User blog:Wuldnakest/The Cat and the Bird Part 7

Yin pulled herself into the canoe from the cool river water. In the hot autumn afternoon, the water was a welcome refreshment. She looked up at the sky. The clouds and mist were coming back now as there would soon be no sun to keep the temperature up in this humid valley. Soon it would become too foggy to see more than ten meters.



She glanced upwards at the mist beginning to wrap around the mountains and saw a faint glow piercing the shroud of fog near the mountaintop. She turned her body in the canoe so she could focus on the eerie light a little better. The way it flickered briefly hinted that it was a fire, but it'd have to be a huge fire to be seen all this way.



"Hey, hey," she signaled the girl sharing her canoe, "look up there."



The other jinko turned around. "Oh yeah. Someone must be camping up there. Seems like a big fire for a camp, though."



<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">"Yeah," Yin agreed, "Hopefully they don't burn the whole mountain down."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">The other girl laughed. "Hopefully."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">The canoes soon came ashore and Yin removed the lantern from her boat. It took four jinkos to drag the canoe from the river to the village, and then unload the logs. She helped carry the other boats to the village with the other girls, and with each boat more girls were available to help, so the job became faster with each boat placed.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">"Yin," Mei beckoned when the last boat was placed. Yin approached her and Mei said, "We've got enough help here at the village for the logs, if you want to go up on that mountain and see what's happening. If there really are new humans around, see if they do know anything about us. Also I want you to make sure that fire is safe."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">Yin's eyes lit up. "Yes, ma'am!" she giddily exclaimed and then took off as quickly as she could toward the mountain with the eerie glow. Through the trees she ran, and then she dove into the river’s cold water and swam its width with the speed of a fish swimming away from a shark.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">When she came near the human village, she was careful not to go out into the open. However she was able to see what was going on through the trees. A heavy man dressed in extravagant robes who also wore a fancy hat with several tassels on it was walking about with another man who appeared to have dragon barbs on his face. Yin could hear them talking about some kind of terrible plague, and how happy they were that it would be cured soon. She hoped for her village's sake that the humans didn't mean the jinkos when they spoke of the plague.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">Yin soon moved on from the village when the fancy men went inside the biggest building. She continued up the hill along the path towards the fire, which seemed even more massive now that she was underneath it. She continued despite wondering about her own safety amidst a fire so strange.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">About a fourth of the way up the mountain, another person was coming down. Yin quickly ran into the trees and hid herself before she could be seen. As the man walked by, she could see him holding a holy book in the moonlight, and she could see his obvious religious robes.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">"Odd," she thought, "Why would a priest be needed at a big fire?" She shrugged and decided, "Maybe it's just a big party up there? Perhaps even priests need a little fun once in a while, too?" She looked both ways on the trail and started upwards again when she was far away enough from the priest that he wouldn't hear her.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">As she got higher up the mountain, the fog had time to thicken, and a thick cloud layer had appeared overhead, intermittently blocking out the moonlight and then returning it. She looked up to see how much farther up the mountain she had to go, and she began to grow tired.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">"Damn firewood," she thought, "I'd be able to run up this whole mountain if I didn't have to waste my energy cutting trees all day." She stopped to take a break at the side of the road.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">Just as Yin sat herself down, she smelled something incredibly sweet coming from down the mountain in the calm night breeze. She inhaled as deeply as she could before the sweet scent could leave her nostrils. She got up and hurried up the mountain to find out what could make such an impossibly delicious scent. The light from the flames was playing on the fog, and Yin could easily see the shadows of trees and things above her. She jumped when one of the shadows moved, but quickly calmed herself knowing there was obviously another person up here with the fire.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">Yin quieted herself, just in case this human wasn't friendly. As her head peaked out from behind the plateau's edge, she could see a single figure in front of the fire. It seemed to be dumping water on itself from a small vial, but even more strangely, every time it did, the delicious scent became stronger.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">"Wow," she thought, "Humans have actually made a way to put smells in bottles? That's something we'll need to figure out in my village."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">A light breeze brushed by Yin, carrying a heavy dose of the sweet scent with it. She inhaled the intoxicating scent and her guard lowered. She began walking toward the sweet-smelling human and the fire behind him. She was quiet, but not anywhere near as cautious as she had been on her way up. The figure of the lone human was also assuring: a single human was no match for a jinko in physical combat, so she could easily subdue him and run off if she needed to.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">As she got closer, she could make out the human's figure silhouetted in front of the fire more clearly. He wore a pair of thick boots, a long cloak that ended at his ankles, and it was wrapped tight around his waist with a belt. His cloak had sleeves that went to his wrists, and he wore gloves over his hands. On his head was a black hat with a flat rim around it. In all, he looked very out of place in this early autumn warmth, like he was dressed for a cold winter, and dressed in clothes that no one on the Mist Continent wore at that.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">Although this human was odd, Yin didn't raise her guard, mostly because of the overwhelming sweet scent in the air. She slowly approached the silhouetted human, the heat from the fire becoming apparent against her skin and fur. She quietly crept forward until something in the fire grabbed her attention.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">A popping sound, one Yin was accustomed to with her many log fires, rang out. Only in this case, the noise was much louder - probably because of a bigger air pocket - and part of the kindling shifted. She glared hard at the fire to make her eyes adjust, and saw the most horrific thing she'd ever seen. The kindling that moved was a body, and a burning hand rolled out from the fire. Yin screamed and the human before her jumped.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">She quickly covered her mouth but it was too late. The man before the fire had already turned around. She watched in confused terror as the one she assumed to be human, silhouetted against the great fire, exposed its long beak and eyes that reflected the flames. She couldn't see anything other than black cloth covering the bird-man, except its long beak underneath its strange hat.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">Yin stood paralyzed under the bird-man's gaze, and he strangely kept himself still as well. He stared at her, although he didn't seem to have any fears, which worried Yin that much more. Her eyes darted back to the fire, and she could clearly see there were no logs, but bodies of humans burning.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman";color:#222222">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">Suddenly a swift strike pushed Yin to her knees. She turned around to find a jiangshi with her glowing fingernails at the ready. Yin’s claws erupted from her paws and she took a fighting stance to tear this zombie to pieces. The jiangshi kicked at Yin several times before she caught her leg and was thrown to the ground by the jinko.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">“You won’t touch my master!” the jiangshi cried as she got back up. She swiped at Yin again, trying to tear her skin with her fingernails, but Yin was too quick. She dodged the jiangshi’s attack and leapt backwards out of her range, ready to give another defensive strike if the jiangshi came back at her. She heard the strange bird-man backpedal away from the fight, and the jiangshi turned to look at him. Yin took her opportunity and lunged at the jiangshi with her claws at the ready.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">Yin charged at the jiangshi and jumped high for her strike. Suddenly, the fog, ground, and air lit up with red light, and thunder boomed and echoed off the other mountains. Yin fell to the ground and curled into a ball as red electricity surged through her for a few moments, carried by her metallic armor.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">“Both of you stop it!” the birdman yelled with red electricity dissipating along his fingers. Yin saw the jiangshi wasn’t hit by the electricity, but she was knocked on her back from the blast just the same. She quickly ran over to him and hugged him.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">“Master, you’re low on spirit energy! You need to be more careful,” she scolded him.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">“Lightning costs a lot of energy,” he told her as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">“But you’re also sick!”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">“I’m not sick?” the bird-man asked confused.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">“Yes, you are. I can feel it.” Yin assumed that it was the disease the foreigners brought, which wasn’t bad news to her since it was easily cured with jinko saliva. The last bits of electricity buzzed her body, and forced something awake. She was in heat. Luckily there were no men around, as far as she was aware, so she was able to lie on the ground and stare at the bird man and his zombie.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">“Look here,” the jiangshi removed the bird-man’s gloves, exposing a normal human’s hand below.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">Yin’s eyes opened and she focused more on the man in front of her. She sat up and looked hard at the zombie removing the man’s hat and mask, exposing his light brown hair and bearded face. She knew the two were talking but she wasn’t listening. Her monster blood was fully awake now, and all she wanted to focus on was the man in front of her. “How do I get that jiang-slut off of him?” she thought silently.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">Yin got into a pouncing position just as the jiangshi took off the man’s cloak, leaving just his shirt and pants. The jiangshi turned around quickly when Yin’s foot scraped against the dirt, and the jiangshi jumped in front of her master.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">“You won’t touch him!” the jiangshi said menancingly.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">Yin didn’t respond verbally. Instead she pounced at the man. She jumped clean over the jiangshi and she grabbed the man and pulled him to the ground with her. “You’re safe now from that awful disease,” she said as she rubbed her cheek affectionately against the man’s. “I’ll cure you.” She grinned and sat up on the man and one of her claws extended. She reached down to cut open his clothes, but she stopped when the man extended his right arm with two fingers out.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">“You should get off me. Now,” he warned. “I’m a Goidelic mage and I know how to use this place’s energy to make lightning, and you don’t want a full bolt.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">Yin didn’t stop grinning. “You’ll get shocked, too.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">“No,” the jiangshi interrupted as she wrapped her arms underneath Yin’s and locked her fingers behind Yin’s head. “Get off my master.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">Yin growled in annoyance. “If you want your master to not be sick, you’ll let me do what I need to.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">“I don’t trust a tiger like you,” the jiangshi argued.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">Yin sighed and leaned over the man again, pulling the resisting jiangshi with her. Despite the jiangshi’s strength, she was still unable to overpower a powerful jinko. Yin held down the human’s arms and she started licking at his boils. Within minutes the boils burst and the diseased pus leaked out leaving behind healthy skin. “There,” Yin said looking lustfully at the man beneath her, “You’re cured and now I think I deserve some kind of thanks for saving your life,” she brought his left hand up to her breasts.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">“She’s right,” the jiangshi spoke up. “I can’t feel the sickness in you anymore, master.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">The man thought about it for a moment and the jiangshi even loosened her grip on Yin. “Alright, but my jiangshi gets to join in, too,” he paused for a few moments, “And then we’ll go back into town and tell everybody.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">Yin gave him a confused look at wanting to tell everybody in the town, but she shrugged it off. She looked at his hand and remembered what brought her into heat so abruptly, and she wanted more. “Shock me again,” she let go if the man’s hand against her armored breast and let him work his magic.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">He did as she asked. He flicked his wrist back and the red electricity came alive and grew along with Yin’s anticipation. His fingers lightly tapped her metal armor, and the electricity coursed along the metal and attacked her body everywhere the metal touched, and she screamed in delight as she threw her head back.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"TimesNewRoman"">“Now let’s get to it,” the man said as he switched his gaze between his jaingshi and Yin.