Chapter 1
Awakening

Rapidly, her memories echoed through her mind…

It was gently snowing that day, as she recalled…

On the winding veranda of a home overlooking the small snowy village, she was with her mother – an elegant, yet melancholic woman with eyes that longed for something she could not grasp. Clothed in a flowing and simple kimono, its red cotton fabric and her long golden hair stood out from the white exterior of the snowfall. A fragile and rare beauty plagued by the sadness that dwelled within her violet eyes. Comfortably, the young child lay on her mother's nurturing lap. With a loving gaze from her lilac coloured eyes, the silent woman ran her porcelain fingers through her daughter's golden strands. Sharing the same golden hair and light purple eyes, the child was her complete splitting image. Whoever fathered the child left very little evidence of his parentage. It was clear upon the mere sight of the two, the only difference being their eyes. Although the same in color, the daughter possessed eyes of child-like wonder and innocence, whereas the silent mother had a certain dullness within hers.

"Mom, why are we treated different than the others? Why are they afraid of us?"

Surprised by her child's question, her hand flinched. Pausing her soothing comb of her child's hair, Mikomi saw her daughter's vibrant eyes looking up to her from her kimono's lap. She once had eyes like her, she remembered – long ago. Hailing from a clan lost within the ice and snow of the north, Mikomi lived in willing isolation from the other villagers who inhabited the silent mountain. A fever claimed both of her parents before the last war, making her the sole resident of her family's aged and large house. There were no others. Engraved above the doorway to the porch was her clan's fading sigil – a black triangle symbolizing a tree across a field of white. The guardians of the mountain, they were once called.

Wolf-people was another term.

The name the mountain-born clan went by was Yamamori – and they were near extinction. Past conflicts with other lands and clans to the south had crippled their strength and numbers as the centuries passed. Much like the once mighty Senju of Konohagakure, the Yamamori bloodline became thin and scarce.

Pushing back her thoughts of discontent, she gave a gentle smile. "You and I... have a special power they don't understand," She replied, softly. "It's only human nature to fear such things."

"Are there others with that power, too?"

That was something Mikomi often asked herself. The only others she knew were her parents – and they were long since dead. Other than her family, no one of her village had seen a Yamamori in what seemed to be generations. The past conflicts of the clan spurred many to go into hiding, concealing their bloodline from anyone who sought to hunt them down out of fear for their heritage. Just as the civil war that plagued the lands of Kirigakure to the far east of the continent, to be a wielder of any bloodline could mean certain death. Upon the mountain where they originally hailed, times were quaint and silent. No outsider dared to scale the treacherous mountain. The vast and unforgiving tundra at the mountain's base proved too great an obstacle for many to brave the elements. Although the villagers who farmed and hunted on the snowy mountain were weary of the strange-eyed woman and her child, they did not dare to cross them. Secluded by the towering peak and endless winter, they were safe. Looking towards the snowy skies above that day, she watched as each snowflake fell amongst the gentle winds.

"I'm... not sure," She said. "But I believe there are, somewhere out there…"

"Are people afraid of them, too?"

Her mother sighed, comfortingly, as she continued to run her fingers through her child's hair. "Nomasaki, the Kekkei Genkai you possess is special." She cooed. "They fear it because it's strange to them, and they don't know of our clan."

With big lilac eyes, Nomasaki looked up at her from the sound of her gentle voice. Meeting her wondrous gaze, Mikomi felt her cold heart warm within her. She remembered how carefully she chose her daughter's name after birthing her within the mountainside home filled with animal furs and the heat of the great hearth. Her husband was with her, she remembered - and although the pain was unbearable, the gain was greater than the cost. Named after a 'blossom in the field', Nomasaki gave her mother hope that she would not experience the same tragedies she did in her lifetime. Something else her daughter gave her was the harsh reminder of who her father was, her reddened cheeks flushed from the cold provoking her melancholic eyes to remember his name.

"And remember that no matter what," Her mother spoke, smiling warmly. "I will always love you."

Smiling in secure comfort, Nomasaki closed her eyes and laid her head back down on her mother's lap. There, she felt safe. She didn't want it to ever change…

Years later…

When Nomasaki reached the age of ten, her studies at the tiny shinobi academy grew difficult with the whispers and name-calling of the other students. Their eyes were filled with fear and ignorance, throwing bunches of paper and pencils at her from behind her desk. She tried her best to ignore them but their voices grew loud as they huddled together in shared mockery. Some of the children never bothered with her, unaware of the prejudice that befell her ancient and forgotten clan. She welcomed the silence. Despite the village having less than two-hundred shinobi at their disposal, their settlement was still permitted to act as the other shinobi villages in the lands that surrounded their borders. Many of them would seldom see combat after passing the genin exams, however, only to be recruited to keep watch along the mountain's base for approaching enemies – which was an extremely rare occurrence.

The battle against the Kumastume clan of the Land of Claws was the last one - and that was ages ago during the First Shinobi War.

She asked her mother if she was a shinobi once. Mikomi told her no, and then said her role was to be her mother. As Nomasaki neared the last two years of her lessons, she quickly realized the different path her and her fellow female classmates were on as opposed to their male counterparts. The girls were trained in the same standard arts as the boys, learning survival skills for living in the forests or mountains and how to use ninja tools, but they were informed that kunoichi were to be healers or teachers - never fighters. She struggled with the expectation. Her mother assured her it was her choice if she decided to continue with the training, and it was at that point Nomasaki wondered if she was cut out to be a shinobi at all.

"You wolves can't be shinobi," A classmate taunted her once. "Wolves eat shinobi."

Maybe I will someday, she convinced herself, I'll be stronger than all of them.

Strong.

That was a word that made the meek girl shudder with fear. She wondered if her father was strong, if he was a shinobi like the men of her village. Her mother told her he was, and when asked where he went she simply smiled and said "He'll be back someday" and kissed her forehead. Even as a child, Nomasaki could see the hurt that pained her mother's vibrant purple eyes at the mention of that man.

Maybe if I become a shinobi, he'll come home...

She made that fragile promise to herself.

Keeping to herself, she packed her bag after her class ended and started for her home on the snowy hilltop. Although she had no one to call a friend, her mother was the closest to filling that role. Entering the porch doors, she paused to take off her shoes as the snow began to fall once more.

"I'm home!" She said, walking through the sliding doors, closing them behind her to stop the cold from entering.

The house was unusually quiet, not a single sound could be heard except her footsteps on the tatami floor. It was an ominous silence, she thought. It chilled her. Stepping through the home with caution, she placed her bag against the wall and made her way through the darkened room. Not a single light was turned on either - very strange. "Mom?" There was no answer – her mother was nowhere to be seen or heard. Frantic, she walked down the hallway. "M-Mom?!"

As she searched the house near the living room, she froze in her steps. To her horror, she found her mother collapsed on the floor, unconscious and grey-eyed. She appeared as if she were there for hours, laying in a small puddle of her own blood that leaked from her cracked lips. Twitching slightly, she was unresponsive.

"Mom!"

Almost as if by night, her mother had become gravely ill by an unknown ailment. For nearly three weeks of agony, she was bedridden. Refusing to return to the academy, her daughter was by her side at all times attempting to nurse her back to health by bringing her food and water. From her worsening condition, her once silky golden hair turned to white straw, her ivory face turned pale and gaunt, and her lungs could no longer accept the native mountain air which she yearned. Each breath felt as if she were choking on fire, her fever draining every last ounce of strength she had. Unfortunately, her disease took a dire turn for the worst on one winter evening. Desperate, after much pleading and begging, the village's only doctor came to examine her mother's illness. Patiently, Nomasaki watched him observe her mother's vital signs, his green aura of chakra emitting over her chest in an attempt to find a solution. Narrowing his aged eyes behind his glasses, the doctor frustratedly scoffed to himself.

"Not once in my practice at Yama have I witnessed something like this…" He muttered, his head hung low in regret. "Surely a rare case… your cells are dying by the thousands…" Weakly, her mother looked up at the ceiling above, her once vibrant lilac eyes now devoid of life and determination. Accepting her impending fate as she could feel her body weaken by each passing breath. "I'm sorry." The doctor spoke, his medical jutsu disappearing from his hands. "There's nothing I can do."

Shocked, Nomasaki turned to him, watching him solemnly pack up his medical equipment and departing into the snowy night outside. Her eyes filled with sadness, she faced her dying mother as she lay on her imminent deathbed, tears forming in her lilac eyes.

"Nomasaki…" Her mother pleaded, weakly. "Please… don't cry…"

"But… But you're dying!" Nomasaki argued, tears streaming down her face. "You're dying! I can't be left all alone!"

Silently, she sobbed at her bedside, burying her face into the blankets before her. Her mother was the only family she had left – if she lost her, she would have no one. When asked about her father, her mother always danced around the subject – never sharing any details aside from that he was from an outside village. As for her father himself, no one knew what became of him, and she had no memory of his existence at all. He might as well have been a ghost.

"Nomasaki," Her mother said, handing her a scroll. On its frail binding was the inscription: 'wolf'. "This scroll contains someone… who will help you… use and master our clan's… Kekkei Genkai…" Her mother explained, weakly. With surprised and tearstained eyes, Nomasaki hesitantly took the scroll from her mother's frail grasp. Life fading from her lilac eyes, her mother gazed at her for a final time. "Use it wisely…" She said, almost whisper-like. "And when he speaks… listen to him…"

"Mom…!"

And she was gone...

Days after her passing, Nomasaki traveled to a secluded meadow on the snowy mountaintop – her mother's gifted scroll in hand.

As she knelt down on the snow-covered ground, she opened the scroll in front of her - laying on the frozen earth as she began to read the inscriptions. A summoning contract – had her mother been aware of her fate? From her current studies at the Yamagakure Ninja Academy, she knew very little of summoning jutsu – but she did remember the hand-sign formula. Nervously, she bit her finger and painted her name on the next blank slot - signing her name in her blood. Performing the hand-signs carefully, she mouthed each part as she remembered.

"I... Inu... Tori... Saru... Hitsuji..." Hoping the jutsu would work, she pressed her palm into the snow. "Summoning Jutsu!"

A huge cloud suddenly appeared where she pressed her palm – startling her. Once the cloud cleared, her eyes widened from the sight - a large white wolf was standing before her, its eyes closed as it stood on its strong limbs. Ruffling its snow-white fur, it slowly opened its slanted yellow eyes.

"You…!" It spoke, in a deep, beast-like voice. Its voice jolted her. "You summoned me… It's been more than ten long years since I was last summoned... during the Third Shinobi War… Who are you, pup? Speak now or brace yourself... I haven't had a meal in near a decade –and you're all I can smell."

Gulping, she stood up on her feet, staring into the wolf's eyes as she tried to contain her fear and nervousness. "M-My name is Yamamori Nomasaki." She stammered. "I-I was told to summon you... by my mom."

The wolf's ears perked. "Mikomi?"

"Y-Yes." She nodded, her nervousness slowly dissipating. "Who are you?"

"Hanone." He spoke, less threatening. Startling her, the large white wolf drew closer to her, sniffing the air in front of her - twice. Once he had sniffed a certain scent, he became silent, realizing the circumstance. "Yes, you definitely are Mikomi's child. You possess the same chakra... no question about it."

Sadly, she looked down at the snow below her. "My mother… is dead." She explained. "She told me to summon you, before she died of an illness..."

"Is that so?" Watching her nod with her glance averting his, he could sense the sorrow and despair she held within – her eyes conveying her pain for her loss. The wolf's eyes closed in sympathy for the girl who stood before him in the snowy meadow – no parents, no clan, and no future. He was all the girl had left. An unfortunate circumstance, he thought to himself. "Very well. I will take you under my wing." Surprised, she looked into the wolf's feral eyes – seeing her reflection emitting from its gleam. "From this day forward, I will be your mentor... and you will become a wolf."

She shivered from the growl of the beast's words.

Becoming a wolf was a rite of passage for her long-lost people, but she was nowhere near such an age. Ten years old and hardly independent, she was utterly lost. The moment of her mother's passing was still burned into her memory, her heart longing to come home to her loving arms once more. She missed the warmth and comfort she brought, her kind words, and her stories. As she looked at the creature standing before her, she was reminded of her mother's soft coat of coarse white fur. Like all Yamamori before her, Mikomi embraced her wolfishness with pride – but made sure to not change before the frightened villagers. Her fur was so warm with protection, she remembered. On cold winter nights where she could not sleep, her mother would become a wolf and wrap herself around her, allowing her to rest upon the dense snowy fur of her tail. Startling her, Hanone stepped towards her in the snow, his back facing her as he laid his belly upon the snow. Without saying anything, the beast lay still and waited. Confused, Nomasaki stared at the beast. Even as he lay on the snow, the wolf was so tall, larger than any deer or bear she seen on the mountain. It frightened her to begin to comprehend the strength of his closed jaws. Not even her mother's wolf-form was that large.

She shivered once more.

"Well?" He grumbled. "Why are you just standing there? Get on..."

She felt her heart jump in her chest from his words and the sight of his canines. They had to be the length of her palm, she thought. Taking a deep breath as she could see her gasp become vapor before her, she hesitantly stepped closer. Eyeing the white fur of the beast, she paused before it and pondered how she would approach. Grasping slowly to the fur of its back, she grabbed a handful in each palm and pulled herself up, her legs flailing slightly beneath her from the height difference. Her fear amused him, but he dared not to utter a single word - pretending he did not hear her timid grunts to pull herself onto him. Once she was nearly there, he stood up on his strong limbs, startling her and causing her to fall back on his back at last. She was not very coordinated, not in the least. Adjusting herself, she carefully positioned herself behind his thick mane. Grasping the fur on his back within her fingers, she realized how similar it felt to her mother's coat. The same warmth and protection was there. Her fear and nervousness receding, she gave a small pat and nodded.

"Where are we going?" She asked. "Home is that wa...–!?" The wolf turned its body towards the forest that spread over the path ahead, startling her as she grabbed hold of his mane.

"We must hunt first. Come,"

With a strong force, Hanone pressed his clawed paws onto the snowy earth below, the blanket of white crushed under his behemoth weight. Strongly, the beast leapt forward, bounding through the snowy land into the dense thicket of frost. The frigid wind whipped against her stunned face as she took everything in. She could feel the cold breeze through her hair, smelling the freshness of the pines on the air that passed. The winds, the snow, the cold, and the feeling of flight. Never before had she felt so free.

Smiling widely, she let go of the sadness that plagued her, welcoming the warmth with open arms as her and her wolf departed into the mountain's forest...

Living her life as an orphan under Hanone's teachings, she spent her days trying to survive as best as she could.

Learning how to manage the aging hillside home by all herself, her wolf sat idly by on guard outside. Leaving the Yamagakure Ninja Academy behind her, she devoted her time to making sure her family home stood against the coming times and changing winds. Cleaning the floors, doing the wash, and other housekeeping tasks kept her on her toes. When she was done her household duties, she ventured off into the forest with Hanone, learning how to awaken her Kekkei Genkai that lay reluctantly dormant in her blood.

The first step in her training was teaching her how to properly hunt – hunting rabbits, boar, and deer equipped with nothing but her instincts and a kunai. Luckily when food was scarce, there were some instances where villagers would leave leftover bread and crops to her doorstep – either through fear of the wolf who guarded her, or for pity of her being orphaned after the loss of her mother. Regardless, she appreciated the gesture.

One year later as the never-ending winter entered its annual storm season, she was just shy of turning twelve years old. As the cold winds shook the frosted trees along their path, Hanone guided her towards the clearing located further up the snow-covered mountain – before a great and winding forest of towering fir trees. Their evergreen hue lay hidden amongst the frost, but they were still beautiful. Sliding down the wolf's back as his large paws crunched in the snow, she stood in absolute marvel at the frosted trees around her.

"This is where we go our separate ways."

Shocked, she turned to the wolf, her eyes wide with fear from his unsuspecting words. "W–What do you mean?" She stammered. Closing his eyes in silence, the wolf turned his body around and started down the path for the village – abandoning her in the cold. "But Hanone!" She shouted. "I can't become a wolf yet!"

"That's the very reason why we're here," He grunted, pausing his steps in the snow. "Take a look at this shrine."

Glancing towards her, he gestured his head towards what lay before her at the forest's edge. Her gaze following his, she noticed the tiny stone monument erected before a snow-covered altar. Nature was slowing taking back the last remnant of her clan.

"This place is sacred to your people. The wolves of your clan would pray at this shrine... and it might be the key to unlocking your Kekkei Genkai... the secret of Ōkamitoko..."

"But what if it doesn't work?" She asked. "What if... I'm not strong enough?"

"It will." He answered through his jaws. "It may take time, but it's in your future. No mistake about it." Turning his large body and stance towards her in the snow, his paws crunched the icy earth beneath, the beast's eyes stern and feral. "You're going to survive in this forest by yourself... no kunai, no food, no water. To survive, you must take matters into your own hands."

Her eyes widened as she gulped, swallowing her fear for the unknown and unpredictable mountain lands. As the unforgiving ice-ridden winds swept by, the wolf was gone from her view, leaving her alone to fend for herself...

Miraculously, without the Kekkei Genkai of her forgotten clan, she managed to pull through for a month within the cold mountain forest - fending off bears and the like, hunting for food with her bare hands and drinking from the mountain lakes, and using what little she knew of wind release jutsu to survive. Although her training was successful, she did not awaken her power that lay within - much to Hanone's dismay.

Despite her failure and committing to his promise, Hanone continued to guard her and teach what he knew about her people...

Vibrantly, her scattered recollections of the last few days flashed within her mind – as her panicked memory struggled to process what happened…

She celebrated yet another birthday alone.

Thirteen.

It had been near three years since her mother passed from her fever, and three years since she was under the care and mentorship of Hanone. In her clan's traditions, she reached the each of passage. It could be any day – and her Kekkei Genkai was primed and ready to be fully awakened from its still slumber within her blood.

Many moons passed – it did not arrive.

Standing outside of her burning home, she stood frightened and trembling as she scanned the sight before her – her entire village up in flames, the sounds of blades clashing filling the night air around her, and the once pure white snow stained with the bloody evidence of battle. Only the backs of the armor-clad men who invaded were clear in her vision before the rising flames. The blackened crest of one the invaders struck her as she saw the flames gleam upon its carving.

A beast.

"Get out of here, now!" Hanone growled in her memory, her vision going blank and her mind echoed her mother's parting words. "When he speaks… listen to him…"

Jolting, her vision was filled with the memory of the harshly falling snow and the icy winds that accompanied.

As she struggled scaling down the treacherous mountain, she stumbled in her weakened and shivering state – her body shaking from panic. Muffling her silent sobs in the snow, she tried to lift herself up from the deep snow – falling in her weak attempt. Gritting her teeth, she tried to lift herself up once more with the last of her strength – her upper body exerting every last drop of energy that remained.

"Come on, body… move… move…!"

Suddenly, a feeling of warm adrenaline flowed through her veins – as if a burst of hidden strength she never thought she had. As the pain burned through her, she cried out - her teeth becoming fanged as her weakened body began to take shape. An agonizing wave of change rumbled through her – shaking off her human skin in the favor of something hidden in her blood.

A wolf.

With a snarling howl, the newly awakened beast dashed through the mountain forest – leaving their past life in Yamagakure behind in a desperate bid for survival…

Her memory suddenly turned black – her vision flickering weakly to the blinding desert sun above as she collapsed from her aimless journey of escape. While her vision began to darken, there was a small glimmer of light through her exhausted and drained lilac eyes.

Faintly, she saw a figure dressed in burgundy with red hair that swayed in the winds of the impending storm. Their ringed eyes gazed down at her as she lay collapsed, reminding her of a tanuki – a creature of fables. She could feel their strong pulsating chakra as they came closer, her vision soon darkening…

Slowly, her eyes opened from her prolonged rest.

Awakening, she jolted up from her flashes of fire and snow – feeling the panic rise up into her chest instantly. Realizing she was not in immediate danger, she paced her breathing – suddenly feeling the sting of her strained muscles from her desert travels. Weakly, she stood up from the stretcher and stepped towards the door of the stucco room she awoke in – sensing the presence of two people outside in the hall. Opening the door slightly, she peered through the crack – eavesdropping on the conversation.

"So, is it true?"

"Yes, sir."

Flinching back into the room, her finger lightly grazed the doorframe - silently listening to the ninja who conversed in the tiled hallway. "The squads we've sent to Yamagakure just returned… they haven't found any survivors as of yet." One of the ninja explained. "The whole village was completely destroyed."

"And the cause of this?" The other asked – a stern-faced upper ninja wearing a turban-like face covering. A jōnin, she suspected – she could sense the skill from his chakra, but how?

"Mercenaries, Baki-sama. Hailing from Ishigakure of the Land of Claws, it seems."

"I see," Baki nodded, dismayed. "So their rogue groups have once again terrorized another village in our midst… and Yama, out of all of them. I didn't think the settlement was still occupied."

Her eyes growing heavy from sadness, she silently closed the door - refusing to hear any more. Were there truly no more survivors of her village? Deep down, she desperately wanted to hang onto hope but could not bring herself to be optimistic. Yamagakure was gone – forgotten by the other villages, just as its nation disappeared from authority shortly after the formation of the Five Great Nations. The Land of Mountains was only a distant memory to her now.

Feeling the strong sunlight and the great masses of chakra congregating around her, she walked towards the window in curious urgency – where was she? Surprised beyond her imagination, she stared at the sight before her wide-eyed. Unbeknownst to her at first, she found herself within a large desert village – surrounded by a fortified valley of rock formations, shielding the settlement from the scourge of the encompassing desert. All around her were buildings made of sand and stucco, appearing as though they were touching the sky – all in a form of pure art. This mysterious place was unlike anything she had ever witnessed before, heavily dwarfing her tiny homeland in the north.

"What is this place?"

Notes: The kekkei genkai of the Yamamori clan, Ōkamitoko carries meaning to its name. In Japanese, Ōkamitoko (狼男) literally translates to "werewolf" or "wolf-man". This is a direct relation to the clan's kekkei genkai as members of the Yamamori clan can transform into wolves.