Nishikino Hearth

Prologue

Three children were born as if two heavenly bodies had created stars, shimmering in the dark in the eventide.

Hitoka Nishikino laid on the tatami mat as she caressed the hair of one of her children. The crying child had calmed down.

As her mother brushed the child's thin red hair, its vulpine ears were pulled back as her hand glided on top of its head. Another infant fidgeted around, as her mother watched her wriggle in the uncomfortable spot she was in as her silver hair dropped down her face. The third child was attempting to stand up but fell down on his bottom, as his brown vulpine ears twitched, and his white-tipped brown tail curled.

"These are quite the unique children. Red, brown, and silver...all from your beauty..." Youto Nishikino said.

"They are the most unique in the village, and hopefully, they'll grow up well." The black-haired mother smiled, then she covered her mouth to cough. Youto kneeled and reached her a clay jar to drink from. Hitoka, drinking from the water, knew she was weak and she wasn't able to move freely as she pleases. Youto, too, knew this very well, so he took extra care of her, giving her medicines.

The brown-furred child, still 2 months old, slowly crawled toward his mother. Hitoka patted her son, smiling weakly, as tears streamed down her face. "Satoshi, my son....", the mother then lifted the brown pup as he, who is too young to understand the simplest words, put his furry paw on his mother's face, licking her tears.

The red furry baby bit her sister's silver-furred tail, then the sister retaliated by pawing her sister's face gently. A hand divided the two children. "Still young and already fighting..." Youto said.
"Leave them be, Youto. They're just playing." A smiling Hitoka covered her mouth to cough again. She continued to brush Satoshi's fur.

A deafening silence, but the cricket's stridulating can be heard in the thickery outside; the whistling of the winds gave a chilly shrill flowing through the small house.

Youto, having an uneasy feeling, then sat down beside Hitoka and hugged her, holding her hand as it caressed the unknowing Satoshi's hair.

Sayori licked her red-furred paw, feeling hungry. Satori curled into a ball, covering her face with her silver tail. Satoshi watched as his parents embraced each other, then a hand pushed the three children over to their mother. Sayori, surprised, went outside the embrace and crawled over to the hand and licked it. As the mother brushed Satoshi's hair, she sobbed quietly, filling the silent air of the small shack they lived in.

Tweeting of birds can be heard as aurora broke in. The past 10 months of winter had passed. Daybreak struck, but colourful flares still gave a fantastic contrast to the warm blue sky. The star above them continues to embrace the planet with passion, after weeks of deep, deep cold. Sayori ran outside on all fours, trying to chase after the birds that had lifted off the moist grass wet from the morning dew. Her face had started to reveal her fair skin underneath, but it too showed a silly grin. She ran around enthusiastically, waiting for her siblings to play with her, but that wasn't the case.

Satoshi crawled outside following Sayori, but he found himself walking towards a shallow stream. Satori was lazily walking outside along with their parents. Hitoka's arm was around Youto's neck, being supported. They were walking outside slowly; Hitoka was limply walking, relying on Youto to make a step. Moving along with the wind, the trees ruffled in unison with the grass as the morning breeze gusted.

Sayori, disappointed, ran towards a huge nearby tree. It was gigantic indeed, at least 50 meters tall with branches of white and purple flowering downwards. Sniffing the dark brown trunk, its delicious and honey-like sensation enticed Sayori to try to eat its bark. Hitoka and Youto watched them, as the other two children went closer to the tree to smell it too. Hitoka suddenly lost her grip around Youto and fell down. Youto, shocked, immediately helped Hitoka up.

"Are you okay?" Youto walked Hitoka over to a bench made out of raw logs.

"I.....I'm fine...." Hitoka gestured for a glass of water.

The three children, noticing their mother's condition, hurried over to her.

Satoshi, feeling his mother's weakness, paws her lap as Youto ran inside their wooden shack. Satori ran after her father to help him. Sayori, looking at her mother, jumped on the bench next to her. "Oh...my children....," Hitoka embraces her two children as tears run down her face.

As time passes by, so does a life count down. The eerie atmosphere of the house was too frightening. A snow-white owl had fled the windowsill, flapping its wings to break the silence as it fled into the darkness. The house seemed black and white as the dark clouds started to gather and slowly made downpour. The stream nearby refused to heed to silence, but it failed to fill the air's weight with its burbling.

Hitoka was lying on mats made of fibre, head on a hay-filled pillow, and covered with a silken blanket. She was very weak, as her skin grew paler each passing day. The three children, currently 32 months old, were sitting at the side of the mats. Satoshi, currently wearing brown leather clothes, was holding his mother's left hand with his humanoid hands, lending her his warmth. Sayori was looking down crying softly, with visible tears down her face, dripping down and disappearing into the dark flowery blouse she wore. Satori stood firm, gripping onto her scarlet dress, but she couldn't hold her tears back in front of the motionless core.

Completely useless, they all didn't know what to do. Frustration beset them. Not knowing what to do nor what's happening. Everything was escalating way too quickly for their meek minds to comprehend. Satoshi leaned down more beside his mother, trying to make her comfortable, but his mother had no reaction. Her stare was locked to the ceiling.

Youto fixed Satori's silver hair as her ears twitched on every passing finger. He was trying to calm them as he tried to endure the pain of watching the only light in his life burn out. Sayori leaned on her father's side as she felt tears roll down her face. As the sadness continued to linger, Satoshi hugged his mother tight. He only knew that embracing his mother would mean a lot to her, but only the cold look was seen in the mother's eyes.

Then the burning light dies.