t was winter in the Ohu mountain range, and many tourists were taking advantage of the great conditions for skiing.

A fox leapt up onto a smooth stone, watching the bustling crowd with narrowed green eyes. He then turned to the other foxes behind him, each one unique, save for one thing. They all held daggers in their mouths, much like the green-eyed fox was.

Among the group of people was Daisuke, who was on his way to go hiking. He hoped to see a wild dog on the trail, so he could ask them to congratulate Orion for him.

The lead fox nodded to his comrades, and like bolts of lightning they streaked into the bushes, out of sight.

Inside the caves of Gajou, two puppies had just been born. They were the children of the Surpreme Leader Orion and his mate Alisha.

"Orion, they're here!" Cross's excited bark rang out as she padded out of the fortress.

Orion and his dear friend Yamabiko looked up from their conversation, their eyes lighting up.

"Well, don't just stand there!" Cross said, gesturing to the entrance. Despite her age, she was always very excited to see new arrivals in the pack. "Go and see them."

Orion padded inside after her. He came to his chamber, where Alisha was lying on her side, nursing two newborn puppies. The leader cautiously went to sit beside his mate, gazing in awe at his children. "So, these are my…"

"Aren't they beautiful?" Alisha asked, gazing adoringly at the puppies.

Orion nodded, nuzzling his mate. "You did well, Alisha. These two will do great things, I'm sure of it."

"Well, then, get a closer look." Cross coaxed, amused at the cautious distance Orion was keeping from the pups. "They won't bite you."

"I know that, Granny." Orion said, embarrassed. "I just don't wanna hurt them, y'know?"

"You won't." Alisha siad gently. "Come on, get a better look."

Orion silently leaned in to observe the puppies closer. He paid little attention to appearance; he simply wanted to see that they were strong and lively, and he was pleased at what he saw. "Alisha," he murmured, looking up, "are they boys or girls?"

"The red and white one is a boy." Alisha said, nudging the puppy with her nose. "And the tan one is a girl."

"I see." Orion said. "Have you thought of names?"

"I like Kaban for the boy." Alisha said. "It means 'basket'. I thought of it when Daisuke brought us that basket of fish as a gift."

"I like it." Orion said, smiling. "Then I'll pick the name for the female. I'll call her Rin. It means 'companion'. I hope that she'll have many companions."

"It's perfect." Alisha said softly.

Cross smiled and quietly left the cave, letting the family spend some time together.

Alas, this peace was not to last.

Two months later…

"Orion!" a shiba inu cried, rushing to the base of the rock where Orion was resting.

Orion looked up, sensing the panic in the dog's voice. "What is it, Sasuke?"

"It's terrible. Follow me!"

The two dogs dashed asway from Gajou, running until they came to a clearing. A kishu, one of their very own soldiers, lay dead in the middle of it, in a puddle of his own blood. His eyes stared ahead, and his tongue lolled out of his mouth. What disturbed Orion the most was the gashes. The kishu had one in the side of his neck, and two carved into his back.

Orion clenched his teeth, horrified. "How did…"

"I don't know." Sasuke shook his head. "Those cuts are too clean to have been made by fangs, but there's fox scent everywhere!"

"So it was those weird foxes… they've snatched puppies from the village over the past couple of months." Orion padded over to the dead kishu, his eyes full of sorrow for his subordinate. "This has proven to me that Ohu is unsafe for my pups right now. Tell Alisha that."

"Right away, sir!" Sasuke barked, hurrying out of sight.