Shiro looked confused and shook his head. "No… You're lying to save your life. I trust Yitchi; he's my friend."
Chííł sighed softly, his eyes filled with understanding. "So… you've been deceived by that Yitchi. He sent you to kill me just so he can destroy the very one you must protect… the one tied to your redemption, to the sins you committed."
Chííł stepped forward, his voice calm but piercing. "Then I'll open your eyes. But first, answer me this."
He stared into Shiro's eyes. "Have you felt the human consciousness stirring inside you again? Any emotions clouding your heart, like empathy, gratitude… even fear?"
He paused, his tone heavier now. "Especially… Are you connected to the one you were supposed to kill long ago but couldn't?"
A moment of silence hung between them. "I'm right, aren't I?"
Shiro paused, memories flashing through his mind. Everything Chííł said lined up perfectly. The emotions… the connection… it was all true.
But still he refused to agree. With a growl of denial, Shiro lunged forward and attacked Chííł, his claws slicing through the air.
Chííł swiftly dodged the strike, his voice calm yet firm.
"Don't waste time, Shiro. Save him. Or her."
He stood tall, unafraid. "And if you still think I'm bluffing… Come back and kill me."
Shiro stood frozen, confusion clouding his thoughts. Yitchi would never leave his prey… Then why did he agree so easily?
Something felt wrong. He narrowed his eyes and muttered, "I'll go check." Then he turned to Chííł and said firmly, "You stay here."
Shiro rushed toward Luis, heart pounding, the forest blurring around him.
Meanwhile, at the police station, the door burst open. A young woman sprinted in, gasping for breath, panic all over her face.
"It's not a pet… It can talk!" She cried out in front of the chief. "Please, please save Luis from Shiro! It was Elsa.
On the other hand, at Luis's house, he was getting ready to go for a walk with Shiro. His phone buzzed on the bed, vibrating with missed calls and messages—but he didn't notice.
Suddenly, Shiro arrived and began barking at the main door.
Luis chuckled. "Shiro, I'm coming. Wait a second!"
Luis grabbed his hoodie and stepped out with Shiro. The time was 5pm. The air was cool and quiet as they walked, eventually finding themselves near an old, abandoned school alley.
As they reached the edge, Luis suddenly heard a voice deep, calm, and eerie.
"This place is good… and looks like a remote area too." A chill ran down Luis's spine. He turned sharply and called out, "Who's there? Come out!"
"I'm in front of you," the voice replied. Luis's brows furrowed. "Where? Show yourself!" he said, scanning the bush in front of him.
Then the voice came again, closer. "Look down… I'm here."
Luis turned slowly, and Shiro was staring right at him, smiling.
"You're not Shiro," Luis said, fear creeping into his voice. "Who are you… And where is Shiro?"
The figure chuckled, then slowly stood up on two legs.
"I am Yitchi," it said, grinning wickedly. "And why so many questions? Anyway, you're going to die."
As he spoke, Shiro's body grotesquely transformed, growing larger, limbs stretching and twisting. He now looked like a monstrous black wolf, but not quite perfect, twisted, and gruesome.
Luis's eyes widened in terror. He turned and tried to run, but it was too late.
With a roar, Yitchi lunged forward, slashing his claws straight into Luis's chest.
Luis screamed and collapsed to the ground.
Shiro suddenly heard a voice, a cry. It wasn't loud… but it was Luis's. And that was enough.
His heart raced as he bolted through the trees, leaping over branches and roots. As he neared the sound, something struck him; it was familiar.
He recognized the place. It was the old alley near the abandoned school. The same route that Luis usually took him for walks.
As Shiro reached the alley, his eyes locked onto Luis's body lying in a pool of blood.
Something inside him shattered. Suddenly, memories surged through his mind, blurry and broken.
He saw his father… carrying him on his shoulders, smiling as he fed him with gentle hands. The warmth. The comfort.
Then flashes of horror. A stone dagger, gripped tightly in a child's hands—it was Hózhó/Shiro's hand. Blood dripping from its edge. His father's lifeless body was lying in front of him.
Shiro snapped back to the present. His breath trembled, and then he let out a deafening howl—a haunting cry that echoed across the town like a wounded wolf mourning the past.
Shiro looked at Yitchi, his eyes brimming with tears, rage boiling beneath them.
"Why?" He choked, his voice cracking. "Why did you kill him?"
His claws trembled at his sides. "My father… You said you would leave Luis if I killed Chííł… then why?!"
Yitchi smirked, stepping closer to the broken Shiro. "Father… so, you figured it out," he sneered. "He's the reincarnation of your father. Impressive. But it's over now. Let it go."
Shiro's eyes blazed with fury. "I won't let this go! I'll kill you!"
Yitchi laughed coldly. "Kill me? In that weak dog form? You can't even transform without blood, and if I'm right, you haven't consumed blood in months."
He pointed mockingly at the ground, where Luis lay bleeding.
"If you want to kill me… then drink the blood beneath your feet. The blood of your reincarnated father—see how intimidating it is."
He threw his head back and laughed. "Hahaha! You're just a pet dog; now go play with a ball."
Shiro looked down at the blood pooling beneath his feet. The scent hit him like a wave, his rage begging him to give in.
But he didn't move. He clenched his jaws, trembling not from weakness, but from restraint. In that moment, Chííł's voice echoed in his mind—soft, calm, and resolute.
"Hey… one more thing.
You can transform into your true Yee naldóoshi form… without consuming human blood.
But only if you choose to save him."