Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Teaser Tuesday Special: The Fox and the Raven



Welcome back to Teaser Tuesday!


Puck fans, are you ready?  This is especially for you.


This teaser takes place right after The Iron Knight and before Iron's Prophecy, when Puck leaves Ash and disappears for a little while.  Later, he tells Meghan that he was in Kyoto visiting some "friends." The following is a snippet of what exactly happened to him in the time he was gone.


Teaser Tuesday SPECIAL:


The Fox and the Raven




            Kyoto in the Spring is one of my favorite spots to visit.

            I sat on the railing of the temple overlooking the gardens, one knee drawn to my chest, letting the sakura scented breeze cool my face, watching the white and orange koi swirl below me in the tiny pond.  The wind whispered through the branches of the cherry blossom trees and sent a few pink and white petals fluttering into the water.  Birds trilled from the rooftops, and dragonflies buzzed through the reeds.   It was very peaceful here.  Peaceful, quiet, and tranquil. 

            A smirk played across my lips.  Too tranquil in my opinion.  I wasn't here for peace and quiet.  I didn't come to meditate on the yin and yang of it all.  I was here to forget what was happening in the Nevernever right now, the marriage of a certain princess and ice-boy.  A marriage that would take her from me, once and for all, forever. 

            Sighing, I flicked a pebble into the pond, watching the koi swarm below me, my thoughts drifting to my two best friends.  I was happy for them, I really was.  But I couldn't be there.  I needed to clear my head, sort some things out.  I needed to stir up some trouble, and a chaos filled romp through one of my favorite cities would be a fabulous place to start.

            If my partner in crime ever woke up, that is.

            "Goodfellow-san, are you out here?"

            I grinned, swinging my boots over the railing and hopping down as a figure joined me on the veranda.  A girl in a red and white kimono, her straight black hair falling past her waist like a spill of ink.  Cherry red lips, a stark contrast against the delicate, porcelain doll face, were pulled into a gentle smile.





          
  "Itazura-chan," I greeted casually.  That wasn't her real name, of course, any more than Robin Goodfellow was mine.  Itazura meant mischief in Japanese, and she was the reason I enjoyed visiting Japan so much.  Things were rarely dull when the two of us got together.  The last time I visited Kyoto, the statue of a famous Buddha mysteriously vanished and somehow ended up on the roof of a castle.  

            Ah, good times.

            I watched her approach, catching a glimpse of the bushy, white-tipped fox tail peeking out from beneath her robes.  "Uh, Zura-chan?" I pointed out.  "Your tail is showing.  Maybe you should hide that  before we cause another panic in the marketplace?"

            She cocked her head, appraising, and ignored that statement.  "You seem pensive today, Goodfellow-san," Itazura said, sauntering closer.  For a split second, as she came into the light, her eyes glimmered amber and gold, but only for a moment, before they turned black once more.  "Your voice is full of shadows, and you smell like bitter leaves."

            I smirked, ready to give a flippant, smart-ass reply, but she stepped close, reached out, and ran a slender finger down my face.  Unexpectedly, the soft touch made me shiver as the girl peered up at me with large black eyes, still smiling.  "Why so moody, Goodfellow-san?" she asked.  "It's a beautiful afternoon, perfect for teasing monks and stealing mochi and tricking mortals into falling into the pond.  But you look like a neko-cat who watched the hawk steal a mouse right from his paws." 

            I forced a grin.  "I don't like mice, Zura-chan.  They make my breath stink."   

            The kitsune girl gave me a knowing smile, and for a moment, my insides fluttered.  "There are plenty of mice in the world, Goodfellow-san," she said, staring right into my eyes.  "Perhaps you shouldn't be looking for a mouse, ne?  Perhaps you should be looking for something with sharper teeth."  She held my gaze, a beautiful young girl with ancient golden eyes.  "I would help you forget her, Goodfellow-san," she said, her voice soft but completely forthright.  "If you give me a chance, I would help you find happiness again."

            My stomach lurched.  Crossing my arms, I raised an eyebrow.  "Uh-huh," I said dubiously.  "This from a kitsune.  I seem to recall the last time I was here, you somehow lured some poor sap into the temple gardens and then stole his robes so he had to run home in the buff." 

            "No, Goodfellow-san."  Itazura watched me, all innocence.  "I did the luring.  You stole his robes, remember?"

            "Oh.  Right."

            She giggled, pushing her hair back with a smile, before she became serious again.  "We are alike, Robin Goodfellow," she said quietly.  "The same.  A single leaf, split down the middle.  Humans, even half-humans, can never truly understand us.  I know you.  I've seen you for who you really are, and you've seen me, as well.  You should know that I would never hurt or trick you."  Her voice grew defiant.  "And you're wrong if you think kitsune can't fall in love.  It happens more often than you think."  She glanced down at her hands, her next words almost a whisper.  "You've just never been able to see it."   

            My heart pounded, surprising me.  Itazura wasn't Meghan...but Meghan was gone.  I'd already lost her.  Itazura--wicked, playful, always brutally honest--was right here.  My throat felt tight, and I swallowed hard.  Maybe she was right.  Maybe it was time I let my princess go.

            Itazura stared back at me with a stark, open gaze, the breeze playing through her dark hair, and the look in her eyes made my stomach clench.  I remembered the times we shared, the places we visited, sometimes as we were now, sometimes as a raven and a small red fox.  Itazura was sly, witty, and she made me laugh, which was saying a whole lot.  Besides ice-boy, she was the only one who could keep up with me, challenge me.  And, unlike ice-boy, she welcomed the chaos and bedlam that often followed in my wake, sometimes causing it herself.  We did make a good pair.  I was tired of hurting, of pining over a girl who would never love me back.  Itazura and I were one and the same.  I might...no...I could, very easily, come to love her, too. 

            If I could stand to let Meghan go. 

            Taking a deep breath, I made my decision.


             
***


Puck: Happy April Fool's Day from your friendly neighborhood Puck!  Did you enjoy that little teaser?  I did too.  Now, whether or not it's TRUE?  That is a different story.  Do you think we should tell them, Itazura-chan?

Itazura:  Well, we could.  But what fun would that be, Goodfellow-san? 

Puck:  My thoughts exactly.  God, I love this holiday.  









Happy April Fools, mortal!








38 comments:

  1. <3 You rock Julie!!! This was a great little snippet. I do love Puck!

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  2. Awww I hope this is true. Puck deserves love too! Still team ash though

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  4. Love it! April fools I'll be, Team Puck always where ever he dares to travel . Itazura seems like a wonderful girl pretty to.

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  5. April's Fools or not, I love more Robin Goodfellow!

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  6. I love it, but Puck... I think that he deserves more, much more than that kitsune. <3

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    1. I agree with you

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    2. That's right. Though I still don't know if I'm more Team Puck or Team Ash...
      Thanks Julie <3

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  7. Darn it! I hope it's true. Either way, it was nice seeing a bit of Puck. Thanks for the teaser, Julie!

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  8. Julie, you are such a tease.

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  9. When I began reading this i was like. FINALLY!!! ROBIN! FINALLY I AM SO HAPPY YOU AND IT-.....oh april..fools lol. When will i ever learn? XD. I should have expected that but hey I WISH IT WAS TRUE!!! LET PUCK HAVE HIS OWN LOVE STORY!!!! PUCK X ITAZURA <3 <3

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  10. Finally, so more Puck! Though i want to know exactly what they did...

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  11. I love puck!! And allthough i want him to be happy, i dont really want to see him in love with anyone other than meghan.....i dont know why but i always feel that way about all books with characters who fall in love wih someone else, i hate it!

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  12. NOOO. This is not happening. A girl can't just come up and be like, "Whats up, lets be lovers." NO! I need a whole new story based on Puck. He deserves that. I just can't accept Itazura. D:

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  13. Noooo! Although Puck's mega extremely awesome, i hate it when he gets emotional. I mean,he deserves emotions,yes, but to me it just doesn't fit. I love it when he's wild and crazy. I totally accept Meghan,cause i mean come on,it's Meghan....but i just can't accept Itazura. Please don't make this real. If he should fall in love again, the girl should be perfect for him. Not exactly like him,but not exactly different. But definetly should have a good sense of humor no doubt about that. I'm sorry if this offends you.....

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  14. ....Interesting
    still, though, you should totally write puck and ash meeting for the first time or maybe when they became friends.

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  15. Wait... I... that... wasn't.... that was just cruel.

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  16. when will the third part, the Iron King "in Poland?

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  17. Nonono not true nope he can't let go of Megan nope not gonna happen plus I think he would be a better fit with Megan anyways u know? Honestly I knew he was in love with Megan at first before he told her and I don't think it was fair for someone to swoop in and take who he loved first but that's just me lol TEAM PUCK

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  18. PUCK! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!
    Mrs. Kagawa, is there any way you can tell us when the next Call of the Forgotten book is coming out?
    PUCK! Fangirling so hard!

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  19. Puck, I totally believe that you love this holiday. The real question is, though, how much do certain summer monarchs and winter prince love this holiday? Tee-hee-hee.

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  20. Oh my, that was awesome. I believe I smell another book. Could be called forgetting iron. Love puck pov!

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  21. I for one would love it this was real. Puck deserves his own happiness and his own book ;) (and this coming from someone who is Team Ash ^_~)

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  22. I would love to hear a story about Puck and Meghan meeting again after the marriage, I miss Meghan's POV

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  23. I wonder if I'm not the only one who craves a book about Puck's past, about him meeting Ash and even the time before that. A time when possibly he wasn't so nice. I don't know why, but reading about Puck going through an existential crisis sounds somewhat thrilling.

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  24. I've never been for Puck/Meghan and I probably never will be(Puck deserved more). But I hope this isn't true. I don't want Puck to end up with her? I just never imagined him to be with someone like himself, since it seems kinda... boring? And Itazura's voice seems...kinda stoic.

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  26. I just ran into this after looking up The Iron Raven, the new series that's supposed to be centered on Puck. This is an old teaser and judging by the ending it seems to an april fool's joke. Personally I hope it is, because I don't think I like Itazura. Basically she's saying that the only way Puck can find happiness is if he's with someone exactly like him. That humans would never understand him. I get that because it's true, however, Puck developed a lot and became the kind and considerate person because he loved Meghan, a half human. I like to think that he kinda changed for the better in the same way Ashs' love for Meghan made him a better person. So for Itazura to dismiss that and just be like, "Hey, love me. Give me a chance. I'm the only one who can understand you," Just sounds boring. I personally would have preferred Puck with a more human like character. More so because human x supernatural is more exciting to be and because of the potential it could lead to. So yeah, thumbs down for Itazura.

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