dosu in the city - prelude

There once was a forest located on the outskirts of a small town.

The forest was teeming with life, filled with animals and bustling plant life. A small sparkling river ran through the forest, and it's refreshing water quenched the thirst of plants and animals alike.

Of course, a place like this is also the natural habitat for yukkuris.

A big clan of yukkuris lived in the forest, with a wise dosu-yukkuri that led the clan. Dosu-yukkuris have a much larger body than the average yukkuris, and some have been noted to grow past the 2-3 meter that is the norm. With a much larger capacity for fillings, Dosu yukkuris tend to be much smarter than any average yukkuri, much smarter than even the knowledgeable Patchouli. They can also fire DOS-Sparks with the aid of magical mushrooms, but these mushrooms are
extraordinarily rare in modern times. Rumor has it that elder Dosu Yukkuris can fire these sparks without the mushrooms, but so far therehave been no records of such yukkuris.

This particular clan was led by DOS Marisa and a small group of council members. DOS is over three meters tall, and has adorations all over her hair as signs of trust from other yukkuris. Her giant hat holds a meager three magical mushrooms for her DOS-Spark, and there's a giant scar the length of her body on the right side. She has seen generations of yukkuris come and go, and this particular generation's council members were made up of the wisest Patchouli, the energetic leader of the hunter pack Marisa, family planner Reimu, village planner Alice, and the lead scout Chen.

Compared to the previous council members, these are the closest friends that she has ever had. She watched these yukkuris grow from mischievous little brats into fine adult yukkuris, contributing to the vital growth and maintenance of this large yukkuri community. She treated Marisa particularly like a little sister, somehow knowing that she could turn into a DOS one day just like her. Nobody knows exactly how old DOS was, all of the yukkuris here were born under DOS's rule
and most of them will die long before DOS. Dosu-yukkuris are known for having extraordinarily long life spans compared to the average yukkuri. While most yukkuris, even under the best conditions, will not normally live past 5 years, the oldest dosu-yukkuri is being documented at well over 25 years old and still counting.

With their guidance and advisory, the clan prospered in the forest. With the careful management of the forest's resources and a DOS to protect them from the largest of predators, this was indeed a very easy place for yukkuris. Marisa's hunters are always able to bring back a bountiful harvest, sometimes they can even catch smaller animals like rabbits and field mice with the help of Patchouli's traps. With the guidance of Alice and Reimu to plan the layout of the clan's nests, the clan is able to keep the population controlled and spread out well enough so that the ecosystem doesn't collapse from
overhunting. Chen is always bringing back reports of the field, letting DOS and Patchouli know what sort of harvest is in season, what places to be careful of after a rain, what the wildlife situation is like so they can plan the next cycle of harvest.

However, being so close to the human town, one would wonder how they got along with the humans. The DOS Marisa grew up knowing how dangerous humans could be, her original clan perishing in a large scale yukkuri-hunt with mister human's bang-bangs and mister dogs. She somehow escaped by hiding within her family member's dead bodies,
and had to survive by cannibalizing her family member's corpses. So she tended to stay far away from the humans whenever possible. Even though the humans also knew about the yukkuri settlement, few have bothered to venture deep into the woods in this day and age.

Truly, this is a yukkuri paradise for this clan.

The biggest turning point for these yukkuris and the humans was when DOS Marisa rescued a little boy who wandered into the woods at night.

***

Chen stumbled into DOS's cave one late fall afternoon, her face filled with panic and urgency while Hunter Marisa and DOS were discussing winter provision plans.

"Chen knows~!!! DOS please follow Chen quicklyyyyy!!"
"Yu? What's wrong Chen?"
"No time, hurry!!"

Sensing something wrong with the usually calm Chen, DOS signaled for Marisa to follow her with a few of her best hunters. Patchouli was out on a meeting with Alice and Reimu... they'll have to go without those three. Did mister humans attack the nests? Maybe some trees have fallen on some yukkuris.... Did another mister bear stumble upon
the clan?

DOS's old scar ached at the thought of mister bear. Her huge scar is from when she fought the bear. Three meters tall when standing, the massive brown bear was just a little bit shorter than herself... that was an intense fight, and it cost DOS a dozen of her best hunters and the death of half a dozen families before she could drive the bear away.... but that's an old story for another time.

Chen zig-zagged through the forest with a speed that even Marisa's hunter pack couldn't keep up. DOS lumbered through the forest, as agile as any of the yukkuris. When she saw what Chen was trying to show her, bobbing up and down in a panic, she too broke out in sweat.

It was a human child. No more than five years old, sitting in the empty trunk of a dead tree, crying.

"Chen doesn't get it!~!! Chen tried to tell mister human how to get to the town but mister won't listen~!!"

The child continued crying and sobbing, and DOS lowered her head, deep in thought.

The child must've wandered off from his family somewhere. Maybe he ran away chasing a butterfly, and got lost in the forest. The town is close enough to the forest after all... but the biggest problem now are wolves and other predatory animals that come out during dusk. Not only is it dangerous for this child right now, it's also dangerous for DOS herself and these yukkuris following her. She can't fend off a pack of wolves without expending DOS-Sparks, and she has been saving these precious magical mushrooms for a truly dire emergency. She didn't even use them for the bear fight... It would be worth nothing if she spent it here.

Although to be perfectly honest, she has been saving these mushrooms for if and when humans decide to attack the clan's easy place.

The biggest problem in this situation would be the humans. Chen found this boy and now DOS and her pack are here. If anything bad happens to this boy, the villagers will likely assume these yukkuris are responsible and seek retribution. The clan would be in danger, and it is impossible to fend off human hunters even with DOS-Sparks. They also had nowhere else to go, so migration wasn't an option.

A few other possibilities weaved through DOS's head but she decided on the only option she saw feasible.

They have to bring the boy back. The hardest part would be to convince the boy to come with her...

DOS has never dealt with human children before, her head hurts just thinking about it...

******

Long story short, DOS managed to coerce the little boy out of the trunk with some wild berries, a luxury even yukkuris don't often get, and gentle words. Seemingly unafraid of the 3+ meter tall Marisa, he wandered up to her, his face and hand full of berry juices.

" Take it easy! Mister human, how did you get here, ze?"
"Big Marisa funny. Hehe!! "

And the little boy patted DOS like he was fluffing a pillow, and rubbed his face all over Marisa. To a yukkuri, this is the rub-rub that they use to show affection towards one another. The yukkuris were stunned by this display of affection, but unknown to them, this human child didn't mean anything by this fortunate gesture. After he finished, the boy looked up at DOS and smiled.

"..."

So cute.

Having never had a child herself, Marisa often wondered what it would be like to have offspring of her own. Perhaps this regret is something she harbored for a long time, but this little boy stirred up a motherly emotion inside Marisa.

She must get this boy back safely before sundown.

A round of laughter from her yukkuris woke DOS from her stupor. DOS looked down, and saw that the boy has wiped his berry juices all over her belly, leaving a bright splotch of purples stains and finger prints. DOS sighed.

"Little one, we will bring you back to your home. Please climb up easy, ze! DOS will give you an easy high~high~ ride~ "

DOS bent her head down and motioned for the little boy to get up on her head. The little boy giggled and laughed as he climbed DOS Marisa's hair, pulling off a few strands and ribbons in the process. DOS winced, but something deep inside her was really happy. A very easy feeling. The boy laughed and pat Marisa's big hat all over as he rode on it, smearing more berry juice on it.

They laughed and giggled, and talked the whole way back to the human town.

When they arrived at the entrance to the town, a group of men have already gathered near the edge of the town, complete with flashlights and search dogs, some armed with hunting rifles for the wolves. The one that seems the most worried was a man dressed head to toe in what seems like pots and pans taped to himself, clattering as he talked
loudly with a hockey stick in his hand. He stopped when they saw the group of yukkuris approaching from the direction of the forest, and all flashlights focused on the yukkuris in the presence of the diminishing daylight.

"Yu...!! Mister bright bright is pointing this way, ze!"
"Chen knows!!~ So shiny~~ "
"Let DOS handle this, ze."

Then the humans saw DOS, and backed up a bit.

With an air of authority, DOS Marisa briskly walked towards the humans, and they backed up more as the towering figure of DOS came closer.

She cleared her throat.

"Good evening mister humans, We----"
"DADDYYYYY~!!"
"MY BABYYYY!!!!"

A loud interruption, and Marisa got a bit flustered. The boy scrambled to get off the hat, so DOS lowered her head to let the boy down, and the boy scampered over to his father and landed in his arms with a loud clang.

"Daaaadddddyyyy!!!"
"Oh my baby!!! Where in the world did you go?? Didn't I tell you to stay away from the forest??"
"Big Marisa brought me back!"

The father looked in the direction of DOS, his face full of tears and his nose running. The villagers around the father mumbled amongst themselves, surprised that yukkuris came to help humans.

The father smiled at her, uttering something that sounded like "Thank you" through a handful of tears and snot.

DOS smiled back and turned to leave.

Then she felt a little tug on the back of her hair, and she turned around.

"Big Marisa come back and play ok?"

Marisa smiled.

"Sure, ze."

******

That was the turning point for the yukkuri clan. Ever since then, the town has been extremely friendly with the yukkuris. Contact with humans has increased, and many yukkuris have found new friends with the humans. They also got their first taste of human food, the deliciousness of cooked and baked goods far surpassing anything the yukkuris have in the wilds. However, DOS forbade the yukkuris from venturing out to the human town, knowing full well that some of the yukkuris would steal from humans and that prolonged exposure would only increase their dependency on the humans.

Of course, some of the yukkuris objected to this after eating human foods. However, DOS's rule was the law, and she has never been wrong before. They can only begrudgingly accept it, and wait for the next time mister cake and mister cookies come their way. Indeed, the yukkuri clan and the human town had formed a special sort of bond.

...So close was bond, that the town has gone as far as to fight the urbanization plans for the forest itself.

The cheap land around the area has attracted a lot of commercial attention as of late. In a world where land prices has skyrocketed because of overpopulation, it is inevitable that there would be urbanization efforts around the area. The plan was to construct a new rail line around the town and through forest itself, and slowly develop the land around the town in order to make it into a more suburban area complete with industrial centers and processing plants. During the time of the railway construction, the town would be acting as a general hub for construction materials and manufacturing center.
After the construction, the area would undoubtedly continue to receive benefits as the result of increased traffic and commerce through the area. Since most of the area around the town was undeveloped, zoning is much less of an issue than say running the train line through someone's fields of rice.

A delicious offer for any small town that has to travel hours just to get to work. The truth is, the town was so remote that a lot of the young men and women have left, and it was slowly dying. This would bring the young population back to the town, and is extremely beneficial. In the end, the small town agreed to plans for the urbanization, and construction details were carried out swiftly. The alliance between the town and the yukkuris overlooked in lieu of their
own benefits.

The news was hard to swallow for DOS Marisa, who has been living on this same plot of forest for many generations. Even though she has no concept of "urbanization", she kind of understood that it was going to turn the region into a place like the human town. Of course she objected at first, but she immediately grasped the reality of how big of an undertaking this would be, and how powerless she is to stop it. Yukkuris, after all, have no say in a human world.

But the immediate concern was that there was really no other suitable place for these yukkuris to go. A clan as big as theirs was, over 250 yukkuri families strong, would devastate any smaller forest that they settle in. On top of that, this was pretty much the only big patch of forest in the area. The area surrounding the forest are developed farmlands, and though rural, are still human territory. DOS's head spun when she thought about what would happen if some of the more wild yukkuris went to munch~munch~ on mister human's rice fields.

They cannot possible settle there. Humans hate it when yukkuris invade their space. A hard lesson from past experiences...

Fighting is out of the question. One, or two mister humans DOS can handle. But a whole construction crew complete with incomprehensible human tools is way beyond even DOS's abilities. Three magical mushrooms is not enough, not even a hundred would be enough...

***

"Yu, is there really is nothing mister can do for Marisa's easy place?"

"I'm sorry DOS, but those of us that support you did our best in fighting the legislature. Unfortunately many people in the town agree that the increased commerce and trade would be beneficial to our town. There's too few of us fighting for you, and yukkuris are not exactly a protected species."

"Yuuuuu.... It may sound pitiful, but Marisa and her clan will have no place to go if the forest is gone, ze."

"I'm really sorry DOS, but there's just nothing else I can do. The construction is set to begin in a month. I owe you my son's life and it shames me that there's nothing I can do to stop your home from being destroyed for our town... "

The man talking to DOS is none other than the boy's father, who also happens to be a member of the town's council. A single father who was extremely grateful for the boy's rescue. A thought crossed into his mind.

"You know DOS... As part of the urbanization plan, a park was scheduled to be constructed as well. Would you consider settling your clan in the park if that's the case? We can build it specifically to accommodate yukkuris so that you guys can take it easy there. Of course it will not be as big as your current land and it will be constructed with the interest of humans in mind, but you guys will have the best treatment our small town is willing to offer."

DOS bowed her head deep in thought. "Park" is an unfamiliar concept to her, but what choice does she have? What about the clan? All 250+ yukkuri families? Most likely...

As if understanding the DOS's concern, the young father continued.

"I know it's not possible for us to make a park large enough for your entire clan, but this is the best we can do. It might be possible for some of the families sympathetic to your cause to take in some of your yukkuris as pets, but I don't know what we can do for the rest of your clan. I'm terribly sorry for putting this out for you, we really did fight hard for your forest. I delayed the passing of the proposal as much as I could, but..."

"... Is there no other choice, ze?"

"I know this may sound harsh... but we have already mentioned you guys in the meetings. Most humans don't care about yukkuris the way we do. They mentioned having the factory crew come and collect the families if we cannot resettle you guys..."

The factory. A place where no yukkuris can ever take it easy. DOS shuddered at the thought. She has no choice, after all.

"Yu... Marisa understands... Thank you mister for everything you've done... Marisa will get the clan to understand..."

"We will make sure the park is constructed first so you guys have a place to stay... We will try to provide whatever food we can for you during construction, and... "

The rest of the talk was about relocation strategy, a seemingly unimportant conversation after the bombshell that was just dropped.

----

There was an uproar at the forest that night.

"WHYYYY WOULLLD YOU SHAYYY THATTTTT!!! What will happen to Alice's city-sect home!?!"
"Reimu doesn't want to leaveeee!!! What about the babieeeess??? Reimu is a poor single mother!!!"
"Fufufu, Marisa is the strongest, ze!! Marisa will fight off all mister humans!!! Mister humans are just pieces of trash before the mighty Marisa, ze!"

A typical response from the bird-brain yukkuris. The result of calling a clan-wide meeting is that every yukkuri has their own idea, and a giant ruckus ensued. DOS's head throbbed.

"YUUUU!!!"

And every yukkuri fell silent with DOS's command.

"Mukyuuuuu, everybody, DOS has something to say."

Patchouli's weak voice could barely be heard above every yukkuri's breathing. But somehow it got through. It's one of Patchouli's talents.

"As everybody knows, our clan is in a crisis. Mister humans have decided to make a village out of our forest."

An uproar.

"Drive them out, ze!!!"
"Reimu knew mister humans couldn't be trusted!!!"
"DOS take care of mister humans, ze!"
"Marisa will fight mister humans off our easy place!!"

Sigh.

" YUUUUUU!!!"

Another silence.

"There is nothing we can do, but we must not oppose mister humans!! Mister humans have too many things that can make yukkuris not able to take it easy!!"

Most of the clan has never really been in contact with humans for very long, so this concept is really a blur in their minds. They murmured between themselves, wondering how strong humans really are so that even DOS is afraid of them. Most only know mister humans as a source of sweet-sweets such as cakes and candy, so they do not know the power of humans at all. Some sneered at DOS's apparent cowardice. Hunter Marisa glanced at DOS and DOS glanced back at her, unspoken words passing between the two.

DOS sighed. She has never sounded so pitiful before, giving up before a fight. Hunter Marisa looked at DOS with worried eyes.

Ever since hunter Marisa was young koyukkuri, DOS has been a yukkuri that she looked up to with fervent admiration... almost to the degree of obsession. Something between the two of them clicked instantly, and Hunter Marisa treated DOS like the big sister she never had. Her family only had one child, and Marisa moved out as soon as she was fully grown just so she can be closer to DOS. Working harder than any yukkuri should, she became the lead hunter in an amazingly short time span. The pride of her family and the clan.

All to get DOS's attention. And it worked. DOS appointed Marisa as part of her governing council soon afterwards, the youngest council member ever appointed. And it was the greatest day in Marisa's short yu-life.

Needless to say, Marisa is deathly loyal to DOS. It's not that she's a blind follower, it's just that DOS and Marisa have the same way of logical thinking. An intelligence most yukkuris don't possess.

So Hunter Marisa spoke. The best hunter in the forest, she was the only one that survived the fight with the bear along with DOS. As a result she is extremely well respected in the village.

"Has anybody ever seen mister human's bang-bangs?"

The yukkuris murmured to one another. They are unfamiliar with the term. Out of the whole clan, only DOS and hunter Marisa have seen guns.

"Marisa has!! For example, the mister bear that attacked the
village!!"

Loud cries were heard as those who remember the bear attack recalled the incident. Whispers weaved through the crowd, mostly stories about how strong the bear was and how it took a dozen of the bravest warriors and DOS combined to drive mister bear away. A great campfire story about heroism... but....

"Mister humans can kill mister bear with ease with mister bang- bangs!! If everybody fights mister humans, mister humans will be sure to come after DOS and everybody with mister bang-bangs!! Even if DOS can protect some of us, DOS can't protect everybody!! Who wants to be the ones to not take it easy?"

A simple play with words, catered to the yukkuri's selfishness. Above everything, every yukkuri wants to take it easy. The murmurs got even louder, some not believing their DOS or mister bear can possibly be brought down by these "bang-bangs", but even their simple minds can understand such a simple comparison. It's possible that they won't be
able to take it easy if they oppose mister humans. A quick glance at DOS's overwhelming silence just added to their unease.

Skepticism filled the air, but if their most respected leaders were trying to avoid a fight mister humans, then they will listen. Most did, anyway.

"Mukyuuu, in light of this event... Patchouli, DOS, Alice, Reimu and Marisa have drawn up plans for the relocation..."

The rest of the evening was spent talking about the migration plans. The plan called for a meeting with the village to pick out some of the families to be taken in as pets, and those that weren't will be placed inside DOSU-Park when it is constructed. During the time of construction, the yukkuris will vacate to the forest surrounding the construction site, and then move in once the construction has completed so that construction around the area could begin. The construction will begin in exactly one month, right at the beginning of winter when the yukkuris start to hibernate.

***

In DOS's cave, the council members gathered along with DOS.

"Mukyuu, does DOS really think this relocation will go smoothly?"
"..."
"Reimu doesn't think some of the families will listen. A lot of families don't even listen to Reimu when it comes to family
planning..."
"Alice also has doubts. There's not enough new residences for everybody if not enough yukkuris are taken as pets... "
"Chen knows~ but there's nowhere else to go close by~ Chen has looked everywhere.... but mister human's territories surround our easy place..."

DOS Marisa doesn't seem to be listening. She was shuffling around the room uneasily, seemingly deep in contemplation. She finally spoke up.

"Do you guys... think DOS is a coward? For refusing to fight mister humans?"

The off-topic question caught the yukkuris by surprise. They looked at each other, unsure of what DOS is asking.

"Mukyuuu, Patchouli believes there's no better choice either..."
"Reimu... can't make those kind of decisions, hehehe... but Reimu supports DOS no matter what."
"Alice... Alice doesn't think it's very city-sect to go down and give up before fighting... but Alice believes DOS will let everybody take it easy."
"Chen doesn't get it---- Why not fight if there's no place to go???"
"Marisa will follow DOS to the end, ze!! DOS has never been wrong!!"

DOS mumbled to herself.

"Lets hope this won't be the first time..."

***

Out of the 250 families, a little under half of them were taken in as pets by sympathetic people around town. A surprisingly large amount, mostly taken by middle aged housewives and old couples longing for company.

"Please take care of Reimu and her little ones~"
"Dage id eajy!!!!" x 5
"Oh my, so cute! Here are some candy for you and your little ones..."
""""Munch~ Munch~ Happinessss~!!!! Thank you big sis!!""""
"Oh my, big sis? Ohohohoho, what wonderful creatures you are...here's some more treats..."

All of the yukkuri council members stayed behind to help DOS relocate the families in this time of need, and Marisa's squad of hunters worked tirelessly to bring back the ever decreasing harvest as a result of the fast approaching winter.

Of course, some of the families refused to vacate the area when it came time to hibernate. Most of these are the ones that have never seen anything from humans besides the cookies and cakes.

"Why should Marisa move, ze!? This is the best easy place Marisa and Reimu has had!"
"Mukyuuuu, please understand... mister humans will be here soon to start construction, and it will be dangerous here. Patchouli and Alice have already found a new..."
"Shut up!! Marisa isn't afraid of mister humans, Marisa will defeat all the mister humans that DOS is too afraid to fight, ze!! Marisa will bring everybody sweets-sweets and make mister humans into servants, ze!"
"Marisa is the strongest!! Cowardly DOS's dog should get out of Reimu's easy place!! Little ones can't take it easy with garbage Patchouli around!!!"
"Mukyuu.... DOS isn't..."
"If Patchouli doesn't leave Marisa will have to use violence!! PUFF!!!"
"PUFFF!!!"
"Mukyuuuu......good bye then..."
"Fufufu, what a cowardly Patchouli! Marisa should've squashed her like a bug, ze!"
"Marisa is so great and kind!! Marisa should lead the clan, not the garbage DOS!"
"Of course! After Marisa defeats all the mister humans, everybody will see how wrong DOS is!! Marisa will bring back lots of mister cake and cookies for Reimu too!!"
"Marisa is the best! Wait till these little ones are born easy~ Reimu will tell them stories about how brave Marisa is!"

***
When Patchouli and Alice were done moving all the yukkuris that they could, over 20 families decided to stay in their easy place, not believing how dangerous the mister humans were. That leaves DOS with just a little under 100 families. As the yukkuris set into hibernation, the construction began. Bulldozers, workers with chainsaws, giant trucks and other vehicles swarmed into the clan's previous residence and began their noisy work. DOS watched on the top of a hill, shaking her head at the stubborn ones' last stand.

bang. bang. bang.
beeeeep. beeeeep. beeeeep.

"Yu...Yu....YUGAAAAA!?!?! What's going on!?!? Marisa!?!"

VROOOOOOM.
Ratatatatatatatatatatata.
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE--

"YUUUUUU!?!? What's that loud noise..."
"Eajy~ Eajy~!! Weimu ish scared....."
"YUAAANNNNNNN!! Marisha can't dage id eajy~!!!"
"Little ones, Daddy will check it out, ze!! It must be mister humans!! Marisa will go and defeat mister humans and come back with mister cake and cookies!!"

The fat little new born koyukkuris squealed at the sound of cake and cookies. These little fat koyukkuris are plump, longer than normal koyukkuris, almost like the shape of an eggplant because of overeating and pampering. They can't jump around but instead just crawl along the ground, since it's too tiring to jump with those corpulent bodies. Planner Reimu has come by numerous times before Patchouli, advising these two to avoid having children before winter and to move into the new nest, but was chased out after being called DOS's dog.

Marisa carefully removed the sticks and grass blocking the cave entrance, and a chilly air blasted through the entrance. Marisa shivered and hopped out to an incredible sight.

The forest patch before her is gone, replaced with brown dirt and mud that currently has bulldozers and trucks parked all over the place. Excavators with their long cranes are digging holes in the hills, dumping a massive amount of dirt that Marisa can't even dream of into trucks that drives them away. Workers are shouting and handling a myriad of objects Marisa has never seen before and will never understand. Marisa wet herself at the sight.

Marisa suddenly felt very small. A wave of regret washed over her.

Should've listened to DOS.

"Huh? What's this? Why are there yukkuris here?"

A big rugged man in a yellow hardhat noticed Marisa and walked over. He's wearing the typical heavy work clothes and he's holding a toolbox, seemingly in the middle of bringing it somewhere. His whole entire upper body bulged through the tight looking work flannel, shaped by the years of construction work. A man his fellow workers call "The Hammer", he's also the team lead for this group of workers.

"Oh hm... how do you... oh yeah. Take it easy! "
"T..T..Take id... id... eajjyy.... "
" I thought this area was suppose to be cleared of yukkuris by now... I wonder what we should do? Maybe we should take them to the village and resettle them... Aren't they suppose to be hibernating also? Wasn't there a DOS around here? I thought she would've..."

The man mumbled a bunch of stuff to himself while Marisa shivered, partly from the cold but mostly from the sight of the human.

So big.

Not as big as DOS, but certainly much taller than Marisa. Much bigger than even mister rabbit or mister wild dog. Her bean paste brain spun wildly at the thought of trying to tackle such a big thing.

"Marisa!! What is Marisa doing?! Hurry up and defeat mister humans so little ones can take it easy!!!"

A shout came from the small cave behind her, and the worker bent down to look in the cave.

"Oh, a family? Well then I have no choice but to relo-"

Marisa noticed her chance, and rammed into the man's chin at full speed. Marisa is a fully grown yukkuri, and this would be the equivalent of getting hit in the face with a big heavy basketball. Of course, the man fell on his ass, dazed from the unexpected attack. He propped himself up with the toolbox he was holding in his left hand, rubbing his face with his right hand and wondering what just happened.

Marisa was shocked. That was so easy. Mister humans really are weak after all. DOS is such an idiot and coward.

"DIEEEEEEE EASSYYYYY!!!!! YUGYAAAHAHAHAHA!!! This is Marisa's easy place, ze!!! Stupid grandpa should just go die easy! Leave sweet- sweets and then die easy!!!"

Marisa immediately rammed into the man's elbow from the inside, knocking his arm loose of the toolbox and bringing the man to his back. The toolbox opened as Marisa knocked it away, scattering screwdrivers, wrenches and other tools all over the place. Marisa then jumped on top of the man's chest, attempting to squish him like he would another yukkuri or a small bug.

"Oof!! Why you little..."
"Die stupid grandpa!!! Dieeeee!!! Marisa is the strong---- Yu? It feels like flying~"

The man brought the yukkuri to his face, standing tall and staring angrily at the yukkuri while holding Marisa with his left hand. A small drop of blood dripped down his left nostril. The man's face was red with anger and embarrassment that a yukkuri could lay him low.

"... Just what do you think you're doing?"
"Yu~~~ YU!?!?? What is grandpa doing!?! Led Marisa go easy!!! Leave sweet-sweets and get out of Marisa's easy place!!! MAWISA'S HAIRRR!! SDOP PULLING IDDDDD!!!! MARIZAAA'S BEAUDIFUL HADDDDDD!!!!!"

He wrenched Marisa's hair and hat together with his powerful hand. Marisa screeched something about her hat.

The man was silent, carrying the wriggling and screaming Marisa by her hair, crushing the hat in the process. He picked up his hard hat with his free hand (safety first!) and began to pick up the tools that were scattered by Marisa. When he was finally done, he walked over to a man taking a break next to the excavator, pointed in the direction of Marisa's nest and said a few things. Then he went back before Marisa's nest with her still in his iron grip.

"GRANDPA LED MARISHA GOOOO!!! LED GO OR GRANDPA WILL FEEL HURT-HURT AGAIN!!!"
"I'm only 43, don't call me a grandpa. Do you recognize that place? That's in the way. It's also the reason why I was here. Well, I don't expect you to understand but take a look. "

The man pointed Marisa in the direction of her nest. A small hole semi-covered up with twigs can still be seen, dug into the side of a small hill.

"Yu!! That's Marisa's easy place!!! Let Marisa down and maybe Marisa will let stupid grandpa become a servant!!"
"What a dirty mouth. I changed my mind about you lot, you are not worth the effort."

The man waved his hand, and the excavator lumbered forward, the claw extended. Marisa watched the terrifying beast's claw in awe, until she realized where the claw was going.

"YUGYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
"YUGGIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!! DADDIEEEE!"
"YUUUPUUU-"

The claw dug right through Marisa's nest, a little mound in the side of a small hill. The shrill screams that came through the nest was louder than even the machinery. The claw scooped up the dirt, and spun around to dump it in the truck.

"R..R..REIMUUUUU!!! LIDDLLLLEEE ONEEEZZZZZ!!!"

Somehow Marisa managed to wrestle free of the man's grip at the cost of her hat and most of her hair being torn out. The man was surprised too, and he loosened his grip and let the torn hat and loose hair fall to the ground. Marisa dashed forward to her former nest, the cave torn cleanly in two by the power of the excavator, only to find Reimu in her bed twitching with half of her body missing.

"REIMMMUUUUU!!! DAGE IDD EEAAJJJJY!!!! DAGE IDDD EAJJJYYYY!!!!"
"...M....ri...aa..."
"REIMMMUUU!!! DAGE IDDDD--"
"......liddle....o...."

Marisa spun around with bewildered eyes, and all she could find was the half torn up body from one of her little koyukkuris, the rest of the koyukkuri's body and her other little one are nowhere to be seen. Marisa turned around to look at Reimu again, but Reimu has already faded away.

"REIMMMMUUUUU!!!!! YUGAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"

The hand picked up Marisa again, and as the man walked off, Marisa saw the excavator claw come down to rip apart the rest of her home. The treasured little ones, her Reimu, and all her treasures and memorabilia disappeared into the dirt.

"It's dangerous to run into a construction zone. Don't you know that? Safety first, put on your hat."

The man smiled at her brightly and put Marisa's torn, ragged hat back on.

"W..W..WHYYYY WOULLLD YOU DOOO THIIIIIISSSS!?!?! MARISA DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONNNNNGGGG!!! YUUUUUUUU!!!! MARISA ISH A GOOOOD YUKKURIIIIII!!!"
"Well well, it seems our definition of good and bad is very different. Why don't I teach you some human manners 'easy'..."
"YUUUUUNOOOOOOOO!!! DOOOOSSSS!!! SABE MAWISSAAAAAA!!! GRANDPA LED GOOOOOOO!!!"
"Shut yer yap, and every time you call me grandpa I will pull out one of your teeth. "
"YUGAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaa-----"

The man, known as The Hammer, carried Marisa in an elbow lock into his truck and drove off.

One thing he forgot was the toolbox.

***
As expected from any winter, DOS has lost a few families due to their inability to follow instructions and having children during winter. This brought down the family number to just 90 families.

After the long winter hibernation, DOSU-Park was mostly constructed, and DOS's clan moved in to the park as per the agreement. DOS was shocked when she first saw the park. Can they really take it easy here?

Concrete roads that lead off into different areas of brown dirt that will eventually become patches of well trimmed grass. A row of small trees act as a divider for the incoming and outgoing traffic, and several lightly wooded area that will serve as a small camping and picnic site for the various humans that will undoubtedly visit this "park". The area designated for yukkuri living is more densely wooded, but has large mounds of rolling hills and a small artificial stream that flowed through the middle of it. A soccer field, a baseball field and some basketball courts were sprinkled about the park, clearly meaning this to be a young people's park.

The biggest problem for the yukkuris is that all the trees in the yukkuri habitat were alive. There's no dead trees. This severely cuts down on the places where a yukkuri can live, since they mostly take advantage of fallen and dead trees, since they're hollow and can be used as residence with very little effort. There are not nearly enough living areas for the yukkuris, and all of the flowering and fruit/nut giving trees were cut down or relocated. There will be no spring harvest this spring because of all the construction. The natural scenery in this park is just a farce; it's almost all artificial or imported from somewhere, made to be aesthetically pleasing to humans. The forest that was here before were torn town to be made into lumber for use elsewhere.

Most families tried to squeeze in to the habitat area that they were given, but this resulted in very cramped nests. The only exception is a big concrete domed structure that they constructed especially for DOS and her council members, it seems like this would be an attraction of the park in the future.

What can the rest of the yukkuris really do besides spread all throughout the park?

Some families took up residences in the picnic areas, under the as of yet unused tables and benches. Some took residence in the complete but unfurnished log cabins, unaware that they will soon be confronted by humans.

Others took up residences inside the future playground, the rubber and acrylic smell not yet worn off and the rubberized padding and sandbox weird on their feet.

Some took up residence near the parking lot, the few trees and drainage ditches providing more cover than a big barren field. Some found concrete tubes to be a great shelter, not knowing these construction materials will be needed elsewhere in the future.

Some took shelter in a specially fenced off area, gleefully claiming this their easy place. They could not know about the big green garbage containers that would be shipped in next week, and that their "easy place" would soon be designated the garbage dumping site.

As they lived in the park, they witnessed the ancient forest around them, their once easy place, started to be torn down to make way for the railroad line, apartments and commercial blocks. Marisa's hunter group could barely get any food from the wilds, and their sustenance has almost completely turned into scraps from the human workers and donations from the town barring the few fruit giving trees, bushes and flowers in the park. One little boy in particular comes to DOS every night with his father with cookies and sandwiches.

Thus, the life of these city-yukkuris began.