The heavy snow outside the outpost showed signs of easing. As the dark clouds parted, moonlight spilled from the sky, illuminating the frost-white earth.
"Awooo."
"Awooo."
The Dog Yokai at the cave entrance began changing shifts for the latter half of the night.
One Dog Yokai lay at the entrance, away from the warmth of the fire. A gust of wind and snow made him shudder, and he let out an "awooo."
"Even in weather this harsh, there's no guarantee the enemy won't sneak over. Take this seriously and stay alert."
The quiet voice drew closer, making the dogs hold their breath and focus. They obediently lay on the ground, sniffing the air while watching the distant wind and snow.
An endless expanse of white stretched between heaven and earth, vast and desolate.
After refining his demonic power, Tōga had gained a new understanding of its essence and was close to becoming a Mid-Level Yokai. He stood at the cave entrance, one hand resting on the fang sword at his waist, a gift from an elder of his clan.
This was a border outpost, after all. He had to give it the attention it deserved. Demons were not creatures that could be judged by ordinary standards.
A sky full of snow could stop low-level demons, but it was nothing to Mid-Level Yokai.
Except for their concealed watch posts, the Dog Tribe's border outposts were all built in conspicuous locations.
His outpost stood halfway up a mountain, directly opposite the leopard cat clan's territory.
Snow covered the dense forest. Beneath the moonlight, branches swayed in the wind like layers of shifting ghostly shadows.
Below the mountainside lay an open area the Dog Tribe had cleared, ensuring an unobstructed view from the outpost so the cunning leopard cats could not creep up on them.
I keep feeling someone watching me from the shadows. Is it a leopard cat?
Tōga twitched his nose a few times. The surrounding scents were normal, and he could see nothing out of place.
Are they farther out?
His expression remained unchanged. After calmly giving his subordinates a few reminders, Tōga returned to the cave.
He passed Red Evil Ogre, who was still training, then left the outpost through the concealed exit at the very back.
In the distant forest, Winter Gale, almost completely blended into the ice and snow, watched Tōga enter the outpost. She vanished from her spot and returned to her own outpost.
"Big sister, are we going to ambush those dog whelps across from us now?"
Inside the outpost, Spring Gale, with her long tawny hair and little flower hair ornament, threw her petite body into the mature Winter Gale's arms.
"There's no rush today."
Holding the little-girl-sized Spring Gale, Winter Gale sat down beside the fire.
Hearing the order to call off the attack, the leopard cats around her, who had been ready for battle, settled into crouches and watched Winter Gale quietly.
"Big sister, why aren't we in a hurry? The heavier the snowstorm, the better it is for you, isn't it?" Spring Gale asked in confusion.
Winter Gale's demonic power was ice in essence, and fighting amid ice and snow was her greatest strength.
The storm outside could practically double her combat strength, placing her firmly among the strongest Mid-Level Yokai.
"That's true, but that dog whelp named Tōga keeps giving me a sense of extreme danger. It's like..."
Winter Gale frowned, wanting to describe what she felt but unable to find the right words.
She changed the subject. "We can kill those dog whelps anytime. There's no need to rush. Once Summer Gale and Autumn Gale arrive, we'll strike together and teach them a lesson."
"Spring Gale, practice your illusions properly over the next few days. Try to make it so we can sneak right under those whelps' dog noses."
"Don't worry, big sister."
Spring Gale's demonic power leaned toward bewilderment, allowing her to cast illusions. She lifted her little head from Winter Gale's arms, her brow-length bangs swaying slightly, her wide, blinking eyes full of confidence.
"Good! However strong that strange Tōga is, he's a Mid-Level Yokai at most!"
Winter Gale swept a hand through the air and declared decisively, "Those two will be here within seven days at the latest. Then the four of us will join forces and kill every last dog whelp!"
"Meow!"
Their excited cries echoed, only to be swallowed by the howling wind and snow as soon as they left the cave.
Standing in the shadows, Tōga let the fierce wind tousle his hair. His flecked-gold eyes regarded the unguarded entrance of the leopard cats' outpost thoughtfully, and an amused smile curved his lips.
"What an arrogant bunch of kitties!"
In the past wars between cats and dogs, the leopard cat clan had always held the overall advantage.
When the Leopard Cat Lord Oyakata ruled the Western Country, he had poured almost the entire nation's resources back into his clan, causing its strength to grow explosively.
Their numbers of high-, intermediate-, and low-level demons were all several times those of the Dog Tribe.
Had the Dog Tribe not enjoyed the support of other demon clans, it would have been utterly defeated long ago.
Thus, it was usually the leopard cats, with their hatred of the Dog Tribe, who started the wars. The Dog Tribe, often forced to fight back in self-defense, remained at a disadvantage.
Every war between cats and dogs cost the Dog Tribe a great deal of blood, and time after time, the leopard cat clan cut short its rise.
Even straightforward demons could see the Great Yokai Oyakata's true intent—bleed them slowly, draining the Dog Tribe's young blood again and again!
Over more than fifty years of war, the kings of the two clans had fought several major battles as well.
After each battle, the Dog King could appear before others for less and less time.
The elders of the Dog Tribe knew perfectly well what that meant.
They were outmatched, and there was nothing to say about that. But their pride and courage left every member of the Dog Tribe seething!
Better to die with honor than live in disgrace!
Then Tōga came to the Dog Tribe.
"First the Dog King, then the Admiral. The leopard cat clan's days are all but numbered."
Tōga listened to the leopard cats' laughter mingling with the wind and snow, his eyes utterly cold.
In seven days, he would bury the future Four Heavenly Kings of the Leopard Cats beneath the white snow of the Dog Tribe's high mountains for good!
The wind continued to howl, and Tōga vanished. Within moments, the heavy snow buried every trace of his presence.
On his way back, Tōga did not use the rear entrance. Deliberately suppressing his presence and masking his scent, he crept silently to the foot of the outpost's mountain. The dogs on duty only noticed him when he was almost ready to climb up.
Tōga even saw two of the dogs huddled together for warmth.
Their vigilance truly left him at a loss for words.
Should he praise his own strength for giving his dogs such a profound sense of security, or blame them for being so careless?
If someone other than him had come, what would have become of this outpost?
Recalling Winter Gale and the others, Tōga fell silent for a moment.
The four dogs stood in a row, trembling as they watched the silent Tōga. Even the snowstorm filling the sky behind the young man was not as cold as the expression on his face.
The deathly silence pressed their heads lower and lower.
Only when a delighted human voice sounded from inside the outpost did the icy atmosphere lift, leaving the dogs glad to still be alive.
"I can understand a lack of ability, but going through the motions is a problem with your attitude. Do this again, and I'll have every last one of you castrated!"
"Awooo!"
The dogs, silent with fear, squeezed their legs together and stood at the outpost entrance, facing different directions into the wind and snow.
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