Chapter Text
It wasn't exactly that she was an intruder, but seeing the wolf-girl roaming the bamboo forest so comfortably did make Tewi feel a slight unease. It could be annoying to be reminded that the safe space they'd made their home wasn't only theirs.
Plus, she was bound to run into one of the other rabbits sooner rather than later, so it would be for the best if Tewi was the first one she met. Thinking this, she stepped through into the small clearing where the wolf-girl was sitting, idly looking up at the sky with her back resting against a rock.
"Oh!" The wolf-girl said when she noticed Tewi eyeing her, standing up while still slightly bending lower as if to balance their eyelines, holding out one hand with a smile that Tewi felt could only mean she was being underestimated. "Good morning! My name is Kagerou, I'm a werewolf- but there's nothing to be scared of, I'm not hear to eat anyone." She said in what must've been her idea of kindness.
"Heh." Tewi grinned and turned the other cheek. "Werewolf-girl, huh? I've heard of you. You're with that little grassroots network, right? I'm not gonna be afraid of some youkai that wants to act like she's human, so relax, wolf-girl."
Kagerou seemed to twitch slightly, and her face twisted into an irritated grin as she drew her hand back, her long nails growing longer. "Oho, let me assure you, I'm very comfortable with my youkai nature, if you're looking to see what it's like to be eaten by a wolf, little rabbit."
It seemed the wolf-girl was quick to anger. Tewi bounced slightly on one leg, ready to teach the wolf a lesson, her face stuck on a smirk until she noticed movement out of the corner of her eyes. One of the younger youkai rabbits had hopped into the clearing.
"What are you- come back here!" As Tewi shouted, she turned her attention back towards the wolf-girl, preparing to intersect her attack to protect the young rabbit. Instead, Kagerou's expression had completely changed, dropping all aggression and returning to her previous amiable smile, her nails retracting back as she waved a greeting to the new face.
"Hi there! Sorry if we made a little too much noise just now, big sister rabbit and me were just playing a little bit." Kagerou explained kindly.
"Aoi's seen you here before!" The young rabbit said looking up at Kagerou, her eyes gleaming.
"You have?!" Tewi asked the rabbit in slight irritation. "How come you never told me?"
Aoi rubbed the back of her head with an embarrassed smile. "Wolf lady seemed nice... I saw her chasing some butterflies, and she was so focused trying to catch one that she ran straight into a tree! It was really funny!" She laughed at the memory.
"Y-You saw that?!" Kagerou hid her blushing face in her open hands.
Tewi couldn't help the laugh that took her over, now that the tension seemed to have completely dissipated. "Alright, alright, but next time you see anyone you don't know, you tell me even if they're just a funny clutz, got it?" She said, stepping closer to give Aoi a kind pat on the head. "Now get back to the other kids, I'm sure the wolf lady won't be doing anything funny enough to waste your time with us." She added, giving her a light push on her back to guide her back towards the mansion.
Kagerou waved at the young rabbit as she hopped away. "My name is Kagerou, by the way! Not Wolf Lady!"
"Aoi is Aoi! Bye bye, wolf lady!" Aoi answered with a giggle, waving back then disappearing deeper into the forest.
"...So, may I know the kind big sister rabbit's name?" Kagerou asked once Aoi was gone, her kind expression replaced by a smile that seemed at once sharp, embarrased, and genuine.
Tewi sighed. "Tewi. Guess I'm not blowing off steam with a fight today." She said with a dismissive hand gesture. She then puffed her chest out, putting both hands on her hips in a proud pose. "Listen here, wolf- er, Kagerou! If you're a proud youkai in the bamboo forest, you gotta know one rule! If you mess with any of the rabbits, you get a ridicule worse than death as your punishment!" She didn't need to bring up the lunarians for a small fry like this.
Kagerou giggled, however. "Miss Tewi is gonna be punishing me? I'd like to see that." She answered, with narrowed eyes that made Tewi's heart skip a beat, for whatever reason.
"Don't underestimate the power of a rabbit's whimsy, little wolf girl." Tewi said to the youkai that could stand almost twice her height.
"Of course I won't! But don't forget this wolf's fangs can always dig into some tender rabbit meat if you want to try your luck again, Miss Tewi."
Tewi couldn't hold back a chuckle. This Kagerou girl was fun. "You won't catch this rabbit by the tail that easily. But who knows, maybe if you get enough practice catching butterflies you'll have a chance one day."
She turned to leave, waving her hand in what could've been interpreted as a lazy goodbye, but stopped herself when Kagerou spoke up again.
"Wait, Miss Tewi!" She said.
"Huh?"
"I do intend to be a youkai of this forest. Wolf or not, I hope we can get along." Tewi could hear the smirk on her face, and wondered why it made her feel so strangely. "If I'm a good girl with the other rabbits, do I get to play with big sis Tewi again?"
Tewi laughed loudly. "There's nothing rabbits like to do more than playing."
"Isn't that true of all animals?"
"You tell me, werewolf-girl Kagerou. Guess we'll see each other soon if so." Tewi said, finally leaving without turning back.
There was a certain hop in her step, perhaps literally, that she couldn't contain even by the time she made it back to the mansion. Hopping inside, it seemed at least Kaguya had noticed, even as she absentmindedly snacked without looking at Reisen's tireless work continuously replacing the crackers she ate.
"What's got you so happy after yelling so much in the morning?" She asked, raising an eyebrow and setting down the murder mystery novel Reisen had gotten her from Kourindou.
"What are you saying, princess? Rabbit humor can be fickle, you know?" Tewi giggled, having completely forgotten whatever had put her in a bad mood earlier in the day. "I just met someone new in the forest earlier. She seems like the type that will be fun to mess with."
"Oho... If Tewi's found something to keep her attention, then you know what that means, right, Reisen?"
"W-what does it mean?" Reisen asked, her hands slightly trembling.
Kaguya hid a small laugh behind one long sleeve. "She might be distracted, so you'll have to work even harder, dear Reisen."
Reisen gulped and let out a sad moan. "Uuu... Of course, lady Kaguya..."
Wherever it was that Kagerou really lived, it seemed she'd made that small clearing in the bamboo forest the place where she spent the most time. When Tewi stepped in, she was once again dozing off looking up at the sky, sitting with her legs sprawled out and her back resting on the large, warm rock that made the clearing identifiable, with the surrounding sights entirely dominated by the tall bamboo trees.
She wasn't even sure why she'd come seeking her out, other than she just hadn't been able to contain the interest that had kept the werewolf in her mind for the past week.
"I've heard a lot about you playing with the other rabbits lately." Tewi spoke up, earning Kagerou's attention. She could swear she saw the wolf-girl's ears perk up, her tail wagging slightly.
"Hehe, the little ones have been wearing me out a little. They're fast!" Kagerou said, patting the grass beside her.
"Heh, for them to be so trusting of a stranger, and a werewolf no less, it's obvious they've never felt pain at the hands of youkai or humans yet." Tewi scoffed, sitting on the opposite side of Kagerou to where she'd been welcomed. "It's a little frustrating to have to be the one being wary for them, but I guess it's my own fault."
Kagerou chuckled. "They seem to really like the humans. I didn't know you rabbits were so keen on going outside the forest."
"It's the new generation or something like that." Tewi waved one hand dismissively. "The ones that became youkai more recently, after receiving the love of humans as pets for a long time." She sighed. "Well, I guess they deserve to have their fun for as long as they're safe."
"You really are their big sister, aren't you? All protective and caring." Kagerou smiled and moved her hand as if to pat Tewi's head, before it got deflected.
"You're acting more like a big sister. You could just go somewhere else, the kids would probably forget you soon enough."
"But it's fun! I heard wolves are supposed to travel in packs, but I never had close family like that. I feel like I know what that's like now... I might want to steal them from you, you know?"
Tewi turned to see Kagerou grinning at her with fake malice, her narrowed eyes again making her feel strange, tempting her to keep staring up at her, and at the same time urging her to look away.
She pouted with a "Hmph!" and made herself comfortable by laying on the grass, her head resting on Kagerou's lap. She grinned to herself, thinking the gesure must be making Kagerou feel flustered already, wanting to open her eyes to see but choosing to feign aloofness.
"A wolf with a bunch of rabbits? Don't think we'll adopt you just because you have a lonely backstory." She said.
"It's not like I especially want to be adopted, Miss Tewi..." Kagerou whispered, and Tewi felt a sudden but gentle touch on her sensitive ears, one that sent a wave of warmth through her.
She sat upright in a flash and glared at Kagerou with bravado, trying to hide the blush blossoming on her face. "Hey, the ears are off-limits!"
Kagerou giggled, unapologetic. "Is that so? The other rabbits didn't mind, though... Say, I think I've gotten pretty good at giving ear massages! I could make you feel really good, if you let me."
"Heh, not while you've got those long, scary nails!"
"I know how to be very careful with them, but alright, it's your choice. The option is always available."
Tewi scoffed, then let a comfortable silence take over their time together. She almost drifted off to sleep after a minute, feeling her exhaustion start to catch up with her. She started to regret leaving the comfort of Kagerou's lap, though she didn't want to admit it or lay down like that again.
"...So, is that why you joined that youkai network?" She asked when she wanted to break the silence.
"To pet a cute rabbit's ears?" Kagerou asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Stop thinking about my ears! I meant that thing you mentioned about family."
"Oh! Huh." Kagerou seemed to take her time thinking through the question, cupping her chin with one hand. "I guess that's possible."
"...You really hadn't thought very much about it, huh."
Kagerou laughed. "Well, I guess I was always aware that I wasn't an especially strong youkai, so I knew I needed some kind of protection in numbers, even if it isn't really my style to get involved in fights. The owner of Kourindou introduced the idea to me, and something about it felt... comforting."
Tewi nodded sagely. "Of course, all the rabbits understand. We're stronger as a community!"
Kagerou's small laughter irked her a little. "There's that, of course. But there's also the fact it's the youkai grassroots network. You called us youkai that wanted to act like humans, and in some ways you weren't wrong. But even if Sekibanki and Kou- er, Rinnosuke, like living in the village, it matters to me that together, we acknowledge ourselves as youkai." Her expression was distant, like she was in her own world, considering questions Tewi couldn't guess at.
"...So, you don't want to live with the village humans?" Tewi asked.
That got Kagerou's attention back towards her. "No, not at all." She seemed surprised by something, then started giggling like she couldn't contain herself.
"What's so funny?" Tewi asked, backing away slightly.
"No, it's just- I had never been asked so directly, so I hadn't realized how confident I was in my answer." Kagerou answered in between giggling fits.
"You're a weird werewolf, you know?" Tewi chuckled. There was no trace of mockery to her smile; rather, it held quite a bit of fondness.
"Plus, I wouldn't have come here if I was living as a human!" Kagerou added. "We wouldn't be chatting like we are now! Wouldn't that make you sad, Miss Tewi?" She leaned closer towards Tewi, making it harder for her to breathe.
"Alright, knock that off! Why do you keep calling me that?" Tewi looked away, putting her hands up to block Kagerou entering further into her personal space.
"Oho, I figured you would prefer it if I was mindful of our rank! Does that mean I can consider us equals, then, Tewi?"
Tewi hopped to her feet, turning her back to Kagerou with a dismissive hand wave. "Sure, sure. Rank, age, that's not that important anyway."
Kagerou giggled once again, raising her voice to wave goodbye. "Hope to see you again soon, then, Tewi! And don't forget my offer! Your ears would love it!"
Tewi only laughed as she hopped away, her heart beating a little too fast. She took deep breaths to calm herself, making up excuses in her head for why she left so suddenly and why her face felt so hot, wondering why it was that she couldn't stop smiling even if she tried.