I do not own Wolf Children. All characters within this story belong to Mamoru Hosoda and Madhouse Studio. Please watch the original film, Wolf Children before embarking on this work of fictions.

Be aware that this story takes place one year after the film ends during the Summer Holidays following Yuki's first year at Middle School.

I do not own the artwork used as the cover image. The author is from Deviant Art known as LaestusNix.

art/Wolf-children-359872935

Welcome Home

The soft breeze whispered through the tall trees of the countryside as the heat of the summer's sun beat down upon the villagers who worked and worked throughout the day, tending to the crops. They sweat and huffed as their wide-brimmed hats barely held back the heat. They worked the ground and watered their crops while staying aware of any snakes that slithered up to a nice rock to bake in the sun.

On a winding dirt road dividing the two fields rode a teenage girl with long brown hair that swayed behind her in the wind. She wore a simple, sleeveless, blue dress that revealed her pale arms and her cute, innocent-looking face that made her rather popular throughout the year group.

This was Yuki. Wolf child of Ookami, daughter to Hana and older sister of Ame: a family that had been separated over the years of her life. Her father died when she was only the age of one, while Ame ran away to live in the forest when she was eleven.

It hadn't been easy on her or her mother but over the past year they had learned to accept the loss of Ame and the path that he had chosen. To Yuki it wasn't an ideal way of living but she had no say in it as he was long gone by the time she found out.

Now at the age of thirteen, Yuki was on her way home for her summer holidays. She had been studying at a middle school in the city and rented an apartment for her to stay. Souhei also attended her school but they hadn't had much time spend with one another due to the workload they've been receiving. Regardless she felt excited to be finally coming back home and see her mother again.

She rode down the path on her bike at a high speed causing a small cloud of dust to rise behind her back wheel. Yuki raised her hand to her forehead and wiped away the sweat that had been gathering around her hairline. She panted heavily but kept going. Usually she could handle the distance with no problem but the heat was making her tired and constantly thirsty making it hard to ride through the countryside.

By the time she arrived home she urgently need a bath and a change of clothes due to all the sweat that had been soaked up. She hopped off her bike and placed it by the shed, calling out, "Mum! I'm home!"

"Yuki? Is that you?" asked her mother as she stepped out from the house onto the veranda. She wasn't expecting her daughter to come home, as Yuki hadn't given her any warning. Upon seeing her daughter she stepped off and ran up to her, pulling her into a close and loving hug. "It's so good to see you again sweetie!"

Yuki smiled brightly and hugged back just as tightly, wrapping her arms around her mother's waist, "It's good to see you too mum!" she said excitedly and pulled away from her.

Hana ignored the fact that he daughter was covered in sweat and gave one of her classic beaming smiles, "Come on inside Yuki. I'll make you a nice cup of tea and you can tell me all about your school year."

"Okay mum," she replied and followed her into the house. She looked around, not much has changed since she was last here. The coffee table still sat in the middle of the room and the kitchen was still very much tiny. The windows had been cleaned and the whole house was open in order to let the breeze through.

Yuki yet again raised her hands to her forehead and wiped away the sweat that was beginning to drip into her eyes and down cheeks. "Hey mum?" she asked.

"Yes Yuki?"

"Can I go have a bath first, I kinda smell bad," she said, "And kinda sweaty."

"Of course sweetie. Go right ahead," Hana said upon filling a kettle up with water, "But don't take too long," she called out and watched her run across the floor to the bathroom.

Yuki closed and locked the door and filled up the large, rounded, wooden bowl that was their bath with cold water. She wasn't planning on taking too long since she was eager to catch up with her mum but she just wanted to make herself presentable again. The summer's heat wasn't good for a girl her age with her complexity.

She slipped off her clothes and climbed into the water. She let out a sigh of relief as the cold water surrounded and cooled her body. It was beautiful and she could lay in her for hours on end. Although just like the sun, long exposure to water wasn't good for one's complexion.

After a few minutes or so Yuki had soaked herself all over and washed her long, brown hair. She climbed out and grabbed a towel to dry herself off. As she was doing that she looked herself in the mirror and smiled, 'I look so much older than last time,' she thought to herself.

Once she had dried herself off she grabbed a clean pair of clothes from her room and changed into those. The clothes were just as relieving as the cold shower and she smiled gratefully at the feeling.

She walked out to the living room and sat down at the coffee table as Hana placed down two cups of tea down.

"So," she said, "How was it?"

"To be honest. It was kind of scary at first. I didn't really know what to do. I was living in an apartment all by myself and the kids at school aren't as nice as the one's in grade school," she began, "But Souhei was there too so we kept to each other for the first bit of the year. Then I made some friends and things started to get better. I felt like I belonged there, and with that my grades improved too."

"Oh? So it was alright then, huh?"

"It was definitely was interesting. But me and Souhei still keep each other company."

"That's nice of him," Hana commented, "He's always been such a nice boy."

"Don't get me wrong though, we're just…" she started to say but was cut of by a loud howl coming from the mountain. It was strong and proud, and there was a sense of honour from the very sound it produced and Hana smiled brightly, "Was that Ame?" Yuki asked curiously.

"Yes it was Yuki," she answered, "He still lives on the mountain. But he comes down to visit me every now and then."

"Oh?"

"He tells me stories of his adventures and of all the things he's learnt," she laughed lovingly, "Whenever he talks about the wild I can see that look in his eyes he had when I first took him to the Wildlife Centre."

"Do you think he'll ever come back?" Yuki asked and turned her head to look out at the lush, green mountains that protruded from the horizon.

"I don't know. It depends on what he wants," Hana replied, "As long as he comes down now and again I don't mind what he does as long as he stays safe. That's all I could ask from him."

Another loud howl swept through the surrounding countryside and echoed through the house. Yuki smirked and stood up, her heart was racing and she felt the urge to just run after him. She turned to her mum and asked, "Can I go after him?"

Hana eyed her puzzlingly, "Where would you look sweetie? The mountain's a very large and dangerous place."

"I'll follow the sound of his howls," she answered and let her body change into its half wolf, half human form. Ears sprouted from her hair and her tail popped out from under her dress, "I'm a wolf too mum. I can do it."

"I don't know Yuki. As I said it's dangerous. What if you get hurt? You only just got home."

"I won't be very long. I promise. I'll be back before dusk," she promised and ran out to the veranda as the baking sun began to warm her up again. She sniffed and the smell of all the wild plants and flowers filled her nose. It was a lovely smell that she hadn't experienced for over a year. She was glad to be back and the adrenaline of her being a wolf again excited her to the point that she leapt of onto the ground below and allowed her body to fully transform into its wolf state.

Hana ran out onto the veranda holding both cups of tea, "But Yuki!" she called out, "You didn't even touch your tea."

Yuki didn't reply. As she ran through the tall grass the sound of her paws trampling the ground at a very fast speed drowned out her mother's words.

'Finally,' she thought, 'I'm free again."

Thank you for reading the first chapter. Please let me know if there are any mistakes that I've failed to pick up on. If not then have a good day and I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I enjoy writing it. Ciao.