Chapter Text
Hitori huddled up against the wall of the log, listening to the sound of the moose’s cries. He heard an ear-splitting scream as his father was struck by the moose. Hitori wanted to get up and pounce on the moose- Or help his father escape. But he couldn’t leave the safety of the log; he was petrified with fear.
Off in the distance, he heard the click of a shotgun, the stomping of boots and creaking.
Then Hitori heard a bang.
“Hey!” a gravelly voice yelled. “Sir, are you injured?”
Hitori couldn’t understand what the voice said, as they spoke a language he recognized as English. He could hardly hold a basic English conversation, but his father spoke almost fluently. Hitori’s father was incredibly intelligent, a brilliant man. But he was always so gloomy, sullen and blue.
Hitori heard a moan of pain followed by shuffling in the leaves.
“Let me help you.”
“Thank you.”
Hitori peeked out of the log. He saw a man lifting his father to his feet. The man wore a Gatsby cap, ragged green jacket with baggy brown pants and leather boots and gloves. At his feet was a metal, square flashlight with a handle.
The moose laid dead on the ground, stiff and lifeless. Red covered the grass around its head.
Feeling safe now that the vicious animal was dead, Hitori began to crawl out of the log.
As soon as he was about to stand up, Hitori heard a click.
The man who saved his father was pointing his shotgun at Hitori’s head. He held his finger lightly on the trigger.
“Stop! That’s my son!” Hitori’s father hollered.
The man quickly lowered his gun, taking his finger away from the trigger.
“My bad. Thought he was another moose.”
In Japanese, Hitori’s father said to Hitori, “Come here, quickly.”
Hitori dashed over to his father and avoided eye contact with the man with the shotgun. Upon further inspection, Hitori’s eyes widened with fear as he saw the skin on his father’s forehead was torn.
-
The man, whose name was Edgeworth, took Hitori and his father to his cottage.
“What’s your name, sir?” Edgeworth asked while filling a kettle with water. “And what’s your boy’s name?”
Hitori’s father laid on a couch in the living room, breathing slowly, “My name is Daichi. My boy’s name is Hitori. We are both from Japan but we are visiting relatives up here, in Alberta.”
“Who are your relatives?” Edgeworth asked. “I don’t know any Japanese folks around this area. But maybe that’s because I’m anti-social.”
“They’re not Japanese. They’re my ex-wife's parents. She’s from Mexico,” Daichi explained. “Our family is all over the globe.”
Edgeworth chuckled, “No kidding! Wow, how many languages do you speak, Daichi?”
“Four, technically. I speak and write Japanese and English fluently. I speak Spanish fluently and I studied Chinese in University,” Daichi stated.
“I’m impressed! That’s amazing. What do you do for a living?”
Hitori sat on an armchair next to the front door, staring down at his muddy shoes. He didn’t know what his father and that hunter were talking about. His hands were shaking, his heart was beating. He was confused.
“I don’t do anything. I’m retired.”
“Ah, that makes sense. Are you enjoying ya’ retirement, Mr Daichi?”
“Up until recently.”
Edgeworth awkwardly laughed, “Moose are pretty aggressive.”
The kettle on the stove began whistling. Hitori shot his eyes up at the stove. Edgeworth quickly picked the kettle up and poured the water into a giant silver bowl. He stepped into another room and came back out with a black cloth.
Edgeworth kneeled at the side of the couch Daichi laid on. He soaked the cloth in the steaming water and placed it on Daichi’s bloody forehead.
“It’s just a giant cut. Nasty one, but not anything serious,” Edgeworth stated.
“I think my chest is serious. It feels that way,” Daichi admitted, removing his arms from his torso.
Edgeworth gasped and dropped the cloth, “Oh fuck, Daichi! I didn’t know- Hang tight, I’ll call the paramedics!”
Hitori looked over at his father to see that his chest was a pool of blood and bruises and the flannel he wore was shredded. What did this mean? Were these injuries as serious as they looked? Hitori felt tears pool in his eyes. Why was this happening?
Edgeworth was talking on the phone in another room, his words were muffled by the walls. He came back and began speaking to Daichi again.
“They’re on their way. We’re up in the mountains, so it will take a while but please hang tight. I’ll make sure your son doesn’t go anywhere.”
He eyed Hitori and gave him a polite smile. Hitori didn’t have it in him to smile back.
“Do you need to contact your relatives right now?” Edgeworth asked.
Daichi nodded, “Yes, please. They must be worried.”
-
Daichi wrote down his and Hitori’s relatives' addresses at the back of a receipt. Edgeworth took off into the night to inform the relatives of the incident.
“Papa?” Hitori trembled.
“Yes?” Daichi responded.
Hitori didn’t have anything to say, he just sniffled as a reply.
Now bored of silence, Hitori got up from the armchair and walked across the room and into the kitchen.
“Don’t be noisy!” Daichi hissed. “His family is asleep.”
Hitori jumped in his skin at his father’s voice.
“I won’t be,” Hitori muttered back.
He tiptoed back to the armchair he sat on. The two rested in the living room, waiting for the hunter’s return. As the clock ticked, Hitori grew impatient. Hitori looked over to the couch to see that his father was fast asleep. Carefully, he walked through the living room and to the front door. Hitori turned the knob and stepped outside.
The forest was quiet, with only small chatter from crickets. An icy breeze brushed past Hitori, causing him to shiver. He shut the door gently and walked deeper into the forest, frequently looking behind him to make sure he could still see Edgeworth’s house. Hitori thought he saw the hunter, so he made a sharp turn left only to see it was a buck. He backed away, wishing he had a flashlight. The buck wasn’t as big as that damn moose but it sure wasn’t pleasant to see in the dark. Hitori stepped on a smooth stick and fell on his back.
This was stupid , thought Hitori. I should have stayed inside.
He got up slowly and walked forward. The woods were mossy, the trees were thick and it was foggy. Not to mention, it was bitterly cold. Hitori heard buzzing up ahead. Soon, he saw a dead moose laying on the ground and a bunch of flies surrounding it. It was unusual, as flies rest at night. Hitori figured out that he was already lost but if this moose was the one that attacked his father, all he needed to do was go the way he went before to get to Edgeworth’s home. The only problem was that he didn’t remember.
Hitori found the log he hid in, then tried retracing his steps.
He found himself more lost. Hitori panicked and considered screaming for help until he heard familiar footsteps and creaking. He ran towards the sound.
“Ay! Ay!” Hitori yelled.
Edgeworth whipped his gun out. Hitori froze, then relaxed when Edgeworth exhaled and lowered his gun.
“Careful, me boy,” he warned. “These woods are dangerous, thought ye’ were a monkey with a sword.”
Hitori didn’t understand him but could tell he was joking around.
“Let’s go, no time to talk,” Edgeworth stated and pulled Hitori close to him.
“Hitori! What are you doing?”
“Obaachan!” Hitori cried and ran into his grandmother’s arms.
His grandmother smacked the top of Hitori’s head, “Stupid boy! What are you doing out here? C’mon, vamos.”
The three walked together, Edgeworth leading the way.
While walking, an abnormal squishy-rattling sound was heard in the distance. Hitori saw a tiny white blur run by.
“Obaachan, ay!” Hitori exclaimed while pointing where the white blur was running.
“Que? I’on see anything,” Hitori’s grandmother mumbled.
“Probably a cat,” said Edgeworth, who didn’t stop to look.
When they got back home, Daichi was still asleep. Hitori’s grandmother, Cristina Hermosillo, shook him awake.
“Daichi, are you feeling sick?” she asked.
“Are the paramedics here yet?” Daichi asked.
“No clue. Hell, they’re probably lost,” Edgeworth scoffed. “If they aren’t here in five minutes I’m going to drive you to the hospital myself!”
“Don’t wait that long- I feel like my chest is going to erupt.”
-
Daichi was taken to the hospital halfway by Edgeworth. Along the way out of the forest, they ran into the ambulance. There, the paramedics took Daichi away. The moose that attacked Daichi and his son kicked Daichi in the stomach, causing injury to his internal organs and shattering multiple ribs. A bone shard punctured his lungs, causing them to collapse. Every effort to save Daichi’s life was attempted but none were successful.
The last time Hitori saw his father, his skin was blue.