His Lonesome Walk

"This weather is vile; today of all days too..." Yumo growled to himself as he secured his leather hood to keep the rain out of his ashen gray furred fox ears.

Adorned in an uncustomary oiled cloak Yumo pushed himself off of the villages gates. "I am not sure why I haven't left this dump.." Yumo muttered to himself disdainfully as he gazed ahead.He couldnt see his path well, it had been raining night and day, but he had been there enough to know the way to The Lake.

Yumo's father had spent quite a bit of time training near The Lake as a youth. He had only told Yumo of the place and its dangers. Yumo had found out of it long after his crippled father had been there. At the thought of his father Yumo balled his fists and trekked forward, biting back tears.

As Yumo began to pick his pace up and dart through the pouring rain towards The Lake he recalled his mother and fathers deaths. If anyone had seen him on his way to his parents memorial the only thing that would have given his tears away were the irritated whites of his eyes; it had been quite awhile since Yumo had been out in such torrential rain.

Major Misfortunes and Sorrowful Stances

It had been another long rainy day and Yumo had completed another gutter cleaning mission. As Yumo darted his way home  through heavy rain. Yumo despised the rain and his stoic expression showed it. He dashed underneath the nearby canopies and wagons to shield himself from the cold rain. Since he had been cleaning so many gutters he didnt much care for the year long rains of Kirigakure.

As he made his way towards his families three bedroom log cabin Yumos stomach growled. He couldnt smell his mothers supper; she almost always had supper made when he came home before dark. "Maybe takeout tonight..?" Yumo questioned himself aloud as he opened the unlocked door.

Yumo walked through the door and let out a sharp whistle, the signal he used to tell his parents he was home. Usually his father whistled back but on this evening not even the crickets would chirp. Deciding to look for his parents, and succumbing to mild panic, Yumo ran into the living room hoping to be greeted to a surprise of some sort.

When Yumo peered his head around the corner he found a surprise he had never imagined.

Next to his mothers ceremony urn was her lofeless, charred body, lifelessly laying on the ground in a pool of dried black blood. Her head had been severed from her body and nowhere to be seen. Staring at her in shock Yumo  unwillingly burned the memory of his bloody headless mothers corpse into his mind.

As he began to hyperventilate in panic Yumo fell to his knees and crashed his head into the ground. Incapable of crying the fox child gasped for air as he pounded his head into their wooden floors gently. He couldn't believe his eyes. He was in such shock he hadnt even considered who had beheaded his once beautiful and life filled mother.

Once Yumo caught control of his breath he began to silently leak tears from his eyes. The power of death over life had never been so aggressively in his face. Thinking only of the pain in his heart Yumo covered his mothers body in the blanket she sat on during her meditation, unburnt, and likely death.

Yumo was incapable of processing the scenario. He had never considered his mother anything less than immortal. With a solemn, almost eerie, frown plastered to his face Yumo decided to carry on with his search.

After covering his mother Yumo began to scour the house for his father. Finally reaching the last room Yumo turned the door, his purple nails shaking in fear for what he might find.

To his surprise the room was as immaculate as his mother always left it. An even greater surprise was his fathers wheelchair, parked at the foot of their bed.

In the wheelchairs seat were a small collection of journals, a one page note, and a large nine pointed spiraling star pendant. Yumo picked up the pendant and instinctively put it in his pocket. He recognized the pendant, his mother had worn it. She would often brag about how the amulet was a symbol of the Kitsuchis amalgamation with nature.

With the pendant safely in his pocket Yumo picked up the note and found his fathers hand writing. With tears staining the note Yumo read the short note silently to himself.

"To Yumo:

I have been sick for some time. When ny tails were cut off my chakra becsme poisoned, as is the curae of all Kitsuchi. This poisoning disrupted my flow with nature and brought back my crippling illness. Its been many years since my mutilation but i can no longer bear jt. have no fear son. Your father made many enemies and i assure you, you will have the last laugh.


Today I died from the poisoning. I am sorry I didnt tell you son; I wanted out last days together to be filled with love not sorrow. I leave to you my personal notes on the Kitsuchi clans research with Genjutsu and Ninjutsu.

I know your mother is not taking this well. I fear for her life Yumo. Please take care of her my child; she is both you and I's morning star.

Should her thoughts get the better of her, or worse, you are the heir to this house and our belongings. Take care of it.

My body has been taken for cremation by the Kages Corpse Retrieval Unit. Once you get my ashes back I would like them spread over the village gate to bless your steps each time you leave safety.

I would like a memorial built by The Lake where your mother and I used to meditatate. Dont ever bring me offerings though, I would rather you offered them to the living.

I am sure we will see each other soon Yumo. Everytime you use what i taught you I will be there with you. I love you son.

With all of my love, Your Pops"

After Yumo read the letter he sat on his parents bed and sobbed for hours. It was clear as day now. Both his mother and father had been getting more pale and frail by the day. Yumos mother had committed Kitsune Sage suicide; likely unable to bear the pain of losing her husband. Once she used the foxflames to behead herself her head had burned in FoxFire.

After he could no longer cry Yumo decided to take care of his mothers corpse. In an almost apathetic gait Yumo headed outside into the rain; carrying the books his father had left him in a rucksack. Once Yumo reached the outside he set his books down and began to wildly sob at the thought of his mothers pain.

As his tears mixed with the rain Yumos foxfire began to emenate from the base of his single tail. With each tear dropped the semi corporeal fire began to meld with his fox tail. Unaware of the phenomenon Yumo lifted his head to the house and recalled when his mother and father would dance late at night when they thought Yumo was sleeping.

With both handheld Yumo choked out,"Fire Release: Flame Dance!" with an open mouth Yumo began to blast dozens of small purple FoxFire balls at his wooden home. From his palms and mouth the flames shot out; with each release of fire Yumos tail began to split into two.

By the time Yumo had succesfully set the house on fire his tail had completed growing and now he had two fox tails limping on the ground. Yumo had never expelled such chakra and was on the verge of unconsciousness. As he began to collapse to the ground Yumo let a wild howl of anguish.

The house burned down to the ground in FoxFire, untouched by the rain. Yumo woke up some days later in the hospital where he explained the story. He was given a room in the local tavern, paid for by his shinobi work, until he could afford a home of his own. His family left behind a small inheritance of ryo but between the fire Yumo wasnt able to retrieve much that he hadnt already. He retrieved a charred photograph of his mother and father at their wedding but that was all that he could besr to take. The rubble was soon cleared and Yumo began working for the village differently than ever before; D rank missions were abound.

Life would soon change drastically for Yumo.. After taking a few weeks off of shinobi duty to build his fathers memorial Yumo began working hard to provide for himself for the first time in his life.

Word Count: 1535