Chapter One
The Toddler Sun
Hunting humans was always a risky ordeal, since humans for the most part, are intelligent creatures. Of course, there were the humans that were stupid enough to eat, and those were the ones they always got.
When it came to human hunting, they always managed to get at least three to four of them because it was easier to use the Lure in a wider scale than to focus it on one individual. The Lure was the use of their first and secondary vocal cords, sending out sound waves at two different octaves, one like a drone, and the other at a frequency too high for the human ears to hear. The higher octave was riddled with subliminal messages, usually consisting of the same sentences, 'Come into the forest, something is there. Something amazing.' The lower, more audible drone, was for their actual ears, so that it was easy to get more than one prey when they all could hear the same sound. Often enough, they managed to attract the male humans, due to the fact that human females were much more cautious and males being much more curious of the unknown.
Today they were outside a small settlement of humans that worked the earth, which was perfect for hunting because young human males often wished for adventure and intrigue that their dull earth working lives had so far not provided for them. Krik, Tkaa, and Tsorn hovered just behind the forest edge in the copse of trees, singing the Lure and waiting for their food to walk up to them. Spayt hung back with the human child, who now knew how to walk, even though he spent more of that time crawling. Forest terrain was not a steady flat surface a toddler needs to learn the ways of moving upright. He was only about two human years now, and was still as dumb as they were at that age.
Immediately he was attracted to the call. Though his brain was still too smooth to understand the subliminal messages, he waddled from behind Spayt and carefully picked his way on unsteady feet to where the call was coming from, slipping around some brush and knettle to make his small sojourn. Finally, he came upon Krik whose powerful jaws were open and giving off the wonderful noise.
Feeling something soft at his knee, Krik glanced down and seemed startled to see the human child standing next to him, blue eyes upon him and waiting.
"Spayt!" he snapped, breaking off in his Lure. "Get the human child away from here you wastrel!"
Spayt rushed forward and grabbed the toddler, heading farther into the trees. Moments later, five humans appeared, eyes wide and pupils dilated.
"Do you hear that?" one youth asked, staring straight through the hungry Krik . The other humans made no reply, only continued to walk forward.
Tkaa and Tsorn stopped singing, allowing the humans to leave the trance. Eyes widened, mouths opened, lungs filled with air, and the screaming commenced.
Grumbling to himself, Spayt glanced down at the human child that sat on his foot, gnawing on a twig with eyes riveted on the thicket where screams of terror and pain arose. The toddler was used to hearing these noises since the pack had always taken him on the hunts, whether it be animal or human. The child was also growing teeth- only two so far- but enough that it felt that it had to chew on anything that didn't move on its own.
Spayt lifted his head and sniffed at the bloody aroma that wafted in the air and hoped that the others would bring his share soon.
As if summoned, the others came through, Tkaa holding two corpses while Krik and Tsorn carried one each. Tkaa dropped the human in front of Spayt, who hungrily grabbed a meaty leg and pulled it from the rest of the body with an audible pop and tearing. The human child stopped chewing on his twig as he watched the others tear into the bodies, powerful jaws crunching down on bone and sinew, blood dripping down necks and on naked chests.
They were eating!
"Hungry," the child gurgled, drawing Krik's attention. The word was barely understood by the demons simply because the child did not have the vocal cords to say most of their words. The language of the Demons could be called guttural, angry, sharp- and impossible for a human to repeat due to the fact that the words were often laced with clicks, hisses, and many other sounds while words were being said. Words that were impossible to say without a second set of vocal cords. But the child had managed 'hungry' because it was more of a growl and Spayt said it often enough that the human child managed to pick up its meaning.
Krik picked up the torso of his own meal and scooped out the heart with his talons, completely ravaging the chest cavity of the human. Dropping the body, he sauntered over to where the toddler sat and dropped the heart into its waiting hands.
The Child was puzzled. Usually it received the white warm liquid that it had enjoyed so much until not too long ago. Now it craved something more. But instead of getting what it expected, it got a large, warm, red oozing thing that was sort of heavy. The child blinked and glanced up at Spayt, who by noticing the toddlers gaze, scooped out his own heart and slowly bit into it.
All yellow eyes on him, the toddler lifted the heavy muscle to his small mouth and began to gnaw on the heart.
And continued to gnaw.
Satisfaction.
The child had tasted flesh, and approved. He would live; Tsorn was loath to agree- but the evidence was secure, as was now the child's life.
The blond child never went through the 'terrible twos' stage, but it leaked over into the terrible threes. His third year of life marked his great change and the fact that he was finally significant in the pack's lives enough that they got tired of calling him the 'human child' and wanted to give him a proper name.
So what to call him.
It was hard to give the human a formidable or intimidating name due to the fact that at three he couldn't scare kittens. Something endearing was out of the question for there was no way they were going to call him something cute. Spayt stood amongst them as they crouched in thought, all of them racking their brains for a suitable name that wouldn't make them gag or snicker.
"His hair is like the sun…" Tkaa murmured in deep thought. "Too shiny.."
Krik looked up at the sun that shimmered above the canopy, and grinned.
"Then it's settled. We will call him Sun."
The others managed a grimaced- though their facial structures allowed limited movement and sighed in agreement. Krik stared down at the naked toddler that sat in the middle of the circle, staring and attempting to touch a brown spider that crawled amongst the leaves in a frantic flurry.
"Sun."
The blond child looked up and grinned at them. He had more teeth now, enough that he didn't have the urge to gnaw on everything that fit in his mouth. He did still have the habit of putting things in it though, but they were pleased enough to know that he was quick to figure out what disgusted him. Peppermint leaves were a joy, while wild raspberries were a nightmare. He enjoyed spiders, crickets, grasshoppers, and butterflies (when he was quick enough to catch one), but absolutely hated snails and slugs.
Sun was improving daily, intellectually and physically; he spent more time walking than crawling, but still had a few major faults that irked his caretakers. As demons, it was in their biological makeup that all food consumed was used or else stored as energy in case later needed. This allowed them to go weeks without food and remain healthy and not suffer from malnutrition. It also meant that they did not create waste, did not urinate or produce fecal matter. But Sun did on a daily basis, managed to crap where he sat and piss where he stood. It was a nightmare for them, even with two years experience. It was worse for Krik, who spent more time cleaning and taking care of Sun than the rest. The only solace he had was that he was aware that at some time in the human's life span, they began to clean up after themselves. He just didn't know when.
Another thing that annoyed them was Sun's need to sleep. They didn't need to sleep, their body was constantly trying to work at optimum level. Their only need was that for a few hours a week they needed to sit and relax, loosen up the body and preferably not move. Not doing this could lead to energy depletion which could be catastrophic. The only time they did lose consciousness, was if they were badly hurt or knocked out.
But Sun spent many hours of the day sleeping, and if he wasn't sleeping, he was annoying them. All day was spent climbing on them, pulling on their arms and legs, soiling himself, and saying 'hungry' and other pointless half formed words in their language. After a time they settled into the knowledge that they would probably spend a decade with his human behavior. The only thing that separated Sun from other humans was his ability to consume raw meat without suffering some type of ailment. Sun ate the humans and animals they provided for him with a gusto, even if they had to mash some of the tougher meat in their jaws before they gave it to him. Things were difficult at times, but Sun had settled into their lives and was less a burden and more of a pack member.
But on a rather cloudy morning near the end of the season where the leaves turned orange, brown, and red, and the snow falls from the sky, things began to change.
It started with his apparent agitation as he tried to sleep while they rested amongst the great elk trees in a rather non-human area of the country. Sun tossed and turned on the pile of leaves he was laying on. Tsorn glanced over to see the toddler toss and turn, rubbing his eyes and looking incensed by something. By morning, they turned to see the child sitting on his pile of leaves, and staring at nothing. He usually was playing, or bugging them about food. His eyes were now watery and red-rimmed; an unhappy headache had clearly mounted along with an earache in both ears. His nose was stuffed and his throat felt raw and ached terribly. Sun rubbed his eyes and felt hot tears cascade down cherubic cheeks.
"What's the matter Sunny?" Spayt asked, knowing that half the words the child would not understand. But as he said them, Sun gave a shriek and covered his red ears, bawling in misery. Krik came over and sniffed the child over.
"What's wrong with him?" Tsorn asked, coming over to inspect the wails. "Has he come down with some human ailment?"
"Dunno," Krik murmured as he watched the toddler crawl away from them.
For an hour he remained that way, his back to them as he silently cried, and even ignored their calls when Krik brought the carcass of a doe to the area so they could dine.
Another hour went by when the coughing started, dry, ugly, coughs that made the small body spasm and shudder. Krik returned to him and wondered at the scent of blood. Was the child injured? Perhaps he was suffering from some type of human infection. He knew that if a human was injured and did not treat their wounds, they reddened, oozed, and stank until the human suffered from fever and dies. That was why they always killed them quickly when they intended to dine. Leaving a human alive for any period of time always attracts attention.
Krik grabbed one of Sun's chubby legs and lifted the toddler up side down, examining his pink naked flesh for some kind of wound. But all he found were small scratches from branches and twigs, all of which were well on their way to healing.
Oh, and a very upset toddler.
Sun squawked and began to cry loudly, loud enough to annoy their sensitive ears. Between the wails and the hacking coughs, the pack was beginning to feel pretty nervous over the toddler. Krik gently placed Sun back on the ground and began to notice that along with everything else, the child's eyes were beginning to swell shut and he was wheezing.
Tkaa lowered his head to the small chest and grumbled, "He's having a hard time breathing."
"Maybe he is dying…" Spayt murmured mournfully, and the pack lifted its head collectively and stared at Krik, waiting for him to make a decision. Krik's eyes remained on Sun.
"We'll wait a day. If he shows no signs of recovery, I'll Lure a human here to fix him." He then scooped the wheezing child into his arms and cradled him, some thing he had never done before. But he had seen human females do that to their young in a hopes of comfort.
By the next morning, Sun had stopped crying and coughing all together, but his eyes were swollen shut, his ears were bleeding, and they barely managed to get water down a throat that was almost swollen shut. His skin was flushed hot, but after a time he had stopped shaking completely and simply lay limp in their arms.
During this time, they managed to find a cave that a bear was going to hibernate in; Krik ate the massive beast alone, for he needed the extra energy for the sprint he was about to make over the many leagues it would take to make it to the nearest human settlement.
The only thing Yumi regretted in a life full of good things was that she was unable to attend the Stone Ninja Academy and become a medic Nin like she had dreamed. Her father could not afford much after her mother had died, and the romantic that he was would not allow him to remarry. With the income of one person there were many things the two had to go without, and though it was much too late to start that kind of training now, she had to admit she still harbored secret desires of becoming a shinobi medic.
But now, at nineteen, she was ready to leave the nest and get at least the medical training she desired, even if it didn't include molding chakra. Gods, how she wished she could use such skills as she had seen one day when some injured Stone shinobi had come through. Seeing their medic Nin run a hand along her teammates wounds had been awe-inspiring. Oh how she wished she cuold do something like that.
Yumi smiled. The second best thing to do was hit the capitol and learn at a real school. Most of her teenage years were spent apprenticing to local herbalists, apothecaries, bonesetters, and anyone who knew a thing about the human body. Hopefully all the knowledge she had gained during the years she could have spent frolicking or at least acquiring a boyfriend was going to be useful.
Yumi packed the last of her bags and turned to her father, who was leaning in the doorway, weathered face twisted with pain and happiness.
"Oh daddy, don't give me that look. I'll be back in no time." Her father was taking her departure a little harder than she had hoped.
"No no," he said with a dramatic sniff. "Your old man will be alright. He'll just let his little angel fly off into the horizon, never to be seen again…"
Yumi sighed and gave him one last hug.
"Don't be silly dad. I'll write every week so you'll know what's up. And I'll try to visit during the breaks. I'll be alright," she said as she pulled away from him. "Trust me."
Takezo sighed and rubbed his grizzled cheeks.
"It's not so much that you'll be leaving as you'll be making that long dangerous trip alone!"
Yumi blinked in surprise. "No I'm not. Shirow is also on his way to Stone. He's going to escort me on the way!" Yumi glanced down at her watch. "Which reminds me, I'm late in meeting him."
"Well in that case," her father said with a laugh as he began to push her towards the door, "Don't hesitate to write! Bye, my little butterfly!"
Yumi chuckled as she threw him a quick kiss and ran down the steps, her packs jingling on her back.
"Bye Dad!" she called, waving at him as she ran down the road toward Shirow's house. She took a deep breath and exhaled in excitement. This very moment marked the beginning of a new life, a new-
Please help! Please help me! My child is dying!
Yumi spun on her heel, eyes darting around the dusty street. Only a few people were out, going about their business and not paying her any mind.
What? Her brain tried to process the call. Someone's child was hurt-
Someone please help me! I don't think he'll last any longer! I need a doctor!
That was her call!
As if only her feet knew where to go, Yumi charged down an alley, jumping over discarded boxes and dodging trashcans as she emerged onto a street and continued her mad charge toward the source of the desperate call. She barely even noticed as she left the village and raced past farmer Ito's rice fields. It wasn't until a branch smacked her forcefully in the face that awareness returned to the woman, and she collapsed painfully to her knees. Sucking in great gasps of air she vowed never to run that way again. She couldn't ever recall running so recklessly in her life before!
Yumi turned and made sure her pack full of clothing and medicinal objects were still with her as she rubbed her stinging cheek. Stupid branch-
Yumi's head snapped up, brown eyes widening as she took in the thick forest area surrounding her.
"How in the hell-" A large thump behind her startled the youth as she spun around. She gasped.
Finally! A human had responded to his call. Using the Lure to capture one person was tricky; using the Lure to capture a person with specific traits was hard. He wasn't sure if he would attract just one person or several people who practiced the art of healing. But lucky enough for him, he managed to capture a talented female, one which was already packed and ready to go. The female must have responded to his call immediately because its brown hair was tossed around its person, and a sheen of sweat had graced its pale skin. However…that could possibly have something to do with his presence.
Krik did not have time to waste. Reaching out and grabbing the small female by its arm, he winced as the human started to scream in terror. A quick knuckle to the head shut it up quickly, and Krik swung it on his broad back. The trip back was going to be annoying, but hopefully this human would make Sunny better.
If not, they will eat it.
If so…well, they would still eat it.
Shirow approached the door nervously and knocked, switching feet as he waited for Yumi's father to open the door. There was a grunt, then the sound of locks being released, and Takezo's weathered face and body appeared as he blinked blearily at the youth.
"Shirow. What are you doing here? I though you were going to escort Yumi to Stone?" He rubbed his eyes and came fully awake.
Shirow glanced nervously behind himself and swallowed.
"Yes…about that. I was hoping that Yumi was late…and that she was still here..?" But judging by the blood that was draining from her father's face, that was a negative.
"B-But she left two hours ago…" he whispered, eyes beginning to glaze over.
Shirow rubbed her forehead and sighed.
"She never showed up."
He had to quickly catch the older man as he slumped to the floor.
TBC
A/N: Sun and son are not said the same in the language of the Demons. I won't spend time describing what Krik, Spayt, Thorn, or Tkaa look like- one because I'm lazy, and two- they won't be there for too long. But if you're dying to know what they look like, I'd easily say that they highly resemble the demons from Blood: The Last Vampire. If you haven't seen that, you can easily google the images.
