The sky raged with thunder and lightning, shrouding the time of day or night under dark, stormy clouds. Hoshiyo's newfound, powerful form lay unconscious on the cliff's edge. The Tanuki approached cautiously, ears tilted back, and gently stroked Hoshiyo's muzzle. As her glowing red eyes slowly opened for the first time as a Kami, her vision blurred, but she could distinguish shapes.
"Tanuki, is that you?" Hoshiyo whimpered.
The Tanuki's eyes welled up, and he smiled, saying, "Hey, kid. You did it. You're the Kami of the stars now."
Hoshiyo perked her ears up, widened her eyes, and asked, "I don't remember anything; how is that possible?"
"Honestly, this has never happened before. Izanagi and Izanami, the Kami of creation, decided to intervene at the last minute to transform you from your human form," the Tanuki explained.
Hoshiyo panicked, "What about my dad?" She scanned the cliff frantically but couldn't find him. Her mind raced, contemplating a million possibilities. She peeked over the edge at the rocks below, relieved not to find him there. Hoshiyo took a deep breath, hoping there was a logical reason why her father had left so suddenly.
"It's been a month since the festival of stars. Your father searched everywhere for you, but the villagers are convinced he threw you off the cliff. So, no one is helping him until a body shows up," Tanuki explained.
"Where's my body?" Hoshiyo asked.
"It fell in the Bay, so if I'm not mistaken, it should wash up on shore soon. Come on, let's go," The Tanuki said, guiding her off the cliff.
One paw at a time, Hoshiyo pushed her body up to stand for the first time. She raised her front paws and attempted to stand on her wobbly hind legs, but walking on four legs was an unfamiliar experience.
"I can't walk," Hoshiyo whimpered.
The Tanuki chuckled and said, "Stand on all fours and place one paw before the next. Do the same for the back legs, and you'll be walking like normal in no time."
Hoshiyo glanced at her paws and took one cautious step at a time. Soon, she was pacing unusually with a limp, making her slower than the other Yokai. They descended the mountain back to the village, passing farmers toiling in the fields along the dirt road. Despite her desire for everyone to know she was okay, the complexity of her situation made it challenging to explain to her father.
The Tanuki walked ahead of her, and she struggled to catch up. She asked, "Hey, so, if I am the Kami of the stars, what can I do that I couldn't do before?"
"I thought it was obvious?" The Tanuki replied cheerfully, strolling down the path. "You have power over the stars and bring light to the humans on Earth. Keeping the stars aligned is crucial because they make life on Earth possible. Amaterasu is the most important one out of all of them because, without her, there wouldn't be any life here at all. The Earth would be a cold, rocky wasteland covered in ice."
Hoshiyo lowered her head and whined, "I don't know how to do that."
"Neither do I. Maybe the other Kami could help you," The Tanuki suggested. "Every Kami on this planet needs your help, so it's time to start packing your bag, princess."
"No way," Hoshiyo yelled. "I'm only one person. I can't travel all around the world to help everyone by myself."
The Tanuki stopped, turned around, and asked, "Then what do you suggest we do? It's not like we can clone you."
Hoshiyo perked up her ears and smiled; she stumbled ahead of him, spinning in circles with joy. Her tail cheerfully flicked back and forth as she danced with her hind legs up and her front legs on the ground.
The Tanuki stared at her with one eyebrow raised higher than the other. He said, "What has gotten into you all of a sudden?"
"My father is a scientist; he could make clones of me to go across the world," Hoshiyo said.
The Tanuki frowned and replied, "I don't think that's emotionally healthy for your father, but if it means saving the world, then I don't see why not."
The long stretch of road guided them to a small rocky cliff leading to the ocean of Japan. Some young children were jumping over the rocks and playing together while their parents worked hard to put food on the table. Hoshiyo stopped to stare at the children. She was once their age, playing with Hanako, but now those days were long over. A part of her felt like she didn't want to grow up. Her childhood wasn't long enough, but she could do anything about it.
A little girl in a dirty green Yukata stood over the rocks and screamed. She pointed to where the water touched the stones, and the others yelled in horror. The adults walking by rushed to their aid, including the nearby farmers who heard the screams. They all crowded around the edge of the cliff.
The Tanuki sprinted toward the cliff and yelled, "We should hurry."
Hoshiyo did her best to catch up, but she tripped over her four feet in her attempt to reach the cliff's edge. They leaped down onto the rocks and stood close to the water. A man with a bamboo pole reached into the water to pull in a body from the rough currents. Judging by the apparent long black hair and starlight Yukata, it was Hoshiyo.
Men dragged her out of the water, cautioning, "Watch her head."
The Tanuki whispered, "Why do the humans always say that? The person is dead; why does it matter?"
Hoshiyo's heart began to beat out of her chest; she hyperventilated, watching her human form cold and bloated. It was like an out-of-body experience, but now she was a Kami who couldn't do anything to save her humanity.
A man yelled, "Someone go find Hiroshiro and tell him we found his daughter."
Whispers of rumors floated through the village, casting shadows on Hiroshiro's reputation as a father. The villagers speculated that, left alone after his wife's demise due to smallpox, he neglected Hoshiyo, leaving her to fend for herself without the necessities. Some even implied darker motives, suggesting he had harmed his daughter to avoid the responsibility of caring for her.
In a defiant roar, Hoshiyo countered, "That's not true! None of that is true!"
Unheard and unseen, Hoshiyo stood by the rocks, her lifeless form splayed across the sand and rocks. Hanako's mother descended the cliff, ignoring the rumors, cradled Hoshiyo's head on her lap with purple lips and sunken eyes. The compassionate act of Hanako's parents provided a glimmer of relief in the spreading gossip. Hanako's mother gently caressed her, wiping away the sand, and massaged her limbs to alleviate the rigor mortis.
Hiroshiro and Hanako's father fought through the crowd, plunging the cliff to join in mourning for Hoshiyo. Together, they wept for her. As Hoshiyo approached her father, tears streaming down her face, the Tanuki extended his arm to halt her progress. Hiroshiro, wiping away his tears, sensed an unusual tension in the air. When he looked up, there she was—Hoshiyo, a magnificent black Dire Wolf with bright red eyes, tears rolling down her fur. Lowering his head to avoid causing a scene, Hiroshiro held his lifeless daughter in his arms. Witnessing the heartbreaking scene, Hoshiyo clenched her jaw, understanding what she had to do.