The Secret Sohmas

Prologue:

Two young animals were created one day, along with all of the other creatures that crawled upon the earth. Only, somehow these two were a little different. Oh, they were no more or less special than the other beasts of the earth, just… closer to each other, you could say. It was a young wolf and bat, put on the earth right next to each other, bonded in a way they could not imagine.

At first, the two didn't even notice each other's presence, too busy staring around in awe at the wonderful garden they had been placed in. Once a little while had past, however, the young wolf glance over and noticed the small bat staring around at the world beside him. Curious, the pup leaned over to sniff the smaller creature, trying to be gentle so as not to harm the little creation. This seemed to startle the other youngster, and the pup was greeted with two large circles staring at him surprise. For some reason, the eyes seemed to interest him, though he did not understand what was so fascinating about them.

"Hello." He said curiously, cocking his head to one side as he studied the small animal. His blond hair was strange for a wolf, or for any creature really. Its color was different, not really blond, but hard to describe in any other way; it was lighter in color, yet brighter in a way… like the softest, purest gold. Not very natural to say the least, more other-worldly looking.

"H-hi." The bat said, obviously a bit shy. Her body was covered in a soft, black fur, that moved gently in the breeze. Her small body quivered slightly whenever she looked around at the amazing garden surrounding them, but you could still see a stubbornness and strength in the way that she stood, even when her stance on the ground was no doubt less dignified than when in the air.

The conversation soon grew into one of the wonders surrounding them, and before long the two creatures were off exploring the magnificent creations, becoming fast friends. Soon, the young ones became inseparable, staying together throughout all of the busy days ahead of them. When the man God had created, Adam, was told to name them, the wolf and bat earned their titles together. When Eve was then created, the two animals watched with curious eyes at the deep friendship the two humans had bonded.

"They're very close… do you think that we're that good of friends?" The bat asked her companion the wolf one day, as they watched Adam and Eve stroll through the garden together. Her head was cocked slightly in thought, before she turned it to look over at the growing pup beside.

"Definitely." He replied emphatically, his voice slightly stern as he nodded firmly. The young male left neither room for doubt nor argument as he swiftly trotted off in a new direction. In his mind, there could be no greater bond between two beings than his and the bat's, besides the connection they all shared with their creator.

Unfortunately, those blissful days of peace and companionship with not only each other, but with God, eventually came to a pause. It was an average day when it happened, the wolf and bat pup together once again, chasing each other through the colorful plants of the garden. They paused by a river to get a quick drink and rest in the aromatic shade of blossoming trees. That was when they both turned their heads sharply in the direction of the Tree of Knowledge, of Good and Evil. They had heard a strange and foreign sound, a voice that had never found its way to their ears before. It sounded… bad, which was not a word that could describe much in their world.

"You shall surely not die." They heard the voice hiss out, their eyes tracing the awful sound to a serpent climbing the Tree. Its tongue licked out as it talked, eyeing the woman Eve as if she were a snack about to be devoured. The bat took a step forward, suddenly realizing what was happening. The serpent was going to trick Eve into eating the only fruit God had told the humans not to!

Suddenly fearful of what was about to happen, the wolf pup stepped in front of his friend before she could go and try to stop Eve. He knew that what was going to happen would happen no matter what they tried to do, could feel it in his heart, but he also knew that he did not want his friend to step into the serpent's path.

"What are you doing? We have to stop them before-" The bat cut herself off as she watched the woman take a bite of the dreaded fruit. The human's eyes closed for a few seconds, before suddenly flying open, an expression inside of them that had never been there before. All of the animals were watching the woman now, none of them moving or trying to stop her has she handed a piece of the fruit to her arriving husband. They could all feel it now, that this was part of a plan, that it needed to happen.

"Let's go." The wolf pup said fearfully once he heard the Lord calling out Adam's name. The two young animals saw the humans run to hide, covering themselves with plants. It was strange and confusing, to be honest. The two friends had never seen the humans try to cover themselves, much less hide from God; but Adam and Eve had just done something terrible. Nothing would be the same anymore.

Surprisingly, the bat listened to the wolf pup. No matter how stubborn she sometimes seemed to be, she respected her friend, and always listened to him when she could see that he was serious. Not that it had happened many time before in The Garden, but she had a feeling that things would start taking a more solemn path from now on.

It was not long until the two started to feel the earth vibrating underneath their feet, or paws. Unsure what to do, the friends ran towards the front gate of The Garden of Eden, fear defining their facial features as they heard God's voice thundering above them. No matter how loud it was, though, there was no hiding the sadness in His tone. For a moment, anger at Adam and Eve rose into the pup- how could they have done this to God?- he pushed the thought away quickly, however. It was the first time he had ever felt anger, and it was not a very pleasant emotion.

Animals of all shapes and sizes ran out of the garden that had been their home since they were created, along with the man and woman who had been disobedient in the first place. Once they were out, God sent an angel with a flaming sword to guard the Garden from anyone who would ever dare try to enter.

"What do we do now?" The bat whispered quietly, fear in her eyes, as it was in all the others'. Adam and Eve were crying, the animals all filled with sorrow and confusion as they looked around at the land around them. The serpent was not with them, but the wolf pup thought that he had seen him, without legs, slivering away during the panic.

"We live." The wolf pup responded simply, sitting down and bowing his head in sorrow. His heart-felt strange, as if it was slowly growing more distant from the intense relationship it had with its creator. Shaking off the feeling, he watched over the bat as she slowly fell into a deep slumber, exhausted from the days devastating events. There was nothing they could do but live now, he could sense life would be harder and more dangerous from now on, they were going to have to start thinking about survival.

~†~

Over the next days, the two friends could feel themselves drifting into a place filled with instinct and survival. The wolf pup was frightened at how harsh he sometimes became, at the strange hunger for meat instead of fruit. Throughout it all, however, the two stayed together, playing the day away whenever they had any free time. Even this blissful thing was to come at an end, though, and it happened not but a week after the terrible exile.

God had just called to have a banquet with fifteen of his animals (the zodiac animals- including the cat, the bat, and the wolf), and the two youngsters were playing around with each other the night before the party was to be held. The wolf tackled the bat playfully, pinning her to the ground with a triumphant grin as she kicked up at him. Then one of her claws scratched against his chin, drawing blood as it slid away. The bat freaked out and started to apologize repeatedly, but the wolf couldn't hear her. The instincts that had forced themselves into him since the day of the first sin were taking over, his teeth flashed in the moon… and it was done.

It took a few moments for him to come back to his normal self, but once he had, the wolf pup could not believe what his eyes were trying to tell him. The bat lay there… unmoving in her own blood. He had bitten her, without meaning it, in the same way he had started to do with the small rabbits. With his food.

"No.. No! This isn't happening! NO!" He screamed at the air, looking away from the bat that didn't look to be breathing any longer. The noise he made woke up the neighboring animals, drawing them tiredly from their beds as they came to see what had happened. The sight that met them made all of them stand still in shock. The wolf… had killed… the bat?

"Murderer." Someone whispered quietly, and soon all the creatures had taken up the call. Their anger at him started to go beyond what he had just done, putting all of their frustration that had built up in the last week unto the wolf's shoulders. It was not long before they were all chasing him away, out of the strange family they had all formed, biting and kicking at him in anger.

He ran, tears streaming down his muzzle, as the picture of his best friend, lying dead, streamed through his mind repeatedly. Was it possible? Had he really… It couldn't be true. It was true, though, and he forced himself to accept it. He had done it. It was all his fault…

~†~

A small black figure woke up three days later, abandoned and forgotten, confused and frightened, traumatized beyond repair. Had it all been a horrible, horrible dream? No. Her sores and deep wounds were too painful to be imagination. It had really happened… the wolf pup, her best friend, had done that to her. Not only had he attacked her, for scratching him she was sure, but he had left her here. Alone.

She struggled to sit up, resting for an hour before she tried to actually stand, another thirty minutes until she began to limp off in the direction of a forest not too far into the distance. The other animals had left to the banquet without her, as well. It was clear that she was no longer part of the small family of animals. Living alone seemed the only option now, and though such a future did not seem bright, she would accept it with as much dignity as she possibly could.

…Of course, if you are hearing this story, you know of the Sohma Curse. They say that the bat and the wolf are still out there, as well, even more outcaste than the cat himself. No human outside of the Sohma family knows of this tale, and many Sohmas have not heard it themselves, or at least, they do not believe in its truth.

As the story goes, every generation that passes, the wolf goes out in search of the bat, to redeem his honor and once again become part of the family. Sometimes he finds her out there, follows her and serves her, but she is not very quick to forgive. Eventually, worn from her stubborn ways, the wolf will find himself attacking once again, left in the same situation as his most distant ancestor. It is said, however, that if there is ever a wolf who can earn the bat's forgiveness, the curse will be lifted for the both of them…