as written by Tiko and Script
Not far from the lake where Kyo was picking through the wreckage that had washed ashore was another late evening traveler making his way down the road at an even pace.
Meke had the look of a drifter to him with a distant expression and the dirt of the road dulling his thick fur to a dreary grey and copper. He had little in the way of possessions on him save for a hide waterskin and worn leather satchel strong over shoulder and across his chest to hang at his side.
The sloshing of water caught his ear as he neared Kyo's location and the light padding of his footsteps on the dirt road fell silent.
For a moment he said nothing as he glanced to the setting sun on the horizon and then back to Kyo.
"Pardon me," came the deep rumble of a voice from Meke's throat.
Even with his unusual height and heft one might have mistaken him for one of the Torajin known to make their home within the Shénshèng Mountains, but though his Losenyu was passable there was a roughness to his pronunciation that betrayed his foreign origins. Placing his accent was difficult though as it held a touch of an archaic Terran dialect likely unfamiliar in these parts coupled with the influence of local Hafirjan tribals languages which were prone to varying greatly from tribe to tribe.
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The footsteps of the approaching Mira had drawn Kyo's attention shortly before he spoke, though the sound of the sloshing lake had disguised them until he was close by. Though catfolk were not an altogether unfamiliar sight on Lósénji Island, with the Torajin making their home nearby, one of Meke's stature and build was rare, and so it was with wariness to her movements and voice that she turned to greet him. "Greetings, traveller." she said, stepping from the water onto the beach and pacing towards where her shoes and bow lay. She offered Meke a shallow bow.
"How can I help you? It is late to be on the road." It was rare for Yōsái to see travellers at all, let alone two in one day, and certainly not from beyond the Island, as this large catfolk undoubtedly was, judging by his odd accent and unusual size. Perhaps the fates smiled upon them, and sent them skilled and wise strangers to help with their plight. Kyo almost snorted with cynicism at the thought.
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Meke returned the shallow bow with one of his own. The Mira warrior had been in Losenji long enough to have picked up some of their local customs enough to get by passably.
"I hoped you could tell me how far the next settlement is between Yōsái and Mount Senji," he asked.
The sun would be set soon, but he had no concerns with pressing on into the night. Few would give thought to robbing the Mira when there were easier, and more wealthy travelers to be found. Food on the other hand was a matter of note. Poaching off settled lands was likely to raise more trouble than he was looking for right now and so he weighed the options of pushing on, or staying the night in Yōsái where a meal could be found.
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So the big cat had business at Mount Senji, did he? It was a common destination for travellers coming from the mainland. The monastery drew people from all walks of life to study there from all across Shintenchi. "Yōsén Town is about three hours' walk from here," she replied, "But you would have to detour on your way to the mountain by an hour to stop there for the night. The nearest settlement that lies on the direct route is a half day's walk at least."
She shook her head, "It's a bad time to be travelling alone in these parts overnight." Kyo gestured towards the wreckage, "The kappa in the lake have been attacking folk both on the lake and on the shore, under cover of darkness. They've brought down several boats like this. If you insist on pressing on, I suggest you avoid the lake's edge, detour further away from it."
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Meke grunted. He didn't fear the kappa that Kyo spoke of, but half a days walk was further on than he cared to push on.
"I will aid in your kappa situation, if you can spare me room and food for two nights," Meke replied.
He nodded towards the shore.
"Some fences along there where the bank is steepest would make the roads safer. One can see clearly along the beach even in the dark, but the foliage there provides cover and the steep fall makes for a difficult climb out of the water," he pointed out.
He rubbed at his lower jaw.
"I will find men from Yōsái to help build these fences."
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The girl's eyebrow rose at the stranger's suggestion, her gaze following his nod. "I do not know that we have the spare wood..." she started, before catching herself. Kyo paused for several long moments before nodding. "It seems a good idea. A start, at least. I will speak in your favour for these terms, though I do not think any will turn away help. The ministry may not approve of the unauthorised development, but the kappa can take them for all the help they've been."
She frowned for a moment, "Of course, it will take more than fences to solve this in the long term. If only I could figure out what had changed to make the kappa act this way... I had thought to look in the wreck here for anything that might lead me in the right direction, but I found nothing of use."
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"Perhaps a kappa is needed," Meke replied thoughtfully.
Shaking the matter from his thoughts for now he offered a hand to Kyo.
"I am Meke."
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Kyo took the hand, nodding her head. "Takeuchi Kyo, but if you are to be my guest, you can simply call me Kyo." she replied, "Come, it is getting late and my father will be wondering for me. If we leave it much longer he will try and cook for himself, which can never end well."
With the Mira in tow, Kyo started down the short road back to the village.
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The next day...
It was reaching noonday down at the lake where Meke was hard at work. Several of the townspeople had turned out to assist with building the fence alongside the main road, and many had supplied valuable lumber and materials of which the ministries had been unwilling to aid the village with.
Those that could work helped to move materials and to dig post holes, while others utilized hammer and nail to secure fencing. Those that were elderly, or too young, aided in other ways with the donation of food and drink for the workers.
All in all it wasn't a huge turnout, but it was a good number of people and with their assistance the fence would be complete in only a matter of days.
The post-and-rail fence wouldn't prevent the kappa from leaving the lake, but it would afford evening travelers some measure of security from being dragged unexpectedly over the embankments and into the water.
While the villagers were at work with the fence, Meke had made his way down to the lake edge where he was standing knee deep in the shallow water and nailing a post down into the lake-bed at a point adjacent from two other posts. A few of the villagers pointed and exchanged questions, but most were well enough occupied with their own work to not pay Meke too much mind.
For the moment anyways there was no sign of the kappa within the clear shallow waters that Meke stood within.
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Ryo wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, adjusting the hat he wore to shield him from the sun's glare overhead. He leaned forwards onto the post that he'd just finished embedding in the soil, stretching his exposed torso out and looking out across the beach towards where Meke stood. "Hey, traveller!" he called, "I'm curious, what are you doing putting a post out there? Some new plan?"
The young man raised one eyebrow, trying to figure out the possibilities for what the big cat-person could intend.
A short distance farther down the bank, Kyo stood with her bow at the ready in case the kappa were drawn to such a surge of activity at the water's edge. She glanced across to Meke after Ryo called out to him, but made no comment herself.
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Meke was just finishing driving the post in when Ryo called out to him. He carefully waded through the clear water towards the bank - aiming to disturb the water as little as possible so as to not draw unwanted attention from the deeper recesses of the lake.
He retrieved another post from the waters edge before pointing at the embankment. "There," he told Ryo. "Where the soil is eroded."
The region he pointed to had been worn thin by frequent use but shielded well by the undergrowth that grew alongside the road.
"Meke! Mr. Meke, sir!" a boy called out as he came running along dragging behind him some netting that looked like it probably weighed more than the lad himself.
"I got what you asked for!" he yelled as he waved excitedly.
Meke grunted his approval and pat the lad on the head as he slung the netting over his shoulder.
"It is my wish to catch one of these kappa of yours," Meke explained.
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"To catch one?" Ryo repeated, raising an eyebrow. "People have tried, and succeeded in the past. But to my knowledge nothing useful has come of it. I have seen some, in travelling circuses or zoos; they are nasty creatures in a cage or out of it."
Kyo had, in the meantime, made her way over closer to where they were gathered. "You'll need bait," she noted, "Though I'm sure you had that in mind. The kappa have seemed to like to raid our stores of meat since they started coming on land. Perhaps they prefer it to the monotony of the fish in the lake. You could likely bait the trap with some of that, but it's possible you may draw more attention than your net can handle."
The young swordsman cocked his head and drummed his fingers on the post as he listened to Kyo speak. "So what do you aim to do with your captured kappa?" he asked when she was done.
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Meke shook his head. "We do not speak of the same kappa," he explained. "The kappa I seek will require a different sort of bait. Perhaps you might be of assistance," he noted. Meke wasn't well versed in human attractiveness, but from his time in Losenji he suspected Kyo would be more than adequate for his purposes.
"I believe that a kashitarō kappa has made its home here," Meke explained.
The kashitarō kappa were a far more elusive cousin to the less evolved kappa that made their home in the lake, and a far more intelligent species.