The Horse

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Tasuki yawned. "I'm tired. Can we stop?"

"No. I'm tired too, no da."

"You are?"

"Hai, I'm tired of your complaining, no da!"

Tasuki took a step back, but stood his ground. "The horse needs to rest; we all need to! She's panting, you're panting, I can hardly keep my eyes open!"

"I am not out of breath, no da!" Chichiri argued back.

Though he wasn't lying, he was tired; his steps were slowing. They had traveled for a day and a half without stopping.

"We should find shelter, no da." Chichiri wasdesperately trying to find an excuse to keep going.

"Houki-sama took care'a that." Tasuki pointed to the tents on the horse's saddle.

"To the river, then!" Chichiri was panicking now, though he had no idea why.

"We have water, too!"

"I want to fi-" He stopped suddenly. He felt something.

"Fish?!" Tasuki, who didn't feel it or heard what Chichirifelt, yelled. "Ya wanna-?!"

"Shh." Chichiri clapped his hand to Tasuki's mouth. "First I felt it," he whispered. "Then I heard it. You didn't, no da?" Tasuki shook his head. Chichiri slowly let his mouth go. "Listen."

And there it was. Something moved behind a tree. something alse moved up a different tree. Both were human, Chichiri confirmed.

"There's two of them?"

"No. Just one. They're using immaging, no da." He looked up in time to see a boy jump down from a tree.

"Hiya!" he shouted. His foot was about to make contact with Tasuki's face, but Chichiri cought him in mid-air. "Whoa. Put me down."

"Fiesty little thing, aren't ya?"

"Don't be mean, no da." Chichiri dropped the boy, who landed on his butt. "What were you doing, no da?"

"Watching. I was told to . Course I wasn't supposed to be found." He scratched his head.

"Who sent ya?!"

"I ain't tellin' ta. I can't. Then I won't get paid.

"What's your name, no da?" Chichiri asked kindly.

The boy laughed a high pitched laugh. "Fine, that I can tell you. Li"

Chichiri gasped. "Wanna stay with us?"

"Tasuki-kun, no! He can't stay with us, no da!"

"Nani?"

"He's right," Li answered. "We can't be seen together. I'd get into a lot of trouble." He jumped and was gona. Chichiri couldn't feel his chi at all.

~~~~~

A/N: Now there's a spy, but just who is this spy working for? You'll find in a chapter or two. If you think you know the answer already, go ahead and try to answer.