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He was a large figure, much larger than that of a normal man, having fur
that covered his entire body. He sprinted through the green lush that was up
ahead and stopped by almost every small clearing between the trees for a scan
around the area. Creeping up towards an edge of a small cliff, his dark
sapphire eyes widened as he peered down below. A low growl emitted from his
mouth. At once, he leapt from the rock and landed on a lower treetop. He
jumped, landing on all fours upon the earth. Jerking his head to the left, he
sprinted in that direction, towards the moon's light.
The object that he saw was a young man. Looking no older than seventeen,
he carried a sword at his hip and was wearing a khaki colored cloak. On his
side was a pouch that dangled amongst his other equipment, including a
canteen and small dagger. This boy climbed alongside the side of the rocks,
heading up towards a cliff. He was about to enter the forest beneath the
cliff, trudging slowly, but he did not seem exhausted at all. On the
contrary, he seemed eager to reach somewhere.
At once, a dark wolf leapt out of the forest in front of the boy's path.
From shock, the boy jumped back, holding the handle of his blade. It let out
a low growl and stared into the boy's eyes. Suddenly, the low sound of its
growl stopped as the boy lowered his hand from the handle of his sword. The
wolf calmly walked up to the boy and stood in front of him. This wolf was
two times the size of himself. The boy didn't move, but merely smiled. There
was a whirl of wind as the wolf crouched down on all fours. The leaves shook
and trees swayed as the cold wind of the night was vacuumed towards the wolf
itself. The boy shielded his eyes from the violent wind and grasped the
handle of his sword, only to release it in a matter of seconds. The wind
abruptly stopped; the trees shook no more. What stood in front of him, was
another young boy, about his age. His apparel was quite different, lacking
the presentation sense of a human. He wore simple pelts of wolf skin for his
clothing with an overcoat made of fur. His leather sandals from appearance
looked old. Bracelets of wolf teeth chattered about on his wrists. However,
what was most noticeable was the gleaming dagger hung from his neck.
Shaped like a wolf tooth, the dagger reflected brightly off the moon's light
in the clear night sky. After seconds of meeting, both of the boys embraced,
happy to see each other once again.
The wolf-boy exclaimed, "What the hell are you doing here alone? You'll
be killed in these territories. You know that."
The other merely chuckled and remarked, "Heh, you're the same Ryura.
You'll die if you're seen with me."
Ryura laughed, not answering his friend's implied statement, but rather
sat down on a nearby rock. He stared up towards the sky with a blank
expression, and sighed. "Gosh, I can't believe you actually came all the way
over here just to see me. Always have to be the brave one, eh, Hikaru?"
Hikaru jokingly implied, "You know, you're a great friend to have. I
haven't seen you for over a week, so I just felt like dropping in. Seemed
like you didn't mind."
"Not me, him. That human scum could have killed you.
How'd you even get away from his grasp in the first place?"
"Tch, you think I couldn't? Surely you think more highly of me. I just
told the guards I was out to scout the perimeter. None of them argued."
"You're taking a hell of a time to scout. They'll kill you; better hurry
back."
"Yeah, I know I know. 'All Humans and Demons are forbidden to
interact or have relationships with each other.' Stupid rule really; I
was never fond of this, nor did I ever agree. I don't give a damn, you're my
friend."
"To me, you're the only friend I have, besides Ayumi. I don't know who
else to turn to for trust."
"Really, now? All I did was save you, and you now call me your best
friend? That incident happened four years ago. Ridiculous, Ryura. I'm just a
normal companion, who disobeys orders to see you. Do not forget the clan from
whence you came."
From hearing the word clan, Ryura's expression changed. Flushing red with
anger, he quietly muttered, "The Yokai Wolves have never appreciated what I
have done for them."
Hikaru said nothing and turned to the sky. Multiple stars
twinkled from the moon's light. At the sight of the moon's position, Hikaru
glanced at Ryura and told him all of the sudden that he had to leave. The
general would not be pleased. Ryura simply told him to go but did not watch
as Hikaru left, disappearing into the shadows of the towering trees. Ryura
stood up from his rock, shivering from the night wind. He pulled over his
cloak for warmth and peered from left to right. No one else was around. Ryura
shut his eyelids and crouched down once more. The wind picked up, carrying
dust along with it. From the fleeting dust, a jet-black wolf stepped out. It
let out a short growl and flung its head up to look at the sky. Ryura's eyes
gleamed from the moonlight, reflecting a distant future that lay ahead of
him. With a strong leap, Ryura sprinted away from the clearing, disappearing
in to the depths of the huge forest. As he left, the wind blew silently as
the clouds covered the moon's face, making the darkness creep along the
earth.
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