Oichi

Sengoku Samurai Story Ch. 6

        A fragile-looking girl, Oichi, huddled over a stove and covered her mouth to avoid someone’s pursuit. She managed to stay calm but her body kept trembling. Being dragged into the strong light was the only thing she remembered. As Oichi woke up, she was already in an abandoned village, and hunted by mad men. She was scared off and fled, but at the same time was ambushed by a bunch of elves. Having been through many hardships, she escaped to an abandoned house to avoid their chase.
        A strange noise outside had drawn Oichi’s attention. The elves were surrounding those mad men who tried to break into the village. It seemed the village was the elves’ base. The mad men waiting outside were still looking for chances to enter. Oichi looked around and saw many elves were on patrol. She had to think twice before action in order to survive, but sooner or later she would be spotted if she kept staying in the house...Oichi held her silver comb tight, which was a talisman to bring her bravery.
        “If my brother was here, what would he do?” She closed her eyes and imagined. The warm and confident smile of her brother had soothed her nervousness. Oichi ran out of the house; the elves immediately gave chase to her. She kept running to the village entrance without looking back, making a beeline towards the mad men. The elves and the mad men were clashing and killing each other. Oichi took this opportunity to flee and hide in a forest. Gasping for breath, she could feel a burning chest pain.
        “I’m thirsty...” Oichi was attracted by some tangerine flowers in a grove behind her.
        “It’s ixora!” She plucked one in red, pulled away the stamen and supped the nectar on the tail. She repeated until her throat was moist. Then, Oichi took a rest as soon as she found a tree hole.
        “It’s itchy, ah!” Oichi was startled when she felt the warmth of her right hand. She thought it was the enemy, but just a little rabbit. The rabbit jumped to her arms out of curiosity; she smiled, petting it gently. It was already dark outside. The full moon appeared with the dissipation of clouds. Its silver moonlight shone in the cave as well as to Oichi’s body.
        “Growl!” The rabbit groaned with pain as Oichi squeezed it and held it up high. The rabbit hopped away immediately after she let it go. Oichi was alone again. She crawled out of the hole and stumbled off with an abnormal pace of breath. Beady-eyed Oichi, with an unusual flush in her cheeks, kept licking her lips. The familiar feeling of thirstiness had gradually controlled her body and eroded her will. The long and tough wrestle with the evil desire made her tear; she called for help in her mind.
        “Brother, please help me!” Her wish did not come true. She was exhausted, kneeling down on the ground. Oichi’s hair began to turn into snowy color. She stood up, gazing at the moon; the comb on her hair was coated with sparkling blue color. “Blood...I need blood…” Oichi murmured as she narrowed her red eyes.
        At this moment, an elf saw Oichi. The elf sneaked up on her with a knife, preparing to stab her in the back——