Stories from a Wandering Tanuki Merchant: It Was Spring When You Told Me

72 - Where is your character from? Where were they born, assembled, built, created, or otherwise begin to exist? Draw or write about your character's place of origin, or how they came to be.

Word Count: 593

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“You’re pregnant?” Jiro asked, finally getting the hints that the short and fatter-than-normal tanuki woman was dropping him.

“And it’s yours,” Mei confirmed cooly. She had raised several tanuki children before and even several hybrid tanuki. She had centuries of experience being a mother, although she felt as though this one may be the last.

Jiro released an exhale of excitement as his eyes glittered with tears. He swept the tanuki into his scaly arms and spun her around. 

“I’m gonna be a dad!” he gave Mei a squeeze but set her to the ground and released her. “Was that too hard? I didn’t hurt him- her- them, did I?”

“It’s a girl,” Mei answered, resting her hand on her belly. “And you didn’t.”

“How can you tell?”

Mei shrugged. She just knew.

Jiro bounced on his heels, looking between Mei’s face and Mei’s belly. He understood why she wasn’t as excited as he was. But this would be his first child. 

“What do I do? How do I help?” Jiro asked. He felt anxiety grip his heart suddenly and he sat down. He put his head in his hands as he stared at the ground. “Oh, what if I’m a terrible dad? I don’t want to be my father, but it was all I knew. No- I can still use that-” he puts a fist into his other hand “-I’ll just be the dad I wanted! Why are you looking at me like that?”

Mei had tried to save face, and let Jiro enjoy his moment before bringing down the news on him. But she couldn’t help but cry. She hadn’t cried for a father of her child before, so she didn’t understand why she was crying. She clenched her jaw and wiped the tears from her eyes.

“You won’t be raising her.”

“Wh-what? Did I do something wrong?” Jiro’s face dropped and his ears drooped.

“It’s how it is in Kyanoko Village. Mothers raise their daughters into adulthood and their sons into their early adolescents. Then we send the boys off to their fathers.” Mei explained, holding Jiro’s hand as he processed what she saying. “The girls can decide if they want contact from their fathers when they’re older.”

“I-I can’t stay in the village with you?” Jiro pleaded. Mei didn’t answer, for the man already knew the answer. “Then you can move out! With me! And we can be together as a family. An-and… And you don’t want to leave.”

Jiro fell to his knees. His mind rushed with every imaginary hateful thought his daughter would have toward him. Jiro imagined his daughter hating him as he hated his own father. How he couldn’t have been there the way he so desperately wanted. His heart ached and he held his chest, feeling his claws dig past his soft scales and making him bleed.

“Can… Can I do anything?” he looked up at the tanuki woman with pleading eyes.

“You can send us supplies. Money. And you can visit every so often-” Mei started. She hesitated to say the last part when hope returned to Jiro’s eyes. “-if she asks for you.”

“Can I at least… give her a name?” Jiro asked. “I want to say I did something for her.”

Mei gave Jiro a sympathetic look and nodded. Jiro looked at the scenery around him. It was early Spring and they were in the middle of a cherry blossom forest. He closed his eyes as the wind blew, taking pink petals with them. He smiled. He always loved Spring.

“Haru…”