New Beginnings
(Kurai)
Heya, my name is Ōkami Kurai. Last year, I got expelled from the most amazing school ever. I’m willing to take all the blame, though I’m still upset about the whole ordeal. My life has changed a lot since then, and I have attempted (…and am failing…) to become a better wolf.
I’ve got a couple friends that I see occasionally, but they attend Reeds’ Intelligence Academy, the school I got expelled from. My friends are Cheese the mouse, Sara the black lab, Bux the buck, and Foxy the fox. I miss my friends, especially Sara whom I haven’t seen since before I got trapped in The Meatball Factory. Oh, right, some of you probably have no idea what I’m talking about. I have recorded my misadventures in a book titled ‘Kurai Ōkami: Welcome To Reeds Intelligence Academy’ and I highly recommend checking that out first.
In short, for the past few decades (or, honestly, it feels like decades, but I think it’s only actually been a few years), us carnivores have been forced to eat plant and insect based protein with a replica of the protein found in meats. Since then, the herbivores have lived with us in harmony…well…almost…not quite… Some of us carnivores have a bit of…feral…instincts. We consume everything we desire to with little thought for other’s feelings.
Especially in recent times, more and more carnivores are resorting back to the old ways (Me too. I like meat) and we finally figured out the cause. A horrible nasty coyote named Mr. Balls, who was the head of The Meatball Factory, had secretly been mixing animal fat into the supposedly meatless protein balls. I found this out by buying a ticket to tour the factory and…I got caught and held hostage. My mother bravely came to the rescue and all the animals were freed and Mr. Balls was locked up in prison for good.
Pretty cool story, huh? Oh, you’re probably still wondering how I got expelled… I may have let my feral instincts get the best of me and I ate some of my classmates. Now I am at home, not doing anything in particular, as my mother is raising my baby sister. That’s right! I have a baby sister now!
“Koo-eye! Koo-eye!” Kage barks, pitter-pattering up to me. “Want play!”
“You want to play?” I ask with a scoff.
“Want play, Koo-eye!” Kage barks, wagging her tiny tail.
“Hmph, well, I’m not doing anything…” I grumble.
Kage is about a month old. She’s so tiny and pitiful. I love her, but, she looks like a mouse to me, and trust me, I know what mice are. My best friend Cheese is literally a mouse. I open my mouth and she practically climbs in.
Lifting my head, I raise her tiny stub legs off the ground. GULP! Bye bye, pup! I swallowed her like the little mouse she is.
Wait a minute…something’s…different… Usually when I swallow something, I can feel the digestion. I stare at my belly in confusion for a moment…not that I wanted to kill Kage, anyhow. I’m just so confused.
“Kage? Kage?” my mother calls out, padding into the room. “Oh, Kurai! Have you seen your baby sister?!”
“No? Did she get lost?” I lie, smirking.
“Koo-eye, Koo-eye, am bored!” Kage’s muffled voice is heard.
“GOSH DANG IT, KURAI! SPIT HER UP BEFORE YOU KILL HER!” my mom shrieks, absolutely freaking out.
“Mom! She’s fine! I assure you! I just discovered something really cool! Tell her, Kage!” I exclaim, seeing as my mom’s still angry.
“Mom?!” Kage calls out. “Am stuck!”
“Are you hurt?!” my mom asks.
“No. Am fine. Just stuck,” Kage says.
“See? She’s fine! I think I am learning to control myself!” I exclaim.
“Regardless, you aren’t supposed to be eating your baby sister. Spit her up. NOW!” my mom demands.
Reluctantly, I hack and cough Kage up. She’s only slightly wet from my saliva, but she’s completely clear of acid. Kage sits there, blinking in confusion. Then, she notices our mom and runs to get some milk. My mom grabs a bottle of milk in her mouth and dumps it into a cup for Kage. I watch her heat it up in the microwave so it’s nice and warm, just the way I like it.
“Milk!” Kage barks cheerfully.
“Ooh! Can I have some milk, too?!” I ask.
“No, honey, you’re too old for milk. This would give you a stomachache,” my mom says, gently pushing me away with her nose.
Not fair! I used to get milk whenever I wanted! Now that little gremlin gets all the milk! I watch, pouting, as my baby sister laps up the milk.
“Moooooom! I want warm milkies, too!” I whine.
“No means no, Kurai!” my mom yells. “Gosh, I gotta get you into school again soon…”
“I can be your little baby!” I say, throwing myself to the ground. “You can feed me till I’m full and give me kissies! Let me be your little baby!”
“Ugh! You need to grow up!” my mom grouches.
She’s no fun anymore. My mother used to be so fun. I used to admire her. I mean, I still do, a little, but she doesn’t seem to love me anymore! I stare at Kage, bitter with jealousy.
“One day, when she gets older, you will finally have a buddy to play with,” my mom says.
“Pffft, I got Foxy for that!” I say and laugh.
“Yeah, but she’s no wolf,” my mom says. “There’s no bond quite like the bond of wolves.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever…” I grumble.
“I think you’ll like your new school,” my mom comments. “But if you blow it again, there might not be anywhere else to send you.”
“I’ll be good this time! I promise! I will not eat anyone even if they look tasty!” I whine.
“Yeah, you BETTER NOT!” my mom says with a snarl.
Kage drains the cup and lies down with a yawn. Her little belly is stuffed full of milk…like MINE should be! That should be me! I should be drinking the warm milkies!
“Can I have some now?” I ask.
“No,” my mom says, stooping and licking my baby sister clean.
“Am tired,” Kage says, rolling over so my mom can finish cleaning her up. “Want sleep.”
“Rest, little one…” my mother murmurs softly.
I approach and my mom snarls a bit. I lower my head and lick a little milk off of Kage’s lips. Mmmm… I hate Kage…but I love her at the same time. It’s hard to stay mad at the little gremlin.
“I love you, Kage…” I whisper.
“Aw, that’s nice of you, Kurai,” my mom says.
“Sleep tight, tiny baby…” I say, inching closer.
“Oh my baby girls… I love you both so much,” my mom says. “I know I seem frustrated with you sometimes, but I do love you. I have always loved you, Kurai… I always will.”
“I love you too, mommy,” I say, licking her face.
(Suisen)
Exhausted mother wolf Ōkami Suisen here. Life has certainly been a ride lately. I’ve got two children now, and no father to help raise them. Kurai is an adult, but she acts like a child, still.
Today I awake and find Kage, the youngest of the two, missing. I should have known where she was. Kurai went and gobbled up my baby! Now, though, Kage is back safe with me. She didn’t die, luckily.
I have fed her, cleaned her, and she is tucked back to sleep. She’s going to be two months old relatively soon. She’s got vision, a little bit of speech, and can walk. I am trying so hard to keep an eye on her, for I fear Kurai might kill her.
Speaking of Kurai, I have found another school to enroll her in. Last time, I spent forever trying to convince Reeds’ Academy to accept her only for her to get expelled two weeks later. I sure hope that won’t be the case with this next school. The University Of Tubes, while not as advanced technological-wise, has some pretty amazing teaching techniques I think might benefit Kurai.
Students at the university learn new things partially by watching videos… Then, they can express their creativity by creating their own videos. My daughter is an artist of sorts, but HOPEFULLY she doesn’t try submitting any of her…ummm…WEIRD…art to the video registry. You see, there’s this silly thing where an individual swallows another whole and alive.
Kurai’s been absolutely obsessed with it, even practicing it herself. Some people see it as mature rated content, but not Kurai. For her, it’s purely amusing and comical. I can see where she’s coming from, but others do not see it the way she does.
I fear Kurai will get in trouble again for her art. I’ve been trying to keep it a secret, but my daughter is a mutant. A subset of us animals have been granted (or perhaps cursed with) strange powers including the power to consume ANYTHING. Money? Check. Food that isn’t normally species appropriate? Check. Random household objects? Check. Iron bars? Check. OTHER PEOPLE sometimes BIGGER than themselves? Check.
Wouldn’t you know it? My daughter is obsessed with eating other people. In real life. Just this Christmas, she gobbled up sooooo many people! Why? For fun!
Kurai thought it was hilarious to swallow so many people! I didn’t see an ounce of remorse in my daughter for her actions! She’s like, a psychopath or something! Actually, I can’t entirely discredit her.
I have seen Kurai feel guilt ONE TIME in her entire life. There was also a time not long ago, she stole my car, with the help of her friends. She also stole my wallet, AND my cellphone! Then??? She crashed my car and it burned!
I was freaking out, because I thought Kurai was dead after the crash… Luckily, she didn’t burn up with the car. She comes home, totally stuffed, in the antlers of a buck. She had eaten waaaaaaay too much food again. I am thankful, though, that it was JUST food that Kurai ate that time and not other animals.
Keeping Kage in sight, I make my way to the house phone. Carefully, I dial the number of the University’s office. I wait, watching Kurai to make sure she won’t eat Kage again. The phone rings for awhile and, finally, someone picks up.
“University Of Tubes,” the person on the other end states.
“Hi, I’m here to inquire about any potential openings in your university?” I ask.
“…we do have a few spots open tomorrow, actually…”
“Oh! Could I please enroll my daughter? I’ve been sending requests for a few weeks now…”
“Name, please?”
“Ōkami, Kurai.”
There’s an awkward pause and some key tapping noises before I get a reply, “I see… She’s got…quite the record…”
“Please, give her a chance! Don’t we all deserve a second chance in life?”
“Okay. You may send her to us tomorrow. She’s clear to go, despite her record.”
“Oh thank goodness! I NEED to get her into school!”
“No problem, Mrs. Ōkami. We look forward to greeting Kurai first of the month!”
“YES!” I exclaim. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
I hang up, doing a victory dance. My celebration is cut abruptly because Kage is gone, AGAIN! Kurai is lying there instead with her round belly in the air. I approach, clearing my throat threateningly.
“Oh…hi, mom… I thought you were busy,” Kurai says, grinning sheepishly.
“ŌKAMI KURAI, YOU SPIT YOUR SISTER UP THIS INSTANT!” I yell, losing my mind.
“Okay! Okay!” Kurai says.
Kurai rolls back onto her feet. She hacks, her sides heaving. Out comes Kage, still dry, luckily. She’s confused and sleepy.
“Listen. You must promise me, you’ll behave, won’t you? The University Of Tubes has an opening and they want to see you tomorrow,” I say.
“I’m going back to school?!” Kurai asks, a huge grin on her face.
“Yes, yes you are!” I say.
“WOW, WOW, WOW, WOW!” Kurai exclaims, running laps around Kage.
“Koo-eye! Koo-eye go fast!” Kage exclaims, wagging her tiny tail.
“One day, Kage, you will also be going to school,” I assure her, licking her tiny head.
