His eyes slowly fluttered open, the purple orbs weak and pained, his fingers twitched, his gaze fixed on his hand in shock. He was alive, impossible as it was, he was alive despite his father's attempt to murder him. He lay, bloodied and battered, outside the cave where his clan dwelled, though most of his clan was not there. However, he could hear his father's voice inside the cave, boasting of what he'd done. He had to escape before his father realized he wasn't dead, but when he tried to move, pain shot through him. He had to get away, he had to get to shore to his human mate and their infant daughter. He took a deep breath and forced his arms to support his weight, closing his eyes and fighting against the pain, as he struggled into a sitting position. Panting, he fell back against the rocky wall outside the cave, willing the pain to subside.
He was a bat-demon, the son of Taigokumaru, Tsukuyomaru, the hereditary shield-guardian of their clan. For generations, his clan had lived on an island off the coast, feeding on the villages along the shore, taking human and animal blood. He alone refused to prey upon humans, especially after he'd fallen in love with a human woman. With her, he'd had a daughter and took a vow to protect them, swearing that if his clan continued to feed on their village he would abandon his place as shield-guardian. He'd argued with his father and Taigokumaru had attacked him with the intent to send him to the underworld. But he hadn't succeeded, Tsukuyomaru was not dead, but he wouldn't be much longer if Taigokumaru found him alive. Gradually, Tsukuyomaru's breathing slowed, and he took time to survey the damage his father had done. His armor was broken, his clothing torn and bloody, there were slash marks covering most parts of his body, and his wings were torn. It didn't feel like there were any broken bones, though a few of his ribs felt bruised, and his wounds were still bleeding.
He couldn't stay, Tsukuyomaru knew that, his wounds needed healing yes, but if he remained where he was, his father would find him. His body felt fatigued, he needed sleep, but he couldn't rest, not yet, he had to leave, the longer he lingered the more chance there was that he'd be found. He had to get to shore, but how? With his wings as badly torn as they were, he couldn't fly, and there was no way to get from the island to the shore by foot. There was only one choice: he had to swim, but would his body hold out? It would have to, he would force his body to keep going, he wouldn't let himself quit, he would force himself to ignore the pain. So, with that resolution in his head, he pushed himself to his feet despite the pain, forcing himself to remain steady when his weakened body stumbled. Silently, he made his way to the edge of the rocks, and, taking a deep breath, dove into the water. He resurfaced, looking about as his ears caught the sound of flapping: his clan was returning. He looked to horizon, the night sky lightening; quickly he swam to hide in the shadows of the rocks, thankfully he went unnoticed.
Needless to say, Tsukuyomaru's battered and weakened body wasn't at all happy with him, but somehow he found the strength to make it back to shore. The sun was visible in the sky now, the deep purple of pre-dawn now a brilliant array of pinks and reds. Shivering in the dawning light, he stumbled on the shore, catching himself and he wandered to the hut his human mate lived in. From within, he heard the sounds of sobbing, his name choked out between sobs; from what he could tell, his mate thought him dead. His heart fell as he slumped to the sandy ground outside the hut; she thought him dead, he couldn't reveal himself to her. Then it dawned on him; if he had shown himself to her, his father would've found out eventually and possibly killed them both. He had to flee, had to keep going and get as far from his clan as possible, he had to stay alive. Someday, his daughter would grow up, a half-breed, and her mother would age and die while their daughter's aging slowed. She would need someone, that was when he would return, he would be there for her, to care for her and protect her.
Night fell and the bat-demons awoke from their diurnal slumber, most loitering around inside the cave or along the rocks outside of it until Taigokumaru gave the word. A particularly ugly one named Gumo wandered along the rocky ledge to where Taigokumaru had left his son's body. He could smell the scent of Tsukuyomaru's blood, but the bat-demon's body was nowhere in sight.
"TAIGOKUMARU!" Gumo yelled, opening his wings and flapping back to the cave.
"What is it, Gumo?" Taigokumaru asked impatiently.
"Tsukuyomaru!" he exclaimed, "He's gone!"
"Impossible!" the shield-guardian replied, "Tsukuyomaru is dead!"
"But his body is not there!" Gumo answered.
With a furious growl, Taigokumaru emerged from the cave, going to where he knew he'd left Tsukuyomaru's body. Only, it wasn't there, there was no sign of it despite the bloodstains. Taigokumaru looked around, searching for some sign, some explanation for the disappearance of his son's corpse. What he found was a trail of blood, leading to the edge of the rocks on the island, leaving only one conclusion. Tsukuyomaru was alive, alive enough to have escaped to the water, possibly to have reached the shore.
"Find him!" Taigokumaru called to his clan, "Do not let him escape!"
Meanwhile, Tsukuyomaru had managed to flee into the forest beyond the village, how he did not know. It was not as far from his clan as he would've liked, but at least here, there was cover, places to hide. He could hide among the trees until his body had healed and there was plenty of wildlife so he would have no lack of prey. There was a river nearby, so he could get water, bathe, and wash the blood from his clothes. In the mean time, he needed a place to rest and allow his body to sleep and begin healing. So he removed his blood-stained white gloves and used his claws to climb a tree , settling himself on a sturdy branch to sleep.