The Wrath of Silver Wolf (21 page)

TWENTY
The
perfect name

Moonshadow crept slowly behind Snowhawk,
watching the bobbing pole-lantern in her
hands light the start of the next row of shelves.
She stopped, winced, rubbed her back.

As they crept deeper into the Grey Light
Order's labyrinthine archives, past musty lines of
maps, scrolls and flap-books, he realised he felt
vulnerable. They were unarmed apart from these
lanterns. They wore only plain indigo kimonos,
no armour, and
this
little mission could turn crazy
again at any moment, as it already had twice, out
in the gardens. He scowled at the fresh monkey bite
on his hand. Saru-San would pay for that later.

'Can you see them?' he whispered.

'No,' she spoke without hushing her voice.
'But I
can
smell them.' Snowhawk rounded on
him. 'Before we go on, what really happened to
you back on that mountain?'

'I think the White Nun's anointing was
accelerated somehow, just for a moment, by what
Heron and the others sent me from back here. In
the dreamscape it was a golden ribbon, but it was
actually strength or understanding . . . I don't know.
Under its influence, I too could suddenly link to
beasts over a distance. When I tried to do so in the
hostile dream, out in the real world I guess I took
control of Motto . . . right when I needed him.'

'The White Nun said only a set of unusual
circumstances could break or override her link
with him, remember?' Snowhawk frowned. 'I'd say
you experienced them.'

'Well, I
won't
experience such power again for
years,' he groaned. 'I've tried since our return but
I can't repeat it, that long-distance linking. It was
there for a flash, like one of those lightning strikes,
then gone again.' Moon stretched. 'Why does
the White Nun always have to be so mysterious,
dropping clues but withholding so much?'

'Partly just good, cagey spy-practice, I think.
May be it's also part of how she teaches us
patience –' Snowhawk eyed him meaningfully –
'which any worthwhile art requires.'

'I hate patience,' Moon grumbled. 'It's . . . it's
not natural.'

'Like forgivenes.' She looked at him through
her lashes. 'It doesn't come easily, not to me. But it
is
worthwhile, so I'm working on it. An evil killer
and an immortal mystic have been helping me
learn how.' Snowhawk saw him smile gently and
she half-smiled back. '
Be like the river. Let it all go,
and flow on.
I can do it. I'm trying!'

'And you'll succeed,' he nodded firmly, 'because
you can
do
patience, but I –'

'Wait!' She held up a hand. 'That way! I can
smell them . . . on the move again.'

They slunk down an aisle with great vigilance,
as if hunting an armed intruder.

'When we parted on the road home,' Moon-
shadow whispered, 'where did Groundspider escort
the White Nun to? I saw her whisper to him, then
they rode off slowly.' He blinked. 'I couldn't believe
it when I first saw her clamber up onto that horse's
back. She's just incredible.'

'Incredible or not, Heron told me she was
hiding out at some temple with a group of warrior
monks she trusts.' Snowhawk inclined her head.
'Why did she insist we bring Motto-San back here?
His injuries were half-healed by the time we made
it home. He could have gone anywhere with her.'

Moonshadow saw her smile at her own use of
the word
home
. It lifted his heart.

'She told me on the road that she's broken her
link with him now,' Moonshadow said solemnly.
'He's not here to be her second set of eyes in Edo.'

'Why then?'

'She told me a new animal guardian was being
guided to her. Destiny, of course. She also said we
needed Motto-San here.'

Snowhawk put one hand over her heart. 'What
could that mean?'

'With someone from another world, who can
say? The White Nun seems to want him with me.
Within an hour of her telling me that her link with
him was broken, he nuzzled my hand for the first
time. I think she knows something . . . maybe we're
really
going to need him.' Moon raised his lantern
and peered upwards, sniffing the air. 'Still, I wish
she hadn't sent for Heron at once. I know she feels
some urgency about Heron's further training now,
but . . .'

'Thanking Heron a thousand times didn't feel
like enough?' Snowhawk grinned.

'Be quiet,' he laughed, 'just help me find this
dog before Badger slays us all.'

'I told you.' Snowhawk instantly mimicked
Badger's dry, scholarly tone. 'Don't look for the
dog. Look for the monkey. The cat is following it,
and the dog is trailing the cat. I saw them come in
here, in a beast-string, moving just that way.'

Moonshadow sighed. 'If they keep fighting,
Motto-San will tear his stitches again.'

'Wait a moment.' Snowhawk prodded his arm.
'The dog is Motto, the monkey is Saru, so
when
are
you going to name the cat?'

'Not you, too!' Moon hung his head, thinking
a moment, then said impulsively, 'Fine, from now
on, she can be known by what she does. She is
the White Nun's Edo
banken
. So there you are:
the cat's name is officially
Banken
. Ban-ken. A
watcher
.'

'I like it,' Snowhawk giggled, 'but I can see now
that my non-shinobi schooling, whether at cruel
hands or not, went further than yours.'

He lowered his lantern, face clouding with
suspicion. 'What do you mean?'

Snowhawk wagged a finger. 'I'll tell you
only
if you promise first not to change your choice.
I know how sneaky you can be.' She creased her
nose impishly.

Moonshadow hesitated, muttering, then gave
her a single, firm nod.

'Banken,' Snowhawk chuckled, 'means watchdog,
not watcher.'

Moon turned away, cursing. 'I can't
believe
I said I liked you,' he muttered.

Snowhawk smirked. 'I can.' She threw back
her head and laughed heartily. 'Anyway, I love it!
A cat called
Watchdog
! Only
you
could have a cat
called Watchdog! Perfect!'

'I'm . . . I'm still tired from the road,' he said
defensively. 'Tired . . . and preoccupied!'

She saw the look on his face and turned serious
at once. 'What's on your mind?'

Moonshadow spoke earnestly. 'It was disturbing,
wasn't it, being pursued, town to town, then into
the wild? As shinobi, we're not used to that, I
guess. It's
we
who pursue, hunt down objectives,
steal or kill and then simply vanish. I think this
mission made me realise, for the very first time, why
ordinary folk fear us so much . . .' He shrugged.

A look of dread sheened her eyes. 'Get used
to it. I know my former clan. I may need to forgive
them, but they don't war in time to
that
drum.
What we just survived –' Snowhawk heaved a
knowing sigh – 'was but the first caress.'

He suddenly stared at her with wide, excited
eyes, tears welling in them.

'Oh, Moon!' Snowhawk gently took his hand.
'What's wrong?'

'Nothing,' Moonshadow said softly. 'I just
remembered something, something really big!
The White Nun knows who my mother was.'

Snowhawk studied him thoughtfully.

'Was?' she asked, hope making her face glow.
'Or is?'

Akita Matagi
or
Akita
Pronounced
'ah-key-tah'
and
'mah-tah-gee'

A tough, intelligent, wolf-like dog. Originally bred
from Japan's ancient Matagi native hunting dog
in the Akita region of Japan, according to some
historians, by samurai of the Satake Clan. Matagi
originally hunted wild boar, elk, antelope, and the
huge Yezo bear. Nowadays called simply Akita,
these dogs are fast, agile, and despite their gentle
temperament, fearless when hunting or defending
their human family.

bo-shuriken
Pronounced '
boh-shoo-ri-ken'

An iron or steel throwing knife with a double-edged
blade at one end, a tapering handle and a
circular threading eye – also a miniature club – at
the other. Of the many shuriken designs used by
shinobi, it is the hardest to throw as it is not 'star'
shaped but linear. The threading eye enables it to
be incorporated into traps or attached to a rope or
chain and then whirled. See also
shuriken
.

daimyo
Pronounced
'die-m'yoh'

A member of the Japanese aristocracy and a
powerful feudal lord owning a fiefdom of land.
The title can be translated as 'a great name' or
'one who aspires to something better'.

Edo
Pronounced '
eh-doh'

The city also once called Yedo and now known as
Tokyo. It was the Shogun's chosen capital and is
now the capital city of Japan.

Fuji
Pronounced
'foo-jee'

Japan's highest mountain, considered sacred.

furube sutra
Pronounced
'foo-roo-beh'
('The
Shrugging Off' or 'Shaking Off')

An ancient saying or prayer recited by shinobi
each dawn and dusk, and just before going into
action. It was intended to clear the spy's mind of
distractions, calm them and ready their skills.

geisha
Pronounced
'gay-shah'

Literally, an 'arts person'. Women trained from
their youth to be skilled in social conversation,
dancing and singing for the entertainment of
male patrons, at first of the ruling class and, later
in history, wealthy merchants too. Real geisha still
exist today.

hakama
Pronounced '
hah-car-mah
'

Traditional Japanese clothing which covers the
body from the waist down and resembles a wide,
pleated and divided skirt, but is actually giant
pleated trousers. A traditional samurai garment
worn over a kimono, originally by men only.

Hour of the Rat

Prior to the arrival of a western time-keeping
system, Japan marked time by dividing each day
into two parts: sunrise to sunset, and sunset to
sunrise. Each of these two long periods were then
broken down into six shorter divisions (each
roughly two hours long in modern western time).
These twelve sections of the day were identified
using the animals of the Chinese zodiac. The Hour
of the Rat was approximately 11.00 pm to 1.00 am,
kicking off a cycle of two-hour time segments
named in this order: Ox, Tiger, Hare, Dragon,
Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and
Boar.

Iaido
Pronounced
'ee-eye-doh'

The samurai art of sword-drawing and duelling,
which features about fifty
waza
(techniques or sets
of skills) and reached the peak of its development
around five hundred years ago. Different from
Kendo, which is a full-contact sport. Modern
students of Iaido use steel swords in wooden
scabbards and wear the traditional clothing of
medieval samurai. Iaido takes many years to master.
To this day, the art's 'world titles' are held in Japan,
on a mountain top near Kyoto, before a Japanese
prince. Author Simon Higgins has competed in
this event as well as in Australia's national Iaido
titles. Many such old Japanese arts, including the
tea ceremony and
ikebana
, were not referred to as
a '
do
' ('the way of . . .') until they became popular
and their teaching practices were formalised.

Iga
see
Koga
.

kami
Pronounced '
car-mee
'

The Japanese term for objects of awe or worship
in Shintoism, Japan's oldest (and native) religion.
Though sometimes translated as 'deity' or 'gods',
this is not strictly accurate and 'spirits' may be a safer
way of describing the kami, who can be 'beings' but
also simply forces of nature or 'living essences'.

Kappa
Pronounced '
kap-pah
'

A yokai and water monster featured in Japanese
folklore, sometimes depicted with a turtle-like
beak. The Kappa is said to love cucumbers. The
top of its skull is apparently shaped like a bowl
and filled with water. Signs warning children to
'beware of the Kappa' still appear beside many
Japanese rivers. See also
yokai
.

karma
Pronounced '
car-ma
'

The Buddhist philosophy that states that deeds or
actions create cycles of 'cause and effect'. Thus,
good thinking and good deeds produce good
outcomes, now or at some time in the future.

ki
Pronounced '
kee
'

The life force common to all living things. The
internal or spiritual energy, which in traditional
Asian martial arts is harnessed to increase a
warrior's power and stamina. Using ancient
sciences like sight-joining can quickly deplete a
shinobi's ki.

Koga
Pronounced '
ko-gah
'

Like Iga (pronounced '
ee-gah
'), a name associated
with a mountain region of Japan in which 'shadow
clans' trained highly skilled contract spies and
assassins whose powers of stealth and disguise
became legendary. Author Simon Higgins visited
a preserved 300-year-old Koga ninja house that
features a display of weapons and tools and,
beneath a trapdoor, an underground escape
passage. It stands near Konan railway station in
farming country outside the city of Kyoto.

Kunoichi
Pronounced '
coo-noh-ee-chee
'

Traditional term for a female ninja. See also
ninja
and
shinobi
. Certain ninja skills, in particular
those associated with using poisons or forcing one's
target into a hypnotised state, were associated
primarily with female shinobi, though a minority
of male spies also excelled at them.

kyogen
Pronounced '
k'yo-gen
'

A popular Japanese school of theatre which has
existed since at least the 14th century. Kyogen
plays are usually short, slapstick-type satires that
poke fun at religious rites or feudal lords regarded
as buffoons, or offer humorous versions of folktales.
Human, animal and even 'god' characters do
quaint, unexpected or ridiculous things, sometimes
reflecting the politics of the time when the play
was written.

Moonshadow
See
tsukikage

ninja
Pronounced '
nin-jah
'

Alternative term for a shinobi. Some scholars
believe this term emphasises their role as assassins
whereas 'shinobi' is more general, implying
the inclusion of scouting and spying roles. The
combined shinobi combat arts were some times
called Ninjutsu as '
jutsu
' means 'art' or 'technique'.
Shadow clans had many methods and weapons in
common, but distinctive practices, clothing and
gadgets also evolved among specific groups. See
also
shinobi
.

Rokurokubi
Pronounced '
roh-coo-roh-coo-bee
'

One of the many Japanese yokai. Rokurokubi
initially look human and unremarkable, but their
necks can magically elongate. They can also
disguise their faces, all in order to deceive and
frighten or attack mortals. See also
yokai
.

sake
Pronounced '
sah-kay
'

Japanese for 'alcoholic beverage', it can refer to
alcoholic drinks in general, but usually refers to
the traditional Japanese drink made by fermenting
polished rice. Though often called 'rice wine',
sake is actually brewed, so is really more like beer
than wine.

samurai
Pronounced '
sah-moo-rye
'

A member of the ruling warrior class; a warrior in
a warlord's service.

-San
The '
a
' is pronounced with a slight 'u' sound
as in 'sun'. An honorific attached to a person's
name to show one is addressing them with respect.
It can be taken to mean 'Mr', 'Mrs', 'Miss' or,
now-adays, 'Ms'.

Saru
Pronounced '
sa-roo
'. Japanese for 'monkey'.

seiza
Pronounced '
say-zah
'

The traditional (floor or mat) sitting position of the
Japanese. The legs are folded, back kept straight,
palms rested on the thighs and one literally sits on
one's heels. Difficult at first, the body adapts to it
within a few months. It is likely that seiza was also
used in ancient times to refer to the familiar cross-legged
seating posture used during meditation.

Sekigahara
Pronounced '
seh-key-gah-ha-rah
'

A town in the Gifu Prefecture of modern Japan.
Back in 1600 it was a village near which Tokugawa
forces won a decisive victory against their rivals.
Though not the last conflict fought in the period,
it is generally held to mark the end of the lengthy
civil war era and the birth of the long-lasting
Tokugawa Shogunate.

shinobi
Pronounced '
shi-no-bee
'

Also known as ninja. Those adept at spying or
covert scouting. Some shinobi were also hired
killers. They were trained in a wide variety of secret
and martial arts, said to include combat with and
without weapons, acrobatics, the use of explosives,
poisons, traps, hypnotism and numerous forms of
disguise. Some of the most effective historical ninja
were women who went 'undercover' inside well-guarded
fortresses, successfully stealing in formation
or carrying out assassinations.

Shogun
Pronounced 's
how-gun
'

Abbreviated form of
Sei-I-Tai Shogun
('barbarian-
subduing general'). The ultimate commander
of the Japanese warrior class who, prior to 1867,
exercised virtually absolute rule (officially) under
the leadership of the Emperor, who was in fact a
figurehead only. Many warlords aspired to seize or
earn this auspicious rank. In Moonshadow's time a
member of the Tokugawa family was the Shogun.
See also
Sekigahara
.

shuko
Pronounced '
shoo-koh
'

Iron claws worn on the hands to assist climbing.
Shuko were used, usually along with
ashiko
(foot
spikes) to scale walls, climb up trees, cross icy
surfaces and were even worn during combat.

shuriken
Pronounced '
shoo-ri-ken
'

Circular or star-shaped throwing knives, usually
black and made in ingots or from thin sheets of
iron. They could have four, eight, twelve or more
points. Each 'shadow clan' or spy group used
their own distinctive style or styles of shuriken,
though some also adopted designs created by their
rivals or enemies. Thrown overarm, they were
aimed for soft points such as the throat, eyes or
temple. Their tips could be poisoned or flecked
with a powerful sedative if the target was to be
taken alive. Any shuriken wound disrupted and
weakened an enemy. See also
bo-shuriken
.

sumo
Pronounced '
soo-moh
'

An ancient Japanese form of competitive wrestling
where opponents try to force each other to leave
a circular ring or touch the ground with anything
other than the soles of their feet. Sumo is steeped
in ritual and custom. Wrestlers are selected for size,
power and speed and are specially fed and trained.
To this day, sumo wrestlers are lauded celebrities
in Japan.

sutra
Pronounced '
soo-tra
'

A 'scripture' of the Buddhist faith; teachings which
were sometimes chanted or recited to focus and
empower the devotee. See also
furube sutra
.

tanto
Pronounced '
tan-toh
'

Perhaps best described as a dagger. Up to 30 cm
long, tanto are shorter than both the long and
short swords worn by samurai. Samurai women
often wore tanto for self-defence.

tatami
Pronounced '
tah-tah-mee
'

Usually translated as 'folded and piled', tatami are
traditional Japanese flooring mats, made of woven
soft rush straw and packed with rice straw. Tatami
are often bordered by brocade or coloured cloth.
Until the 17th century, few non-samurai enjoyed
tatami, the lower classes instead placing thin mats
over dirt floors.

tetsubishi
Pronounced '
tet-soo-bi-she
'

Also known as
makibishi
or (in Europe) caltrops.
Sharp, usually triple-spiked foot jacks made from
a rare seed pod, iron or twisted wire. The jacks'
tips were sometimes flecked with poison. They
could be painted to blend in with reed matting or
a polished wooden floor. Able to penetrate sandals,
tetsubishi caused unexpected injuries, stopping or
slowing a pursuer.

tsukikage
Pronounced '
skee-car-geh
'

A 470-year-old sword
waza
of the Musou Jikiden
Eishin-Ryu school of Iaido, the art of the samurai
sword after which, in keeping with shinobi
tradition, our hero was named. The technique
employs a low, delayed turn, then rising at the
attacking foe and executing a crescent strike at
their raised forearms. This combination block
and cut is followed by a push then a step, after
which a fatal single vertical cut is unleashed. The
characters making up the technique's name can be
translated as 'moonshadow'. See also
Iaido
.

Yamamba
Pronounced '
ya-mam-bah
'