Izumo Tatsuya had to kill a bear. He had to, because it had come down from the mountains and feasted on human flesh.
When a beast slaughters a human, humanity demands vengeance.
The freezing wind swirled with flecks of snow, whistling through the pine forests of Mount Momoyama in the heart of winter. The sound was a low, mournful wail, sounding much like the sobbing of ghosts. Between heaven and earth, a desolate, murderous white had settled, swallowing almost every other color in its path.
Tatsuya crouched upon the branch of a massive, snow-laden pine. His body seemed to merge with the bark, his existence proven only by the faint, rhythmic puffs of white vapor escaping his lips. He had been lying in wait here for nearly four hours, yet his body remained coiled with the alertness and suppleness of a leopard. It seemed the biting cold had no effect on his extraordinary physique.
"Tch. This weather is hell. My snot's about to turn into icicles," Tatsuya grumbled internally. His eyes, however, remained locked on the clearing below—specifically on the blurred, massive paw prints near a freshly snapped branch.
The heavy snow had masked many tracks, but for him, these clues were enough. By tracing the minute signs left by the beast and catching the faint, acrid scent of musk that an ordinary person would never notice, he had tracked the man-eating bear back to its lair.
Then came the sound: heavy footsteps accompanied by the sharp crack of dry branches snapping underweight.
A massive black bear with eyes as red as fresh blood sauntered into view. Its coarse fur was matted with dried, dark-brown filth—stains of old blood. Foul-smelling saliva dripped from its jaws.
Tatsuya held his breath. His gaze instantly turned ice-cold.
This was the beast. This was the monster that had slaughtered the Sato family back in the village.
He made no sound. Like a melting shadow, he slipped from the tree, landing in the deep snow with barely a mark. In his hand, he gripped a hunting knife polished to a mirror sheen, its edge glinting under the pale snow-light.
"Hey, Old Man... your hunting knife is going to achieve glory again today."
The bear remained oblivious. It continued its slow, lumbering pace, exposing its relatively vulnerable flank and rear to Tatsuya.
Now!
Tatsuya moved. His legs exploded with staggering power. He was a streak of lightning, closing the distance in a few silent strides. Just as the bear sensed something and its ears twitched, Tatsuya's knife cut a cold arc through the air, plunging deep into the soft flesh where the bear's hind leg met its hip.
Puchi!
The blade sank in all the way to the hilt.
"ROAAR—!!!"
The agonizing pain drew a world-shaking howl from the bear. It spun around violently, its crimson eyes locking onto the tiny creature that dared to harm it. A palpable, violent killing intent erupted from the beast. It reared up on its hind legs, swinging a massive paw that tore through the air with a murderous wind.
"First strike landed! Time to bail!"
Tatsuya judged the situation with cold precision. He didn't get greedy. With a nimble leap backward, he narrowly avoided the enraged blow. The bear's paw slammed into the ground, sending a spray of snow and dirt flying.
Blood poured from the wound in the bear's hind leg, staining the white snow with vivid, crimson blossoms. A wounded animal was more dangerous, but also more predictable and easily provoked.
Tatsuya began a patient game of cat and mouse. He no longer engaged in close quarters, instead using the trees as cover. He constantly shifted positions to draw the bear's attention, forcing it to lung and turn repeatedly, accelerating its blood loss and exhaustion.
"The left forelimb is definitely stiff, and with that hind leg injury, its turning speed has dropped by half a beat... Good. I'll keep attacking your right side. Keep turning for me!"
Tatsuya's mind analyzed the battle at high speed. He moved like the wind, weaving through the path of the furious claws. The bear's roars began to turn into ragged gasps. Its movements lost their initial ferocity as blood loss and fatigue took their toll.
Finally, after a violent lunge missed its mark, the bear's massive body faltered for a split second due to its own momentum. Its injured leg failed to brace in time.
"Now!"
A sharp light flashed in Tatsuya's eyes. His body, coiled like a compressed spring, released with explosive force. He charged head-on, ducked low, and slid precisely into the opening beneath the bear's chest and belly.
"Don't eat humans in your next life!"
The hunting knife, carrying the full weight of his strength and speed, thrust upward into the softest part of the bear's lower jaw, piercing straight into the brain.
Puchi!
The bear's roar stopped abruptly, replaced by a hollow, wheezing sound. The massive body convulsed violently before finally crashing to the ground, kicking up a cloud of snow.
Tatsuya panted heavily as he pulled the knife out. He took a few steps back and leaned against a tree. Watching the life fade from the bear, he flicked the blood from his blade and whispered to himself, "Done... I guess the village's debt is paid."
After resting for a moment, he found some thick vines and laboriously bound the several-hundred-pound carcass, dragging it step by step toward Momoyama Village.
When Tatsuya appeared at the village entrance dragging the massive bear, the entire village was in an uproar.
"Tatsuya! Tatsuya is back!"
"Heavens! He... he actually killed that bear!"
"Thank god! The menace is gone!"
"Tatsuya is only fifteen, right? This is insane!"
The villagers gathered around, looking at the massive corpse with a mix of shock, lingering fear, and a sense of relief. But soon, that joy was replaced by sorrow.
"It was this thing... this thing killed the Satos..." an old woman sobbed, wiping her eyes.
At the mention of the Sato family, the atmosphere turned heavy. The slight pride on Tatsuya's face vanished, replaced by a somber gloom. His mind involuntarily flashed back to the horrific scene he had found inside that house three days ago.
It wasn't a sight meant for the human world. The door of the simple wooden shack had been torn open. The cold wind whirled snow inside, but it couldn't blow away the sickening, heavy scent of blood and the faint, unmistakable stench of rot.
The father, Sato, lay just inside the threshold. His strong arms, used to years of farm work, had been ripped off and tossed aside. The wounds were a jagged mess of flesh and bone. His torso had been torn open, and his organs, spilled across the floor, had frozen into a ghastly, abstract painting of dark blood.
On the walls and the low ceiling, sprays and splatters of blood had dried into blackened marks, looking like the brushstrokes of a demon.
The mother, Kaoru, and the child, Ken, lay on the tatami in the inner room. Their state was even more unbearable. Half of Kaoru's face and neck had been gnawed away, exposing her white skull and vertebrae. One of her arms was missing. And little Ken... his tiny body had been torn in half, his small hand lying isolated a few paces away.
In that house, almost nothing was intact. Everything had been shredded and smashed by a violent force, mixed with clotted blood and torn clothing. It wasn't just a killing; it was a malicious, total destruction.
At the time, Tatsuya had stood at the door, feeling a chill surge from his feet to his skull, his stomach churning. He had seen animals injure people before, but a slaughter so cruel... so filled with an inexplicable sense of sadistic malice... this was a first.
The only survivor was the three-year-old daughter, Ume, who had been hiding in a rice vat. She had fainted from terror and, when found, was in a state of catatonic shock, unable to speak.
The village elder, Old Man Genji, had sighed and said they had to wait for the authorities. But Tatsuya couldn't wait.
He looked at the grieving villagers and remembered how Uncle Sato used to smile and hand him hot roasted sweet potatoes. How Kaoru would always mend his clothes when they were torn. How little Ken used to follow him around, calling out "Big Brother Tatsuya!"
"By the time those officials crawl out here from town in their fancy litters, who knows how many more people this bear will eat? A bear that has tasted human flesh is no longer a normal beast," Tatsuya had thought to himself.
On the surface, however, he had just given Old Man Genji a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Grandpa Genji. I'm just going into the woods to check things out. I'll be fine."
Then, he took his knife and plunged into the vast, snowy forest.
Returning to the present, Tatsuya looked at the surrounding villagers, took a deep breath, and spoke loudly:
"Don't be afraid anymore! I've taken care of the bear! Its meat, skin, and bones—take whatever you need! Trade it for rice, salt, cloth, whatever!"
He began to butcher the carcass with practiced, efficient movements. Since his parents passed away, Tatsuya had survived using the hunting knife and bow his father left behind.
"Grandma Yamada, you're old and the cold is hard on you. Take this bear skin back to pad your bed; it'll keep you warm!" Tatsuya stuffed the thick, albeit blood-stained, hide into the arms of an old woman wearing thin clothes in the dead of winter.
"Oh, this... I couldn't, Tatsuya, you should keep it for yourself..." she protested.
"I'm young and full of energy, I don't need it!" Tatsuya grinned, flashing his teeth. "Just take it. Think of it as me honoring Uncle Sato's memory for you!"
He carved out several large chunks of fatty bear meat and handed them to families with many children and clear financial struggles. "Sister Suzuki, Uncle Inoue—take this meat back to make some soup for the kids."
"Tatsuya, this is too valuable..."
"It's fine! I can't eat it all by myself, it'd be a waste if it spoiled!"
He used the bear gall and some of the choice tenderloin to trade with the village doctor for medicinal herbs to treat frostbite and colds, plus a small pouch of coins. "Doctor, please take these. If anyone in the village gets sick, I'll be counting on you."
The doctor patted his shoulder. "Good lad. You've got a good heart."
In the end, he only kept some of the harder-to-process bones and scrap meat for himself, intending to salt them.
Watching Tatsuya bustle about, giving away the most valuable parts to those in need, the villagers were deeply moved. Some brought him a small bag of white rice, others gave him clean cloth, and one even brought a jar of home-brewed sake.
"Tatsuya, you live alone, it's not easy. You should keep more for yourself," Old Man Genji said emotionally.
Tatsuya was wiping the blood from his knife. He looked up, the sunlight hitting his face—which was still flecked with blood and snow—and his smile remained bright.
"I'm fine, Grandpa Genji! I have a big appetite, but even I can't eat this much. Besides, Uncle Sato always said people in the mountains have to help each other to survive!"
"Since it's just me at home anyway, feeding myself is easy!"
The lively distribution of meat lasted for half the day. It wasn't until the sun began to set that the villagers dispersed, carrying their shares and a sense of relief. The village slowly returned to peace, and as smoke rose from the chimneys, it seemed as though life was finally returning to its proper tracks.