Chapter 2: A Special Bond

From the beginning, Waka and Shiranui shared an extraordinary connection. This much Kinkou knew. She could tell by the way they acted. For example, when Waka returned to the city—the Lunar City, built by none other than the people of the Lunar Civilization, with many bright lights and tall buildings—to seek out his family, little Shiranui pined for him, crying incessantly. Only when he came back unsuccessful in his search did she calm down. He left for the city often, though he always seemed reluctant to leave when he did. And every day was like that—Waka would depart for the city, hesitant to leave, and Shiranui would cry until he returned. Why . . . ? Kinkou wondered. Why are these two so close? Then she supposed that that was a question only the gods themselves knew the answer to.

o~*~o

Shiranui knew not what was going on—she was still blind and deaf to the world—except only by sense and touch. She knew her mother's scent well, but there was another one, another scent the young pup could smell. She liked this scent. It smelled nice and was comforting to her. She also liked when that someone, the source of the scent she liked, stroked her fur. She couldn't get enough of it, and longed for the feeling of their touch.

She also knew when he left. Why does he leave? the tiny wolf wondered. She didn't want him to leave, she wanted him to stay with her and pet her some more. She yearned for his presence, his touch, and she cried when she couldn't have it. She cried because that was the only thing she knew how to do—being only a few days old—and she hoped that her mother would do something to bring the other someone back. But her mother did nothing to bring him back. Shiranui just had to wait and hope that he will come back.

A few days later, Shiranui experienced sound for the first time. Her ears began to pick up the many sounds around her. She quickly learned and memorized the calming, soothing sound of her mother's voice. She also could hear the other someone's voice, light and lilting. But it was a while longer before Shiranui could put the sounds that she heard together in her mind to be recognized as words.

At last, when she started to master the concept of language and linking the sounds she heard together, Shiranui finally learned the other someone's name—Waka. Now she could finally put a name to the presence she liked so much. Her mother was talking to Waka, and Shiranui just listened to them talk, reveling in the sounds of their voices.

o~*~o

After returning from yet another fruitless search, Waka comes back to a pleasant surprise. It had been a couple of weeks since he was separated from his family, and he has been searching for them since. Shiranui was now a bit bigger—no longer the tiny newborn pup he was used to seeing. She was growing up fast, and it showed.

Shiranui had just learned to open her eyes. And even her eyes were special and unique, just like the rest of her. They were a striking gold color, and they shone brilliantly, rivaling even the bright lights of the city. Her amber gaze sought his, the very first thing that she laid eyes on.

Shiranui was confused. She knew now what her mother looked like—like herself—and Waka was different. He had no fur, except on his head. He walked differently, too. She sees her mother walk on four legs, while he walks on two. Why are you so different? she wanted to ask him, but she had not yet grasped the idea of forming her own words. Then she thought it didn't matter. She liked him, and that was not about to change, no matter how different he is from herself.

Shiranui tried to stand up on her spindly legs, to walk towards him. But her frail legs were still far too weak to support her small body, and she fell back down. So she just looked up at him, admiration in her sparkling golden eyes. Waka then petted her again, and she savored the feeling of his weird-looking paw moving across her fur. She let out a happy yip, pleased and content. She wished Waka would stay here with her forever, to play and pet her some more. Then she wondered, just how long is forever?

o~*~o

As time went on, the peculiar little Shiranui only got even more peculiar. Strange crimson markings appeared on her pure white fur, staining it like blood. Her fur stuck up strange tufts at her shoulders, hips, and paws, giving her the appearance of having wings. And, though they were not sure, many believed that she had . . . powers of some sort.

It is a known fact that strange occurrences have been happening since Shiranui got a little older. Shiranui was now walking, if not a bit unsteadily, and still trying to talk. She just couldn't make the sounds that made words, it seemed. She was trying, though. She often experimented with various sounds, hoping that any combination of those sounds would somehow form words.

It didn't take her long to say her first word, actually. Her constant attempts at speech finally paid off. Waka was petting her as usual when she said it. "Wa . . . ka?" she said inquisitively and somewhat timidly.

"Hm?" Waka looked at the little pup. "Did you say something, Shiranui?"

"Waka!" she repeated happily, more confident.

"Hey, that's your first word!" He then woke Kinkou up, who had been taking a nap. "Kinkou! C'est magnifique! Shiranui said her first word!"

"Really? And I missed it? Tell me, what did she say?" Kinkou said, wondering however she missed something as important as that.

"She said my name!" Waka replied, beaming with pride. He still couldn't believe that his name was the very first thing Shiranui ever said. It made him feel . . . special.

"Oh, is that so?" Kinkou gazed down at the pup. "If that's true, surely you can say it again, can't you, Shiranui?"

"Waka!" Shiranui answered. Well, there was her answer.

"Oh, that's very good, Shiranui! Can you say, 'Mommy'?"

"Mom . . . my?"

"Excellent!"

"Mommy! Waka!" Shiranui said again. It seemed to be the only things she could say. But then again, those were the only words she knew, and it was adorable the way she said them, anyways.

"KINKOU!"

Everyone turned to face the source of the voice to find Rinmari standing there—and she didn't look happy.

Kinkou glared at Rinmari. "What do you want this time, O great leader?" she said, her voice laced with sarcasm.

"That thing you call a wolf has got to go!"

"And what do you mean by that?"

Rinmari looked at her as if the answer was obvious. "That demon does not belong here. We need to send it off somewhere else, somewhere far away from here, perhaps somewhere it does belong, like HELL!" Suddenly she lunged forward in attack, her icy, penetrating glare directed at young Shiranui.

"No!" Kinkou cried, moving in front of the helpless pup in defense.

Before Kinkou knew what even happened, she and Rinmari were fighting, battling over the fate of little Shiranui. Instinctive, vicious snarls erupted from the two wolves as they fought it out, clawing and scratching each other. And in the next minute, the scuffle escalated, and Kinkou and Rinmari were on the ground, their growls becoming louder, their claws cutting deeper. All while young Shiranui and Waka watched.

Breaking herself away from the fight but for a moment, Kinkou commanded Waka to take Shiranui and escape. He did so, but not without difficulty. Shiranui, concerned and frightened for her mother, refused to leave. "Mommy!" she cried, kicking and nipping at Waka to make him let go. But he was equally stubborn, and removed her safely from the scene despite her protests.

The brawl went on until the two wolves couldn't continue any longer. Exhausted, both collapsed, both a bloody mess. When they awoke, Kinkou offered a deal of sorts. She would allow Shiranui to be taken away and sent someplace else, but only when Shiranui was older. A year was the minimum age she set. At least then Shiranui would be able to take care of herself. But Rinmari protested against that.

"A year?" she asked incredulously. "That's way too long! If we wait that long, that little demon will put up more of a fight than it's worth. I say three months tops."

"No, that's too young," Kinkou replied, exasperated. We need to compromise here if we're going to get anywhere, she thought. "How about six months?" That sounded reasonable enough.

As much as she hated to admit it, Rinmari knew that this was a good deal. At six months, the demon would still be too weak to fight, and that insolent wolf would be fine with it. Just like that, she'd be rid of the little demon, and no one would even protest—not that they could. Her words were law, and smart Lunar wolves knew well enough to follow it. If she demands it, they will do it, plain and simple. And that's just the way she liked it. Content with this, she agreed to the deal and walked off.

Kinkou watched Rinmari leave, seething with hatred inside. How could Rinmari do something like that? Shiranui was just as much a Lunar wolf as any of us. She didn't like that Shiranui would be sent away to some distant place, but she had a feeling that Shiranui would be okay, and for some other reason it had to do with Waka. It then occurred to her that Waka and Shiranui had some kind of connection with each other, like they were linked by fate or something like that.

She just hoped that that bond would get the both of them through this when the time came. That special bond . . .