03-07-2008, 07:08 AM
"Bai Yu... Bai Yu... my pretty little jade.... wake up.... a brand new day is waiting...."
Her voice was starting to fade away. He couldn't remember as much as he could before, but those words were still vivid in his dreams. Every morning she would whisper that into his ear. A giggle... a wisp of warm breath against his ear and the fragrance of incense and fur filling his nose. It was all so clear to him until he would open his eyes every morning, hoping to see her face.
"Mother...."
The name whispered from his lips before he could catch it and he could hear light snickering in the corner of his dark room.
"Ohhhh.... Maazaaar.... ohhh... I miss zooo..... ohhh.... maazaar..... ohhhh." The owl perched on his large dresser moaned out sarcastically and giggled at the man laying in his bed. The bird's beak did not move as he spoke, and resonated in the room like a thought in one's own mind. "Ohhh.... Bai Yuuu..... ohh... how you thrashed.... oh oh! It was quite funny. Crying out your mother's name! It was a riot!! OH! OH!!!" The Owl screeched and flapped its wings with glee, wafting them in the air and letting the brown molting feathers fall off. "Oh, tortured Bai Yu, Oh, poor little Bai Yu, OH-!"
Before the bird could finish another malicious comment Bai Yu took his pillow in hand and chucked it at the owl as hard as he could. Out of shock and fright the bird took flight and soared through the room, looking down at the, obviously, agitated man.
"Shut that beak of yours, or I will cut it off." He snarled out as he ran his fingers through his hair to move they away from his serious glaring eyes. "Go back to where you belong! I did not give you permission to look into my dreams and memories!"
This was a regular occurrence these days ever since he had gotten that owl. The cursed thing would always convinced one of the larger and smarter birds into unhinging the cage and letting the owl out, just so he could slip into his master's room and taunt him in his dreams. It creature meant for good... to give peaceful dreams and retelling them, but this one had a very poor attitude.
Bai Yu sighed and finally raised up from his bed and changed into a loose summer yukata. It was nearing the end of spring and the rain was pouring behind his covered windows. He could hear it beating against his tile roof. He paused for a moment, thinking about the rain before he smiled and remember.
"That's right, I'm getting that shipment today... the Pesantas, Nekomata, Bakeneko, and two species of Pi Yao." Bai Yu smiled and bit his lip in anticipation, he was very excited... very excited.
For those who didn't know, the reason for Bai Yu's excitement lied within the what these creatures were. Yes they were felines, but not any ordinary cats... no these cats were very special.
Pesantas were generally dogs, but he got his hands on some information that led him towards a huge black feline with steel claws. It was the eyes that captured him the most. Those vicious red eyes of a demon. This cat was prone to crawling on their master and suffocating them and if not to choke off breath then to give horrid nightmares that would haunt any soul.
Nekomata and Bakeneko were cats from Japan. They are the most ordinary looking cat with strange personalities. Nekomata were known for their split tails. Bakeneko had the same strange powers as foxes and raccoon dogs such as shape-shifting. He enjoyed watching these cats stand on their hind legs and walking around and talking like they were humans. Once in his life he found an entire village of these cats with their own culture and clothing. It was fascinating.
Now then the one he was most anxious to meet were the Pixiu (or Pi Yao). They looked like winged lions. The ones he was receiving were only cubs. Good for fortune and luck. These were hard creatures to find, but he was actually able to find a one horn, Pi Ya, for those suffering from bad luck and a two horn, Tian Lu, to keep the wealth in the household from disappearing and flowing away. These were beautiful creatures with silver grey fur, perhaps developed because of their appetite for silver and gold, and long strong fangs.
They should have already arrived, meaning that his 'dogs' should have already made a home for these creatures. He walked down the long hall way, filled with a looming fog of incense, and found his pets standing before a new red door. The human looking men stood tall and silent. Their eyes were sharp as daggers, a reason that Bai Yu had chosen them. These were his loyal dogs. One was a german shepherd, trained by Germany's specialty armed forces, that he had saved from being euthanized for a bullet wound from chasing a criminal. The other was a doberman he had received as a puppy and trained by Bai Yu himself.
"Good boys." He said, petting the two dogs on the head and then entering the room. Inside it was dark, to keep the animals from being jittery from the move, and filled with pillows and couches for their comfort.
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