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Lykos: Lonely Mountain Written by Leo_Todrius and Trickster_D Inspired by and based on Mamoru Hosoda's "Wolf Children"

Thunder rumbled across the heavens and the rain was coming down with no end in sight. The storm had rolled in from the ocean and was saturating the countryside. The water poured down the sloping roads that snaked through the farmlands and it filled the rice paddies beyond capacity, washing down the terraced slopes of potatoes and celery. The grasses had grown long and lush in the wet winter and dawning spring. The countryside was wild with weather and nature.

The houses in the community were respectable. Their designs were old, but they were huge and comfortable. The sliding wall panels of the houses had been covered over with the anticipation of the rain and the wind. The storm shutters had seen many storms as well, but they faithfully protected the homes from one more challenge. The farmers had retreated inside to wait out the storm as they always did, leaving the community to feel eerily quiet. The power had gone out at some point, giving no outward sign to life, almost as if it was a ghost town - almost.

As quiet as the village seemed, though, the mountain above was far more lonely. There was a point at which nature started, untouched and unchallenged by man. The farmers had carved out their terraced fields with blood and sweat and tears. They had all worked hard to make the kind of life they wanted for themselves. Their strength and determination was enough to conquer any obstacle, but the top of the mountain was untouched. It was covered by dense trees, some pre-dating electricity. There were signs of bear dens, rabbit burrows and birds' nests. It was nature uninhibited, nature left to its own devices, almost nature protected.

Two feet trudged up the road, clad in white and black Nike hiking shoes. The water was so deep on the road it was like walking in a shallow stream. It had flooded in through the mesh and saturated the soles, giving each step a squishy sensation. The young man came to yet another stop, feeling the icy water on his feet, but his jet black eyes looked down into the water, watching leaves and dirt and earth worms and sticks being washed down and away, looking at how clean the road seemed beneath the surface.

His eyes lifted up, gazing first to the forest. The mighty branches of the ancient trees swayed and danced dangerously in the wind. Some of the limbs creaked, other trees swayed too much. The storm would do serious damage, there was little doubt about that... but while the forest took a brutal beating, the closest house to the forest was enduring as it had for many years.

The house was long and broad, the wood a deep and dark aged brown. There was a run down shed across the property and a well maintained SUV parked off to one side. It was the perfect farm house, roomy and spacious. The roof looked as though it had been repaired and maintained by hand with exquisite skill. It was something Tsukamu had to admire as he looked at it, even if he was chilled to the bone from the rain.

The young man inhaled deeply, letting the countless scents of nature fill his nostrils: even though everything was covered by the endless curtain of rain, his sensitive nose was still able to distinguish the different odors emanated by the trees surrounding the place, from the almost sickeningly sweetness of maple bark to the pungent fragrance of the colossal camphor tree that towered over its peers like a giant, its massive evergreen foliage spread over its smaller companions like a green umbrella to try and shield them from the fury of the storm, albeit without much success.

The aroma of the soaked ground under his equally drenched shoes was rich and pervasive, perturbed only now and then by the faint and viscid smell of earthworms, awoken from their deep dreamless slumber by the copious water that had impregnated the soil once again with the promises of countless future lives ready to be born along with the dawning spring. For someone like Tsukamu, who was born and raised in the outskirts of Tokyo and who usually wandered through a wooded area only once a month, being in such close proximity with an ancient forest - that, he thought, surely had been the home of countless kamis in the remote past - was nothing short of inebriating.

Of course, the presence of humans in the area was undeniable even for those relying only on smell; but - as if they were trying to pay respect to the ancestral roots of such a place - those sensory hints were muffled and not as intense as they should have been, especially to a werewolf nose: the distinct aroma of gasoline coming from the SUV, the hint of cleaning products used to polish the patio, both floral and chemical, the faint traces of multiple human beings that were quickly being washed away and erased by the intense rain... And in the middle of all that, like a tiny and yet unmistakable core, the familiar scent of a member of Tsukamu's species, coming right from the inside of the house. That trace too appeared to be somehow subdued, but not because of the storm: it was more like whoever lived there was actively trying to mask their own nature.

For a moment, still standing in the middle of the typhoon like a black-clad scarecrow, the young man couldn't help but thinking of Mio's words. "She doesn't want to leave, Tsukamu-san. I tried to convince her, I really did. Every time I go and visit her, I tell her to come and live with me in the city, but... She won't ever leave that place, not unless he does the same."

Tsukamu already knew a little bit of the situation, though until recently Mio had never spoken much about her family. Her parents had fallen in love in school, but her father had passed away the night of her brother's birth. Her mother had moved to the countryside to raise them and had done so for many years... but as she and her brother grew up, they drifted in opposite directions. Mio considered her lycanthropy a curse, while her brother... The thoughts still seemed surprising to Tsukamu. It seemed to go against the very nature of werewolves... Every werewolf wanted to be in a pack, didn't they? Still, there was only one place to find the answers he needed. After his very long journey he had finally arrived at Aina's house.

The young man was still standing outside the old wooden house, unsure on what to do: the windows had been blocked and no light whatsoever filtered through the cracks. Despite the black-out, no one had apparently lit candles in there, nor it was using any kind of lantern. Maybe she's not home, Tsukamu pondered. Maybe she had taken refuge at one of her neighbors' houses. He listened as hard as he could, trying to grasp the sound of a heartbeat, of heavy breathing or of any other kind of human noise coming from the inside, but the storm was too loud and thundering to allow him to hear things like those, despite the enhanced hearing any jinrou possessed. "Also, who knows, maybe she'll just pretend she's not home or something like that," he said to himself, his voice covered by the thick shroud of rain. "The only thing I can do is try and attract her attention."

He didn't like to do that, not at all. The Japanese people had made things very clear more than a century ago, when the last Honshu wolf had been mercilessly killed: Japan was not a country where wolves were welcome... Which was exquisitely ironic, since the keepers' main shrine was located in the very same country; that was the very reason why Tsukamu and his pack tried to keep the lowest profile possible: they gathered only once a month - when they couldn't possibly hide the excess of fur, muscles and fangs - and tried to live their lives as normal humans, to blend in with the rest of the society. To be good Japanese people, in other words, even if it meant to kill the wolves in their hearts a bit every single day.

Although, being surrounded by nature had awakened something inside the young man's heart: the smells, the sounds, the sensation of the typhoon drenching his clothes and skin, everything spoke of a simpler, more serene lifestyle. He didn't know Mio's mother, with the obvious exclusion of what the young woman had told him about her, but he could definitely understand why she had chosen such a verdant and peaceful place to raise two werewolf puppies. And so, as a way to respect such a selfless and courageous mother - and also because he had made a promise to Mio, and his innate sense of honor wouldn't have allowed him to break it - he raised his face towards the black, tumultuous sky and let out the strongest and most heartfelt howl he could manage to produce.

The howl resounded across the mountainside, bringing a surprising stillness. Even the typhoon seemed to hesitate at the presence of the howl. The wind died back a little, the rain hesitated before resuming its torment of the world below. For a moment Tsukamu was left alone in the void of his howl, but then he heard a scrambling at the house. One of the storm shutters shifted before nearly falling off the wall as a woman in her mid forties came sliding out onto the elevated porch that ringed the house.

"ISAMU!" she exclaimed, though she came to a dead stop, her brown eyes focusing on Tsukamu. She slowly started to blush and stood back upright, taking on a more proper position before she bowed deeply, "My apologies, I..." Aina trailed off. She was uncertain how to complete her sentence. She looked at the stranger, almost more startled that he was unfamiliar than the fact that he was not her son. It had been many, many years since she had interacted with anyone outside of the farming community.

Tsukamu took a deep breath, equally as embarrassed and confused as she was; he had acted purely on impulse, a part of his personality he wasn't very keen about, especially because it usually left him to face the consequences alone. So he lowered his head and the upper part of his back in a rigid and very formal bow, even if a veritable torrent of rain trickled down his already soppy shirt.

"Tsukishita-san, am I right?" he asked, his quite deep voice managing to penetrate the thunderous roar of the rain barely enough to be heard by the woman. "I am very sorry to show up without being announced. My name is Kamikiri Tsukamu, and I am part of your daughter's... of Mio-san's pack. May I come in? There is something I must discuss with you." Many individuals would have looked troubled or put upon, even with the requirements of Japanese hospitality... but Aina started to smile with a smile so true that it was surprising.

"Of course, come inside. Let's get you dried off." Aina said pleasantly as if they weren't standing in the middle of a storm. She turned and moved back into the home, drying her feet off on a mat by the door. Her shoes were set to the side, but she had responded to the howl with such speed that there was no time for footwear.

Tsukamu, respectful of the traditions of his people as always, carefully removed his soaking wet Nike shoes and placed them at a reasonable distance from those of the woman along with the pair of drenched white socks that looked deformed and swollen, like two drowned corpses after a flood. The wooden floor under his bare feet felt rougher and colder than he expected, but he fought the temptation of letting his animal half flow outside and getting furry and more resistant paws.

That would be humiliating, he said to himself with a shiver. I'm not a kid anymore, playing with a power I don't understand. I'm a grown man now, and I should behave as such. Never the less, his incredible sense of smell caught some subtle hints immediately registered by his brain: not many people had set place in the house as of late, with the obvious exception of its owner and perhaps one or two neighbors. The atmosphere, in the almost complete darkness, was one of quiet and calm sadness, a sancta sanctorum devoted to melancholy and to a patient, never ending wait.

It was modest and comfortable home. There were books and papers, patterns for sewing, even a pair of small stuffed animal wolves sitting on a stand in the corner... next to a vase of flowers in front of a picture of a man in his late twenties. The symbology wasn't lost on Tsukamu at all. It was a shrine, a shrine to Mio's father. The placement of the pair of wolves was troubling too.

She's not a widow, Tsukamu thought, and a gentle but deep jab of sorrow pierced his heart. She's still married to him. To the wolf who gave her a daughter and a son and left her too soon... But she will always be married to him.

The woman moved about the inside of the home to quickly prepare for company. It was obvious that no human could respond so well in the dark, but like Tsukamu, Aina was something else. The woman opened several drawers before withdrawing several towels, coming back to the doorway. Before Tsukamu had barely entered she was drying his head with the towels, then his torso. A few maternal rubs of the towel and she was shaking her head.

"You're so wet, how long were you out in the storm? I think I may have something dry for you to wear around here..." Aina said, lowering the towels. She looked into Tsukamu's eyes for a moment, almost searching their depths for something before the smile returned and she moved across the living room.

"Would you like some tea? With the power outage it isn't hot, but... it's from my own chamomile leaves. The neighbors say it's the best tasting on the mountain." Aina offered before she returned from the hall, holding a pair of jeans and a stretched out long sleeve white t-shirt. She pursed her lips a bit before she outstretched her arms, offering Tsukamu the dry outfit. The young werewolf took the simple clothes from the woman's hands with an almost religious reverence.

"The bathroom is right over here so you can change." Aina said politely. Tsukamu began the slow walk to the bathroom, looking at the clothes in his hand. Those aren't for me, he thought to himself. I wonder who they were destined for, though... The man who's not here anymore, or the boy who's somewhere out there, in the middle of the storm? The door squeaked gently as it opened and then shut behind Tsukamu, leaving him in a clean and modest bathroom. Teal green tiles covered the countertop, a contrast to the natural wood around the rest of the room.

There were hints that the bathroom belonged to a woman living alone and Aina's was the only smell that lingered, though a high shelf held a brand new toothbrush and a very plush soft midnight blue towel that looked as though it had never been used, ready for a guest perhaps. It didn't take Tsukamu long to change and he emerged. Freshly poured chamomile tea teased at his enhanced senses.

Aina knelt on a tatami mat before a low table, having filled two cups. She had also taken the time to light a few candles to provide light for her guest. Coming back from the bathroom, Tsukamu got a better look at the house from a new perspective. The kitchen had an immense refrigerator capable of holding enough food for a massive family and the rice cooker was rather large as well. Aina watched Tsukamu emerge with her ever present smile despite what might have caused pain to see someone else wearing those clothes.

"Tsukamu-kun, You said you are from Mio's pack as well?" Aina asked, waiting for his slight nod before she continued, "Is she doing well? How is her fiancé?"

"Takeru-kun? He's a very good boy," Tsukamu replied in total earnest; Takeru was the youngest keeper of their pack, but despite that he always behaved with a level of maturity well above his real age, and displayed remarkable seriousness and level-headedness... But he was also kind, attentive and gentle. "Since I'm their senpai, I tend to consider the two of them like younger siblings." Tsukamu's lips turned upwards in a tiny smile. "And he's a very good boyfriend." The fact that Mio was a werewolf had never seemed to bother Takeru in the least. He just loved her, even if she was quite different from the norm.

"Good, I'm very glad..." Aina said with a soft and proud smile before looking at Tsukamu with a bit of a twinkle in her eye. "Did Mio ever tell you how they met?" she added.

"Honestly, I've never asked," Tsukamu replied. "Mio-san is a friend, but... She never talks much about her life before she moved to Tokyo. Well, except about you, of course." And him, he added mentally, but didn't translate the thought into words. The evanescent yet pervasive presence of Aina's second-born child swirled around them like tentacles made out of invisible smoke: just like the dead husband who had never set a foot inside that house but who nonetheless was everywhere, the missing son's aura still lingered around like paw prints all over the simple furniture of the room. "I guess it's something related to, well... our condition, though," he added, trying not to sound rude. The woman nodded in reply.

"You are very astute." Aina said with a slight smirk, "Mio... From the moment she was born she was headstrong, courageous, forthright and true... It took a great deal of convincing for me to let her go to school, especially when she would slip back and forth between her forms so easily... But she went to school and she excelled. Socially, academically, it fit her so well. There was only one time where she... lost control." Aina said, reminiscing. Her eyes were distant as if she could see the memories playing before her. She blinked a few times before looking back at Tsukamu.

The young man gulped, even if he tried to mask the gesture by caressing his short black beard; being a wolf-born, he knew perfectly well what it meant to be a kid with the ability to turn into something not quite human with the same ease as taking his own shoes off. He still remembered with a pang of burning humiliation when he had asked his parents for the permit to join his middle school's baseball club, and the awkward and painful refusal that had followed. You have to understand, Tsukamu, his father had told him, his stoic expression full of microscopic cracks. His father, who had always masked his true self under the suit and tie of a grey, non-descript salaryman. We are not like them. We are stronger, faster, more resilient... And that's the very reason why we have to pretend we are weaker, slower and more frail. He had always been a man of principles, burying himself into a tedious, middle-class job only because of the love he felt for his wife and son, because he wanted to be able to support them... And yet, when the moon was full and the beast in her heart was insuppressible, his howl was usually the longest, and the most heart-breaking.

"So... That's how Takeru-san met her? By discovering her secret?" Tsukamu asked. Again Aina nodded.

"He was a new student, one that hadn't grown up with Mio. He could tell she was a little different... and as many young boys might, tried to determine why. He pestered her and followed her and in a slight scuffle she cut his ear with her claws. She was terrified and devastated, his mother was ready to rain down hell fire... But that boy... Swore it was a wolf that did it, not Mio. His ear healed, the school forgot about it, but he came every day for a month to make sure Mio had her homework, that she didn't lose interest in school. Over an hour's travel each direction!" Aina shook her head with a smile before her eyes fell to the floor, "When Mio went to high school in the city, he was right there with her and I don't believe he has ever left her side." she said softly. She was still smiling, though Tsukamu had sensed a change right near the end of her story. Her right hand was tight, her fingernails grazing her palm, threatening to cut into the flesh. There was something she had not shared so freely.

That's why are you still here, then, Tsukishita-san? Because you have never left his side, too? Tsukamu couldn't possibly bring himself to ask something like that, something so deeply personal and full of unresolved sorrow. Both of them knew why he was here, but none of them would've admitted it outright, especially not him: that was a private matter, and he had no right to meddle... And yet, he had promised something to Mio-san, to his dear packmate.

"Tsukishita-san..." He began before being interrupted.

"Please call me Aina, this community is a very relaxed one. The people here are very friendly and so am I." the woman conceded with a small and amused smile.

"Well, Aina-san... I guess you know why I came here to visit you," Tsukamu took a long breath, as if he was trying to gain some time... Or maybe he was just waiting for the woman to talk and free him of the burden in his chest, even if he knew that her own sorrow was much more deeply-rooted and difficult to eradicate. The expression he had seen on her face and her eyes when she had screamed the name of her son in the middle of the storm was not something he would've been able to forget soon. Aina folded her hands in her lap and nodded gently.

"Mio-chan is concerned that the coming Eclipse will be dangerous for people like us... That if I stay, alone, something bad could happen. She wishes me to come to Tokyo and live with her and her family to be safe and you have come once more to express these concerns?" Aina questioned in a steady and even tone, the ever-present smile still on her face. Tsukamu couldn't prevent his eyes from widening.

"W-well, yes. To be honest this is exactly why I am here." The young man stared at her, wondering if she - despite being a werewolf - had some latent keeper abilities, if she was a mind-reader of some kind. Then again, all parents had to be mind-readers to a certain degree. "We wolves, we... Are supposed to stick together. To help each other," he sighed, and immediately felt bad for letting his own internal anguish be so visible and manifest. "You know what my father always says, Aina-san? That the fact that our word for 'werewolf' is jinrou is very revealing of what we are, since it's made up of the ideograms of 'man' and 'wolf'... We are not men, and neither we are animals, and that's why we have to trust each other; because there's literally nothing else like us in this world." He sighed again, and bit his lower lip for a moment. "In a sense, we are the loneliest creatures on this planet, and being in a pack, at least... makes that solitude a bit more bearable, I think." Tsukamu shook his head, as if he was trying to cool himself down. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to sound depressing like that."

"You did not sound depressing, you sounded very wise..." Aina said softly, quieter than she had been since their meeting. She took a very slow breath, "It is an issue that I have been dealing with since my children were born." Aina said, lifting her tea cup to take a sip, making a soft grimace that it was so cold before setting it down again, "Hideo and I fell in love at Tokyo University, and I was the first person he ever revealed his true nature to. We both worked hard and got an apartment in the city... and then Mio was born.

"Back then... Hideo had been cut off from his kind for so long, and I knew so little about them that we decided it would be best to have a home birth, in case... the baby expressed her other side during birth... But she was born a beautiful, healthy little girl. Even as a baby she was curious and vibrant. A year later... our son Isamu was born... on a night rather like this one." Aina said, looking out toward the one uncovered door at the rain beyond.

Tsukamu followed her gaze as she looked at the storm. She was older than him, and the hardships of her life had taken their toll on her, at least a bit... But he could see why a werewolf could have decided to entrust her with his most private and difficult secret. She is the kind of woman who's worth falling in love with, he reflected. A small seed of sadness germinated in his heart when he noticed that Aina seemed transfixed by the falling rain; Tsukamu imagined her sitting alone in the darkness of her empty house, during each and every night of typhoon, her ears perked in the hope to see a familiar howl resonating in the distance.

"On the day he was born, Hideo went out to get groceries... but he didn't come back. After hours I took our children out in the rain to find him. I found the groceries, his wallet... and then, eventually... They found his body in the aqueduct, claimed he was a victim of a random stabbing... But I sometimes wonder if it was a hunter and he used his last chance to draw them away from us." Aina said, her eyes downcast at the floor, "I realized in that moment that I had never learned what I needed to be a jinrou. I knew nothing about our healing, our growth. There were so many things I had never asked Hideo... I only mention this because it set my children on the path, rather than to embrace both sides... to choose only one." Aina said.

"So... Mio chose the jin and Isamu the rou, ultimately?" Tsukamu asked, even if it was kind of obvious at that point. Still, considering the depiction Aina gave of her daughter, something that clashed with how demure and in control Mio was now, knowing what exactly had happened to her could certainly help him understanding more about the Tsukishita family.

"Exactly." Aina nodded softly, "While Mio had been strong and healthy, Isamu was a fussy baby. He always seemed to be crying and sick. Sometimes all I could do was stroke his back until he tired himself out. Still, they grew up little by little and their changes started to manifest. Any time Mio was upset, her wolf traits would emerge... Before long the neighbors were exhausted by Isamu's crying, convinced that we had pets that we weren't allowed to have. So often we came to the brink of someone discovering our secret, so we moved out here to the countryside."

"It must have been difficult, raising two wolf children on your own, Aina-san," Tsukamu said. For a moment he considered grabbing the woman's hand for a second to better express his concern, although he quickly decided against it; not only it would have been inappropriate, but it was clear that she still considered herself to be Hideo's bride, as Tsukamu had already come to realize.

"It was challenging, very challenging at first... Especially with their teething phase. I lost so much nice furniture..." She said, though her smile was warm for a moment, "I burned through my savings repairing the house and getting us situated. It became clear that we were going to run out of money and food, and my efforts to grow anything failed miserably... but the neighbors stepped in, gave me advice and guidance, the benefit of all their experience. Our crops started to grow, we had more than enough food... But none of that compared to the challenge of having jinrou children."

"I am a wolf-born, so I think I can understand what you mean, Aina-san," Tsukamu mused. "Except I was an only child, and..." And I had both parents. "But please, continue... I didn't mean to interrupt you." Aina nodded and gave him a courteous smile before resuming her recollection.

"Mio switched back and forth at the drop of a hat... Isamu remained quiet and shy, never venturing far from my shadow. The farming community continued to embrace us and time passed. It... Despite being a hard time, it was wonderful seeing Mio and Isamu being so free to be as they wanted to. Running along the trees, playing." Aina drifted off for a moment before looking back to Tsukamu, "Listen to this old lady talking your ear off..." Tsukamu shook his head.

"You are just a mother doting on her children. It's just natural." For a moment he thought about her own mother, her quiet and silent love usually expressed through looks and gentle caresses. Aina looked pleased by the words of the young wolf, and at the same time a bit more melancholic than before.

"Well... Mio overheard about pre-school from the other children in the community, and was insistent that she be allowed to attend. We worked for weeks to give her control over her wolf form, to keep it a secret. At first she had a hard time fitting in. While the other girls were focused on jewelry and pretty things, she was a tomboy. I think... her desire to be accepted, to build her friendships and find the company of others... helped her become more calm and reserved, to be the sweet and caring girl you know." Aina explained.

"So... That's how she found her own path," Tsukamu reflected. "She entered the human world, and the humans around her loved her back. She got a taste of humanity and decided that was what she wanted to be."

"Yes, I believe you are right... But for Isamu, it took longer to find his path. One year after Mio, he started school. She continued to grow more loved and succeed more and more, but Isamu's shyness... made him the target of bullies. Mio tried to defend him the best she could, but his spirit was wounded. I worry that... I was never able to teach him what he needed to know to defend himself, to be strong..." Aina said.

Tsukamu could feel the pain in the woman's voice. Being born as a wolf, he had never had many of the problems some of his packmates - the ones who had been turned via bite or through, well... exchange of bodily fluids - had had to face, one of which was the risk of becoming a direwolf, or alternatively a corpse. It was strange that someone like Aina, who was the portrait of demure grace, the perfect yamato nadeshiko, would've accepted the risk of being turned into a jinrou. I guess it was love, then, he pondered. She wanted to be on Hideo's side, no matter what... Not because he was a werewolf, but because he was the person she loved.

"Eventually Isamu stopped going to school," Aina went on. "Perhaps I should have made him, but... I let him come with me instead. Even being able to grow our own crops, we were running out of the life savings Hideo had left us... I took a job at a nature conservancy, and it was there that Isamu started to show his first inclinations of curiosity, to foster that spirit within him. We learned all about the animals and plants around here, how to protect them and foster them. They even had an American Wolf there for a while, but he made Isamu and I very sad. He had been born in domesticity and his spirit was very docile."

"A wolf in a cage..." Tsukamu murmured. "I imagine it wouldn't have been easy for both of you to see something like that... Especially for your son, Aina-san."

"You are right... I believe, even at that age he felt that it was a fate he never wanted to share... He felt a little more freedom without me enforcing his attendance in school, and with the job I was better able to support my children, and Mio seemed capable of supporting herself... It was her fifth year when she met Takeru-chan, when he learned and kept her secret. During that year... Isamu went up onto the mountain in his free time. He walked with the bears and the rabbits, he saw the birds grow and change, he even met an old fox... and called him Sensei." Aina said, her lips pursed a bit again, "He learned how to track and hunt, how to co-exist with nature there. For the first time in his life he had inner strength, confidence."

"Although, I guess having a jinrou who strived to be human and another who wanted to live like a wolf in the same house wasn't easy," Tsukamu suggested, and from Aina's rapidly changing expression he was sure he had made a hit.

"I still remember... the fight Mio and Isamu had. Their differing personalities came to a head. She told Isamu he should come to school, he challenged her and said that she should come into nature with him." Aina hesitated, "She... made it clear she only wanted to be human." Aina said, reminding herself that this was the point of the very long story she was telling, "As wolves tend to do, they sparred... for dominance. They broke tables and partitions and vases. They clawed and scratched and bit... Mio retreated, but I believe Isamu... felt he had won."

"And that's when he decided to, well..." For a moment, Tsukamu couldn't bring himself to say 'he decided to go away'. Aina, though, seemingly understood what he was thinking about, and nodded again. "The winter of that year was particularly harsh. A series of storms much worse than this one hit the country. The forest took a lot of damage. Sensei was injured, and eventually passed away. During the last storm Mio and Takeru were trapped at school by the rains... It was that day that Isamu... decided his place was on the mountain. I... left Mio at the school when I realized Isamu was gone. I charged up that mountain, I tried to get to him, I screamed until my voice was hoarse... But I had never learned to be a wolf either. My instincts were poor. I slipped and fell, I was hurt..."

"And then what happened?" Tsukamu asked. It was clear they were approaching the inevitable end of the story, and he could feel a subtle but intense rage mounting inside of him, a feeling directed towards the prodigal son who had egoistically chosen the way of the wolf. That's not how things should have gone, he thought, clenching his fists in impotent fury. It's not fair for a mother who can love her children with such an intensity to be simply cast aside in this way.

"Isamu found me and carried be to the base of the mountain, set me where I would be safe... and then he returned to the mountain." Aina said, rubbing her hands against one another gently, "When I heard him howl, when I heard that howl cross the mountains and the breaking clouds, I knew that was where he wanted to be, where he needed to be. It was the place that gave him strength, purpose, peace and joy. Every mother wants their children to be happy, and I spent twelve years working very hard for them to be happy. It is a blessing that in the end they are." Aina said. Despite the sadness, the pain, the longing and the loneliness, Tsukamu could see that she meant it - every word. She was content with nothing more than the fact that her children were doing what they loved. She never tried to find him after that day, even though she has never stopped thinking about him, Tsukamu realized. And never stopped waiting for him.

"Thank you for sharing the story of your lives with me, Aina-san," he said in a solemn tone, bowing his head out of pure respect. Even if that woman had never been suited for the life of a werewolf, he couldn't help but appreciating the reserved, quiet and unbreakable strength of her character, her patience and her unconditional love. "Maybe now it is time for me to do the same." He took a sip from the cup in front of him: the tea was cold, but the scent and flavor of chamomile somehow managed to warm his heart.

"It would only be fair after I took up so much of your time." She said with a soft smile, glancing to the window again, "Though the rain makes for a good time to share stories." Aina said. Tsukamu nodded a bit at that.

"You already guessed why I am here, Aina-san," Tsukamu recounted, his fingers tracing meaningless doodles on the surface of the small table. "Mio-san is worried about you, something that I'm sure doesn't take you by surprise," the young man looked at the woman straight in the eyes. "You said you know about the upcoming eclipse... Even though I don't think you have a keeper, right? Correct me if I'm wrong." Now that I think of it, I wonder what does she do during the full moons... Although I'm sure her primal form isn't that dangerous to begin with. "Are you experiencing dreams and visions, too?"

"I have no keeper, I never did. It might have been easier to raise the children if I did, but we were so afraid of exposing ourselves... I think the world must be different today. Perhaps there are more wolves." Aina said, wringing her hands gently, "My dreams are no different than before... except perhaps a little more vivid." She said. Tsukamu nodded at her words.

"I see. Personally, I only had a couple of very brief and confusing dreams so far... Something very vague, that I would've simply overlooked as standard nightmares: an ominous shadow looming over Tokyo, covering everything with its dark mantle. Some of us, although, are experiencing more... personal visions. Visions related to the ones who are dear to them." The young man cleared his throat and tried to mask the gesture by taking another small sip of the chamomile tea. "Of course, telling you the contents of Mio-san's dreams would be impolite to her... Although, in this world there is no one who knows a daughter better than her own mother."

"If there is a darkness coming, a threat we are not prepared for... I have to be here. Mio-chan has her pack, has her keeper... but... Isamu has no one, he is on that mountain by himself." Aina said gently.

"I came to this countryside village to convince you to join your daughter in Tokyo... But that's not the only reason why I am here, Aina-san." The young werewolf pressed the palms of his hands one against the other, as if he was praying. I should just say that, he told himself. This is what I promised to Mio-san, to my fellow beta and packmate. A promise from a jinrou to another. "What if I tell you that I want your son to come with us? What if I can find a way to try and convince Isamu to join the world of man once again?" Aina blinked a few times at that, her ever present smile faltering into one of confusion.

"I... I do not know if anyone has the power to change his mind, especially after five years. And..." Aina trailed off at that. For the first time in her life there was a conflict between her own happiness and that of her child. Her lip trembled gently as she contemplated it but she soon got her muscle back under control, wringing her hands a little more at that, "He would have to come willingly... Taking him off the mountain by force would only make him retreat further." she whispered.

"And what if he doesn't?" Tsukamu objected; he kept the tone of his voice calm and controlled, especially since he knew he was stepping on a psychological mine field. "Do you plan on waiting for him for the entirety of your life, Aina-san?" The young man lowered his eyes for a moment, but then raised them again, looking at the woman in front of him; her children weren't the only one torn between being a human and being a lone wolf. "I don't want to use force. I'll walk up the mountain as a man, not as an animal... I want to try and convince him through words, not by forcing him. I want him to know that he doesn't necessarily have to be alone."

"My life changed when I met Hideo... My purpose from that point on was family. I have been fortunate in my life... to have an extraordinary family and to love them all with all my heart. Beyond that, this community has become my family as well. We support one another, we help one another. I would be lying if I said I did not miss Isamu with all of my heart-" She paused, taking a breath, "Or if I said that ten years was not enough... or that I did not regret being unable to teach him anything he needed to live his life... But I am his mother, and if he ever needs me I need to be there for him." Aina paused, looking at Tsukamu for a long moment, "But... that is unfair to Mio, isn't it? Just like during the storm... Leaving her to face it herself while I try to save Isamu."

Tsukamu placed the back of his hand on the small table, his palm open, as if he was inviting Aina to grab it without outright saying it. "I am sorry, Aina-san... Your children followed divergent paths in their lives, but things don't necessarily have to go like this. We are not humans, and we are not wolves either: we must walk a thin line between two natures, and as I said... Doing it alone can break someone's heart." The eyes of the young werewolf shone sad, but oddly determined at the same time. "You love the two of them, Aina-san, with all your soul and all your heart... You love the humans and the wolves in them. That's why I'm asking you this: do you think it would be possible to convince Isamu to come back? You are still his mother, and if you don't allow me to try, I'll simply walk away." He stopped talking and stared into the depths of his now empty ceramic cup, as if he was trying to interpret the brownish remains, to divine his own future. As he gazed into his cup, Aina reached to wipe some tears from her cheek.

"Of course I want you to try... You may know something I don't, some way to convince him... And we can return to this mountain, I just... I want to see him again, at the very least... to know." Aina said, but there were so many things she wanted to know. Was he alright? Was he truly content? It was clear, seeing him even one more time would give her a kind of peace she had never known. The idea of him rejoining the human race, becoming more harmonious with both sides of his heritage... That was almost too much to hope for. Tsukamu got up on his feet, and addressed another courteous bow towards the woman sitting in front of him.

"There is no time to lose, then. I will find him, and I will talk to him... I have a promise to fulfill." The young man thought of Mio, at the last time he saw her... At the tears staining her cheeks and at the sound of her voice, so similar to that of her mother. I want to see him again, Tsukamu-san, she had told him too. I want to be able to tell him I'm sorry. "But first, I need any possible information you might have about Isamu's whereabouts, Aina-san."

"He only took me to meet Sensei once... At the heart of the forest there is a massive tree with roots crawling above the ground. It was near a small waterfall. If that is where the fox lingered, he would linger there as well." Aina said. Tsukamu nodded in reply.

"A waterfall, got it. Luckily, its sound is different enough from that of the rain... And finding the biggest tree nearby won't be a problem," the young werewolf caressed his slender but defined chest, and the white t-shirt covering it. "May I keep these clothes until I come back, Aina-san?" He seemed to ponder for a brief moment. "And... probably something that can remind him of you, of your former life could be useful." His eyes darted for a second towards the shrine dedicated to Aina's husband. "Something that smells familiar." Aina's eyes looked conflicted for a moment before she stood and moved over, taking a nervous breath before she picked up the small stuffed animal, the wolf made with fabric of midnight blue and white.

"It's all I have left, at least of anything he felt attached to... If he-" Aina nearly choked, "If he wants it, I want him to have it... but otherwise, you'll return it to me, right?"

"I-" Tsukamu felt conflicted for a moment, but then accepted the wolf plush. It felt so little and oddly warm between his fingers, as if it was a real puppy. "I will take good care of it, Aina-san. I promise." He looked at the woman for another long moment, his hair still a bit wet and stuck to his forehead. "I will go now. I will leave my clothes here... And my shoes, too. So that you know that I will come back."

"I think I will spend the time preparing a meal for your return. No matter the outcome, you will probably be hungry when you get back." Aina said, her smile as robust as ever. Tsukamu nodded, a grateful expression on his face.

"Thank you, Aina-san. I hope I will bring back good news... And someone else, too." He put the small stuffed wolf into the front pocket of his jeans and walked towards the front door of the house, ready to face the storm again.

******

The typhoon continued to ravage the countryside, but standing with his back to the house, Tsukamu could see its full wrath. The wind tested the limits of the trees, the ground was saturated and dangerous. It was nature's torment, but Tsukamu knew now it was even more of a torment for Aina. It was raining just as it had on the day she lost her husband, on the day Isamu had been born, and on the day she lost him to the wilderness. It had been five years since she had seen her son, five years since the ten year old had proclaimed himself a man and a defender of the forest.

That's going to be the hardest part, the man reflected while staring at the massive branches of the camphor tree being shaken by the intense wind. Trying to convince him that after all, this forest doesn't need a protector, that he's not a kami. That this is not his place. Tsukamu was standing at the border between the woods and the lawn encircling Aina's house; he was already drenched once again, the rain being absorbed by his bronzed skin and seeping right into his bones like droplets of cold steel; the young man took a small breath and closed his eyes. The only way I can hope to find him is to be like him, he thought.

Tsukamu had never been keen about taking advantage of the power of the wolf within himself; it wasn't a matter of not liking it - it was a very important part of himself and had shaped who Tsukamu had grown up to be, after all - but he had never thought it was fair to use it unless it was absolutely necessary... And indeed, the stormy night he had plunged himself into was one of said occasions.

Trying his best to ignore the typhoon ravaging the world around him, Tsukamu closed his eyes and concentrated; as always, it wasn't difficult to let the ookami pour out: he could feel his nails growing and honing to points, and less than a couple of seconds later both his fingers and toes were adorned by deadly claws. The palms of his hands and the soles of his feet developed sturdy leathery pads, allowing him to run with ease on every kind of surface without any fear of getting wounded; the man flexed his forepaws just as some strands of thick and luscious fur sprouted on their backs, bestowing upon them a decidedly feral shape.

Tsukamu bare his teeth, and the storm washed down on them as they elongated into fangs; a canine tongue darted outside, licking them and tasting the slightly salty flavor of the rain. His ears grew, covered in black peach fuzz, and his already excellent sense of hearing was instantly magnified by the change: he could even hear every single raindrop tapping on the lanceolate leaves of the camphor tree if he concentrated hard enough. The sensation was slightly alienating, as if he was listening to a myriad of fingers drumming on a single table.

His body felt warm, not because it was getting covered by fur - after all, even in his wolfman form his chest and limbs weren't particularly hairy - but for the energy that the wolf was pouring in his muscles, making them stronger, faster, nimbler and more resilient, giving him the energy he direly needed to climb a forest-covered mountain in the middle of a violent typhoon.

Tsukamu open his eyes wide, his irises now a vivid shade of gold. The werewolf took a deep breath and started running through the trees, just in time for a slick furry appendage to slither outside the confines of his pants; the charcoal black tail acting as the rudder of a ship to help Tsukamu maintain his balance even while he travelled at high speed in almost complete darkness on an uneven terrain. I have to find the place, quickly, he thought, his senses perked up. He has lived here for the past five years, it won't take long for him to realize there's an intruder in his territory.

Moving through the dense trees, it was easy to see how nature had endured untouched for five years. Even in the storm, it was clear that every furrow, every glade, every branch was pristine and as nature intended. The farmers didn't venture up into the trees, the animals had pure freedom. While Tsukamu's abilities made tracking easier, the storm was working against him. The ground was saturated, the muddy ground erasing tracks. Wind broke branches and twigs that otherwise might point signs to movement.

Luckily, the information that Aina had provided to him was pretty clear: a giant tree in the heart of the forest, near a waterfall; all Tsukamu had to do was to find a stream and follow it up the mountainside... which, in the middle of the thundering rain, was easier said than done. The wolfman wiped the hair sticking on his forehead with a hand-paw without stopping his running, but took a sudden halt in the middle of a small glade, his ears peeled in a desperate attempt to hear the faint roar of a mountain creek. His eyes shifted around, and caught an alien and yet incredibly familiar glow: from an underground burrow nearby, a big and fuzzy red fox - a female, judging from her smell - was staring at him with a mix of fear, awe and what looked like deference. Like she had recognized him somehow.

There was a moment of quiet, of calm, of recognition. Tsukamu knew the fox Isamu called Sensei had passed away, but where there had been one fox there was no doubt others. The fox watched Tsukamu carefully, but then its ears flattened. It had been the only warning Tsukamu had before he felt something hit him from the side. The world became a blur of motion and color as his back hit mud and rocks. A figure had tackled him and both were rolling down a slope. Branches swatted and snapped at them as they tumbled before the ground leveled out again.

Like a rubber ball, the figure bounced off of Tsukamu and landed on all fours a short distance away. Deep amber eyes gazed at Tsukamu, but the eyes did not belong to a human's face. Shaggy unkempt black hair hung down over the humanoid's head like an unruly mane. Two wolf ears stuck up from the top of the figure's skull and the slope of his face moved forward, the nose wide and dark. His jaw was much longer than normal, giving the young man more than a mere proto muzzle. It almost seemed as if he was trapped halfway between his were and his primal form.

The young man perched on a rock on all fours, his feet and hands both reduced to paws. The digits, even the hands and the lower forearms were covered in the same thick black shag of fur. Likewise, he had furry ankles and stray patches on his back and chest. A thick, bushed up black tail extended out behind him and slowly his leathery lips curled back, revealing his fangs as he began to growl. Isamu seemed to be the type of Jinrou that time forgot, a werewolf that might have belonged in ancient times at Nyctimus' side, victim to the curse far more than his present day kind... and yet this wolf boy was only fifteen years old.

Tsukamu stared at the sudden apparition with a mixture of confusion and horror; he couldn't divert his eyes from the creature in front of him while he got back on his feet with slow, circumspect movements. Whatever Isamu was, he certainly didn't look like a werewolf: the fangs in his misshapen muzzle weren't just pointed, but outright canine; his nose was that of a dog, and the expression in his eyes didn't betray any semblance of humanity. He was a young, yet majestic beast... Someone who had walked too far down the path of the wolf. How am I supposed to communicate with someone... with something like that? he asked him, getting ready for the inevitable assault.

Isamu could have lunged, could have taken advantage of his superior position... but he didn't. The eyes studied Tsukamu, looking at him with a curiosity much like Aina had shown. His forepaws dug into the rock a bit, just like how Aina had wrung her hands. The slight mannerisms were enough for Tsukamu to start seeing the human in the beast again. The shape of his arms, his ribs, his back. He had certainly headed down the path of the wolf more than anyone he had heard of, but it seemed the process was far from complete. At some fundamental level, the teenager seemed surprised to find anyone remotely similar to himself in the forest.

Well... It's at least worth a try, Tsukamu thought. He could see the human under the wolf, just like he had seen the wolf inside the human Mio many times during the full moons; their paths had been divergent, but they were still siblings. "Isamu," he said, articulating the name as best as he could despite the thunderous rain. "Isamu, I am a friend! Okay? Friend!" He screamed over the roaring storm, hoping that the young wolf-creature still remembered the human language enough to understand the attempt at communicating.

"That was your howl earlier," came the response, but it wasn't in Japanese. The words slipped into Tsukamu's soul in a way he had never experienced. It was some deeper form of communication, some lost art of the werewolves, one that bypassed the storm entirely and was received with perfect clarity. Isamu looked at Tsukamu before he stepped down from the rock with one paw, then the next, moving over slowly. He sniffed at the intruder to the forest before his eyes went wide in shock and he backed up, almost as if recoiling in fear.

"Don't be afraid," Tsukamu replied. He was taken aback by the words of the young wolf resonating inside his mind, but tried not to look or sound perplexed or hesitant. "My name is Tsukamu. I am like you." Well, not really. "I wanted to meet you, Isamu. I am not trying to invade your territory, okay?" He stared at him, golden eyes into golden eyes, even if Tsukamu found it difficult to sustain that stare: there was something powerful and feral in those irises... something ancestral.

"Why were you in my mother's home? Why are you here?" Isamu's voice was crystal clear in his mind once more with barely more than a shifting of the lips and a growl of the throat. It was almost as if their minds were linked, like the bond between a pet and its owner a thousand fold. He probably smelled some familiar scent coming from me, Tsukamu thought. No point hiding anything, then.

"I came here to talk with your mother, about you," he replied, still relying on his voice to communicate. "I am a friend of your sister... of Mio. She is worried about you, Isamu, and your mother feels the same." He knew it was risky to spill the beans so quickly, but he somehow felt he couldn't hide anything from Isamu... as if the young wolf could extract the secrets from his head anyway.

"They don't need to worry about me. I am where I belong." Isamu replied, though his tail slowly hung a little lower and his ears shifted, "How... is Mio?" came the question. It was the first chink in his armor, a connection with his past.

Tsukamu noticed the microscopic crack in Isamu's voice and behaviour and decided that it was best to strike while the iron was hot. "She misses you, Isamu," he replied in earnest. He couldn't lie with someone who could read his heartbeat like a children's book, after all. "This is why I'm here, in your forest... I wanted to give you a message from her. She wants you to know that she's sorry for what happened five years ago, for the time you had that huge fight."

Isamu had been ready to discuss the fight, to talk about their diverging paths, but Tsukamu had cut right to the quick, to the heart of the issue. The teenager looked at the ground, and as he did some of his features started to retract. The fur pulled back from around his eyes and nose, his muzzle retracted slightly. He shifted his jaw uncomfortably, feeling his humanity reassert itself for the first time in so long.

"I... I am sorry too. I should have understood where her place was, what made her happy." Isamu replied, though the clarity of his communication was harder to make out over the storm.

Tsukamu stared at the human traits emerging with a swift and small spark of triumph igniting in his chest: the whole thing apparently was going to be way easier than he had expected to; Isamu just needed someone to talk to, after all. "And you mother... Aina misses you too. When she heard me howling, she immediately rushed at the door of your house, thinking it was you," he explained, trying to touch the young wolf's heart. "It's been five years since you saw her for the last time, right?"

"I have seen her since then... She just hasn't seen me." Isamu said softly, "I was worried about her during the full moons at first, but she just watches the river..."

"The river?" Tsukamu repeated, frozen right on the spot in the middle of the endless rain. He still didn't dare taking a step towards Isamu, especially now that he was somehow managing to establish a bond. "Do you have any idea why she does that, Isamu?" I have to make him talk, he thought. The more he speaks with me, the more he'll remember what it means to be human... I'm sure of it.

Despite his efforts, Isamu didn't respond. He looked at Tsukamu for a long moment, thinking about what this stranger had said about Aina, about Mio. He thought about the past, everything he'd experienced, what he'd been doing. Tsukamu began to get a gut feeling, a twinge of his muscles telling him to get ready to pounce. It was the reaction he had to the animal instinct of others... Either to fight, or to flee.

In a blinding flash Isamu had turned and bolted, paws pounding against the ground as he ran, pushing through the brush at full speed. His movements were graceful and fluid, practiced and natural... but he was still limited by how much humanity remained in his muscles, in his body shape.

"Shit..." Tsukamu exclaimed, immediately darting behind him; he couldn't afford to lose him, especially since Isamu had an advantage of five years over him when it came to those woods. The werewolf ran through the bushes and the young trees, relying only on his animal instincts to be able to chase the young beast. Isamu was whipping along ahead, bounding from rock to rock, gaining altitude and moving higher up the mountain. Tsukamu could feel the adrenaline rushing through his veins, his heart pumping, his limbs responding by instinct. While Isamu was moving like a wolf, Tsukamu was moving like a wolf man. He braced down and pushed off, leaping in a high arc, catching hold of an outcropping.

Every time Isamu started to make major headway, Tsukamu made his own shortcut. The two advanced, higher and higher. The trees were becoming sparser, the soil less friendly. They were going to run out of mountain before too long... but that would also mean Isamu would be cornered, and a cornered wolf was the most dangerous kind. He had been cornered by his emotions and it had caused him to flee, that much was clear. The stoic heart of an adult wolf was incompatible with a teenager knowing his mother missed him.

Despite that, Tsukamu wasn't ready to give up: he would've tried everything within his power to convince Isamu to go back to his mother and sister; since he was a kid, he had always held the firm belief that - despite what his father had always told him about keeping a low profile - there was certainly a reason why he had been blessed with the strength, the speed, the agility and the heightened senses of an ookami; he wanted to make the best of his abilities, even if it was just to reunite a confused adolescent wolf with his family.

And so he ran. He ran through spots of thorny bushes, through the incessant rain, through uneven landscapes of big rocks, steep slopes and the occasional creek. He ran through the sonorous thunders, the liquid drumming of the droplets falling from the dark skies and the howling of the wind. He ran through the smell of the wet ground, the subtle yet persistent stench of fear emanated by woodland creatures surprised by the two wolves chasing each other and the peculiar trace of scent emitted by the fleeting Isamu, dangerous and yet fragile at the same time, like a rose made out of glass.

The last of the trees fell away behind them as they came up to the summit of the mountain. The wind was terrible, the ground slick and dangerous. Isamu had relied on the wilderness he had protected for so long to protect him, but his predator had cut through it like it was nothing. He turned around to face his adversary, backing up toward the edge of the rocky outcropping. His yellow eyes regarded Tsukamu in a way that was not direct fear, but perhaps fear of what the werewolf represented... but there was nowhere else to run.

Tsukamu looked back at him, slightly panting through his pointed fangs; he tried to keep his expression as calm and unmenacing as possible, but there had been something in that chase, in being immersed into the untouched nature in the company of a somewhat otherworldly creature that was making him feel like a true predator.

"Listen to me, Isamu!" he screamed over the roaring storm. "I'm not an enemy or a threat! I'm just here to talk, about your family and about you!" He felt the vines of rage trying to wrap around his heart, but he managed to keep it in check: that wasn't the right time to let fury obfuscate his thoughts. Isamu said nothing in response, standing in silence as the rain pelted his hybrid body and the wind whipped through his hair. The silence lingered for a long moment, then several. His maw parted as if to speak but then closed again. There were no words, nothing seemed to fit... and then his amber eyes faded back to an almond brown color.

Tsukamu saw before him not a wolf beast, but a vulnerable teenager reflecting on his life... Of so many years sickly and scared, replaced by the strength of a unified purpose, a drive, and the call of nature. He had entered the forest feeling as if Mio didn't need him, and that his mother understood... but Isamu knew that some small part of himself had been ignoring reality, shutting out the truth. He knew why Aina looked into the river, she was reflecting on her past, on the lost future, on her entire life that had revolved around her children...

Aina had given every ounce of her strength to them. When they gnawed the furniture to pieces, knocked down everything, when they made her life impossible to cope with... she had handled it with demure grace. She sacrificed the comfort of the city, a decent job... Aina had given everything to them, including her blessing to live their lives as they chose fit - and she had waited for five years in case he changed his mind.

Isamu looked into Tsukamu's eyes with true, heart wrenching shock. The look was startling, enough that Tsukamu didn't realize the werewolf was trembling before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed, landing into a furry heap on the peak of the mountain. The wind continued to whip and blow at his fur, but steadily the fur began to retract. It pulled into the flesh on the back of his hands and his arms as his paw pads melted away. The fur on his chest disappeared and his face began to revert.

Before Tsukamu's eyes, the wolf muzzle disappeared to leave the face of a fifteen year old boy, though it seemed his body still didn't quite remember how a human was supposed to look. His cheeks were still dominated by fluffy black hair and the wolf ears on the very top of his head remained just as they had been, fully animal. His hands lay limp at his sides, his human palms calloused and his claws lingering in full view.

In his unconscious state, Isamu's legs slowly reverted, taking on more human muscle as the fur was reabsorbed. His feet reshaped with an almost audible series of pops and shifts. While they took on a more human shape, the claws remained and they were larger than any normal Japanese teenager. His body continued to change for moments longer, leaving him with a thick black tail draped over his naked hip, giving him what little modesty he had.

The typhoon continued as it had for hours, the rain drops now rolling down soft bare skin. Almost human, Tsukamu could see that Isamu had built up muscle in his arms and legs, but his abdomen seemed almost malnourished and thin. It couldn't have been easy hunting off of the land and surviving on only what was on the mountain when one was the guardian of the animals; and likewise, Tsukamu was sure that Isamu had been noble enough not to steal anything from the village. For a moment, he wondered if Aina had ever left some food on her porch, hoping for his son to come and eat it.

The young man took a few steps forward, still a bit uncertain on what to do: Isamu had fainted, but what was going to happen the moment he woke up? He had made a connection, he had reached Isamu deeply and cut through the years of armor he had built up. The success of his quest hung in the balance based on what he would do next.

Tsukamu advance a bit more, finally reaching the place where Isamu was lying and stared down at his slender body being washed by the incessant rain for a moment: he looked so frail and helpless, despite the wolf bits standing out and giving him a strange, feral look. Tsukamu crouched down and passed his arms under his back and legs, getting ready to lift his unconscious body up.

With a mental count, Tsukamu hoisted Isamu's body up, surprised at how easy it was. Damn, he is so thin... Tsukamu thought. He stood there for a second, unsure on what to do next. There was some thought in the back of his mind, something indistinct and vague that he cannot pinpoint... Until he felt something tiny pressing against his leg. Even if his hands were occupied, he somehow manage to fish the small wolf plush out of the pocket of his jeans, and placed it between the hands of Isamu, whose head was resting against his chest. The teenager's fingers instinctively closed around the stuffed animal but soon relaxed, holding it tenderly in sleep. It seemed he recognized the familiar object even while unconscious. Tsukamu stared at him for a moment with a gentle smile on his face, then his golden eyes focused. It was time to start the descent.

******

Tsukamu emerged from the forest, almost stumbling over an exposed root; the wolf boy nestled inside his arms, still unconscious, bobbed his head left and right as if he was a broken marionette. The young man looked around, trying to find some benchmarks: he had simply darted down the slope with no care nor concern, just making sure he was on the right side of the mountain. With some dismay, Tsukamu realized he wasn't in the vicinity of Aina's house: the only buildings he could see from where he was were a couple of country houses, old but kept in pristine conditions.

Luckily, he realized after a quick glance that he could see the green crown of the huge camphor tree emerging from the forest top, and decided to rely on that to find the right direction. The journey took some time despite having found his direction, giving Tsukamu enough time to think. While being naked was natural for the guardian of the forest, reuniting a teenage boy with one's mother stark naked wasn't entirely picturesque. He knew Aina had plenty of clothes in the house, but going in to fetch them and returning could spoil the crucial moment.

Taking a glance down at the stretched out white shirt he had been given, Tsukamu knew that this had been the moment Aina had been preparing for. It seemed long enough to cover his torso and descend the vital several inches further down... Enough for modesty, enough to get in the house. Being sure no occupant of the nearest house would mind, Tsukamu placed the unconscious boy on the patio and took of his shirt, showing his toned physique and his pecs covered in fleecy black fur. The cloth was drenched, but after all it was more a matter of covering Isamu than protecting him from the fury of the elements; Tsukamu quickly dressed him and placed the little plush back into his clawed hands before resuming his trek.

It felt like an eternity, but Tsukamu slowed as he reached the outskirts of Aina's property. The water ran down the road over his bare feet, but it felt more comfortable than it had in his shoes. Somehow the whole experience had brought him closer to his inner wolf, to his instincts. Standing before the house, Tsukamu tried to figure out what his next move was, how he'd proceed. It was only then that he felt movement in his arms. Isamu blinked a few times before he took an inhalation of breath and looked down at the shirt.

"I look like dad..." he murmured softly to himself before looking up at Tsukamu. The young man felt an instinctive desire to protect the boy resting in his arms, to keep him safe: now that he wasn't playing the part of the protector of the forest, he looked frail and in need for some affection. Nonetheless, what he had just said seemed quite weird.

"Do you remember... your dad?" he asked him. From what Aina had said, Hideo had died the very day Isamu had been born. Isamu shook his head.

"No, but... Mom had lots of pictures and she was-" Isamu coughed, his voice hoarse and raw. He hadn't used it in so long that it was hard to speak. Still, his wolf immune system started working on the damage as it was needed. Isamu cleared his throat and tried again, "So good at telling stories, it was like we knew all about him." Isamu murmured.

Tsukamu pulled the adolescent a bit closer, making him rest his head against the bare chest: he was sure that feeling a heartbeat would've helped Isamu feeling a bit more calm.

"We are home," he simply said in a calm voice. "Want to see her again? Your mother is inside, she's waiting for you." Isamu looked up at Tsukamu with big, sad brown eyes. There was fear in his heart, but none of it was from his mother. He knew Aina would be tolerant, understanding and full of love. The teenager carefully climbed out of Tsukamu's arms and stretched back upright, trying to get used to being mostly human again. He gave the shirt a few tugs at the base to bring it down before he looked at Tsukamu, hoping this strange, brave wolf would make the next part easier.

"Would you do something for me?" Tsukamu asked with a small grin. He couldn't help it, he had a penchant for dramatic entrances.

"What?" Isamu asked, uncertain about the whole situation. Tsukamu ruffled the boy's hair in a brotherly manner.

"Howl with me, okay?" Tsukamu asked. Isamu's eyebrow quirked a bit, but it was far from the strangest thing he had done in years. He tipped his head back, parted his lips and then let out a resounding, deep, resonating howl that Tsukamu could feel reverberating in his chest and on his diaphragm; the man smiled and joined him, their voices strengthening each other and echoing all around the valley, and for a moment they sounded more intense than the storm itself.

The door swung open and Aina was standing there, eyes wide. There was complete stillness in the air, as if Aina was afraid of breaking the moment in time, and as if Isamu wasn't sure what to do. He stood a few feet from the doorway, his wolf ears folding flat against his head, his tail tucked between his legs. They might have not have moved for some time, but slowly Isamu looked up and saw tears starting to streak down Aina's face... a face brightened by a wider smile than she had smiled in years.

Isamu's lips trembled before he lunged forward and wrapped his arms around her, laying his head on her shoulder. Aina began to sob for joy openly, making a soft surprised noise at how tall Isamu was now, but the surprise was nothing compared to the reconnection. She wrapped her arms around her son and held on for dear life, hugging him tightly, never wanting to let go. She reached up and pet his wet, dark hair, feeling his wolf ears... but she said nothing. She didn't care how he looked. The only thing in the universe that mattered was that her son had finally come home.

******

The sounds of the storm had dissipated as the sun had set, the wind dying back and leaving only moderate rain. The sounds of it dripping down from the roof and splattering on the ground below was almost tranquil, though it was hard to hear over the sounds from the kitchen. Aina had started up her emergency generator to give the house power and she had cooked up enough food to feed an army... though it seemed that Isamu was making up for lost time.

The teenager sat at the table shoveling fried rice into his fang filled mouth with a midnight blue set of chopsticks. He barely chewed it up before gulping it down, his eyes half lidded in great relief as bits of pork fell apart across his tongue. He looked quite different than he had on the mountain, dressed in a sky blue long sleeve t-shirt and soft black pajama pants, his tail dipping off the side of the chair.

Aina moved back and forth from the kitchen to the table, refilling any portions that needed it, ensuring that Tsukamu had plenty to eat as well. She radiated a kind of joy that Tsukamu had almost never seen before in his life. It was as if she was broadcasting it to others, making his own heart flutter with acceptance, excitement and love.

"Thanks for all the food, Aina-san," Tsukamu said. Despite being incredibly hungry too, he was showing some moderation in stuffing himself with food. He was still a visitor, after all, even if he was sure that after what he had done Aina would've been more than glad to feed him until the end of the days. "Everything tastes great," he added, nodding with his head in appreciation and respect.

"If there's anything else you want, just let me know." Aina said happily. Isamu looked up at that, his brows lowering.

"Come and eat, mom..." He said with loving impatience. Aina's smile quirked a bit at that and how right it felt. She looked over at Tsukamu but had faith that he would understand. She moved over to the table and sat down across from Isamu and began dishing herself up, watching her son eat as she did the same. It was as if the cracks in the family were finally cementing back together once and for all. Tsukamu could see the full strength of their family reasserting itself and he knew if they had been that strong apart, nothing could stop them when they were together.

******

Tsukamu rested against the big and soft seat of the shinkansen train he was traveling on; after the night had been over, he had managed to find a place on the first Kodama heading to Tokyo. His eyes a bit unfocused, the young werewolf reflected with a small smile on the name of the train, 'echo', and he could still hear in his ears the powerful and almost supernatural howling of Isamu resonating through the valley and bouncing against the side of the mountains. I'm sure he will be a great werewolf, he thought. An alpha, even.

The onyx black stare of the man wandered outside the wide window of the train: rice field after rice field darted in front of him in a confusing blur, square and shallow and dotted with tender and verdant green sprouts. Even now that the issue with Mio-san's family had been solved, he still couldn't get rid of the vision of Isamu materializing in front of him for the first time, as the apparition had been branded directly on the surface of his brain.

He was a jinrou, he reflected. A real one. Not a man, not a wolf, not even something in between... He was the perfect synthesis of two diverging concepts. Suddenly, he felt a small twinge of sadness: he had remembered the strange, extremely deep form of communication Isamu had used, something that didn't need words to convey concepts and feelings, a language that spoke directly to souls. Did I... destroy something unique? An art lost in time?

Tsukamu shook his head. Well, no point in ruminate on that; the werewolf lowered his eyelids again and tried to catch some well-deserved sleep. After all, Tokyo station was the end of the line. The rumble of the rails, the sound of the wind outside, the passing train signals - it was amazing what strange noises werewolves found comforting, but it ushered Tsukamu into a sleep, a deep sleep.

His mind drifted and rested and swam around in a swirling mix of colors and senses before images began to take shape... Images of an ornately decorated room. Tsukamu looked around, trying to get his bearings. It almost seemed like some sort of shrine, though it was immense. Moonlight spilled down the center of the building, landing on the carefully decorated floor. There were many, many people around him... Some werewolves, others humans - no doubt keepers.

Tsukamu felt a familiar heat washing over him, the heat boiling in his senses, the heat drawing out his wolf. He watched his hands change, his arms, his feet. He felt his back shifting... but something was wrong, something was different. A darkness began to swallow the moonlight, a shadow crossing that colossal white glowing sphere. The strength that Tsukamu relied on began to drain away. As quickly as the changes had started, they were reverting. It left Tsukamu feeling drained, weakened, empty.

The man darted his eyes around in confusion and fear: was that happening for real? He knew he was on the train, but everything seemed so real, so palpable... He tried to force himself to wake up, but even if he had recognized the lucid dream it was still impossible to break the shell of the strange and intense vision all around him.

A deep and rumbling thud came from the doorway, then another. There was a growling and gnashing outside. The keepers moved to began casting a barrier, the pearlescent white light building up across the door. The door rumbled and shook before it erupted into splinters and shards of wood. Crimson red eyes gazed in, meeting with Tsukamu's, then the others.

The man felt a powerful and irresistible fear wrapping around his limbs like a poisonous cocoon. He had never seen irises like those in the waking world, but he had listened to the stories of his own keepers, and they were unmistakable: direwolves. The monsters discarding their skin every time they changed, the horrible abominations that died and were born once again instead of letting their wolves emerge from their bodies in harmony.

Six, then seven direwolves stood outside of the shrine, standing upright as if they had some semblance of their humanity. The full moon had brought out their animal selves, but the eclipse had left them with their human intellect. There was no instinct, it was a plan. The direwolves reached out and began putting their claws against the field, starting to push against it. The keepers focused and struggled, trying to keep everything in check.

Tsukamu's ears quirked. Even without access to his wolf, something was off. He glanced up just in time to see a menacing black shadow drop down the center of the tower, another direwolf landing in the midst of the crowd. Screams echoed out, people trying to back away. As keepers and wolves ran for the stairs to get higher ground, there was one that did not. Tsukamu turned, seeing Isamu move over to the one wall that was different than the rest.

The fifteen year old's clawed hands reached up and wrapped around the shepherd's staff that was there, pulling it from its place of reverence. He turned and moved with a run toward the direwolf, bringing the staff up, ready to beat the direwolf up with the holy relic... but as he brought it up, the interrupted hexagonal crook glimmered. The air rippled beneath the direwolf and he was swept off his feet, sent sailing into the wall with a resounding crunch.

Isamu tilted his head gently before his lips curled into a menacing growl. He wielded the staff around himself and the light grew, sliding down the staff itself toward his hands. The direwolf began to slide down along the floor, circling with Isamu's motions before the teenager let out a wicked grunt and swung the staff upright. The direwolf was flung against the pull of gravity like a rag doll, hurtled through the gap and out the top of the tower. There was a long silence and then a series of crashes outside before the black, bloody body landed just behind his accomplices.

The direwolves at the gate stopped, their plan interrupted. Isamu met eyes with them, showing no fear, no hesitation. He was no longer just the guardian of the forest... He was a guardian of all life.

And then, despite his worries, despite the dire situation and the power of the eclipse impairing and chaining his wolf, Tsukamu couldn't help but feeling a seed of happiness sprouting inside his soul. Maybe... I did the right thing, he thought. Not just for Isamu, for Mio-san and for Aina-san... For everyone? He lifted a hand, trying to reach the boy he had saved from a solitary life on the mountains; that was the very first moment he wanted the dream to go on at least a little bit, he woke up... but the dream world shattered around his senses as his eyes slipped back open. Once more the landscape swept past before him, the suburbs filtering into view as the countryside was left behind.

"What... what was that?" he asked himself, his right arm still outstretched in front of him. A vision? Just a premonitory dream? Nothing more than the concretion of his inner fears given a confusing and dreadful form? His eyes, heavy because of the traces of sleep still trapped under his eyelids, looked outside the window at the familiar shapes of the progressively bigger condos peppered all around the outskirts of Tokyo. I need to confer with my keepers about this, he pondered. But first, there's another person I have to speak with: I have to talk to Mio-san, tell her everything. Tell her that for the first time in five years... She finally has a family again.