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I've been working on a story about wild dogs called "The Mountain Tiger" that will eventually find its way into a series called "Forest of Howls". The prologue and first two chapters are done, but I'll post the prologue for now.

NOTES: This chapter has been altered slightly from its original form for a mild suggestive reference, as well as changing some wording to make it sound better. To see the chapter as I originally wrote it, it can be found on FictionPress.com under Fantasy.

Yamatora, Hoshitora, Akaya, and all other characters in this story are (c) to me, but the setting and frame of the plot are inspired in part by the Warriors book series and Ginga anime series.

The forest that makes up the story's setting has no relationship to any real forests in Japan, but the four dog breeds, Kai, Kishu, Akita, and Shikoku are as based off their real-life counterparts as possible.

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The earth beneath my paws quivered ever so slightly as row by row, our ranks stood silently with bated breath. The identical marks written in blood on the Soldiers' chests seemed to blaze with our fighting spirit as they declared the name of our Clan: Kai, the proud tiger-striped warriors that held the spirit of a great beast within the humble body of a dog. We didn't even dare to shift our attention as a rustle in the bushes announced the arrival of the other three clans. We knew them well, the familiar scents had already been upon us when we arrived. Stepping first into the dark clearing was the Shikoku Clan, followed by the Kishu, and finally the Akita. Our four Leaders brought up the rear, and each Clan stepped aside respectfully as they made their way to the front of the group of their gathered Soldiers.

The Kai Clan Leader was the much respected Hoshitora. Her chest bore the same Soldier's mark as the entire fighting force of her Clan, but her face was adorned with blood painted into the Kai Leader's Seal. The Shikoku, Kishu, and Akita Leaders, Akaya, Shirokiri, and Yukisaka stepped forward along with Hoshitora and bowed simultaneously to each other. Ears perked, we all waited for the howl that would seemingly resonate from the heavens themselves and wash over us without stating its source; that would begin our meeting.

Each New Moon, the four Clans gather to make important announcements, settle disputes, and carry out other actions that can be shared within the Clans. But tonight was the most important: the Halfyear, the night of the Assignments. It was the night that the pups would recieve their title as Apprentice, either for Soldier, Mother, or Father, and go under training with an older dog of the same title. I watched with fascination and undivided attention as Akaya, the Shikoku Leader, began naming pups from her Clan to be called forth.

The Shikoku Clan only had three pups old enough to be Apprentices; the two males became Father Apprentices and the female became a Soldier Apprentice. In addition, a Mother Apprentice had recently completed her training. She was smiling proudly as she took her place back in the Shikoku crowd and the next Clan prepared to speak.

The Kishu Clan was next. They had been much more successful, as they had a total of seven pups ready for Assigning. There would be two more Mothers, two more Fathers, and three more Soldiers within the next few Moons. It wasn't surprising, due to the huge number of Mother and Father Assignments in the past few Halfyears. A Father and two Soldiers had also completed their training recently, and right here at the gathering, I witnessed the Bloodmarking for the first time, the final judgment of the Soldier-in-training.

The first Soldier Apprentice, without so much as flinching, sunk his fangs deep into his left foreleg, and brushed his other paw up against the wound. Taking a moment to think and memorize the strokes, he touched his paw to his chest and neatly wrote out the mark of the Kishu Soldier with his own blood. He then returned to his new spot in the Soldier's row of his Clan, quickly taking a few seconds to clean his wound with his tongue.

The other did the same, although with some difficulty. He was clearly in pain, having bitten himself a bit too hard in his apprehension, and his paw was shaking as he wrote out his mark. As soon as the new Father had taken his place among his Clan, it was the Kai Clan's turn.

Hoshitora nodded as Leader Shirokiri returned to his spot at the front of the Kishu Clan, and she stepped forward. After proudly announcing that six pups were ready to begin their training today, she began naming them. I happened to know four of those six pups very well, considering that they were myself, my two sisters, and my brother.

"In the order that you're named, come forth to meet your trainer. This Halfyear's Mother Apprentices will be Akitora and Kumotora. The Father Apprentice will be Kazetora. And the Soldier Apprentices will be Kajitora, Kibatora, and Yamatora."

Yamatora... that was my name.

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Chapter 1

NOTES: From now on, the story will be in third person. The first person was simply for the prologue.

Just to clear something up about the repetition in the characters' names, this is intentional. All members of the Kai Clan have names ending in "-tora", meaning tiger, all members of the Kishu Clan have names ending in "-kiri", meaning fog, all members of the Shikoku Clan have names ending in "-ya", meaning arrow, and all members of the Akita Clan have names ending in "-saka", meaning hill.

For more information on the dog breeds used in the story, visit the following links:

http://japanesedogs.bulldoginformation.com/kai-inu.html
http://japanesedogs.bulldoginformation. ... u-inu.html
http://www.bulldoginformation.com/shiko ... u-inu.html
http://www.bulldoginformation.com/Akita-inu.html

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The triumphant waltz that Yamatora had rehearsed for his short few steps up to Hoshitora's side had completely been forgotten in his awe. Just the thought of standing before the Clans beside his leader was enough to reduce his proud stance into a shy, submissive slouch. As he walked clumsily into the center of the clearing, his siblings, Akitora, Kazetora, and Kajitora, gave him bright looks of reassurance as they moved past him in the opposite direction. Hoshitora awaited his arrival with no change in her expression, eyes looking straight ahead, ears perked, head held high, and not the slightest emotion evident by her tightly closed mouth and level brow.

"And now we will conclude our Assignments with Yamatora, brother of Mother Apprentice Akitora, Father Apprentice Kazetora, and Soldier Apprentice Kajitora. Yamatora will join his second sister on the path to becoming a Soldier. Be warned, the life of a Soldier is a dangerous one. You will be expected to give your life for your Clan at any time, and complete loyalty is expected of you. If thoughts of treason were to ever cross your mind, perhaps the life of a Loner would be more appropriate for your ungratefulness."

Yamatora nodded with understanding, and Hoshitora went on, the harsh tone she used to speak of treason having dropped from her voice entirely.

"By his own request, the Soldier you will be training under happens to be one you know very well. He goes by the name Haitora, the Ash Tiger."

"Uncle!" Yamatora's excited thoughts hastily found their way through his mouth, which he just as hastily snapped shut. He recieved a stern glance in his direction.

"You'll have to be sure to thank him for this special privelige. Being a Soldier and having no mate or pups of his own, he waited patiently, turning down offers to train anyone else, just for the Halfyear in which his brother's pups would be Assigned, and for a niece or nephew of his to undergo training as a Soldier. He's been waiting for you, Apprentice Yamatora, and I trust you'll make him proud and make his long wait worth it, yes?"

"Yes," Yamatora answered proudly. "Leader Hoshitora."

Displaying only the smallest hint of a smile, Hoshitora lifted her paw and held it out for the young Apprentice to touch. Apprehensively, Yamatora slowly lifted his own smaller paw and laid it on top of his Leader's. As his soft paw pads touched her smooth, straight claws, he felt his courage edge its way back into him. He closed his eyes, feeling Hoshitora's spirit swirling within him, until he felt a third paw come in contact with his and his Leader's. They both looked up.

Like his nephew, Haitora's coat was a dark smoky gray, and his stripes were inky, bold black in color. But he lacked the rare fleck of white on his chest that Yamatora was known for, and his front legs faded at the elbows from gray to dark red. His left eye was filmed over with pale blue; he had been blind in that eye since birth, but his right eye was like his nephew's, brown, alert, and watchful, with the same sort of personality reflected in its dark surface.

Yamatora came forward and bowed to his trainer; Haitora returned the gesture with a friendly smile and led him back to their place among their Clan. Many of the newly Assigned spent the rest of the meeting whispering back and forth to each other, wasting no time in sharing the first bits of information they'd already been told. Yamatora was too tired to pay much attention to the Clan Leaders or any of the discussion among the other dogs. All he heard was the parting signal: the unified howl of the four Leaders, and the sounds of the stirring dogs standing up and preparing for the short journey back into their own territories.

With a considerable amount of effort, Yamatora pulled himself to his paws and staggered along, trailing at the back of his Clan. As his paws became heavier, Haitora sometimes helped him along with a little nudge. The thick scent of the area inhabited by his many familiar Clanmates alerted him of their arrival. Yawning, he curled up in the nearest patch of bushes and fell asleep, but not after he watched through one eye Hoshitora retreating into the old abandoned human house that marked the center of the Clan's territory. There were three more of these houses, one for Kishu, one for Shikoku, and one for Akita, each serving as the sleeping and resting quarters for the Clan Leaders. Behind Hoshitora followed the six new trainers, Chiritora, Takatora, Taiyoutora, Hatora, Hishoutora, and Haitora. Yamatora just noticed now that his own Father, Taiyoutora, and his Mother, Chiritora were to train two of his siblings, Kazetora and Akitora.

He'd think about it more tomorrow. Tonight had been far too long for anyone to fathom staying up longer. As he lay still, breathing deeply and steadily, his deep, exhausted sleep was deepened still by the rhythmic rattling of the light summer breeze against the branches of the trees overhead. Far above, a single raindrop gently descended to the ground to land in Yamatora's dark fur.

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