truth

"Oi! Where the hell is that brat?"

There were multiple exclamations amongst the wolves. They were not pleased. Several were pacing back and forth within the camp, complaining about Ryura’s late arrival. The camp itself wasn’t as large, for it was left with the few that survived the past few years. But, the wolves have ran from the humans and learned to fend for themselves against harsh opposition. With only about 300 left, the wolves together gathered to form a tribe, the Yokai Wolves. The majority of them had thick, brown fur, and their bodies were relatively large in size. The wolves range from young children to the much wiser and older wolves. The oldest of all the wolves and most powerful was Raiden. In human form, he was a relatively short old man, but his appearance was wise. He had strong eyes that gleamed with knowledge and skill. As the leader, he commanded the lieutenants, all of whom are right below his rank in the tribe. The lieutenants were the ones who led their own groups of wolves, groups of over 50. The rest were in the soldier rank, like Ryura, who were the weakest of all the wolves, and very often, looked down upon.

"Where is that boy?" Koga, one of the lieutenants, never had much patience for Ryura. Koga had a stern look upon his face, and boasted enormous demon power.

"He probably wandered off again. That’s a habit that’ll never quit," replied his fellow lieutenant, Akira. Unlike Koga, Akira was more tranquil having a gentle but stern look upon his face. Akira was more likely to talk out situations whereas Koga would rely on his strength. Both lieutenants held a sword fastened to their stash, with fur coats that billowed in the wind. Koga and Akira wore a number of wolf teeth strung upon a thick yarn around their wrists. Their appearances were remarkable, having serious but tranquil looks at the same time.

Disregarding Akira’s comment, Koga merely scoffed. He strolled along the borderline of the campsite, scanning through the dark trees for any sign of Ryura. But, the effort was futile. Ryura was no where to be seen.

"That runt needs to be watched over more. He’s creating a huge problem."

Akira sighed. "It’s no use. I guess it’s in his blood after all. He’s just like his mother, and besides, we have a promise to keep. Not just us, but all of the YokaiWolves."

"Tch, you really think I care less? He’s got bad blood!"

"Does it matter at all? We are responsible for his life."

"Let’s just kill him and be done with this damn idiocy."

Akira ignored him. Shaking his head, he started to stroll back to the camp. At that moment, the sight of a distant figure upon the clearing of the forest caught his eye. Squinting against the sun’s powerful rays of light, Akira’s eyes widened.

"Ah, speak of the devil, there he is."

Ryura, in wolf form, leapt from the forest towards the camp. Akira started walking towards him, but Koga strutted forward, pushing Akira out of the way, quite angrily.

Ryura transformed back into his human form, as he dusted himself off. Hearing footsteps, Ryura turned his head, and before he knew it, he felt a grip upon his shoulder. Without a second thought, he grasped the hilt of his blade. In a flash, he withdrew his blade from his scabbard and swung. Koga maneuvered through the attack and grabbed Ryura’s hand. Before Ryura could even react, Koga slammed his fist into his stomach. Ryura grimaced with pain, as he fell in a heap before Koga. The blade dropped with a clang upon the rocks. Koga kicked the blade aside.

"Attacking your superiors now? When did you learn to get so tough?" Ryura did not answer him. That was a mistake. Koga, with very little patience, took Ryura by the collar and hoisted him up with ease. Their eyes met, with an inner fire that burned as they stared at each other with the utmost loathing. "Not going to say anything?"

Ryura coldly replied, "No."

Koga grew furious. Using his other hand, he was about to strike Ryura across the face. But, Akira, who caught up from behind, held him back. Koga, angered, demanded that Ryura should be punished for his lack of respect. Akira merely shook his head and told Koga to let him go. It would only create more problems, which nobody wanted at the moment, for there was still a tension between the humans and the wolves.

"What is the meaning of this?"

All three of them whirled their heads around. The voice came from a girl, about the same age as Ryura. She wore similar clothing made of wolf fur, and had plenty of wolf teeth wrapped around her wrists and ankles. She wore a mini-skirt, with a thin sword tied to it. She had necklaces of different colors and shapes. But her striking beauty was something left for one to gaze upon. Each step that she took was extravagant and contained finesse, powerful enough for the lieutenants to yield to her commands.

Koga released Ryura from his grasp, and turned towards her.

"My lady, I’m sorry for my rashness. Nothing like this will happen ever again."

The girl looked at him with glimmering eyes. "You may go, for now. But I do not want to see this intolerable behavior ever again. Understand?"

"Forgive me, my lady. I tried to tell him to stop, but he…

" piped in Akira.

"Silence. He should have stopped then. Don’t provide excuses. Go, my father awaits you two."

Both of the lieutenants did not dare refute her statement. They nodded, and took their leave, sprinting towards the tents in the center of the camp. The girl watched as they left her and Ryura alone. Ryura stood up and picked up his sword. Sheathing it inside his scabbard, he turned back towards her. She only sighed, and with a smile, she patted Ryura on the shoulder.

"Hey, you okay?"

Ryura grumbled, "Never better."

Her eyebrows rose. "You know, I don’t have to even butt in. I could have left you alone if you wanted me to."

"Look princess, it’s not my fault. And I for one would certainly know not to pick a fight with a lieutenant. He approached me first."

She laughed. "Hey, hey; what did I tell you? You can just call me Ayumi. There is no need for proper greetings. And don’t worry about it, I won’t tell my dad."

"Understood, Ayumi."

Ayumi kept laughing. "C’mon, I told you to quit it!" With that, she nudged him on the side and pushed him off the rock, where Ryura stumbled and fell on the ground, tangled in a mess. Ayumi giggled when Ryura tried to stand up. Ryura just laughed along, feeling much happier than he was when he came back.

"So, you want to go?"

Ayumi looked puzzled, not knowing what Ryura meant, but she smiled. She jumped from the high rock and landed next to Ryura. They began to stroll down the borderline of the morbid forest. There was an awkward silence between the two. The only sound that could be heard was the howling of the faint wind.

Ayumi finally asked, "So, are you coming tomorrow?"

Confused, Ryura questioned, "Tomorrow?"

"Oh, come on! Don’t tell me you don’t remember! It’s my…"

"Ah…I remember."

"So, you’re coming right."

There was a pause. Ryura stood still in front of Ayumi. Their eyes met for a brief second, but Ryura’s head jolted to the left, his face flushing. He eventually blurted out his answer with a slight choking noise.

"Why not?"

"Yay! Thank you, Ryura! Seeing me off on my first day! I’m so happy!"

At that moment, before Ryura could even react or respond, he felt what seemed like two tightening vines grip upon his waist, coiling around his body. Her arms rested upon his back, as she embraced him, passing the heat from her body to his. Speechless, Ryura only smiled, pulling her body close to his.

The sun dove behind the lush, leaving both of them in the trail of shadows. Ryura closed his eyes, feeling as if a gap in his heart had been filled. He was happy.