The Heartwood 名誉の重さ

tags for joining if u want! @Kaede @Shinjou @Clover @Lorroakan @Ryūjirō & tentatively @Kikyo because im not sure if he's with us or not , let me know!!

the path from blackfeather woods to this one is a peaceful one—as peaceful as it can be with the belligerence of one shinjou hirohiko. masa thinks he would do with a good kick in the ass, but also thinks that the man means well.
during such travels, he remains silent. speaking only to his brother, sometimes to kaede-sama, and sitting in pleasant silence with the gray one that shadowed him.
in just a few days time, they would arrive at moonglow and masa would deliver word to the moonwoman. he had gathered as much intel as he knew was possible, without inserting himself directly into the line of conflict.
that had not been his duty.

the fox is beside her.

they travel at the midline of the group. he is her attendant, and it is where she belongs.

the land changes. the lady takes note.

she is silent but for masa-sama's visits, welcoming him softly and speaking of only what he wishes.

when there is a pause in travel, lady kaede approaches.

in her teeth is a leaf of strawberries. new fruit and tart, she feels the offering will please him.

kaede sets down the gift nearby, bowing her head to the lord as she waits to be addressed.

Tiny legs worked quickly to keep up with the wolf’s wide gait. Occasionally he’d lag behind, bug or bird stealing his interest, but he did not eat. 

When he’d catch up, he would stay close to her. He felt uneasy around the others. Their stare was not warm, not like the purple-eyed lady’s.

When they stopped, he approached with her, though he did not walk closer than her back paw. He eyed the bright red gift.

Woooops! I totally forgot about that thread!

The repulsive little creature was, of course, still present—it had now become part of Lady Kaeda-san’s entourage. At every moment, Shinjou wished the vile Kitsune would simply vanish; he had even longed for the courage to nudge fate into doing its work. But should the cursed spirit catch him in the act, it would surely be the end of him.

Throughout the journey, the black-hooded samurai had taken great care to keep his distance. He had even ventured off alone to explore before quietly rejoining the convoy.

At last, they came to a halt. Shinjou made his way back along the line, carefully avoiding the fearsome Kitsune’s gaze. He couldn’t help but click his tongue in disdain as he skirted past it—and Kaeda-san. Then he moved closer to Masa, who had already been graced with a handful of berries, a delicate offering from the young lady.

Hmph.He observed quietly, then turned toward his lord. This place is crawling with gaijin. He could smell the fetid stench of the packs.

Shall we await you while you settle your debt, Masa-dono? That, after all, was the reason they had come—was it not?