truth

Back at the campsite, a heated argument broke out. Young and old alike, the members of the Yokai Wolves were quickly aroused. Would it be safe to send the princess out alone into the forest or provide escorts? The foul scent of the humans still lingered within the edge of the verdant lush. Ryura said nothing, shoving the other wolf members out of his eye’s view of Ayumi. She looked at him. A shrug of confusion came from her, and Ryura sighed. The uproar increased the noise in the forest, as birds took flight, and the trees trembled with fright. Louder and louder it grew. Once the commotion got too chaotic to handle, Raiden, great leader of the wolves, had no choice.

It happened in naught but a split second. A moment ago, the crowd was angrily throwing objections to one another; the next, the tribe was on their knees, brows sweating with anxiety. Raiden had done it. Ryura could not even look up from where he was kneeling, because the tremendous demon power of the leader was far too overwhelming. The alpha wolf only unleashed some of his demonic power in that moment, spewing energy to his surroundings, and keeping the wolves in a monitored paralysis. It had been a while since Ryura has felt such unimaginable power, and he knew it was nothing but a sliver of Raiden’s true potential. Not a single wolf from the pack was seen standing, with the exception of the five lieutenants, and Ayumi herself.

After what felt like an hour of torture, the energy subsided. The wolves, wiping the sweat off their foreheads, quickly stood up in absolute silence. Raiden exhaled deeply.

“Look, I know you are all frantic about the sudden arrival of the humans. I do not know why they were here or what they intend to do. However, I would like to say that despite the abrupt intrusion, you all must understand me. This ceremony is not up to me, but for my own daughter, Ayumi, to decide. As the princess, this ritual is necessary and will commence. No further questions or denials!”

Just as Raiden shifted his attention towards Ayumi, there was a sudden uproar in the middle of the crowd. The wise leader of the wolves lifted his eyebrows, as Ryura countered, “NO! Why the hell…?! She is your daughter! The humans can still be out there; trying to send Ayumi to her death?”

Koga, infuriatied, quickly snapped, “Know your place, boy! This is up to the princess to decide, not for some mangy filth like yourself!”

“I’ll show you who’s the filth, you incompetent fool!”

Ryura drew his sword, the other wolves stepped out of the way in awkward shock. Koga mimicked his actions. “Try me, brat.”

“ENOUGH! Koga, sheathe your blade, and to you, Ryura, the same! I will not tolerate this vile behavior on my daughter’s birthday!” demanded Raiden.

Both of the wolves did as they were told, but the looks on their faces were of complete disgust. Koga turned his back to Ryura, almost swiping the side of his face with the edge of his sheathe. It seemed as though Ryura was about to charge straight for Koga, and slit his throat, but Hitomi shook her head. Ryura returned to the sidelines, fuming. After a few painstaking moments, Ayumi finally spoke, with a gentle tone that soothed Ryura’s muscles and anxiety at last.

“Thank you everyone, for your concern for my wellbeing. As princess and one of the leaders of the clan, I shall look after myself during the hunt, and return unscathed. You need not worry.”

Ryura groaned. He did not like the idea of Ayumi going out to the wild by herself. She was indeed powerful, but still… the humans were just here, last night… Ryura continued to ponder these many troubles, while the rest of the Yokai Wolves bowed low and congratulated Ayumi with support. Raiden stepped forward and embraced his daughter in a tightening grip. She smiled. Without bothering to delay the reception any further, she rapidly sprinted towards the canopy opening, and with a gush of wind, she was no more. Leaves scattered as the shadow of an extraordinarily white mass disappear amongst the trees, as if the last snow of winter dissolved into a pile of new grass.

The cubs yipped in delight, and others roared with laughter and gaiety. But, Ryura showed no sign of happiness. He only looked gloomily over at the princess’s direction and dragged himself away from the noise. Hitomi was the one who noticed this immediately. Clutching her twin swords by her hip, she stepped down from the rock and hastily sprinted to Ryura’s side. She clutched his shoulder in concern, with eyes that almost reflected Ryura’s pool of troubled thoughts. But without looking back, Ryura roughly brushed her hand off and leapt out of Hitomi’s reach. In a matter of moments, he disappeared into the trees, leaving a trail of despair behind.

Hitomi shook her head disappointingly. Akira strolled up towards her side in time to hear her mutter under her breath. “Geez, he’s off to sulk again.”

“Well, you cannot really expect much out of Ryura,” Akira answered calmly, “It has been very harsh for him, even these past few years.”

“As his higher ranking officer and caretaker, I feel as though sometimes his actions were my responsibility. He causes commotion; I end up cleaning up after his insane mess.”

Akira quietly remarked, “That is our duty. As the stronger ones, we set and example and take leadership.”

“I know what Raiden-sama wants. It is just that…Ryura…he’s so irritating sometimes. His actions are so despicable, and yet, Raiden-sama claims I am the one most suitable to look after him. Why is that?”

Hitomi’s eyes met with Akira’s with inquisition. Akira opened his mouth as if to speak, but no words came out of his mouth. There was what sounded like a loud cawing of ravens amongst the trees, and then silence. It was at that moment when Koga stepped between the two and boasted, “Bad blood! That’s all I keep telling all of you! It is in his nature to betray us, desert us whenever he feels welcome to. That bastard is nothing-”

Hitomi nudged him in the ribs, taking note of Raiden pacing forward. Koga gave a tiny ow, and bowed. Hitomi and Akira did the same, finding Koga in minimal pain amusing. Raiden ushered them to rise, and waited until the remaining wolves from the ceremony disbanded back into their tents. In a low tone of voice, he remarked solemnly.

“I have kept a promise; we have kept a promise. I do not intend to break it, and neither should any of you. Do not make that face Koga. The others hate him probably even more than you do.”

Koga grumbled. Apparently, he contorted his face in abhorrence at the sound of Raiden mentioning the word “promise.” Raiden paid no further attention, continuing in giving instructions.

He whispered, “Now, as lieutenants, I want you all to thoroughly search the boundaries and mountains for any suspicious movements. I forbid you to enter the northern domain of the forest. My daughter is still on her hunt and I want no interruptions. Understood?”

“Yes, Raiden-sama” came the simultaneous answer.

“Very well. Jin! Kasumi!” The last two lieutenants bounded from the camp towards Raiden as an answer to his beckoning. They first appeared in their wolf forms: the one on the left being Jin, a large, grayish wolf with hints of white scattered evenly throughout his body, and the one on the right being Kasumi, the other female lieutenant. Her fur was reddish-brown, reflecting the color of a mature maple leaf in the autumn wind. In synch, both wolves revealed their human form, reverting back. Jin was just as tall as Koga, lugging a sleek claymore on his back. Kasumi, on the other hand, had red hair that hung loosely to her shoulders with similar stature compared with Hitomi. She carried one sword on her right side, with a dagger pouch on the left. The wolves greeted each other promptly, and then turned towards Raiden’s direction for further instructions.

“Okay. Akira and Koga, cover the eastern parts. Jin, I want you to search the western areas. Kasumi, scour the hills and mountains nearby, and see what you can find. And Hitomi…” Raiden walked up to her and patted her on the shoulder. “Good luck with Ryura.”

She nodded grimly. Raiden only gave her a reassuring nod and then, with a wave of his hand, they scattered.

Raiden gazed towards the sun, now high above the clouds, glaring without hesitation. There was only one thought racing through his mind, as he felt the blood course rapidly throughout his veins. You have left me with quite a burden. And yet, it seemed as though I had left you with one too. Isn’t that right, Ayane? There was no answer, and he never got one. The wind blew harder, picking up leaves at his feet. It was as if the sudden gust was in anger, or distant sadness that could never be reached. Raiden perked his ears, and thought he heard a woman crying in the outreaches of the forest. He jerked his head to listen more attentively. And then, it was gone. The force of the gale subsided, just as quickly as it came. He heaved a sigh.

But then, out of the darkness from the middle of the canopy, came the familiar scream of the wolf princess.