Spice and Wolf: Tales of Yoitsu
Author's note: This little one-shot was something that just came to me. I thought it would be fun to have Horo tell a story, and not just any story! A legend that has been passed down to her through the generations. If you liked this one-shot or my other, on-going fan fiction, please leave me a review! It really helps!
Until next time!
~TabiNoTochuu
Spice and Wolf: Tales of Yoitsu
Horo's crimson eyes glinted as she looked up at Lawrence. "Hm? You wish for me to recount a legend from Yoitsu?"
Lawrence, sitting across from here, separated by their campfire, nodded. "I wanted to know more about you, and I thought that this would be the best way."
Horo sighed and shook her head. "I don't feel like it right now. I'm tired, and hungry. The only thing that I wish to do right now is to sleep so we can get into town tomorrow."
"Please, Horo? I'll let you buy as many apples as you want when we get into town! I promise!"
Horo turned to looked at her companion, her mind racing at what she just heard. "Oh? Are you really so desperate to learn more about me? If that is the case, then I will accept your offer. You had better be prepared to buy me many apples in town tomorrow!"
Lawrence quickly realized his mistake and quickly said, "Ah- Horo? I meant that tomorrow, in town, I'll let you buy as many apples as you want, but within reason!"
Seeing the look on her companion's face, Horo laughed and said, "Oh Lawrence, you can be such a fool sometimes! Of course I was just kidding. Do you really think that I, Horo, the Wise Wolf of Yoitsu, can be won over by just the mere thought of apples!"
"Horo? You're drooling."
Horo quickly wipes her mouth and blushes furiously. "Don't think that this means I can be won over! Apples are just fruit, and I will not be tempted by them, no matter how deliciously sweet they are!"
Lawrence laughed, seeing the dreamy look on her face. "Actually, Horo? I think you were tempted. Just now."
Horo got up from where she was sitting and walked over to Lawrence. She gave him a punch on the side before sitting down next to him. "It seems like the timid merchant has a wit that may even match a wolf's!"
"Why thank you Horo."
"Of course, it may take a few hundred years, but you'll get there eventually."
Horo laid her head on Lawrence's chest before saying, "It looks like you won't give up. Even though I may be tired, I might as well tell you one story so that you'll stop bothering me."
She stared into the fire and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, her irises reflected the dancing colors of the fire in front of them. "Lawrence. The legend that I am about to tell you is a traditional one passed down in Yoitsu through many generations. It is a special one, so listen carefully. Don't think that I will repeat any of it because of your own stupidity."
Thousands and thousands of years ago, there was a small village much like the one where you picked me up in. In this village lived a young girl, all alone in her home near the edge of the village. This girl was loved and respected by the villagers, for she was kind, gentle, and very beautiful. However, spite and jealousy never stands still, and some of the villagers grew envious of the attention and adoration that she received. They tried desperately to humiliate her in some way, to bring her down from the high-up place she found herself in.
One night, the girl was on a walk in the fields near her home when she heard the cries of an animal in pain coming from the wheat near her. She rushes through the field to find a young wolf with brown fur and a white-tipped tail lying there on the floor. When it saw her, its eyes grew wide with fear, and it growled at her, then whimpering in pain once more. Looking at the wolf, the girl realized that it was bleeding heavily from a deep gash in its side. In an instant, she had made her decision. She picked up the wolf and carried it carefully to her home. The wolf watched her warily as she cleaned its wound, making no noise than an occasional whimper. With time, the wound healed, and the wolf was nursed back to health. The wolf learned to trust the girl, and she learned to love it, and the two were rarely too far away from each other. She was happy to have a new companion that she herself had saved from the jaws of death.
However, her joy and days of happiness were not to last. The petty and spiteful villagers that hated her finally decided to do something. Drunk, one of the men suggested to the group that they should just kill the girl and put an end to their troubles with the brat. Though hesitant at first, they all agreed to the plan and set out for her home wielding a variety of farm tools and hand-made torches. They quietly entered her home and moved to her room. Upon opening the door, the wolf, who had been sleeping next to the girl's bed, lifted its head and let out a low warning growl. At the sound, as well as the sight of the wolf's glowing eyes, the men panicked and stabbed wildly before fleeing. Instantly, the air was filled with the wolf's howls of pain, and above it, the screams of a young girl. The sound woke up the villagers and they rushed to her home to discover the source of the sound.
By the time the villagers arrived at her house, her faithful companion was already dying. The villagers rushed into her room to find the girl cradling the dying body of a wolf. Then, with its last bit of strength, the wolf lifted its head and licked the girl's tears. With one final breath, the girl's most faithful companion passed from this world. Try as they did, none of the villagers could get the girl to leave the body of the wolf. Then, as her sobbing ceased, the villagers witnessed a miracle unlike any other. The wolf's body began to glow pure gold, and soon, the light was so strong, the villagers cried out with pain and shock and averted their eyes.
When the glow had disappeared, the wolf's body, along with the girl, were gone without a trace. Though the villagers searched for many days, they could not find either one of them. In time, the event slowly faded from their memories, but they did not forget about the girl. Her abandoned home was considered both a sacred ground and a haunted one. On clear nights with a full moon, villagers swear that they see the girl's figure standing outside, looking at the moon. However, as they got closer, they realized the girl was no longer the same. Her auburn hair had turned a glowing silver, and her eyes were shining crimson. Most strange of all was the tail and wolfish ears the girl had. After some time, the villagers stopped seeing the girl, and eventually, even her memory had disappeared from their minds. However, every now and then, tales of a girl with silver hair, crimson eyes, and teeth filed to fangs would reach their ears, and they knew that she was still out there somewhere.
Even now, on moonlit nights, villages across the country would hear the howls of a wolf, high and mournful, and generation after generation would tell tales of the girl who became a wolf.
Horo finished her tale and looks up at Lawrence. "Well? Did you like it?"
Lawrence looked at her and smiled. He put his arm around her and pressed her closer to himself.
"It was a wonderful story, Horo."
Author's (second) note:
Well! First attempt at a one-shot! I have to say, I didn't expect it to come out like this. I was going to just allow Horo to tell Lawrence a story, but it soon evolved into this!
Thank you for reading, and maybe, in the future, Horo will be back to tell another story from her past!
Until next time!
~TabiNoTochuu
