Dear Ikko, Day 61
I feel kind of guilty. I wasted yesterday as a traveling day. In the afternoon I was taking a detour through the woods, when I was stopped by a pack of wolves that could see past my vulnerable, human form. They spoke to me in the thick, low dialect of the wolf tongue. The alpha-male said that he and his pack had been following me for quite some time now and they wished to reach out an invitation of membership to me. They seemed to like the fact that I could also speak in human tongue as well as wolf. He said he wanted me to be the "spokesman" for his pack to the humans. It seemed that his male no longer wanted to be hunted for his skin and teeth. He wanted to form a truce with the humans and be able to live in peace.
The pack took me to a den where the alpha-female was due to give birth to pups at any moment. There were a few other wolves sitting there in anxious wait. The alpha-male, called Oori, discussed this idea with me. It was very tempting, but I knew that I had to refuse. I had to stick to my Mission. I had to become a Chunin.
In the strange wolf language, I apologized to Oori for having to refuse, but I did encourage his idea. Though, I also informed him that even with a "spokesperson" who would discuss peace with the humans, it would be almost impossible to make it a reality. Man is stubborn and his mind is only set on war and discord. There was no true reasoning with humans, especially the hunters. Oori accepted this theory and I believe it actually got him thinking against his own ideas.
So, after talking to Oori, I decided that I had to leave and continue, well, only after making sure the alpha-female had a successful delivery. Oori respected this and I waited with them for the new arrivals. While I waited, I got to meet the other members of the pack—Oka, the alpha-female, Oomi, the beta-female, Oriji, the beta-male, and Omari, the omega-male.
Oka gave birth to three pups, but one of them, the female, did not survive the journey to the outside world. This was very heartbreaking for the pack…but we must learn to cope with losses. Although they had lost one, Oka and Oori still rejoiced at the birth of their two sons—Ojii and Oorin. I was very happy for them. Moments after their birth, it started pouring rain, so I was invited to stay with them for the night. After gazing upon the new-borns for a few moments, I could not refuse this offer. So that night I stayed in the den to escape the rain.
If only all death could bring life. Maybe that's why I haven't gotten over the death of my village. Now I'm not so sure if I ever will…
-Ippiki Ookami