Mister Ōkami

“Uhhhh…” Frostt says, slowly turning around to face Mr. Ōkami.

“Why are you harassing Suisen? I sent her to wake you guys up, not to get stuck in some petty jealousy fight,” Mr. Ōkami says.

“I’m sorry, Alpha. I got a bit carried away,” Frostt says.

“My pack! I have a special hunting trip planned for you guys. I’m sending Ziff as a teacher since she is a master at hunting. With her, I’m sending those of you who need to learn how to hunt… Mouth, Crisp, Bounce, Toosh, Oil, Noise, Moov, Lucy, Dilly, Kurai, Suisen, Bound, Springy, Pip, Rip, and Wall!” Mr. Ōkami announces.

Yes! I finally get paired with Kurai! I can’t wait to hunt alongside her! Maybe she can teach me a thing or two! Kurai glances at me and I can tell she’s equally excited.

“I know you guys have very little hunting ability, but I would like if each of you could bring back at least 3 mice each. Then everyone could have at least 1 mouse each,” Mr. Ōkami says. “…if I don’t eat four of them myself… They’re so juicy…so tender… Anyways, I need Vicious, Quickie, Ressa, Viper, Clementina, Gargle, and Frostt on border patrol! Remember, it’s getting harder and harder to avoid getting hurt. It’s DANGEROUS to even step out of this den. When you exit this den, expect to get slaughtered. The herbivores are vicious!”

“The herbivores are me,” Vicious says, nodding her head in a silly manner as her tongue lulls out.

“I’m serious, Vicious!” Mr. Ōkami snaps.

3…2…1… Out the den we go! Ziff leads the way to our hunting spot. I’ve never been out here before. I slow to stay in pace with Kurai.

“Heya,” I say.

“Have you ever been out this far?” Kurai asks me.

“No. I grew up in the big city,” I reply.

“It’s pretty cool. Not quite as cool as The Feral Lands, but there’s a lot of delicious animals living in these outskirts,” Kurai says, grinning. “Y’know, not everyone in The Feral Lands are ferals. And being feral doesn’t mean you’re ALWAYS vicious.”

“I see. You don’t seem any different than me…” I say.

“Yeah? Except I don’t suck up to ol’ Alpha. I do what I want when I want,” Kurai says.

“And that’s why you get beat up so often,” I say with a sigh.

“Just look at this place… We got farms, forests, lakes, fields…everything is so beautiful and free!” Kurai says. “I wish I could stay out here; it’s better than scrubbing the den.”

“Alpha- oh, wait, you’re not Alpha. You just smell like him,” Ziff says, looking embarrassed. “Uhhhh, anyhow guys! Time for some basics!”

Ziff drops down to a hunter’s crouch, keeping his ears pointed forwards and his tail low to the ground. We all follow suit, following his movements. I can’t tell, at first, what we’re stalking. Then, I notice, there’s a pumpkin sitting a little ways away.

“Keep quiet, if you have to speak, communicate with pheromones,” Ziff says. “You want to get as close as you can without blowing your cover. If you suspect you’ve been caught, and you’re not close enough, halt!”

We all halt mid-stalk. Except Kurai. She dashes forwards to attack the pumpkin. Noise begins barking, getting excited.

“Ah ****! We’re not ******* catching anything with this ******* ***** making so much **** noise!” Mouth exclaims.

Bounce begins leaping up and down. BLAM! Kurai strikes the pumpkin, splattering it. She growls, biting it and shredding it. Why is there a ripe pumpkin in the middle of summer? Uhhhhhhhhh…

“You guys are hopeless!” Ziff wails.

“Sorry, Ziff,” Kurai says, swallowing a large amount of the pumpkin.

“You better at least share that pumpkin with the pack!” Ziff warns.

“Okay, fine!” Kurai says, rolling her eyes.

After a few more failed attempts, everyone finally sits through an entire demonstration. I would say we don’t have all day, but we kind of do. As long as we all bring back food, Mr. Ōkami will be happy. After the demonstrations, Ziff lets us go off on our own. The only requirement is that we meet up back at the pumpkin splat.

I end up breaking away from Kurai, following after a mouse scent. Mice are like snacks because they aren’t very big, usually. However, a mouse is a mouse and a mouse is food. There, in the field, a foolish mouse is cleaning itself in a patch of sunlight.

I drop as low as possible, inching closer, snarling. WHA-BAM! The mouse is under my paws! The mouse screams in fear and I instantly feel bad for attacking it. I hesitate and then lift one of my paws to look at the mouse.

“D-don’t eat me!” the mouse squeaks.

“Hi,” I say. “I…uh… I was sent to get food for my pack…”

“Ah, dang. I was hoping you’d let me go because I told you not to eat me,” the mouse says, pouting.

“Well, I don’t WANT to kill you. I just have to,” I say.

“No you don’t,” the mouse argues. “Why, there are tastier animals just down the road.”

“Oh yeah?” I ask, tilting my head.

“Yeah, now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a FAMILY to take care of,” the mouse grumbles, squeezing out of my paw grip.

“Okay, have a good day. Sorry for bothering you,” I say with a sigh.

I trudge away. No way could I kill the mouse. I’m a useless hunter… The mouse scent follows me.

“Hey, ummm, thanks for sparing my life, by the way,” the mouse says. “My name is Sage.”

“Oh yeah? I’m Suisen,” I say, smiling.

“Yeah, and you can come to my house…if you want…” Sage says, scuffing a foot.

“You want ME to come to YOUR house? I’m your enemy. You can’t just invite a carnivore into your house. You should just report me to the authorities,” I point out.

“No. Just because the government says I should, doesn’t make it okay,” Sage says. “You’re not a dangerous predator. A dangerous predator would have killed me before I could say a word!”

“Okay, but I have to bring food back or else my Alpha will get mad,” I say.

“Perhaps I can help you with that,” Sage says.

“So, uhhhh, Sage…? Why have you brought an exile into our home…?” an older mouse says.

“I found her not far from here. She’s looking for food,” Sage says. “We’ve got food enough for ages, mama.”

“Yes, but food enough for mice, not for wolves,” the older mouse says.

“I can leave if you want,” I say.

“No, no, I insist. Have some bread and cheese,” Sage offers.

Sage loads me up with mouse sized bread rolls and cute little cheese wheels. Such kindness from such a small creature… If only we all could get along. The mice make sure I am well cared for.

“Suisen, have you ever wondered why we are here?” Sage asks.

“Yeah…” I say. “I don’t know, this voice in my head told me I’m supposed to “love the least of these” not sure. I think there’s someone out there. Some being unseen, watching. Now that I say it out loud, it sounds like I’m insane…”

“No, no, you’re on the right track. There IS someone out there,” Sage says. “I could tell you all about it, but I suppose you don’t have forever. Tell you what, come visit me whenever you can and I’ll tell you everything I know. I get around, I talk to people.”

“Sage is prone to wander… I tell her, you’re gonna get eaten if you keep talking to predators!” the older mouse squeaks.

“I’ve spoken to a lion before. He told me there is a God who created the world,” Sage says. “They call him The Lion of Judah.”

“Oh! A lion!” I exclaim.

“Yes, yes, the most powerful lion in all of eternity!” Sage says, nodding her head. “Tell your pack, the lion watches over you. Oh, and also, there are some fat rabbits down the road, but don’t tell them I sent you. If the bread and cheese doesn’t please your Alpha, I give you permission to kill a few rabbits and bring those to him.”

“Wow…” I say. “Will do. And I’ll HAVE to stop by again. I could use all the wisdom I can get!”

“God bless you, Suisen!” Sage calls out and I leave.

I didn’t expect to make friends with a mouse. Nor did I expect to learn a little about the invisible being who has been guiding me. Everything is falling into place, the pieces of the puzzle are assembling. I head down the road and, as Sage said, there are tons of fat rabbits living down there.

WAH-BAM! I strike swiftly. This time, I kill before I can hear them cry. I can’t handle hearing my prey cry in agony… I bring with me a bunch of bread rolls, cheese, and two fat rabbits.

“Heya, Suisen!” I hear Kurai call out.

“Kurai!” I say, dropping the dead rabbits onto the ground.

“Whoa, you look like you’re carrying a big load!” Kurai remarks.

“So do you,” I point out.

Kurai has dragged an entire horse over here. She somehow caught that on her own. Why does Mr. Ōkami insist on calling her a bad hunter? I’m trying so hard not to digest the bread and cheese I have temporarily stored in my stomach.

“Ah, this? This is nothing! You should have seen HOW I caught it,” Kurai says, licking her lips. “Wish I could eat the whole thing myself…”

“How does one tiny wolf eat an entire horse?” I wonder.

“Very carefully,” Kurai says and laughs.

Kurai and I carry our catches back to the pumpkin splat. Springy blunders past, no catch yet for her. Moov is heading in another direction, no catch from her yet, either. As such, I decide to spit up my collection so I don’t accidentally digest it.

“Oooh! Where did you get all this bread and cheese from?!” Kurai asks.

“I’ll tell you if you promise not to tell on me…” I say with a grimace.

“I’mma go tattle right now, then…JUST KIDDING!” Kurai says and laughs. “You can trust me.”

“Okay, so, I spared a mouse’s life, and she in turn gave me food,” I say.

“You spared a mouse. Oh my gosh…” Kurai says. “We’re supposed to eat those things!”

“Well, I couldn’t. I felt sorry for her. She’s my friend now. As long as you don’t tattle and nobody else finds her, this may very well be a source of food for us,” I say.

“Okay, okay, food is food. You didn’t spare those rabbits,” Kurai points out.

“Yeah, she told me I could go kill them,” I say with a shrug.

“A mouse told you to kill people? Now THAT is something I can get behind!” Kurai says.

“Shhh, not so loud…” I whisper.

“I’ll keep your secret. Besides, who trusts the word of an Omega?” Kurai says with a laugh.

“…I do?” I ask.

“Not Alpha, that’s for sure,” Kurai says.

Bounce bounces over carrying with her a beaver. At last, someone other than us with prey. Springy is the next to return with the bare minimum, three mice. I hold my breath, hoping none of them are Sage. No, these are brown mice. Sage is gray.

“I just barely caught these little dumplings!” Springy says, panting.

“Nice work,” I say, still nervous about Sage’s hiding spot.

“Whoa! That’s a lot of bread and cheese!” Springy exclaims. “Seems you robbed a deli!”

“Sure did! They didn’t know what hit them!” I lie, wincing.

“And nice rabbits… Wait a minute, Kurai, you killed that horse by yourself?!” Springy asks.

“Yeah, I’m something of a master hunter…for my age and size,” Kurai says, fluffing up to look bigger.

Ziff comes back, dragging a cow with her. Not everyone else is back yet, though. I sure hope nobody was spotted… I’m also worried about the border patrol.

I wonder, is the city really barren of wolves now? The outskirts, as well? What if we have missed a really well hidden wolf who feels trapped in the city and cannot flee or else be seen and captured or slaughtered on the spot? My mind wanders back to Hash, poor little Hash.

If she still isn’t getting better, we may have to rebirth her. I lift my eyes to the sky. I’m distracted, suddenly, as I notice a helicopter heading this way. Oh no! Someone must have reported us!

“Helicopter!” I howl, letting off a fear pheromone.

Quickly, we grab our supplies and flee to safety. We can’t go straight back to the den, that would lead them to our hideout. Instead, we duck into another secret grotto that I didn’t know existed until Ziff leaped into it. It’s a tight squeeze since we took our prey with us, but we absolutely cannot lose any food.