Chapter 3: Coming of Age
A deal was made. Neither Waka nor Shiranui knew. Kinkou thought it best not to tell them, for their own good. Though she did have to wonder whether that was the right choice . . .
As it turned out, Shiranui did indeed have strange and amazing powers. The first real sign of these powers emerged when she was about three months old.
Kinkou, Shiranui, and Waka were out in the field. Shiranui and Waka were playing as usual when something completely unusual happened. All of a sudden, a tree fell with a large crash.
"W-What was that?" Waka said, looking in the direction of where the tree fell. "That was rather odd . . ."
Just as he said that, the unexpected crashing sound of a second tree falling startled him. Then yet another tree fell. These trees appeared to be falling with no rhyme or reason, until Waka noticed something peculiar. The trees were falling to what seemed to be to the beat of Shiranui's wagging tail. Every time Shiranui swished her tail, another tree fell, cut down by an invisible force.
Swish! SLASH! Swish! SLASH!
The trees just kept falling until Waka said, "Shiranui! Are you doing this?"
Shiranui looked at him curiously. "Doin' what?" Swish! SLASH!
"Cutting down trees, or whatever you're doing. I think it has to do with your tail, somehow . . ."
"You tail?"
"No, silly!" he laughed. "I don't have a tail!"
"You don't?"
"No, I don't. I'm talking about your tail!" He pointed to her tail.
"My . . . tail?" She looked at her tail. It was long and white and streaked with red, with a black tip that almost looks like it had been dipped in ink. Watching it twitch and move on its own, Shiranui thought it was something else and not part of her. She started to chase the fascinating, moving object, spinning around in circles.
"What are you doing now, Shiranui?" Waka asked, laughing. It was amusing to watch the little pup chase her own tail. Then another strange thing happened.
In the small area she encircled, her tail trailing behind her and forming a circle, flowers began to bloom. Now Waka was sure that this little pup was special. He wondered what other powers she might have.
Shiranui kept on spinning until she finally got dizzy. After that, they all went back to the den. Waka had still not found his family yet. Now he wasn't even sure if they were still alive or not. But then he thought that it didn't matter, because he had a second family here, with Kinkou and Shiranui. Even if he never found his real family, he would be perfectly happy staying here with them. Especially Shiranui. He liked playing with her a lot. He drifted off to sleep thinking about her, her and her specialness.
o~*~o
Shiranui was now five months old. The days were going by quickly. A little too quickly, Kinkou thought. Each day brought Shiranui closer to being six months old—the age when Kinkou would have to say goodbye to her.
For now, Shiranui and Waka played together like they always did. They still didn't know about the deal she was forced to make with Rinmari. Kinkou kept telling herself that; that she had no choice, that otherwise Shiranui would have been killed anyways. This was all for Shiranui's life, for her to be safe. Kinkou would rather have her someplace far away than being gone forever. That's what any good mother would want for their child, right? Right?
Kinkou shook her head, clearing away the doubt. This was the best choice, and she knew it. She just wanted Shiranui to be safe, no matter where she might be sent away.
Shiranui was playing around, moving her tail in what seemed to be a very purposeful way, drawing an imaginary line in the air with it from the campfire they had built to warm the cold night to Waka. The fire suddenly flared up, setting Waka's robes on fire. Now, Shiranui was doing this just to be mischievous. She had attained, to some extent, mastery over these new powers of hers a while back.
"Wha—? FIRE!" Waka cried, noticing the flames. Rather stupidly, he started running about, shouting for someone to put out the fire.
"Fire!" Shiranui yipped, giggling gleefully. "I made fire!"
"HELP ME!"
"Okay, but you need to hold still now," Kinkou said. "I said, hold still!" She struggled with the frantic Waka a few minutes before getting him to settle down enough for her to put the flames out. "There," she said as she stomped out the fire, "all better."
"Merci, Kinkou," Waka said. And he meant it. He hated fire. He was scared to death of it.
"It was nothing." She turned to Shiranui. "And you, missy, need to say sorry to him."
"Sorry, Waka," Shiranui said, her eyes wide and her ears flat down on her head.
"That's okay," Waka said.
". . . Waka?"
"Yes, Shiranui?"
"We'll always be together, won't we?"
Waka smiled. "Mais oui. Of course we will."
"Forever and ever?"
"Forever and ever."
Now Kinkou felt really bad. Little did they know that they would be separated in less than a month. But how could they know? Kinkou hadn't told them. At that moment, she seriously considered telling them. But then she thought against it. Let them enjoy the time they have left, she thought. What little time they have . . .
o~*~o
Shiranui was coming of age all too fast. In the blink of an eye, Shiranui turned six months old. This was the day Kinkou dreaded most. Today they would come and take Shiranui away from her. It was just a matter of what time they came. They could have hours, or just minutes left. There was no way of knowing. And there was nothing she could do, but wait and savor the time she has left to spend with Shiranui.
