The Ryde

What The Komada Dragged In

The girl with the skip in her step was used to the weird looks she was given as she made her way towards the outskirts of town. Nothing was more predictable than the scrunched nooses of distaste, or the raised brows of curiosity. This Saturday morning, though, she was on a mission. After a busy final's week at the community college, she was ready to get back to doing what she loved most; dismantling traps in the woods just outside of town, and playing with the friendly nature spirits that lived there. She enjoyed the down time to relax, daydream, and chat with her little friend's no one else seemed to see.

Shoulder-length chocolate curls swayed in the wind behind her as she walked, eyes of green taking a look at passersby, as she began to reach her destination. Upon closer inspection, she did look like an odd character. Her clothes were messy. Her shirt, two sizes too large, hung loosely off her shoulder, and her white converse shoes were scuffed and dirty. Not to mention her jeans, ripped at the knees and sloppily patched back together with fabric from another clothing item.

"Rae!" A small voice cried, for her ears only. "Rae! There's a beast!"

This small voice was soon accompanied by more small voices as the little Kodama came rushing out to the border of the woods, calling for her with urgency.

Curious to see what all the commotion was about, Rae broke into a jog. The Kodama lead her straight to a large feline lying limp in the dirt, a net pinning the poor thing to the ground. Rae skidded to a stop when she saw the animal there, and the kodama surrounded him at a safe distance, tilting their heads and murmuring amoungst themselves.

It took her a moment, but she eventually took a step forward, cautious. This animal was big, as in, slightly larger than your average lion. Yet, it appeared to be a regular cat, like the strays on the street. She wouldn't compare the creature to a house cat, because to live in the forest like this it couldn't be too friendly. Still, she came forward, reaching into her front pocket for the small knife she kept on trips like these.

When the feline didn't move, she went ahead and started cutting at the ropes.