Kiba Okami Hikari

(trailer of sorts I wrote for my story) [\\Most stories of people with extraordinary powers start the same: "Peter/Clark/Bruce, etc was born normal and lived a normal, mediocre life. Then one day something happened: they were bit by a radioactive spider/found out they were an alien/saw their parents killed or some other bullshit thing. They gained a power and then they trained, becoming a great hero - a blessing to the world." Those are just stories. Bullshit. That isn't me. I was born with this power - this curse coursing through my veins. I was told this strength was a gift...that I was better than all other beings on the plant, that I was higher, mightier, greater, gifted. They all told me that - my family, even a goddess - but I now it's a lie. I am a monster, an immortal abomination, a mutt of what is natural and beautiful. I've had this story bouncing around my head. It's time I get it out - this terrible, haunting history, from my mother's death, to killing my father. It's time I let it go. It should be all here, in this story. I don't have much time though...I know it. My time is drawing closer - the time in which I will die. \\]


I was born in late 1992 in a small town. My family was a weird one, not in any normal weird way. We didn’t exactly fit the status quo, being werewolves and all. My family, the Ōkami’s, are a race of lupine anthros. Whom, by the legend, were given a specific gift by the goddess of the moon Luna of being able to let loose our inner wolf, in the form of a werewolf. For generations we’ve had this “gift” and it was celebrated. I just say it’s all bullshit! What ever happened years ago, it’s a curse, a walking hell.
There was a tranquilly quiet autumn that year I was born. As if Mother Nature herself was holding her breath to see what would happen. I was born the night of a full moon, just like everyone else in my family. When a child is born into the Ōkami family they are born quiet, no crying, no movement, but within a minute of their birth they would rise up in a “mighty” howl as their inner wolf is born as well. When I was born, I too had the howling birth of my inner beast, but I had another birth that no one knew about, the vampire. He’s always been a slippery bastard.
Growing up in my household was tense to say the least. As I grew older I began to use my vampire powers. I was just a pup, I didn’t know what I was doing was wrong yet the first time my father saw me bringing a toy to me with telekinesis I was thrown into a closet and locked up for an entire day. My mother finally got me out, apparently my father had put a chair on the door handle, but I was far too frightened to even check if I could get free. My father always had anger issues, but what I experienced was nothing compared to what my sister would endure when she was born.
When I was about 1 years old my mother found out she was expecting another pup, this was the first time I’d seen my father smile. He went on and on about how this one was going to turn out right, this pup would be one to be proud of. In early 1994 my mother told me I was going to have a sister. My father was proud of his soon to be daughter, he called all our cousins and family. While my dad was out getting champagne to celebrate my mother sat me down for a chat. “Watch over her Kiba.” She told me, with her paw on her belly, “She is your little sister, and I know you will take care of her.” To this day, I wonder if mom knew what was going to happen in the next few years.
In November that year my mother went into labor. I had just turned 2 years old a few months before and I was excited to meet my little sister. In my family the woman give birth at home only, there is no need to let the outside world know of our secret. I stood outside of my mother’s room all night, listening to her screams and howls of pain as she gave birth. When it was all over there was silence. I held still, waiting to hear the howl of my younger sibling’s wolf being born, but there was nothing. Suddenly I heard a scream, it was my mother, a howl of anguish. I ran in and found her holding a still form, my sister, she wasn’t moving. I came close to her as my father stormed from the room. There she was, my younger sister, she was dead, I hadn’t even gotten to meet her. The midwife, my father’s cousin, took the puppy from my mother’s arms as she cried and set her in what was to be her crib and went to console my distraught mother. I walked to the crib and looked inside. She looked so peaceful, and cute, but eerie at the same time. I reached in gently and lay my paw on her head. Suddenly she began to cry, and move, and squirm, she wasn’t dead! I was pushed out of the way as the midwife brought my sister back to my mom. Everything was happy. At least for now.
Bunny, that’s what my mom named her, Bunny Ōkami. It fit her, small, sweet, and needing protection. On her 1st birthday my dad had still not even looked at her. She had never had the birth of her inner wolf, I think that had died before she did. The birthday was a fine day, my sister blew out her candle, ate some cake, and got it all over herself. It was a fun time, pictures were taken. I still have one of those. A picture of my mother with me in her lap as I held my sister. I always have it with me, sometimes at night I stare at it. Trying to remember how my mother’s arms felt like, how she smelled, what it was like to be in her arms. The memories have mostly faded, but I still remember her eyes, warm blue gems, gazing at me with pride. I also look at myself, how happy I was, and how in only a few short years, the woman who gave birth to me would be dead, and Bunny and I would be on the run. If only I knew, I might have saved her, I might have stopped my father before it was too late.
My life took a hard left turn around early 1996. My father, mother, bunny and I were all in the family room. My father was reading his newspaper, detached as ever, he wouldn’t even notice if we all fall over dead. Mom was watching one of her cooking shows, I watch them now and then, just to remember those days of her sitting and watching them. Bunny and I sat playing, I was building my blocks into skyscrapers and castles and the like, Bunny watched on attentively. She always loved to watch me. This time was different though, something seemed to change in her. I remember looking up at her, expecting to see her emerald green eyes staring wide-eyed and happy. I was instead greeted by dull grey orbs of discompassionate interest. The scariest part though, was when she stood, a 1 year old pup who hadn’t spoken more than mama or brother, and stated to the room in a dark, husky female voice “You mortals are so boring.” She proceeded to turn to our father and point at him “You, male parental figure, I’ve wanted to say this since I came to this plane, you are a stupid prick and your death will come soon.”
Needless to say we were dumbfounded, my baby sister had just stood and spoke in a fluid sentence in a voice that was decidedly not her own. I didn’t know what to make of it, but it seemed my father did. He knelt and grabbed her shoulders roughly before growling at his daughter, “Who are you and why are you possessing my daughter!” He sounded almost as if he cared, almost protective.
“My name is Makina, I am a grim reaper. Now unhand me, you wouldn’t even have this daughter if my father didn’t allow her to come back to the world of the living.” She grabbed my father’s wrists and in strength no 1 year old, no mere child should have, she pulled his paws off her shoulders and pushed him back into his chair. The chair was slide back from the force this Makina had used. All of us just stared at Bunny in horror. She was facing away from me so I couldn’t see what happened, but I knew it was her again when she fell back onto her butt and started crying. My mother picked up Bunny and held her, calming her crying fit.
That was my first time encountering Makina. Over the next few months leading up to Bunny’s 2nd birthday I spent hours with Makina, talking and finding out about her. I found out that her father was Death himself, the grim reaper. It seems Death had lots of children, mostly sons. Jack the ripper was one, though a rather failed on that is. Makina was his one and only daughter, unlike all her brothers, she is the only grim reaper, deaths true heir. Like her father she had no physical form, so when bunny died before she had even lived he took the opportunity. Bunny was returned to life, but she took Makina with her.
It was a great few years while it lasted. Five and a half years of my life in that home. Despite the dangers of living with my father I still miss it. It took one more year for things to break. It started New Year’s Day, January 1st, 1998. I woke up in my sister’s room, having fallen asleep reading her a story the night before. My family never celebrated New Year’s so it was just another night for us. I heard my parents in their room next to Bunny’s, they were arguing. I couldn’t make out what exactly it was about but I definitely heard the smack of my father’s paw on my mother’s face. That was the first time he hit her, I wish I could say it was the last as well. This went on for months, never in front of us, but I knew it was happening. In a perfect world my mother would have taken us out of that house and ran off with us, I still try to imagine a universe where that happened, where my mother was still alive. At only five years old I began to plan my father’s death, I just wish I had done it sooner.
I still can’t help but blame myself for what happened in the middle of spring that year. Bunny always tries to tell me it was his fault, but I know it was mine, I didn’t save her. It was Late March, the snow had melted only weeks before. I was out on the lawn, playing with my matchbox cars. For some reason I had the urge to go inside and check on lunch. I ignored it, I said to myself that mom told me to be patient, and I was working on it, for her. I should have known it was more than impatience. I finally gave in to my feeling and walked inside. By the time I had gotten inside it was too late, the first thing I saw was the crimson pool growing on the carpet. Then I saw her, mom, she was laying there, she wasn’t moving. Last thing I saw before my anger took hold of me was him, my father, the bastard. He was standing over my mother, looking ready to kill, and his eyes were on Bunny. She just stood there, in shock I presume, staring at our mother. My father took one step towards her and that’s all he was able to.
I was on him in seconds, I knew the werewolf had taken over as soon as I moved. I couldn’t control myself, all I could do was watch, but that’s all I wanted to do, I let the wolf have his fun. I saw teeth tearing into flesh, blood spraying then I was sent against the wall. When I came to I saw my dad kneeling on the ground, clutching his throat, which was bleeding heavily, yet he was still alive. I looked over to Bunny but I just knew it wasn’t her. There were those dark eyes, the grey chasms filled with death and destruction. The grim reaper walked towards our father. She was growling. Next thing I saw was terrifying. All she did was put her paw on his forehead and he seemed to shrivel up a bit before collapsing. It was done, my father was dead, and so was my mother. My sister and I were officially orphaned. I saw Makina letting Bunny go and I couldn’t let her see what happened. I grabbed her paw and ran, I haven’t stopped running to this day.
I was five years old, toting my three year old little sister around. At first my only plan was to leave our home town, everyone knew me there already, I didn’t want to be asked awkward questions like ‘Where’s your mom and dad?’ or worse, they’d have seen what happened to them and lock me up somewhere. I couldn’t leave Bunny alone like that. When we reached the next town I was completely at a loss of what to do next. We wondered the streets for hours. That is until someone came up to us, a tall looking fox man, and asked “What are you two doing out here all alone? Where is your mommy and daddy?”
He seemed nice enough but I decided to try and trick him, see if I could get rid of him. I started to sniffle and cry, luckily for me when Bunny saw me crying she started to bawl as well. “W-we’re lost mister. We were on a trip with our parents and we got separated. They told us to meet them by the big building.” I looked around as if I needed to show that every building in the city was big to us.
The man pulled out a cell phone and started to dial a number on it. I thought we were done, so I began walking away. Before I could take three steps he had put a paw on my shoulder, saying, “Hey don’t go yet, I’m going to call a nice policeman to come help you find your mommy and daddy.”
I cursed myself for being so stupid. “N-no it’s okay mister, I’m sure we can find our parents by ourselves.” I was getting desperate, letting my cute little kid voice slip into my naturally too mature for my age voice, luckily the man didn’t seem to notice as his phone started to speak.
He got on and began to tell the person on the line that he found two lost kids. I was going over my exit strategy when the fox turned to us and said, “They’re on their way, I’ll stay with you till they come.”
I knew then it was too late to run, the police would be looking for us, it’d be best to just come up with a fake story to tell them so they wouldn’t know where we really lived. I held Bunny to my chest, she’d be whimpering this whole time, not knowing what really was going on. I felt terrible for making her so scared. I had just decided to try and make a brake for it when the cop car pulled up, it was too late now. I just took Bunny’s paw and held on.
An officer climbed out of his car and walked over to our little group. The man was a tall, lean timber wolf, his uniform was neat and pressed. As he reached us he stopped in front of the fox and said “Are these the lost children?” he gestured to us. The way he said it, it felt like he was talking about two lost pets. The man affirmed his inquiry with a curt nod of the head and gestured to the side. The pair walked about a foot away and started talking with their backs to us. They were doing their best to talk under their breath. It would have worked on any other person, but my hearing was better than most. I made out a few phrases and works. From what I gathered, the man was trying to absolve himself of any responsibility. He had said he wanted to help, but he didn’t want anything to do with us. It perplexed me why he even bothered in the first place. The two men shook paws and the fox left without looking back. The timber wolf turned to us and frowned, as if he wasn’t sure what to do with us. He saw my grip on Bunny’s paw and gave a small smile before kneeling in front of me and patting my shoulder saying “ You’re protecting your sister aren’t you little guy?” I nodded silently. My heart raced, beating right out my chest. I was half nervous, half irritated he called me little. “That’s good. I’m going to take you two to the police station so we can find where you are from.”
I felt cold rush up from my finger tips and footpaws. “NO!” I nearly screamed as I grabbed his wrist on reflex. Lucky for me I stopped myself from doing my full grip. To him it probably just seemed like a frightened child. I just stared at the man, waiting for a response.
He frowned for a second before giving me what I knew he thought was a reassuring smile that I just didn’t trust. “It’s okay, don’t you worry bud. It’ll all be just fine.” He tousled my ears playfully. As he led us to his car I could sense his paw on my sister’s back, and I had to keep myself from snapping his arm and sinking my fangs into the tender flesh of his neck. He opened the door to the passenger’s side seat for me, I knew he wanted to put Bunny in the back seat, I wasn’t going to allow that. I still had some semblance of control in this situation. I held tight to Bunny’s paw and lead her to the car. I climbed in the back seat and had her sit right beside me. I just glared at the police man as if to say ‘I’m not going to leave her side ever.’ He shrugged and got behind the wheel.
We had been riding for a few minutes before I even noticed, Bunny hadn’t stopped crying. I had been so busy trying to figure a way around this whole mess that I hadn’t even thought about her. Gently pulling her into my chest I held her, whispering quiet nothings. I didn’t know what else to do, we were orphans now, alone in the world. We only had each other now. I’m never going to make her cry again, I thought to myself. I desperately needed to keep her safe, at any cost.