The forest is beautiful to observe, yet it is perilous to walk its narrow paths. Every creature has its own proper place among its kind and in the scheme of life in the forest. However, as it is known, greed is in nature, and this creates conflict among all life. Each type of creature gets together to scheme their domination of the Kinjiki forest. The wars of the Kinjiki are not about skills, mentally or physically, but about the luck that you are not caught in the trap of an enemy, and that they are caught in yours.

          Few creatures have the advantage of height, and since the beginning of time have allied against the lower factions. The second alliance includes creatures that burrow beneath the surface soil, secure in that it is near impossible to penetrate their domain. The third and final alliance of the Kinjiki forest is the creatures sandwiched between the creatures above and the creatures below. It has survived this long simply because of the discipline of their troops and the squirrels and snakes that call this domain their home.

          Although each race has made its alliance, their intentions are not honest. They will await their domains domination of the forest, and then take it over for themselves alone.

          Flink and his small contingent of squirrels navigated the branches nimbly, watching for any sign of approaching enemies above or below, prepared to warn Kajin with the snakes, foxes, and ferrets below. Flink quickly spotted the signs of worm scouts and signaled to Kajin.

          “Karj,” Kajin said, beckoning to the lead snake. “Burrow underground and flank them, drive them above. If they turn around and begin to retaliate, retreat.”

          “Yess, ssirr,” Karj replied, then went to his unit and burrowed beneath the surface.

          The ferrets, using their natural colors as camouflage, went to either side and hid in waiting ambush for the enemies sure to approach. The foxes alone remained standing in the middle of the path, seemingly unguarded and vulnerable to attack. The worm scouts soon approached, and passed without stopping to register the foxes into their tiny brains. The foxes, startled by this, were staring off where the worm scouts had gone when thousands of ants rose from the ground to surprise them. They then came from the trees, taking the ferrets and squirrels from hiding. Moles then rose from the ground, their large claws menacing as they began to move forward towards the foxes. The burrowers were already celebrating their victory in their minds when the snakes arose from below, driving the rest of the burrowers out of hiding. They bit and wounded the moles, and the foxes turned around at the sound of the commotion and assisted in finishing them off. The burrowers attempted to retreat, but were not successful, and every one of them died, down to the last ant.

***

Well fought,” Kajin said. “Retrieve the bodies of the dead, and let us return home.”

          The foxes grabbed the carcasses of the moles and began to carry them back on the narrow path. They soon met with a contingent of raccoons, and their leader Tsukuru came out to meet them.

          “Good to see you,” Tsukuru said. “Did the battle fare well?”

          “Yes, quite well. We brought back some food,” Kajin replied, gesturing to the foxes carrying the moles.

          “Ah, good. Some were beginning to distress about the lack of food. Let us go serve and eat the food.”

          With that, Tsukuru led the way through the trees to a clearing. At the far end of the clearing was a system of caves in which the ground dwellers made their home. It was safe from attack above or below, and the only entrance was right in the front door, which was guarded by spiders of all kinds, prepared to ambush any creature.

          The group walked into the largest area of the cave and tossed the carcasses into the middle. Once the scent had spread to the far reaches of the caves, cats, wolves, and carnivorous creatures of all kinds came out to eat.

          “First, the pregnant must eat. Following them, the children. The rest of us will follow up and eat the scraps. Understood?” Kajin said. The creatures responded with a yes, and he took his place at the end of the line. Soon after, spiders and lizards came out, moving towards the battlefield to collect the ants for eating. Above, squirrels began to fan out, gathering acorns to add to their food supply. The evening was the time of day that all three domains agreed to a truce, a time for eating and relaxing without worries about war. This remained intact because if it was broken, all enemies would face enemies with zeal that would ensure their defeat in each and every battle. Also, Kinjiki creatures have a pride that is beyond their life, and would not destroy their own pride and the pride of their domain by striking such a dishonorable blow against another.

***