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The sunlight hit Ryura in the face. Engulfed in the blinding rays of
inevitability, he awoke with a grunt. Ryura groaned, and rolled over on his
side to grab his dagger. Pulling the sharp object towards his chest, he laid it
there, clutching the sharp edges tightly. The shimmering lights from the
outside peeked through the cracks of his tent's flaps. He sighed. Ryura
remained relaxed upon the thin loincloth which took up most of the tent's
surface area. He closed his eyes, letting the dreams consume him once again.
At once, the visions flashed through his mind. Gathering speed, he found
himself lost in a whirlpool of memories, ones that have left him stained.
Ryura looked much younger in his mind. The birds were chirping
happily during a beautiful day. He saw himself as a child, skipping alongside
the grassy road. Ryura recalled the place. The scenery was sparked up memories
of his past. It was the very forest where he grew up. He ran up to the other
children who were playing in the field. Dancing wildly in circles, the children
started a game of tag. Ryura ran down the hill to follow the kids. Smiling,
Ryura held up his hand and waved, tempting the others to allow him to join in.
But to his disappointment, the children's faces darkened to frowns, and
hurriedly ran away from the field of grass. The suspicious stares would not
stop. Ryura could see them eyeing him with hate, but there was a glint of fear
in their countenances. Ryura did not understand, standing alone in the empty
field looking puzzled. His fellow wolves always ran from him. No matter how
hard he tried to hide the loneliness, the feeling of dread would always be
evident. Ryura lifted his head and saw something out in distance. A figure was
slowing walking up towards him on the other side of the hill. Shading his blank
eyes from the rays of the sun, Ryura laughed.
It was a young woman, who wore a few bracelets of wolf teeth by her left
wrist, but did not have the usual wolf-skin clothing that other Yokai Wolves
had. Instead, she was clothed with a dress of dark purple, with two overlapping
layers of contrasting colors of light and darkness. Her hands were clasped
together in front of her, but Ryura saw them part, as if calling her out to her
son. She held out her hands, lulling Ryura with a faint smile. Ryura ran
towards his mother, with arms outstretched. Before his younger self could even
react, his mother knelt down and pulled him close. Ryura closed his eyes,
smiling. He felt warm, even against the wind that started to pick up. But
then, Ryura saw it; that moment, was the first time he ever saw his mother truly
cry.
She looked neither angry nor sad, but she only cried silently
over Ryura's small shoulders. Ryura clutched his hands into fists and grinded
his teeth together. He remembered everything. He had always hated seeing his
mother upset, let alone sad. Lowering his head, he didn't say anything, letting
the visions of his memory speak for themselves. Over his mother's silent sobs,
he listened to his younger self speak.
"Mommy, why are you crying?"
There was a pause, but no answer came from his mother. Ryura's
mother released her son from her grip. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she
stood up and patted Ryura on the head. She managed a smile, and stared at Ryura
with her sparkling, blue eyes. No matter how many times Ryura faced his mother;
he always saw that emptiness within her. He did not comprehend as a child, nor
did she ever elaborate what was wrong. You are still a child Ryura, which was
the reply all the time. It was a funny feeling, as if she was about to run away
every time she spoke those words. Ryura's mother stood up and shifted her
direction to the right. She began walking back up towards the hill. Ryura
could not help but question her mother, seeing that she did not make a single
effort to look back.
"Mommy, mommy! Where are you going, mommy?"
There was no answer. His mother only turned her head and
smiled. Ushering Ryura to go back to camp, she continued to walk away. Ryura
started to yell, but his mother did not answer. The memory started to fade
away, the dreams swirling through his head, and the memories intertwined
together. All he remembered was seeing a dark figure approach his mother's
side, as the whole world flipped over from a violent shove on his shoulder,
returning Ryura to reality.
Ryura jolted up from his bed and caught the hand that woke him.
Huffing, he felt the cold sweat trickle down his left cheek. Without second
thought, he clenched the hand much harder. He only just realized that he
violated his own lieutenant when he felt the side of his face burn from a quick
slap across the cheek. His eyes met with his commanding officer, and he
immediately let go of her hand. Ryura bowed his head down low, and muttered an
apology.
"I am sorry, Hitomi-sama. Forgive me for my
actions."
Hitomi was only a few years older than Ryura, but was much
higher adept with her skills than Ryura. Hitomi had long, brown hair that is
usually tied up in a ponytail. She wore similar clothing to Ayumi's, except
that she did not have as much bracelets around her wrists and ankles. Unlike
the other lieutenants, Hitomi carried two swords by her side, fastened tightly
together by her stash. Each sword's scabbards were colored pure white, with a
golden hilt at the end. She didn't have any other weapon on her side that was
noticeable, but she usually tied a pouch around her thigh that was full of
daggers. They were hidden from her robes. Hitomi brushed her long bangs in
front of her face to the side and stood up. She was about to exit Ryura's tent,
but turned towards him one last time. She sighed.
"I'll let it go this time. Now, get dressed; the
princess's departure is imminent. The Yokai Wolves all have to assemble at the
North Peak now, Ryura. Get going."
"Yes, Hitomi-sama."
Ryura bowed down low as Hitomi left his tent, leaving Ryura all
by himself. Ryura rapidly got ready. Amidst the chaos of preparing for the
assembly, he almost for got about his promise to Ayumi. Ryura hurriedly
fastened the sword to this waist and opened the tent flap to take leave. Before
he could even set his foot outside, Ryura abruptly stopped. Peering back into
his small home, he knew he forgot the dagger. The object lay on the wolf skin
that was sprawled on the ground. Ryura hastily strung his finger around the
band, hoisting the colorful blue dagger that was at its end. Ryura managed a
slight smile, as the dagger engulfed his entire world of memories in the sea of
blue.
Ryura stepped out from his tent, returning to the sun's suffocating hold
upon his body. Engulfed in the morning light, Ryura shielded his eyes, and
looked down at the dagger in his hand. It had a vivid color of blue that
transformed to multiple colors in the light. Ryura managed to light up a smile
after having it rest in his palms. Firmly, he held onto the dagger, almost
until it sliced open his skin. Ryura felt his hand burn, but ignored the
painful feeling. He ran over to the edge of the forest, where he was supposed
to line up along with his fellow Yokai Wolves. Ryura saw them, all lined up in
rows. The lieutenants were up front, while the lower ranked wolves, the omega,
went behind their corresponding leading officer. Raiden stood in front of the
entire clan. His overwhelming demon power could be felt from a mile away, as
some weaker wolves started to perspire and breathe much heavier. Ayumi stood
right next to Raiden, but she did not look very happy. Ryura's stomach lurched;
seeing Ayumi unhappy always made him quite sick. Mutters amongst the wolves
stopped when Raiden finally took a small step forward.
He spoke, with a tranquil tone. "Today, as we all know, is
when the first daughter of the leader of the Yokai Wolves reaches the age to
hunt alone. It will be her first hunt today, and I thank you all for being her
on time, even when announced at such short notice. However, before we get to
that, there are matters to attend to. Koga, if you please."
The silence broke off with whispers amongst the wolves. What
would have been so important to interrupt the coming of age of the clan's
princess? Eager to know, the wolves hushed when Koga cast his disgruntled look
upon the crowd. Koga looked from left to right, and at last, he spoke.
"The humans were here, just last
night."
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