FicWad

Love Affairs

Uskas. Never heard of them? That's no surprise. They're extinct now, unless you count the very distant uska blood inside the occasional human.

The distinct difference between uskas and humans was that, although humans did have reason and logic, they tended to disregard all common sense. Uskas were not like that. They were intelligent, though fierce. They looked rather humanoid except for a few animal features, such as tails, fangs, claws, and so on, the type of which depending on the People and Clan to which they were born. For a while, humans accepted uskas as the dominant species, while uskas accepted humans' own natural (though often unused) intelligence and allowed them to govern themselves. However, the humans grew to resent the uskas. They were just as intelligent-- even more so, the humans argued.

For reasons unknown, the uskas were beginning to die out. And then, in a country called Anchi, the human king was overthrown and another man took his place. This man, Kou Jun Wei, hated the uskas-- perhaps he was jealous of them. Nevertheless, Kou's first decree as king was this: every human in Anchi would pick up his weapon and kill every uska he came across.

Zhang An Chang was different. He was a human, and one who used his intelligence and common sense. He was quite handsome, too, with dark hair that fell elegantly over his blue eyes. An Chang had been recruited against his will into the Anchan army. Due to the draft set by Kou, every human male between the ages of thirteen and sixty had been drafted into the army.

The day after a battle with an uska tribe, soldiers of Third Company gathered in their camp's weapons tent, sharpening tools and weapons and comparing scars and wounds. An Chang listened to the other soldiers as he sharpened his dirk against a file.

A large, heavyset man scrubbed an axe with an oil cloth. The man was from the southern country of Gall, though he had lived in Anchi most his life; despite this, he still had a heavy Gallan accent. "Didja hear the rat scream when I killed 'im?" he asked his comrades. "Screamed like a liddle girl, 'e did!"

An Chang gritted his teeth, holding back a snort of disgust. The Clan they had attacked was the Mus Clan of the Muridae People-- mouse uskas. Mouse uskas tended to have sweet, gentle dispositions, though An Chang had to admit that the uskas they'd fought hadn't been pushovers.

The large man laughed, eyes gleaming. "They'll remember us for a while, eh? 'Specially me!"

An Chang scraped his dirk harder along the file. He disliked the speaker, who was known for torturing his victims.

"What village is next?" another man asked.

"I heard it's the Hong Clan of the Inu People."

An Chang froze.

"What's that?"

"Fox uskas."

"They'll be harder than mice."

"Not by much, though!"

The men guffawed. An Chang had dropped his dirk, and he bent to retrieve it.

"Hey, Zhang-xiansheng," said the axe-wielder. "You feelin' okay?"

"Yeah," An Chang replied, grabbing his dirk and sitting up. "Just-- just tired." He hurried out of the weapons tent and into fresh air. An Chang took a deep breath.

Hong Clan. Inu People. Fox uskas...

No.

An Chang had turned pale. No, it couldn't be. He glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then slipped out of camp and vanished into the nearby forest.
-
A stag grazed peacefully in a clearing, unaware that death watched his every move. He chewed on the lush grass, oblivious.

A twig snapped, far away.

The stag paused, lifting his head. It was not safe here. He abandoned his meal and bounded away.

Someone swore. "That could have fed the entire clan!"

A brunette female fox uska twitched her dark brown fox ears, irritated. "If I find whoever snapped that twig..." she muttered darkly.

"Bai Jia Yu!"

The uska turned. A man was running through the trees towards her. She grinned. "Zhang An Chang!"

An Chang skidded to a halt in front of her, breathing heavily. Jia Yu noticed worry in his eyes. "An Chang, what's wrong?"

An Chang got his breathing under control and gazed at Jia Yu. Three months ago, uska and human had met and, under the strangest of circumstances and breaking all laws, fallen in love. An Chang remembered they day they had met, when she had attacked him for hunting on her lands-- not, as any other would have, for his being a human.

He shook his head clear of those thoughts. "The army," An Chang said in answer to Jia Yu's question. "Kou's army. It's going to attack Hong Village."

Jia Yu's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

An Chang nodded. "Positive."

Jia Yu placed a hand on her stomach, brown-furred fox ears twitching. "No," she breathed. "Oh, Hun-Dun," she said, praying to the god of chaos and creation, "what are you doing to us? What is to become of my child?"

An Chang choked at Jia Yu's words. 'My child,' she'd said. "Your... your WHAT?" An Chang demanded.

"My child!" Jia Yu said. "Our child. Two months ago, Kuan-Yin, goddess of compassion and children, granted us a child, but the war may prevent us from bringing her into being." She began backing away, scared of the blank, disbelieving look on An Chang's face. "An Chang, I... I have to go. I must warn my father..." She turned and fled, white-tipped, sleek auburn tail streaming behind her.

An Chang stood, numb with shock. "Gods..." he muttered. "Why now?"
-
Jia Yu pushed through the door flap of her family's hut. She found her younger sister, Jin Li, roasting meat over the fire in the middle of the floor.

Jia Yu was not fond of her sister. Jia Yu was nineteen, two years older than Jin Li. Jin Li loved to fight and kill, and she detested humans. Jia Yu thought she was barbaric. They differed in looks, as well: Jia Yu was pretty, slim with wide brown eyes, brown-auburn hair, and russet-colored fox tail and ears; Jin Li, on the other hand, was strikingly beautiful, and she knew it. It was attractive for female uskas to be small, and Jin Li was considerably so, as opposed to her tall older sister. Jin Li had perfect almond-shaped eyes and dark brown hair and fur, her tail just shorter than most.

Jin Li glanced at Jia Yu as the older entered the hut. "And where have you been?" she demanded.

Jia Yu shrugged. "Hunting. No luck-- humans must have scared away all the prey. Where's Father?"

Jin Li flipped her hair and shrugged. "How should I know? Probably in some sort of meeting. Go find him yourself."

"Thanks, Jin Li," Jia Yu said dryly, exiting the hut once more.

Bai Fa Gang was indeed in "some sort of meeting," conferring with a visitor, Kang An Li, leader of the Gui Clan (wolf uskas). They were sitting near the central firepit in the middle of the village; Jia Yu approached, cautious.

Fa Gang stood up as Jia Yu came closer. An Li followed his example. "Kang An Li, this is my elder daughter, Bai Jia Yu," Fa Gang said. Jia Yu bowed; An Li nodded. "Jia Yu, can this wait? We're having an important discussion."

Jia Yu shook her head. "No, Baba. It can't wait."

Fa Gang sighed. "Fine. Go ahead. Kang An Li, please stay and hear her, as well."

Jia Yu took a deep breath and said, "I heard from a good source today that Kou's army is planning to attack Hong Village within the quarter-moon."

An Li's eyebrows shot up. Fa Gang merely stared at his daughter. "I see," he said slowly. "And what source is this?"

Jia Yu lifted her head and said, reluctant, "I cannot tell you, Baba."

Fa Gang didn't reply. His eyes narrowed. Finally he said, "Did you bathe after meeting with that human?"

Jia Yu gasped. She'd forgotten to wash the scent of An Chang off her body!

Fa Gang grabbed Jia Yu's shoulder. "I know who fathered that child of yours. Did you think you wouldn't get caught? Dammit, Jia Yu! You know love is forbidden between human and uska!"

An Li had been following the conversation with pricked ears. Now he looked at Fa Gang. "Is she married?"

"No. If she were, the shame would be greater--"

"But you could cover it up," An Li pointed it out. "If you marry her off within the next month..."

Fa Gang glared at Jia Yu. "Go home," he ordered.

Jia Yu bowed again and obeyed.
-
An Chang hefted a rock in his hands and slung it. The rock skipped six times over the small pond and sank.

Other soldiers clapped to show appreciation. "Good throw, Zhang!" a soldier named Wang Peng called.

An Chang smiled at his friend. "Better than your lousy three skips, Wang." He turned to head back to his tent.

"Aw, come on, stay a while," Peng pleaded. An Chang shook his head, saying he was exhausted, then walked away into his tent, flopping down on his sleeping pallet.

An Chang wasn't enjoying the war at all. He wasn't even enjoying that it had brought him love.

Especially that it had brought him love.
*
It had happened on a normal day. The sky was grey and promised rain; An Chang was out hunting. About to launch his spear at a hare scurrying in the undergrowth (the best he could find in the dead of winter), he was tripped from behind and fell face-first into the snow. Swearing colorfully, he looked up, spitting out snow.

A brunette held the now-limp rabbit by its ears, glaring at An Chang. "You're on Hong lands, rén xìng," she said, using the uska word for human.

An Chang tried to recover his dignity. This was very hard to do while sprawled in the snow. He sat up, white flakes in his dark hair. "I need to eat, too, you know."

"Then go hunt on Neko People land," the brunette said, obviously bored.

It suddenly struck An Chang that she was an uska-- no wonder she'd used the uska word for human, calling him rén xìng instead of merely rén. With snow in his eyes, he'd been unable to see her furry ears and tail.

"But I can't hunt on Neko People land," he said. "They've already driven me off and told me to hunt on Inu People land."

A smile flickered on the uska's face. Neko People, cat-related uskas, had an age-old rivalry with their neighbors the Inu People, dog-related uskas. "You're not bad for a rén xìng," she said, extending a hand to help An Chang up. "My name is Bai Jia Yu. And you are?"

They talked for a while, finding they shared similar interests and views, until Jia Yu deemed it time to part. Four days later they ran into each other again (though not quite so literally that time) and agreed to meet in the same place three times a week. They had.

And they'd fallen in love.
*
In his tent, An Chang covered his eyes; Jia Yu might die in this battle, and he'd have to help slaughter her kin. And if Jia Yu died... then so did his unborn child.
-
"Jin Li, you're on the first line of defense. Shi Lu, I want your protecting the pups and elders." Fa Gang met the eyes of his younger daughter and mate. "Understood?"

Jin Li glanced at Jia Yu. "Where's Jia Yu going to be?"

Fa Gang sighed. "With the weak," he said flatly.

Jin Li smirked. "I suppose she wouldn't be much help, anyway. Who'd want to fight alongside a--"

"Excuse me," Jia Yu said stiffly, standing up. She stalked out of the hut, angry.

Once outside, Jia Yu leaned against the hut and closed her eyes. King Kou Jun Wei. If not for him, she'd be content.

Jun Wei was born and raised a bandit. His father, Jun Hu, had a wicked reputation, which Jun Wei shared merely by his being Jun Hu's son. He had no real talent as a bandit; it was his younger brother, Chao Na, who had the brains.

Jun Wei, using deceit and the help of Chao Na, had overthrown the former king of Anchi. He viewed uskas as a threat, and to solve this problem, decided to slaughter them. His plan was working; already dying out for other unknown reasons, the uskas were struggling to survive.

Jia Yu buried her head in her hands. Jun Wei was the cause of half-- no, more than half-- the problems in Anchi. Under the Kou family's leadership, Anchi was now deeply in debt, with China, Anchi's neighbor to the north, nibbling at its edges.

Far off in the distance, Jia Yu heard army drums.
-
Drums. An Chang was sick of that sound. The sound meant death, and death meant sorrow, and sorrow meant pain.

An Chang hated pain.
-
Jin Li was on guard when she heard the sound of drums. "Brainless idiots," she muttered, scornful. "Giving away their position and intentions from miles away..."

Quietly, alerting other uskas as she went, Jin Li headed towards the sound. The uskas under Jin Li's command nodded and followed the bewitching uska, every muscle in their bodies tense. Jin Li's knuckles were white as she clutched the handle of her scythe. The scythe was Jin Li's wu qì, her weapon of choice.

She raised her head and sniffed the air. All uskas had an incredible keen sense of smell, but the Inu People were superior in that category. She could smell sweat mixed with metal as an army squad came her way. Jin Li raised her scythe and made the attack that signaled the breakout of battle.

The army squad was taken by surprise as a beautiful young uska wielding a scythe burst out of the trees. She had already dispatched three men before the rest realized what was going on, and by that point it was too late. Jin Li's squad was upon them.
-
A runner staggered into Hong village, his red hair matted and dark with sweat as he gasped for breath. He stumbled over to Fa Gang, the village head.

"Well?" Fa Gang prompted.

"There's a... company... heading straight our... way!" the runner choked out.

The village broke into uproar. "That's one hundred people!" someone cried. "There's only two score and ten of us! They're twice our number!"

"Shut up!" Fa Gang snarled, turning on the speaker. "We are uska. You believe rén xìng can overcome us? Bah!"

"Be ready," a young, black-haired male whispered, clenching his wu qì, two daggers.
-
I can't take this!

Inside the hut that sheltered the weak and defenseless, Jia Yu gritted her teeth. She could hear the battle raging outside and wanted to be out there, defending her people-- and An Chang. Jia Yu got to her feet and stomped towards the door.

"Bai Jia Yu, what are you doing?" an old female asked, sounding scandalized.

"I'm going out," she snapped, amber eyes blazing. The old female drew back.

"Be safe."

Jia Yu nodded shortly and exited.

Jin Li saw her older sister leave the hut and vanish into the melee. Jin Li turned, using her scythe to clear a path for herself. The uskas of Hong Village were barely holding their own. In an even battle, they could have easily won, but outnumbered two to one, it was all they could do to keep from getting butchered.

A dark-haired human blocked Jin Li's path. Jin Li growled, jerking her scythe sideways. The human ducked, coming up right in front of Jin Li's face. Jin Li froze as the tip of his dirk rested against her neck.

"Drop the scythe."

Jin Li obeyed.

"I don't want to kill you," he said, "so don't make me." He turned away.

Jin Li leaped at him, claws slashing at his back. The human whirled, dirk spinning through the air to slice open Jin Li's right cheek. She snarled, raising her claws.

A strangled cry sounded out. "No!" someone shouted, barreling into Jin Li and knocking her over.

The human gasped. "Jia Yu?"

Jin Li glanced up from her position on the ground. "Jia Yu?"

An Chang pulled Jia Yu close. "What are you doing?" he asked, stunned.

"I can't let my sister kill you," Jia Yu whispered.

"WHAT?" Jin Li exploded at the same time An Chang repeated, "Your sister?"

Jin Li leaped to her feet, grabbing her scythe. "He's the one, isn't he?" she growled. "That's the one who fathered your child, tainting our pure race with his filthy rén xìng blood..."

"I love Zhang An Chang," Jia Yu snarled. "Whether he's filthy or not, I love him!"

Jin Li suddenly swung her scythe up. Jia Yu jumped backwards in the nick of time.

"You? Love him? You, the heir to an uska clan, loving a dirty rén xìng? You're a disgrace! I'm ashamed to be your sister!"

"I can't help loving him any more than a rabbit can help its fur's changing color for the winter!" Jia Yu cried. "But you wouldn't know! You're young and ignorant!"

"I know enough! Loving him is wrong!"

"If not for An Chang, we would not have had enough warning to prepare for the attack!"

"Then he's a traitor to his own race! For all you know, he could betray you, too!"

Jia Yu let out a screech of rage. "Shut up! You just don't get it!!!"

Jin Li grabbed a throwing star off the ground. "I don't need to get it!"

The star went flying, heading straight for Jia Yu's heart. An Chang rammed into Jia Yu, knocking her sideways, and the throwing star hit his neck instead.

Jia Yu's eyes widened. "An... Chang..."

He smiled at her. "Jia Yu," An Chang rasped. "I have no regrets..."

"No!" Jia Yu screamed. "Don't try to talk! You'll live, An Chang, I promise!" Tears streamed down her face. "Don't abandon our child now!"

An Chang coughed. "She'll be great, Jia Yu... beautiful, just like you... that's why..."

"No..." Jia Yu whispered.

"Zhang Jia Lan," An Chang whispered. "Name her that, will you?" He closed his eyes.

"Open your eyes," Jia Yu choked out. "Open them, An Chang!"

An Chang's eyes fluttered. "I...love..." he said, hoarse, and died with a smile on his face.

"An Chang," Jia Yu whimpered. She raised her tear-streaked face to look at Jin Li. Jin Li took one look at her sister's smoldering expression and her triumphant smirk faded away.

Jia Yu wrenched the scythe from Jin Li's hands. The last thing Jin Li ever saw was her sister's cold, emotionless golden eyes.

Jia Yu fell to her knees and stumbled over to An Chang's body. There she broke down in tears once more and stayed with her dead lover until the battle ended.