Inugami

Inugami is a Fae (yōkai/house spirit) often described as a doglike presence born of oath and knot; it reads like a familiar bound to homes or those who summon it. Smell: the dry, matted musk of old fur mixed with a metallic tang of iron and river silt. Sound: soft, wet paw-steps that do not match the floor, a thin plaintive whine that seems to echo from walls, and an occasional faint rattle like beads in a hollow. Temperature: an unnatural, penetrating cold—air grows thin where it passes and breath fogs at thresholds. Field-naturalist note: movements appear canine but deliberate and rule-testing; the eyes glitter with patient cunning and the creature often lingers at doorways and family altars.