It did, indeed! Wow, what a project. I salute you for writing something so involved and so clearly well-thought-out (I loved the following story notes post that went with it. Yay, research!) ^_^
Like Avierra, I'm probably going to write a book, but I wanted to point out two things I thought were really, really well done.
First, was the survival aspect of it. It makes me think of Jack London or some other authors where the characters are put in life-and-death situations (man vs. the environment) and the fact that inevitably there is a de-humanization that occurs in the fight for survival. One could argue that Hakkai's role as a dominant predator in the setting gives him something of a survival advantage, but that is balanced by the fact that youkai are portrayed as having bestial aspects to begin with. I think that Hakkai's temporary loss of higher cognitive function is extremely believable, and I think you did a wonderful job with it. (And the scenes with the ducks and onajers I particularly enjoyed).
Second, you've thrown Gojyo way out of his depth with all of the events in the story--and yet he adapts beautifully to each new twist and never quite looses his cool. It made my heart ache to watch him come to the conclusion that the best thing he can do is to leave, and he sticks to that conviction in the face of Hakkai's rage and later his loss of control without ever letting go of his own innate compassion. *hearts*
On top of that all, the story is hot, and the conversation at the end is priceless. All in all, this was a great read. I'm so glad you wrote it and shared it will all of us. ^_^
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Like Avierra, I'm probably going to write a book, but I wanted to point out two things I thought were really, really well done.
First, was the survival aspect of it. It makes me think of Jack London or some other authors where the characters are put in life-and-death situations (man vs. the environment) and the fact that inevitably there is a de-humanization that occurs in the fight for survival. One could argue that Hakkai's role as a dominant predator in the setting gives him something of a survival advantage, but that is balanced by the fact that youkai are portrayed as having bestial aspects to begin with. I think that Hakkai's temporary loss of higher cognitive function is extremely believable, and I think you did a wonderful job with it. (And the scenes with the ducks and onajers I particularly enjoyed).
Second, you've thrown Gojyo way out of his depth with all of the events in the story--and yet he adapts beautifully to each new twist and never quite looses his cool. It made my heart ache to watch him come to the conclusion that the best thing he can do is to leave, and he sticks to that conviction in the face of Hakkai's rage and later his loss of control without ever letting go of his own innate compassion. *hearts*
On top of that all, the story is hot, and the conversation at the end is priceless. All in all, this was a great read. I'm so glad you wrote it and shared it will all of us. ^_^