Blue Fingers: A Ninja's Tale by Cheryl Aylward Whitesel

Author:Cheryl Aylward Whitesel [Whitesel, Cheryl Aylward]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cheryl Aylward Whitesel
Published: 2015-01-15T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

As autumn progressed, Koji trained hard, some days with the twelve- and thirteen-year-olds, but more and more often tutored alone by Wooden Fist. He tried one weapon after another, an iron war fan one day, a fishnet or nunchaku the next. Always First Master asked Koji if he felt a particular connection to that day’s weapon. But he never did. Although he knew that Spider wouldn’t approve, he went on hoping that somehow shuriken would become his ki bearer.

First Master never taught to a strict schedule, warning the young ninja that schedules would make them rigid. Using all kinds of weapons, they sparred, climbed, and improved their weaponry, balance, speed and stamina.

Then trained in more subtle ways, too, all their techniques related to the eighteen disciplines of ninjutsu. Sometimes First Master led Koji’s training group into the forest and translated the language of birds while they listened in wonder. Other days they would practice kiai shouting—expelling their breath in harmony with the universe—or they might use ninja skills to hide in the forest and seek each other out.

Some days, Koji worked in one of the several specialty caves. The camp cooks introduced him to the powders—some of them poisons—lined up in gourds against one cave wall. They also showed him how to detect the peculiar sheen of water that had been poisoned.

One training group or another was always climbing the cliff that bordered the camp. The younger children climbed horsehair ropes knotted at intervals and topped with grappling hooks. But the older ninja climbed using only spiked metal bands on their hands and feet.

During his free time, Koji liked to follow the stream up to the waterfall, where ninja guards hid high in the trees. Here he pretended to be alone, lying down beside the stream and trying to tickle the fish, just as he had done at the someru-ya.

One day as he sat there, a lasso dropped over his head and tightened around his chest. As he struggled, Spider ran out from behind some bushes, laughing. Falcon came along behind him.

“That wasn’t funny, Spider,” Falcon said as he pulled the lasso off Koji.

“What are you doing playing with fish, paddy frog?” Spider scolded. “Don’t waste your time. Catch dinner.”

While Spider coiled the rope he had used as a lasso, Falcon attached string to a bamboo pole for Koji to fish with. He fastened a grasshopper onto it as bait. Soon the three boys sat fishing together, but Koji only snagged a frog. It kicked and convulsed as it revolved on the line.

“Your first time fishing and you caught something!” Falcon said as he worked to release the frantic frog. He had a way of pointing out any bright speck in a predicament.

“Paddy frog’s caught one of his own kind!” Spider cried, digging his fingernails into the soft underbelly of one of his own fish. Deftly, he slid his fingers along its length on both sides. A flick of his wrist sent the innards flying, and the fish was gutted.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.