A/N: Let's travel to the ancient Japan where youkais ruled the land. This is more like a prologue about Fey, but I think it's better If I put his adventure into the next chapter.
I highly recommend listening to Okami/Okamiden Original Soundtrack while you read this ;)

The island of Oki. A place that every traveller avoided far because its legends and rumours about the man-eating youkais and other fearful creatures. However, the rumours contained only a bit of the truth. Even if they lived on the island, Oki's demons were satisfied with the most small pranks that wouldn't hurt a fly. Not like the giant, winding sea serpent, Yofune Nushi, what devoured all beings what ventured into the waters of the area for almost a hundred year now.

Here on this isolated place lived Fey Rune, the rabbit youkai too, who was ridiculed by the others because of his unnatural jade-green eyes and they disowned him from their ranks. The other rabbits of Oki said the jade-eyed brings bad luck to their clan. That's the reason why he refused his animal form and continued to live as a human. That way no one said that he stood out from the others, because there weren't any human on the island of Oki. Sometimes he changed back in order to survive, but he still despised and hated that form more than anything.

The island and the other land were separated by the vast sea. He could see the long road that lead through the mountain, to the town inhabited by people. Sometimes the souls that drowned into the sea, praised the city of Inaba, but there were plenty of those who just told stories about their miserable lives before they left that world. In between these two extremes there were the rare ones which seemed to be neutral about the other side, so without any definite information Fey put aside all negative part and built a fairy tale city by himself, where they don't hate the youkais like him. But no matter what how he tried to cross to the other coast the sea didn't allow any attempt and before he got too far, accompanied by a strong wave the boy always returned home before the sea serpent could get him.

His only shelter was the evening light, which swept past the mountain from the city, when he sat on the rocky shore. But on an evening like that, something drifted to the shore not too far from him. After a closer look he saw a strange blue toy bear. It was worn out from the lot of use but surprisingly the toy introduced itself as Wandaba and he was from the city. But he told that he definitely wasn't a bear. He declared that he refused to listen any name except 'Wandaba-san'.

Once he was a human, but after his death his soul somehow stuck in a toy. He kept quiet about his age and the cause of why he was thrown into the water and Fey didn't insist on the subject, he was more interested in what was there where Wandaba-san came from. After all, it was better if he talked to a ghost who didn't lament on his death.

"And what's there? What kind of people? Is it true that everything is good yet sad?"

Wandaba-san wasn't really enthusiastic about the subject, because his whole body had been soaked by sea water, making movements difficult for him, but he answered the questions anyway.

"None of those!" he tried to squish out the water of his fur "They're ungrateful! You expose your heart to them and they are so grateful that they throw you into the sea! Or abandon you in a desolated road. So never believe what they say, boy!"

"I bet not all of them are like this" mused Fey and sat next to the toy. In the distance the lights of the city finally went out and slowly the reign of Tsukuyomi began in the night and the distance was once again cloaked in complete darkness.

"Boy, you're too optimistic. It's better if you don't deal with them. Here you have this beautiful little island. It's more than enough." then he added "In addition now it's not the wisest thing to travel to that cursed place. You know they say that the landlord became a demon."

"Landlord? What's that?"

"The man who control the rest. If you ask me they're doing more harm than good. A bunch of idiots, really."

Wandaba thought that the leader of the city was the stupidest man and made a terrible mistake, when he refused the sacrifice from the Yofune Nushi. The giant sea serpent had sunk all ships that ventured near the city from that day.

"Nothing is on this island and no one likes me" contended Fey "I think it would be better if I was on the other shore. At least, I would be free. Maybe I could find someone who likes me, or the rabbit clan what has green eyed members."

"I'm sure. My boy, you look really human to me, considering that you live on the island of Oki."

"But I'm not." smiled the youkai "You know, Wandaba-san, a part of the island belongs to the clan of rabbits. But they disowned me because I'm not like the rest of them." to prove his right he once again took the shape of a rabbit, but unlike his fellow rabbit relatives, his green eyes still shone from intellect.

"Well people looked out Momotaro from their ranks because of his size" said Wandaba wisely because he heard many stories from across the sea "Still, he became a great hero. Your relatives should be happy that you aren't like the others. Just look at me! I bet you can't find such a wonderful blue toy in Japan! I was made from the most expensive materials!"

"I wish the youkais here would think this too." he admitted sadly, but Wandaba didn't finished with this and continued his inspiring speeches about other creatures, but no matter what he did they always came back to the topic about the sea. While this had eased Fey's loneliness, his thoughts wandered off to that unknown land. The island was too little for him.

熊

Then, everything changed on a fateful autumn when a hungry fox attacked Wandaba in hope of food. Fey immediately rushed to his rescue, but by the time the youkai got there the toy was in a miserable condition. His yellowed wool came out here and there and along the seams his material was damaged too. He desperately tried to push back everything into the bear, but to no avail.

Wandaba was grumbling bitterly as if his soul had been torn out. He travelled the whole island to find someone who could help him, but none of his fellow youkai could repair the toy bear.

"He is made with a special yarn" said Sakisaka, the tailor of the earth rabbits, after he carefully inspected the damage. He tried his best, but the islanders rarely asked him for things like this.

"Can you heal him, Sakisaka-san?" asked Fey anxiously while in the background the bear declared that he isn't hurt a bit and he can walk.

"Yes, but unfortunately I can't fix him permanently. All new threads will weaken in two or three weeks, if he continues to strain them as he does now…" with his head he pointed at the bear on his table who tried to get down somehow. Sakisaka was the "master of fabric" or at least the others called him in this nickname. Originally he came to the island to recreate the copy of the night sky by embroiling every constellation into a silk blanket. After islanders seen his talent he often sewed clothes and other small gifts to the people, but he rarely had to use strong materials, other than for his own goal.

"But Wandaba-san will die if he has to sit more than two hour" said Fey in desperation. "There has to be another way! Just say it!"

"Well, if he is from the city then there must be a yarn for him. But I don't recommend you to go there" warned him Sakisaka as he left small finishing stitches on the toy "Even for a bigger youkai would be difficult crossing there, not you."

"All right" said Fey and he left the workshop with the patched up Wandaba. "Thank you."

He may be a rabbit, but it's time for him to cross the sea. There must be some other method except swimming. With one good trick he can defeat the Yofune Nushi. But if the demon doesn't appear, the sharks will... But the sharks weren't smart. He will come back before Wandaba notices him!

Notes about youkais and other creatures:

Youkais are demons in Japanese folkore ranging from the evil Oni to the mischievous Kitsune. Some youkai simply avoid human beings and, thus, trouble; they generally inhabit secluded areas far from human dwellings. Other youkai, however, choose to live near human settlements out of a true liking of mankind. Fey is a bakemono, in short an animal who became a demon and gained the ability of shapeshifting, though it's a bit different in his case.

The Yofune-Nushi was placated by the local fishing population by sacrificing a maiden on the thirteenth of every June to its lair under the island of Oki.