#he flushes easily bc hes usually super insulated so when its just his face in the biting cold he turns red

[nerosdayinanime]

meanwhile the Tomiokas are snow leopards- their parents were killed when they were out and about in town and got discovered, the hunters were just visiting and didn't know they had kids. Tustako took over teaching Giyuu how to be a proper snow leopard? taught him as much as she could about hunting game and how to blend in when they go to town- emphasizing the need to triple check before leaving.

When he was 14 she was posed to marry a guy who loved her even with her being a half-animal, unfortunately his family found out about her and they weren't as accepting. She hid Giyuu in the secret compartment of a closet their parents had built decades ago, telling him to stay quiet for her.

Giyuu was dead silent and frozen still as he listened to the hunters beat her before finally killing her and moving on- they searched around the house and took valubles but never found him. When the sun went down and the whole town was asleep he grabbed one of her haoris from the closet and fled- running as far as his legs could carry him. He eventually found an abandoned house way up in the mountains away from people and claimed it as his own, it wasnt a hunter's house and it hadnt been touched in decades. perfect. his now.

He taught himself how to live on his own and survive, made himself a fur-lined top with a hood to hide his ears- people wouldnt question that given how cold it is up there -and used his sister's clothes to help him hide his teeth, also found some gloves to hide his claws. When he first went down to the new town people were very curious about him- slightly frightened by how quiet his steps were, he jumpscared a few people before he started purposely making noise when he was walking up to someone -and he told them he took up the old house that was up the mountain, they assured him the person who lived there died years ago- he could keep it. One man noticed how young he was and gave him fresh food to take home when he said he lived alone. He also ran into a particularly fiesty kid around his age, he was worried he had somehow figured out he was a hybrid when he corralled his younger siblings away from him. He went back home pretty soon after that encounter.

He started making some money selling the pelts he got from animals he hunted for food, also got good at making clothing for himself and takes requests for others for some extra money. He used said money to buy not-meat foods & rice since he. didnt know how to garden. most he got about that is which kinds of wild berries will kill you and such.

He lived like that for years in a vague haze of grief, trying to just keep living like she sacrificed herself for but feeling so utterly scared and alone. One day he had been outside and saw someone at the edge of the clearing around his house, he quickly went inside when they started walking towards him. They tried talking to him and asking about him, why wasnt he letting them in? something wrong?

He stopped responding and hid under the floorboard he modified, terrified and reliving Tsutako all over again- they started banging on the door, loud thuds from them trying to break open the door.

thud.

thud.

BANG

...

"HEADSHOT~!"

he startled- that was a different voice. "Ohh fuck that's a mess.." he crawled out from his hidey-hole and peaked through the window- a rabbit! ...and brains at his doorstep. that's fucking horrible.

He hesitantly went out and talked to them, quickly feeling more comfortable when Sabito told him about them being hunter-hunters. The Urokodakis cleaned up their mess from his front door & he invited them to stay and rest for a bit- it was getting dark out. They ended up staying and helping him do his chores & such for a few days, Sabito taught him how to use a gun. They made quick friends- Giyuu brightened up and talked more, Sabito made him less scared of the world- because hunters werent safe either. He was very upset when they had to leave, but Sakonji promised they'd be around again within a year- they circled around a large territory and would stop by to see him again when they passed by next.