In the Ishigami village the most famous fairy tale for children was the story of the great and terrifying wolf Tsukasa. Parents would strictly forbid their children from venturing alone into the forest. Though the wolf was known as nothing more than a rumor, as only a few eyewitnesses had ever seen his immense silhouette among the trees, he loomed over the village as a terrifying presence.

And Tsukasa relished the fear he inspired. The shape-shifter lived alone in the forest far from the village, and no one disturbed him. He enjoyed his solitude, spending most of his time in his wolf form and rarely using his human form.

Tsukasa, in his wolf form, ran through the dense woods with professional accuracy. His sharp senses guided him as he stalked his prey, a fleet-footed deer, whose aroma filled his nostrils. But just as he settled into the tranquil peace of the forest, Tsukasa's world suddenly shattered with the clanging of a spring-loaded trap, its sharp iron teeth clamping down around his hind leg, trapping him in its grasp. Tsukasa let out a howl of pain, sending the birds perched among the trees scattering in fear.