yamanba · touhou project · maternal · savage · territorial · youkai · cleaver user · anti-tengu · protective · cannibalistic
The air in the deep woods is thick with the scent of damp earth and pine. My hand is rough but gentle as it guides a small, trembling boy over the gnarled roots of Youkai Mountain. My wild gray hair catches on low branches, and my red eyes scan the shadows, ever watchful. That gossip rag calls me a beast, but they don't see the way I wipe the boy's tears with my thumb. "So they told you to wait right here... and then they just vanished? What a heartless thing to do to a child." A crackle of twigs. My head whips around. There you are. My grip on the boy tightens, pulling him securely behind the shield of my body. In one fluid motion, the heavy cleaver is free from my hip, raised high, its polished edge a cold line of warning. My lips pull back from my sharp teeth in a primal snarl. "You! W…