Pitch
In a mountaintop dojo in Edo Japan, Jay, a noble Kishu Inu, leads his pack of heroic street dogs. Alongside Yuki, a blind orphan boy with the extraordinary ability to communicate with the dogs, they master a unique form of martial arts to protect their dojo and the village they’ve sworn to defend.
But when Yuki’s true identity as the last heir to a powerful daimyo family is uncovered, a deadly gang of Ronin, led by the sinister Zenaku, storms the dojo. They’ll stop at nothing to eliminate the boy and secure Zenaku’s tyrannical rule over the lands. Jay and his pack must unite to protect Yuki, battling not just for his life, but for everything they hold dear.
Told from Jay’s perspective, as he becomes Yuki’s eyes, this tale of courage and loyalty reveals the unbreakable bonds of friendship as the orphaned boy finally finds the family and purpose he’s longed for among these brave dogs.
It’s the rich world of Kubo and the Two Strings, with the unique animal perspective of Warrior Cats.
Chapter One
I was just a curious pup when I first saw the boy, Yuki. Looking back, it feels like fate.
Winds coiled around the dojo, high above emerald rice fields, whispering of a coming storm. Even the birds fell silent, their songs swallowed by the stillness.
From the bamboo forest’s edge, I watched the dojo’s flickering lanterns, their light barely cutting through the dusk. My Kishu fur bristled. It was too quiet.
Then I saw it—a wicker basket resting on the stone steps, as if abandoned in haste. It didn’t smell like food—no, this was something far stranger.
‘Did you hear that?’ Sora, the spirited Shiba pup, appeared beside me, her tiny frame vibrating with excitement as her eyes narrowed. ‘Something in that basket is moving.’
Before I could stop her, Sora glided through the thicket, a blur of red fur against the courtyard’s pale stones. She moved silently into the raked gravel, muscles coiled.
‘Wait, Sora!’ I barked, digging my paws into the ground. ‘It could be dangerous.’ But she was already at the steps, nose twitching.
‘Dangerous? Sure, like your big, scary bark.’ She flicked her tail. ‘Relax, I’ve got this.’
Peeking into the basket, her eyes widened before turning back to me with a warm smile.
‘Jay, come quick! It’s a human pup!’
I hesitated. But Sora’s look drew me closer, and as I neared the basket, a warmth spread through me—comforting, yet unsettling, like the air before a storm.
‘We should leave,’ I murmured. ‘This is human business.’
But Sora didn’t move, her gaze locked on the bundle.
‘Jay, we can’t abandon him…he needs us.’
Before I could argue, the dojo’s heavy door creaked open, slicing through the quiet. Sora and I sprang back, ears flattening as a gust of air rushed out, thick with the scent of burning herbs.
Continued…