Tucked away in the heart of the Sacred Forest of Korin is the tower who once held the hermit cat that the forest was named after, now renamed for its current immortal cat.
With a tower standing approximately 25,000 feet tall with a dome-esque building upon the top of it, the construct is the only place known to collect the healing Senzu beans, but also a respite for the weary traveler by flight, or the brave warrior willing to climb the center pole.
𝑺oft humming filled the tower, the sound easy and carefree like the life that lived there. A small cat, just shy of the height of the last hermit cat to live there, easily went to work tending to the bean garden she grew with great care, always awaiting the next fighter to climb up her tower to greet her. New people were always her favorite, even if they were so few and far in between. She didn't mind, only knew that she would see new people again in the future.
Moving along the line of planters filled with bean plants, a small watering can tipped forward, emptying more of the clear liquid onto the fertilized soil. The plants, much like the cat who was currently tending to them, basked in the glow of the sun that filtered in through the openings on the side of the cylindrical structure. Like most domestic cats, this one had not a single care in the world.
Morning turned to midday, Shiori could feel the life of the world and the Ki of humans and creatures alike bustling about, mostly connected in one place. A tournament of some kind, she realized. Those living below always seemed to enjoy leaving their homes, finding enjoyment in being surrounded by others. Not her. Never her.
She preferred the safety of her tower.
And soon, the reality of her decision to stay within that safety suddenly became clearer.
Something shifted in the congested Ki. It began disappearing in droves, life being snuffed out like candles being hit by a strong wind.
One location. Two, then four, then seven.
Shiori moved towards the railing, the watering can lowering down to her side. She couldn't help but draw her brows tighter together, her nose and whiskers twitching like she could scent or feel what was going on in the world below. Soon, the sound of explosions managed to reach her, coming from some far off location that she couldn't quite see. Then, plumes of smoke rose up beyond the curve of the Earth in places, she realized, were probably major cities. It became very transparent to her in that moment.
Something was seriously, very wrong.
The snowshoe turned on her toes, the watering can dropping from her paws, and quickly began packing up mature beans into small canvas bags.
