Two Equals

At seven years old Sugimoto was given a puppy. This was a tradition held dear to the Inuzuka clan. The Inuzuka dogs were everything to the clan. They would bond with the child they were given to and become life long partners. The Inuzuka dogs weren't just any normal dog. They would grow up to fight side by side with whoever they bonded with and even put their lives on the line to protect them. 


Sugimoto was one of the last of the children to receive his puppy. He held it out in front of him as it squirmed and tried to bite his fingers. It was doing its best to perform an intimidating growl until it's eyes met Sugimoto's. The puppy stopped resisting and they stared at each other for a moment almost like they had both entered a trance. They both understood each other completely at that very moment. 


"Saito.." Sugimoto whispered quietly. "Your name will be Saito because you are my equal." Saito licked one of Sugimoto's fingers much to the adults surprise that handed him the puppy. 


"He's never licked anyone before." The adult muttered to himself in disbelief. Sugimoto's father overheard him and raised his eyebrow.


"You mean to tell me that puppy has never licked anyone before?" Sugimoto's father laughed. "There's no way, surely you jest." Sugimoto's father finished with a smile looking over at the other adult. The smile slowly disappeared as the other adult held up his hands. Each of his fingers were wrapped in bandages and his hands covered in small scratches and bite marks. Sugimoto's father looked back to his son and watched as his son sat down with the puppy. It then curled up in the boys lap and fell asleep. From that day on they were inseparable. 


As time went on Sugimoto took little Saito along with him on hunts. He started by helping him to take down little rabbits and squirrels. Saito's little kills were just as important to Sugimoto as his own bigger kills like deer. Sugimoto showed this to Saito by often taking little tropies from Saito's kills like a rabbit foot or squirrel tail. Sugimoto kept a corner in his room specifically for Saito's trophies letting him know that his tropies were equal in value to Sugimoto's. It didn't take long for Saito to begin to enjoy the thrill of the hunt after all it was hard wired into his genes. A wolf was made to run down prey with a pack and Sugimoto was Saito's pack. 


As years went by Saito began to grow into an exceptionally large dog. They began to hunt larger prey such as deer and bear. They would bring back antlers, pelts, and claws as trophies and the clan became worried. At this point the clan began to keep a watchful eye over the two. They knew they were no longer just hunting for food but just because they wanted too. It wasn't out of necessity but pleasure. The clan didn't like that and they began to whisper amongst themselves. The other children were beginning to treat Sugimoto differently but it was just harsh words and jokes at first. They learned to judge from their parents. Sugimoto never let this bother him because he had Saito. He knew he was different but he wasn't completely different because Saito was like him. They both lived for the hunt. They both enjoyed watching the life drain out of the eyes of their prey. 


Sugimoto's father began to worry about his boy. He could see him changing but hoped it was just a phase, something that his son would grow out of. His father did his best to hush the whispers of the clan, fearing that it would make things worse but there was nothing that could be done. He partially blamed Saito for how Sugimoto was turning out. He thought that the overly aggressive dog had changed the boy but he knew this wasn't true. Sugimoto was the only boy the dog actually listened to. Saito behaved when Sugimoto was there and never showed his partner any signs of aggression so Sugimoto's father knew he himself was just trying to pin the blame on something. He knew it wasn't right of him to blame the dog but like his boy he knew the dog was different from the others. It would growl lowly at anyone that came too close and if Sugimoto's father caught him at the right time he could see hunger in his eyes when it looked at the other clan mates but when he noticed he was being watched he would simply lay his head down and close his eyes. Sugimoto's father knew Saito was trouble but was powerless. 


Late one evening while Sugimoto and Saito were out on a hunt, Sugimoto's father decided he would look into his son's room. He had seen his son take various antlers and hides into his room but had never gone in for himself. After waiting for them to be gone for a bit to insure they wasn't coming back for awhile he went to investigate his son's room. He stood there at his son's door worried about what he would find beyond the door. Though he was worried he was also slightly excited finally to see what his son had hidden. After hesitating for a moment he took a deep breath and tried the door only to find it was locked. He sighed prepared to give up but decided he had come this far and needed to see what was in the room. Sugimoto's father used a kunai to dig into the frame enough to get the door open before slowly pushing it open. As the door slowly swung open his eyes began to widen and the kunai he was holding fell from his hand onto to ground. Before him was something of nightmares. Every inch of the walls in the room was covered by various skulls to different sized antlers. The dressers and night stands had fangs and claws piled on top of them almost to the point of falling off. The floor was covered by different colored furs. A shiver went down his spine as his eyes darted from one skull to another. He stumbled back overwhelmed only to back right into something. He jumped, startled, and spun around to see a short dark figure. The figure wore a freshly skinned deer hide over themselves. The hollowed, antlered head covered their head as a hood. Fresh blood dripped from the hide and onto the floor. Sugimoto's father, caught off guard by such a horrored sight, reached down for his tool pack strapped to his thigh for a kunai. The figure lifted its head and blue eyes beamed up at from under the hood. It was at that moment he realized it was his son Sugimoto.


"What are you doing, father?" Sugimoto asked looking his father in the eyes from under the hood. A shiver went down his spine as he locked eyes with his son. He didn't understand why he felt so uneasy. 


"I just wanted to figure out what has been going on with you." His father said with worry in his voice. "You've been so different lately. I'm worried about you, the whole clan is worried about you." Sugimoto remained silent and slowly tilted his head to the side as he listened to his father speak. His father noticed another pair of of glowing blue eyes behind his son. It was Saito peering at him from the darkness of the hallway with that same hungry look he'd seen in his eyes before. 


"If you wanted to see my collection father I would've shown you." Sugimoto said softly. "I'm not mad at you. It's simple human nature to be curious. Oh father did you notice the deer that me and Saito brought down?" He spoke with a bit of excitement in his voice. "This is one of the biggest one's we've gotten yet." Sugimoto finished and lifted up the sides of the hide he was wearing like a cloak. Sugimoto's father began to calm down as he heard his son sound like a normal child again. It made him feel a bit better knowing that his son still had child like emotions even if it was over something that seemed so dark. 


"I see that son, I'm proud of you." His father said as he reached down and gently brushed his son's cheek as a sign of endearment. "I'm sorry I intruded on your privacy the way I did. I'm gonna head to bed, get some rest okay?" He slowly stepped passed his son and locked eyes with Saito as he went by. Sugimoto turned and watched as his father walked to his own room. He had a smile on his face and for a split second the same look of hunger that Saito sometimes had flickered in his eyes before he turned and went into his room. 


A couple years passed and Saito continued to grow along with Sugimoto. The judgement from the clan got worse as the years went by. One of the other boys Sugimoto's age started to bully him. It started with simple looks and name calling but slowly got worse. The other boy was just trying to impress his friends and look good in front of others. The boys canine companion would often join in if Saito was around Sugimoto and multiple dog fights had to be broken up though no one was ever hurt up to that point. That was only the case up to one particular day. The day that changed everything. 


Sugimoto and Saito went out on a hunt just as they always did. The only difference this time was they didn't know they was being followed. Sugimoto crept through the forest slowly tracking a deer with Saito by his side. They stopped to check prints and scrapes as they went along to judge how fresh they was and how far the deer was away from them based on smell. Soon they came upon the deer standing out ahead of them in an opening where there wasn't many trees to hide it. They prepared to down the deer as they always did when a branch snapping caught their attention along with the deer. The deer lifted its head for a split second before bounding off into a thicket. There was something hiding in the trees past where the deer had been that scared it off. The wind shifted and Sugimoto took a second to take in all the scents around his flowing in the breeze. Then he caught it. His eyes slowly opened and locked onto a thick patch of brush obscured in some trees. Hidden somewhere in it was the boy and his canine that always gave Sugimoto and Saito trouble. Their hunt had been ruined and this infuriated Sugimoto. Sugimoto stepped out into the opening with Saito and waited. The other boy stepped out with his canine as well with a smile on his face. 


"Sorry, Sugi, I really didn't mean to scare it off." The boy announced with a small chuckle. "I honestly intended to kill it before but I guess I got ahead of myself." The boy shrugged as he stared at Sugimoto. Sugimoto responded with silence, unamused. "You know I've been thinking thinking, Sugi." The boy continued. "Nobody in the clan likes you buddy, not even your own father. You scare people with all of this constant hunting and killing things. I think it would just be best if you left. Just go on about your way and find somewhere else to do all of the weird things you do." The boy spoke with distaste becoming aggravated with Sugimoto for not responding. 


"How about we make a deal?" Sugimoto finally spoke. "I'll leave if you make me." He finished with a smirk. The boy tilted his head and lifted an eyebrow. 


"You know what that's not such a bad idea." The boy responded. "You see the thing is that I'm not scared of you like everyone else. I've honestly been biting at the bit to get you alone and now that I have I think I'll do just that. I hope you don't regret making this proposition." The boy started towards Sugimoto with his hands clenched into fists. 


"Don't worry, I won't." Sugimoto whispered as he started towards the boy. As they approached each other, sizing their opponent up along the way, their canines began to circle them in large circles. The dogs were both releasing a low growl and their hair stood on end as they locked eyes with each other. As the boys got closer to one another the circles the dogs made around them became tighter and the growling louder. Just as the boys reached each other and the first punch was thrown the dogs leaped through the air as if on queue. They collided in air and fell to the ground kicking up dirt and tearing off bits of fur from one another all while the two boys continued to throw kicks and punches. To Sugimoto and Saito this was no longer just a simple brawl. It had turned into a hunt and each of their eyes reflected hunger. Even if their was someone there to stop it words would not reach them. The forest echoed with barks and growls as the fight continued between the four. The boy landed a lucky punch managing to knock Sugimoto onto the ground. He then fell upon Sugimoto and they rolled around on the ground each fighting to get on top of the other.  Sugimoto kicked up and rolled the boy over gaining the high ground. He then pinned one of the boys arms down before reaching down with both hands and grabbing the boy by the hair. He brought the boys head up as he brought his own head down delivering a hard head-butt to the boys face. He repeated this over and over until the boy stopped moving, his face covered in blood. Sugimoto let go of the boys head letting his limp body hit the ground. He could still hear the boys faint breathing so he knew he wasn't dead. Sugimoto glanced over to see a flash of tooth and fang followed by a sharp yelp. Saito managed to get the game winning bite on the other canines throat right under its chin then with a quick jerk a popping sound was heard as it's neck was broken. Saito held on for a bit longer growling loudly before dropping the other dogs neck from his mouth. He then stepped back and sat down looking at his kill with content before beginning to lick his own wounds. Sugimoto stood up and stumbled over to Saito while wiping the blood from his own nose. Once he reached Saito he fell to his knees and hugged him burying his face into his fur. 


"Good boy, Saito." Sugimoto praised. Saito wagged his tail softly and licked Sugimoto's forehead. "Let me see are you okay?" Sugimoto whispered as he leaned back to analyze his partner for wounds. Saito had a bloody gash across his left eye and the tip of his left ear was missing but other than that he didn't have any life threatening wounds. "That's a good boy you're okay." Sugimoto patted Saito on the head before falling back onto his butt and releasing a heavy sigh. His eyes fell upon the corpse of the other canine. He began to think about what they must do now. They couldn't go back to the clan, not after this. They were already hated enough. There was no telling what would happen to him or Saito if they were to return and this was found out. "We have to leave. We'll go someplace where there's plenty of room to roam and hunt unbothered by others." Sugimoto spoke as he stared off into nothingness. "As long as we're together it'll be okay. Come on we have to go." Sugimoto finished as he stood up. Before he took his first step his eyes fell upon the body of the other canine again and a faint flicker of hunger played across them again. "But first let's claim our reward." Sugimoto grinned as he pulled a kunai from his pouch and walked over to the body. He kneeled down and began to cut into the neck. After a moment of slicing he managed to sever the head from the neck right where it was broken. He held out the head in front of him admiring it with a smile before standing back up. "Good boy Saito let's go." He praised once again giving Saito another pat on the head. They then turned and walked off into the forest going the opposite direction of the village. This was where their journey truly began. 
(Flash back end)

(TWC=2823)
(Claim= Familiar Saito 2823-2000=823
823 WC put towards Beast Imitation Ninja Art
28 total stat points 
14 into Sugimoto's strength 
14 into Saito's strength
[Claiming first Christmas Callender]

Exit Claims Approved!