Sending Off

To most people this is what they see when they see Okuri. A man of average height and build, long white hair and traditional clothing. Very simple, nothing standing out past the long white hair. This is not really what he physically is, merely what he appears to be. Everything he does he does in his true form and people see corresponding movements taken by this illusion of him.

This is Okuri's true form and he stands roughly five feet tall when on all fours. Those gifted with various powers will be able to see through the illusion right away while others may occasionally see glimpses when the illusion falters or if Okuri allows them to see him as he is.

Curiosity dominates Okuri's thoughts particularly when it comes to humans. He has little sense of personal space or boundaries as a result though he has learned over time to expect certain negative reactions as a result. He is always in the process of making judgments of people's character and will often praise and compliment those he likes and directly insult those he doesn't. Tact too like self-restraint are things he's come to learn somewhat over time but it's still lacking.

He often feels like an impartial observer yet he forms many opinions on just about anything he does observe. He'll gladly share any such opinion if approached. He is known to initiate conversations however awkwardly but very much enjoys being approached. He dislikes speaking very much of himself personally. Perhaps because his life has often been so focused on observation that he made little effort to truly ponder his own identity and sense of self.

Life of all kinds is precious to Okuri and the loss of it saddens him. He expects the proper respect be shown to those who pass. Those who are evil, who would intentionally harm or even take other lives are deserving of death in his eyes. Punishment is very different than a life simply passing or being taken and is justified in his mind. He was never one to play with those he attacked. He takes battle seriously and tries to make things quick. That said card games are at times difficult for him to take seriously simply because he finds the game so cute and fascinating.

To those who have seen his true form Okuri is very clear that he is not to be referred to as any sort of normal animal that humans might be more familiar with. In all cases he is insistent to merely be called Okuri, pressing for anything past that annoys his as do nicknames. He doesn't much care to gather the surnames of people he meets and at times finds himself confused as to how there can be multiple humans of the same name.

Any human who Okuri has judged to be of good character or of pure heart is a friend to him and worth protecting. The best of these will be allowed to see him as he is at all times. Okuri can get rather physical in terms of showing affection but isn't overbearing with it. He also doesn't accept unsolicited physical contact from others. Things can be a bit touchy once he's shown himself. His trust is something he gives rather freely to those he judges to be good and to have that harmed hurts him greatly.

Okuri Inu were creatures of the mountains sometimes called friendly spirits at other times referred to as demons. Most would stalk humans at a distance and wait for them to stumble on their path and consume them for their misstep. Though much less common others would serve as guides through rugged mountain paths to the human travelers. Then once their passage was complete the creature would make a judgement of the character of the person. Those judged as good would be sent on their way while those judged as bad would be attacked. They were tied to nature, the earth, the mountains in particular.

Okuri fell into this less common path. Humans fascinated him so he would purposefully get close to them in times of old to learn of them and their ways. He never had the concept of a name in mind for himself so as time passed and the tales were told by the humans of Japan about him and his kind he merely went by Okuri. Okuri undergoes a reincarnation of sorts every hundred years or so. He's aware of past lives but most memories and experiences escape him. Currently he's about ten years into his current life. His kind once abounded but as man developed they were more often hunted as dangerous beasts. Soon man would tame even the mountains and no place was truly safe. Okuri had long been at work at a certain way of truly interacting with humans himself. After lifetimes of pondering and leaving notes to himself he eventually figured out a peculiar magic whereby he appears human to all but the most observant of the human race. He was free to interact with and live among them, truly the best way to learn of them. He lost any contact he may have had with any of his kind and accepted his secretive existence among humans.

He was eventually truly able to adapt to their way of life, managing to work a job and establish a small home for himself. He would meet various humans, form friendships, and eventually move to some new place seeking to explore more of what humans had built for themselves. While the departure from the beauty of nature always unsettled him he marveled at what the humans managed to build for themselves. It had been a long time since he had last had the opportunity to guide and judge a human. He looked on his past interactions with a sort of nostalgia.

But eventually he felt compelled to finally take action. The recent attacks on Japan awakened him to a new determination. He wished to find those humans who had helped repel the attack and learn of their cause and character. He wishes to judge them too, to determine if they are truly fit to be protectors of the earth he feels so connected to. Along the course of things he'd even picked up on the game Vanguard which he found amusing and cute with how they depicted intelligent animals, crusading knights, fearsome dragons, and even silly portrayals of the Japanese gods of legend.