Shadow Wolf (Shinobi Saga)

by Sessha Batto

  furo — soaking tub, in Japan you always shower before soaking to keep the water clean

  engawa — porch

  senpai — senior, elder, superior

  kohai — junior, younger, inferior

  yare, yare — yeah, yeah

  koishii — beloved

  koi — love (term of affection)

  yosh — yes

  shishou — master (denotes master/apprentice relationship)

  kunoichi — female ninja

  kunai — knife with a triangular blade, originally derived from a trowel

  senbon- throwing needle, often tipped with poison

  miso soup — a mixture of broth and miso. Miso is a paste made of fermented soybeans, it is characterized as red or white based on the variety of fungus used in the fermentation.

  okonomiyaki - a Japanese savory pancake containing a variety of ingredients.

  San-san-kudo sake — a traditional wedding toast consisting of three (san) sips of three (san) glasses of sake. It is supposed to bring luck to the union.

  sukiyaki — a dish in the hot pot style consisting of thinly sliced beef, slowly cooked at the table with vegetables and other ingredients, in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, and mirin (a low alcohol content rice wine)

  onigiri — white rice in a triangular shape wrapped in nori (seaweed). They are often stuffed with umeboshi (salty pickled plums), salted salmon, or other salty ingredients

  Takahashi Yoshi (better, best, but also is read as quiet, tranquil) Ninja identity - ookami no kumori (shadow wolf), derogatorily called arubino (albino) and metsuki no kagai (evil eye). The Takahashi clan is from Chiba, although Yoshi's branch of the family lived in Tokyo.

  Sasaki Makoto (sincere, honest) The Sasaki clan is also from Chiba and has long been allied with the Takahashi clan

  Sato Daisuke (great help) former armory weapons instructor, now Shuhan of Kobayashi shuudan.

  Fukazawa Souta (smoothly well built) elite assassin

  Watanabe Jun (swift steed) specialist in hand to hand combat

  Kobayashi Tatsuya (to be accomplished) current head of the Kobayashi clan and son of the former Shuhan

  Kobayashi Mayu (true reason) maiden name Fujiwara — Tatsuya's wife and mother of their twins — Kiyoshi and Ko

  Nakamura Kazuki (one shining) — shinobi who defected from Kobayashi shuudan to start his own rival group of clans

  Kenta (good health) — Kazuki's apprentice

  Hayashi Hoshu (conservative) — head of the influential Hayashi clan, currently the most powerful in Kobayashi shuudan

  Koga Aya (colorful) — matriarch of the Koga clan, known for their trained tracking dogs

  Kikuchi Naoki (honest + tree) — head of the Kikuchi clan of poison experts

  Kikuchi Naoto (honest person) — Naoki's son and heir

  Kai no Yuu (superior/gentle) - Shuhan of Kai shuudan, he replaced his father. The Kai clan is from Hokkaido

  Kai Takumi (craftsman) - Yuu's older brother

  Abe Shouhei (soaring calm) - personal guard to Kobayashi shuudan's Shuhan

  Narita Daichi (great land) - head of the Narita clan of shape shifters

  Kobayashi-sama — Tatsuya's father, Shuhan of Kobayashi shuudan before Rin

  Oonishi Hideaki (wisdom, cleverness) — last surviving member of the Oonishi clan, powerful weavers of illusion. His uncle was Yoshi's teacher.

  Katsutoshi (to win cleverly) — companion of Oonishi Hideaki, he is a swordsman originally from Mochizuki shuudan

  Takahashi Genki (source of reverence) - he is the sage of Wolf Mountain and a Shinto priest. Usually just referred to by his given name Genki as he has disassociated himself with the clan.

  Masa (righteous) - ninja

  Isamu (rock) — ninja

  Akako (red) — ninja

  Yoshido Sanosuke — Yoshi's psychiatrist

  Rin (cold) — kunoichi who rose to lead Kobayashi shuudan.

  Takahashi Ren (correct) — Yoshi's father. Famous for his demon wolves, he committed suicide when Yoshi was a child.

  Junko — Rin's assistant

  Endo Akihiko (bright) — head of a small clan specializing in tactical assessment and planning

  Shuhan applies to the leaders of all the shuudan. The major shuudan include Kobayashi, Iwagashi, Mochizuki, Kai and Nakamura.

  Yoshi's wolf pack:

  Oushi - ox

  Pi-natsu - peanut

  Onchou - grace

  Konki- energy

  Kesshin- determination

  Shinzui- spirit

  Hishou- flight

  Chuugi- devotion

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Sessha turned to writing full time after a twenty year stint in video production editing, scripting and creating motion graphics. Her first novel Strength of Will is currently being edited for re-release. Her short story Wintersong is included in In Dreams. Her Celtic fairy tale Amadan na Briona is part of eightcuts gallery's Once Upon a Time in a Gallery exhibit and is also included in In Dreams. Her short story The Poetry Game is included in New Sun Rising:Stories for Japan, an anthology for tsumani relief. Originally from Belfast, she lives in the States with her husband, son, a very old cat and too many swords.

  Also from the Author

  GEISHA

  IN DREAMS

  PERFECT MATCH

  STRENGTH OF WILL