, the only thing I'll ever be good at. I just have more to learn. A lot more to learn.
Writing a journal is strange. (He flips the page over and turns back to the one he was on again) Here, I'm supposed to give my opinions, like it's worth something. This is really rubbish. (He gets up for a cup of tea and returns)
Let's try this again. The academy is huge. And there are many, many people, other students I mean. Despite that, school has been a rather lonely affair, mostly because I inevitably keep to myself and am perfectly fine with it. Other times, I suspect, I must have been asleep, and since that row I had with the other kid who woke me up people are probably afraid of approaching me. My mother did warn me about my temper, but what's done is done I guess.
This hasn't been very factual at all has it? I've back-read what I've written and thus far, it has been mostly just ramblings. I don't necessarily dislike such freedom with my words though, it does seem rather nice for a change.
Since my suspension from my watch guard duties, I have, inevitably, been reduced to running around the household doing the menial labour, such as feeding the birds and clearing the cages. This really is a demotion isn't it? (He laughs) I really never expected to go back to doing what I did when I was seven again. Fair enough, it's not been all that bad. Xue Ning has been rather peckish as of late but I have been able to bring her out to the forest more often nowadays.
I'm seeing less and less of Father lately, despite me being at home more. It would be far too presumptuous of me to assume that he wishes to avoid me – I'm too insignificant for that, I know. Busy, probably. I think we all know why.
I wish there was some way I could make myself more useful. I am, most embarrassingly, still far too vulnerable to be able to volunteer for a post in patrol duties, which as of late has become a more vacated post due to the number of casualties on the streets. It would be of great use and advantage to me to master a weapon or a fighting style ... and generally become less incompetent in such a crucial area. Would need to get some advice on this, most likely 师父, if he does not bite off my head first for being late for class. I should really buck up in school.
That's it I guess. This form of reflection has been rather nice; I appreciate it despite knowing that I will look back on it a day or two later and wonder what possessed me to write such useless and vulgar exposition. So then ... the end.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 1:54 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
