Hey hey hey! Guess what? Paw-Chan is actually here, with The Animal Whisperer! Aren't you so happy? .

The prologue is dedicated to PhantomGirl12, who wouldn't sop bugging me to get this out! Thank her for getting me to finally post this!

Read and enjoy! ^_^

Disclaimer: I only own the idea. The rest of it belongs to whoever created this.

Once upon a time, there was a happy little family. A beautiful mother, a handsome father, and a gorgeous little boy. The parents were scientists, studying and finding animals. Of course, the little boy always went with them, ever curious of these exciting new animals that his parents were looking for.

However, one day, the boy was stolen from the family. Five years old, and he was snatched away. No one could find the little boy no matter how hard they looked. Months passed. Then a year. People started to give up hope. They assumed the boy was dead.

His parents never gave up hope that he was still alive, yet even they had to stop looking and get back to work. Another year passed, and they constantly kept themselves reminded of their son. He'd be seven this year, they'd casually say, before correcting themselves to saying, he's seven this year.

Their hopes weren't in vain. For in a forest on the outskirts of Tokyo, Japan was their baby boy.

Prologue: In Which Boy Gains A Name

He paused in a tree above the river. They'd never find him up here. Sure, they'd followed him this far out before, but they never went over or through the river. Or looked up the trees.

"He's not out this far." He snickered as he heard them talking. They never came to him when he was here. It was a fun part of his game. He was recording how long it would take them to figure out he was in a tree hanging over the river.

"Come on, let's go back." He heard them turn and go. "Maybe we'll get him next time, that mangy thief."

Once he was sure that the people were gone, he swung himself down from the tree onto the riverside. Laughing, he turned to face the river. Why were they so afraid of a river? What, were they afraid of water or something?

Amidst his laughing, he didn't notice as the surface of the lake bubbled and something rose out of it. It growled, snatching the boys' attention and causing him to turn and look at it.

'It' was what looked to be a frog. It was standing on its hind feet with its forearms dangling down. It looked at him with dangerous yellow eyes, and on top of its head was a lily pad with water sloshing out of it with every jolt.

"Bow!" A voice from behind him called out. He heard it, but he couldn't move. "Bow human! Bow to the Kappa, quick!" But he still couldn't move. Why was he so afraid? Afraid of this… this Kappa?

"Oh, he can't understand me!" The voice bemoaned behind him. "Aloja! Aloja, help! Don't let the Kappa get him!" Steam seemed to pour from the river top as the Kappa continued towards him.

A woman with strawberry blonde hair and forest green eyes appeared, standing on top of the water. She couldn't have been older than thirteen, and her voice only confirmed it as she called out to him as well.

"Bow if you want to live." She told him. "Bow to the Kappa." Walking across the water, he summoned the courage to move. He bowed, but the Kappa still kept moving towards him. Was this a joke?

"Bow lower!" The voice from before called. "You need to bow low- Oh shoot, he doesn't understand m-e?" He bowed lower, like the voice told him to, and the Kappa, seeming delighted, bowed in return, all the water sloshing out of its lily pad. He bolted upright, and moved back a few steps, the Kappa didn't follow him.

"Are you alright?" The girl stepped onto the shore. He nodded, staring at the girl. What was she?

"My name is Aloja." She introduced herself. "The name of our race is Aloja, too, of course, but my parents felt it a fitting name for me. Who are you?" He shook his head.

"Can you not speak?" Aloja asked. He shook his head once again. "Then why don't you speak?" Another girl, brunette and his age skipped over. Her eyes were a forest green and she chattered in Aloja's ear.

"Hey, maybe he's afraid!" She chattered in Aloja's ear.

"I can understand you perfectly fine!" He snapped, not able to take it. Why were they acting like he was an idiot? The brunette froze, and both girls' eyes widened.

"You… You can understand me?" He nodded. "I'm Macy! I'm the Diwata of the tree you're always in over there! How cool is it that you can actually understand me?! Hey, what's your name?" He hesitated. In a flash Macy was in his face.

"Come on!" She was poking. "What's your name human?" He bit his lip.

"I… I don't have a name." He admitted. Aloja gave him and odd look, and Macy was up in his face once more.

"What?!" She practically screeched. "How can you have no name?!" He shrugged.

"I… just don't." He told them. "I might have had one at one time or another, but I don't remember being called anything other than 'boy'." Aloja nodded to herself.

"I see." She said. "Then we will just have to give you one ourself." Macy nodded in agreement.

"Yup yup yup! We can't let you go around without a name! We can't just call you boy!" Macy was chattering again. "What are we going to call him Aloja?" Aloja looked him over, and smiled.

"I have the perfect name." She smiled serenely, white skirt and blue blouse fluttering in the wind.

"What? What is it?!" She chattered excitedly. She looked at him.

"Boy, from now on, because of your speed and grace," Aloja looked directly at him and met black eyes with green.

"You are now Raijin."

And so, at seven years, Zak Saturday was killed and replaced with Raijin of the forest.

We shall see him again.

Three years later.

X.x.X.x.X

Yup, Zak is now Raijin. Please don't get confused because for the entirety of the fic (or at least most of it,) Zak will be referred to as Raijin.

How was it? Good? Bad? Completely worth the wait?

Please read and review and stay tuned for Chapter One: Street Rat

~~Paw-Chan Signing Out~~