InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Socializing a Dog Deity ❯ Socializing a Dog Deity ( Chapter 1 )

On a quiet afternoon in ancient Japan, O-Kuni-Nushi descended from the heavens holding a small child in his hands, jubilant, proud and craving for praise. His First wife Lady Hirsako, an inu youkai from the northern plains, had given birth to his son not three new moon cycles ago, and he was eager to show him off to his worshippers.

With a crackling entrance, O-Kuni-Nushi approached a hunter-gatherer settlement of humans, the same group he’d been terrorizing for many winters, and decided to introduce to them his new son – and perhaps get some nifty offerings while he was there.

With a toothy grin, he sat down his son in the forest. The toddler looked up at him with wide eyes, expectant for his father to initiate a game. His father pointed a finger at him, and with a stern smile commanded, “Now, son, I want you to transform into your beastly form so these humans can awe and fear you for the first time.” He smiled proudly, almost with tears in his eyes. His voice choked. “Oh, my boy, these humans are going to love and respect you at first sight! They’ll be terrified. Now make your papa proud and come out when I say! Put on a good show for them, all right?”

His young son cooed at him, and then he became encompassed in a windy torrent as he transformed. When he finished, his father looked up and stared at a large, intimidating white dog form that was his son. He beamed inwardly with pride. He was such a large youkai even when he was so young!

“Now, stay here. I’ll call you when I’m ready.” His son watched O-Kuni-Nushi stalk off through the forest toward the village, and then waited.

Just moments after O-Kuni-Nushi approached the village, the inhabitants had prostrated themselves in front of them on their knees, mewling with praise and radiating with fear and unworthiness. O-Kuni-Nushi soaked in the glory and puffed out his chest. He put on a stern face, but he was giddy inside. It was so fun making humans beg!

“Ah, my good servants, how you have fared since I last visited. I have heard your prayers, and I have accepted your offerings. You have been good to me and have erected a shrine in my namesake even as you wander the countryside. You are good followers, and I shall promise you bountiful opportunities in the hunt as you continue.”

“Hail O-Kuni-Nushi!” Many hollered in praise. Others had peeped soft quips of adoration and respect.

“However, this time I have come to bring you great news. My First wife and I have had a son, and I wish that you worship him and treat him with the same fervor that you have bestowed upon me,” he said grinning. The people became excited. Many people offered their congratulations, and then the rest of the sheep followed the well-wishers by praising his good fortune and virility. He felt like laughing to how predictable these humans were, and that whenever he needed an ego boost, he could always impose upon a human village to lift his spirits. Now that he had a son to brag about, he couldn’t have been more ecstatic. “Thus, I have brought him here today, so you may meet him and witness his great power. And now that I have an heir, I require that the people of this settlement should erect a separate shrine for him as well, and to do so would ensure this village much fortune.”

“Of course, my lord, we will always do as you wish. We will make preparations for the new shrine tomorrow,” the chieftain had spoken up, bowing and keeping his eyes in contact with the dirt.

O-Kuni-Nushi shook his head. “No, no, that simply will not do. When you meet him, you must gaze upon his brilliant form and erect the shrine today. I command it.”

There was a light murmur of praise, and he could sense the fear in their voices.

“Silence!” he commanded. Their nervous tittering had started to unnerve him. Many people recoiled back into their prostrated position, shivering under his frightening gaze. There was not a sound but the wind.

“Come on, lad! It’s time to meet your dutiful followers,” he called to the inside of the forest. The villagers awaited in silence to this new arrival.

Suddenly, the ground shook and the trees rattled. Bounding playfully, O-Kuni-Nushi’s young son came crashing through excitedly, following his father’s voice. There was a muffled scream as the dog-child accidentally ran in too quickly and mauled the first row of kneeled worshippers in his wake. He cocked his head as his father continued to beam at him. The people trembled in fear as they witnessed the frolicking destruction of their God’s young son.

“Marvelous!” O-Kuni-Nushi cooed, and the village was stupefied in fear. He held out his arm and pointed proudly to his son. “Good people of mine, this is my son, Katsutoshi, the future Inu-taisho!”

His jubilant introduction was cue for more murmurs of praise, and many people began weeping, holding back the melancholy as their god’s son continued to crush people under his paws, dancing around the village in circles of unbridled joy. O-Kuni-Nushi chuckled loudly, praising his son’s energy and not paying heed as blood and bone began to crunch between his paws.

“What a stunning heir, my lord!” The chieftain began praising him, trying to not bat an eye as his people were mindlessly slaughtered. “Your son shall someday be a great and powerful king to rule the sky and land. Every soul in the lands shall shudder when they hear his name, and hold their heads high in pride under his rule. Oh, he will be a great heir, indeed. You shall be so proud. He is enchanting and beautiful and wonderful, a true God of beauty that perfectly honors your house and name!”

O-Kuni-Nushi crossed his arms, continued to watch his playful son, and nodded. “Quite right.”

“We will erect a magnificent shrine this afternoon, my lord, and our finest artists will depict your son as the great youkai that he is,” added the chieftain in continuous adoring coos.

And when there was about fifty or so left alive in the village, O-Kuni-Nushi decided he was bored and that it was time to leave. He grabbed the village girls holding his offerings, and set them on his son’s back. They squeaked as his dog-son bucked and bobbled them around on top of him.

“Thank you, good people. Your offerings and praise have been noted. I will see that your seasons are prosperous and your game plentiful. I look forward to seeing the shrine you present to my son. Farewell.” And he was off to the heavens, sneaking a feel on the legs of those human girls and then laughing boyishly. He seemed satisfied as his ears picked up the agonizing cries from the people below.

~*~

When he returned, his wife gave him a stern slug on his head with her club. After seeing the blood and bones stuck in her young son’s feet, she whined in exasperation that her son was a dirty mess, and she was not pleased with the idea that she’d have to clean him up. Also, she had very little patience for when her husband had gone off to terrorize humans without telling her.

“How are we going to get the humans to respect us if you keep killing them off?” she hissed at him. O-Kuni-Nushi was gnawing on the heads of one of those offering girls, and he gave his wife a lazy look.

“Oh, my little bean sprout, you have nothing to worry about. We have watched humans since they were still ratty looking monkeys, and you and I both know that there’ll be plenty of them around for the next coming centuries.” He shrugged and spit out a section of skull. “So what if Junior has a little fun and tramples a few? It shows just how powerful he is and will be someday.” And the tone of his voice ended very babyish and he pinched his son’s chubby cheek. His wife glared at him, continuing to scrub the blood from her son’s paws. She paused, and whacked her husband on the head again.

“Hey! What’s with the club? Are you a cave dweller? My goodness, a club ...” he snorted in a pause. “Why not a spear?” O-Kuni-Nushi rolled his eyes and continued to make funny faces at his son.

“THIS is no ordinary club, my dear,” she said with a snooty expression. Lady Hirsako looked down at her club, appreciating the craftsmanship and running her fingers over the bone spikes on the sides. “It was made from the bones of a human princess after all.”

Their son watched his parent’s biting exchange and whined when he didn’t feel enough attention lavished upon him. His father threw him the torso of the other offering girl, and his mother proceeded to club him again as he got blood on a spot she just cleaned. Their son ignored them and proceeded to gnaw on his new chew toy.

“Oh, look at him!” Lady Hirsako protested in disgust. She glared at her son as he licked at the human flesh. “Honestly, how can you feed him such a filthy thing?”

“It’s just a snack, bean sprout,” O-Kuni-Nushi replied frowning. He gave her puppy eyes. “What would you rather him do with it? Curl up with it like a little toy? It’s a human, and not a pretty one at that.”

His wife snorted.

“They’re only good for one thing anyway.” He held up his foot to show her the bottom of his boot. “And that’s for stomping on. Right, Junior?”

His son barked at him in agreement, and his wife scowled. “See? You had fun down there, didn’t you?” His son paid no attention to him and continued to eat his snack. His mother hated when her husband was right.

“Oh very well... But try to at least keep the blood to a minimum. He comes back so filthy!”

“Ha! He’ll be worse when he has to go to war! And what will you do then? He’ll come back with scores of human bits on him!” His father laughed and his eyes beamed with future hope.

Lady Hirsako shook her head in exasperation. “You men and your wars!” And then, the argument became moot as she became silent, continuing to scrub the blood off her child in disgust. Suddenly, the young dog-boy coughed out a bloody ribcage, and his father clapped approvingly at its trajectory.

Yes, with parents like these, the future Inu-taisho would indeed grow up with a much enriched life.

The End