Inugami

Prologue

It was a dark and cold night, with winds to match. A whimper of a dog was fatefully carried by the wind to a young child's ears. The young girl shifted in her sleep, nearly awoken.

When she heard the sound again, she rose from her sleep, and stared out the window. This time she heard it faintly, and scrambled to open the window, hoping to find the source.

The child finally heard it and shoved the slippers onto her feet. She tumbled slightly as she lost her footing, scraping her knee. Standing once more, she brushed herself off and fled into the darkness.

Her thin nightgown left her cold, but she pushed on. Youth did not mean she didn't have a sense of bravery and compassion towards the source of those mournful cries.

Shivering, she stood on the edge of the forest. All her life, she'd been told to stay inside at night and to keep away from the forest. Did she really want to go there?

Another whimper came from the forest. Yes, she did. The young child brushed some branches from her way and stepped into the forest. She followed the sound of the whimpers and cries, until she found a clearing.

With the help of the light, she found herself staring at a extremely large dog, his black fur coated in deep red blood.

A stangled cry left her throat as she fell to her knees. She crawled to the dog, and gently lifted it's massive head into her lap. "Come on, doggie! Wake up!" A growl came from her left and she looked towards it with teary eyes.

She saw a smaller midnight black dog, similarly, but not as severely, wounded. The smaller one was probably nearly the size of a young Great Dane.

The girl gently took the bigger dog's head off her lap, and slowly crawled to the younger dog.

It growled again, and she held up her hands. "I'm not going to hurt you doggie. I want to help." She closed the gap of space between them and petted in softly on the head.

Her eyes searched the dog, and she seen a wound on its paw. Frowning, she tore a strip from her nightgown and tightly wrapped its paw, while it only stared at her with glowing red eyes.

"There. That should help." She smiled as she moved back towards the large one. Carefully searching for a wound, she gasped as she saw a large wound on its stomach.

She tore a long piece of material until her gown was merely a shirt coupled with her shorts. Wrapping the strips firmly, she checked for a pulse. As she did, the large dog opened its eyes, and stared at her just as the younger one did.

The girl was still crying and sniffling every so often, and the older one seemed startled but intrigued. Its eyes then fell on the younger one, who was standing behind the girl, towering over her.

A series of soft barks were passed between the two, until the girl clutched the large one, sobbing into it's fur. "I'm so sorry! I'm sorry you're hurt! Please, be okay..."

The older one nudged her, a questioning look in its eyes. "I'm Rina," With a watery smile, she glanced between the two. "Is he your father?" She asked the younger one.

The young dog dipped its head, as if he understood. The girl stayed though the night, checking the pulse of the father every ten minutes or so. She eventually fell asleep, curled a few feet from the older dog.

Rina had taken a bow of medicinal supplies from her house, and tended the wounds, cleaning and disinfecting them before her slumber.

Light from the morning sun and a warmth curled protectively woke her up. Opening her eyes, she realized the younger dog had curled himself to her, no doubt saving her from hypothermia.

Rina stretched and moved towards the father dog, and felt his pulse. "Oh no." Tears fell from her eyes as she felt his pulse, which was barely there. The younger dog howled mornfully and limped towards her.

The great dog opened his eyes for the final time, and barked weakly at his son. Rina whaled in dispair as his eyes closed, and his pulse faded to nothing.

****

Rina continued to sob.

"Rina!"

She heard her father call, but she remained at the young dog's side, crying softly. Soon her father heard her cries and emerged into the clearing. His eyes widened in fear as he seen his daughter curled next to a beast.

"He d-died! A-and I c-couldn't help h-him!" Rina stumbled towards her father
and cried. He whispered sweet nothings and reassurences into her ear.

"Come now. We must leave this place now," He tugged Rina gently as she stared at the young dog. "We can't have you trying to save beasts."

Her eyes widened. "N-no! I don't want to leave him! Please father!" Her father shushed her as she continued to wail even harder.

"No."

"But Father-"

"No."

"If mother was here she'd let me stay!"

Her father's expression darkened, and he slapped her. A growl erupted from the younger dog, who paced towards them.

Rina held her arms out for her friend as her father lifted her into his arms and carried her away, while the dog tried to keep up, but he couldn't.