"What the hell?!" I said under my breath. It was what appeared to be a busy street, but something was wrong. There were anthropomorphic animals everywhere! I darted my eyes around to see if this was a furry convention, but to my surprise, EVERYONE was some sort of animal! I couldn't see a single human in the crowd whatsoever! "We need to get of here!" My brain told me, panicked. I turned back around to where I came in, but… it was just a solid wall behind me. I pounded on the solid concrete, but it was no use. "B-But…! I could've sworn I came in this way!" I turned around to face the crowd of beasts, and some of them were looking at me. I quickly darted and pushed my way through the crowd, desperate to find another exit.
My legs were starting to hurt, but I just had to get out of here. "W-Where am I?!" I whispered to myself, frantically. I was just about to run out of a line of shops when a hand grabbed me by the back of my hoodie. I was held up to three wolves, all of them with sinister intent on their faces. "Who's the furless one?" One of them asked. "I think it's a human… what's he doing here?" The one holding me said. The second one looked over to the "It doesn't matter. Let's skin him and see how much we can sell it for!" The one holding me said, "Or how about we eat him, or put him in a cage!" I tried to swing at them, but it was no use. Suddenly, someone said, "Put the boy down." I turned to see a pig in a black robe almost glaring at them. The wolves let me go and muttered under their breaths. The pig said to me, "Don't be afraid. Those wolves are just bullies who sound stronger than they actually are." The pig told me his name was Hyakushuubou, but to call him Kyaku for short and that I had wound up in a place called Jutengai that was only accessible by following specific paths. "Poor boy, you must've wandered here by mistake somehow. I'll make sure that you get back to your home." "Well, actually, I-" I tried to explain that I'd followed someone here, but a loud voice called out, "Hey, you actually made it!" I turned to see a giant bear with red fur run over to me, but I recognized that deep, gruff voice. "I knew I was right about you!" He put his hand on my shoulder and pulled me over to him. "What are you doing!? Can't you see that he's lost and scared?!" Hyaku pulled me back over to him, but Kumatetsu yanked me back and said, "Lost? He's not lost, he's with me! He my new apprentice, starting today." "W-What?! I-I never agreed to that!" I said confused, looking up to him. Hyaku stared at Kumatetsu with a terrified look. "He's a human child!" Kumatetsu gripped my arm and yelled at Hyaku, "What do I care if he's a human or a toilet brush! An apprentice is an apprentice, got it!?" "Whoa, whoa whoa!" Another voice cut in. A monkey walked over and said to Kumatetsu, "What's HE doing here? Didn't you hear me when I said I was kidding?" That was the voice of Tatara! Hyaku turned to him and said, "Tatara, explain to me what's going on." Tarata leaned in close to Hyaku, but I could still hear him. "The lord told him that if him ever wants to be the successor, he should start by finding an apprentice. So, we were out enjoying ourselves in the human world when we stumbled upon this one." He pointed a finger at me. Hyaku looked up to Kumatetsu and said, "And so you kidnapped him?!" I butted in and said, "I… I might've followed them..." Hyaku said, "Well, as least he's honest. But you have to take him back to the human world!" Kumatetsu lashed out at him and yelled, "Why should I?! What's so wrong with showing interest in a promising youngster, huh?!" Eventually, I had no choice but to follow Kumatetsu back to his home so I could train. I stared back to Hyaku and Tatara, and waved with a bit of smile before continuing to follow Kumatetsu up to his home.
After making it to his house, I asked him, "What do you mean, 'apprentice'?" He replied, kicking aside some garbage lying on the ground, "It means that from now on, I'm the one who's going to feed you." "I never agreed to that…" He threw down two pillows, and said to me, "That's where you'll sleep." "You've GOT to be kidding me…" I thought to myself. Kumatetsu flopped onto the nearby couch, and said to me, "Alright.. First things first, I hate crybabies. If I hear you cry, I'll kick you out." "Fine. I can do that." I told him. "And," he continued, "we're going to have to get along." "Like that's going to happen…" I muttered. "What was that…?" I heard him growl. "Nothing. I was talking about something else." "Hmph… you better have been." Kumatetsu grabbed a blanket and draped it over himself. Well… I think we should get some rest, so I'm heading to bed."
I sighed and just had to make the best of this… I flicked off the light, and headed over to my "bed". I got down on the floor, and laid out the pillows side by side. I unzipped and pulled off my hoodie, trying my best to have a makeshift blanket. After trying to get comfortable, (which took A LOT longer because of the fact that I was sleeping on the floor) I stared out the window and sighed… "How am I ever going to get home... " I whispered to myself.