Kami-blight-besotten whore of the all-father in a speedo on tuesday! What the damned hell is that bloody bitch-slapping monstrosity, and where's the crap-encrusted jade tetsubo when I need to smash it?

It was big, no not just big, huge. It was a damned monster is what it was. It had legs like fucking tree trunks, white spears coming out of its mouth that could gore a man solid. Its skull was the size of her body and it could swallow her whole in the blink of an eye. That vicious looking tentacle of its could easily lift and crush a man.

"Wh...Wh...Wh...," she said, pointing and staring wild eyed. The Shiba would be along in a moment or two, but for now, she was trying to figure out why the crab weren't assaulting the city in desperation to kill the gray-skinned oni in front of her.

The peasants, some of whom'd been staring at her anyway due to the scars, were now doing so in clusters, gossiping amongst themselves. The group's particular translator, an older man who had a look of infinite suffering on his face, sighed. "It's an elephant, little sister. They use them like Oxen, beasts of burden. Close your mouth, you look like a child."

Her mouth made a clicking sound and she rested her hand on the kama, eyes twisted in the most ridiculous fashion as she cocked her head, lips curled half in a snarl and half in distaste, and half in concern... and if that defied numerology that was just because they leashed demons around here with waving ears like wings.

"Th...they leash monsters and use them as oxen?" she said incredulously. "Why don't they rampage and trample everyone in rage like other demons?"

"It isn't a demon." Their guide seemed rather unimpressed by both the beast and Amaya's reaction to it. "It's just a very large animal, like a brown bear. Their demons, if the art is right, look like men with animal heads or with far too many heads."

Her mind went back to an earlier conversation regarding worship of animals and she shook her head, shuddering. "Well that sounds demony 'nuff regardless," she said, shrugging at the statement and grumbling a little. "If ya say it's jus an animal, s'be it, but it looks like a freakin demon t'me. Long's it don't gore me, I spose everything's ok."

She was still staring at the thing like she expected it to try.

"They're largely docile." The other heimen shrugged. "You only hear about one trampling folks once or twice a season."

She frowned and sighed to herself, shaking her head while she stepped backwards towards the ship's gangplank, eager not to be one or two cases of the year. "What other strange creatures they got round here?" she muttered, half to him and half to herself.