Animal X

Animal X/動物X, Prologue

Story: There was once a war between humans and animals, in which a human baby boy was found in the snow by a lingering snow wolf, who figured the baby had been abandoned by its parents and left to die. When it gets sick, the wolf saves the baby’s life at the cost of not only her magic, but her life as well. Will the human fit in the other animals or will it go stray?

A/N: In my story, “animals” have human like characteristics, and they have the potential to control certain elements. Also, this is pretty much set in a different world. Naturally the animals can communicate in language too.

Not too many years back, there was a war between humans and animals.

There were many causalities on both sides, but there was a temporary truce drawn, and the animals went into hiding.

A short while later, a human baby boy was found in the snow by a lingering snow wolf, who figured the baby had been abandoned by its parents and left to die.

Picking up the baby, who was crying, she cradled it’s shivering body in her arms, whispering words to soothe it’s turmoil and fear at it’s mother being nowhere to be found. Recalling the face of her only son, who was currently with the other animals, she didn’t even think twice before deciding to take him in and try to raise him as her own child, standing against the disagreement of the other animals, who wanted to try their best to respect her wishes, as named it, “Yukino”, based on the snow which she had found it in.

However, it didn’t take too long to realize that the baby was too young to go on without proper nurturing from another human being. It needed its biological mother, but, without her, the recently newborn eventually became ill, and they knew he didn’t have long to live. That’s when the wolf did the last expected thing; she sacrificed her life force to save him. And while he didn’t receive her wolf ears or wolf tail or even her claws, he did receive the blue circle insignia, which once had rested on her forehead; the very thing that stored every single bit of her magic. Magic where his strength would reflect on his very own will to live. And so, everything she was became who he is now.

However, many animals resented and blamed him for Saiyuu’s death. Once he became old enough to communicate, it didn’t take him long to realize that he was different as he had quickly become a victim of nonstop harsh glares, ridicule, and people constantly picking fights with him, all around. Especially a certain an older boy that was commonly referred to “Kino the Crow.”

Just like right now.

CRASH.

“What the heck, man?! Quit interfering, Kurohi!” Kino, who had pitch black hair, large black wings, and dark eyes along with a rather baggy outfit, had just been kicked in the face and slammed into a nearby wall by a taller boy who had cat ears and whiskers, not to mention claws. It was Kurohi, who was also known as “Black Dog”. His eyes were golden with slit pupils, and underneath his eyes there were two red diamond insignias.

“K-Kuro, I...” Upon, hearing his name, Kurohi took a brief glance over to his left to examine his younger brother Yukino, who was sitting on the ground. The boy looked a bit scuffed up and his cheek was swollen, not to mention the blood on his hand.

Kurohi immediately glared down at the crow, after decidedly kicking him in the face again out of anger.

“You’re constantly coming here to pick fights with people like some immature child. It’s disgusting.” Kurohi said with a strangely even voice, that had a deadly edge to it. “What did you do to him?”

“What’cha talkin’ bout’? I just scuffed him up a little is all.” Kino held up a hand with a nonchalant and amused smirk. That’s when there was a dagger pointed to his throat.

“That’s not what I mean. What the hell did you tell him?" Kurohi kneeled down in front of him, as Kino gulped, not having expected the dog to threaten one of his own. Kino couldn’t understand why he, of all people, would defend the breedless technical albino (minus a bit of odd black hair), even if they were technically brothers by adoption.

“...I told him the truth that nobody had the courage to tell him. He finally knows why he’s so hated. It’s better than everybody hiding everything from him and acting like it’s over nothing, isn’t it...?” Kino smirked, weakly. “At least he knows he deserv-”

In an instant, Kurohi poked the tip of the dagger into Kino’s neck, making him go quiet.

“If you dare say another word, I will slit your throat right here, before feeding your rotting corpse to the hounds. Got it?”

“...Why?” Kino suddenly glared at him, his expression turning dark. “Why do you care so damn much about Yukino...?” he forced himself to ask, despite his fear of intimate death. “You loved your mother more than anything, all of us did, and it’s because of him that she’s gone...! How can you just live with that? If it weren’t for humanity, she’d still be alive...!” Kino shouted at him, tears in his eyes, but refusing to fall.

Upon seeing that, Kurohi swallowed, tightening his grip on the dagger, but otherwise didn’t allow himself to be swayed. “I said to shut up.”

Kino screamed, his widening in agony as his arm was slashed by the dagger. He fell over, clutching it to control the bleeding.

“Consider this a warning. If you ever come near me or my brother again, I won’t hesitate to kill you for real.” He said, before standing up, and walking over to where his brother was, holding out a hand. “Yukino, are you okay?”

Said boy looked up as his name was called. And that’s when something in him... just snapped.

It was the accumulation of being beaten, hurt, insulted, made fun of that finally caused him to crack, and realize just how disgusting both humans and animals were, how they were all beasts at heart, including himself.

It was a result of finally understanding the truth, of realizing that not only been lied to by others, but even by his own family, who had just dismissed people’s mistreatment as just wanting to cause him trouble that caused him to lose trust in everybody around him, even his own brother, whom he had always looked up to before that.

Aside from the fact that the only person who had probably ever truly cared about him was dead and now everybody hated him for it, his true parents had abandoned him simply because they couldn’t be bothered to take care of him, he was sure of it - he had been a burden to everybody from the beginning, even though he hadn’t had the opportunity to choose a single damn thing in his life. He had always let people run him over, take advantage of him, criticize each and every way he did anything and make decisions for him. He had never had any true control over any aspects of his life before now. But he refused to go through that anymore. He refused to continue letting people just push him around however they liked. First step was to not let anybody get close to him at all, and that included his fake brother Kurohi. He didn’t need his damned pity. It was partially his fault he felt like this now.

It was on that day that he decided he hated the world as a whole; that he decided he hated both humans and animals alike, and it wouldn’t be too long after that that he would begin to change in ways nobody would ever expect.

“I’ve never been better.” He said, in actuality feeling completely detached, but smiling nonetheless, as he ignored Kurohi’s extended hand, getting up on his own.

“...Are you sure?” Kurohi asked uncertainly, concerned by his sudden apparent change in mood, wondering if maybe he had hit his head or something.

“Yeah, see you later.” After that, he was gone.

~ End of Chapter.