IT HUMS BENEATH THE SURFACE OF GRIEF, WRAPPED AROUND THE WEARY ( ... ) WHISPERING NOT ALL THINGS NEED TO BE SPOKEN TO BE KNOWN. an original character set in kimetsu no yaiba.
a remote fishing village tucked away in northern japan, where winters bite colder and snow shrouds the frozen ground. a vast river a rare source of food ... the village survives off it, takes to it's waters to reap the fast moving fish that race down it's currents. life isn't plentiful, but it's enough for the many to ease the hunger just enough. ( barely enough. ) a humble family of five: father a specialty net maker, mother who weaves the threads. a son, a daughter, and a second son all contributing. though a careful people, the riverbed proves life threatening with the presence of an unnatural predator ⸻ an aquatically inclined demon known to chase as far as the village's entrance when unable to drown and devour, but never straying too far from the water. a clever thing that's learned to scratch out confusing mimicries of tree markings that leads one lost, in circles, always to end up back at the riverside. not meant to be out that late, but worried about how a blooming snow storm may impact a father's arrival home from the rapids, a daughter ventures out into the nearing night. ( she'll never learn she'd passed him on the way to find him, her gaze mirrored by the growing white haze. ) the way home is lost quickly upon a barren expanse of riverbank, the despair settling in when the path circles back again and again. when the predator strikes the prey ... the prey strikes back. through shock and numbness, the daughter drags the demon further into the river until the current catches and they can no longer stand: hoping to take it with her. ( a hopeful delirium made in the presence of a fate she'd heard far too much about. ) her efforts earn her a pitiful irony, and she succumbs to the cold pressing weight with the sound of a screeching owl on the horizon, but flesh doesn't tear. she wakes up changed, heaving iced water from her lungs until her throat burned, vision splitting with new sharpness. this hunger is new and different, but never owned. the demon before her tries to demand loyalty and is met with a talon through the skull instead. the village has a new predator in the woods.
name. michiyo. specifically the 道代 written variant ⸻ meaning era of the path, one who guides a generation, or ... from the way.
( originally ... forgotten. )
appellation. the last sound you hear. how the villagers speak of her without directly naming her ... some simply unknowing, others too knowing. she isn't spoken of often.
species. demon. the owl she's based off of is a blakiston's fish owl, the largest species of owl and an expert riparian hunter. local to china, japan, and the russian far east.
( originally ... human. )
date of birth. unknown. no one has come to learn exactly how old michiyo is, or when she may have been born, but the village holds traditional archives showing a recorded instances of her spanning 200 years past.
appearance. owl like at first visage, yet distinctly humanoid and natured. michiyo stands tall and graceful, measuring six feet four inches when perched and eight feet seven inches when standing ( inspiration drawn from owl anatomy ... when perched, the legs fold up below the body. the full expanse is only visible when purposefully flexed downward. ) with the quiet poise of a nocturnal hunter. her skin is lightly tawny, touched with faint and feather like markings along her shoulders and upper arms. her hair is long and fades through cool gray and brown tones, often braided loosely at the front. ( see: angell of aisno games' path to nowhere. ) her eyes are a deep amber gold, reflective and sharp, framed by dark lashes and subtle feathering that continues into the hairline. she maintains soft facial plumage that echoes the shape and pattern of an owl’s ruff. small, upward swept tufts of feathers rise from the top of her head, mimicking ear tufts. her nails are slightly curved and sharp, hinting at her predatory nature. altogether, michiyo appears both eerie and elegant ... a creature of ambush, quiet and watchful, made unhuman. behind her, vast and weighty, extend two immense wings. the plumage is rich in layered umbers and pale browns, mottled with faint gray barring. when folded, she slings them over her shoulders and wears them like a haori, the down catching light in subtle shifting ripples. the wings span so far they touch the ground, leaving little of her body to be seen outside of her face.
behavior. solitary, secretive, and slow moving. michiyo is often described as deliberate rather than stealthy. she doesn’t fly much for her impressive wing span ... preferring to walk, wade, or hop along riverbanks in search of prey. despite her size, she's surprisingly quiet, moving carefully through her forested riverside. it be near impossible to hear her movements if the surroundings are not completely silent. extremely territorial in nature, michiyo spends the nighttime roaming the entire twenty miles of her territory, ensuring it's sanctity is to her liking and hunting along the way. ( humans and demons alike: michiyo is far from tolerant of any encroachment into her chosen space. ) though physical confrontation is the very final effort she deploys ⸻ she much rather use intimidation tactics ( screeching, standing to full height, her blood demon art. ) to scare demons and slayers toward leaving on their own accord ... her call is deep, booming and far carrying. strangely calm and patient in demeanor, michiyo will track a moving party from the trees for hours before striking, motionless and watching. her method of killing is known to be rather brutal, often diving from a tree and impaling her victims ( her anisodactyls are large enough to pick two at a time ) and crushing them below her weight.
