3 reviews and 3 follows XD I'll take it. Time for the next chapter. I gave Oki an age. :P I know it's all up to debate, like some people think he's older, but he can be really hotheaded and stubborn so I thought he belonged in his twenties.

CHAPTER 2

"Is he going to be okay?"

"Of course he's going to be okay! Does he look dead to you?!"

The sound of familiar voices fading into his consciousness told Oki that he was still alive. He groaned ever so softly and opened his eyes to see four faces looking down at him—Kai, Kemu, Samickle, and Kai's sister, Lika. With his distorted vision, their assortment of masks seemed to blend together to make a single animal. He blinked blearily, trying to separate each face. He brought a hand up to his face to stop his head from pounding. The sight of skin betrayed that he had reverted to his human form in the time lapse.

"Are you feeling all right?" Samickle asked, concern lining the edge of his voice.

Oki just laid there on his back, trying to recall what had happened before he blacked out. Then it all came back to him. The storm…the sheep…the black wolf with those piercing red eyes…

"Kage attacked me." Oki tried to say, but it just came out as a slurred, jumbled mess.

"Here, drink some water!" Kai said hurriedly, offering him a flask.

Oki sat up and sipped the ice-cold water, savoring the soothing sensation it had on his throat. Then, despite the soreness of his muscles, he forced himself into a sitting position. Looking around, he realized that he was in old man Kemu's hut. The walls of the cozy house were lined with all sorts of masks that had belonged to the chiefs that came before. Chipmunk, fox, frog, raccoon...someday, Samickle's eagle would join their ranks. Oki tore his gaze from them and looked to the others.

Everyone was gathered around a fire, looking at him expectantly.

"Kage attacked me." He said again, successful this time. "He killed one of our sheep. I tried to chase off the wretched mongrel, but he defeated me. I thought…" Oki trailed off.

"You fought Kage?" Samickle said sharply, "He was on our territory?"

"It must not have been much of a fight." Kemu scoffed. "There's not a scratch on you!"

Oki just stared down at his body, at a loss for words. Kemu was right. The gashes that had been carved by Kage's claws and teeth were gone. There was no fatal wound to the back of his neck. His hands were not crushed, but fully functional. He stared at them, flexing his fingers in awe. "Impossible." Oki breathed, "He killed me. Blood was pouring out of my body. The snow was red with it."

Lika whimpered ever so quietly and Kai wrapped her arms around her little sister. "There was no blood. Samickle and I found you passed out in the snow after the blizzard. You were nearly frozen."

Oki couldn't believe it. Had it all been a hallucination caused by the storm? "The sheep…" Oki stammered, "Did you find…?"

Samickle shook his head. "They're gone."

Oki bowed his head in shame. "I'm sorry. It's my fault…"

"No, it's my fault!" Lika piped up, "I forgot to lock them up! I'll miss my sheep, but I'm glad you're okay, Oki!" She toddled over and wrapped her short little arms around the Oina Warrior's neck. Oki reached up and patted her on the back, taking comfort in her words, but guilt still plucked at his heart.

"I'll make it up to you, Lika." He promised.

"Okay!" The dark-haired little girl agreed cheerfully.

"All right, that's enough." Kemu said gruffly, "He was out there in the snow for hours, he needs his rest! Get out or there will be hides to tan!"

Giggling, Lika turned and dashed out of the hut, Samickle and Kai following her. Before going out the door, Samickle paused.

"We'll bring back some meat for tonight." He said with a nod, and then he was gone.

Oki sighed, sinking back down to the floor, reveling in the warmth of the wool blanket placed on top of him. Kemu stood there, watching him in an awkward sort of way. Oki closed his eyes and tried to pretend he was alone. It didn't work.

"That's Kai's blanket, you know." Kemu pointed out, "You should have seen how worried she was about you! Nothing I said could calm her down."

Oki said nothing for a long moment, wondering whether or not to pretend he had fallen asleep in the ten-second lull. Then he said curtly, "I shall thank her for her kindness the next time I see her."

"She really cares about you…" Kemu went on.

Oki gritted his teeth. "I know."

"It'd be nice if—"

"Kemu," Oki said carefully, trying not to lose his patience with the tribe's elder, "How am I going to get my rest if you keep talking to me?"

"Bah!" The old man grunted, waving a hand in the air. "Hard to believe you're twenty-three when you act like such a spoiled pup!" Luckily, he didn't argue any further. There was the click of a door, and he was gone.

Oki rolled onto his side, a mix of emotions swimming in his head. He wasn't a fool. He knew Kemu was hinting that he should take Kai as his mate; he had been for months. At first it was subtle, but he was being more and more obvious about it as time passed by. About a month ago, he had seen them coming back from a hunt together and said to Kai, "I hope he took you somewhere nice!"

And it wasn't just Kemu. The whole tribe seemed to think that he and Kai were a couple. And Oki acknowledged that maybe, a long time ago, there had been something between them. After all, she was kind and beautiful…and no one in the tribe could match her brilliant speed. When they were young, the two of them would race through Yoshpet almost every day. She never failed to beat him to the finish line. It hurt his pride, but he took it like a man because any time spent with Kai was precious.

However, those feelings had faded with time. He no longer felt that way about Kai. She was his friend…and nothing more.

Oki sighed, knowing that he should not be thinking so selfishly. The number of Oina in the world were dwindling ever since Lechku and Nechku killed off so many of them. Their species was endangered. How many were left? It couldn't have been more than twenty. Either way, they were forbidden to breed outside the tribe or bring in any intruders lest their sacred way of life be disturbed. A dark cloud hovered over the Oina tribe, the reality that they could go extinct within the next hundred years a dark possibility.

And yet, he couldn't bring himself to try and stop it.

Oki absent-mindedly rubbed the back of his neck where the wound that ended his life should have been. Small injuries meant nothing to Oina Warriors. If one sustained a cut or a bruise while in wolf form, it would be gone after the return to human form. But larger injuries—a broken paw or deep wound—would resist the change and stay on the body.

So why have I come away with nothing at all? Oki thought as he finally slipped into an uncomfortable sleep.

…I should be dead.

A chill breeze caused Oki to wake abruptly. The door to Kemu's hut was wide open; the old man stood in the doorway, hunched over, glaring through his raccoon mask at Oki. "What's the meaning of this, boy?!" He demanded.

At first, Oki had no idea what he meant. Then he looked down at himself and realized that Kai's wool blanket had been completely shredded beyond recognition. It was strewn about the hut, torn to pieces. Smaller bits had nestled themselves into Oki's hair and clothes. At a loss for words, he could only stare.

Then, with an agility unlike that of an old man, Kemu crossed the hut and slapped Oki across the face. "You ungrateful child! Back in my day, we were gracious when a lady gave us a gift. She worked hard sewing that blanket and you go and tear it to bits! You fool! Why I ought to…!"

Oki had jumped to his feet, easily holding the little old man back with one hand, holding his throbbing cheek with the other. "I did not do it on purpose!" Oki protested heatedly, "I've been asleep this whole time!"

Kemu snorted disbelievingly, but ceased his assault. "Well, I think you are well enough to go back to your own hut."

"I agree." Oki said, feeling irritated. He turned and left without another word to the tribe's elder and walked down the snow-covered trail leading away from the house. He knew he was being disrespectful, but he felt justified, with his cheek still stinging. He and the old man had never been on good terms.

"Okiii!" A tiny voice called out.

Oki turned around to see a little boy wearing an otter mask tripping through the deep drifts to get to him. It was Lutra, one of the youngest members of the Oina tribe, right around Lika's age. Oki had no idea who the boy's parents were. He was always off on his own, usually playing in the snowy field that was hidden beyond a stone wall. He stopped to catch his breath as he caught up with Oki.

"Lutra." Oki greeted with a nod.

Lutra's face lit up, as if he didn't expect the mighty Oina warrior to know his name. "Will you come roll snowballs with me?" He asked brightly.

"You want me to roll…snowballs?" Oki asked, pondering this strange request, "You do not wish to learn the ways of the sword or be taught how to hunt?"

"Nope. I just want big snowballs."

Oki just stared at the boy blankly.

"There was a white wolf here once who rolled the biggest snowball I ever saw!" Lutra went on, throwing his arms out to demonstrate how big it was. "I wish she would come back and show me how she did it, but I haven't seen her for—"

"Later." Oki said gruffly, turning his back on Lutra and continuing towards his hut. Lutra watched him go, at a loss for words.

As he strode away, the swordsman tried to block what the young boy had said from his mind. He didn't want to think about that. He refused to.

"Oki!" A new voice interrupted his thoughts. This time it was Kai, trailed by Samickle and Tuskle. Kai was in her human form, while the other two were wolves. Their jaws were fixed around the legs of a large caribou. "Look at today's catch! This will feed the entire village!"

"Excellent," He replied briskly, "I look forward to it."

"…Is something wrong?" Kai wondered

Oki flinched. Even though he wore a mask, Kai could read his emotions like an open book. "Nothing's wrong." He lied, "I was just going back to my hut to sleep."

"Get some rest; we could have used you on the hunt today." Samickle growled, letting go of the caribou's haunch.

"It wasn't my fault the caribou stepped on your foot!" Tuskle whined, but her eyes sparkled with amusement.

"I never said it was." Samickle responded with a half-hearted laugh, "But if someone had obeyed orders a little faster, then we could have taken it down without any casualties."

Tuskle bared her teeth and gave him a playful shove. "I'm a healer, not a fighter! Maybe next time you shouldn't beg me to go hunting with you." Despite the fact that they were in wolf form, Oki and Kai could still understand them. One of the many perks of being an Oina—no communication issues.

"Anyways, we'll divide up the meat at Kemu's. Come get your fill after you've slept." Samickle said.

Oki nodded and the two wolves continued to drag the caribou carcass in the direction of Kemu's house; Samickle had a slight limp to his gait. Oki watched them go. Kai stood next to him for a moment longer, as if she wanted to say something more. Then she mumbled something about getting back to Lika and headed in the direction of her home.

Oki did the same. After moving back to the village, he had secured an empty hut in the main square. It was a tradition to decorate one's home to resemble its resident within their tribe, but he hadn't done so. However, the hut he had occupied months ago-the one way on the outskirts-still resembled himself despite being vacant. He had never gotten around to cleaning it up. For some reason, he wanted to preserve it exactly as it was during the time he had inhabited it.

Once inside his new home, Oki fell asleep almost immediately. He slept through the rest of the day and into the evening. Dusk settled and every member of the tribe went to get his or her share of caribou meat. A concerned knock at the door woke Oki up, telling him that Kai had not forgotten him.

Why can't she just worry about herself for once? He thought grumpily, going to open the door.

Sure enough, there she was with a healthy shank of freshly-cooked meat bundled in her arms. "Hello!" She said cheerfully, her voice muffled by her deer mask, "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No, I was already up." Oki lied, trying to sound grateful. "Is this for me?"

"For us!" Lika squealed, hopping out from behind her older sister, "I want you to come over for dinner. You said you would make it up to me and that's how you're gonna do it!"

Oki smiled wearily. "How can I say no?"

Lika gave an excited hop and sped off in the direction of the hut she shared with Kai. "Come on!" She shouted, kicking up snow in her excitement.

"She's a handful," Kai chuckled, falling in step next to Oki, "Anyways, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." Oki growled, "There wasn't anything wrong with me to begin with."

"Oh…I'm sorry."

Blush crept into Oki's cheeks and he instantly felt bad for snapping at her. Thank the good earth their tribe wore masks as a part of their culture.

At Kai's hut, Oki discovered her house had already been prepared for the event. The low, wooden table had been set for three. A candle flickered at the center while a warm fire burned in the hearth. Decorative masks and beads hung from the wall. A loom was shoved in the corner with a half-finished blanket draped over it. It was quite homely.

"Make yourself comfortable," Kai said shyly, "Lika, would you put some water on?"

Lika finished preparations and saw to it that her favorite guest was comfortable. Then she declared, "I'm going to go visit old man Kemu!" and sprinted out of the house before anyone could stop her.

"Wait!" Kai shouted, jumping up from her seat, "Your food…"

But Lika didn't return.

"…I think this was a set-up." Kai muttered, looking embarrassed.

"What kind of set-up?" Oki wondered naively, digging into his dinner quite ravenously.

"Um…just that...never mind." Kai sunk back down into her seat, fidgeting uncomfortably. She changed subjects and began to make small talk about the villagers. Oki barely listened, more focused on his meal than the company he kept. After a long day, every bite tasted delicious. It warmed him all the way to his fingertips.

"...and Wali asked me to become his mate the other day." Kai finished, suddenly catching Oki's attention.

His head whipped up from his plate. "Wali. Who is he?"

Kai let out a soft laugh. "Oki, there's hardly anyone left in this tribe. How can you not know everyone by name?"

He remained silent, waiting for her to answer the question.

"Wali is the pink wolf with the dolphin mask. Now do you remember?"

Oki pondered this for a moment. A skinny pink wolf with purple markings sprang to mind. That youngster was always slinking around with his tail between his legs. The coward had even erected a sign outside his house that read something along the lines of, "Demons, don't come in here!" As if that would stop them.

"And what did you say?" Oki said, taking another bite of caribou.

Kai lowered her gaze. "I told him there was someone else. Someone I hoped would take me as a mate."

"Is that so?" Oki mumbled, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach. And it wasn't because he had eaten too much food.

Kai cleared her throat nervously. "Well, you know…I don't know if you've noticed, but everyone's been trying to pair us together lately. Like we're a couple or something."

Oki abruptly swallowed a large hunk of meat and nearly choked on it. For a moment, all he could do was cough and pound at his chest. When he had finally recovered, he groaned, "I noticed." Then he reached up and began to fiddle with his fang necklace, trying to look nonchalant. But he knew what was coming.

"Maybe we should just…you know, maybe we should become mates." Kai gave a nervous, high-pitched laugh that sounded more like a yelp. "Oh, don't listen to me! I'm just kidding…sort of…"

She lowered her head, avoiding eye contact. Oki's cheeks felt like they were on fire. Then, something else began to burn within him. He felt a deep rage within the pit of his stomach, so fierce that it made his hands shake. How dare Kai force this on him? How dare she emasculate him by being the one to suggest they become mates?

He pounded his fist on the table, releasing his fork with a clatter. "Is this any way to treat your guest?" Oki snarled, sounding more like a beast than a man.

Kai flinched, looking shocked. "Oh—Oh, Oki, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it at all!"

Oki rose from his seat, trembling with fury. All of his muscles tingled and a familiar sensation swept over him. This was what it felt like when he was transforming into a wolf. But instead of transforming, he stamped out of the hut, knocking into the table in his haste to leave. Something fell and crashed to the floor, but he didn't look back.

Outside, he found Lika hiding outside the window. She gave a small jump of surprise to see him coming out so soon. "What happened?" She asked, but he didn't acknowledge her.

Why am I so angry? A voice, a reasonable voice, wondered inside Oki's head.

Because Kai should know better than to ask me such a thing, He replied bitterly.

The very idea made him feel angrier than ever. He was always itching for a fight—especially back in the day, when demons roamed free and he believed it his duty to smite them. Now more than ever, he longed to sink into his primitive wolf form and tear at flesh. Despite the red that clouded his vision, he forced himself to remain human. He quickly hurried back home and shut himself inside his hut, locking the door behind him.

Sleep was what he needed now. He would deal with Kai in the morning.