Many Ways to Many Things

Many Way to Many Things is the fifth episode of Tales of Dikuda. It is also the fifth episode of the first season.

Summary
With Krrah in Uuzoo's thoughts, she has to face an entirely different problem: a fortune telling centipede predicting her upcoming demise.

Episode in Detail


While wandering through the bamboo forest around Dikuda, Krrah eavesdrops on Uuzoo and a mysterious, human sized centipede, who tries to talk to the snake about her future. Even though she tries to make him leave, he keeps talking to her, telling her that she is going to die soon. Uuzoo tries to ignore him, but he gets into detail, mentioning, among other things, a noose around her neck, and seeing "a giant bird with horns" above her head, which shocks both Uuzoo and the still hiding Krrah.

After the fortune teller is scared off by the snake, Krrah decides to show herself and the two end up in a fight once again, though after a while Uuzoo gains the upper hand, finally causing Krrah to leave the scene angry and upset. It is then that Ryahno appears at the scene, complimenting the snake on how she dealt with Krrah. As Ryahno observes Uuzoo more closely her mood changes though, and she orders the snake to get patched up after voicing her worry with the other's health. Uuzoo is confused by the questions, but obeys her commander and leaves.

The next night Uuzoo is back at her post, guarding the gates. Since it's a quiet night she uses the peace to practice teachings and movements that she learned from Ryahno in the recent days and weeks. After a while of doing so, she turns around and finds a doll of herself hanging from one of the trees, fixated with a noose. She removes it and dumps both doll and noose on the ground, thinking that Krrah is playing with her. When she turns her back to the doll to return to her post however, she is attacked from behind, choked with the noose and dragged into the forest.

When the snake comes to she finds herself being dragged by a group of hares, called Dans, who, as they talk amongst themselves, reveal that they plan on eating her. During the trip through the forest it begins raining and as the hares set up camp they are startled by the appearance of a girl amongst the trees. While they are still debating on what to do about the girl the sky darkens.

Uuzoo then wakes up to Ryahno calling her name. The latter explains to her that she was hit by a tranquillizer and even though Uuzoo isn't quite sure if it's the full truth, she trusts her regardless. When Ryahno is about to leave she stops her with the question of why the woman was worried about her health earlier. It is then explained to her, that her eyes had shown signs that in facial fortune telling hint towards illness or death.

While Ryahno walks off to continue her patrol Uuzoo remembers bits and pieces of what happened in the forest, including the appearance of the girl and especially the doll the girl was holding; a rat. It is then that she stops Ryahno once more and asks her if the town is having problems with rats.

Characters
The following characters appear in this episode (in order):


 * Krrah
 * Yin Uuzoo
 * Centipede (not mentioned by any name)
 * SwayHan
 * Kuraz Ryahno
 * The Dans
 * The Girl in the Forest (not mentioned by any name)

Trivia

 * The centipede predicted (in order): Death, a noose, a bird with horns. However the way it actually played out was reversed: Krrah appeared first, then the noose, followed by Uuzoo almost being eaten by the Dans.
 * The method used by the centipede to predict Uuzoo's death is an actual real method of Chinese facial fortune telling. If a blood vein appears to cross through or behind the pupil it is a sign of up-coming sickness or even death.
 * Just like the centipede, Ryahno noticed the same when she looked at Uuzoo's eyes, so it's safe to say, that she has knowledge about facial fortune telling.
 * There are two different versions of the artwork with the "Girl in the Forest". The darker version shows what the Dans were able to see in the dark, the lighter version shows what Uuzoo saw, since her night vision is better.
 * The name of the centipede isn't revealed until episode 26.
 * The actual name of the "Girl in the Forest" isn't revealed until episode 22.

Links

 * Official link to the post on tumblr.