Once upon a time in the Edo Period, there was a tanuki. He lived with his vast family, who were all Tanukis like him, and lived in an abandoned hut in the deep forest. His name is Hisoki. He and his family spend their days having fun, like eating, playing, dancing, sleeping and pulling pranks on humans who wandered in their territory. While his family was having fun, Hisoki grew bored with living the same lifestyle and wanted something new.
At night, The tanuki Family were having dinner. For starters, they have a large platter of chicken gyozas, miso soups, and sushi. For the main course, it was an enormous bowl of udon with fishcakes, shrimp and seaweed and ten huge grilled salmon fish on rice. There were many jumbo-sized mochi cakes for dessert soon.
Hisoki asked his mother.
"Mom?"
"What is it, my little dumpling?" Said Hisoki's Mother who was slurping down Udon Noodles and munching crunchy shrimp.
"Why couldn't we explore the outside world?"
Hearing "the Outside World" causes them to spit out in shock.
"The outside world you mean?" Sputtered Hisoki's father.
Hisoki nodded. Their eyes widen and jaws drop on the table.
Hisoki's grandfather slammed the table and suddenly yelled at his youngest grandson. "But no Tanuki had ever gone to the outside world before! From what I learned, there are many hunters in the outside world who tried to hunt down Tanukis like us!"
It is true the Tanuki family had never gone to the outside world for many years after the father of Hisoki's mother left the forest and entered the outside world, but he never returned.
"But I'm tired of living the same lifestyle repeatedly! I wanted something new and I think the outside world had many things to do that aren't eating, playing and sleeping!" Hisoki talks back to his grandfather. Despite being the quietest and most shy member of the family, Hisoki is no pushover and knows how to speak his mind.
"But the Outside world is very dangerous!" cried Hisoki's mother with an anxious look on her face. "Before I met your father, my father once went to the outside world and went missing! I heard some rumours that a human killed him!"
"You don't want to end up like your other missing grandfather, do you?" warned Hisoki's uncle, glaring at his youngest nephew.
Hisoki couldn't speak and looked at an empty old chair kept in the corner. It belongs to his missing maternal grandfather.
There was silence for a moment until Hisoki stand up from the table.
"I'm not hungry," he said, leaving the table and going to his room.