Taketori

“Hiiii-ya!”

The powerful cry rang through the valley. The shrill sound of falling bamboo. The beast that had felled almost ten plants in a single strike drew himself back up into his pre-strike stance. He grinned as he observed his work. It was the last of the clearing he had to do before being paid. On a stump, not too far behind him, sat an elegant female playing with a fan. She used the floral paper to cover her mouth before snapping it shut.

“Are we done?” She asked coolly. They had been travelling to a performance when he had been intercepted by a plucky little tundra and her shady malnourished mirror friend. They had appealed to Taketori’s pride and managed to contract him to do the impossible task of clearing a whole steppe in a single day.

Surely he was the greatest woodcutter in all the land.

“Oh you’re done!” The same tundra and her companion appeared only once the work was done. Indeed nothing stood on the flat ground of the lesser hill. In fact, now that it had been cleared one could say it would make a perfect place for a temple!

“So, where is the silver?” Taketori inquired eagerly. He had been promised an obscene about of silver and he’d be damned if he didn’t get it after all that work. Kaguya had perked up as well. As an performer she had expensive tastes and a heavy sack of silver would mean she’d be living the high life for a while.

“Oh. Right. About that.” Kojoro replied thoughtfully. “I never intended to pay you actually! You see this is holy ground! You’re cursed now.” The tundra gave a confident nod.

The ridgeback’s mouth fell open in disbelief.

“WHHHHAAA???”

~~~

Taketori is a victim of Kojoro’s desire to start up a temple and shrine to the wind god. She tricked him into clear cutting the bamboo and trees on the flat steppe below the shrine, an act that is apparently forbidden. The only way to repent for his sins, according to Kojoro, was to serve the god for a certain amount of time under her supervision.

He now works to redeem himself in the eyes of the Windsigner. His mate is constantly berating him for believing Kojoro but is unwilling to leave him.

Before being tricked into working for the soon to be temple, Taketori made his living as a woodcutter. Not just any woodcutter! The best woodcutter in the world! He could clear a bamboo forest in a day. During one such job he came across a distress actress. He comforted her and in an attempt to cheer her up he told her that a man would be fortunate to serve her like a princess. Somehow or another she took that as an offer and accepted his service. The two are rarely seen apart while they’re not working.