“Shin, stay with me!” Akane shook him.
As she did, his body transformed, a contorting of light as he lost control of his human form. A large white wolf, his hind leg stained crimson, lay on the ground in front of her. His golden eyes were rolling back in his head and his tongue lolled out of his mouth. Angry, black spiderweb markings traced up his leg. If they reached his heart, he would die. Normally a yokai could heal themselves, or at least slow the effects of poison until an antidote could be found. But both their spiritual energies had been weakened by the priestess’ song. As it was, she was struggling to hold onto her own human form and not give in to her true wolf self.
Now wasn’t the time to panic. But trying not to panic only made her anxiety spike. Her chest was tight. If Shin hadn’t pushed her out of the way, she’d be the one dying right now. She had to save him. She had to find the antidote, but could she really just leave him here? What if there were more yokai around? She scanned the grassy plain they were standing in. Tall grass stretched out in all directions and a few feet away the serpent creature lay dead, a pool of greenish blood congealing beneath it. A few hundred meters away was a wooded area. There was a plant that was often used as an antidote to poisons. It worked with a yokai’s spiritual energy to purge themselves of impurities. Typically, it grew near water. Akane sniffed the air. There was running water close by.
The black had crept up over Shin’s leg and onto his back haunch. She’d just have to take him with her. Though she had greater strength than a human woman of the same size, Shin’s size and dead weight wouldn’t make it easy. In her wolf form, it would be no problem at all. But she couldn’t trust herself. She had no choice but to carry him the hard way. Akane knelt down on the ground beside Shin’s body, her hands shaking. When she was close to him the acrid scent of the dead yokai’s blood and poison pumping through Shin’s veins made her stomach turn. Tangling her hands in the thick white fur she tugged, dragging him along the ground by his front paws. His head hit a rock, and progress was slow. Instead, she squatted down, and with some finagling she pulled his front paws over her shoulder and onto her back.
When she tried to stand, he slid down her back and she had to start over. She was able to move forward hunched over and his back legs dragging over the ground. It was slow going and sweat rolled down her face and neck. The little spiritual energy she had left was being depleted by the effort. Her human form was growing unstable and she lost her grip on Shin’s paws. Trying to catch him, Akane fell backward with him, landing on his chest. She rolled off him, and onto all fours. Akane beat her hands on the ground as she growled in frustration. It was no use.
Like a gentle caress, she felt her inner wolf stir. All the locks she kept on her inner wolf were wearing away. She couldn’t save Shin and hold it back at the same time. Akane took another shaking breath. It had been a very long time since she’d taken her true form. When Mei had died, she swore never to assume it again. What would Mei say if she was here now?
The black marks were creeping over his rump and had even tainted his tail. Each breath came out in a pant. Sprawled on the ground in front of her, he looked so fragile and shrunken, despite his enormous size in his true form. He’d risked his life, not just for Akane, but for those priestesses. If Mei were here, Akane knew what she would say: save him, no matter what.
The transformation rolled over her in waves. First she was covered in thick white hair, then her back arched as her spine reformed. It had been so long since her body had changed, hardly used muscles contorted and stretched. The last threads of power holding her inner wolf in snapped as she assumed her true form. As the wolf emerged, Akane howled, her voice echoing across the forest. Birds screeched in fear and fled their treetop roosts. Everything was more vibrant. The forest was alive with prey, and she was very hungry.
Remember what you came for. She pulled the wolf’s attention back to Shin. She trotted back toward him. The stink of poison was stronger in wolf form. More prone to impulse in this form, she took a few steps back, blowing her nose to rid herself of the stink. She paced around his body, circling, trying to override her animal instinct to avoid danger. Cautiously she approached, fighting the repulsion of the stench. Then she clamped her jaws upon the scruff of his neck, picking him up as a mother wolf does with her cub. She dragged him along, flattening the tall grass as she made her slow trek to the forest.
Beneath the shade of trees, a thousand different scents and sounds pulled at her. A deer froze, spotting her. They locked eyes. Akane dropped Shin. Her muscles tensed prepared to leap upon it. It bolted, and she followed it with her eyes. Shin sucked in a rattling breath. Focus.
Akane sniffed the air. At first everything was a mixed together jumble. Then, one by one, individual scents emerged: the musk of a bear, the fresh scent of pine and grass, and then, at last, water. She picked Shin up again and followed the trail to a stony stream where a thin trickle of water ran. Nearby was a fallen tree, hollowed out by time and other animals. It was here she left Shin, hidden the best she could manage.
She hunted for the medicinal plant for what felt like hours. In reality it was more like minutes. Time moved differently in her true form. More than once she got off track, following the scent of prey. Then when she came to her senses, she had to double back and resume her search.
The stream dumped out into a small pond. The plant she remembered fluttered in a light breeze along the banks. She tore the plant out by the root. Dirt fell from the roots as she raced it back to the hollow log where she’d left Shin. When she found him, he’d curled into a tight ball. His chest rose and fell quickly and the black had crawled up over his belly, reaching its tentacles toward his heart.
Mei had been a skilled healer, and often prepared herbal remedies by grinding them with a mortar and pestle. Akane didn’t have any tools. She dropped the plant onto a flat rock and pulled energy from her core to transform. Her hair receded and her paws elongated into hands, only to revert after a few seconds. She growled in frustration. Then closing her eyes, she concentrated on the core of her energy. All spiritual energy flowed through the body like a river, it could be destroyed or depleted. Replenished by rest or nourishment. Akane pulled at the bare threads of energy, balling them together to give her enough to take human form.
When she resumed her human form it was less complete than normal. Her hair was white still and white wolf ears topped her head, her nails long claws, and a white tail wagged on her backside. She’d have to make do.
Taking a flat rock, she ground the plant into a paste. Mei had dried the herb and made it into a sort of tea. But there was no time to start a fire and she didn’t have a cup anyway. Once she had a thick green pulpy mound, she brought it to Shin. Careful to not let any of the concoction to slip through her fingers, she forced his jaws open and shoved the pulpy leaves onto his tongue. He swallowed some and then gagged. It would be a bitter and unpleasant taste. She clamped her hands on his jaw, forcing him to swallow. Once he gulped it down, she sat back and waited.
At first there was no difference. Then gradually the black lines stopped their slow progress to his heart. His breathing resumed a normal cadence. Akane pressed her head against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his breath. The black lines closest to his heart faded, receding back to the original wound. She sat back with a sigh of relief.
His golden eyes were open and were trained on her. There was hardly an inch between them.
“I think you’re going to make it.” She cleared her throat and put space between them by getting up to wet a cloth to clean his wounds.
“You saved me.” His voice was a rough croak.
She whipped her head around to stare at him. “Why wouldn’t I?”
He didn’t respond. And her entire face had turned red. Did he really think she was that heartless?
“I’m not a monster.” She cleared her throat. “And I think I misjudged you...” The second part she said quietly under her breath.
From the corner of
her eye, she thought she saw his smirk. It was hard to tell in his wolf form. She busied herself dabbing at the bite with a wet strip of fabric. It had already closed up, all that remained were shiny pink scars. Her fingers traced over the wound lightly. It was amazing how quickly he was recovering. Yokai really were nothing like humans. She rarely got hurt, but when she did it took no time at all for wounds to close up. But she’d seen humans die from infections of minor wounds. Shin shivered and she jerked her hand backward.
“Thank you. I would have died if you hadn’t saved me.” He tried getting up on all fours, but his body trembled like a newborn cub’s.
Night was falling. Long shadows cast by the trees fell over them and the wind’s bite was strong. She had been so focused on saving Shin, she did not even realize dark was nearly upon them. As weak as he was, the elements posed a new danger. His body could not fully heal if he got too cold. Not to mention, the potential for predators.
“We’re going to camp out here for the night. So you can rest.” She gently pushed him down so he was lying on the ground.
He laid his head on his paws. “I like it when you take charge.”
She ignored his teasing because he was ill. Akane busied herself by making them a shelter out of the hollowed-out log. She laid out the few supplies they had and made a bed out of pine needles. As far as beds went it wasn’t luxurious, but it would do.
“This is a rather cozy spot,” Shin said, as he kept golden eyes trained on her.
“Don’t even think about it.” She fussed with a branch to avoid meeting his gaze.
“You need to rest as well.” He didn’t comment on her partial transformation, or her stubborn insistence to maintain some semblance of a human form.
“I’ll be fine.” She headed down to the stream to fill her water skin.
“Stubborn woman,” he said under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear.
Akane spent overlong filling the water skin. She paced around the camp, trying to warm her own shivering body. Shin was right, her spiritual energy was depleted from the priestess’ attack. But she’d risked enough time in her true form already. If she transformed again, she might wander off into the forest and leave Shin vulnerable to attack. The wind whipped around her, sending another shiver up her spine and she rubbed her palms against her arms.
“I won’t bite, you can come closer,” Shin said, his voice a gentle rumble as Akane stalked past.
There was no use being stubborn to her own detriment. The only place to get out of the wind was beside Shin. Akane crept closer, sitting at the very edge of their shelter. There was enough space for them to sit side by side touching. The musky scent of wolf enveloped her in its embrace. It reminded her of her old pack, lying in a heap together, cuddling close to keep warm. Her inner wolf stirred, not completely sealed away. It urged her to tangle her hands in his thick fur, feel the warmth and kinship of another wolf.
“I knew you couldn’t resist,” Shin huffed in amusement. His warm breath over her neck sent goosebumps over her arms.
“I’m only doing this so you don’t freeze to death in the night,” she said with chattering teeth. Half out of the shelter and sitting still, she was colder than she had been while pacing.
“Akane, are you offering to share body warmth to keep me warm?”
Having him whisper her name in such an intimate setting set her face and body on fire. She leaped up. What am I thinking? “Of course not. I’ll keep guard, you get some sleep.” She paced away.
“Whatever you want,” he said to her retreating back. Her heart was hammering in her chest.
The sun sunk below the horizon and the cold started to creep in again. Akane ran in place, trying to keep her body temperature up. A blanket of stars gazed down upon them. She’d checked the perimeter and spent the better part of an hour pacing to avoid getting close to him. If Mei were here, she’d have laughed at her for her stubbornness. The problem was Shin was so very much a wolf, it awoke something in her she’d rather stay sleeping.
His eyes were closed and he snored softly. Before she could second guess herself again, Akane climbed into the tiny space and knelt down on the makeshift bed. Very slowly, she lowered herself to lay down beside him, their bodies just barely touching. His fur was soft as it brushed against her exposed neck. Her shivering stopped. Yokai rarely slept, but he’d taken a lot of damage and he did not stir. Sleeping would be the fastest way for him to recover. What surprised her was how nice it felt to lie beside him. I’ll just stay here until morning.
Before she knew it, she sunk into a dreamless sleep.
12
When was the last time she had slept this well? She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d slept at all. Wrapped in warmth and safety with the scent of wolf surrounding her, reminded her of long-ago eras when she’d slept in a den with her pack. They’d all curled up in a pile to stay warm during the winter and had hunted together as a group. Their songs filled the nights. Back then she’d been a wild animal, fueled by hunger and fear. Then the kami had found her. She’d made Akane, she’d blessed her with her light and given her this form, in exchange for her eternal service. And then she left Akane behind...
Behind her, Shin groaned. Akane jerked awake from her dreaming memories. His foreleg was slung around her waist. Akane froze. If she moved too quickly she’d wake him, and he would know she’d slept beside him. Very carefully, she slid out from beneath his arm. As she did, he grumbled something under his breath. She held her breath for a heartbeat as Shin rolled over. Backing away slowly, she headed over to a nearby log. She perched upon it and forced her gaze forward, pretending to have been on guard all night.
A few minutes later, Shin rose. He stretched, his hindquarters in the air and his jaws open in a yawn. He must sleep like the dead to not wake until now. She turned her back to him to avoid giving anything away with her expression. Her head was cocked to the side as she listened to him pad over to the stream’s edge. Water splashed as he drank from the source. His scent was all over her, not entirely unwelcome. It evoked memories she thought long forgotten. She hadn’t thought of her past life in a very long time. But if he got near her, he’d realize the truth, if he hadn’t already. Would she have a chance to wash away the evidence?
“Hunt with me,” Shin said, interrupting her thoughts.
“You’ve got to be kidding. We don’t have—” Akane replied and turned to confront him.
He’d resumed his human visage. Water dribbled down his chin and ran in rivulets down his chin and throat.
She turned away from him not wanting to get caught staring.
“We’re both weak still. We need red meat to help us recover and if we hunt together we’ll catch something that much faster.”
“I’m fine,” she said just as her stomach grumbled. Then clearing her throat, she said, “We’ll find something on the way.”
As she went to retrieve her bow and arrow from where it was leaning on a nearby tree, he caught her by surprise, stepping in front of her.
“What are you—”
He cut her off by grabbing her chin and tilting her head up to look him in the eyes.
“W-what?” she stammered.
Her breath caught in her throat as her heart hammered loud enough that he could surely hear. She searched his face for a moment, as his golden eyes studied her.
“Have you ever done it before?”
“Stop messing around, it was cold. It didn’t mean anything,” she said a little breathlessly.
He smirked. “I was talking about hunting.”
She blinked a few times before pulling away from him and stomping off into the forest. The blush was really burning her face now. “Go hunt if you want. I don’t care.”
“You feel it, don’t you? That gnawing hunger inside you. You cannot fight it forever. It is a part of you.”
She balled her hand into a fist but let it fall to her side. “That’s not me. I’m better off without that part of me.” He couldn’t under
stand what being a wolf meant to her. It was a curse. But even that short time in her true form, coupled with her dreams, had left her with an itch, one that she couldn’t quite scratch. Nothing bad had happened, so perhaps she could let her wolf out for a little while. There was no one here who could get hurt if she did lose control. She shook her head. Don’t be ridiculous.
“Then prove to me you don’t need the wolf,” Shin said, oblivious to her inner conflict.
She spun around to face him. She was ready to tell him off, but the peculiar look on his face gave her pause. His brows were knit together, and he was watching her warily. Akane gave a defeated sigh. “What’s the point?”
“Humor me.” He gave her a mischievous grin. “There’s plenty of game here, can’t you smell it?”
She slung her bow over her shoulder and asked, “So what is this, a bet?”
“If you like.” He shrugged.
She narrowed her eyes at him. They were wasting precious time. Who knew where Tomoe was or if Akio would be hunting them down after the attack on the camp. But even she had to admit she wasn’t at her full strength. She still couldn’t maintain a complete human form and the wolf was closer to the surface than usual.
“What do I get when I win?”
“Whatever you want.”
She considered his offer for a moment, looking around the forest for inspiration. Before she would have likely asked he left her alone for good. But after yesterday, she could see the benefit of working together. “Very well...” She said slowly. “When I catch more, you’re not allowed to ask me about my wolf form again.”
He grinned at her wolfishly. “And when I win... well, I’ll tell you when that happens.”
There was something about his smile that made her body tingle. It had to be a joke.
“That’s not fair, I told you what I wanted.”
“I didn’t ask you to tell me.” He transformed into his wolf form and darted down the stream into the woods. “Better hurry up, unless you want me to win.”
Okami: A Little Red Riding Hood Retelling Page 9