Summary

Hato is a rare form of Tengu that is born every few centuries. White or Pigeon Tengu are highly capable guardians who are often charged with guarding highly dangerous, sealed youkai shrines around the mountain. Hato's position was one and the same, when he was barely a child he was charged with guarding a shrine. He was never permitted to leave his post so he had very little interaction with other Tengu. However, two young Tengu found their way to him and initially spent their time with him on occassions until the Elder's discovered this. They were forbidden from interfering with Hato's duties. The two Tengu known as Karasu(Common Crow Tengu) and Suzume(Small Sparrow Tengu) refused to let Hato be alone. As reckless children they knew nothing of the importance of Hato's duty. While not as frequent as before, they still found time to sneak away and visit the pigeon Tengu. It was then that Hato trained himself in illusions, he discovered he could live vicariously through his clones he could create with his feathers, while he could never touch anything he could see through the eyes of his clones and experience life outside of his vigil. Hato has never been very social of the three young Tengu, he has always ever been the observer.

Often times the three boys would explore the mountain, it was there they came to know of an elderly human who was once a priest who often aided exorcists. Harmless now he lives a quiet life in a small cabin on their mountain. During their childhood they often visited the elderly man and he taught them many skills, or on occassion would have to patch their injuries from recklessly playing.

As the trio grew they grew into fine young adult Tengu. Hato remained at his shrine but true to his heritage he was skilled in combat, nimble and graceful with his spear, and thanks to the elderly human he has some skills in white talismans. Karasu and Suzume grew into their own respective Tengu warriors. While Hato could never touch his surroundings as a clone the three grew up to be like a trio of brothers and both Karasu and Suzume both kept a feather embued with Hato's power on them so he could appear whenever he pleased. Hato would often sneak into the main temple and listen in on gatherings or important events. Doing so gave Hato an upper hand on the goings on around the mountain.

On a particularly normal day, however, a critical gathering was called and a majority of the Tengu(aside from the White Tengu) were called to gather at the temple. Hato, per his usual, appeared as a clone and listened in on the news that a suspicious exorcist had found their way onto the mountain and seemed to have been staking out sealed shrines. All Tengu were to stay at the temple and the mountain was to be covered in a dense fog which would lead the exorcist astray and back to civilization and that the White Tengu around the mountain would be on alert. However, upon the conclusion of the gathering when the trio gathered in secret Hato's clone abruptly vanishes and returns to its form as a feather. While Karasu and Suzume found it strange they assumed it was Hato heeding the Elder's warning and being on alert. Little would they know that Hato's attention laid on the suspicious figure which approached his post.

For someone who was meant to be an exorcist, Hato could sense a dark, sinister corruption on the human. The man listened to none of Hato's warnings or questions, he only continued his approach which Hato took up a combatative stance and the exorcist returned the same stance in kind. While the two engaged in combat Karasu and Suzume watched from the temple as thick clouds of fog began to engulf the mountain. As the fog settled the very mountain itself seemed to rumble and shake much to the dismay of every Tengu in the facility. Hato had been bested by the intruder pinned to the ground by talismans, he struggled against his bindings pleading and warning the man to walk away, to not touch the seals on the shrine. As he breaks free and with his lance in hand lunges for the exorcist the seal is broken and dark ire bursts forth from the shrine coating both men in it's corrupt aura. Hato collapses as the man maniacly laughs and embraces the darkness, he had failed in his duty.

As the mountain quaked violently, Karasu and Suzume looked to each other with dread. Such a shockwave could only be caused by a seal breaking and a powrful and corrupt youkai being set free. The duo's hearts ran cold with fear as they thought of Hato. When the panic had calmed a group of Tengu were dispatched to check every shrine on the mountain, by the time they found Hato he was unconscious and the intruder was nowhere to be found. He was immediately brought back to the temple and brought before the Edler Tengu where they proclaim he has shamed the very mountain with his disgraceful failure. They branded him a False Tengu and gave him the mark of the exiled by carving a large X across his face and throwing him into the wilds of the mountain to rot and perish from the corruption the broke seal infected him with. Karasu and Suzume are quick to act the moment they hear of what happened from the gossip that spread through the temple, they scour the mountain and find Hato. Karasu(the tallest of the three) quickly situates Hato into his back disregarding not only the danger the corruption has on himself as it is capable of spreading but also the danger of being caught aiding an exiled Tengu. Both boys quickly rush to the one person on the mountain they knew they could leave Hato with, the elderly man.

The boys are swiftly stopped upon approaching the man's home and calling for his aid. Having felt the tremor and the surrounding fog the old priest had put a powerful barier around his abode. He releases the seal briefly for the boys to enter but only to place Hato in his care so they could quickly cleanse themselves of the corruption that had started to infect them from being in contact with the ailing Hato. Upon their return the ex-priest renews the barier and began treating Hato. Unfortuantely, they had an unexpected visitor when an unfamiliar voice calls out to the resident living in the building. The elder stepped out to find the exorcist who had intruded upon the mountain standing just beyond the barier as if aware of its pressence. This stranger questioned the old man searching for the White Tengu who had gotten in his way, he knew he left him weak and that the corruption would be eating away at him so he wished to finish the job. Without hesitation the elder lied to the man stating Tengu do not wonder near his abode as they know a threat when they see one. Meanwhile inside the building the boys laid low and remained silent. For an painstakingly long amount of time the intruder stared at the old man as if trying to read him for lies to which the elder held his ground. Sighing in disappointment the defiled exorcist takes his leave.

Hato eventually recovers from his ordeal and is now branded a False Tengu, therefore, he must leave the mountain. However, during his time of recuperation both Karasu and Suzume confronted the Elder Tengu and attempted to reason with them to revoke their judgements. However, being as old as they were they refused to budge on their stances. As a result both boys relinquished their stations as Tengu and were branded as exiles for their insolence. Karasu bears his brand on his left cheek while Suzume's is on his forehead above his right eye and part of the mark reaching down to his cheek bone. Together the three took their leave of the mountain, while Hato was initially remorseful about Karasu and Suzume they assured him they would not have it any other way. They wouldn't let Hato be left alone as a child and that wasn't going to change after all their years together as a trio.

The three now live in the outside world banished from the mountain. They had to learn to adapt to the ever changing world around them which was vastly different from the stagnant life on the mountain.