Chapter 6
“That was fun!” the badger laughed as he balanced on his hind legs atop David’s head. “I haven’t had a good tussle like that since I beat that smelly Oni at arm-wrestling.”
The badger had directed David through the forest to a small shack surrounded by a modest garden. Within the hut, there was not much: woven mats on the floor, a brown kotatsu-style dining table and cushions, a fire pit, and a horde of empty bottles. The kappa was already there when they arrived, trying to pull his finger out of a bottle in which he was now stuck.
“Ah, you are all right,” the kappa said as David stepped into the hut.
“No thanks to you,” David replied sourly. “You ran off when I needed your help.”
The kappa frowned. “Do not be sore at me. When those two men chased after you, I came strai
