Golden Feathers

Late at night, in the Minamoto Residence in the Upper Capital District of Heian-kyo, Minamoto no Yorimitsu was kneeling before his father, Minamoto no Mitsunaka, presenting the intelligence he had gathered.

“So, those Taira clan fellows really found a treasure? And they want to sell this treasure directly, without handing it over to Heian-kyo?” Listening to Minamoto no Yorimitsu, Minamoto no Mitsunaka frowned, confirming.

“Yes, information from all sources indicates that the Taira clan's guard detachment is now stationed on the border of Kinki, but they have been halted there, residing in Fangshan Castle, as if waiting for something.

“According to information obtained through shikigami and divination, it appears they intend to conduct a transaction; they are waiting there for merchants from the Western Provinces, and due to their caution regarding the noble families in Heian-kyo, they have not directly entered Heian-kyo.”

Minamoto no Mitsunaka raised an eyebrow after hearing Minamoto no Yorimitsu’s words, and immediately spoke with some curiosity.

“Heh, what kind of treasure did those Taira clan warriors get that makes them so secretive, even wary of us?”

Listening to Minamoto no Mitsunaka, Minamoto no Yorimitsu smiled slightly, then continued.

“Father, do you know of the Golden Feathers?”

Upon hearing Minamoto no Yorimitsu’s words, Minamoto no Mitsunaka paused, then spoke with some surprise.

“Golden Feathers? They got Golden Feathers? No... even one or two Golden Feathers wouldn't warrant such a grand display, causing so much trouble, would it?”

Hearing his father’s doubt, Minamoto no Yorimitsu’s smile remained, and he continued.

“What the Taira clan obtained is not simply one or two Golden Feathers, Father...”

“Are you suggesting...” Looking at his son’s gaze, Minamoto no Mitsunaka suddenly understood something, and his eyes immediately filled with eagerness, saying at once.

“I truly didn’t expect those warriors to have such capability, to capture that thing...”

Seeing his father’s unusual reaction, Minamoto no Yorimitsu’s expression hardened, then he spoke.

“Father... are you perhaps going to make a move?”

“Make a move, of course we must make a move! That treasure falling into the hands of ignorant worldly merchants would be a terrible waste! She must belong to the Minamoto clan!” Minamoto no Mitsunaka slapped the nearby table, and Minamoto no Yorimitsu saw an unconcealable desire in his father’s eyes.

“In that case, we need to weaken the Taira clan’s guard detachment. Since they requested the Onmyoryo to dispatch onmyoji, if troublesome individuals are sent, our actions might be difficult to carry out.” Regarding his father’s decision, although a barely perceptible glint of severity flashed in Minamoto no Yorimitsu’s expression, he quickly returned to normal, and immediately began to strategize with his father.

“Hmm, you’re right, their request cannot be ignored, but we cannot send truly capable individuals, that is indeed a problem...” Listening to Minamoto no Yorimitsu, Minamoto no Mitsunaka nodded thoughtfully. After pondering for a while, he said with a smile.

“I have an idea about this matter, Yorimitsu. Afterwards, you go to the Subjugation Bureau and ask them to do something for us...”

Subsequently, Minamoto no Mitsunaka entrusted the details of the matter to Minamoto no Yorimitsu. After receiving the instructions, Minamoto no Yorimitsu excused himself from the room, leaving only Minamoto no Mitsunaka alone in the quiet chamber.

After remaining alone in the quiet chamber for half an hour, Minamoto no Mitsunaka stood up and walked to a hanging painting. He removed the painting, placed his hand on the wall behind it, and then a fleeting circle of inscriptions appeared on the wall before vanishing.

Accompanied by a strange creaking sound, a wall in the room, adorned with a sword rack, descended, revealing a hidden staircase behind it.

Minamoto no Mitsunaka descended the stairs, with automatically lit candles on the surrounding walls illuminating his path.

Before long, Minamoto no Mitsunaka reached the bottom and entered a spacious underground chamber. Countless lights automatically ignited upon his arrival, dispelling the surrounding darkness and revealing a strange and wondrous tableau.

In the basement, countless stone platforms stood, and upon these platforms were numerous yokai and strange beasts of various forms: four-winged birds, multi-headed beasts, human-bodied fish... a diverse and dazzling array.

Most of these strange beasts had no aura, yet they stood frozen in a single posture, appearing lifelike from their mere appearance.

Minamoto no Mitsunaka did not spare these things another glance. He walked directly to a stone platform and looked at the display upon it. Unlike the other complete strange beasts, what was placed here was a skeleton, the skeleton of a massive bird. Carved on the stone platform beneath the skeleton were four Chinese characters—Itsumaden.

……

Early morning, Fushimi, a market town at the foot of Inari Mountain, south of Heian-kyo, inside a stable.

Miketsu, dressed in an onmyoji kariginu, with black hair and black eyes, nodded, looking satisfied with her choice, then spoke to the stable owner beside her.

“Alright~ this is the one!”

“Uh... O-Onmyoji master... are you, are you sure you choose this one?” The dark-skinned owner, with a scarf tied around his head and dressed in simple, practical attire, asked somewhat uncertainly, looking at the scene before him.

“Of course, this one is just right, I’ve already set my sights on it.” Miketsu nodded, saying with great certainty.

Seeing Miketsu’s affirmation, the stable owner didn't say anything further. After receiving payment, he immediately fed the chosen animal, and after a series of tasks, untied its ropes, allowing Miketsu to lead it away.

‘La-Lady Uka, are you serious? To use such a mount?’ Tsuruha’s voice, from within Miketsu’s sleeve, reached Miketsu’s mind through their pact.

‘Of course. Tsuruha, it’s inconvenient for you to manifest in the human realm, and we have to walk a long way every time we go to the Onmyoryo, so buying a mount specifically for the human realm is perfect.’ Miketsu replied matter-of-factly to the divine messenger in her sleeve.

‘I understand that, Tsuruha, but... but Lady Uka, if you’re going to buy one, you should at least buy a noble steed, which would better suit your status. Why did you buy a donkey?’ Tsuruha’s voice was very confused.

‘Those horses are too tall; it’s quite a struggle for this body of mine to climb onto them. This one is better, the right size, and effortless to get on.’ Miketsu replied to her divine messenger while stroking the little donkey she had just bought. Its ears stood tall, its fur was grayish-black, and it was still chewing the grass it had just eaten. Its appearance momentarily gave Miketsu a strange impression.

‘Hey, Tsuruha, don’t you think its fur color and ears are very similar to yours? How about I call it Tsuruha too?’ Miketsu suddenly suggested to the divine messenger in her sleeve, and the latter immediately bristled.

‘Eh eh eh!! La-Lady Uka, absolutely not! This... Tsuruha, this...’ Tsuruha seemed somewhat incoherent, and Miketsu could feel Tsuruha thrashing around in her sleeve, extremely anxious.

‘Hahaha, just kidding, I’m tricking you, tricking you, don’t take it seriously.’ Miketsu continued, and only then did Tsuruha’s overreaction slowly subside.

‘Phew... I still ask that Lady Uka refrains from making such jokes in the future...’ Letting out a sigh of relief, Tsuruha gradually calmed down.

‘Hmm, but it still needs a name. What should I name it? Let me think. I am Inari Okami, in charge of rice cultivation, so perhaps I can start from that angle.’

Looking at the little donkey slowly munching on weeds by the roadside, Miketsu thought for a moment, pondered carefully, and then slowly said.

“How about I just call you... ‘Ami’?”

Listening to Miketsu, the little donkey, munching on weeds, raised its head, looked at Miketsu with a confused expression, and brayed twice.