The sun was rising over long, drawn out fields of crop, high wheat and low rice. Rolls of hills met the slanted sunlight, glinting off drops of dew that settled on leaves. Elk grazed nearby, long red horns reflecting the orange of the sunrise. Smoke rose in the distance, the only sign of humanity within miles. Here, the Emishi people lived, a city pushed into exile by the rest of their country. As they woke up, women stretched their arms up at the open skies; small children rubbed their eyes, black hair strewn in messy arrays.

Out in the field with the elk, a girl lay. She stretched her hands behind her head, eye closed. The elk that stood guard above her sniffed her tunic, eating strands of grass off the blue cloth. She opened one eye at a time, staring into the black nostrils. She raised a hand up and stroked the elk’s muzzle, letting out a soft coo to him.

“Morning, Yakul,” she said, pushing herself up off the grass. If anyone saw her there, they would have assumed she had spent the night in that spot. Yet, it was her routine to come out every morning, early, before the animals awoke. She would walk the fields, count the foals, and check the boundaries. Nothing ever bothered them way out here, but she was always careful. When her walk was through, she waited on Yakul to wake, watching the sun rise. Now, Yakul pranced in place, waiting on her to finish standing up. She shook her legs awake, brushing her fingers through her long hair. With a long yawn, she mounted the elk.

“Asuka!”

She turned her head to the sound of her name, coming from the direction of her village. It was a band of small children, hands cupped at their mouths. At the sight of her, they all waved their arms, and she rode over, smiling.

“Morning, children,” she said, dismounting. She noticed the looks on their faces, eyes wide and scared. A frown took the place of her smile. “Is something wrong?”

“Your majesty, the early guard wants you at the eastern tower. Says something is coming,” one of the children said. There was a tremor in the young boy’s voice, like he was frightened. Asuka remounted, giving the three of them a small nod before taking off toward the eastern tower.

Distantly, a low rumble of thunder could be heard, high above the canopy of trees, signaling the beginning of another rainstorm for The forest of the Great Spirit. The electricity charging the air was enough to have the hairs on the back of the neck standing up uncomfortably, smaller animals seeking shelter in burrows and trees from the coming deluge. In a large cave set into the side of one of the mountains that was covered by this forest, four heads turned instinctively towards the sound, ears perked.

"More rain... That's the third storm this week." The figure at the foremost of the cave murmured, tilting his head back to sniff at the air. His name was Kichiro, and he was a young man, no older than seventeen, with a beautiful angular face, unique among humans. His eyes were dark and thoughtful, framed by his dark brown hair, this of which he brushed impatiently from his forehead.

At his immediate left, a huge white wolf, large as any horse, lifted her head from where it rested on her front paws to turn her golden eyes on the man. "Do not complain little brother. Rain is a good thing. It will water the seeds of the trees to bring our forest back."

"Yes." A second White female wolf chimed in, her voice an octave lower than the first, looking towards the front of the cave where her siblings sat by each other side. "Ranna is right. The rain is good for the trees. And perhaps it will make that damned dirt road the humans made flood and wash them all away."

A murmur of excitement at the idea ran through them, eyes brightening with the prospect. Behind them, laying on one of his sides, the largest wolf of all, easily twice the size of the others, released a deep rumble of laughter, his voice a baritone as he bared his fangs in a wicked grin. "Indeed my children. We will give the humans a reason to fear the rain. When they return with their food, we will attack. We will make them tremble at the idea of the Wolf Clan." Marron, The Wolf God, declared confidently, looking from Kichiro, The youngest and obviously adopted child of his family, too Ranna at his side, her bushy tail wiggling, and finally to Ichina, The most subdued of them all, though her eyes were still bright with the excitement of attacking the humans. He was so proud of his family, the furless and the four-legged alike. He couldn't see how their plan would fail.

Asuka rode her elk towards the eastern tower, long black hair blowing in the wind behind her. The girl was the last heir to her small Emishi village. Her father had been looking for a son, one who could continue passing down the family name, but instead he got Asuka, who fought for her village like any good prince would. She just held a different title, which was Princess Asuka. The village expected her to come of age and become the next ruler, the first female to hold a position of power in the village. She was so close, too, only days until she turned eighteen.

The eastern tower rose into view, and she leaped off Yakul when they rode up to it. She climbed the tower with speed, sitting on her knees beside the guard. His face was twisted up in concentration, staring into the distance. Asuka followed his line of sight, to where she saw a long line of destruction. Whatever was coming, it had tumbled through the thick forest around her village. The path which is had followed was red, probably from its blood, but to be bleeding and running so far, there was something unnatural about the thing.

“What is it?” she asked, feeling goosebumps come up across her bare arms.

“I’m not sure, your majesty, but it doesn’t feel right. Feel the air?” The man stretched his hand out, his frown deepening. Asuka did the same, waiting. He was right, the air was stiff. It had a sort of energy in it that Asuka couldn’t think to describe. The only word that came to her mind was evil. “It’s here, Princess,” the man said, breaking her thought. She looked up, standing up on her knees to get a better look at the beast. It broke through the tree line, a tangled mess of something. It looked like a boar, a giant boar, but it was covered from tusk to tail in purple worms, or snakes. Asuka didn’t know, but she had never seen anything like it. The beast stormed forward, smashing into the tower and sending it tumbling to the ground. When she crawled out from under the wreckage, she ran towards Yakul, who paced anxiously.

The three little boys who had warned her were shooting tiny arrows at the animal, making it more mad than anything else. One could see its breath, hot against the cool morning air. Asuka stood beside them, holding the reins of her elk, while the beast turned around to face them again. The purple things fell from its mouth as it breathed, mixed with thick blood and saliva. Asuka met its eyes, fighting the urge to run away from the disgusting thing. It took off at a run towards them.

“Children, run! Go tell the village what it happening, but be safe! Be quick!” Asuka said, pushing the children down the hill towards the village. They listened, out of fear, and Asuka mounted Yakul and ran off in the opposite direction, leading it away from the village.

The rain that had been threatening finally swept in, sheets of water washing over the forest, dripping from the leaves, collecting in puddles, and creating a pleasant pattering as it washed over the stone outside the cave. Kichiro leaned his back comfortably against Ranna's warm bulk as he took a minute to watch the drops falling from the sky, The sound of his sister's deep breathing regular and comforting. Marron had taken Ichira out running only a moment before, planning on doing some scouting for the approaching humans, hoping to gather intelligence on how long it would take them to reach the cliffs, but Ranna had volunteered to stay behind with her brother, nursing a set of bruised and partially healed ribs she had received on their last hunting trip. Kichiro had stayed behind because he didn't want to leave his sister alone, not that he would admit that to her and risk getting a taste of her teeth, but instead insisted on the excuse that he wanted to mend a hole in his second pair of pants. The leather leggings lay over his crossed legs, forgotten for the moment as he ran the fingers of one hand through the fur at Ranna's neck, enjoying the rain with her.

"I hope that father gets the chance to bite off that man's head when you attack in a few days." He murmured softly after a moment, a surge of anger washing through his system at the idea of the Lord of Iron Town and his plans to destroy the forest.

Ranna sighed beneath him, but seemed to regret the choice is she winced at the pain it sent through her chest. "Yes... If he can, it will make life so much easier." She agreed, a growl rumbling up in her throat accompanying the words.

Kichiro curled back his upper lip. "But if our plan fails, I will need your help to get inside the walls so that I can do it myself." He growled, His hand reaching for a knife he had tied at his waist. The only reason he kept the man-made object around, though it thoroughly disgusted him, was the lack of his own fangs in his body, the absence of claws.

Turning her fierce yellow gaze onto her brother, Ranna wrinkled her muzzle to expose her glittering white teeth. "I swear to aid you my brother." She vowed, growling still more loudly.

Flooded with feelings of gratitude and satisfaction, Kichiro pressed his face into the soft fur at the she wolf's neck, envisioning the satisfying bite of his steel into the skin of the man's throat who wanted to destroy his home as the rain continued to fall.

Asuka held her body low, as close to Yakul as she could, listening to the wind stream by on each side of her. The thing was still following; she could hear it tearing through the fields. She could also hear her heart beating in her ears. Yakul panted under her, sprinting ahead. Asuka didn’t know where to take the beast, but she would have to turn and face it soon. Better now than any other time, she guessed. Folding Yakul’s reins over her legs, she straightened up, reaching for the bow on her back. Quickly, she aimed for the charging thing behind her, letting her arrow fly. It hit the target, the thing’s eye, and disappeared into the boar.

The sound that the beast emitted made Yakul stumbled. The elk tripped and fell, making Asuka tumbled to the ground with her bow still in her hand. The thing was still charging forward, making the bellowing sound, its mouth open wide. Asuka didn’t have enough time to run. Seconds passed, and the beast came to a stop before her, panting it’s disgusting breath all over her. The smell of it reminded Asuka of rotting meat, left out in the sun for attracting flies. She covered her nose with her sleeve, fighting the urge to vomit. The thing just stared at her with its one eye, waiting it seemed. After a minute, a low growl sounded from somewhere within.

“Humans must pay,” it said, making Asuka take a step back, “Many filthy, ungrateful humans must be repaid for the sins of few.” Its mouth rose and fell, a voice coming from it unlike any Asuka had heard before. It gave her chill bumps across her arms, and it filled her with an untapped anger. Seeing an opportunity, she aimed another arrow at the beast, this time aiming for the heart. The arrow hit, and the beast roared, crashing into the ground. Asuka was sent flying forward by the impact, and she landed just at the edge of the animal. The worms that fell from its mouth landed on her leg, sending burning pains up her body. She screamed, crawling away, swatting the things off her clothes. They had eaten through her pants, making her skin a rainbow of purple and blue. She bit her tongue, though, watching the body of the boar sizzle and burn, almost, leaving a pile of rotting flesh. The worms faded into the ground before her eyes, leaving the grass around the animal dead. Asuka crawled over to it, picking up a glinting piece of metal. She had no word for it.

All at once, Kichiro lifted his head and look towards the east. Almost as if a voice had cried out, seeming to come from a great distance. It spoke of pain and loss, of death and rage... But then the sensation passed, leaving the young man with a feeling of confusion about why he had lifted his head in the first place. Ranna shifted with the changing of his mood, lifting her great head from her paws to look back at her brother, twitching her ears with curiosity.

"What troubles you Kichiro?" She asked softly, her nose twitching as she sniffed at the air in search of a threat.

"... I'm not sure." He responded slowly, shaking his head once before turning to gaze out at the falling rain. "Something has happened though. Something bad..."

A low rumble of a growl bubbled up in the wolf's chest, her muzzle wrinkling. "Are father and Ichira in danger?" Beneath her white fur, her muscles tensed, preparing to spring into action at a moments notice.

Kichiro hastily soothed his sister by running his hands over her neck and chest, giving his head a sharp shake. "No. I don't think so. I'm not even sure something is really wrong. Just a feeling I had..." He reassured, feeling the gradual relaxation of muscles beneath his fingers.

Ranna growled again, turning her own brilliant eyes outwards towards the storm herself, paws shifting uneasily. She didn't quite understand how her brother knew something was wrong, couldn't say for certain that he was telling the truth about their family, but she couldn't deny the taste of tension in the air, something carried to them by the storm's wind that spoke of ill tidings... "... Perhaps it is simply the great spirit tiring of all this rain." She murmured after a moment, settling her head back onto her front legs. After all, Kichiro said that he wasn't quite sure he had really even sense danger.

"Or perhaps I'm just tired of it. I feel as if I will never be properly dry again." Kichiro responded with a small chuckle, earning a rumbling of laughter from the wolf, instantaneously dispelling the uncertainty that had begun to saturate the mood.

Asuka carried the peice of metal back to the village, where a crowd of men were gathering with spears and weapons ready. Their faces looked disappointed. Like they were sad to have missed the action. They watched her closely, eyeing the thing in her hand. Even Yakul didn't want to come near her. She limped slowly towards the one tent that she knew could help her. The men followed behind her, silently. As she pushed the tent open, the smell of incense wafted out towards her.

The Emishi people held high respect for medicine men. As the spiritual guides for their people, the medicine men held positions of great respect. They were chosen anew when the current medicine man or woman became too old to do his or her job. Yet, the spirits took care of their guides, and Ibaba the Medicine Man had been the guide for Asuka's father, grandfather, and great grandfather. The man could barely walk, and his eyes were clouded over in old age. Still, he sat up tall on his pillow when Asuka entered the tent. His eyes were shut, and he was humming in meditation.

"You've gotten yourself into some serious danger, Princess," the man said, eyes opening. Asuka sat down on the floor of the tent, cradling the shard. "Let me see what you've brought back." Asuka handed the peice over to Ibaba moving to cradle her throbbing leg. The pain was constant, but it had faded a little since the accident. The man turned the metal over in his hand, smelling it. His face contorted, closing his eyes again. "This metal is a thing called a bullet. A god forsaken creation. It is made to be shot at thing and strong enough to bore through skin and bone. The boar you killed must have been hunted. But he wasn't a normal boar. That boar is from the forest spirit territory, where all the animals are ancient spirits. He bore a grudge against humanity, which means the spirit must have been treated with great disrespect." Asuka jumped in surprise when the old man reached out and touched the open flesh on her leg.

"You bear that curse now, Princess."

Asuka looked around at the crowd of men that had gathered around her. They were the elders, her father's counsel. Her own father sat close by, a concerned look on his face. Ibaba continued, letting go of Asuka's leg.

"The curse will destroy you," he said, sharply, "But you will first need to make amends for the ill done to the boar spirit. You must go to the East, where the forest spirit resides and find a way to make up to him for the loss of the boar. Because you bear the curse, we must cut all ties with you, lest we be held responsible for what you've done."

Asuka took a quick breath. She was being exiled.

The huffing of great lungs suddenly drifted in from the rain, filling the cave with soft echoes of the panting that steadily increased in volume, drawing the attention of the wolf and human that was considered a wolf. They turned their heads in unison, Kichiro lifting his from where he had been resting it against Ranna's shoulder, gazing intently into the darkness beyond the mouth of stone until they spotted a pair of shapes moving like ghosts amid the falling droplets.

A smile of relief touched the young man's lips as he recognized the outline of the white figures, just as his sister came to the same realization and she thudded her tail against the ground behind her, a low howl of welcome coming from between her parted jaws. A moment later, a similarly pitched howl followed in answer, joined almost immediately by a deeper bass howl. It seemed like only a moment later when the two wolves sprinted into the cave, One right after another, pausing only long enough to shake the excess water from there fur. Kichiro grumbled slightly as he rubbed droplets from his face with the back of his forearm, but rose happily enough to greet his father and sister with Ranna.

"what did you discover?" He asked excitedly as the pair sank to their haunches, pink tongues lolling as they panted. "are the humans coming?"

"Yes!" Ichira responded triumphantly, her yellow eyes bright with excitement.

"We caught sight of their fires Beyond the next ridge." Marron continued in his deep rumble, The anticipation of the upcoming fight evident in his voice. "we will be able to ambush them the day after next."

The next few hours were the hardest of Asuka's life. She packed just what she and Yakul could carry, which was a change of clothes and a little food. Her father told her goodbye with little emotion, sending her away from the only place she had ever known. Ibaba had given her directions to the Forest Spirit's home; she just had to remember them. At the top of the hill overlooking her home, she turned and looked back one more time, unable to smile for the darkness that settled over her heart. A small figure raced up the hill, face covered in veils. Asuka squinted to see who it was.

"Tahiro, what are you doing?" she hissed, throwing the veils off the boy's face. He was out of breath, panting from the run. Tahiro was her best friend, had been since they were both just infants. Rumors around the village said that Tahiro was the King's illegitimate son, but even if that was true, he would never inherit the throne. He was the closest thing to a brother Asuka had.

"I wanted to give you this," he said, brows furrowed deep. He held out his hands, uncovering a small package. It was a bright blue dagger, shining in the light.

"How did you get this?" Asuka asked, stunned.

"My mother found it while she was cleaning the castle. Your father told her to get rid of it, but I took it from her. I knew it rightfully belonged to you." He was right. It had belonged to Asuka's now deceased mother. Asuka put the dagger around her neck, hugging Tahiro tightly. He nodded his head, taking off back towards the village.

Asuka took a deep breath. She mounted Yakul and nudged him into a run. The faster she got away, the easier it would be. They ran until they reached the next village, where they stopped and cooked some food and then moved on. Asuka kept her face covered, eyes down. People looked at her funny, the way she hid and limped. At the next village, there was a battle happening. Asuka raced past, feeling her leg pulse with pain. It wanted to fight. The anger under her skin was building up, trying to release itself. Asuka roared in pain, bringing Yakul to a stop. She got off, walking around in circles. Jerking her pants up, she rubbed the purple pulsing skin. The sounds of the battle drew nearer, and Asuka was glued to the ground, unable to move. Soldiers came around the corner, swords at the ready.

The next few minutes went by in a blur. Asuka found herself lost to the anger and pain in her leg. It seemed to make her move at an inhuman speed, powering the rest of her body. She had never been very good at hand to hand combat, but the curse powered her forward. When it was over, she stood panting in front of two destroyed human bodies. Limbs ripped from bodies, faces mutilated. Asuka mounted Yakul and ran, fighting tears.