Chapter 3

Oki awoke early in the morning, when the sunlight was just starting to filter into the windows of his home. He gave a mighty stretch, cracking his sore muscles, drinking in the warmth of the sun. His fur felt extremely cozy. He almost didn't want to get up.

Wait…fur? He gave a small start, eyes flying open as he realized he had somehow passed into wolf form while he slept. Shock seized him in his grip when he realized his surroundings.

The inside of his house was completely destroyed. Clothing and furs were strewn across the floor, ripped to shreds. Stashes of meat and spring water had been cleaned out. Long gauges had been carved into the floor as well: claw marks. Judging from the streaks of red, the claws had been stained with blood. He observed his paws. They were spotless, but slightly damp, as if they had been licked clean…

A chill crept up Oki's spine, chasing away the warmth he had felt only a minute ago. Before he could ponder this strange turn of events any further, someone knocked at his door.

"Oki," The stern voice of Samickle sounded from outside the hut, "Open up."

Oki paused, taking deep breaths, focusing on his human form. The usual tingling sensation enveloped him and then he was standing back on two feet.

"What do you want?" Oki replied hurriedly, quickly pulling on a fresh, undamaged set of clothes. Then he swept his gaze around the room, wondering where to start. Could he even hope to clean up this mess in what little time he had? "Come back later, Samickle." He said, deciding to pick up the floor first.

"No." Samickle growled, "This is serious."

"You get out here right now, Oki!" A grumpy old voice demanded, "Or I'll tan your hide and hang it on my wall!"

Kemu, of course.

"Fine." Oki grumbled. Maybe if he slipped in and out quickly, they wouldn't get a glimpse at his atrocious new layout. He took a deep breath, adjusting his mask. Then he stepped outside, prepared to close the door behind him. Before he could, Samickle grabbed his wrist and yanked him forward.

"Hey-!" He growled, ripping his arm out of Samickle's grip. He glared at him fiercely. "What is the meaning of this?"

"So it is true." Kemu said grimly.

Oki glanced down to see the old chief peering past him, staring at the morbid state of his hut. He turned back to look at Samickle and could see a number of villagers standing behind him. Their assortment of masks made him feel as if he were being stared down by a number of wild animals, especially since he couldn't put a name to all of their faces.

"Come, Oki." Samickle said firmly. His eagle mask appeared to be angrier than ever, its eyes boring straight through him.

Oki held his ground. "I think I have a right to know what this is about." He said in a soft, dangerous voice. He could feel that uncontainable rage bubbling under the surface once more. It had flown away in sleep and now it was back.

"Oki, just go!" Kai called tearfully. He saw her standing there with her hands on little Lika's shoulders. "Please."

The urge to rebel against them filled every hollow in Oki's body. But what good would it do? So he narrowed his eyes and gave in. "Fine."

Oki grudgingly followed Samickle up the hill towards the chief's hut, the rest of the tribe trailing behind them. Hot rage pierced Oki's heart like a thorn. He didn't enjoy being dragged out of his house this early in the morning to become some sort of spectacle. He had a very bad feeling about all this…

They circled around Kemu's rather large hut, coming to the paddock that contained his sheep. Oki froze in disbelief, his eyes widening at the sight of it.

"Kage!" He snarled through gritted teeth.

Every last one of the sheep was mangled beyond belief. Their fluffy white coats were dark with blood. A few sheep had their eyes practically bulging out of their sockets; their mouths open in wordless screams of pain. Others looked as if they were sleeping, resigned to their fate. A little lamb lay dead next to its mother.

Oki whipped around to face the rest of the villagers. "We must smite him for such an unforgiveable crime!" He cried out heatedly.

Samickle shook his head slowly. "It wasn't Kage." He said in a voice laced with silent regret, "It was you."

Oki just stared back, uncomprehending, completely at a loss for words. His heart was pounding so furiously that he could feel it in his fingertips. He struggled to speak. "You're accusing me of…?"

"Your scent is all over it." Kemu announced, "I have the keenest nose in all of the tribe, so I would know!"

Samickle motioned towards the corpses, "Go on. See for yourself."

Oki was tempted to defy his alpha. He wanted nothing more than to stalk back to his hut and remain there for the rest of the day. But everyone was watching him and he couldn't let this accusation go. At least his fury made the transformation into a beast go smoother. Once he was on all fours, he padded up to the slain livestock and gave a great sniff. Sure enough, there was not a single trace of the black wolf to be found. He would have recognized his stench better than anyone else…but it was strangely absent. Only his own scent hung in the air.

He refused to accept this. "He's framing me!" Oki barked, pacing back and forth, ears flat against his skull. "There must be some sort of explanation!"

"There is one. You did it." Samickle said, starting to sound frustrated, "The evidence is there."

Oki rounded on him, fur bristling. "No!" He snarled, "It wasn't me!"

Samickle met his gaze, unflinching. "I'm afraid we're going to have to put you under house arrest."

Roaring, Oki leaped at his leader. Samickle transformed in an instant, meeting his opponent in midair. The rest of the tribe screamed and backed away as the two wolves crashed to the ground, snarling. They rolled over and over like a furry whirlwind, each trying to gain the upper hand.

Oki's teeth sank into Samickle's thick white mane, trying to pierce flesh. He wanted to feel the taste of blood on his tongue. He wanted to be blinded by crimson. Samickle had bossed him around long enough. He didn't deserve to lead this pack! Not after Oki had sacrificed everything to save it! They owed him!

But Samickle was the chief for a reason. With a great surge of strength, he threw Oki off of him. The shaggy red-and-blue wolf landed with a thump in a snowdrift and struggled to pull himself out of it.

"Foolish pup!" Samickle snarled, baring his teeth, "You're still as hotheaded as ever. But I never expected you to be a killer."

Silently, Oki sprang out of the snow and charged Samickle once more. The older warrior sidestepped him easily, lashing out with a paw as he flew by. Oki felt pain prickle his flank, but it didn't hinder him in the slightest. He was so overcome with rage. Nothing else mattered except ripping out Samickle's throat.

A senseless stream of growls and snarls filled Oki's ears as he dove towards Samickle, trying to catch one of his forepaws in his mouth. Just like Kage had done to him. Samickle stumbled backwards, pulling away from Oki, but he was persistent. Snapping his teeth, he caught one of Samickle's feather earrings in his jaws. He yanked his head back. Droplets of crimson blood scattered through the air.

"Wait!" The withered cry of Kemu sounded over their snarling, "Stop fighting! I think I know what the problem is!"

But Oki and Samickle were deaf to his pleas. "Stop this right now or I'll surely kill you!" Samickle bellowed, his lip curling to reveal every one of his teeth. His ear was badly torn, dripping blood down the side of his face. Oki spat the feather out of his mouth, opening his jaws to retort.

There was a small scream. "Kemu, what are you doing?!" A female voice cried out.

Samickle's face turned in the direction of the scream.

Now was his chance. Oki sprang forward, preparing to sink his teeth into the great wolf's throat. But then a smaller, older wolf leaped in front of him, clenching something in his jaws…

A powerful wave of energy knocked Oki back. He fell to the ground in a heap of fur, every fiber of his being numb with pain. He tried to get back up, but his limbs were paralyzed. He tried to growl defiance, but even that proved to be impossible.

He laid on the ground, completely helpless, the edges of his vision beginning to turn dark.

"What did you do to him?" Samickle panted, standing over Oki's stiff body.

Kemu slowly lowered his bushy head towards the ground and set a tiny slip of paper in the snow. It had strange characters written on it. "This," He told them, pawing at it, "Is an exorcism slip. It's used to ward off demons."

The villagers let out a soft gasp as realization sunk in. Samickle voiced what everyone was thinking. "But…Oki's not a demon." He said, sounding uncertain.

Kemu shook his head, almost sadly. "No. He's been cursed by one."

When Oki awoke, memories of the fight instantly rushed back to him. He had been trying to kill a blue wolf, but then the smaller, pale yellow one had interfered. He could still taste blood on his lips and his heart ached to reenter the battle. He tried to spring to his feet, but found himself unable to move. His legs were bound by rope and he lay sprawled on the floor of a manmade hut. Like a pig ready for slaughter. It was then he spotted the humans standing at the opposite end of the room, staring at him. One of them smelled like the pale blue wolf he had been battling.

Oki tried to snarl a warning, but his muzzle was bound by rope as well. He was essentially helpless. The best he could do was glare at the strangers and produce a growl in the back of his throat.

"Oki…?" Kai asked tentatively, as if she expected to be talking to someone else. "Is that you?"

Oki showed no signs of recognizing neither his name nor the girl that spoke to him. He writhed on the floor for a moment, trying to break out of his bonds. Then he returned to glowering at the four members of his tribe.

"Why is he acting like this?" Kai asked tearfully.

"Yes, Kemu. Please explain what's going on." Samickle said in a grave voice.

Kemu gave a great sigh. The tiny old man looked more withered than ever as he told them, "I don't know why I didn't see the signs right away. The lack of a wound, the shredded blanket, the holes in his memories…" He shook his head regretfully. "Tuskle, you explain it. You know this stuff better than I do."

Tuskle was the tribe's shaman. She lived away from Wep'keer, in a secluded hut by the Wawku Shrine. But she was more than just a guardian. She was well versed in the ways of healing and quite in tune with nature.

"I've always been very interested in the studies of spirits and demons, which is why I chose to live by the shrine a long time ago." Tuskle murmured, "When the Ark of Yamato ascended to the heavens and the Emperor of Darkness was defeated, I noticed that a multitude of demons started to disappear from the land. Looking into it, I found that most of them were dying on their own accord. Those were the weaker ones. But there are a few stronger, wiser beings that have found other ways to prosper in this new, peaceful era."

She turned her gaze towards Samickle and Kai.

"That's where Kage comes in. Please describe to me what he looked like."

"He was a large, black-pelted fellow," Samickle said, "He had red eyes as well. I didn't trust him from the moment I saw him."

"Good." Tuskle said, her eyes narrowing, "Because he is most certainly the demon that has possessed Oki. He must have found some way to adapt to the environment. Perhaps he used his dark magic to take on a new form, one that appeared harmless in the eyes of a demon-hunter. But he is still as dangerous as ever."

Kai gave a soft cry of horror. "What are we going to do?"

Tuskle turned to look at Oki. He was still glaring up at each of them with suspicious eyes, but at least his growls had ceased.

"Exorcism is the only cure. Otherwise, he will turn into a soulless demon," She said in a trembling voice, "But Kemu's exorcism slip didn't work. I have a few other rituals I can try to cleanse him, but if they fail…" She trailed off.

"They have to work." Kai choked out, burying her face in her hands, "What will we do without our Oki? He's one of the strongest members of the pack…!"

"I'm not promising anything." Tuskle said, trying to keep her voice level, "If nothing works, the only thing that would be able to exorcise Oki is a god. And they no longer exist in our world. They returned to the heavens months ago."

"Oki and I have had our differences in the past," Samickle spoke in a quiet voice, "But I can't murder him if he becomes a demon. He's my friend and our tribe owes him more than anything."

Kemu sighed. "Well, he certainly cannot stay here."

Kai started sobbing freely. Tuskle moved in to comfort her, whispering, "I'm sorry, Kai, but it's the truth."

Samickle remained quiet for a long time. Only Kai's quiet cries could be heard, along with the occasional growl from their cursed friend. Finally, he decided, "If nothing works, we'll take him to Yoshpet and seal him there."

Yoshpet. The Consuming Forest.

"That will kill him!" Kai gave a strangled cry.

Kemu cast an annoyed look at the poor girl. "Come now, you should know better than anyone that the strange mist in that forest doesn't affect certain Oina. Besides, you and Oki have been in and out of there countless times."

"But he's not an Oina anymore…is he?" Kai said softly.

Everyone bowed their heads, almost in mourning.

"We will just have to wait and see." Tuskle murmured.

"Right," Kemu growled, "Now everyone, out! Tuskle needs absolute peace if she's going to be doing this."

He shooed Samickle and Kai out of his hut. Samickle called a quick farewell over his shoulder, wishing Tuskle luck in her efforts. Kemu followed the two of them out the door, shutting it firmly behind him. Tuskle was left in silence.

She slowly sunk to her knees, going as close to Oki as she dared. He growled a challenge in his throat.

"Don't worry, Oki," She whispered, reaching out and resting a hand on his shaggy red mane, "I'm going to help you."