Six days later...

Prologue

It was morning…the sun was about to peek out from the sea…a small ship could be seen in the distance of the large island known as Japan…

Only 3 years have passed since the day of Zoya’s birth. Ever since she was a mere babe, cruel humans and demons sought her out to steal away her precious existence. It was in the nature of humans to fear what they did not understand. Demons took it upon themselves to slay the weak, humans…and half demons such as Zoya, included. It wasn’t her fault…little Zoya…a half human, half horse demon. She was viewed as a threat to her human brethren and a scapegoat for her demon brethren. At 3 years old, she was able to decipher friend from foe. Her caretaker, the one who was now escaping the continent with Zoya in tow, feared that the demons would eventually locate their position and seek out their deaths. It just wasn’t possible for one with “dirty blood” to lead the future generations of horse lords. After her demon mother died of childbirth, her human father took the child and hid her among the life of human settlements. There she learned the value of family and how to obtain food for herself. As young as she was, she was a fast learner and grew quicker than a normal human. The humans of her settlement were keen on throwing out the little demon for fear of her injuring their own children. Her father knew that she would have a despicable life and be shunned by all. Still he protected her until the day he was forced to leave her when he became severely ill and passed on. The plague had struck her village settlement, leaving families mourning for their losses. When Zoya was blamed for the misfortunes, her caretaker, Nami, decided to take Zoya across the sea where they could begin life all over. Nami was a neighbor to Zoya’s father in the settlements and agreed to take the child if anything should ever happen to him.
Nami was a very giving person and accepted Zoya for what she was. When they lived together in the village after Zoya’s father died, Nami used to love watching the little girl play with her hand made dolls in the sanctuary of their home. Zoya was a beautiful child with pale blue eyes, pudgy cheeks and frizzy brown hair. What set her apart from other children was her body…a chestnut colored horse body. In the ancient times of philosophy and gods, Zoya can be described as a mythological creature, though she really wasn’t. Her family history derived from a country called Greece. Centaurs were not common though. When one was born, it was killed because horse demons are extremely proud and stern creatures. It would disgrace their ancestors to have a hanyou child in their bloodlines. The number of horse hanyous was so small that they were believed to exist in human fairy tales. Nami always kept this in the back of her mind and was careful of who Zoya was exposed to since horse demons could take on the forms of humans, like most other demons. Nami ignored the ancestry and believed Zoya would one day grow up to be even more beautiful and a respectable figure.
The ship hit the sand and the little girl and Nami were exhausted from travel. Without any words, they emptied the contents of their boat, which included a few hand made blankets, and the remaining dried foods and jug of water. It had been days since the two have seen land. Nami was very weak from travel and gave Zoya most of the food to eat during the trip. She was still just a baby in her eyes and needed her to be strong in the new world. Nami would have been devastated if anything should happen to Zoya. Especially since this very night was her human night…six days before the full moon.
Ten years had passed on the island of Japan…
Zoya was thirteen and Nami was beginning to age well into her fifties. The two of them had to learn many new customs and including the language of the Japanese people. They were able to locate a small village off the coast of the sea. This village was productive in fishing and had many traders. Nami did not adjust well to learning the language and had limited communication with people unless Zoya was with her. Zoya had learned the Japanese language over the coarse of the ten years and was now bi-lingual, also fluent in her native Latin tongue. She was also plenty old enough to learn how to wield a weapon and took lessons from the local blacksmith on how to shoot a bow and arrow, strike targets with short swords, and he would sometimes spend time with her in the woods and teach her how to care for herself when she was alone. Nami was especially proud of how Zoya was developing her senses and skill. Zoya was quite the beauty, but had gained a sternness, which was likely passed down from her mother. Still, the humans visiting from other villages would give Zoya the cold shoulder. She tried not to let it show, but she was crushed every time. Her human nights seemed to be the most joyous, people would accept her, but only until her night was over.
After eight more years of living within this friendly village, Zoya was twenty-one and grief had struck her once again, for the first time in many years. Her coastal village had been destroyed by a demon. Zoya was out in the woods searching for medicinal herbs for Nami. When she came home…her only world had been destroyed. In the rubble stood a silver haired figure clad in red. The smoke from the blazing fires washed out his features. He stood for but a moment, saw Zoya, and fled the scene. It angered her…so badly. She wanted to kill…her blood rage had never been awakened. She had no reason for it, but she wanted revenge on the demon that took her life away. She swore she would hunt down this demon, even if it took the remainder of her life.