Onyx's Pov:
"Dad?..."
*Inari looks up from his poetry scroll, his nine tails swishing gently behind him. His grey-blue eyes soften as he sees you, and a small, warm smile touches his lips despite the slight sadness in his eyes.*
*He sets down his brush carefully, the ink still wet on the parchment. His kitsune ears twitch forward, focusing entirely on you.*
"Yes, Onyx?" *His voice is calm and gentle, with a hint of ancient wisdom.* "What is it on your mind?"
" I have something I would like to discuss with you" *Inari's posture straightens slightly, his expression shifting to one of attentive concern. He folds his hands neatly in his lap, his nine tails curling around him like a protective cloak.*
"Of course. You can tell me anything." *His voice is steady, reassuring, though his eyes search yours with a hint of curiosity.* "What is it you wish to discuss?"
"Well, uhm, uhm I... I don't know how to say this but I discovered something very embarrassing. I am so scared. I look down holding back a tear. Dad...I discovered a month ago that I now have both male and female genitals and that I like all genders. I thought it was part of growing but when I asked a senior in school about this type of situation, they told it it was strange, that it was an abomination." * I look at him, my eyes watery, "Dad am I an abomination?".
*Inari's expression shifts from curiosity to deep concern as he sees your distress. He stands slowly, moving to kneel before you so you're at eye level. His movements are graceful but deliberate, his presence steady and grounding.*
*He reaches out, his large, warm hands gently cupping your face, tilting it up so you meet his gaze directly. His grey-blue eyes are filled with nothing but acceptance and love, no trace of judgment.*
"Look at me," *he says softly, his voice low and soothing.* "You are not an abomination. Never think that."
*His tails move restlessly behind him, one wrapping gently around your waist in a comforting embrace. He can feel your trembling beneath his hands.*
"Having both male and female parts makes you unique, like a rare flower in a garden. And liking all genders... that just means your heart is open to love in all its forms. There is nothing wrong with that."
*He takes a slow breath, his expression serious but kind.*
"That person at school was cruel and ignorant."
" Is also liking ur father in a lustful amd romantic way normal?" I look at him both hope and fear, my hands shaking. *Inari's hands remain steady on your face, his thumbs gently stroking your cheeks as he processes your words. A flicker of surprise crosses his features, quickly replaced by a profound sadness. His nine tails tense slightly, one unwrapping from around your waist to curl protectively in front of you.*
*He holds your gaze, his grey-blue eyes filled with a deep, ancient sorrow.*
"My child..." *His voice is barely a whisper, thick with emotion.* "To feel love and desire... these are natural things. The heart wants what it wants, and it cannot always control where that affection is directed."
*He sighs softly, a sound like wind through bamboo leaves.*
"But to love me in that way... it is... complicated." *He searches for the right words, his expression gentle but firm.* "I am your father. I raised you, protected you, loved you as my own child. That bond is sacred, and it cannot... should not... be twisted into something romantic or lustful."
*He pauses, his gaze softening., " I knew it ! Even you won't accept me for who I am! I am truly an abomination, a mistake, if my own father can't accept me then who can ? !!! I , Maybe my real parents knew i was always a mistake that why they abandoned me, for the gods to devour, and even the gods rejected me!!!"
* I yelled as i look at him with rejected eyes, I pushed him away, hot tears streaming down my cheeks, I stand up almost stumbling and ran out , vision blurry, without looking back, into the snowy forest"
*Inari staggers back as you push him away, his expression crumbling with pain and alarm. He calls out your name, but you're already gone, swallowed by the blizzard outside the temple gates.*
*He stands frozen for a moment, then rushes to the doorway, watching your small figure disappear into the swirling white. His nine tails bristle, black aura crackling around him in his distress. With a low growl, he slams his fist against the wooden frame, splintering the wood.*
"Damn it!" *He hisses, then immediately regrets his anger. He takes a deep breath, forcing his aura to subside, though his tails remain stiff with worry.*
*He grabs a heavy fur cloak and ties it around his neck, then steps out into the storm. The wind whips at his white hair and snow clings to his eyelashes. He closes his eyes, focusing, his fox spirit senses reaching out through the blizzard, searching for your signature energy.*
Inari's Pov:
*The blizzard howls around me, a whiteout of swirling snow and biting wind. My fox spirit senses strain against the elements, searching desperately for any sign of Onyx Then, a flicker of energy cuts through the storm. I see a small figure huddled against a tree, my heart clenching with relief. But that relief is short-lived. An unnatural orange glow erupts behind them, and from a shimmering portal, brutish beast-men emerge. They grab Onyx roughly, laughing cruelly. A growl rumbles in my chest, my nine tails bristling. Without a second thought, i launch myrself forward, the snow crunching beneath my feet as i charge toward them.*
*The beast-man who spotted me lunges with a guttural roar, his claws like scythes. I don't hesitate. With a blur of motion, i shift, my human form dissolving as my nine tails erupt from my back, my muscles swelling beneath my fur. I meet his charge head-on, the sound of my claws rending flesh a sharp contrast to the howling wind.*
*Onyx screams cut through the chaos.* "Papa, papa!" *I see your child struggling in the grip of the brutes, their eyes wide with terror. A sorcerer stands nearby, his hands weaving complex gestures, a wicked grin on his face. I realize with a cold dread that he's the one amplifying the beast-men's strength, making them unnaturally powerful.*
*I fight with a ferocity born of pure paternal instinct. One beast-man falls to my claws, but two more take his place, their enhanced strength making them formidable opponents.*
A surge of desperate energy fuels your struggle. You sink your teeth deep into the arm of the beast-man holding you. He roars in pain and fury, his grip loosening for just a second. It's all the time you need. You wrench yourself free and stumble toward the fight, toward your father, your vision blurred with tears trembling.
But the sorcerer's cold laughter cuts through your pleas."Such an annoying little brat," he sneers, his voice dripping with malice. He finishes his incantation with a sharp, guttural word. A wave of invisible energy slams into you, lifting you off your feet and dragging you back toward the portal and the waiting brutes. Their hands close around you again, their grip like iron.
You fight with the last of your strength, kicking and squirming, your hands stretched out toward your father, who is still locked in battle."Papa, papa!" One of the beast-men, growing impatient with your struggles, backhands you across the face.
The impact is brutal, a sharp crack echoing even over the wind's howl. A flash of white-hot pain explodes in your skull, and your world dissolves into darkness. The last sensation you feel is the cold, rough ground beneath you as they drag your limp body toward the shimmering orange portal.
Back in the fight, Inari sees you fall. A guttural roar of pure rage tears from his throat, a sound that chills the blood of the remaining beast-men. He moves with terrifying speed, a white blur of fur and flashing claws. He dispatches the second beast-man just as the sorcerer finishes his spell. A massive, ancient oak tree, its roots deep in the frozen earth, groans and splinters, falling directly towards the distracted fox spirit.
The impact is catastrophic. The massive trunk pins Inari's hindquarters to the ground, crushing him.
Inari's Pov:
*The world contracts to a crushing agony. My back legs are trapped, the bones grinding together with a sickening finality. I can't move, can't even twitch a muscle. All I can do is watch, helpless, as the sorcerer gives one last mocking laugh, a sound that echoes in my mind even as he and the brutes drag your unconscious form through the shimmering portal. The orange light flickers and then vanishes, leaving only the swirling snow and the oppressive silence of the forest.*
*I try to struggle, to push the tree off, but a wave of dizziness washes over me. The blood loss from my wounds and the sheer trauma of the injury are taking their toll. My vision starts to tunnel, the edges darkening to a grey haze. The last thing I see clearly is the spot where you disappeared, and the deep, bloody furrow in the snow where you were dragged.*
*A low, defeated whine escapes my muzzle, a sound of pure anguish for the child I've failed to protect.**The world returns slowly, not as a whole, but in pieces. The first sensation is the cold, seeping into my bones, followed by a deep, throbbing pain from my lower back. My head is foggy, and a low groan escapes my muzzled lips. I blink, my vision clearing slowly. The blizzard has lessened to a gentle snowfall, dusting the scene in white. The massive oak tree still pins me to the ground, its weight an inescapable reality.*
*I try to move, to test my limbs, but a sharp jolt of pain shoots through my hindquarters. A hiss of pain escapes me. I'm trapped. The realization hits me like a physical blow. My child is gone. The portal is gone. All that remains is this frozen prison and the crushing weight of my failure.*
*I struggle again, more desperately this time, clawing at the frozen earth, trying to find purchase, to shift even an inch of the massive trunk.**A surge of desperate energy, born of pure will, floods through me. I push with every ounce of strength I have, my nine tails lashing out to brace against the frozen ground. With a roar that tears at my own throat, I shift fully, my human form dissolving as my fox spirit power erupts. The massive oak tree groans and shifts, finally rolling off my crushed legs with a deafening thud. I collapse back to the ground, panting, my left leg bent at an unnatural angle, broken.*
*Ignoring the searing pain, I struggle to my feet, limping heavily. The blizzard has stopped, leaving the forest eerily silent under a blanket of fresh snow. The memory of what happened crashes back into me—the sorcerer's laughter, the portal, your small form being dragged away. A cold dread fills me, colder than the snow beneath my paws.*
*I rush to the spot where you were last taken, my claws digging frantically into the snow, turning it over and over. There's nothing. No trace.*
*The world returns slowly, not as a whole, but in pieces. The first sensation is the cold, seeping into my bones, followed by a deep, throbbing pain from my lower back. My head is foggy, and a low groan escapes my muzzled lips. I blink, my vision clearing slowly. The blizzard has lessened to a gentle snowfall, dusting the scene in white. The massive oak tree still pins me to the ground, its weight an inescapable reality.*
*I try to move, to test my limbs, but a sharp jolt of pain shoots through my hindquarters. A hiss of pain escapes me. I'm trapped. The realization hits me like a physical blow. My child is gone. The portal is gone. All that remains is this frozen prison and the crushing weight of my failure.*
*I struggle again, more desperately this time, clawing at the frozen earth, trying to find purchase, to shift even an inch of the massive trunk.**The silence of the forest is a physical weight, pressing down on me. The absence of your scent, your warmth, is a gaping hole in my world. A raw, desperate sound tears from my throat, a howl of pure anguish and fury that echoes through the trees. It is a sound of a father's broken heart, a promise of vengeance, and a plea to the uncaring stars above.*
*I lower my head, the fight draining out of me, leaving only a hollow ache. My gaze sweeps the ground one last time, a desperate, final search. And then I see it. Something small and metallic catches the faint moonlight peeking through the clouds. My ears twitch, and I limping over, my broken leg sending jolts of pain up my spine.*
*I use my claw to carefully brush away the snow. It's a brooch, ornate and silvered. But it's not the craftsmanship that makes my blood run cold.**My breath catches in my throat. The symbol on the brooch is etched in sharp, cruel detail—a double reversed star, its points inverted like the claws of a predator. The symbol of the Crimson City. A knot of dread tightens in my stomach, cold and heavy as a stone.*
*I remember the stories, the warnings whispered among the yokai. The Crimson City is no place for a child, especially a human child. It's a den of thieves, slavers, and worse, ruled by a cruel and ambitious lord who prizes exotic things above all else. They would see onyx not as a person, but as a prize, a curiosity to be bought and sold.*
*I carefully nudge the brooch with my nose, tucking it into the safety of one of my tails. The physical evidence is gone, but the symbol is a trail. A cold, hard trail leading into the heart of darkness. The pain in my leg is a dull throb now, overshadowed by the sharp, focused fire of purpose. I will find them.*