Day 22- Feline (Ocelot)

LOOOOOOONG story this time. Just couldn't stop .

            Far in the eastern lands, martial arts of a most elegant variety are practiced. Each kingdom utilizes different techniques in accordance with ancient teachings. These techniques when properly mastered, can make one indomitable in close combat. Hikaro is a master of several of these styles, making her one of the mightiest fighters to hail from the east.
    A child born within a brothel, Hikaro was unwanted from the moment she entered the world. Her strange appearance led those around her to believe that her father had been some sort of shape shifting spirit or henge (変化) . She was left outside the palace gardens to die. Fortunately for her, she was found by a kindly man who took her in. He was a samurai and master of Jujitsu. He and his wife raised the girl as if she was their own child. When she had reached the age of 6, he began to teach her his art. Her unnatural speed and agility gave her excellent potential. She would one day gain an unearthly grace that would make her nearly unbeatable.
    One day when her master sent her to the riverside to practice her balance on the wooden beams, Hikaro found a strange egg washed up in the reeds. It was large and very difficult for the little girl to lift, but she managed to drag it out of the water. The moment it was in her arms, the egg hatched, and a strange reptilian creature emerged. It nuzzled against her and shivered in the cold morning air. Hikaro rushed it home and showed her master what she had found. Already having adopted Hikaro as their daughter, the family happily took the creature in. They called him Ryujin.
    Hikaro and Ryujin were inseparable. Everywhere one went, the other had to follow. They formed a bond that could never be broken. When he had grown large enough, Ryujin joined Hikaro in her training. He was fast, and rapidly becoming very strong.
    All seemed well, until Hikaro came to the age of 12. One dreadful night, a group of assassins attacked the master's home. Seeking to eliminate allies of the emperor, they slew him in his sleep and abducted Ryujin. Hikaro tried to stop them, but the ninja were far more skilled than she. The girl was knocked through a window and into the bushes. In an instant, both her master and her beloved Ryujin had been taken from her.
    For 5 more years, Hikaro remained with her adoptive mother. She was certain that Ryujin had been slain. It wasn't until she heard rumors of an unbeatable fighter that people referred to as the Water Dragon that her suspicions began to arise. If there was any chance that Ryujin was still alive, she had to find him. Yet her training, while effective, was incomplete. She knew that to survive a journey into the western islands, she would need a greater repertoire of skills. Hikaro must find a new master. She said her goodbyes to her childhood home and mother and set out.
    Whilst making camp one evening, she was approached by a young man. Being wary of strangers, she readied herself for combat. Intrigued by her foreign stance, the man challenged her to a fight. He was arrogant and braggadocios, but his fighting style was overwhelming. Using his knees and elbows to deliver swift and punishing blows between punches and kicks, he punished Hikaro. Defeated, Hikaro wished to know what sort of master had taught him such a fighting style. Reluctantly, the man led her to his master's dojo. It was there that Hikaro would learn the devastating art of Muay Thai. Fearing her strength, he attempted to murder her in her sleep. Hikaro's keen ears alerted her to danger, and when she awoke, she killed the disciple. She had no mercy for such cowardice.
    Feeling that her training could go no further, she set back out to find her childhood friend after 3 and a half years at the dojo.
       She found him in a temple on a remote island to the south. Ryujin had grown into a powerful creature of great size. He sat in the shrine amongst the monks meditating. Upon seeing Hikaro, he was suspicious. Long had he been mistreated and deceived, the scars on his body evidence to countless cruelties. He challenged Hikaro to single combat and the monks prepared the main hall of the temple for their showdown.
    He assumed an almost dancer-like stance that baffled her. When the battle began, his fighting style caught her completely off guard. In a series of graceful, sweeping arm and body movements, he evaded her and delivered attacks. Despite his powerful build, he moved with the poise of a snake and yet struck like a war hammer. Hikaro's punishing strikes and speed kept him wary. Both combatants utilized the defensive power of the Jujitsu taught so long ago.
    The fight lasted for an entire day and night. In the end, Hikaro's accuracy gained her the upper hand. She swept the mighty Ryujin off his feet with a lowkick. Instead of finishing him with a kneedrop, she embraced him tearfully. Slowly, he returned the embrace and both of them remained motionless on the temple floor, happy at last for finding each other. After resting for an entire day, each told the other their story. Ryujin had been sold through several mercenary groups as an object of amusement. He was thrown into pit fights against both man and beast. He finally escaped his bondage by throwing himself overboard of his captor's ship. By great luck, he washed up on their current island and was nursed back to health by the monks that lived there. Through his request, they taught him their ancient martial art of the law of the fist, also known as Kung Fu. Thinking Hikaro dead, he had planned on using his newfound strength to find the assassins and avenge her.
    Now they both train together on the island of the monks, teaching each other their art. One day they will return to their homeland to right the wrongs against their master and repay the kindness to their mother. Those that stand in the two masters' way are sure to fail.