Chapter Text
Shinobu always told Tanjirou not to go out picking herbs at night. He could lose his footing on the mountain in the darkness, or encounter bandits, or worse, demons. As a young apprentice witch, he was talented in many areas, but his healing magic was hit-or-miss. If he was injured while out at night, she warned, he wouldn’t be able to heal himself.
Tanjirou wasn’t one to ignore his teacher’s wisdom, knowing it came from hundreds of years of experience.
But, late summer nights on the mountain were so refreshing! Cool winds stirred the damp air, while fireflies lazily floated above the forest floor. Tanjirou could even swear that the plants were even more fragrant at night, the smell so bright and pleasant that he scarcely needed his eyes to find the patches of herbs he was looking for.
Besides, Tanjirou knew the mountains like the back of his hand. He was on friendly terms with all of the humans who lived here, including the bandits. In fact, a few of them had even left thievery behind for honest work after Tanjirou had an honest talk with them. Even the demons, the most formidable threat on the mountain, were rare, tending to stay in populated areas where their prey were abundant. All that Tanjirou really needed were a few extra precautions, in case of an emergency.
And, though it made him feel slightly deceitful to think about, it wasn’t as if Shinobu would ever know he’d gone out at night, since she was traveling for business.
Possible deceit aside, Tanjirou certainly doesn’t regret his decision as he walks his usual path through the lush forest, occasionally catching glimpses of the full moon. It’s a beautiful night, truly. As he raises his head, a breeze ruffles his long ponytail, kept tied back with his prized possession, a beautiful hair ornament fashioned in the shape of a large, pale green and brown moth, with gently curving wings. The breeze carries the scent of freshly blooming mugwort, and a smile comes to his face without thinking.
He makes his way to the source of the smell, his mind already racing with thoughts of what he’ll use the herb for. Of course, he has to set aside a good amount for poultices, and dry some for the winter, but the rest he could save for mugwort tea and dumplings. He could invite Mitsuri and Haganezuka from the village for a tea party, he’s sure they would both love it.
Before he knows it, he’s in a flat clearing next to some boulders, with more mugwort growing than Tanjirou can possibly take with him in his straw basket. He gazes up at the beautiful white moon, hanging low in the sky.
“Thank you for lighting up such a wonderful clearing for me,” he says, his hand cupped around his mouth as if it’s a secret between the two of them. The thought makes him want to giggle, but still, it’s always good to express gratitude.
Just then, though, the wind changes, and this time, it brings more than the scent of mugwort. The smell of blood is strong in the air, as well as that of animal fur. He stands straight, alarmed. As he wanders for a moment, sniffing the air, he realizes that the smell is coming from the crop of boulders. He wonders if an animal fell on the rocks, and was injured or died. Either way, he’ll take care of it, whether that means providing food and water, or digging a grave and saying last rites.
However, as Tanjirou happens upon a shallow cave in the rocks, he finds far more than he was expecting.
The wolf inside the cave is enormous, Tanjirou can tell, even if its body is mired in shadow. What he can see of its fur is a deep, rich gray, thick and dense. Its eyes are a dark purple, nearly black, and narrowed in fear. Its lips are pulled back as it growls, calling attention to both the thick scar across its muzzle, and its long, bone-white teeth.
“You’re so beautiful,” Tanjirou can’t help but say aloud. “I wish I could tell you,” he laments.
Immediately, the growling stops, purple eyes going wide.
Tanjirou tilts his head, curious. He’d meant what he’d said. Shinobu has taught him the language of the birds, and he has an understanding with the mountain boars ever since he met their king, but he has no knowledge of wolves’ language. All he knows is that the last of their kind can be found in the far north, far away from humans. However, the way the wolf had reacted, it’s almost as if…
Tanjirou gasps.
“You’re injured,” he says, his gaze falling on the mass of dark, wet fur on the wolf’s side. From the looks of it, the injury is a long gash running from below its shoulder to across its ribs, and is still bleeding. Without thinking, Tanjirou steps forward, his hand outstretched towards the wound.
Immediately, the wolf snarls and even snaps at his hand.
Tanjirou doesn’t even flinch, just lowers his hand and steps back.
“You’re right, that was rude of me. You must be scared, after the night you’ve had.”
He smiles, making sure not to show his teeth.
“But it’s okay now. You don’t have to be frightened of me.”
The wolf huffs, and though Tanjirou deems it a coincidence, the response and timing was almost human-like. As if the wolf found the mere idea of being afraid of Tanjirou to be utterly ridiculous.
“Here, I’ll let you smell my hand,” he says, extending a palm.
Immediately, the wolf literally turns up its nose, moving its entire head to avoid Tanjirou’s hand. Strange. He’s never met a wolf before, but he’s also never met a dog that wouldn’t be interested by a new smell.
“Do I smell that bad?” he asks, a little hurt. The wolf keeps its head turned to the side, avoiding eye contact. However, its ears do flatten slightly, as if in shame.
“I won’t give up,” Tanjirou declares. “I need you to trust me so I can heal your wound.”
He searches inside the bottom of his woven straw bag for something, anything he can use to win over this animal. All he finds are his kagura bells, his scissors for harvesting plants, and his midnight snack.
Well, it's worth a try.
He unwraps his meal, extending it towards the wolf. Two perfectly shaped homemade rice balls sit on the bamboo wrapping, the best Tanjirou can offer right now.
“Would you like some?”
Despite its earlier aloof attitude, that certainly catches the wolf’s attention. He stares at the offering, and Tanjirou can’t help but think that the look in its violet eyes is something like suspicion.
“I’m sorry, I know meat would be better,” he says apologetically, even if the wolf cannot answer. “But, this is all I have.”
The wolf raises its enormous head to look at Tanjirou, making prolonged eye contact without a hint of aggression. With every passing moment, it becomes increasingly clear that this creature is unlike no other animal Tanjirou has ever encountered.
Slowly, almost as if it was trying to retain its dignity, the wolf takes a rice ball in its teeth, before tilting back its head to swallow it whole.
Tanjirou smiles, pleased beyond measure.
“There you go. I hope it’s to your liking.”
The wolf lets out another huff of air, but not before licking its chops for any stray grains of rice. Tanjirou laughs, amused by the contradiction of human-like and animalistic behavior. The wolf narrows its eyes, almost as if it suspects Tanjirou of mocking him.
“You can have the other one, you know. I won’t call you greedy.”
The wolf eyes him, making no move to take the leftover food. However, the rumbling growl of its stomach contradicts it. Tanjirou can’t help it, he laughs, and receives a low growl in response.
“Sorry, sorry,” Tanjirou says, raising a hand placatingly even as he smiles.
Quickly, the wolf leans forward and takes the other rice ball, snapping it up much less gracefully this time. Tanjirou folds up the empty bamboo leaf, before letting it fall to the ground to decompose among the leaf litter.
“Now that we know each other a little better, will you let me take a look at your wound?”
The wolf eyes Tanjirou a moment longer, before letting out another gusty sigh. With a slight quickening of its breath in pain, the wolf shifts its weight, rolling onto its side, exposing the wound in its entirety. Despite the language barrier, Tanjirou perfectly understands what the wolf is saying.
Fine, you win.
“Thank you, you won’t regret it.”
Wasting no more time, Tanjirou gets to work. He pulls out his scissors, and starts harvesting handfuls of mugwort from the surrounding ground.
“Really, you couldn’t have chosen a better spot to hide if you tried,” he murmurs as he works. “The mugwort here is perfect for stopping the bleeding and keeping away infection.”
The wolf watches him silently, its body language relaxed. However, its breath comes in sharp quiet pants, betraying the pain it’s feeling right now. Tanjirou works a little quicker, determined to heal the animal as soon as possible.
Once he’s gathered several handfuls of herbs, he hurries close and kneels at the wolf’s side. Unlike before, the wolf does not so much as tense at his approach.
“This might seem a little strange to you, but bear with me,” he says, before stuffing his mouth with mugwort leaves. He chews the herbs into a thick paste, the fresh, tart taste coating his tongue. He spits the green mush back into his palm after a minute or two of chewing, judging it to be ready.
If the wolf was relatively calm before, its body is now as tense as a bow string. Tanjirou wishes he could pet the animal and soothe it as he would a dog, but he suspects the wolf would find such an action insulting. Instead, he meets the wolf’s apprehensive gaze with a strong, confident expression.
“I promise this will help you, though it will sting. Please, trust me.”
The wolf looks him in the eyes. Whatever it sees must reassure it to an extent, because it lowers its head to the forest floor.
Working quickly and with a light touch, Tanjirou parts the wolf’s bloody fur and applies the poultice to the wound. Immediately, the wolf whines, high and sharp.
“I know, I know,” Tanjirou coos softly. He leans over to the wolf’s head, where its lips are curled back in an unconscious snarl. After a moment’s thought, he pulls back his sleeve, baring his forearm. He holds it out to the wolf.
“If it hurts too much to bear, you can bite down on me. I don't mind."
The wolf eyes his flesh, raises its head. Tanjirou grits his teeth, waiting for the pain. It never comes. Instead, the wolf uses its muzzle to push aside the offered forearm, before lying back down.
Tanjirou stares, before quickly gathering his wits.
"In that case, I'll try to work quickly."
The rest of the poultice is applied swiftly and without issue, the wolf not so much as flinching.
Eventually, Tanjirou leans back, wiping the last of the mugwort from his green-stained lips.
"Good job. The painful part is over, at least."
With that, he stands, reaches behind himself for the knot to his obi, and starts undressing.
The wolf moves sharply for no discernable reason, flinching so badly that it lets out a sharp whine of pain.
"You shouldn't move," Tanjirou warns, perplexed. "You might cause fresh bleeding."
The wolf slumps against the ground, while Tanjirou tosses his untied obi into his basket. He opens his green and black checkered kimono, revealing the white nagajuban underneath. Working quickly, he uses his harvesting scissors to cut off the bottom of the robe, leaving enough fabric to cover to mid-thigh. It's not exactly modest, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
Once again, he kneels at the wolf's side, where he continues to cut the harvested fabric into makeshift bandages. It isn't easy weaving the bandages around the wolf's enormous body, even if the creature does his best to move when necessary, despite the pain.
Eventually, Tanjirou wipes his brow, looking over his work.
"These should hold for a while."
Still, there is one more aspect to the treatment he must complete. Once more, he reaches into his basket, pulling out the one item he'd hoped he wouldn't need tonight.
The kagura bells tinkle lightly as he holds them out before him. He stills himself for a moment, gathering his concentration. He raises his left hand, spreading it out over the wound.
Tanjirou takes a deep breath through the mouth, tapping into the well of power within himself. He feels energy draw up from the pit of his stomach, extending out through his limbs, running out to his palm, his fingertips.
In his mind, he envisions a clearing on a summer's day. He imagined gentle sunlight shining through the leaves, warming his skin so kindly.
He twists the kagura bells once, letting the soft ringing sound fill him with peace.
Please, heal this creature.
The warmth is no longer a figment of his imagination, as a bright glow emanates from the palm of his hand, illuminating the shallow cave. Gentle heat flows from his palm, into the wolf's body, which relaxes as its pain is eased.
Tanjirou let's his breath cycle in and out, attempting to keep the healing as steady as possible. However, the well of power within him runs dry all too soon, and the light gradually dims and fades.
His shoulders slump from exhaustion, and Tanjirou fights the urge to collapse then and there. Still, he takes the time to wrap the kagura bells in cloth and store them in his basket.
When he turns around, the wolf is sitting upright, looking at him with wide eyes.
"I'm sorry, this is as much as I can do for you right now. It may sound like excuses, but my power is weaker at night, and I'm not nearly as good a healer as my teacher. Still, the wound should heal faster now, if you're careful about not reopening it."
Tanjirou blinks heavily, wishing he had the luxury of being able to fall asleep right here. He raises his palms, lightly slapping his cheeks to wake himself up.
"I should get going, if I'm going to make it home by sunrise."
He casts one last glance at the wolf, giving it a warm smile.
"Stay safe, okay?"
With that, Tanjirou rises to his feet. He redresses himself quickly, before leaving the shallow cave. He harvests a bit of mugwort before he leaves the clearing, not as much as he originally intended, but enough to have that tea party he planned on.
The trip down the mountain is faster than the journey uphill, and Tanjirou thanks his stars for that. As it is, he’s practically asleep on his feet by the time he reaches his destination.
From a distance, all one can see is the thick grove of wisteria trees, but even so, it’s clear there is more to this place than meets the eye. The trees are in full bloom even though it is nearly fall, and the fragrant purple flowers seem to practically glow in the moonlight. Tanjirou steps close to the grove, his hand reaching out. However, before he can make contact, he turns around, addressing the silent forest.
“I’m afraid you’ll have to come out if you want to go any further,” he says, into the quiet night.
He’s answered by a distinctly embarrassed silence, broken up by the call of insects. However, after a few moments, a stand of spotted laurel rustles, and the wolf appears, its head lowered.
“You didn’t have to hide, you know.”
The wolf very deliberately avoids eye contact, and Tanjirou resists the urge to laugh.
“In any case, I was wondering if you’d like to stay the night at my teacher’s house.”
The wolf looks up, seemingly surprised by the offer.
“However, you’ll have to come closer if you want to pass through the barrier. Otherwise, you might get lost.”
The wolf watches him for a moment, as if evaluating a threat. Eventually, though, it approaches, coming within two or three arm lengths.
“Closer than that,” says Tanjirou with a smile, beckoning the animal closer with a wave of his hand. After some more hesitation, the wolf comes within arm’s reach.
LIke this, the wolf’s true size is plain to see, the animal’s enormous skull easily coming up to Tanjirou’s chest, its shoulders broader than almost any man’s. Tanjirou smiles at it, welcoming it as a guest.
“There you go. Now, excuse me,” he says, reaching out and placing a gentle hand on the back of the wolf’s neck. With the other, he reaches out towards the wisteria grove.
Tanjirou’s outstretched fingertips reach towards thin air, before all at once, they dip into an intangible substance, something that feels almost like sinking his fingers into water just slightly below body temperature.
Suddenly, where there was only empty space, there is a wall of silky, iridescent purple light, rippling outwards from where Tanjirou touched it.
For a second, Tanjirou simply appreciates Shinobu’s barrier magic, a fascinating combination of otherworldly beauty and years of hard work. However, though, after a moment he gently presses on the back of the wolf’s neck, guiding it forward. Simultaneously, he takes a step, moving on and through the barrier.
The cool, refreshing feeling of Shinobu’s magic washes over him in an instant, and immediately, they are on the other side of the wisteria grove, standing before Shinobu’s house. Though, truthfully, in comparison to where Tanjirou used to live with his family, it is more like a mansion.
The house is in perfect condition, sprawling over the clearing. Everywhere, he can see Shinobu’s influence, from the the purple lanterns hanging by the doorway, always mysteriously lit, to the enormous sakura blossom tree in the yard.
Everywhere, butterflies flit to and fro, feeding on the flowers blooming in the garden. Tanjirou raises a finger for a green swallowtail to land on, admiring the way its iridescent wings shimmer in the moonlight before it takes to the air again. He looks to his companion, wondering how the wolf is reacting to his teacher’s beautiful home.
To his surprise, the wolf is cross-eyed, staring at a butterfly with translucent wings resting upon its scarred muzzle. After a moment, it sneezes, sending the insect on its way. Tanjirou laughs, unable to help himself, and despite the growl he receives in return, he can’t help but this wolf is quite cute.
“Welcome to my teacher’s home,” he says gently, to let the wolf know he meant no offense. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
The wolf is quiet, almost respectfully so, as Tanjirou leads it through the polished wooden floors of the home and into the room where the sunken hearth is.
“This room should be big enough that you don’t feel cramped,” he says, before walking over to the storage closet to retrieve his futon and light summer blanket. By the time he turns around, the wolf is already sprawled out next to the cold hearth.
“You must be just as tired as I am,” he remarks. He lays out his futon on the opposite side of the hearth, promptly laying down.
However, as exhausted as he is, it soon becomes apparent that there is a problem. Though Tanjirou wasn’t cold while hiking, now that his body is still, he’s aware that it is much closer to fall than he thought it was. He rubs his legs together like a cricket to try and generate some heat, to no avail, and starts shivering minutely.
Just as he starts to debate the pros and cons of getting his winter blanket out of storage, he hears an annoyed huff from across the hearth. He opens his eyes at the sound of claws clicking on the wooden floor, only to be greeted with a huge mass of fur as the wolf settles halfway on the futon with its back to Tanjirou.
The wolf’s body is warm, its fur somehow even softer than Tanjirou imagined. It smells slightly of blood and musk, but mostly just the fresh, herbaceous scent of mugwort. After a moment of astonishment, Tanjirou realizes why the wolf approached him.
“Thank you for keeping me warm,” he says, and cards his fingers gently through its fur. The wolf tenses momentarily, before relaxing into the contact.
Tanjirou doesn’t know how long he lays there, petting the wolf’s soft fur, but he does know that when he finally falls asleep, it is with a smile on his face, warm and comfortable.