For a long time, two countries in the East Continent were in conflict with each other. The island country of Nippon, and one of the most populous countries in the continent, China. Their clash of ideals sparked many arguments between their two leaders, the prime minister, and the Emperor, Weng Lei. I wasn’t alive when this happened, but China got hit by an army from another country due to a fall out between the Emperor and their leader. In his anger, Weng Lei assembled the Imperial army, fought back against their enemies, and defeated their leader. Ever since their victory, Weng Lei grew more paranoid about other countries attacking his country. This caused relations between him and Nippon to grow worse. Soon, rumors spread that he was preparing for war against the entire East Continent.

In the year 1987, my Dad, Solomon Yang, went to China to pose as a Chinese traveler and get information on the Imperial army. Secretly, he is one of the Generals who serves the King of Okayama, Naosuna. Dad was a strong, dependable leopard samurai, capable of defeating other warriors in combat single handedly. His roar can send chills down anyone’s spine, even the toughest Imperial soldier would fall to their knees upon hearing his mighty roar. Basically he was the right man to infiltrate their capital city of Beijing. Then things took an unexpected turn; one day he met a female leopard named Juhua Hung, who is one of Weng Lei’s consorts. Because of her title, sometimes she is treated with disrespect by other anthros. Dad was entranced by Juhua’s soft blue eyes, her long flowing hair, and beautiful rosette patterns. Giving into his desires, that was when Dad regularly visited her during his scouting missions. Weeks passed, and those two eventually fell in love with each other. Dad’s strong desire to be with Juhua motivated him to take her away from the country that treated her so poorly, and she happily went with it. He managed to take her all the way back to Okayama Kingdom. 

In order for her to live peacefully in Okayama, she lied about her heritage, and pretended to be Nipponese. Now free from the Emperor’s grasp, she dedicated her free time working to improve her cooking and baking skills. Thankfully the other anthros and his majesty treated her well. Who wouldn’t treat such a kind and nurturing woman like her with respect? In fact, the Okayama army felt a moral boost thanks to her feeding them delicious and nutritious food and encouraging them to do their best. The same can be said for my Dad, he was extra motivated to protect her and his country from the Imperials.

After almost a year of being together, Solomon proposed to Juhua. Filled with joy, she said yes, and that was how she and my Dad got together. After another year of living together, they amicably made a big choice that could possibly make their lives complicated; having a baby. The reason why it’s complicated is because there is a taboo in the East Continent; an anthro of Chinese and Nipponese heritage must never have a baby together. Solomon would not let that stop him. He loves Juhua so much and wants nothing more than to raise a child together. Although she was concerned about the taboo, she grew fond of the idea to raise a child with her husband. 

It took a few months, but my mom did get pregnant. It’ll be hard to keep the lie going if I had been born Chinese, so she and Dad had to tell the truth about her to King Aosuna. He was disappointed that they lied to him, but he congratulated them regardless. My dad was like a grandson to his majesty, and he wanted what was best for them. In order for us to be protected from persecutors, he made the tough choice to banish my parents from his kingdom. Word got around that the Imperials are searching for Juhua, and he didn’t want them invading his kingdom. My parents had to hide somewhere near Tokyo, so they could be under their protection. Agreeing to his decision, Mom and Dad left Okayama.

After three and a half months of living in Yasoinaba, a country town where my Dad’s parents lived, I was born. I barely remembered the day of my birth, but I remember being told that I was the cutest leopard cub they had ever seen. I inherited my dad’s fur color, and my mom’s eyes. When the doctors confirmed that I was Nipponese and Chinese, they expressed their disappointment and concerns for our safety. My parents expected this, and were already prepared to leave Yasoinaba behind. From then on, we’d move every year for the next six years in the hopes of settling in Tokyo.

I was six years old when we finally made it to Tokyo. This is when I started to express myself more. I grew curious about my parents' hobbies, their interests, and their history together. They didn’t say much though. Usually a child would be persistent in making their parents talk, but I was more reserved than that. I trusted them, and instead expressed my interest in learning to cook like my mom. I also loved watching my dad train with a katana. I wanted to be like him when I grew up, a strong leopard. I’ll never forget his creed that he taught me after protecting us from a feral creature during a camping trip.

“You know son, there was something my father told me that stuck with me, and inspired me to be a samurai.” He was sitting by the fire while I ran up and hopped up and down, wanting to hear what my Grandpa told him. A soft chuckle passed his lips, then he picked me up and put me on his lap. “Easy. I’ll tell you, but you have to promise that you won’t forget.”

“I won't, dad. I promise.” I put my little paw over my heart and gave him a firm nod. He gave me a pet on the head, then put his paw on my shoulder. I looked him in the eyes and listened intently.

“Loyalty and devotion leads to bravery. Bravery leads to the spirit of self-sacrifice. The spirit of self-sacrifice creates trust in the power of love. If you love and care for someone, then you will find the courage to fight for them. Remember that, little leopard.”

I loved that creed. It made me smile and admire my father even more. My mom sat by me and gave me a side hug before I could say something. “That is a wonderful creed, honey. Are you going to follow it, my sunshine?”

“Yeah!” Mom, Dad. I promise I’ll remember your creed. I’ll never forget it. Never ever.” I shook my head twice to emphasize my promise. After that, Dad told me more stories about his days in the Okayama army. Hearing how much of a hero he was really solidified my desire to be a samurai like him. I felt ready for him to train me now that we settled in Tokyo. At least, I thought I was ready. Until everything fell apart…

I didn’t understand how, but the Imperials found us. We were captured, chained up, and taken all the way back to China. The cuffs my parents wore drained them of their magical energy, so they couldn’t even use magic to fight back. We sat alone in a cage riding a carriage through a dark bamboo forest. It was raining, and I heard the footsteps of horses and imperial soldiers all around me. I was so scared that I couldn’t speak or move. I stayed curled up in a ball and hid my face while sitting on my Dad’s lap. He and my Mom looked hopeless. We were bound to be executed once we arrived at the Palace where Weng Lei resided. 

Just as all hope was lost, we were blessed with a miracle. A lone warrior appeared and attacked the imperial soldiers. My parents and I were bewildered by the sudden ambush. I remember my father holding me tightly around my waist and my mom sitting so close to us. Then, the warrior showed their face and cut down the bars and chains that tie us down. Despite his face being covered by a bamboo hat, I knew he looked like a snow leopard. Before we could even thank him, he ran off to fight more of the imperials alone. This was our chance to run, so we all got out of the carriage and ran as fast as we could. Unfortunately the imperials noticed us making an escape, so we had to move it.

We ran for a long time. We could hear the imperials behind us shouting, “Traitor!”, and “Death to the filthy anthro!”. I could tell my Dad wanted to stop and fight them off, but he stayed with mom and I. While we were running past a large lake with thick bushes by bamboo trees, I tripped and fell on my knees. It hurt pretty badly, so I had to call out to my parents before they left me behind. They picked me up, and hid in one of the large thick bushes. This was our chance to catch our breath, so Dad checked my knee to make sure I didn’t hurt it too badly.

“Good, it’s not broken. You’re okay son.” He said before licking my knee.

“Shh. I hear something.” Mom wanted us to stay quiet. We started to hear faint footsteps heading towards us. We all grew anxious. “What do we do now? Our son’s life is at stake.”

“But if we run now, they’ll find us.” While I was blowing on my knee, I looked up and saw my parents looking around, struggling to think of a plan. Then, they looked down at me. I could tell that they were about to cry. They looked at each other, then my dad said, “I won’t let them hunt us down anymore. I’m going to create a diversion.”

“Not by yourself. I’m going too.” Juhua put her paw against her chest and spoke in a stern tone. There was no way she was going to leave him to fight by himself.

“But our son…” My dad said in a soft tone. They both look at me again, then listen for the footsteps. They grew louder. “Okay. I got an idea.” I was surprised when dad started rubbing dirt on my arms and forehead, but it was a good idea. The mud would mask my scent.

After they put enough dirt on my arms and head to mask my scent, Mom put her paw on my cheek and spoke softly, “Honey. Look at me.” Her voice started to crack as she spoke to me. “Listen carefully. Your father and I need you to stay here and stay hidden. We’re going to make the bad anthros go away, and then we’ll be back to get you, okay?” 

I remember being very scared and confused. All I said to her was, “Will everything be alright if I hide?” Then my dad tears up. He put his paw on my shoulder and said, “Yes, son. I promise.” They both give me a long, tight hug. “Daddy and Mommy will be right back, but if we don’t make it back… you must survive on your own.”  I didn’t like what he said. The thought of losing my parents took over, and I wanted to tell them not to go, but it was too late.

The footsteps grew so loud that they could hear the imperials panting. My parents run out of the bushes, take a few steps forward, and watch as the imperials emerge from the forest. Solomon shouted, “Over here! Juhua, go!” Then together they ran off. The imperials were so focused on them that they didn’t even smell my scent. I curled into a ball and put my face on my knees, staying as quiet as I can. I stayed in this position for a while. The footsteps grew quieter as they ran further into the forest. I did what my parents told me and stayed hidden. Eventually I started to hear the sound of swords clashing and magic spells being cast. Then, I heard a loud, booming scream that sent a chill down my spine. Right after that, a dragon's roar that followed by the loud crack of lighting. I wanted to scream, so I covered my muzzle and layed on the ground.

I waited a minute and listened carefully to my surroundings. Everything went quiet, and I started to feel the pitter patter of rain on my head. I decided to crawl out of the bushes and look around. I followed the trail of large, various footprints that lead to the forest, then looked up to see smoke coming from up ahead. “Dad?” I said softly. I couldn’t just stay where I was, so I worked up the courage to walk forward, and look for any sign of my mom or dad. As I walked, the sound of wild animals chirping, howling, and running filled the silent air. I continued walking, then came to a stop as I saw a large field where many dead imperial bodies lay. The sight of blood, bruises, and burns on their bodies terrified me. I closed my eyes, and tried to sniff out my father’s scent. Being very careful not to step on any of the imperials, I pressed on.

“Dad!” Soon I found my dad’s body, laying on the ground. I got on my knees, shook his body, and called his name multiple times. He remained silent and still, so I used every ounce of strength I could muster to turn his body over. A soon as I flipped him over, an overwhelming sense of fear and sadness took over. He had broken swords and spears thrust through his body, and burn markings all over him. His eyes were wide open and devoid of life. I was so heart broken that I could barely speak. “Dad… D-Dad.” That's all I could say. As I lay my body on his and cried my eyes out, the rain came in strong, drenching everything and everyone in water, including myself. 

All the memories I had with him came to me like a flood. It was torturous, because I knew I would never be able to live another day with him again. He was my hero, my inspiration. I couldn’t imagine life without him, so I stayed by his side. I didn’t even think about Mom or where she could be. While I stayed there and let the rain fall on me, the very same snow leopard that saved us appeared. He slowly walked towards me and looked down with a silent, blank look. Without saying anything, he picked me up, held me tight, and walked away. I didn’t have the strength to say anything or resist, so I let him take me. I was so overwhelmed by what I saw that I actually passed out.

When I finally woke up, I found myself on a ship going back to Nippon. The warrior who saved me was a former Imperial soldier named Shan Jin. With him is his wife, Jan Hua Jin- a lion, and their six year old son, Shi- a lion with a white mane and white fur on his paws. I felt emotionally and physically drained, so I could barely comprehend anything that they said to each other. After they were done discussing stuff, Shan just got down on one knee, bowed his head, and said, “Your parents are gone, but we will take care of you.” When I started to understand what he said, I threw a fit. I wanted to go back and find my mom so badly. Jan Hua had to calm me down, but thankfully she was so comforting and patient with me. I eventually calmed down, and it also helped that their son invited me to play with him while we rode the ship to Nippon.

From then on, I lived with the Jin family for 16 years. All four of us changed our names and pretended we were Nipponese anthros so we could live peacefully in Kyoto. I went to school, made friends, learned self defense from Master Shan, and grew a close bond with Shi. I started to learn things about myself that made me feel confused, but thankfully I had Shi and my classmate’s support in that. In fact, now that I am an adult, I grew very fond of Shi. I could tell that he liked me too, so I worked up the courage to tell him about my feelings for him.

Once again luck was not kind to me. The imperials found us. I didn’t want a repeat of losing my parents, so I demanded that they take me as long as they don’t kill the Jin family. Despite their pleas, the imperials agreed, and were about to take me away. What surprised me was that Shi, who now goes by Shigeru, demanded that they take him too. I’ll never forget the look on his face when he faced that Imperial General.

“Listen. If you take me, then the Emperor will have one more warrior serving him. I swear that I will serve and listen to his every word, as long as you let me be with Animus. Please.” The glint of resolve in his eyes was staggering. I was convinced that he genuinely cared about me. I looked at him with a sad smile and watched him walk to my side.

“W-why… Shi…?” Shan said while being pinned by a hulking wolf in imperial armor. Shigeru looked back at his father and said, “Forgive me Father… but I care for Animus too much to lose him.” The fact that he left his own parents behind really showed just how strong our bond is. With that, we were taken back to Beijing China, where Emperor Weng Lei made us his soldiers. 

The next four years were very rough on us. We underwent a grueling military training regimen, and then carried out missions under the Imperial Banner. I barely got to see Shigeru, and I was treated badly for being half Chinese and Japanese. Every day felt like torture, and I couldn’t do anything about it. One of the only reasons I could follow through with the Imperial work is that I got to spend time with Shigeru on my breaks. As long as we were together, we could keep going.

 In the year 2016, Shigeru and I are now 26 years old. Because I was part of the army, Weng Lei made a declaration of war on the Animalands. Not just the East Continent, but our entire world. That was also the day I made a terrible discovery; He was taking imperial soldiers and experimenting on them to turn them into powerful and obedient feral creatures. If that was bad enough, I was forced to partake in a test fight against one of them. Shigeru and I recognized the test subject as our friend, Chiake. He has a wife and kid and wanted to take them far away from China. That snooty royal advisor ratted him out to the Emperor, and that resulted in our friend being the victim of torture and experimentation. I couldn’t bear to kill him, so I tried to run out of the arena to no avail. Every fiber of my being wanted to survive so I could someday find my Mom, so I took my sword and stabbed our former friend, freeing him from his state.

That broke me. I ran to my living quarters, laid on my bed, and released 20 years of heartache and anger with a scream. Then I cried into my pillow, wanting everything to end. Just as I was losing all hope, my best friend that was with me for all this time came in. He picked me up, looked me in the eyes, and put his paws on my shoulders.

“You must not give up. I want what’s best for you, Animus. If you give up, then I’ll be broken hearted.” I silently stared at him, taking deep breaths to stop the tears from falling. He lifted his paw and wiped a tear off my cheek. “I care about you too much to lose you. My father and mother wanted me to protect you from the empire, but I genuinely want to keep you safe, even if I wasn’t told to.” After saying that, he gave me a hug, so I hugged him back.

He gave me the strength to push through pain and fight for our freedom. With Shigeru by my side, we fled China, found allies, and formed alliances with other Kingdoms in the East Continent. Although memories of my parents haunted me, my hope remained undaunted. I’ve become stronger after going through so much pain and sorrow. I’ve remained unbroken, and I ain’t afraid to be the man I want to be, a samurai who loves my partner dearly. Together, we became the Guardians that will end the Imperial conquest of our world.

This is my road, and my story.

Written by Leopard_Samurai