The two of them ended up far from their home. They rested under an old cherry blossom tree that had recently finished its bloom. Louna was the larger canine out of them. Her coat was fuller and darker, though sleek. Jin's fur was fluffy, but instead of black, he was a rich dark brown, with white paws. Regardless of sitting or standing, his height stopped just under Louna's chin. That was just where his head rested, after he delivered her the bad news about a hard choice the elders were deciding on.

Louna had recently taken to being stoic during her hardship. So it was not a surprise to him that she did not react to his information. She sat silently with her eyes closed, deep in her thoughts.

"it's just the two of us here," he started after a few more moments of her silence. "You don't have to be afraid of saying anything."

A sigh was the first thing she gave him. "What do you want me to say? If Love says that's what she wants to do, then her mother is going to have her support. That's a powerful combination. It makes for a pretty tough opponent."

"Are you forgetting who your mother was?"

"I can't rely on a dead parents forever."

"Don't you think that's a little harsh?"

"A harsh truth. We should not ignore the fact that she is dead and that I inherited a stigma from my father."

"Listening to whispers again?"

"Ignorance is not always bliss."

"But turning a deaf ear might do you some good."

"Jin!" Louna snapped, which caused Jin to pull back from her. She stood and turned to face the opposite direction of Jin. "Is this not a serious matter to you? I am going to lose my home! They will separate me from my last family member! How can I prove to them that I am not a threat when the demons who plague our home call out to me?"

Jin stared at her for a few silent moments before slowly tilting his head to the side.

"You can understand them?" he asked slowly.

Louna was hesitant to provide an answer. But she dipped her head and whispered, "You can't?"

Another moment of silence passed between them as they both processed the information. It was concerning, but Jin did not believe Louna to be of any danger herself. If anything, she was the one in danger. But convincing his father of that would be tough. One person being sacrificed for the greater good was in the better interest of the tribe. A harsh truth, as he believed Louna would say.

Jin walked along Louna's side, brushing himself against her until his head was nuzzling her neck. He could only think of physical affection to soothe her instead of words. Louna would most likely find something to counter anything he could tell her, which in the long run would bottle up more of her anger.

"I don't know what to do…" Louna spoke softly, her voice a whispered choke. "I don't know who to turn to, Jin. Who would help me when everyone looks at me and sees my father?"

Jin resisted a sigh. Louna's father was not a well-loved man among the tribe. There had been many whispers of him being a dark priest, or inhuman, but never had anything in particular happen to prove rumors against him. Yet because of the ominous energy he put out, his behaviorisms, the fact that he was an outsider towards the tribe – people did not take well to him. Many had also questioned his relationship with Louna's mother. He developed a stigma in the tribe, and it had rubbed off on Louna the year after her mother passed.

"We can figure something out," Jin started. "You are a valuable member among the tribe. Koge can't argue the apprentices you've helped train. She can't ignore the numerous scrolls you've looked over and corrected – her work included. You've helped with numerous hunts and gatherings. You have proven your worth to this tribe."

Louna sat back against the tree, once again pulling away from Jin's affection. She knew he was trying to give her reasons to be hopeful, but the feeling in her gut told her she was in trouble. If she went back to the village then she would have to face Koge, Koge's mother the - High Priestess, and Jin's father - the tribe leader. There were more members to the council, but they were the ones that decide her final verdict. She could already feel their stares and the heaviness the delivery of her ban would bring her.

"I could just not go back," Louna suggested, her tone too calm for her own good.

"And leave your sister without a goodbye?" Jin sneered, surprised by Louna's lack of tact.

Louna's chest rumbled, but she did not turn to Jin. He was right. Leaving without telling her sister goodbye was heartless of her. It just felt easier to leave on her own will than have the council throw her out. Even though Jin was hopeful that his word would matter to them, Louna knew that Koge's opinion would be valued more – a nice benefit of being an apprentice high priestess and the downside of only being the tribe leader's son.

"We should head back to the village," Louna sighed. There was no point in putting off the inevitable. She knew what she needed to know. She could not be surprised by the sudden discovery of being tossed from her clan.

"Are you sure?" Jon followed by her side as she started back towards their home. "Maybe I can get them to wait a little longer before making the final decision? You need some place to go first. And surely they know how you and Milly would feel to be separated."

Louna turned her head and pressed her temple down into Jin's – her first act of affection she had given to him on her own since the announcement of his future engagement. He almost blushed, saved by his canine form. She would have surely made fun of him.

"I will face this now," she told him. Her eyes were closed, but her voice spoke with an assured calm. It was a façade, but he couldn't call her out on it. She was trying her best to remain strong – as she always had. It was just another step for her to climb, and she was ready to climb it.

BREAK

Louna's fists were balled so tightly that crimson trickled against her skin. She had readied herself for this moment, but the rage she felt inside of her felt nearly uncontrollable. Her eyes watered as she listened to the council damn her on behalf of her father. Jin did his best to argue her protection, but his voice was hushed only after a few statements.

"These demons terrorize our home because of her blackened bloodline," Koge hissed. "She lost her spiritual abilities, so she instead learns summons demons. If they want her, they can have her, but they will not destroy our home!"

Koge's mother lifted her hand, silencing her daughter. She spoke, less passionate, with her eyes staring deeply into Louna.

"Understand that we are not punishing you," she started. Koge rolled her eyes in exasperation. "We are simply acting for the betterment of the tribe. We believe that somehow the attacks are linked to you, and we must eliminate the cause of the attacks."

Me, Louna thought as her gaze locked on the high priestess.

"Somehow?" Koge growled, slamming a fist down on the wooden table. "Mother! There is no need to be gentle with her. She knows that she's spawn of a black priest. Everyone knows that she's just like him instead of Aratani! And that's why Milly gets to stay. Don't baby a demon."

"Koge!" Jin shouted, rising from his chair with such force the chair fell backwards behind him. "How dare you call her a demon!"

Koge rose from her own chair and turned to face Jin with a black look on her face. "You are blinded by your infatuation for her. You have continuously ignored the way her energy has changed over the years Aratani has been dead. Whatever Louna has become, I'm sure the late high priestess would not claim this thing as her daughter!"

A deep growl erupted from Jin as his fangs grew larger in size, morphing his mouth into a warped muzzle behind his mask. His fingers dug into the wooden table as he struggled to contain his rage. Koge stood her place, not daring to back down against her claim.

How dare Koge mention her parents! Louna's gaze had switched back over to Koge, yet Louna could only see red pulsing before her vision. Her energy spiked dangerously, which caused her own mouth to warp into a muzzle of sharp fangs. Her fingers extended into long and awkward claws, letting the blood that had been pooling in her hands to drip freely to the floor. Her legs were the last visible transformation. They grew, bulky and awkward. In only a few seconds she could have completed her shapeshifting.

But it didn't happen. The high priestess, with a swift motion out her arms, and a whispered word of "Stillness!" locked the three into place. None of them were capable of moving an inch. They could only blink and listen to what she and the tribe leader had to say.

"Calm yourselves," Jin's father spoke once he was certain the Stillness spell was active. "Koge, you are out of line. It is not your place to say such things. When the spell is disarmed, you will hold your tongue and speak no more. Louna," the elder almost sighed her name.

"We know that this is difficult to accept, but we at least want you to understand why we are doing it. The death of your mother changed you. And we can only assume why," he paused. Most likely side glancing at Koname."We have noticed for a while now that the demons appear wherever you are. As a valued member of this tribe, I do not believe that you are intentionally summoning demons to our home. But each of the priestesses here have been able to detect an energy that we believe the demons may be responding to coming from you."

Each of the priestesses? That would imply that Milly was able to detect Louna's change in energy, and she never said anything of it. Louna could see Milly from the corner of her eyes, her head bowed, and the ground at her feet was damp. Louna wasn't sure if she should be angry or forgiving because Milly was only a child.

"You do not have to leave immediately if you would like to tell anyone goodbye," the tribe leader continued. "But we do ask that you leave by tonight. Milly will be kept safe in our care. Is there anything you may wish to say to us?"

There were plenty of creative things that Louna wanted to say, but she knew it would not do her any good since the decision had been made. To her, it was an unfair punishment and she could not control the things that happened around her. But so many people viewed her negatively since the demon started attacking their home. Since her power started to change. They dismissed anything useful she did for the village in spite of her similarities to her father. She went from being one of the most valuable and most loved members of her tribe to being one of the most feared and hated - the exact opposite of her mother… just like her father.

Louna decided against saying anything. Even if she argued her case she knew that they would keep their decision. Her legs and muzzle adjusted back to their normal appearances, and she turned to leave the room, unaware of the stares she received for breaking a Stillness spell casted by the High Priestess.