P.o.D: F.N: -24- Things That Go Bump In The Night

Chapter 24: Things That Go Bump in the Night

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"Congratulations, gentlemen. We finally made it to the Shikotaido Mountain range," said Captain Johza, calling to the others.

"Thank goodness," replied Genma, "I thought we would never get here."

"Yeah, to bad we can't start climbing," added Ryoga.

"Correct. We're going to have to wait until morning," agreed Johza, putting his pack down, "And this looks like the best place to stop for the night."

Everyone agreed with the Captain and began to set up camp.

"I'll get us some firewood," said Kuno, starting for the trees.

"I don't think so," snapped Genma, stepping in front of the older boy, "I'm not taking my eyes off of you. What do you take us for, idiots?"

"I'm not even going to reply to that remark. Besides, I'm not going very far," responded Kuno, passing the old man and stopping in front of a tree.

"What's he doing?" Johza asked.

"Just watch," answered Ranma.

He knew what was coming next, having seen it happen plenty of times before. The older teenager lifted his bokken over his head and in one slash of his wooden blade, the man-sized tree fell with a crash.

"What? How?" replied the shocked Captain.

"Watch," repeated Ranma, while Kuno continued slashing at the tree.

When he finished, the tree had been reduced to foot-long, quarter-cut logs.

Dumbfounded, Johza walked over to the teen and asked, "How did you do that? And with a wooden sword too?"

With a grin, the upperclassman told him, "Only a very skilled samurai can slice through any object with a wooden sword."

He then placed his sword on his shoulder and asked Captain Johza in which direction was the river. After being pointed in the right direction, Kuno started for the river, but was once again stopped by Genma.

"Where do you think you're going?" the old martial artist wondered.

"I'm going to the river to catch everyone some dinner," replied the teen.

"Really? Why are you being so helpful now?" asked the old man.

"Because," started Kuno, "I want to show that I can be useful to the group."

"Oh, no you don't. Nice try, but it's not going to work this time," said Ranma's father.

"Pop, how about having someone go with him?" wondered his son.

"Sure, I guess. But who?" answered Genma in an indignant tone.

"I'll go," volunteered Soun, handing Ryoga the half-used box of matches.

"Okay, then. While those two go fishing, the four of us will set up the fire," said Johza.

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The sun began setting off in the distance and the stars in the night sky started to appear by the time Soun and Kuno returned from their fishing expedition. Genma went to greet his friend and was met with a frown.

"Did he try to.." he began, when Soun interrupted with, "No, he didn't."

The older teen had just finished explaining to the others how he used his wooden sword to spear each fish, when the pair of old men rejoined the group. Before long, each member of the squad had eaten his fill and was ready to get to bed. Johza stood up, which got everyone's attention.

He announced, "Since we are deep in the woods, our fire won't keep the bigger animals away. Instead, they might be attracted by the warmth of the flames. So, someone will have to stand guard."

"Okay," said Ranma.

The others agreed with the Captain as well.

He continued, "I think the best way to do it is in shifts and-"

"How will we know when our shift is over?" interrupted Ryoga.

"Good question," replied Johza.

"We'll use this," answered Kuno.

He handed the Captain a old looking pocket watch.

"What's that?" asked Ranma.

"If you must know, my grandfather bought that pocket watch when he was about my age. It was given to my father when he reached my age. I received it before my father left on his trip to Hawaii and it still works as well as the day it was bought," explained the older boy.

"Thank you," said the Captain, "I'll stand guard first, while you guys get some sleep."

"I'll take the second shift," said Ranma.

"Third," answered Ryoga.

"I'll take the fourth shift," said Kuno.

"No, you're not," snapped Genma.

"Not this again, Pop," groaned his son.

"How about we let him stand guard?" suggested Soun.

"I can't believe you all are falling for this scam. As soon as we're all asleep, he's going to start up the mountainside," shouted the old man.

"I swear to you, sir, that I will remain here with everyone tonight," said Kuno.

"Right. I'm sure you will," replied Genma, sarcastically, "I know I'm going to sleep better tonight knowing that you swore to me that you're not going to go anywhere."

"That's enough," yelled Ranma, "I'm sick and tired of you putting Kuno down, Pop. Just give him a second chance."

"I did!" shouted Genma.

"What do you mean?" wondered Ryoga.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten what happened back at the castle? He's already tried to leave the group twice, so what's stopping him from trying a third time?" explained the old man.

"None of us think he is going to try again. Even if he did, he would most likely get killed before he returned to the castle," answered Johza.

"You just watch. Mark my words. He won't be around in the morning," replied Genma, laying down on his make-shift bed.

"Now that the squabbling is over with," said the Captain, "Let's get some sleep. We should try to get an early start in the morning, so that we make it back down the mountain in one day. Each shift will be about three hours, that'll give all of us enough time to get plenty of rest for the hike tomorrow."

While everyone else prepared for bed, the Captain sat down in front of the fire with the pocket watch in his hand.

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As the night progressed and the hours went by, the sounds of the forest kept the guard alert, no matter who it was. Whether Captain Johza, Ranma, or Ryoga, the slightest noise that felt out of place made each one of them stand and look around, so as to be ready to investigate if another strange noise followed. And when no subsequent sound was heard, they relaxed, sat back down and began waiting again, listening diligently for the next unusual note from the forest. When one shift ended and another began, Kuno's pocket watch was passed from one to the other, signaling the start of the next shift.

Keeping time with the watch wasn't really too difficult, the hands that represented the hours, minutes and seconds were each a different size, distinguishable from each other. The difficulty came from the fire. The flickering flames didn't give off much light, making it hard to read. But if they concentrated long enough, they could make out the time. With morning arriving soon, the last shift change was needed. Ryoga woke Kuno from his slumber and told him that it was his turn to stand guard. Holding out the watch, the lost boy passed it to it's original owner. The older teen accepted it with a nod and a yawn.

Ryoga returned to his make-shift bed, hoping to regain some of the sleep he lost while standing guard.

Kuno sat straight up, rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stretched his arms out. He then gave a glance all around and he saw that everyone was still asleep, well almost everyone. He watched as Ryoga shifted his body, trying to get comfortable on the hard ground. When he had gotten bored, the older boy turned his eyes skyward. Although sunrise was quickly approaching, plenty of stars were still shining brightly in the darkness of night.

He continued to gaze up and he found the moon as it floated there half-full. Kuno watched the glowing, white half moon and it gave him a feeling of serenity. But the feeling of peace was interrupted by something rustling the bushes that sat right behind the stargazing teenager. He quickly stood and turned to face the thing that made the noise. Keeping both hands on his bokken and his eyes looking straight at the bush, he waited for it to move again.

When no other noise was made, Kuno let out a silent sigh and went to sit back down again, but stopped. The older teenager thought that he should check it out anyway, got back on his feet and walked over to the bush. As he stood over the bush, he took a few branches, spread them apart and looked down thru the gap he made. He saw nothing, released the limbs and the bush returned to its original shape.

The teenager wondered as he scratched his head, 'What is going on?'

He didn't expect the forest to answer his question, so he was startled by a shadowy silhouette darting past him. The shadow qualified as something unusual he believed and he went after it, thru the thick underbrush and into the dark forest.

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"I told you, didn't I?" exclaimed Genma, "I knew he couldn't be trusted."

Morning had arrived and the band of travelers discovered that they were one man short.

"I guess you were right after all," admitted Soun.

Ranma sat in disbelief, he thought Kuno had meant what he said and was really going to remain with the group.

"It can't be helped. He's probably gotten a good distance up the mountain," said Captain Johza.

The Captain was disappointed as well because the group didn't wake up as early as he had hoped for, since Kuno was the one standing guard last, he was suppose to get everyone up in the morning.

"Now we know not to believe anything that jerk says," shouted Ryoga.

"I don't know," said Ranma, "Does anyone else think it's weird that he would leave everything but his bokken behind?"

"He must have done it so he wouldn't need to carry the extra weight up the mountain," answered his father.

"Maybe, but..." the boy's voice trailed off.

"But what, kid?" wondered Johza.

Ranma stared down at the woven straw mat that lay beside the older teenager's pack. He noticed something shiny in the grass close by Kuno's make-shift bed and the boy walked over. When he picked it up, the boy had found the pocket watch.

"What about this?" he asked, showing his discovery to the others.

"What about it?" answered Soun.

"'What about it?'" repeated Ranma, "It's his grandfather's pocket watch."

"Yeah and?" said his father, unconvinced.

"Ugh," continued his son, very annoyed at the old man, "This watch was passed down to him from his father. He received it from his father. So, this pocket watch is a family heirloom of sorts. And if I know Kuno, he wouldn't leave an heirloom like this laying around on the ground. He would maintain it and keep it preserved as a tribute to his family's name."

"I think I understand what it is your saying," said Johza, walking over to the teenager.

"Want to fill us in?" wondered Ryoga.

"I believe he is trying to tell us that your friend might have been distracted long enough by something that he forgot about the watch and instead of climbing the mountain like we thought, he went searching for the thing that distracted him," explained the Captain.

"Okay, I'll bite," said Genma, "If what you two are saying is right and he didn't start up the mountain, then which way do you think he went?"

"Its hard to say," started Ranma, returning to the spot he found the pocket watch, "I found the watch right around here."

"That's the best place to start looking," agreed Soun, joining the boy in his search.

It wasn't very long before Ranma found the trampled underbrush.

"Hey you guys. Over here," he shouted.

When the others joined him, the boy showed them the flattened blades of grass.

"I think he went into the woods, starting here," said the teen.

"Sure, whatever," replied Genma in a disbelieving huff.

Ranma shook his head and went into the forest, followed by the others. The boy looked left and right as he walked, kepping an eye out for anything that might resemble a path that was recently taken: a sliced vine, a broken tree branch, a piece of torn clothing, or even...

"Over there, look!" called Ranma, pointing to his left.

"What do you see?" wondered Johza, following the boy as best he could.

When he reached the teenager, he could see what it was that excited the boy.

"This proves I was right. Kuno did go into the woods and not up the mountain," said the teenager, holding Kuno's bokken in his hands.

"That it does," agreed the Captain, "Where did you find it?"

"In that giant log over there," said the boy, pointing to a very large log.

In the log were a few large gashes, but none enough to cut all the way thru. Slowly the others caught up to Ranma and Johza.

"What do you say now, pop?" wondered the teenager.

"Alright, you were right and I was wrong," admitted his father, "But it still doesn't help us in finding him."

Everyone turned around and shouted, "Kuno!..... Kuno!"

"I'm down here!" a voice yelled back.

"Keep yelling! We'll follow the sound of your voice!" called Johza.

"Okay!" shouted the older boy.

When it sounded like the group was right on top of the kendo student, Ranma yelled again, "Where are you?"

"I'm right here, you don't have to shout anymore," said the older teenager.

They found him at the bottom of a hill with a sixty degree decline.

"How did you get down there in the first place?" wondered the Captain.

"I jumped," replied Kuno, "What does it look like? I fell down the hill. Luckily these vines were here to stop my free fall, but now I'm tangled up in them and can't get loose."

He repeatedly pulled at the vines that held him, but every time he did it was as though they were actually getting tighter.

"Could I get some help, please?" he begged.

"Come on. Let's help him out," said Ranma as he started down the hill.

The others quickly followed him, making sure when they reached the vines to not get tangled up themselves.

After Kuno was freed from his confinements and everyone made it back up the hill, Genma immediately asked him, "What do you think you were doing?"

"Huh?" uttered the older boy,confused.

"Did you really believe you could get away with trying to go off by yourself again?" continued the old man.

"I can explain!" yelled Kuno.

"You don't have to," replied Genma.

"Pop,.." said Ranma.

His father ignored him and kept going, "We all know you didn't want to be here."

"Pop," repeated Ranma, with a harder tone to his voice.

"So you decided that you'd get away by finding an easier way to climb the mountain and leave the rest of us back at the campsite. Admit it," finished the old man.

Kuno turned his gaze downward.

"Admit it!" shouted Genma.

"Pop!" yelled Ranma at the top of his lungs, "That's enough!"

"What? It's the truth, right?" wondered the boy's father.

Johza walked over and placed his hand on Kuno's shoulder. The older boy looked up at the Captain and gave him a small smile.

"Let's not go accusing him of something until we get his side of the story," he said.

Genma scoffed at the Captain's suggestion and returned to the campsite instead of hearing the older teen out.

"Just ignore him," replied Ranma, "Go on and tell us how you ended up tangled in those vines anyway."

"It all started last night," he began, "When it was my turn to stand guard, I woke up promptly and was given back my grandfather's pocket watch."

The kendoist stopped his story for a moment and asked about the whereabouts of the watch and his bokken as well. Ranma gladly gave both items of interest back to their owner.

Kuno thanked him and continued with his story, "Anyway, after the watch was handed to me, I waited and watched as Saotome's friend went back to bed. Getting bored, I turned my gaze towards the stars. It wasn't long after that a rustling from the bushes behind me caught my attention. Standing up, I drew my blade in front of me and I made my way over."

"Listening ever so attentively for another sound, I was startled slightly by a small shadowy figure zooming past, right in front of me. Remembering what Captain Johza told us earlier about keeping an eye out for anything weird, I went into the forest after it, knowing something wasn't right. I tried my best to keep up my pursuit of the shadow, but I couldn't tell where I was going."

"Soon enough, I came upon a very large log in my path that the shadow had jumped over. I didn't want to take a detour and lose sight of the shadow, so I began slicing the tree with my blade. After a few failed attempts to cut the log in half, my sword became stuck. I pulled at it, but it wouldn't come loose. Then out of nowhere, the shadow attacked me. It hit me on my side, pushing me away from my sword."

"Unable to tell which way it was coming from, I was helpless. Before I knew it, the shadow had pushed me again and I started falling head over heels down a very steep hill. My falling stopped when I landed on some vines, but I thought I landed on firm ground. So I went to stand up and my legs and arms fell thru the spaces in the vines and I became entangled in them. I tried to pull my limbs out, but the harder I tried, the tighter the vines got."

"Not too long after, the sun came up. I didn't think you guys would come looking for me, after what I had done earlier in the day. I began to wonder if I was going to die wrapped in those vines. But then I heard you guys call my name. Surprised by this, I yelled back and the rest of the story you already know."

"Very interesting story," replied Johza.

"I guess it proves Ranma was right after all," said Soun.

"Come on. Let's get back to camp," suggested Ranma, leading the way back.

It wasn't until they reached the campsite before someone said anything.

"Sooo... what do we do now?" wondered Ryoga.

"We continue as planned," replied Johza, "Unfortunately, we won't make it back down the mountain before nightfall, so we may need to stay in the cave up there for the night. That means we should only bring the essentials with us."

The Captain had everybody empty their packs before he told them what it was they needed. He then gave each group member something different to carry in their pack. Ranma was made to carry the firewood that remained, along with the box of matches. Genma and Soun were given the task of carrying all the water canteens for everyone. Ryoga and Kuno were each ordered to carry the sleeping mats, three apiece. Captain Johza decided to bring along his fishing net and rope. The items that got left behind were put into a pile and hidden away. The Captain also put up a marker so they could find the stuff when they returned.

"Okay now," said Johza, "Everybody ready?"

He received a nod from each of the others before heading off for the base of the mountains.

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As the band of travelers reached the base of the Shikotaido Mountain range, Ryoga let out a whistle.

"Man, that is one long climb up," he said.

"Yeah and a long way down as well," added Captain Johza.

The Shikotaido Mountains consisted of several snow-capped peaks at various heights. A few of the mountains were obstructed by thick, grayish fog-like clouds that made it look as if the mountains reached all the way to the heavens. Almost two-thirds of the way up one particular mountain was an opening. Coming out of the opening was a steady stream of water that formed a very wide lake to the far left of where the group was standing.

"This is where the river starts out. And up there is the cave from the legend, so that's where we need to get to," continued the Captain, pointing out the landmarks to the others.

He turned to face the others and gave them some last minute instructions, "Before we start our climb, I need to have each of you to tie yourselves to the rope I brought along. This is so if one of us slips and falls, the others will act as an anchor and will prevent any unneeded death. I'll tie myself to one end and I think Genma should bring up the rear. Followed by Soun, then Kuno and Ryoga next, then Ranma will be behind me. Luckily we won't have to do any climbing thanks to the narrow trail to my right. It's not wide enough for two people to stand side by side on, only single file lines will work."

When Captain Johza finished everyone else had already completed his orders. In unison, the human-chain started up the mountain.