It was pouring down rain, the sky black with clouds and winds icy cold. A tiny little soul ran for his life away from a violent monster, both creatures going unseen by the mortal world. They were ghosts, members of the spirit world to which the living are blind to.
But the tiny soul was no ordinary creature. It was a wolf, a young pup of only a few weeks old, yet about the size of a full grown bobcat. Its fur was white with black paws and ears, a fluff of blue mane running down its short neck. Its tail was long and fluffy and there were small puffs of blue fur running down the backs of its legs. The tiny creature turned its head back, noticing the monster getting closer and widening its amber eyes in terror.
"Help me!" He howled, hoping someone would save him.
He knew he wasn't a normal soul, but that was why he was there. From the minute of his birth the pup knew he had a mission to carry out and had been in the process of finding the one to help him do it when the monster had come for him. Now he was running for his life on the rough streets of Karakura Town, his paws beginning to rub raw from the concrete and asphalt and his limbs growing weary. Even though he was more than an ordinary wolf, as a pup he was rather useless.
"Get back here you useless mutt!" The monster growled, reaching an ivory clawed hand out to grab the terrified wolf.
"No!" The pup snapped, putting on a short burst of speed to escape the talons.
Growling again, the humanoid bear monster kept going, trying to catch the tiny wolf that was eluding him. The pup kept running, nose in the air and trying to locate the home of the one who would protect him. But with the hard pouring rain, the very same that soaked him through his fluffy fur down to his bones, he could not find their scent.
The pup turned a corner, noticing that there was a light on in the house ahead, and that the house was connected to another building with a sign above it. At first the words were foreign to the frightened pup, but as his truth gazing eyes adjusted, he realized the words said 'Kurosaki Clinic'. His brain began to run as he thought about what the words meant. Kurosaki must be the name of the owners, and the word clinic was the term humans used for places of healing. Though he was eager to find help, the pup knew he had to lose his pursuer first.
As he got closer to the clinic, intending to rush past and around the corner, a smell, still faint, crept into his nose. It was the scent he'd been looking for. He yipped happily, almost stopping, before remembering his hunter.
"Come here you da-!" The monster's voice cut out as a sword split its mask apart and it disintegrated into blue spirit particles. The pup skidded to a stop, whimpering as his soft pads finally split open from the friction and the warm blood seeped into his fur and onto the asphalt.
"Whoa, this is different." Spoke the wielder of the sword that had saved the pup. "I'm not used to rescuing puppies."
The man was very tall, towering over the pup easily. He was a fairly young man with bright orange hair about to touch his shoulders and dark brown eyes, which were currently looking at the tiny, strange colored pup curiously. He was dressed in a black Shihakusho with a large red strap around his chest and black X tattoo bands on his wrists, ankles and chest with a black collar lined in white around his neck. He held an enormous black sword in his hand and the pup glanced at it warily before relaxing at the sight of the man.
"You are Kurosaki Ichigo, right?" The pup asked in a human voice, speaking Japanese.
This seemed to startle the man and he knelt down next to the small creature, setting his sword on his back where white cloth reached around and enveloped it.
"Yeah... What are you?" The man, dubbed Ichigo, questioned the pup.
"I cannot tell you now." He replied. "But my name is Aberon."
"Alright, Aberon, what brings you here?"
"I came to find you." He said, and attempted to step forward. Pain shot up the pup's limb as the raw and bleeding pad hit sharp asphalt and he yelped loudly.
"Damn, you must have been running forever to have paws like that." Ichigo frowned at the blood matting the strange pup's fur. "I'm no vet, and neither is my old man, but we can at least do something."
Very carefully so as not to hurt Aberon, Ichigo picked him up and carried him into the clinic, ignoring the sticky blood staining his hands and uniform. The man still wanted to ask about what Aberon meant by 'looking for him' but let it be for now until the pup was in better shape.
"Oi, Oyaji!" Ichigo called out in the direction of the house. Aberon's little black ears flattened back at the noise. "Come here for a minute!"
There was some grumbling and a shouting noise before a black haired man stumbled into the clinic and noticed his dripping wet son holding a white and blue wolf pup.
"What in the world, Ichigo?" The man gaped, stomping over to the pair and peering down at the pup. "You know I'm not a vet or anything."
"I know, but his paws are bleeding." Ichigo countered. "Surely we can help with that at least."
"True." The man nodded. "Alright, bring him over here and we'll clean that out and wrap it up."
"You are a Shinigami are you not?" Aberon spoke up and Ichigo's father froze. "They have a healing spell, do they not?"
"You know about Shinigami?" Ichigo asked the pup, bewildered.
"I can see the truth in your eyes." Aberon looked up at the young man, amber eyes alight with wisdom despite being only weeks old. "He is Kurosaki Isshin, your father and a former Shinigami."
"What is that animal, Ichigo?" Isshin turned to his son, looking more guarded and suspicious.
"I don't know, he was being chased by a Hollow." Ichigo scowled back. "Said he was looking for me."
"Do not be alarmed." Aberon said, whimpering slightly as he saw the suspicion and hostility in Isshin's expression. "I intend no harm and I do not lie. I see the truth, therefore I must tell it too. I do not want a fight."
Isshin didn't answer at first, looking at the pup with a seemingly unemotional face. But Aberon saw him thinking about whether or not to trust him. Sighing, Isshin walked over and picked up the tiny wolf, placing him gently onto one of the beds and walking over to one of the cabinets.
"You're lucky Ichigo came home from college for Spring Break, though with this storm we haven't gotten to do much as a family." Isshin began to speak. "I probably would have let the Hollow pass by since it was a weak one and I didn't sense you at all, but Ichigo ran right out."
"I didn't sense him either, I just didn't like that Hollow being so close to home." Ichigo corrected. "Wasn't until I killed the thing that I noticed him standing there."
"Whatever the case, he probably would be dead if you hadn't jumped out as quickly as you had." Isshin stepped back over to the pup and lifted a paw. "Hold your breath, this will sting."
Pressing a cloth swollen with a cleaning solution to the pup's paw, Isshin held on tight to the small leg as Aberon whimpered loudly and tried to pull away, animal instincts screaming at him to get away from the pain even though he knew it was to help him. Once done, Isshin gently wrapped the paw up in a bandage and picked up the next paw. As Aberon yelped again, the door opened and a black haired teenaged girl with steely gray eyes peeked inside.
"What the hell are you doing, Goat Face?" She grumbled.
Her eyes fell onto the pup and they widened.
"As you can see I'm treating this here wolf pup." Isshin replied with a smirk, before quickly wrapping the second paw in a bandage.
"What happened to 'I'm not a vet' and stuff? Yuzu's going to be upset that she couldn't keep all those strays." The teenager stepped fully inside and over to where the pup sat, noticing his odd color. "And what's with him, he's blue!?"
"He was being chased by a Hollow, so he's some kind of konpaku." Ichigo answered, not concerned with his eighteen year old sister being able to see him in Shinigami form.
Kurosaki Karin looked at the pup with a new expression, one of wonder.
"Is he like that kid stuck in the parakeet?" She questioned.
"I am not sure what you mean, but I am no human." Aberon replied before pausing to bite his tongue as Isshin applied the solution to his right back paw.
"Then what are you?"
"His name is Aberon and that's all he told me." Ichigo answered instead while his father wrapped the third foot and moved to finish the last leg.
"Okay." Karin knelt down closer to the pup. Her presence distracted Aberon enough as he looked into her eyes that he didn't notice Isshin applying the cleaning solution to his wounded paw. "What brings a wolf konpaku here to Karakura Town?"
"I was searching for Kurosaki Ichigo." Aberon replied.
"What do you want with Ichi-nii?"
"Protection."
The three Kurosakis glanced at each other curiously.
"From what?" Ichigo asked the pup, crossing his arms.
"Many things." Aberon replied with a whisper. "I am no normal wolf."
"Do elaborate."
The wolf pup crouched down, glancing at Isshin and Karin.
"May I speak to him alone?" He whimpered, flattening his ears and tucking in his tail to make sure his request wasn't threatening.
Karin left quickly, unable to look into those wide amber eyes for too long without wanting to squeal like a little girl. Her father was a little more hesitant but followed suit quickly.
"Okay, what is it?" Ichigo frowned, suspicious about the pup's behavior.
"I am the reincarnation of the great God of Wolves, Aberon." The pup stated. "My past life was lost in a fight between gods and this world was chosen out of many in the universe for me to live again before regaining my powers."
"Wait, you're a god?" Ichigo's frown faded and he leaned towards the white and blue pup.
"Was. I am mortal now, though I will live longer than a normal wolf. I have two abilities left to me in this form. One is to see the truth in the eyes of those I look upon. The other is to grant the power of a wolf to whom I choose is worthy of it."
"The power of a wolf?"
Aberon nodded and stood, though a little shakily with his bandaged paws.
"Your hand please, Kurosaki Ichigo." The tiny pup said, standing as tall as he could with his tiny frame.
Still rather confused, Ichigo held his hand out for the pup, palm facing towards him. Once within reaching distance, Aberon reached his head forward and touched his tiny black nose onto the young man's hand. From the touch, a warm light began to shine before it raced up Ichigo's arm and to his chest. Watching in silent fascination, Ichigo did not move as the light settled inside of him. His zanpaktou spirit and Inner Hollow immediately perked up at the feeling and went to investigate the new phenomenon for themselves, reaching into their master's soul for the answer and finding quite a shock as the light spread to them as well.
"Kurosaki Ichigo." Aberon spoke as he removed his nose from Ichigo's hand. "I have chosen you to be the first of this world to gain the gift of the wolf. I will teach you how to use it in return for protection. Use it wisely."
As the power began to awaken inside of him, Ichigo promptly blacked out.