Fiction (Manga Shounen-Style, G) - Beast Chronicles (review please T.T)

[WolfoxOkamichan]

NOTE: THE STORY IS IN A UNIQUE GENRE CALLED MANGA ACTION. This is prominent in certain anime like Digimon and Onmyou Taisenki, where the focus is having action scenes while making the plot move on. There's some "monster for the day" (in this case, monster for the chapter) essence as well. However, that doesn't make this story bad, doesn't it? If you're ticked off by the genre, I suggest not reading.

Also, I haven't updated on the names. I will change the likes of Artemis Lunamond (*shudders*), since I need to look for something more appropriate.

Nevertheless, I recommend you reading my work ... >_>

Beast Chronicles

Chapter 1 – Fenrir

Years ago, a tree existed with in the forests of Side Rock Town. Yggdrasil, the name of the tree, contained a powerful force that had attracted many animals in the forest. A wolf named Loki wanted to acquire the power. He consumed some of the parts of the tree. However, Yggdrasil could not handle the loss of its strength anymore further. Gathering all of its remaining energy, the tree reached its peak and exploded into tiny purple fragments of energy. These fragments spread throughout the area, especially in the city near it. Loki disappeared in the process.

“I’ll do anything to escape this dump! Now is my chance!”

A brown wolf ran fast towards the edge of the forest. White fences barricaded the path to the road, but an opening allowed animals to leave the area and reach the asphalt. A food truck broke down just quite a while, and it stopped a few meters away from the fence rip.

“Are you out of your mind? If Skoll and Hati find out that you left the forest, they’ll tear you apart!”

A white smaller wolf approached the bigger one, bumping the body. Both of them looked at the vehicle over the barrier. The truck made a noise as the driver entered back in the seat.

“That’s why I trust you, Garm, not to say this!”

“But… Fenrir!”

The larger wolf crawled through the hole and jumped into the bed of the vehicle. He made a soft howl as he saw the ground move and heard the exhaust coughed. As the younger wolf became smaller in his view, he rested among the boxes within the truck.

“When I open my eyes again, I’ll be seeing more than just trees!”

Meanwhile, the school bell rang. Students rushed outside Side Rock High, for it was Friday. Planned activities for the free days like sleepovers and baseball practices began to take place. However, a student named Oogami differed.

“So it looks like I can’t hang out with you tomorrow, huh?” his brunette female classmate concluded. Signs of disappointment were seen in her gesture. “That’s a shame. I was hoping to show you my cat. Something’s special about him!”

He just smiled back. “Well, I scheduled tomorrow to help Lian in her veterinary. Maybe you could come there and bring your cat with you, Kira!” His bright face failed to convince her.

“Nah, I don’t want to get in between you two,” she blurted out all of a sudden. She turned red before she fixed her statement. “I mean, I’ll just get in the way.” She then bade farewell and ran ahead, making her ponytail sway on her back. He just sighed.

Oogami walked from campus to home, always taking the rarely used path. On his way, as a truck passed by to stop on a gas station, he grabbed his sandwich, wrapped in plastic, form his bag. “Whoa, it’s windy today!” The gust messed up his black hair. As he tried to cover his head, his snack flew away and landed on a nearby alley. He quickly attempted to grab it when suddenly a faster creature took a hold of it.

The canine rushed towards the alley, not knowing that it was a dead-end. The young man cornered the dog and threatened with his bag. “I… uh… I’ll whack you with this bag if you don’t give me my food back, and this will leave some bruises!” The animal snarled and lunged forward with the sandwich wrap still clung on its teeth. Oogami took this opportunity to snatch the meal back as he tried to evade the charge. The creature, surprised from what happened, crashed on the nearby trash and boxes.

“Mom really makes the best sandwich wraps!” he approved as he examined his redeemed item. Only the sturdy outer plastic wrapping showed marks, but not the food itself. Upon his bite, he saw the canine trying to stand up from the fall, with defeat shown on his face. “Aw… he did put up a nice fight,” his thoughts recited in his head. After swallowing his bite, he took off a piece and threw to the small space in front of the dog. A bit enlightened, the animal immediately took the piece and proceeded to eat it. “I don’t want you to feel bad about what happened to you, doggie.” The canine stopped chewing and swiftly turned his head towards the student, gulping what he ate first.

“What did you just say?” he roared out as he marched vehemently towards Oogami. “What made you think that? I am a bona-fide wolf! I am not some cross-breed reject! And what gave you the right mind that I feel bad about what happened? I was just surprised and all, but I never felt bad!”

The human fell down on his butt, stunned. The fact that the wolf just talked struck him quite strongly. He raised his hand and pointed the creature.

“Humans!” Fenrir stepped forward and lightly bit Oogami’s arm, snapping him back to his senses. “You shouldn’t be surprised on seeing animals that talk, you know. It will soon become quite common!” The student just gave a gaze at him. “Err… My name is Fenrir. Who might you be?”

“Oogami,” he responded as he stood up, cleaning his back. “What do you mean by ‘you shouldn’t be surprised on seeing animals that talk’, huh?” He looked around to see if there were people looking, and continued, “You mean to say that there are other animals capable of talking?”

Fenrir gave a short laugh. “Well, it’s been a few years since this incident happened. Let’s just say a certain tree exploded and its particles got stuck to animals, giving them the ability to talk… in some way. I mean, not every animal has a familiar or something.”

“Familiar? What is it?”

“You ask too many questions!” the brown canine growled to stop the human from asking further. He then moved towards the front of Oogami and grinned, “I’ll tell you the whole story when we get home!”

Oogami crossed his arms and gave an irritated look. “Home? What made you think that I’ll bring you along in my house? I don’t even want to have a dog!”

“But I’m not a dog! I’m a wolf!”

“You’re an animal! I don’t want to have an animal in the house!”

“You just fed a stray! I’m a stray! It’s normal for humans to adopt strays that they feed!”

Oogami slapped his own forehead.

“It’s against animal rights to leave a homeless animal when you notice a homeless animal!”

“Why won’t you return to the forest or something?”

“I can’t! I’m a… lone wolf!”

“Darn, I give up!” Oogami sighed in grief. He grabbed the remaining portion of his sandwich and handed it towards Fenrir’s snout. “Okay, let’s call it truce. Eat my snack.” The brown wolf happily accepted the food when suddenly the human fled.

Letting go of the pastry, Fenrir chased the human. “Hey, no fair! Take me with you!” He moved faster than Oogami, and after a minute, he tackled him on the back. Oogami’s wallet fell off from his coat. It then slid through a grate that led to the sewers. The animal however, stood on his back, not caring about the item that went down. “I will not fall from one your tricks again, humans! Uh, wait, I mean, no cheating! I didn’t fall from your tricks! Hah!”

“Let go off me!” Oogami shouted in an annoyed tone. “My wallet just fell off! Thanks to you, I lost my money down the drain! Now I don’t know what to do! My mom will kill me!”

Fenrir wondered what he whined about. “Something fell down, eh? We just have to go down then!” He looked around for a possible way on going to the sewers. A round cover took his notice. “Hey, this looks like some sort of door.”

“It’s a manhole, and no, I don’t have the guts nor the insane mind on going down there,” Oogami approached the wolf. “Down there is quite unpleasant, especially when you know where things you flush go to.”

“Flush? Huh?” Fenrir just wondered from his statements. “You’d rather face your mom’s wrath then? In my experience, mothers are quite deadly when disobeyed or ticked off.” With those words, the human exhaled and lifted off the cover and proceeded to go down while carrying the wolf with him.

Upon reaching the bottom, Oogami quickly searched for his wallet. He knew the grate was placed on the side of the sewer canals so he kept on looking at the scattered objects on the ground. Meanwhile, Fenrir began on sniffing the area, feeling some odd presence.

“It’s garbage, so don’t think about it, or in your case, sniff about it,” the young man funnily suggested as he looked harder. “Cool! I found it! Let’s get out of here now!” He grabbed it from the mess and headed towards Fenrir. “Come on, we’re leaving!”

“Wait,” the wolf replied back with a cautious voice, “something’s odd. I sense it. It’s not the garbage. It smells like… an Yggdrasil fragment!”

“What?”

A lizard glowed in purple aura. It gave a wailing sound, and soon, lights covered it. The creature grew in size and appearance. Spikes protruded from its scales. Its tail transformed into a mace. Frills came out of its cheeks. The lizard now resembled a dinosaur. It then began to chase Oogami.

“Whoa!” the human jumped away, avoiding the tail swiping through it. “What just happened here?”

“Stay down, Oogami! I’ll handle this!” Fenrir commanded him as he lunged towards the monster. “I’ll show you that some animals are special by defeating this creature!” Light-blue aura covered the wolf. He howled, “This battle is mine! Unleash!”

Oogami observed what was happening to Fenrir. A process of transformation occurred quite fast as the aura covered the lupine, but the human keenly watched the progression as if it happened slowly. The wolf gained an anthropomorphic body. Lights slowly escaped from his legs, revealing pants that were somewhat torn. A belt buckled up his trousers. The aura from his arms discharged, leaving a pair of gloves with uncovered fingers strapped on his hands. Shoulder pads appeared to finalize the transformation, with a strap coming out from each pad and locking them to the waist ends of the waist belt. He howled to confirm the change.

“Let me show you how a real wolf fights!” Fenrir smirked at Oogami, giving a short wink before charging towards the head of the lizard. He punched the head twice before giving it a kick. He jumped towards the back and stomped it hard with his feet. However, he failed to notice the tail that was about to hit him.

“Fenrir, behind you!”

The wolf quickly took an evasive jump and landed awkwardly on the side. Oogami thought of helping by distracting the reptile. “Hey you!” he shouted as he threw a bottle to the creature. “I’m over here!” The monster began to move towards him. “Fenrir, now’s your chance!”

The canine rushed and attacked the tail, ripping it with his claws and fangs. It cut off from the lizard’s body. He then crawled under the creature and kicked it off with his feet, flipping the reptile and exposing its underside. Fenrir jumped up and prepared to strike down with his claws. “Time for some painfully massive damage!” His fall resembled a comet hitting the lizard that ended in a smoky finish.

Fenrir jumped back and a flash of light covered him. He reverted into his normal form. As for the lizard, purple aura relieved from the creature, making it normal again. The aura combined to form a small sphere that jetted away to the manhole. “Yggdrasil fragment,” he told to Oogami, “upon the tree’s explosion, its force transformed into fragments that looked for animals to contain it. Many animals since then acquired the power and gained the ability to talk just like me. However, in order to control the force, the animal requires the joint affection from a familiar – the human being. If the animal doesn’t have a familiar, it will become berserk as the force of the Yggdrasil will overrun it, like what you see here.”

“Amazing,” the human awed in his discovery. “Wait, what about you? You don’t have a human familiar. What made you able to control the power of Yggdrasil?”

Fenrir raised his tail and simply gave a grin with his sharp teeth. “I’m special! Let’s leave it like that. And if I were you, I’d be carrying the wolf and leave this place. I think the stench got stuck in your clothing… and my fur.”

A few walks later, they reached Oogami’s residence. “So lemme get straight, you’re letting me stay with you because you’re interested in this stuff?” Fenrir wondered as he began to step on the outdoor rug. “That’s rather unreasonable! Shouldn’t you let me stay with you because you like me and all of that?”

“Well, I’m letting you stay because you are so cool and yeah, I am quite interested in the Yggdrasil business,” Oogami smiled back as removed his shoes, “unless of course, you want yourself to be considered as Lunamond household pet.”

“I have pride too you know! I won’t be considered as a pet by somebody like you!”

Oogami wanted to strangle him, but he would rather not. He opened the door and tried to greet everybody, hoping to make everybody forget that he was smelly, but his face received a towel instead.

“Go wash up, young man,” his mother roared while holding a frying pan. “Your stink can be smelled back here in the kitchen!”

“Yes mom,” he sheepishly replied. His legs pushed Fenrir inside.

His younger sister who was watching TV saw the wolf accompanying him. “Mom, look what bro brought home!” She approached the canine and gave a soft stroke to the fur. “Aww, he’s adorable!”

Fenrir, not realizing about humans being shocked on talking animals, gave a soft whimper. “Aww… Gimme a belly rub. Wuffs like it…” He lay on his back and moved his legs. Oogami just covered his face with his hand.

“Cool, he can talk!” Maria exclaimed as she began to rub the wolf’s belly. “Can we keep him, mom?”

Mrs. Artemis Lunamond gave a small smile and nodded. “Well, as long as you two share responsibilities for him. I don’t care if he talks or not, as long as he doesn’t mess around.”

“Yay, your family likes me!” Fenrir happily concluded as he teased Oogami. “Why can’t you be nice like them?”

“Believe me, I tried,” he just sighed. “Come on, Fenrir. We’ll take a bath. And no, please don’t do anything funny while inside the bathroom. I’ll freak out.”

[Dr. Wilopolis]

Hmm, pretty dang good.  Could use improvement in some areas, but, hey, it's good. Though, I think an adult would kinda freak out upon meeting a talking wolf... But, this is your story, in the words of a certain FF swordsman. Well, I'll keep an eye on this story.

[TakeWalker]

Hey Wolffox, I did finally read this at AL. You can find my comments thar.

[WolfoxOkamichan]

Hmm, pretty dang good.  Could use improvement in some areas, but, hey, it's good. Though, I think an adult would kinda freak out upon meeting a talking wolf... But, this is your story, in the words of a certain FF swordsman. Well, I'll keep an eye on this story.

Yep, I wasn't able to elaborate much on how they didn't react so much. But I figured that they're family is weird in that way... or something. XD In any case, anything I post in the internet (for now) is just version 1. I will fix it once I finish the whole story.

Hey Wolffox, I did finally read this at AL. You can find my comments thar.

Yeah, I saw. Speaking of which, I won't post in AL anymore (only to add threads about my new pics and update the story, but nothing else). Anyway, I understand what you mean, considering that this is a typical shounen anime with similarities in Digimon. However, as the chapter goes by, it will stray away from it. Though this is me being curious, but what Digimon did you watch?

Anyway Chapter 2 up!

Beast Chronicles

Chapter 2 - Panther

“All right, you sleep there.” Oogami folded a bed sheet and placed some pillows on top of it. He fluffed the pack with his hands. “This feels okay. You would be like sleeping on a cloud in no time!”

Fenrir sniffed the stacked lot. “Are you sure this is comfortable?” He then jumped and rolled onto it. “This is… too mellow for me! I’ll be sleeping on a cloud when I lay on a hole I dug!”

“Bah, you complain too much!” Oogami angrily commented as he closed the drawers in his room. “I’ll buy a pet basket tomorrow. Until then…” When he faced back to the wolf, he was surprised to see him snoring with his tongue out of the mouth. “Too mellow, huh?” He closed the lights and sat on his bed. “Good night, Fenrir.”

A particle has returned to the seedling? Interesting… I’ll see if there’s development.

“Mornin’, Panther!” Kira stroked the back of her feline gently. “Sun’s up! We’re going to the park!” The black cat scratched the air. “Panther… you just missed breakfast!” The black cat opened his eyes slowly and then shut them again. “Panther!” Kira grabbed a small mouse toy just beside the wooden basket and shook it, making bell noises. The black cat jumped and attacked it.

He harassed it with his mouth and claws. “You’re mine!” He stopped when he saw the human giving him a stare. “Err… I overslept! The catnip I took was something!” He started to sweat, trying to think of something that would bring him out of this predicament. “Oh… Err… I missed breakfast?”

“Yeah…”

“Darn…”

Kira took something out of her pocket and jiggled it, making it crackle. “Dine-out in the park is the only option! You’ll have to come with me to the park, otherwise…”

“Err… there aren’t any other options, right?” He tried to think of a way to convince her not to take him, but Kira carried him already.

People crowded the park during early weekends. Some enjoyed playing sports, others relaxed with the nature surrounding them. People with pets like Kira scheduled the weekends as the time of taking their animal companions outdoors. Even a chicken raiser would bring one of its hens out in the field.

“Err… I am not used with trees and grasses and everything,” the feline reacted while carefully scanning the area. “I am aware that a speeding ball could hit me anytime soon!”

“Stop thinking of silly ideas!” she countered while lifting him off the ground. She opened the canister and took a strip of treat and dropped it to the ground. “Now if the only cat food in the world is lying on earth soil, will you pick it up?” Panther just gulped. She felt his shiny fur standing up. “I’m quite disappointed in this…”

“Sorry Kira, but… I’m just really a house cat,” he whimpered as he slowly stepped down and took the food on the ground. “Err… will this cheer you up?” He gulped it down, eyes closed.

The girl gave a smile and hugged the cat. “No, it’s not you. I’m disappointed to myself. I’m responsible from what you are, and it’s my fault in turning you into a house cat.”

Teary, Panther yowled softly, “No, you raised me fine! You’re not weird like the hen-breeder that brings his chicken in the park! In fact, I had to go to the yard just to find that herb!”

“Hah, gotcha!”

“Err…”

Kira squeezed Panther tightly, and both laughed.

“Kira?”

The girl turned her head to see who called her. Oogami waved his hand. He then sat beside her, with Fenrir following him. He just chased the chicken raiser.

“What’s the point in running around in a pathway over and over again?” the wolf argued as he rested on the grass. “Normally, I’d run to a place and only come back when tired. It’s interesting to see people look at you as I talk though. It’s cute! Oh, and what’s it with people and fowls?”

Oogami covered his face with his palm once more. “Fenrir, if you only know what you’re talking about…” He pointed Kira with his eyes, making the canine suddenly bark. “Right, bark…” He just rolled his eyes. “Um, well, I’m glad that you’re not giving any sudden reaction on seeing Fenrir talk.”

“Oh, I’m not surprised,” Kira smiled back while tapping the wolf’s head, much to Fenrir’s delight.  She then carried her cat and showed him to them. “Panther can talk too. He started to do that about two years ago.” Panther gave a blank stare at them.

“Err… meow?”

Fenrir sniffed Panther thoroughly, much to the cat’s dislike. The black cat jumped off and kicked the lupine’s nose. “I’m a cat, just in case you can’t see!” he angrily hissed as he extended his claws. “I’m also male, so don’t you dare assume me to be your mate!”

“What made you think that’d think of you as a mate?” Fenrir growled back. “I am just interested what kind of furball you are!”

The two tackled each other and began to wrestle. Oogami and Kira just sighed. The chicken raiser ran around at the path behind them, looking for the hen.

“Say,” the girl asked after recalling something, “aren’t you supposed to visit Lian today? Shouldn’t you be there?” She then blushed for a bit and looked down for a moment. “But don’t think that I don’t like your company now, though! I mean, I met Fenrir. I also felt assured that there are other animals that are able to talk.”

Oogami gave a short chuckle. “Well, I am going to her, just later. I already told her about that this morning. Aside from helping her, I’m gonna have Fenrir vaccinated as well. I am not sure if he’s immune to rabies and stuff.”

Fenrir and Panther paused the quarreling for a bit. “What’s vaccination again?” the lupine asked while the cat clutched on his belly.

“Ah vaccination!” his human companion reasoned out with a seemingly nice grin. “A sweet person will give you some sweet treat that you’ll be insane not to howl in pain after getting it!” Fenrir barked with joy and continued the match.

“Um, are you sure?” Kira gave a worried look at Oogami.

“Yeah, I mean, I didn’t lie, right?” He just chuckled silently. “He will get a nice treat and howl in pain… right?” The girl just sighed.

Minutes passed, and the two prepared to leave after Panther and Fenrir gave mean yet frivolous threats to each other. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with me? Lian would be happy to see Panther,” Oogami asked Kira once more like yesterday.

She just shook her head. “Nah, it’s okay. I’ll just take him next time!” The two waved hands and went in opposite ways.

“Ahh!”

The two looked around to wonder what that yell was about.

A woman suddenly screamed as a chicken sat on its head. “The chicken! Get it off me!” She tried to scare off the fowl with her hands, but the bird did not leave. “Help me!”

“Found you!” the chicken raiser shouted as he nervously shook it off with a stick. “Get off from that person! She’s not a nest or something!” The chicken just clucked violently and fired a purple beam from its eyes. The chicken raiser stood paralyzed after taking the hit.

“What the?” the lady, now afraid, reacted upon the raiser’s state. The hen then left and beamed her, leaving a stunned woman in the process. It continued to wreck havoc.

Oogami, Fenrir, Kira, and Panther arrived at the scene. Lifeless people stood on the area. Some seemed unaware while the others looked surprised. “They are all stunned like a stone or something… and the cock did this?” she pointed out the chicken that jumped and floated.

“Err… what’s happening?” Panther asked Oogami and Fenrir, both who looked to be aware of the situation. He then took a few steps back as the hen, now big, scaly and frightening, landed on its feet.

“This is the effect of the fragment of Yggdrasil tree when there’s no connection between human and animal,” Oogami explained as he and Fenrir readied to face the monster, “or in this case, the connection is weak. Panther can talk because he acquired the Yggdrasil fragment which you did not notice, Kira. However, because he and you have a strong bond, the powers given off by the tree’s shard can be controlled.”

The wolf stepped forward and howled, “Anyway, stand back. This one’s mine! Oogami, take those two away from here! Unleash!” He transformed into his anthropomorphic form and lunged towards the chicken, making Panther and Kira surprised. After pushing it down to the ground, he delivered a somersault, launching the bird up to the sky.

However, the monster recovered in the air and countered with its petrifying beam. Fenrir did not notice this and received the ray, paralyzing him. “Fenrir!” Oogami shouted as he ran back towards him, making Kira and Panther look back. “I’m going to rescue you!” He tried pulling the frozen wolf, but he the hen monster attacked once more. He did not evade and took the hit also.

The avian landed in front Kira, knocking away her balance. It noticed her hairstyle, a ponytail. It resembled a worm, attracting the monster. “Get away from me!” she yelled out as she tried to move away.

“Get away from her!” Panther charged and clung onto the wings of the cockatrice. “Kira, get away from this thing!” The cat tried to hang on, but the monster flung him away.

“Panther!”

“Kira!”

The airborne feline suddenly glowed in crimson red aura. He took an anthropomorphic form, with the light turning into rose petals. His feet gained brown sandals. His legs acquired red pants with gold accents on the sides. The petals circulating around his chest transformed into a red open vest with gold accents. Black fingerless gloves and golden shoulder pads of a bullfighter appeared. He jetted back to kick the monster away and landed on his feet. A black hat with a feather dropped onto his head which then fitted and a rapier materialized on his right waist. He caught a rose and sniffed it like catnip.

“The handsome matador of evil. Panther! Unleash!”

The monster clucked in surprise. This gave the feline an opportunity to attack. He drew out his rapier and slashed the beast away, making it fly away. He then approached his surprised owner. “Kira, are you all right?”

“Thanks,” she answered back with a surprised tone. She took the cat’s hand and stood up. “So this is what they meant by power, and this is how Fenrir…”

“Err… something like that!” Panther smiled back as he scratched his head. “With this, I promise to protect you. I don’t mind if I stay in the outdoors!” She answered with an assuring look.

The bird returned while airborne however, and it tried to paralyze the two. The black cat anticipated this and evaded with Kira on his hands. He took her to a safe place and returned with a fast and high jump. “I don’t like birds,” he spoke with his teeth showing, “especially the stuff shown in cartoons. It gives us cats a bad image!” He clung to the avian again with his claws, and this time, they latched tightly to the monster, making it yowl in pain. Even with the bird trying to shake him off, he did not fall. “No use, birdie! Now let’s get down to business, and I mean down to business!”

The two landed on the grassy open area, stunning the monster. Panther jumped away and then unsheathed his rapier. He stabbed the ground and scrapped It as he began to ran towards the downed avian. A blinding light thrust through the monster, with the feline reappearing on the side of the creature, catching a rose and sniffing it. “Panther scores, beautifully.” The hen exploded with smoke and petals.

The purple aura escaped from the hen, which then returned to normal. The Yggdrasil fragment speared away to the sky. Panther reverted into his normal form and Kira picked him up. Everybody returned, and Fenrir quickly transformed back as a normal wolf to avoid catching any attention.

“Wow!” Oogami approached the two who were also about to check them. “Don’t tell me Panther just…” Kira just showed Panther to him who gave a soft meow. “Cool! Now the both of us make our animal companions turn into some awesome stuff!”

“Well, I’d like to coin it Unleash form, if you don’t mind?” Panther suggested with an inquisitive look after landing on the grass. “Sounds cool, right?”

“Cool? It should be cool!” Fenrir growled out and neared the feline with his teeth showing. “It’s supposed to be cool because I coined it first! You just heard me earlier and spoke it! And… and… I don’t believe that you took it out by yourself! I was just about to finish it off!”

“And you got yourself paralyzed… So?”

“But I distracted the bird so that you can enter and attack it, just like in my plan!”

“Plan? Are you dreaming?”

The two began to wrestle once more. They threatened each other that they would use their Unleash forms, which they did not use. Oogami and Kira just sighed again, but with the boy slightly relieved. “At least he learned how to conceal this form,” he commented with a grin.

Two hours passed, and a loud howl exploded from Lian’s animal clinic. “Grr… I’ll bite you for lying, Oogami! I swear, after recovering, I’ll bite you and rip you like a chew toy!” Fenrir cried out towards Oogami. His eyes dropped tears of pain and his face turned red. “I swear… I…” He mellowed down on a bed.

“But I didn’t lie right?” He explained while giving a wink to Lian. “I mean, this was a treat and you did howl in pain… right?”

“Aww, Oogami, you don’t have to be mean to him, you know?” Lian scolded him as he stroked the lupine’s head. “There, there. Here’s a treat. Take it and rest okay?”

“Yay… treat… Mmm…” The wolf took it and fell asleep.

The boy nodded with some guilt. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that, but he wouldn’t go here if I told him the truth right?”

“And err… he wouldn’t be able to come up with the ‘plan’, as he stated it, earlier,” Panther added with a mischievous look. “I don’t think he’ll bite you off. He’s showing more of his doggish attitude.”

“I guess so…”

“I am amazed by your story, after all,” Lian began to confront them after putting some instruments away. “Yggdrasil, talking animals, monsters… You two might be facing a lot of them in the future.”

“I guess so,” Kira nodded. “Who knows? Hah! And to think this only happens in television and fiction!” Everyone looked at her for a moment. “Huh? What’s the matter?”

The assistant vet continued, “Well, if both of your friends need some help, you can come to me. I might not be as good as my parents, but I’ll do my best!” The rest agreed.

Another one? Hmm… It looks like this town will be facing a lot of those berserk animals… Quad, let us go.

[Dr. Wilopolis]

Hehe, good update. Few quirks in grammar here 'n' there, but I know you'll fix it all later.  Keep up the good work.

[TakeWalker]

Yeah, I saw. Speaking of which, I won't post in AL anymore (only to add threads about my new pics and update the story, but nothing else). Anyway, I understand what you mean, considering that this is a typical shounen anime with similarities in Digimon. However, as the chapter goes by, it will stray away from it. Though this is me being curious, but what Digimon did you watch?

First season, American dub of course. I have season 2 as well, but after that I really stopped caring about the show.

Also, you mean you're not posting at AL at all anymore? Or just not posting this story?

[WolfoxOkamichan]

First season, American dub of course. I have season 2 as well, but after that I really stopped caring about the show.

Also, you mean you're not posting at AL at all anymore? Or just not posting this story?

I won't post in AL anymore, aside from updating the story and artworks.

And yes, the first is the best. As the series progresses, you'll... feel odd.

Beast Chronicles

Chapter 3 – Kabuto

“That drawing, it’s still not finished?”

“No.”

A boy with blue hair firmly pressed the pencil onto the canvas. The sketch showed a rough outline of a young lad in a wheelchair holding a plastic container with a beetle in it.

“It lacks something. I don’t know what.”

“Color? Shade? You haven’t finished the work.”

“No, it’s not that. The soul of the picture. It feels lacking…”

Back at the Lunamond’s residence, Oogami rushed towards the door while fixing his uniform. “Gotta go, see ya! I’ll be home a bit late ‘cause I’ll be looking for groups to join!” he shouted as he bagged his mobile phone. Fenrir trailed behind him.

“Can’t I come with you?” he whimpered with his ears drooping. “Yesterday was boring because I had to stay inside the house while you guys went on shopping… although it was nice of you to bring me some stuff like chew toys and all.”

“Dogs aren’t allowed in school.” Before Fenrir could open his mouth, Oogami added, “And wolves. Animals in general. Anyway, you shouldn’t be bored if you stay. Maria’s school doesn’t have classes so she’s home. You could play with her!” Maria pulled the dog and hugged him tightly. “Anyway, ciao!”

“What kind of dog owner is he?” the wolf whined, but soon forgot his complaints when the girl rubbed his belly. “Never mind…”

“Crap, I left my handkerchief!”

The boy caught of up with Lian and Kira on the sidewalk. He knew both led clubs, Lian leading the Music Club and Kira leading the Biology Club, so he surprised the two and made his move. “So um… you two looking for a new club member? I’m open!” The two paused for a bit before laughing.

“The last time I heard you played a piano, you made the most complicated piece easy to do,” Kira grinned to the clueless Oogami. “Oh, that was not a compliment. I mean, you played so bad that you’d make the hardest piece to do an easy work.”

“And you’re likely not a person who would understand the olfactory system,” Lian said in addition. “Sorry Oogami, but you won’t survive in our clubs!”

“But but!”

“There are other options, you know!” Kira suggested with a as she hit the young man’s back. “PE, Math, Physics, Art… it’s not like you wouldn’t have any chance on acquiring an extracurricular group!”

“Art! I’ll try Art!”

Oogami relaxed on his armchair, waiting for the class to end. “I hope each of you will find a suitable club to join for the extracurricular basis of your grades.” The professor spoke to the class before dismissing them. “In any case, if you can’t find one, you can go to the faculty room and talk to me about it. I’ll see if I can recommend you a suitable club for you to join. Class dismissed.”

The youth looked around for the Art club meeting place. After seeing signs of a missing spider specimen in the biology laboratory, he noticed a directory for all of the clubs in the campus. It took him a while to realize that the place was near the physics laboratory. “Oh well, time for me to brush up on my brushing skills and join the club!” Oogami stretched for a bit before running towards the door. He did not notice the boy in a wheelchair come out from the entrance. The two collided in an unpleasant way. The plastic container flung off from the hands of the handicapped.

“Whoa… Ouch!”

“Watch where you are going!” the disabled person shouted back as he regained control of the wheelchair. “You shouldn’t be running around inside the school hallways in the first place!” He took the container from the ground, this time he secured it with his left hand.

“Oh, I’m really sorry.” Oogami picked himself up. “I didn’t realize someone like you would be coming out from the club.” That sentence however did not come out right.

“You mean to say somebody like me, a handicapped person, don’t have the opportunity to be in some club like the Art club?” he jolted back with anger. “Just because my legs can’t move, that doesn’t mean my life is restrained in a bed! People like you should snap out of your ignorance and try to walk on a disabled person’s life!” He moved away and headed to the restroom.

“Whoa, that was one ticked off guy…”

“Sorry about that,” a female approached him. She adjusted her glasses for a bit before continuing. Her ID gleamed with the name Alia. “Our head of the Art club, Keith, is just really like that. He doesn’t talk too much to his club members aside from the usual club meetings, but when he thinks a person gets too personal to him, he tends to be harsh.”

“He’s having problems with his condition?”

“Well, he tries to prove to himself that he can stand up even with this disability, though it makes him more insecure about this…”

“I see,” Oogami sighed as he crossed his arms. “I’ll just meet him later, I guess, in the school grounds.”

Keith opened the faucet with his cold hands. He splashed the water onto his face, hoping that it would relieve his face. “Why do people treat me like this, anyway? It’s not that I’m trying to mess with their lives or anything.”

“Maybe that person was just really apologizing,” the rhinoceros beetle tried to calm down his owner’s anger. “You should try to appreciate other people’s words towards you. They sometimes bring wisdom which will be helpful in your struggle.”

“I don’t need other people. They are prone to making people like me feel more about our disability, intentional or not. I don’t want to feel that. All I need is you. You understand how I feel.”

“But you must learn how to move without me, Keith.”

“Kabuto, don’t say such things!” The insect stopped talking.

Upon his exit from the restroom, Alia greeted him. “I was worried about what happened earlier, so I waited to check up on you.” He gave an uncomforted look. “Aw, come on! I’ve been like the vice-head of the club, so I must know how the leader works his head! I must take care of you so that you can continue to lead our club!”

“Well, I don’t really need much help,” he replied, but Kabuto gave a short coughing noise, making him change his mind. “Oh well, fine, you can accompany to the school gates. The place has already become empty anyway.” She smiled, nodded and went to the back of the wheelchair.

“By the way,” she recalled as she began to push the chair, “the boy earlier, Oogami, I told him to come back later. I think we should stop at least the school grounds.”

“That young man?” He did not feel assured on her decision. “I don’t think that was a good idea. Well, sure, talking to him would be nice, but I don’t think he has the artistic skill. He looks… unorganized.”

“And you can tell that by just looking at him? You must be a genius!” she chuckled. For the first time, he gave his first laugh with another person. “Heh, you laughed!”

“I… I did, didn’t I?” he smiled back. The two laughed once more as they continued to head towards the school grounds.

Upon their arrival, a very large spider dropped down from a wide and thick cobweb. “This… this was the spider that was lost in the biology laboratory?” Alia quickly pushed the wheelchair with all her might. “What… what kind of monster is this?”

“Alia, get out of here!” Keith shouted as he tried to lure the spider away from her. As he came close to the creature, he saw some of the school staff wrapped in the web. “The spider must’ve trapped them for food or something. At least it hasn’t begun to feed on them yet.”

“Keith, this is dangerous!” Kabuto warned him as his owner began to speed away from the chasing arachnid. “I hope you know what you’re doing!”

“I am!”

Meanwhile, Oogami just finished eating fish balls outside the school. “Well, a heavy stomach should make things easier,” he jeered as he approached the school gate, only to see a spider releasing sticky web at a moving wheelchair. “Crap! Fenrir! I have to go get Fenrir and Panther here!” He quickly picked up his mobile phone and began to call his house.

“Hello?”

“Bro? Hello?”

“Maria, give the phone to Fenrir!”

A short pause took place before a rough voice created a noise.

“How does this thing work again?”

“Fenrir!”

“Oogami? Wow, this thing improves my hearing!”

“No! Listen, look for my handkerchief there and trace my scent! Get here as quickly as you can!”

“But… yeah I got the scent. But why?”

“Just go!” He hanged up and began to dial Kira’s number.

The web squirted by the spider hit the wheelchair, stopping it suddenly. The inertia knocked Keith off. The plastic container accidentally slipped from his grip and landed away from him with the lid opened. “Kabuto!” he groaned out in pain. The beetle tried to move towards him. Alia came running towards them. “No! You shouldn’t have come! The monster!” She shook her head and began to pull him up, but unfortunately, the spider monster moved towards them and began to trap them in a web cocoon.

“Keith!” Oogami came in the scene, wielding a long broomstick. “I called some help, sorry if I came late!” The surprised Keith wondered why he came. He tried whacking the web, but it did not do anything. The spider then wrapped him in web cocoon as well. “Rats, this is what I hate the most! Where the heck is Fenrir!”

“Keith!”

Kabuto began to glow in yellow aura. The three wrapped students observed the transformation, though Oogami knew what would happen next. The beetle grew in size, extending his a pair of his arms and legs. The head received a mask and a horned helmet. The body acquired armor. Metal pads covered the hands and legs. Writings of ten (heaven), chi (earth) and tai (opposite) appeared on his back, which transformed into a large broadsword. It clutched into a sword holder which materialized on his shell.

“KEITH!”

Kabuto ripped off the web cocoon, releasing the three from their restraints. He then pushed the spider, trying to put it out of its balance.

“What… what just happened?” Alia reacted from the sudden transformation as she stood up. “Keith’s pet…”

“He transformed into that,” Oogami explained, “because the beetle had received a mutual feeling with his familiar, Keith.”

“Kabuto,” Keith said in a calm manner. He then cupped his hands and shouted, “Kabuto, please win this fight for me!” The beetle winked and thrashed the spider down on the ground.

“Oogami!”

The three looked back at the school gates. Kira arrived, stopping for a bit to catch her breath. “You… just… had… to… call… me… when… I… was… near… my… house…” She then gave an approving look at Panther. “Okay, do your job!”

“Err… yes!”

A flash of red light covered the feline, transforming him into his anthropomorphic form. “The handsome matador of evil. Panther! Unleash!”

“Hey!”

Fenrir suddenly came running and transformed as well. “Howling fists of the werewolf. Fenrir! Unleashed!”

“How dare you copy my style!” Panther complained as he poked Fenrir’s shoulder. “I am pretty sure you did not say those words back in the cockatrice fight!”

“And so?” Fenrir argued back. “That doesn’t mean you’re the only person with the right to do such a thing! Besides, my line is much cooler than yours!”

The two began to quarrel when Kira stood between them. She pointed with her eyes Kabuto and the monster fighting, making the two stop for a bit.

Kabuto was knocked back and the monster fired a web to try and cover him, but Fenrir and Panther sliced off the attack. “Who are you two?” the beetle asked them as he took the helping hand from the two to stand up. “You must be allies though. I thank your assistance.”

“Yeah, we are. I’m Kira’s pet, Panther,” the black quickly introduced themselves. “That dog is Oogami’s pet, Fenrir.” The canine gave a short ‘I’m not a dog!’ rant before becoming serious.

As the spider lunged towards them, Panther and Fenrir tackled the sides of the arachnid, holding it in place. Kabuto jumped up and unsheathed its broadsword. “This is for Keith!” he yelled as he dropped down with the blade extended. As it impacted on the creature, the words ten, chi and tai flashed out before the explosion.

The spider returned to normal and the fragment fled to the sky. The web dissolved, releasing the unconscious staff. Kira caught the eight-legged creature and placed it in a jar. The three reverted into their usual forms. Finally, Alia and Oogami helped Keith back on his wheelchair.

“So, this is what he means eh?” Keith smiled as he looked at Kira, Oogami and Alia. “Kabuto was right. It does feel nice to have other people, especially the ones that are fortunate, to help you out.”

“Yeah… It makes you feel that other people care about you despite your condition,” Oogami grinned. He coughed for a bit before adding, “So umm… about the club…”

They agreed to see him draw while eating some food in a fast food restaurant. Kira could not hold her laughter anymore. “You call that a drawing?” she teasingly asked him as he slammed her hand repeatedly on the table. “I could do better than that!”

“She’s right, Oogami,” Keith humbly added. “I would really want to critic this, but no. You have to do better than that to join the club.”

“Great,” Oogami sighed in anxiety. “Now what should I do? I don’t know any other club to join!”

Alia fixed her glasses and suggested, “You could try PE Club. I hear it’s free.”

“PE?”

As Oogami continued to think about it, Keith opened his bag and took a short glance to the small unfinished picture in it. “I can finally complete this,” he thought with assurance.