Archived Story

Canine Chaos

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm orange glow over New York City, particularly on a Wednesday evening - the epitome of excitement, where typically nothing more thrilling happened than stubbing your toe every five seconds. But when you're a Yokai in a metropolis, every night has a few new twists.

With orders in hand, she navigated the crowded streets, flanked by two underlings. Their quarry, a small, furry creature, darted through the throngs of people. Merchant carts and customers scurried out of their way as Shoku and her entourage gave chase.

The disguised mutants weaved through the uneasy crowd, their unusual haste drawing nervous glances. The city's evening rhythm was disrupted by the sudden pursuit, leaving onlookers wondering what was amiss.

Shoku's human form still felt foreign, hindering her agility in the high-speed pursuit. She stumbled into an alley, her yokai instincts finally gaining the upper hand. The smug smile spreading across her face signaled her confidence in cornering her prey. A throb of superiority went through her as she watched the creature tremble, feeling a natural surge of power run through her.

The small creature cowered, trembling with fear. For a moment, Shoku's determination wavered, but she shook off the hesitation. Completion of her mission depended on capturing this creature.

Just as she lunged to grab him, the canine's body flashed with an ethereal blue light and vanished into thin air.

A low growl simmered in Shoku's throat as she spun around, her eyes blazing with urgency. "Find the agent, now!" she barked at the two soldiers.

The search had already consumed hours, and frustration gnawed at her. Tracking the elusive creature had been a daunting task, but Shoku had no choice. Her mission wouldn't tolerate failure, and her idle days were a luxury of the past.

As the night wore on, her impatience grew. The fox's restless energy threatened to boil over, but she couldn't afford to give up. The stakes were too high. Her muscles already ached, a harbinger of tomorrow's soreness. She was already sickly, her bones prominent against her skin. The only thing keeping her from toppling over was the purple liquids flowing through her veins.

Under the silvery moonlight, Shoku finally relocated the trembling animal. The critter cowered beside a skeletal structure, its rusted metal bars, a stark contrast to the finished buildings surrounding it. Shoku recognized the site – a human construction zone, a concept alien to her yokai sensibilities.

In the Hidden City, mystic powers facilitated the instantaneous emergence of structures, rendering human labor and gradual construction bewildering. Yet, here, amidst the humans' slow, deliberate craftsmanship, the dog stood exposed and vulnerable.

The dog's yellow fur trembled as a young girl with red-rimmed glasses and curly brown pigtails scooped him up. Shoku observed the scene with interest, noting the cluster of adolescent turtles surrounding the girl. Their perplexed expressions mirrored her own assessment - early teens, roughly her age in human years.

As she approached, her two towering underlings cast long shadows, momentarily obscuring her view. Shoku brushed a stray lock of fluffy brown hair out of her face, another frustrating quirk of her human form.

Shoku's voice dripped with malice as she sneered at the turtles. "Hand over the dog. Now." Her eyes narrowed, boring into the quintet with an unnerving intensity. They were clearly Yokai of some sort, but seeing the trio in human form made the turtles squeak. "Humans!" The tallest one wearing the red mask shrieked. "Indicate plan H." He instructed with a whisper, but it clearly wasn't quiet enough. The four recollected themselves, and there was a visible shift.

A slender turtle, donning a blue bandana with dramatic, flowing mask tails, sauntered out from behind his friend. A cheeky glint danced in his eye as he adopted a nasally, over-the-top nerd persona.