Chapter 1

The Dorotabo of the Deer Village (鹿の子村の泥田坊, Kanoko-mura no Dorotabō) is the 1st chapter of the Kemono Jihen manga series.

Summary
Kabane is working in the field when Yataro hears a person from Tokyo was visiting and told Kabane to stay there as he stinks. Inugami is arriving at Kabane's village with Kusaka, who is explaining to him about the dead animals and hired him to deal with the situation. Kusaka tells Inugami that they haven't told the kids yet as they can be scared, resulting in them not being able to go to school. She also further tells him that they can't let a stranger spread rumors either and asks him to keep it a secret. Inugami responds that keeping secrets is his specialty since he is detective to which Kusaka refuses to believe since he doesn't dress like someone who can stay quiet.

While on the road, a deer blocked their path, Inugami asks if they can just go around it to which Kusaka replies that deers are their village's specialty. Inugami then leaves the car to smoke a cigar and then sees Kabane in the rice fields. He tries to speak to Kabane, but he didn't reply. Later that evening, Inugami is in a hot spring called "The Fawn Flower", when Yataro came to introduce himself and tells him that he will be helping him during his stay. Yataro then shares that he wants to get a job in Tokyo when he grows up and tells Inugami to not tell his mon since she will have to say that Yataro will take over the inn. As he was taking a bath, Inugami asked Yataro about the other boy, Yataro tells him that the boy's name is Dorotabo, which came from the name of the yokai that lives in the mud in the rice fields since Dorotabo is always covered in dirt and fertilizer when he's working in the fields. Yataro reveals that they gave him a job where he won't be able to be around anyone since he smells bad since he was born. After his bath, Inugami approaches Kusaka and asks that he wants Kabane to be the one helping him instead.

On the next day, Kusaka tells Kabane that he will be helping Inugami, which came as a surprise to Kabane. He then washed and went to bring food to Inugami, who then introduced himself as a detective who specializes in the occult. He then asks Kabane if he has seen something strange, but Kabane told him they will speak after he eats as he stinks and people usually can't eat around him, but that didn't bother Inugami. Kabane then told him about the rotting animals he had seen and that it usually occurs at the new moon. Kabane then spends the next couple of days with Inugami, who was also helping Kabane do his job while waiting for the new moon. As they worked on the field, Inugami noticed the stone around Kabane's neck and when inspected it, he understood it was very valuable life calculus and no parent abandoning someone would give them that. Inugami asked Kabane if he wanted to see his parents, but Kabane wasn't sure as he never had thoughts on that before.

On the night of the new moon, Kabane was waiting outside, when Yataro approached him and started yelling for ruining his chance to go to Tokyo and in anger took Kabane's life calculus. Kabane immediately punched him, his face and hands started to transform into a monster, which scared Yataro running, dropping the calculus. As Kabane took his calculus back, he returned to normal.

Kabane was crying behind a shack saying he was the monster, when Inugami found him. Inugami then decided to reveal that he is a kemono and explained that Kabane was a hybrid between human and ghoul and that the calculus works as a shield against Kabane's kemono thirst. He then told Kabane that it was a different monster that was killing the animals, hearing that Kabane got worried about Yataro and they went looking for him. As they found Yataro, and saved him from two infected dogs, they saw the culprit monster. Inugami shot the deer monster but wasn't able to fully cut separate his head. Kabane then jumped and put his hand in the deer's mouth and then ripped it from the monster's body.

On their way back to the house, Kabane told Inugami that he won't be able to stay, as Yataro now knows what he is. Inugami then pointed a gun at him and explained that his aunt had hired him to kill Kabane and that she also knew who he was, as his mother left him in her care. Inugami then asked again Kabane if he wanted to meet his parents, but Kabane said no and asked for him to kill him. Inugami then showed the dead body to his aunt and took it with him. As he woke up, he was in Inugami's car, who told him he can't die as he is a ghoul and that they are now in Tokyo.

Characters In Order of Appearance

 * Kabane Kusaka
 * Yataro
 * Kusaka
 * Kohachi Inugami