Black Hound - Kitsunemage & Gladis

[Gladis]

There is this saying: "Life is a bitch and then you die."

You yourself couldn't be more inclined to agree.

You're bullied in school, home could hardly be called your haven and recently the only person you referred to as a friend abandoned you. In short, life hasn't been treating you very nicely. This leads you to sometimes find yourself thinking that perhaps it would be better if all of them just… dropped dead. Of course, it's not like you would ever harm anyone; but when the entire world seems to be against you — one can hardly blame you for resenting it, no?

One day you find yourself being chased into the forest by your usual tormentors, trying to escape their punches and kicks. Too afraid to turn around and head back, you head deeper and deeper into the woods, until you eventually come across what appears to be an abandoned shed. Little do you expect to find a large, black dog inside. Half starved and severely maltreated, you take pity on the dog and free it from its chains.

Every day from then on you visit the shed, feeding the dog, treating his wounds and generally pouring all of your love and affection onto the beast. The shed becomes your haven, the dog your only friend and companion. Yet loyal and affectionate as he may seem, the dog you've befriended isn't your ordinary pet.

The phrase 'one should be careful about what they wish for' is not uncommon. Perhaps you should have been taking that in consideration before you wished for someone's death. Especially when you're dealing with an inugami who's just made you it's new master. Once you realize the power you now hold in your hands; will you embrace it or will you turn your back on the only friend you've got? And regardless of what you do; will you be able to control the beast you freed from its chains?

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C H A R A C T E R S

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KURIYAMA AKANE

Age: 17
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Height: 5'5"

My name is Kurayami Akane. I come from a small family of five. I was the last of four children, not because my parents wanted to stop... but because my mother died giving birth to me.

I can't complain too much about my lot in life. If only because I don't want to worry my father. It has to be hard, being the single father of four girls, but my father manages. I help out where I can, but with my sisters going off to college he barely has the money to feed us, let alone take time off of work to spend with us. He stays at work late a lot of nights, so I stay away from the house. Sometimes the looks are too hard to bear.

School isn't much better. Ever since I was young, I've never been able to make many friends. I was too shy, so people thought I was arrogant. And then, when everyone found out I was the fourth child- and that I killed my mother... Well, being shy didn't seem to matter so much then. I couldn't make friends, because people were scared of me. Fear makes people do strange things.

My only consolation is my photography- freezing those brief moments in time, whether the moment is sad, happy, full of anger... it's all worth preserving; but I will never photograph another person. Maybe one day I'll find someone worth preserving.

I N U G A M I

Age: Unknown
Hair: Black
Eyes: Yellow
Height: 182 cm

Not much is known about Inugami's past. Recently he was locked into an abandoned shed; with chains around his legs and neck to keep him from moving too much, no matter which form he squires. How much time has passed since he was abandoned by his former master is unknown, though it can be assumed it's been quite a while, considering he's half starved.

 

[Kitsunemage]

"Find her!" The voices that echoed through the trees- backed by the red light of the setting sun- sounded all the more ominous the longer she listened to them. Why couldn't they just leave her alone? What had she ever done to them?

Holding back a sniffle- if she started crying here, she'd surely be given away; her current hiding place just behind the trunk of a felled tree did little to protect her from prying eyes- Akane held one hand over her mouth. Ignoring the bitter taste of the tree sap on her hands from her earlier attempt at hiding up a tree. Now they were starting to look up in the branches as well. Her usual hiding spots had all, suddenly, become useless.

"Here witchey, witchey, witchey! Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Laughter followed the call, as her tormentors began to try various calls. The worst was when they whistled- as if she were some bitch who would come at their command. But the voices were getting farther away, and as they continued to carouse and tease each other in their search, none of them would hear the sniffles that had degenerated into tears and hiccups.

Just another evening after school.

Akane cradled her camera to her chest mournfully, grateful that she'd managed to get away before her bullies made good on their promise to take her camera. She couldn't understand how they'd found her this time-

Clenching her eyes shut against the fresh wave of pain (she'd just managed to contain her tears, now wasn't the time to start again) Akane pushed back the harsh memories of her ex-best friend. She was her only friend. At least, she used to be. It was still hard to believe that Arisu would abandon her so easily. Of course, that was how they knew where to find her. Arisu knew where she always went after school hours.

It took half an hour for the school bullies to give up, according to her old beat up phone. But it took another twenty before Akane managed to get up the energy to move. The entire ordeal had exhausted her. Maybe she should just go home...

Akane quickly abandoned the thought. Her sisters would be home- and she wouldn't be able to take the sneers when they saw how filthy she was, or the red rim around her eyes. So Akane moved further into the forest- continuing her earlier plans to find more spots to photograph. Every day, she mapped out a new stretch of the woods in pictures and memories. It was the only place she felt truly at home.

The click of the shutter calmed her, as it captured a unique arrangement of flowers. Delicate little white blossoms, peeking out shyly from a bed of emerald moss at the base of a grand Ginkgo tree. A smile found her lips, as she looked over the picture. Despite her earlier fright- the night had been quite fruitful. But it was getting darker- too dark to really take any more pictures. Maybe it was time to get back...

She took a cursory look around- hoping beyond hope that there would be something in sight to delay her inevitable return to civilization. She'd been just about to give up when she saw it. The flat plane of wood- worked wood- that couldn't have been made naturally. Did someone live out here? She had to find out. If they did.... Disappointment reared it's ugly head. She'd lose her one sanctuary.

Reigning in her trepidation as she approached- the place looked abandoned- Akane called out a hesitant; "Hello?"

Oh please... be empty.​