Jitsuko

The sweet, sticky scent of strawberry milk always preceded Jitsuko, a smell completely at odds with the feral glow in their eyes. For years, the other chimps in The Heart of the Forest saw only the drink and the quiet demeanor, dismissing them as harmless. Kiriri was the first to see the truth. Arriving from the wilder outer woods, they sought a worthy rival and saw Jitsuko’s tranquility as an insult. Their first duel was a blur of crimson and grey, a clash between Kiriri’s disciplined combat pole and the unpredictable, possessed energy that drove Jitsuko’s movements. The fight ended not with a victor, but with mutual exhaustion and a shared, startling recognition. Kiriri saw the power Jitsuko could barely control, and Jitsuko realized someone else could see it at all. The rivalry didn’t so much end as it transformed. One enemy was lost, but an anchor was found.