Father Kiroku

The cries wouldn't fade. Haunting, tormenting, they rose and fell. A figure was crouching down, squeezing his eyes tight and trying to block out any thought. The young boy clutched his head and tried to block them out, but he could still hear them through his clenched hands. They seemed to trigger a sort of animalistic rage deep within, bubbling to the surface. He raised his head to the dark and glittering sky, and howled to the moon. His cry joined with the other's, filled with pain, sorrow and loss. Slowly, his voice faded and he fell, savoring the thought of the deep dreaming coming to take him away from this Hell.1

He woke once again in the dead of night, alone. The feeling of being completely on his own was strange, frightening. All his life he had lived with his Kin, but now, they were gone, taken away in the night by the demons. He had heard their howling cries as they were dragged down under. Running and running, he didn't stop for hours, until he was sure that they couldn't get him, and doom him to the same fate as everyone else. He shuddered at the memory, and slowly got to his feet. He decided that he would get back the Wolf Kin, his Kin, no matter what.2

Half a day went by before he found where his kin had been taken. There was a chasm in the ground, seeming to stretch forever, where the demons had reached out with their hands and dragged them under the Earth. He lowered himself down and began the long process of climbing down into the pits of the Earth itself. It was long and hard work, but if this would rescue his kin, it would be worth it.3

Once he touched down on something solid and flat beneath his feet, he was exhausted but continued onwards. Looking around, he marveled at the brutish appearance. There were bodies scattered here and there, but too far away to see the cause of death. Demons were laughing and chanting, content with their current victims. They don't eat the souls, oh no, they torture them for as long as the demons live. By far, it was the worst fate possible. Cages upon cages of humans were there. Some were weaping, yelling, or just silent in a corner, awaiting whatever would come their way. Howling cries snapped him out of his trance, and he ran towards them, making short, sharp barks of greeting and relief. Upon a large, flat platform were his Kin. They were all in cages, howling with joy to of seen him. So absorbed in that temporary happiness, they didn't sense the demon until he had the boy in a death grip. He snorted with alarm, but couldn't break free.4

Even thought those Wolf Kin cannot speak, they can still communicate. Same goes for the demons. He created words in the young one's mind that he understood.5

'What do you try and accomplish? Your Kin is doomed, and now you are too. Your soul is strong, but their's are weak. You are worth more than they all together.' Then, a thought dawned in the boy's mind. Anything was worth setting his Kin free.6

He willed those strange symbols and thoughts of his own into the mind of the demon. 'Then, I will spill my lifeblood here and now, in exchange for my Kin. They go free, and you may have my soul.' The demon smirked.7

'Why do you protect them? They are weak.' The boy closed his eyes for a moment.8

'Because I am Wolf Kin. Because they are Wolf Kin. I, Kiroku, say this.'9

The demon still thought it was stupid, but agreed, already awaiting the strong soul he would soon have. Handing the boy a beautiful sword, he stepped back and waited for what he would do, letting the Kin from their cages to watch in horror. The boy positioned the tip of the blade at his chest, and breathed in deeply. He would remember the beautiful colors of autumn, and the crisp smell after a rain shower. The sound of the Kin eating and laughing around the fire, the taste of cooked meat. And the smooth feel of this blade he held. Letting a single tear slide down his face, he thrust the sword, deep, deep into himself, gasping as his blood slid down his stomach and onto the ground below. His knees shuddered once and buckled, sending him thudding onto the hard surface.10

Lying there, all he remembered was his Kin getting away, and the demon approaching him. His senses were dulling, breathing becoming short and shallow. And so he lay there, in the pits of Hell, dying, dying. But he had saved his Kin. Closing his eyes for the last time, he was happy. His Kin would survive, and he would be the reason. Slowly, he let himself slip into the comforting crush of blackness, and his spirit into the awaiting hands of the demon.11

As his spirit drifted towards his eternal capture, something short of a miracle appeared. Where his body was still laying, blood dripping out of the wound, the platform he died on cracked, and vines began to creep out. His blood fed them, and they grew. Up and up, taking a shape of a tree. The tree grew and grew, before pressing against the ceiling of Hell. The Demons watched in awe and horror, as the ceiling cracked, before bursting as the huge tree broke through the surface. The ceiling kept cracking, until a huge hole encircled the tree. Seeing his chance, Kiroku's spirit broke free and merged with it. It was now known as Kiroku Tree, which would protect the Kins forever.12

That was many years ago, but to this day it still stands, blood red flowers standing out against lush green leaves. It will watch over them forever, assuring doubting hearts that the demons won't come and take them away, ever again.