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Many quiet days pass as I recuperate, winter's bite edging closer with every morning.

During the first few days, Saki, Shizuka, and Rin watch over and attend to me, as I'm still weak and my broken arm impedes or slows a frustrating amount in daily life. The golden haired Shizuka, and master of the house Rin, help me bathe, feed myself as I struggle to master the use of those infuriating hashi, and occasionally prod at my injuries for signs of festering. Shizuka looks fondly to suggestively at me now and again, but minds her manners, clearly intent on making up for her failings. Saki meanwhile seems to be at the edge of whatever room I'm in, only making herself known if asked to assist by one of her sisters.

On the third day since the incident with the wine, I'm confident on my feet again. Walking no longer requires me to lean on someone to keep stable. From then on I see less of Shizuka, and Saki makes her presence known, shadowing me wherever I go. The eight-tail's purpose is obviously to keep me from getting lost and to ensure her sisters mind themselves around me. The dangerous kitsune and I share few words despite being around one another so often, Saki seeming content with silence. Which I'm all to happy to keep after the awkward exchange where I laid on her.

There isn't quite Rin, who I talk with more and more. Eventually Rin always sharing an evening meal together in the room they've provided me. Either Shizuka or Saki serve us at night, but neither kitsune lingers despite invitations from Rin and my silent consent. That leaves only the master of the house and myself left to talk until fatigue overtakes me, when she always offers to keep a watch over me instead of having Saki do it. To which I always agree, reluctant to give Saki a reason to hate me and feeling Rin is worthy of trust.

Though to my relief, Rin has a futon brought for herself and always chooses to lay near the door instead of beside me. That seems to be signal enough to keep away her horde of younger sisters I've yet to be properly introduced to, and prevent any of them from trying to greet me as Miki first did.

By the fifth day, on Rin's suggestion, I'm spending most of the daylight time in some sort of common room. Various kitsune come to visit me, but all are polite as can be with Saki or Rin sitting near me. I share much about my travels with various kitsune. The stories I have collected number more than the scars doting my body, but I refrain from speaking about the more fantastical truths with anyone except Rin, and only then in private. It seems to suit us both, as she seems fascinated by anything to do with my experiences with magic.

I don't know if Rin believes my words, but I only tell her truth. The exaggerated tales I leave for the second hand stories, not what I've seen or done. She seems happy to listen anything, always smiling and attending to me with small matters. Those tails of hers lay against me so often I start to fear I'm getting used to it.

To my throat's relief, I do more than talk to pass the time. I listen to many stories from at least a dozen kitsune, and start to learn about the family. I hear about their lives growing up, but they're always hesitant to be specific about matters of time or age. A small matter I don't press, not when I can witness something so simple, and perhaps even enviable, about the family. The sisters all care for each other greatly, and while I do witness the glimpses of friction common between kin, there's an openness and understanding in their interactions, the bickering and name calling always in jest or followed with sincere apologies. The formality and politeness ingrained into the people of this land always slips during the kitsune's meals, especially breakfast. Whenever they sit to eat, chores are swapped and bartered between them, boasts are made with the obvious intention for me to overhear, while merry smiles and laughter flow freely.

As the honored guest in such a lively home, I feel warmed by the family's hospitality and liveliness. Though I know I'm entirely out of place among them, a vagrant visiting a world I have no right to live in. Once things are settled with the Meiko and Kenta situation in the forest, one way or another I'll be on my way. A somber thought, but one I've had to face before.

On the seventh day Rin has some matter of importance to attend at the shrine, which I've yet to see like much of the kitsune's home. The master of the house leaves me in the care of Saki and Shizuka, the golden haired kitsune always kept in sight by the dangerous eight-tail. The day passes like most others, though I notice they have Miki running errands this time, the two-tail always trying to smile innocently at me whenever she thinks her sisters aren't looking. I'm not fool enough to think those smiles are as pure as they seem, and do my best to ignore her.

Once night falls, Rin returns and we have our nightly meal together as if nothing happened. Days pass, my back scabs over and starts itching, and I start to relax. My instincts are still on edge, but I find it easier to sit in a room with all the kitsune after ten days. By the fourteenth day, when Rin once again disappears to the shrine, I decide keeping track of time in seven day weeks is wise.

The fifteenth day sees Shizuka pronounces my back healed, along with my face growing scratchy from the beginnings of a blonde beard. Since I'm not about to let anyone get a knife near my neck for a touch of comfort, and I doubt by ability to shave one handed, I let my beard start growing out. I suspect that since Rin still insists I have help bathing, one of the kitsune would try to help me shave if they knew how itchy and unpleasant I find growing out a beard.

Though as the air grows colder, the nip in the air sharper every morning, maybe having a beard for the w inter won't be so bad. I see all the kitsune are looking fluffier and fluffier as the weather threatens to turn nasty. The fur at their necks bushing up, their tails seeming to thicken, all of them appearing softer by the day.

On my thirtieth day with the kitsune, winter finally makes it's late arrival.

I awaken to a deep chill, the light of pre-dawn drifting into the room. The breath that leaves my lips turns to cold fog. My broken arm aches and itches I try to draw covers up my body more. Looking to my left I see Rin asleep on her futon by the door-wall, her tails sticking out from beneath the back of her blanket. Despite her being being a master of an entire mountain or how dignified she looks falling asleep it always ends the same, the fox on her side with her arms stretching out in front of her with a silly look on her relaxed face. Hardly a fitting look for a woman who can project so much dignity I feel plain and crude at times. The tip of her tongue sticking out of her mouth, which thankfully remains closed, helps remind me she's very much a person.

Though the air is too cold for me to be amused by such simple things this morning, even if Rin's expression happens to be even sillier than normal.

Gritting my teeth I surge up to the sting of my bound arm and old, sore scars. Feeling grateful that my bruises are gone and my strength is mostly back, I pull the blanket around me as best I can with one arm. The frosty air reminds me of the harshness of the world, a reminder that I suspect I need.

While I struggle to warm up, Rin makes a noise in her sleep before rolling onto her back with twitching ears, tip of her tongue slipping back into her mouth. I wonder yet again whether she feigns sleep or if her large ears are sensitive to any sounds I make, the kitsune sits up. Her hand and a tail move to obscure a yawn and the predator's teeth within her fox face. The small considerations she shows me even when I rudely awaken her won't go unappreciated, these weeks recovering leaving me more determined than before to aid her once I'm in health.

She lets her hand fall away and tail curl back, turning her blue orbs my way. "Good morning to you, Egil."

"Good morning," I say, trying to pull my blanket tighter and only making my back more exposed.

"Allow me," she says, casting off her blanket and coming toward me on her knees.

Her swiftness in that all white dress, that seems far too tight around the legs, amazes me. She's nearly as quick as I've seen Saki move. Rin reaches my left side, furred hands pulling my blanket up soon as she's there. She drapes the warm weight around my back and swaddles me in cloth, but not before slipping several of her tails against my back. If the fluffy appendages weren't so warm I'd complain about the impropriety. Or so I want tell myself. I have yet to tell her to stop once, the entire time I've been around her. Instead I tell myself it's harmless to indulge her, and dip my head appreciatively.

"Do you feel well?" she asks, face serious. "It's far colder than I expected."

"It's nothing," I say, breath a wispy haze. "I'm from a land with far harsher winters than this."

"Then you won't mind if I move you to another room today, deeper in the house where it's warmer at night." She smiles warmly at me. "If you're cold after that, I am certain any of my house would gladly keep you warm at night."

"It's too early in the morning for breakfast, isn't it?" I ask, trying to turn the conversation in another direction instead of acknowledging what she just suggested.

Her head turns toward the screened wall that separates inside from outside, the light still dull in the room. Then her blue orbs turn back to me and the kitsune's grin appears pleased. "Yes," she says, letting what she'd suggested drop. Even thought I have a strong gut feeling it's not the end of it. "Yuuko, Shizuka, and Miki should be tending freshly lit hearths. If you would like we can sit in with them."

Keeping a grimace to myself, the idea of Miki making eyes at me all morning an unnerving one, I shake my head. "I'd rather put my legs to use. I don't want to get weak from all of this sitting."

"Would you care to join me in a walk through the garden?" Rin asks, indulging me. "It may have snowed while we slept, and I've been told the garden is quite beautiful in winter."

"I'd like to see that. I've become quite fond of your garden," I nod to the master of the house.

After taking care of certain morning needs, Rin finds one of her sisters to whisper words to before sending the younger kitsune off. Rin then guides me back to my room where Saki stands outside the door with a change of clothes.

The dangerous eight-tail bows respectfully to her elder sister, who smiles to me. "I'm going to get in a more pleasant dress," Rin says to me. "Saki will help you get into something warmer."

I agree out of politeness and resigned pragmatism. With a bound and recovering arm I can't easily get in the clothes of this land, not with how they are practically wrapped around your body.

Glancing at Saki, the eight-tail simply turns around and opens the door for me. She urges me in silently, the door rumbling shut as she joins me. I've gone through the process of being undressed enough in this home to know that the less I do the better. But when she doesn't start instructing me I have to raise an inquisitive brow at the reserved kitsune.

"Egil," she says, surprising me by using my name for what feels like the second time since I've met her, "I wish to speak privately with you. After breakfast would you join me in my training hall?"

I throw an apprehensive glance to the door-wall behind her. Saki nods, silently telling me it's safe to speak.

"Might I know what this is about?" I ask, keeping my voice low as a precaution.

"Matters my eldest sister seems intent on ignoring," she replies, face and eyes an unreadable mask of indifference.

That could be anything from Kenta and Meiko, which I've been biding my time to speak to Rin about once my arm is healed, to what happened with the kappa in the village. Or perhaps it's something as simple as Saki wants me to promise I'll leave the mountain come spring? I'll know only one way. "If she gives me leave to, I will."

"If you ask, she'll grant it." Saki stepped closer, lifting my good arm up so she can get me out my clothes. "She's very fond of you Egil," the kitsune whispers.

"I am a bizarre oddity," I mutter back, staring at her ears so I don't flinch when furred fingers tickle my suddenly bare shoulder.

Saki gets behind me, the hair on my neck sticking up. And rightly so, the kitsune moves with deliberate slowness so she can whisper in my ear, "You are more than a foreigner with interesting tales and strange trinkets. You have become Rin's friend and have earned her favor."

"At her insistence," I say, wary of offending Saki.

"All the more reason we must speak," the kitsune states, taking her time with my clothes.

"We will," I promise, resigning myself to whatever happens.

"Thank you," she whispers, coming back around me swiftly, stripping me of my clothes and ending the conversation.

The air is bitter against my skin, but at least I'm not entirely naked. The loincloth they provided me, while uncomfortable at first, isn't so bad. Saki, thankfully, is quick to wrap me in thicker clothes. Two layers cover me, my mending arm kept sandwiched between layers, before I'm made to sit down. The cloth is nice and thick, the cut and fit so close to perfect I can't help but suspect magic.

While I'm inspecting the clothes furnished me, short leggings are forced upon my feet, two layers in total, pulled so snugly against my toes it's uncomfortable. No shoes, not that I am surprised. There will be sandals or some kind of slipper waiting for me when I leave the building.

Saki helps me back up, the kitsune's movements graceful as she takes more of my weight than is necessary. While I try to figure out if she did that to intimidate me, she turns and opens the door. Outside Rin approaches, taking the last three steps needed to reach the divide between the hall and this room.

The master of the house wears a different dress than the two I've become accustom to. Deep blue silk, adorned with patterns of white like flurrying snow or falling petals, hugs her form. A pure white sash holds the dress around her waist, and the fur of her bushy neck practically spills out over the hem. I spot a cord of dark leather in that mass of fur, but the smile she focuses at me stops my detail seeking eyes. "Will the clothes be warm enough, Egil?"

"Yes. Thank you, Rin, Saki," I add, giving the eight-tail a moment of consideration before turning my attention to the older kitsune. "I won't be cold with all of this on."

"That is pleasing to hear, since they are your clothes now. Egil," she continues, not giving me time to respond to the sudden gift, "Would you still care to walk with me in the garden?"

I must be swaddled in enough cloth to get two peasants of this land through the winter, or feed them for several weeks if they were to sell it all. I struggle to find the right way to respond to the gift, caught entirely on verbal the backfoot. "Thank you, Rin," I say, dipping into what I hope is a respectful bow.

"Seeing you kept warm is nothing between friends, or a host and her guest," she says, dismissing the topic with a slight wave. Her hands fold in front of her inside her sleeves. "Speaking of snow, it did indeed fall while we slept. I believe the garden should be quite pristine, so let us go see if I'm correct."

I nod, keeping my excess gratitude for the winter clothes quiet because of how intent she is about moving on. The nine-tail guides me to her side, making certain we walk side by side. I can sense Saki trailing behind us as we move through the twists and turns of the large building. Eventually we step out onto the walkway surrounding the house, letting me see the world turned white.

Snow covers the tiled roofs, grounds, and stone lantern decorated walking paths. Tiny icicles peak out from the eaves. The white dusting isn't deep, maybe two of my thumbs, but it's enough to give everything an evened out, puffy look. Several kitsune mill about, clearing snow from the stone paved walking paths, not one of them dressed in more than their usual silken dresses. That bushy fur must be good for keeping out the chill.

Saki darts ahead of us with strides that look far too short for her speed. I see the reason for her hurry once she steps off the raised walkway and places a pair of fur boots and a hat on the wood. Where she got them I don't even want to ask, I just sit on the edge of the when she throws me a sharp glance. Her hands are quick and certain, lacing the boots to my feet with a near brutal efficiency that I'll be feeling for a while. She stuffs the hat onto my head, and to my surprise I don't think about claws until her hands are a safe distance away.

With how relaxed I feel, I know I must be getting soft from luxury and being tended to so often. That or the magic of the first snow has gotten to me already, simple wonder and pleasure warm in my chest as I look at the icicles on the eaves. It's been so long since I was a child, I'm left pondering if this is the kind of wonder that leaves them so eager about the world.

"Thank you, little sister," Rin says to Saki, drawing me back to the present as well. "You can go back to what you were doing before I so rudely interrupted you."

"It is no trouble, eldest sister," the eight-tail bows, going back into the building once she's dismissed.

That leaves me with Rin. And I suppose all the sisters pretending to still be working instead of watching us, but I doubt not going to risk upset their eldest sister by doing anything beyond that.

"Come, Egil," the nine-tail grins, using one of her bushy tails to press on my back and urge me onward.

Once we're moving and Rin leads by a half step, she removes her tail from my back. I glance around the buildings, the short icicles hanging from eaves glistening like fine gems. Even in the harsh cold of winter, there's such wonderful beauty, reminding me of the nicer parts of homeland. Thoughts of warm hearths and families gathered is such a pleasant sensation it nearly brings a smile to my face as I walk with the master of the house and mountain toward her garden. We take in the fresh snow touched sights on the way instead of wasting time with words.

Until a wall, tall as I can reach, looms ahead. Out of place for this land, there is a circular entrance in the wall, elegantly banded in red painted wood. Something I've seen in a land I never wish to return to, but I've seen it enough not to have my mood dampened. Rin goes through the portal and I follow, stepping into the pristine garden beyond.

A powdery layer of snow blanketing the scene lacks any hint of disturbance. The venerable tree in the garden has bare branches dangling with thin layers of ice. The white capped, painted bridge over the pond stands out sharply in the white coated world, presiding imperiously over the frosty sheet of the water's surface. Rin walks forward onto the path, her footfalls silent on the snow, the pads of her feet seemingly immune to the thin layer of snow. I follow her, the crunch of compacting snow beneath my heavy feet shattering the peaceful quiet of the winter world.

The tails of the kitsune ahead of me rise and fall in wave at the sound, but otherwise she seems unbothered. Her feet find every hidden stone of the walkway, the soft impressions of her paws marking where it's safe for me to step in the crunching blanket.

She leads me to the bridge and I follow, marveling like a young fool at the what winter has done. Harsh and cruel as the season may be, the first snow might as well be magic. Once we're at the height of the arched bridge, she moves close to my side, one of her fingers idly reaching out to poke a hole into the snow capping the railing.

"Do you you like snow?" she asks, staring at the frozen pond and seeming to be lost in her own thoughts.

"I do," I answer, breath fogging as I draw my clothes tighter. "Winter is harsh, but I'd rather live in a land with snow than without."

"Oh?" She looks curiously at me. "What do you find so beautiful about the snow?"

I'm left at a loss for words over something so simple. "I don't know," I eventually admit. "It's..." I shake my head, giving up on thinking too deeply. "I'm not a philosopher or scholar. It's pleasant to look at, and I know it's dangers and uses. That's always been good enough for me."

"Not everything needs to be complicated," she chuckles, fingers teasing at the hint of leather cord in her neck fur. "I am not particular to snow, but I can appreciate it." She flicks some snow onto the ice below. "Polished silver, I can appreciate for it's on beauty."

The way she's lightly focused on me instead of relaxed or nobly aloof tells me she's got something on her mind. I decide to indulge and see where this goes, and to try to make up for my earlier slowness. "Is silver why I gained your audience so easily?"

"A good guess," the kitsune laughs bemusedly into the back of her sleeve. "Sadly, that was not why we met. Saki telling me an armed man had climbed the mountain to come see is what earned you my audience. No, the gifts you gave me began my appreciation for silver."

I don't hide my incredulity from the fluffy kitsune. "Is that so?"

"Do you doubt me, Egil?"

"Maybe," I admit. "I have a hard time believing my simple gifts made that much of an impression."

"They did. After all," she tilts her head slightly, showing a hint of a leather cord in her fur, "It's not every day I receive a gift wrought from silver in such an exotic manner from such an interesting man."

"You're wearing the amulet I gave you, aren't you?"

"I am," she smiles, fingers digging at the fluff of her neck pull up the leather cord, and reveal a hint of silver. "I have taken good care what your gifts, but I have a fondness for this amulet. So much so I forget to take it off some nights," she chuckles.

With her fur, I can understand why it's escaped my notice. "Then I'll have to share stories about the world tree with you. So you can better appreciate the silver."

Warmth starts seeping into my spine, a tail no doubt slyly placed on my back when I wasn't paying attention. Rin looks out at the large, barren tree the glistening icicles hanging in place of leaves, the smile on her face reserved as it is thoughtful. "I'd greatly enjoy that," she grins. "It's always a delight to speak with you in private and your interesting tales."

I give my words some thought, trying to sort out the kitsune's thoughts and motivations. Only to give up quickly, deciding it's easier to speak to her as something like a friend. "The evenings talking with you have been a pleasant reprieve. Thought I cannot promise the stories about the world tree will be anything more than retelling of myth."

"You will have my rapt attention no matter the story." Two more tails make themselves known against me, the warmth that seeps in through my clothes more than welcome. "It is interesting," she says, mood sobering and blue orbs looking away from me. "I have become quite fond of you, Egil."

So much for my sense of calm, the kitsune's words reminding me of the ways of the world. "I mean no offense, Rin. But that," I cautiously grasp each word, one after another, "Is something I usually hear before I'm asked for a favor."

"Rightfully wary, I see. There is no need for that, I have a request to ask, not a favor," she says, blue eyes turning back to me. The faint glow at the edges of those blue orbs don't let me forget she's a fox faced, magical creature instead of just a woman. Who can put on such a polite, aloof expression it's impossible for me to guess her thoughts. "Before that, I was wondering if you'd like to go under the elm together?"

"If you'd like to," I answer, nodding for her to lead.

Rin guides me, a faint pressure on my back and legs letting me know her tails still cling to me. Her smile deepens when we pass under the mighty, sprawling branches of the old tree. Short, delicate icicles glisten like jewels in the sunlight peaking over the mountains and walls enclosing the grounds of the home. False riches spread about the twigs and limbs, the patterns and glimmering pleasing to the eyes as we stop beneath the boughs.

"Egil," she says, tails leaving me as she steps to stare at me face to face. "I..." she stops, the hesitation unusual enough to draw my full attention. When she starts back up there is an odd tinge to her voice, as if she might waver in slight breeze. "Would you reconsider your insistence on helping me with Kenta and Meiko?"

The suddenness of the request catches me off guard, sending me back half a step, but the topic doesn't surprise. I've waited for weeks to have a conversation on this subject. "I said I would help with the situation, and I will keep my word. I've held my tongue about it but I haven't forgotten," I say, hoping she believes my silence meant I merely forgot.

"Then I will release you from your word," she says, an edge of pleading in her voice, as one of her hands reaches out to me. It stops, then adjust my outer layer of clothing before falling back. "Egil, I implore you, reconsider your oath. Consider it undone by the one you swore it to."

"Why, Rin?" I ask quietly, for fear of privacy. What would her sisters think if they misheard our words? "I'm not a complete fool. I could see that the situation with Meiko hurts you, your love for your sisters runs so deep even a fool like me can see. So why turn down the help of an outsider who would gladly face the man-eater in those woods as bait?"

"I do not wish for you to be hurt because of my responsibilities," the kitsune whispers, staring down at my chest. No, I realize, broken arm safe in it's layers of clothing. "I could have stopped that kappa by showing myself but I didn't, out of fear. If I can stop you from walking into a terrible battle now, then I will."

"I want to uphold my word to help you and your family."

"That is why I am releasing you from it," she quietly speaks, looking me in the eye with guarded seriousness, her polite mask gone.

"You care far more for a foreign vagrant than any lord or noble I've ever met," I breathe out. "Thank you, Rin. I am sorry, but if you won't accept my help I'll offer it to Saki, even if she may reject it."

The kitsune starts to bite her lip, but quickly lifts her sleeve to hide her mouth and teeth. She turns her gaze to stare the snow kissed ground, shifting from foot to foot and obviously upset. That she's unable to hide it behind her usual composure frightens me more than it should, a tightness gripping my stomach.

Even I know when I've messed up. "I'm sorry, Rin. I don't want to involve myself in your family's affairs. But I have a chance to stop a man-eater. If that keeps some other sorry fool like me from having to get involved in this mess with Kenta, I'll take the risks. So if I can't help your family I'll try to deal with Kenta on my own, but you have my word I won't bring any harm to Meiko. Even if it means my life."

"That's what I feared," Rin says, quiet voice and thick with anguish as she stares at the snow covered ground. "Egil, you're a good man. So I beg you, reconsider. If I must get down and press my forehead to the snow to show you my sincerity, or swear three times upon all that I am, I will if it means you don't walk to your death."

"Don't do that, Rin. You don't need to apologize for speaking to me like this or swear any oaths. I should be apologizing for putting my nose in your family's matters."

Her blue orbs move toward me, the kitsune facing me again. Even though I have to look up to meet her eyes she seems smaller than me right now.

"Egil," she says, staring at me strangely, "I don't want you to leave.."

That gives me pause. I stop thinking of the conversation in any simple terms, and try to take the words as I might with the faeries. There's something I haven't wanted to think about let alone entertain, but the thin frown on her muzzle and open look in her eye force me to speak. Does she care about me? Not just a host or a useful tool, but a person?

"Why," I begin softly, "Are you so concerned, Rin?"

She starts to speak, then stops. The composed, polite, and assured lord of this mountain is nowhere to be seen in Rin. She turns her back to me and folds her hands into her sleeves. "Talk to Saki, offer her your help," the nine-tail says, voice a fragile facade. "If she accepts, then I will tell you why I am willing to beg. For now put it out of your mind and let us go eat."

With our conversation taking such a sharp turn, I'm left wondering exactly what is going on. Is my hunch correct or am I wrong somehow?

She doesn't give me time to think about it. She walks just ahead of me, her tails deftly avoiding me when I move to keep up. I can tell I've hurt her feelings, but she doesn't let it show beyond the silence and refusal to touch me with her tails as she normally does. Keeping my confused thoughts to myself I follow her back inside, the lack of warmth on my back an odd sensation.

---

Once I'm freed from those tight boots, I'm silently led to breakfast. As soon as Rin opens the door to communal kitchen allow me in, a sea of fluffy ears and curious fox eyes turn toward me. The master of the house motions for me to enter first. I do, and take note of Saki sitting off to the side, and see Miki and Shizuka open up spots for Rin and I to sit.

"Forgive me, little sisters," Rin says once I step, "I have matters to attend. I regret that I must skip eating with you this morning. Treat our honored guest well in my absence."

I turn to look questioningly at the nine-tail, but she's vanished from sight and the door-wall clunks shut. This could be bad, and not only because I've undoubtedly upset Rin.

Breathing in, I face the room. Shizuka and Miki smile at me, making just enough space between themselves to allow me to sit in their midst. I still haven't decided if I'm some kind of entertainment to those two or if their attention is born from more base desires. Keeping Saki in the edge of my vision, I go to the two kitsune offering me a cushion to sit on. At least I know they'll behave themselves, mostly.

The punishment handed down to Shizuka and Miki seems to have made the two closer, but with Saki in the room I don't worry about either of them going too far. Worst they'll do is fuss over me and insist on taking turns trying to feed me.

My suspicions are proven right once I sit down, a bowl being offered up by Shizuka and Miki holding a pair of hashi to try and feed me. The conversation of the room flows in one of my ears and out of the other, my refusals so quick I don't think about them. I make myself clear by taking the hashi of Miki's hand. The two tailed, young kitsune looking all too pleased by the forced contact that brings.

"A man who knows what he wants," she teases, speaking so quietly I must be the only one that can hear her.

I try to ignore the kitsune on either side of me, even as their tails laying against my legs, and focus instead on the simple task of feeding myself. Thanks to Rin continuing to teach me in the evenings I'm getting better at using the cursed eating sticks, the nine-tail only trying to feed me when it's obvious my hand has cramped.

As quickly as the thoughts and recent memories about Rin come to me, I push them from my mind with just as swiftly. Those are thoughts for after I've eaten and have something akin to privacy.

Surrounded by so many kitsune my recently recovered back itches lightly from the sensation of being watched, but the discomfort doesn't have me on the edge like it used to. The common cooking and eating room may be filled with the kitsune sisters and their fluffy tails, but exposure seems to have numbed my nerves over the last few weeks. There are plans in my mind on how to escape and defend myself, as always, but they don't burn bright enough for my muscles to ready themselves. This room has almost grown familiar, as have these morning meals.

I make certain to eat with my eyes fixed on my bowl to avoid seeing their mouths as fox women eat. Breathing in deeply offers more than the smell of warm food. The scent of well groomed fur and warm food fills the room, relaxing my nerves further. I went to great pains to make certain none of the kitsune in the home had the stench of man-eater on their breath, but reminding myself of it now helps to ease my mind.

After everyone finishes their morning meal and finish making deals about chores, the room full of kitsune turn their attention to me. No doubt hoping to get some stories out of me, or in the hopes of a few eager kitsune, find an excuse to get closer to me. Miki, firmly in the latter group, opens her mouth to say something, but the sharp sound of someone faking a cough stops the two-tail from speaking.

"Egil," Saki says, the room falling silent as she rises to her feet, going from kneeling to standing in one smooth glide. "Would you come with me?"

"To talk?" I ask, skin crawling as eyes and ears twist to me.

Saki, her cold eyes focused entirely on me, nods. I return the gesture, getting to my feet slowly, and without any of the grace she showed.

Miki, clearly disappointed that I'm she can't press her leg against me anymore, shrinks back and whispers something to Shizuka. I let them gossip and guess. I stride through the mass of kitsune toward Saki, and find myself unfortunate enough to catch a short, whispered conversation.

"What's she after?"

"Quiet, she'll hear you."

"Saki doesn't care what we say."

The whispering kitsune was right, the indifference on Saki's face hasn't changed. She waves for me to step out first, the eight-tail closing the door wall as she follows. Once the barrier separates us from her sister she looks at me, deliberately looking me over. If she wishes to unsettle me, then she's succeeded.

The eight-tail turns. "Follow me."

Walking behind a bundle of tails tightly pressed together, I find myself watching how she moves. Even when she turns there's no hint of tilt or sway to her balance, as if she's flowing along instead of moving her legs. There's no hint of bob or weave in her spine. Some might see that and think of her as having womanly poise, but I can only see finely honed control over her body. Even if she's beyond what I could ever hope to do, she's still in a realm I can understand. Unlike the faeries, Saki is only slightly beyond what a mortal like me could hope to do.

Outside and under covered walkways I'm led, to a part of the walled in grounds that I've only seen a handful of times. A lone rectangular building, tiled and built in sturdy and refined style like the rest, sits off to the side, near the cliff face leading higher up the mountain. We reach the wooden doors and Saki slides one aside, allowing me to peer inside.

It's open and spacious enough for several men of my size to comfortable move around and practice spears in, the outside of the building deceptively small compared to the spacious interior. The polished wood of the floor has with the telltale signs of deep gouges worn down by feet over a long time. Above, the rafters and beams are open, crisscrossing and positioned in a way that I doubt has anything to do with the structure's strength.

Weapons of all sorts line the back wall, spears and swords rest in racks, coils of rope or chain rest on pegs in the wall, and dozens of strangely shaped daggers are held on the wall. I even spot what look like three rectangular hand shields off in the corner. It doesn't escape my eyes that my dagger and sword are resting on a rack all of their own, set in such a way I'm clearly meant to see it. Whether that's a provocation or assurance, I choose to ignore my possessions.

As look around I can't tell if the space is magical or magical or not, and with Saki urging me in I'm left uncertain. I cross the threshold, the still air within no warmer than the winter air outside. The sliding door clacks shut as she steps in with me, beams of light filtering in through the squat, long oilpaper covered windows at the top of the walls.

"No one will hear or bother us," Saki says, walking past me into the center of the room.

As I try to guess her intentions, she suddenly jumps up and catches hold of one of the beams above. With not a wasted movement she flips up higher, disappearing for a moment. I catch sight of tails flicking farther down. My jaw tenses, instincts flaring up after such a calm few weeks and breakfast. I flinch when something drops from the rafters, feet spreading to make me more stable.

Two square cushions hit the floor. Behind them the eight-tail drops down, landing in a crouch. I breathe out, trying to relax frightened muscles and ease my instincts. Saki wastes no time and arranges the cushions, one across from the other, before inviting me over to sit. Heart still retreating from my throat, I sit down at the same time as her.

"If I might speak plainly?" she asks, to which I nod. "Has Rin told you about the mountain's secret?"

"Your sister Meiko and the oni Kenta?"

Tails lay against the floor and spread out. If I didn't know better, I'd say she looks almost pleased with my answer. "Do you know that Meiko is my twin sister?" she asks.

"I learned that after looking at her."

Saki's spine straightens and her tails fan out behind her, swishing over the wood. "You saw her?" she asks, cold shell breaking as raw emotion floods her voice.

Fear, concern, relief, hope - she doesn't hide any of it. It's as if I'm seeing the eight-tail for the first time, instead of what she wants me to see.

"Yes," I say, grasping for anything hopeful to say. I quickly decide to leave out how mad and disheveled she looked. "She seemed well fed, and I could tell she's not a man-eater."

Worried brown eyes close. Saki breathes in and out slowly, collecting herself. I give her the time, being unable to imagine what she must feel. If her shell cracked so easily in front of me, this must mean a great deal to the dangerous kitsune.

"Thank you, Egil," Saki eventually says, her usual cold stare returning as she opens her eyes. Though her voice hasn't entirely recovered, lacking in it's usual edge and distance. "Do you know that Meiko is being kept prisoner by the Oni?"

"I remember something like that. Rin and I were drinking when she told me about in the village," I admit, memory of that night a touch hazy, and not from the alcohol. The fight the day after has my memories of the village more muddled than I like. "It seemed to me Kenta tried to protect Meiko from the monks, and made things worse."

"That thing," Saki said, all but spitting her words as her cold masks breaks under trembling anger, "Is no longer human, he's not even what my sister fell in love with. He chose to become a monster, a demon. He reveled in what he became."

The hate lacing Saki's words raises the hairs all over my body. Her fury doesn't show on her face, nor is it directed at me, but I can feel it all the same. I can't keep a scowl off of my face as I consider what I've heard.

"He chose to be a man-eater, didn't he?"

She nods. "Kenta chose to eat the holy relic he stole from the monks, the mummified finger of one of their enlightened." My stomach turns at the thought. "He broke another taboo," she continued, "And used the power Meiko trusted him with, all to become a demon spirit. When I found him, he was eating the guts of the monks that tried to stop him."

My heart sinks along with my stomach. If someone is unfortunate enough to be cursed into becoming a man-eater, even I can feel a twinge of pity. But to choose that path? Rin may hate me for it, but I do not think I can leave this alone. Not if I want to sleep at night or face whatever is in store for me in the afterlife.

"Rin feared you'd react like this," Saki begins, obviously reading the steeling of my face. "Your disdain for what you call man-eaters runs deep."

"It's why I came here," I answer, knowing she's trying to bait me into something. I don't care and walk right into it, determined to see what she wants. "I heard rumors of a man-eater and how it might be the lord of this mountain. As for my hate, it is why I dove into a cold river to kill that kappa and save the child."

Understanding crosses her fox face, and she nods at me. I don't think I'm just a foreigner or a guest to her anymore. "Have you heard that we can't contain Kenta on the mountain for much longer?"

The cold wisp of my breath is at odds with the rising worry in my gut, my face twisting as I think of what will happen. I know Saki is still goading me, trying to guide me to a decision, but I don't care right this moment. I need to know more so I can do something about the fear and hate festering in my gut.

"It's true," the eight-tail sighs when I say nothing. "Rin has Meiko and the Oni bound to the mountain. The spell will break when my tail, and Meiko's, split next winter. We hope to catch Kenta then, as he either flees the mountain or makes an attempt on the village our mother set up."

Taking all this new knowledge in, I chew the inside of my lip. I knew Rin hadn't told me everything, and I doubt Saki has either. But this new knowledge sets my nerves on edge and rolls my guts. If my shield arm weren't still weak and mending I'd give into an urge to go out into the woods now to try and find this Kenta, after asking to borrow a few weapons off that back wall.

Cold brown eyes stare at me, the edge in her gaze like a chisel pounding at my strained composure. "You've fought with man-eaters. You have the spirit and body of a seasoned of warrior. I could greatly use your help, Egil."

Breathing out, and still in control of what I do and say, I wait. I'd love to run headfirst into the trap Saki prepared for me. But even if I want to, I survived faeries. I can't go and make decisions without learning more, no matter how badly I want to see that the man-eater in the forest is dealt with swiftly.

"Rin asked me to stay out of this matter," I say, letting my shoulders and jaw relax. "I'd be a poor friend to her, going behind her back."

Saki's expression doesn't waver, but she dips her head. "I ask your for the sake of my family. Eldest sister will understand."

"Rin was ready to beg me to stay out of this matter, even if she had to drop her forehead in the snow."

With no warning, the eight-tail kitsune prostrates herself on the ground, the pounding the wood with her fists and forehead. The sound hums in my chest as I stare at her resolution and submission. "I beseech you, Egil. Help me save my sister," the kitsune begs. "I will give you-"

"Halt," I demand, cutting the kitsune off before she can finish her offer. "I am not asking you to do what she didn't. Rin is afraid I'll get hurt or die. If I weren't being considerate to her as a friend and host, I would have asked you to accept my help already. So do not plead with me like that."

My anger, sharp and pointed, surprises me more than it seems to surprise the kitsune. Saki remains silent quiet for far too many heartbeats, her forehead flat with the floor. One her ears flicks three times before she says anything. "I cannot promise you will survive," she says. "Yet with you, I am certain we can find the Oni and kill him before he can escape or worse, make it to the village below."

Rolling my tongue against the hard edge of my teeth, I resist an urge to do something stupid. Instead, I say, "I would be bait to lure Kenta into a trap."

The eight-tail is quiet for several long moments. "Yes," she finally says. "We don't think he's eaten anyone in many, many years. I believe he would risk attacking you if you went off the path, even if he thought it might be a trap."

"Hunger drives men and beasts to act rashly."

"All that eats make desperate decisions when hunger gnaws." Saki's tails lash excitedly. "Hibiki and I can kill Kenta," she says, tone even despite her clear hope. "But you slayed a kappa in the water. You would be more than bait."

I nod, seeing the value in me being bait. The thought of trusting my life to the blade of another, however, makes my chest tighten. And that's to say nothing of how wary I am of Saki's unspoken thoughts. "If what Rin said is true about my arm," I begin, having no remorse about setting a trap of my own, "I could get myself into fighting shape by midsummer. Autumn, if I have to take it slowly."

Saki's ears flick and her tail tips waver. While I'm trying to figure out if that's good or bad, she bangs her forehead into the floor. "I will pledge my life to you if you help me get Meiko back," Saki vows, lifting up before dropping back down. "I will pledge my life to you if you help me get Meiko back. I-"

"Hold your tongue!" I roar, words bouncing off the walls and stopping her from going any farther with the oath.

The kitsune is frozen mid bow, eyes wide in startle. I may not be capable of singing in polite company, but that failing of my voice has other uses.

"Thrice sworn is thrice bound, Saki," I darkly warn, "That's not the sort of oath to take lightly. And not an oath to give when I have yet to even give you my help."

"I do not swear it lightly," she says, meeting my hard gaze with a strange but honest defiance. "I am sorry, I am wrong to try and goad you into helping me. But I will do whatever I must to get Meiko back."

I frown, suspecting every kitsune knows about my belief toward thrice sworn oaths thanks to Miki. I somehow reign in my voice, so I don't give into needless anger. "Save any ideas of oaths or goading until after I've spoken with Rin again, please. I want to help with this situation, but I cannot go behind her back."

"Eldest sister will be angry when she finds out what I've asked you," Saki says, looking down at the floor. And seemingly missing the point of what I said. "Allow me to speak with her first so I might spare you her anger."

"Do as you want," I say, hardening my heart to the possibility I won't be welcome on this mountain before long. If I have to leave, I will. But not before exhausting all other possibilities, for the sake of repaying Rin and my strange friendship with her. "She's your sister. You know how to approach her better than I do."

"Thank you, Egil," Saki says, bowing fully once more. "I will seek you out no matter what happens, to plead for you help."

"If nothing else, you have my respect and gratitude for that honesty," I say, rising to my feet. "I hope I can convince Rin to accept, else I may not be an honored guest here for long."

The kitsune's ears twitch against the floor, oblivious to my thoughts. She rises, going from forehead against the floor to standing in one continuous motion. With how easy she makes that look, I wonder where she finds the time for the training needed to stay so limber.

"I will do what I can to have her agree," Saki says, walking past me. "If she does not, I will do whatever I must to get your help."

Well, at least Saki has enough honor to tell me. The eight-tail is undeniably desperate to save Meiko, but she's at least admitting she will seek my help no matter what. If I am truly fortunate, I won't make an enemy out of Rin.

---

Sitting alone in a common room, with a bundle of blankets wrapped about me and a small fire going in a ground hearth, I chew over my situation.

In only a few more weeks my broken arm should be free from it's bindings. I will need to start slow in building my strength and coordination back. I know better than to force a healing body too hard, only I had to learn the hard way when younger. By spring I should ease myself into a routine to get my strength and vitality back after so much rest. I suspect Saki will be all too eager to help me train, if I don't anger Rin that is.

The door-wall slides open a hand span, breaking my thoughts. I spot Shizuka's face, framed by her golden locks, peeking in. The kitsune takes one look at me before bowing in apology and sliding the screen back.

Realizing I must have a nasty look on my face, I sigh and reach for my stick to stir the coals. I never thought all the kitsune would so readily leave me alone when Saki and Rin weren't around. I haven't had solitude like this in weeks.

Worryingly, I don't know if I'm relieved or disappointed.

The clack and sliding hiss of wood doesn't leave me wondering for much longer. I look up, expecting to see Shizuka again, or even Saki come to check on me. Instead it's Rin in her eye catching blue dress, standing with her hands held in her sleeves before her.

"Egil," Rin she says placidly, "Would you follow me to the new room we've prepared for you?"

"Of course," I say, moving to smother the small fire that's kept me warm.

"There's no need for that," Rin says. "One of your hidden watchers will tend to the flame."

My skin prickles, but I shrug out of blankets and stand in place of arguing. I'm letting my guard down too much if I failed to take note of any possible watchers, so as I go to follow Rin I focus on my senses. As I trail behind her bushel of tails, no sounds or whispers reach my ears. Nor do I have the feeling I'm being watched, the halls empty as we trudge along. Did Rin mean to put me on guard to avoid conversation, or have I truly dulled from all this resting?

Turns and twists lead us to new a section of the home. Rin opens the door-wall to show a similar but smaller room than I've been sleeping in, but with only cushions and no futon laid out. On the silent insistence of the kitsune I step in to the room, grateful to see two of the walls are solid instead of covered screens. The air on my face has a warmer feel than in the hall, but it's still cold enough I'm glad for my extra clothing.

"Forgive me for the size," Rin says, shutting the sliding screen of a door and stepping in. "This is the warmest room I can spare, aside from the kitchens, where I doubt you'd be happy to sleep."

"I doubt I could fall asleep in a common room," I reply, watching her more carefully than my tongue.

Arm folding in front of her, she strides into the center of the room. She stares at one of the solid walls instead of paying any heed to me. There, a wooden plank engraved with a character I can't read hangs as the only decoration. Loops, curves, and sharp lines intersect strangely, the symbol entirely foreign to me. She's either fascinated by the decoration or she's waiting for me to say something. If I thought it polite I'd suggest sitting down, but I doubt that's appropriate for a guest to say. Even if it isn't, I bide my time instead of taking risks, intent on waiting her out.

I lose count of my own heartbeats several times when Rin finally breaks the silence. "I understand Saki spoke with you," she utters, turning a single eye to me before looking back to the carved character.

"She asked me to help her with Kenta."

"I am pleased with your truthfulness," the kitsune says, her nine tails resting against the woven mat floor. "I was told you wouldn't let Saki swear an oath as she pleaded for your help saving Meiko. As the eldest of my kin and master of this mountain, I want to know why you turned her down when you also turned down my plea."

That's direct and reasonable enough. "She told me more about Kenta and Meiko, but it wasn't enough to make me forgo my gratitude and friendship with you, Rin. I wanted to talk to you and see if we can come to some kind of agreement."

"Saki told you what I did not say about the urgency of the matter, did she?"

That doesn't sound like a guess to me.

"And that Kenta chose to become man-eater." I shake my head, feeling at ease enough to be honest with her where I wouldn't with others. "I may have forgotten if you told me that, Rin. The day of and before my fight have my memory of the village hazy."

"I have not forgotten anything from our time in the village." She turns to me fully, blue orbs looking down at me ever so slightly. "I withheld what I did to keep you from acting rashly. But that was then, and now I plead with you to not trouble yourself those matters."

I nod, understanding all too well why she would think I'd act rashly. I walked up her mountain to find a man-eater, and made no attempt to hide my dedication to that foolish cause. "I don't hold any ill will when someone is trying to watch out for me."

"You can be reasoned with. I like that, Egil." The master of the house adjusts her hands, sleeves softly rustling. "I can put my own feelings aside if I must, but would you be upset if I still had secrets?"

It would surprise me if she didn't. I'm careful enough to check my tongue, and instead say, "No. I don't want matters of my honor brings us into conflict, or else I wouldn't be talking to you about any of this. I would have accepted Saki's plea for help."

Rin's ears flick. "You want me to bless your involvement in the shame of my family, even after I've asked you to stay out of it."

"I want to help you and your family, Rin."

"Kenta is a problem for my family to solve, Egil. I spoke far too rashly to you when we went to the village. This is a matter that..." her words trail off, her eyes going wide as she turns her head, composure slipping.

She lifts her sleeves, burying her face in the cloth and angling away from me. I'd swear my life on hearing her whisper, "What have I done?"

Is Rin trying to trick me, or is her unusual shock and sudden shift in demeanor genuine? Being uncertain, I bide my time, watching the kitsune intently as she starts to pace back and forth in the small room

The waiting goes on for far too long, my feet starting to ache from standing still. I don't allow the small pains to distract from the pacing kitsune. I cannot allow myself to be caught off-guard, not now.

"Egil," the kitsune says from within her sleeves, "Might I speak plainly?"

"Please do."

"What would you do if Saki offered to marry you?" she asks.

I swallow, my mouth feeling too dry all of a sudden. I think I need to be polite even if I don't know how in this thorny situation. "I can't see her doing that."

Rin pulls her face out of her sleeves, the fur of her muzzle and in place of her hair mussed. I've seen her rise from sleep looking less disheveled. If she's putting on an act, it's very convincing. "She would."

"I do not see why."

"I told you as I've told her," she explains, wearily dropping her arms, "Kenta is a problem for my family to solve." She starts to bite her lip, but looks away before I can see it. "I know I asked for your help, when desperation and hope held my heart. I was wrong. This is a matter for my family to solve, as I have reminded Saki."

The nine-tail's shoulders sag. "One of my gravest mistakes. If you took any of my sisters as your bride that would make you part of my family. I could not deny the union, and thus I would have no cause to turn aside your help."

"This is more honesty than I expected," I say, feeling as if I'm pushing through a brier patch instead of making my way around it. While also being given an oiled torch to burn the brier patch away, should I wish to damage to the forest. "I owe you the same, as a friend. I will try to stop the man-eater, no matter the price I must. If there is a way I can not ruin our friendship, or become enemies, I want to find it."

"Then take one of my sisters as your bride." Blue eyes look down to say, "I know Saki all too well, she will offer herself first."

"I mean no offense, but I find it hard to believe you would allow any of this, Rin. Or tell me, if you want me to stay out of this matter of Meiko and the man-eater."

"I am not perfect. I make mistakes, far too often," Rin says, blue eyes faintly glowing in the shade of the room as she looks to the carved character on the wall. She's given up trying to appear dignified, but there's a gentle poise in her even when she slouches. "Despite my failings, I will uphold an oath I made to my sisters long ago. I told them they are free to marry good men, and if I am your friend that must mean you are a good man. A man who deserves truths I do not wish to give."

I don't say anything. She breathes out, head dipping. "One of which you can surely see. I do not want you to marry any of my sisters."

"You want to prevent another another disaster like Kenta."

"A wise assumption," she nods feebly. "Yet you are wrong. I took you as my friend did I not? I do not believe you would make the same choices as Kenta. No, selfishness moves me."

When she doesn't offer up her reason, I have to ask. "Then, between friends, would you tell me why? So I have good cause to deny your sisters, should they make any offers of marriage."

"You are a confusing man," she softly says, weary eyes darting to me. She stares at me for several heartbeats before looking away. "I trust you will keep your word about denying my sisters should I tell you, Egil."

"You have my word, even if must thrice give it."

"Once is enough." Rin shifts so a forest of tails are between us. "Do not mistake me for trying to chase you out. I greatly enjoy your company. My home will always be open to you."

How many times has this happened before, people growing fond of me and wishing I'd stay? I don't remember, but it's a dangerous, horrible situation to be in. One I don't think I can escape the normal way, even if my injuries permitted running away. Straying off the path I've chosen is not how I want to live. " Rin, do you still wish to speak plainly?" I ask, wanting to take her seriously

"Yes," the kitsune admits, ears drooping. "Forgive me, I am being a poor friend and host, hiding myself behind my words. If you believe I am asking you to stay, you are correct."

I hate thinking about these sorts of matters, but I have to do something. "No good would come from me staying," I begin, intending to go on a speech I've had to give far too many times.

Rin turns around, her blue eyes locking with mine and stopping me from giving any such speech. "No good would come from you dying. Not when I've..." she trails off, choking up when she started so sharply.

I can't give her the chance to continue, cruel as that is. If I falter now, it will only make it harder later to tell her I cannot stay.

"I'm broken, Rin," I say, looking past her and at the etched plank on the wall. This isn't the usual speech I give. But she's more deserving of truth than some peasant begging me to join their family after I slew a man-eater. "You've seen when terror has a grip on me," I press on, the words hard on my heart, "When I'm fearing for my life with no good cause. I'm not better than wild animal in the shape of a man at times, as you know from when my hand was around your neck."

"I told you before," she softly speaks, "You grabbed my mouth, and you didn't hurt me."

"I'm terrified of teeth and claws," I continue, grimacing for having admitted something so obvious yet shameful considering my hosts. But it's the only way I know how to convince her that staying will bring nothing good. "That's why I look down into my bowl at meals. Why I go rigid when my bandages need to be changed. If I stayed in this home it would only bring misery for you and sisters, or worse I might lose control of myself and hurt someone."

Rin stays silent for a while. I'm content to let nothing be said, even if my feet are starting to ache from standing still for so long.

"Egil," she says, sounding my name out carefully. "You've laid bare dark fears from deep in your soul. Forgot that we are host and guest for now. As your friend, might I share your trust and lay bare my own fear?"

I start to say no, because she clearly doesn't understand what I intend. Instead, reminding myself how I owe her debt even if she will not let me repay it, I catch myself and nod.

Cloth slips and rustles as Rin takes her hands out of her sleeves. "I cannot imagine the pain you carry in your heart, but you are strong enough to speak of it," she says, drawing herself up. "I should extend the same trust before explaining myself. If you would please look at me, Egil."

I turn my gaze from indecipherable character carved into wood. I look at Rin as she asked, and see the nine tailed kitsune facing me, her arms held awkwardly before her. As if she doesn't know what to do with herself.

With unusual hesitation she reaches up with both hands to the top of her head, blue eyes closing in concentration. She lets out a slow breath, sweeping her hands back and flattening her ears. Locks of hair, white as a winter's day, messily flow between her fingers. I stare stunned as long locks of hair cascade down from Rin's head. It must reach just beyond her elbows, when her arms are at rest. Every strand is as pure white as snow, eye catching and full as a healthy maidens instead of wispy and thin like a hags. It's marvelous as it is confusing, the both in the meaning to her and how she hid it from my eyes.

Her hands come back down and I see her eyebrows are white as well. The locks of her hair are a mess as she pulls her hands away, forcing her to guide stray strands away from her eyes as she averts my gaze. The kitsune tries to put on a haughty, reserved expression that swiftly crumbles into awkward fear.

I stare at her, my gut and eyes knowing this to be a show of magic. Only that it's not that magic has been put up, but pulled down. As if a glamour has been banished. I realize that I'm seeing Rin as she truly is, for the first time since I've met her. To still deceive my eyes after I broke her other glamours speaks deeply and terribly of her power.

"I am most sorry for this deception," she says, dipping her head in a shallow bow. When she straightens up she has to sweep a few locks out of her eyes. "I do not suggest what I have hidden can compare to your pain, but this wish to meet your trust with my own. I despise my hair and how it has tormented me, forever making me look older. So great is my disgust and shame that I hide it even from myself."

What has this conversation turned to? I'm in it, so I may as well keep on. "I don't think your hair is anything to be ashamed of," I tell her.

Rin's expression, warring between politeness and confusion, settles on disbelief, as if the kitsune had prepared herself for any other response. But what else can I say? Her hair, to my eye, is nothing to be ashamed of.

"My hair makes me look an old crone," she says, mouth straining between a forced smile and grimace. "It has always been this, but it's closer to the truth now than any woman would want to admit."

It's true that she appears a few years older, but to my eyes all of these kitsune have had a sense of inscrutable age about them, even the young Miki. I struggle to make sense of her fear. Perhaps as a man, and long time wanderer, I am incapable of understanding the fear and disgust she so plainly feels toward her appearance. But I understand feeling great disgust, shame, and fear that you don't want to show. I laid bare my own only moments ago, but I meant to drive her away not gain more of her trust.

Yet here I am, feeling oddly close to this kitsune who doesn't want my help but wishes for me to stay.

"Rin," I say, giving up on making sense of the situation, "I swear as your friend, on my honor, and on my hate for man-eaters: your hair is beautiful. As are you."

I close my eyes and curse myself silently, wondering where that last part came from. I don't let myself ponder it, not while I'm still in the midst of those verbal briers, and let myself see the world's light instead of retreat into dark thought.

Blue orbs search me for any hint of a lie, but there's none to find.

"I am ashamed to admit I am left without words from your honesty," Rin says, staring down at my feet. "If you still want to know why I wish to keep you from being involved in the matter of Kenta and Meiko, I will stop avoiding it."

I've come this far and let slip too many things, I may as well see this out to the end. I'm not giving up half the light of the world for it, at least. "I want to know," I say, reaching to rub at my pendant, but stopping myself before I reach too high. "Even if it is an unfortunate truth."

Rin hides her hands her sleeves, the kitsune suddenly looking small for someone of her height. "I have feared speaking it, but I am in love with you Egil."

That hits me harder than the kappa did.

Gods and ancestors in their halls of honor, I am a fool. I rub my forehead, meandering to an actual wall so I can lean on it. I thought myself in a patch of briers, but now I'm in a pit of spears. No wonder nothing I've said has worked in my favor. My ancestors and the gods must be laughing at me for being so blindsided, as even now I can look back and see the signs. Worse, I can't summon a simple refusal. The words touch my tongue and I can taste the lie, too disgusted by the bitterness to speak. Why?

Why can't I deny her? Frightful heat burns my skin, radiating from within me. I'd rather be anywhere but this small room right now.

"Forgive me. I will see myself out," Rin quietly says, taking my silence the wrong way.

"You don't need to," I say, unable to look away from my palm.

"I beg your forgiveness, Egil. I have spoken too much."

"Rin," I begin, pulling my hands from eyes and seeing the kitsune's back, one furred hand still against the door-wall. "Would you tell me how long?"

I don't expect her to answer. Her hand moves the door-wall, the wood making a rolling hiss as it slides, only to stop short. Arm trembling, she shuts the half opened screen, making me watch her more carefully.

"I do not know when." The kitsune keeps her back to me, but she at least speaks. "I realized it when I soothed your terror. Ever since then my heart, which I long thought dead, yearns to be close to you. To soothe your pain and feel my own fears fade away."

"Rin, I would be nothing but pain for you," I start, what to say finally unfurling in my mind.

Her head whips around to look at me, my tongue stopping dead in my mouth. Tears run down her face, darkening her fur and glistening in her eyes. The heat on my skin itches as I push myself off the wall, trying to face her.

"You know nothing of what pains me," she whispers.

In a flurry of tails, she throws the screen open and dashes out. The door-wall clatters shut as she passes into the hall, my feet too slow. When I slide open the entrance and peer out she's gone.

I consider giving chase. But I don't know where she went. I have no idea what to say either. The truth of my own heart is a muddled haze, indecipherable as the flushed fear burning my skin. Looking from one end of the hall to the next, I let out a held breath. I go back and sit down with my back to a wall.

Silently I berating myself for failing to notice Rin's feelings sooner. If I saw it, I didn't want to accept what was there. I close my eyes and lean back. If only this were a battle that could be solved with strong limbs and steel.

If only I could say I felt nothing, seeing her tears and hearing her confession.

The only hope I have is my own judgment and experience. To think I came up this mountain prepared to die, and now I have to face something scaring me worse than death or a man-eater. The fear on my skin and hollowing my chest has a terrible bite from being so fresh, cleaving into old wounds with new fangs.

I reach for my pendant. Instead of rubbing the silver, I clumsily take the loop of leather over my head. The one-handed god can't help me right now. No god can, not when they are as fickle and unreliable with love as lesser beings like me. I bundle up my pendant and slip it into the cloth binding my mending arm. I need my judgment, not that of a god.

I'm alone with my thoughts for a long time, but the mists of confusion and fear don't clear. I've begun to see Rin as a true friend, treasure rarer than fleeting gold or gems. Now it's like a sharp sword hanging above my head by a single strand of hair, all at a time when I should be focused only on recovering my strength to fight. The want for battle, to kill the man-eater Kenta, burns deeply in my chest, beneath the fear. I yearn for unfeeling steel against a terrible beast, a simple, heartless task I can let my rage and hate serve me well. Instead of this impossible battle of facing a confession from my host and friend, and whether or not I hurt her.

The door-wall clatters open. Pulse quickening, I look up from my hand.

Saki walks in, carrying my folded futon and belt in her arms. Behind her is another kitsune, Yuuko if I remember correctly, carrying a raised tray with food. Blue fire dances at the tips of their tails, lighting the dark room eerily. How long have I been sitting here, lost in my own thoughts?

I don't find out. Either by order of Rin, or merciful understanding from looking at me, they say nothing as they silently set up the room. Two lanterns are lit and set near the tray of food, rice and some sort of stew. After their tasks are finished they bow to me, Saki far too deeply for my liking, and take their leave.

I go to the tray and sit haphazardly for my first evening meal alone since I came to this mountain. Exhaustion sags my shoulders and dulls my movements, the conversation with Rin repeating in my head as go through the motions of feeding myself. As always, using the hashi leaves my hands aching by the time I've finished using the cursed eating sticks. The taste of the food passes over my tongue without a thought, interested only in what the meal will do for my recovery. I get to the stew and have to bend and lean forward to bring spoonfuls up to my mouth. Through the efforts that leave my bound arm itching and aching, I find myself musing that this is when Rin would usually try to help me somehow. Holding the bowl, or watching mirthfully as I reluctantly relent to her offering me portions to eat.

Why did I ever allow Rin to get close enough to stick in my thoughts like a thorn?

I drop my spoon into an empty bowl, the food on my stomach exhausting me. I hardly remember putting out the lanterns before shuffling into the futon, merciful sleep taking me before confounding thoughts haunt me any longer.

---//

The morning begins with an unremembered nightmare waking me in the early darkness before dawn. Sweating, heart beating in my throat, I go and sit against the wall once I have control of myself.

An eternity caught in my bitter thoughts passes until the entrance to the room opens up. Saki and Shizuka step in, but my glare stops them from asking me any questions. They help me with my arm, clothes, and morning needs without a word. The first thing I notice either of them saying is Shizuka, standing respectfully by my side as we walk down a hall.

"Egil," the seven-tail asks, "Would you care to take your meal in private?"

I nod, not needing words now, or when I'm returned to the room and the two kitsune silently share a meal with me.

Even as the day goes by, I find no reason to speak. Not even when Shizuka appears to change the bandages on my arm. As she takes my sling down, the pendant I removed last night falls out of my clothes. One of the kitsune, I don't see which, tries to pick it up, but I'm faster. Silver snatched between my fingers, I feel the shape of the rune, it's rounded profile sharp as a knife in my thoughts.

"Are you felling well, Egil? You're being unusually quiet," Shizuka softly speaks, trying to touch my good shoulder.

I'm faster yet again, pulling away before she can do more than touch my clothes. "Many things are on my mind," I answer.

"Talking helps clear the mind and soul," she says, biding me to look at her and the small smile on her face.

I can see Saki turn her attention down, away from us, but not before I spot a glimmer of something like approval. If I'm mistaken about her thoughts, I'm certainly not mistaken about Shizuka's. The seven-tail's offer is sincere as it is warmly eager.

Looping my pendant around my wrist, vowing to put the unwelcome memento away in my belt later, I shake my head. "I've nothing to talk about."

"Are you certain?"

Sharply glancing up at Shizuka makes her dip her head in apology. How fearsome must my face look? "Forgive me, Egil. I forget my place as your host."

"There's nothing to forgive," I mutter.

"Little sister," Saki speaks up, earn Shizuka's full attention. "Perhaps we should give him the silence he so clearly desires."

"Yes, Saki."

I doubt it will last, or that Saki has pure intentions, but I'll take what I can get. There's much I need to think about, preferably alone.

---

I hardly notice as days pass. All I know for certain is that many days do pass, as winter's claws try to sink deeper through my clothes and toward my bones whenever I go outside.

Nightmares leave me with little time for sleep so I start stretching and moving my body in the early morning, just as I learned from warriors far more disciplined than me. After breakfast alone in my room I start working on my legs, squatting up and down or walking in circles through unusually empty halls. Before the evening meal I step through silent fights with my shadow, favoring my sword arm since my shield arm is bound against my chest. If I'm a fool hurting my recovery then so be it, but I know if I sit in one place I'll go mad. Better to heal slowly than not at all.

Aside from meals and checking on me, I'm left alone, just as Saki suggested to Shizuka. They're not the only ones either. It's as if all the lurking kitsune sisters know I need the bitter company of only myself as I ponder over what do on this mountain. That or Rin, who I've yet to see again, instructed them to stay away from me.

I don't care about the cause of my solitude, only that I have time to reflect on my life.

What a life it has been. If I wrote a saga about myself the truth alone would make for a more outlandish story than even the most boastful embellishment could manage. Who would honestly believe I've killed men and man-eaters, dined with savages and kings, talked with faeries and walked free, or taken shelter in the home of magical fox women? It would be much easier to write that I'm a coward and a thief who stole the family sword and fled. That the outlandish things I've been through were accidents, not my stubbornness to face what others won't. That nothing I've done has been for glory or the adventure, as the story of my scars would certainly tell.

No matter how I could try to spin sage of my life, my younger, more foolish self would never believe the man I have become. I would certainly not believe that I'd be resting as an honored guest in a home so elaborate and well made that the buildings of my homeland are closer to rough sheds than proper dwellings. Or that the master of this home would say she loves me.

An entire lifetime of choices is too much to think about in one day, or even the seven in a week.

To keep myself from brooding in the mornings, I try the poses a priest taught me, back in that horrible land of jungles and tiger-headed monsters. I hiss through my teeth every time, trying to remember how to breathe properly as I endure a slow chain of unnatural positions. It focuses me, so I know that priest hadn't only been trying to get me to look like a sore fool.

A bard or poet might laugh at me or my situation, but I'm neither. All I can do is hone my body and instincts for what awaits. Whether I die sword in hand and have to explain myself to my ancestors or fall into the horrible cold of the dishonorable dead, it will be from the same cause. A foe I had a choice to walk away from.

Eventually, on a particularly cold midday, I admit to myself I'm avoiding Rin as much as she's avoiding me. I know I have to do something, say something, yet for all my scars and seasons there is nothing in my chest but tight confusion.

What does a man like me know about love? Nothing.

Chewing my words so I can choose whatever holds up, I wait for the door-wall to open and one of the two kitsune I've seen these past days to check on me. However long it takes, it's almost too much for me to bear. Until at last the familiar sound of wood on wood signals the arrival of one. I stand to greet whoever it is sliding open the entrance to my room. Wood clacks and I'm left staring up.

Blue orbs stare down at me. I scarcely notice the two kitsune standing behind Rin, her mask of a face capturing my near full attention.

That blue dress sits on her body nicely, grace and poise as familiar as breathing to her. But her eyes, her weary blue orbs, are all I focus on. Has she always looked so exhausted? Should I care, or say something?

"Greetings, honored guest," the master of the house says, dipping in such a slight bow I hardly notice it. "I will not disturb your solitude for long, as I am certain you've much to meditate upon."

"There's little else to do with my arm like this," I say, my voice a stranger to my ears.

"That misfortune is why I am here, along with," she waves behind her to Saki and Shizuka, "My beautiful little sisters. It is time to remove that splint from your arm, honored guest." Rin faces me, fox face emotionless. "I made a promise to see your wounds healed and I will see it through."

Every word out of Rin's mouth makes more of the hairs on the back of my neck and arms stand up. I can't shake the feeling she's either trying to goad or provoke me, but why? To test the promises I made to her? Perhaps she's mad because I've kept to myself since that exhausting night we shared our dark secrets? When I hardly know my own feelings and thoughts, what hope do I have of knowing hers?

But I must speak anyway. "Thank you, Rin. For your care and concern," I say, trying for peace if I can find it. "Having my arm back will be a relief."

"It is nothing," she dismisses, motioning for her sisters go into the room before her. "It is my duty to see you healed."

With the three kitsune and myself in the room, my eyes twitch to check all the good escape paths. I find myself pushing back against fear that's only been in my dreams lately, the oppressing sensation of being cornered. I don't let it have a hold on me, telling myself that I sit with my back to the solid wall for security, not necessity. In moments I'm surrounded by the trio. Rin sits back, the way the nine-tail holds herself saying she is too important to be involved. With muddled feelings, I allow Shizuka and Saki to do everything.

The coldness in the room goes beyond the winter chill as the master of the house and I quietly stare at one another.

What does Rin want? That I'll cast aside why I came to this mountain, and ignore what I might do to solve the situation with Kenta? That I'll make her duties easier by breaking a promise to her? For me to know how to accept what she said that frightfully honest night?

I hiss out a breath, jerking back when claws prod sensitive flesh. "I am most sorry," Shizuka says, scuttling back and dipping into an apology, the bandages from my arm in her hand.

Swallowing, her quick apology hurting when I shouldn't allow it to, I can only nod. My fists may be balled up, but my body is poised to run, not strike out. A glance at Saki and Rin show me neither is moved or worried. Eventually the golden haired kitsune returns, and I'm forced to look at my arm instead of sneakily watching the nine-tail.

Rin is here to watch and goad me towards a decision, nothing more. I want to bite my tongue for realizing I'd hoped Rin would be tending to me. For things to be more at ease between us again.

Shizuka works quickly, her hands deftly undoing the rest of my bandages. I'm strong enough to hold my once maimed arm up, no need for support. The kappa made splint, crude wood and bone from the look of it, is peeled away next, Saki taking the discarded pieces. My one armed life is at an end, and I feel nothing. Shizuka's furred hands try to manipulate my arm, only for me to move away from the hint of her furred touch, flesh sensitive.

"How does your arm feel?" the golden haired kitsune asks. "Is there any pain or weakness?"

Twisting my wrist and moving my elbow, I find it difficult to muster even half of my strength in the limb. Half is better than none, and even better when I feel only a dull tightness from moving my arm in every direction I can imagine. "No pain," I say. "And stronger than I thought it would be."

Shizuka looks at me worriedly, but doesn't reach out again. "If there is pain do let us know."

"I will. Thank you, both of you," I nod to Saki and Shizuka, "For your care and patience." Looking beyond them, catching Rin's eye, I dip my head to the nine-tail. "And thank you for the same, Rin, as well as your foresight and wisdom. I wouldn't have my arm back if it weren't for you."

"You are welcome." She folds her hands in her lap. "I did what I must, as I suspect you will."

I throw glances to the other two kitsune, then back to Rin. Does she really want to say things so pointedly with others around? She only stares at me, obviously intent on letting them stay.

"I've not made up my mind on what I'll do," I say, keeping from saying too much. "But I don't believe you did this only because you must."

"Do not presume to know my intentions," she calmly declares. "Now, unless you have need of my sisters or questions for me, then we shall leave you to your thoughts once more."

Dare I ask, in front of her sisters, about that night we last spoke? No, no I am not that inconsiderate. Instead I say, "Perhaps we should celebrate a healthy recovery?"

She laughs dryly, lifting one of her sleeves to cover her mouth. "The look in your eye says you are in no mood for celebration," she says. "And I think I would be ill company for you, honored guest. But if you wish to celebrate anyway, I am certain my sisters would take interest."

While I try to figure out why she's intent on remaining so distant, Rin rises with perfect grace. "I humbly ask your forgiveness, but I must be off. I am certain my little sisters can take better care of you than I can."

I don't get the chance to argue that last part before she turns to go. She's taken care of me better than I've cared for myself and-

Rin opens the door and I clench both my fists. "Why don't you two go with your eldest sister?" I more than suggest to Saki and Shizuka.

They offer no comment, rising to their feet and looking to the nine-tail opening the door-wall. She looks over her shoulder, from sister to sister. "It seems I was right. You are in no mood for a celebration."

She leaves without another word, tails bobbing along with her white hair. I blink, not having noticed her white hair until she's all but gone.

Saki and Shizuka each give me a cryptic look, with more warmth than is welcome, before following their eldest sister.

I'm whole again, but as I work my shield arm, I know it's in body only. Not that any other part of me than my body came to this mountain whole. Even so, I feel reduced.

---

On the next day, after even less sleep than I've been getting, I ask Shizuka and Saki to take me to the group meal. They accept without complaint, and I realize darkly that if I asked either one to share a bed with me they would probably give me the same soft acceptance. A nod from Saki, and a smiling, "Of course," from Shizuka. Not that I could stand any such company, but the soreness of the thought feels right for my already unpleasant mood.

The new morning routine has me handling my own clothes, not that Saki and Shizuka don't try to help. A hard look from me keeps them away, my shield arm trying to tremble but my stubbornness making it work.

Once we're in the halls and walking to the communal room, I feel a tail against my back. A sharp look at the culprit, and the warmth leaves. Regret sets in when I see Shizuka fold her hands in front of her, her ears twisting forward solemnly.

Had I been another man, living a kinder life, perhaps. But the seven-tail's persistent care and warmth, I can't accept any of it. Even before I wronged Rin, but especially now that I go to confront the master of the house.

We reach the room, Saki opening the entrance for us. I step into a warm room smelling of gentle smoke and cooking food. As I enter I see the nearby hearth filled with kitsune occupied by their meals. Only for them suddenly to look up, along with the others at the second hearth, creating a roiling sea of curious tails shifting and fox ears twisting. Eyes of all colors look upon me with keen, overeager interest. I almost expect some of them to rise, but at the sound of a single false cough they all look away.

Rin, swathed in her blue dress, lowers her hand back into her lap. She sits before the second hearth, along with four of her sisters, among the two-tailed Miki who seems to smile at my presence. No, I realize all of the kitsune around the fire seem to smile keenly at me. Except Rin, her expression placid as she faces the burning embers. I blink, only now noticing her white, pulled back hair. She must still be hiding it, and now that I know of it I suspect she can't have her glamour perfectly hide her hair from my eyes.

"It is generous of you to join us," the nine-tail intones, not looking up from the smoldering fire. "Sisters, thank you for attending our guest. I would be most happy if the two of you were to join me before our guests sits."

Saki and Shizuka dip their heads and shuffle to their eldest sister, and on instinct alone I shift my feet to take a sturdier stance. The two kitsune that were with me go and sit beside the nine-tail, and I see the subtle shift of Rin's tails. As if reacting to that sign, the other kitsune around the hearth shift where they sit. With obvious planning, five space I might sit are opened up, ensuring I'll be impolitely close to at least once kitsune. Except for Rin, as Saki and Shizuka remain seated so closely to their elder sister I'd have to ask for space.

With Rin staying at the fire and the sisters so obviously playing along, I don't think I'm expected to ask for such a thing. Whether I'm being tested or toyed with, the strangeness of this has me fighting a frown.

"If you would please sit, dear guest," Rin says, tilting her head up slightly.

I'm not playing this game, walking into this trap, or hiding from what I must do anymore.

"I had not remembered how crowded the hearths could get," I say, dipping my head in a hint of a bow. "I see nowhere I can sit, so I perhaps it wise if I see myself out."

The master of the house draws her blue orbs away from the embers and flame, regarding me from her position as eldest and host. "Do not speak such nonsense. Sit by whoever you wish." She waves an empty hand around for effect, trying to draw my attention to the soft smiles and open expressions of her sisters. "Everyone here wishes to know you better and will have no complaint about having you close."

Not looking away from the nine-tail, knowing this to be no time for meekness and polite words, I draw back, the motion genuine as it is for effect. "But I would cause offense."

Rin looks around with deliberate slowness, but I only watch her even as she starts speaking. "Saki, Shizuka, and Miki you've met. These other three are Hifumi, Shiori, and Chika." Rin's blue orbs return to me, the light within dull despite the warm glow of a hearth. "They all wish to know you better. Not a one here would mind you getting close as you wish."

This game is helping no one, least of all Rin, yet she seems insistent on playing it. What she said about me knowing noting of her pain stirs in my ears as knife edged memory. Fingers curling up, threatening to ball into fists, I breathe out like I'm in the middle of a painful stretch. In, let the breath float in the heart, and then out. "Out of respect to a promise I made a friend, I will not," I say, resisting an urge to draw myself up like an arrogant fool.

At the edge of my overly focused vision, I notice several kitsune shift uncomfortably, tails and ears twisting or flicking. Yet in Rin's eyes there's no emotion or movement. Body still as carven stone, she faces me with the solemness of dutiful conviction. "You were released from the promises you persisted in," Rin says, polite tone as wooden as the look she wears. "Go on and enjoy yourself as guest in my home."

"Then might I sit by my friend?" I ask, trying for the thin thread of polite manners left for me.

Rin waves around, but once again I don't let my gaze falter. "They would all love to know you as more than a friend," she says, feigning mild surprise at my words. "Sit by one of them. Let one of them hold your bowl."

With my arm my own again? She speaks as if she hasn't gotten to know me, and I know it's intentional. "Is that what you desire as the master of the house?"

She sagely nods, her silence speaking deeply to me.

I try to be gentle with my words, for Rin's sake, as her sisters are all around us. "And what about as the friend I've shared stories and drinks with?"

A hint of something like emotion tug at the inner edge of eyes, her gaze narrowing. "You can forget the foolishness said between us. You are an honored guest and should be treated as such, nothing less."

My hands nearly tremble at the strength it's taking to keep them from balling into fists. She's carefully leaving things out to get her point across, but I don't understand it. "What foolishness do you speak of? I thought I was the only fool upon this mountain."

Her head tilts back, as if she might look down upon me despite sitting. "You know of what I speak," she says, tilting her head in an oddly mocking way. "Or do I need to speak plainly for a foreigner such as yourself to understand?"

The barb gets under my skin, irritating me nearly as much as my uselessness this winter has. The threads of politeness unraveling, I can't stop myself from speaking my mind, even if it gets me kicked off this mountain. Even if I know it's exactly what she wants. "I thought your words were serious that night, but if you're playing these kinds of games I see I was wrong."

Her gaze wavers for a moment, and I know I scored a deep blow. She sits back, wearing her haughty disappointment like an iron shell. "I would not play games with a man so severe and assured as you. Not after you told me why you were came to my mountain. So sit and enjoy the company of my sisters, honored guest."

The beat of my heart thrums in my head and I roll my jaw to keep from gnashing my teeth. This is so at odds with the vulnerable side she shared with me, with what she asked of me, that I almost wonder if it was all a mad dream. "What I said is true, Rin. There is no space for me here."

"Sit," she all but commands, waving to the spots between her sisters I refuse to look at. "Enjoy their company and get to know them. You've been here so long yet you've made a stranger of yourself to the kitsune who'd like to know you better."

"I've not made myself a stranger to you," I declare, knowing full well I'm crossing a line I cannot come back from.

"I said do not speak such foolishness," she snaps, calm composure fraying.

Even though I do as asked, my unwavering stare at her actually seems to unnerve the nine-tail, but her anger burns in her eyes. Getting a firm grasp on my useless anger, I say, "Speaking truth is not foolishness."

She nods, but not to me. Beyond me, toward the door-wall at my back. "If you will not sit and indulge in the hospitality offered by my sisters, then go. I will send someone to bring you a meal when we are finished."

So that's it? "If that is what you desire, Rin," I say, watching her intently.

She can't meet my gaze anymore, blue orbs darting away. "It is."

I know she's trying to deceive more than me, or perhaps I only want to believe that she's lying to herself as anger surges in my blood. Keeping myself from lashing out with words that won't help, I take half a step forward. Whether she hates me now or she's only acting on a sense of duty I can't understand, it's clear I've crossed lines I shouldn't have. Yet I've come this far, I can't stop speaking my mind yet.

Knowing how sharply love can turn to loathing, I resolve to accept whatever happens. "I do not mind if you try deceive me Rin, but do not deceive yourself. No duty is worth lying to yourself."

Fur bristles as Rin places her hands in her lap, my words shutting whatever doors she had left open. "Do not try to mock me in my home when you have done nothing but sulk alone," Rin icily speaks. "I suggest you take your leave so you might enjoy the only company you have shown a preference for."

Mouth opening to say something, I sharp snap my jaws closed to keep from falling into that trap. This isn't what I wanted, and I only realize that when it's too late. I wanted back the friend I'd somehow made. I should have talked to her sooner, or asked her to have a private word with me when my arm was taken from the splint.

Before anyone can say another word, I turn around. As I do, I catch sight of many a fox face glancing to each with shock and suspicion. With my back to them all a hint of my quiet terror breathing down my neck from putting so many possible threats behind me, but I keep myself from falling into the grasp of terror or anger. The soft rustle of my clothes and restrained breathing is the only sound in the room, and even that falls silent when I reach the door-wall. I don't waste a breathe taking hold of the wood frame, slowing only when when Rin's angry, commanding voice speaks up. "Sit down, all of you."

Presuming that's not meant for me, or even caring if it was, I slip out into an empty hall. Sliding the door-wall shut behind me carefully instead of slamming it for a sense of finality like I want, I walk alone through the home.

I don't know why I allowed myself to get so angry. It's as Rin said, I came to this mountain for one purpose. Yet here I am, spending the winter in the wealthy home of a kitsune who's laid claim to an entire mountain instead of killing the man-eater in the forest. I don't know what I should do or where my heart lays. The only certain path ahead of me is walking more to clear my mind.

Going to the room given to me, I collect my boots and belt. After a small struggle getting my belt on, my mended arm still sluggish, I go outside into the cold and sit down to get properly prepared. The boots I came her in aren't as warm as the pair loaned to me, but they're mine. Almost feeling whole, missing only my sword and knife, I pace the grounds mindlessly. Or try to, memories of how badly things keep going with Rin gnawing at the roots of my thoughts like a monstrous serpent.

I find no peace in walking. All I achieve is wasting my breath in the cold, until I've wandered to the front of the home. I stop by the closed gates and throw my head back.

The sky above has hardly a cloud in it, the few that drift as wispy as my breath. If I had my sword, I would go and try to put an end to the Oni, Kenta. Solve this situation by doing what I came here for and nothing else. No help, no complicated family honor, no oaths to friends. Only my wit and skill against a monster I know next to nothing about. Steel stolen from my family against a man-eater I only know the name of.

Fingers curling into fists, knuckles popping and palms stinging from my nails, I'm in a foul enough mood to do something stupid. Glancing down at the gate, knowing I need to figure out how to get out of here, my instinct screams something is amiss.

The feeling is so strong I don't ignore or dismiss it. There's nothing odd about the wooden gate or the heavy bar latching it shut. So what is it? Looking around I notice no one approaching, nor do the hairs on my neck stand as if I'm being watched. Yet the feeling of wrongness, still sharp as when it first came, remains.

Looking back up, I finally notice what is wrong.

A thin, dark cloud hangs in the sky beyond the gate. Taking several steps back to see more, all of my anger fades as I see wisps of gray and red. Smoke, but unlike anything ever seen with how an eerie red is mixed within. I know it's from a very large fire if I'm seeing it from this far up on the mountain, and that it's in the same direction as the village below. With snow on the ground and ice on the eaves, it's all to likely a person set the blaze responsible. My priorities shift from finding a fight to the death to concern for people that had me as guest against their better judgment, but the problem I faced remains the same.

I don't have a weapon.

But looking to the back of the kitsune's home, toward the cliff wall at the back, I know how to solve that.

Briefly, I think about warning the kitsune. Not knowing where they are or would be, I instead set out to Saki's building. If I see anyone on the way I can warn them, or so I tell myself.

Not quite running or walking, I swiftly make it to the lonely building. I hop up onto the walkway, boots and all, and grab at the sliding door to the secluded building. If my poor manners get me in trouble so be, I'm hardly on anyone's good side here anyway. Several kitsune may want me, but only one knows me in any real way. And I've already offended her too much. Worst I do is offend Saki, who can still find use in me as bait or a weapon against Kenta so I needn't worry about her.

Dragging open the door, making more noise than I like, I gaze into the dim building. The back wall, which I remember covered in weapons, sits bare.

I look away, then back again, hoping it to be yet another glamour. Barren wood and empty pegs stare back at me. My fingers squeeze the edge of the door until I notice pain in my palms. Easing my grip, I impolitely go in to see for myself.

My boots plod across wood noisily, heavy thunks that make the hairs on my arm rise. Eyes on the beams above, searching for any moving shadows, I reach the back wall. Touching the pegs tell me what I feared, this isn't some glamour. The weapons are all gone, along with my knife and sword. The wintry wisps billowing from my mouth have me wondering if Saki stored them away because of the cold, or if she guessed I might steal a weapon and try to fight Kenta on my own.

I sneer at how right she would have been if I hadn't seen the rising smoke. I'd be hear for just that reason.

For far too long I search the wall, sliding my palms up and down every polished plank of wood and bumping every peg. Nothing. Tapping my knuckles suggest it's less solid than it looks, so I go from one side to the next, searching for hidden door or nook.

Wood clacks shut and the light grows dim.

I spin around and crouch low, my eyes searching for company before a thought even crosses my mind. Dull, dusty light filters in through the cracks of the shuttered windows set up high, casting glowing shafts of illumination in the dark building. When thought does return, I realize I left the door open and someone shut it. I see no one, but I know in my gut that I'm not alone. One of the kitsune is in here with me, but which one? Saki, Rin, that overly friendly Miki, someone else?

"You can relax your guard," a shadows says, melting from the edge of the door. Tails fan out, swishing and meandering so much I can't count them. A kitsune dressed in close fitting black, with a hint of some kind of mail beneath he upper garments, approaches. She's wearing a mask of some sort over the top part of her face, resting on her snout, the smooth shape painted with white and red and making her look all the more intimidating. "I will take no offense to your boots in here if you tell me what you are doing," she says, stopping right before a beam of light.

Wary of the kitsune, I shift closer to the weakest board in the wall I remember, intending to smash it and use a shard as a weapon if I have to. "I was looking for my sword and knife," I explain, not daring to lie.

"What do you need those for?" she asks, tilting her head and making the patterns on her mask seem to shift.

"I saw smoke, so I'm going to see that the village isn't in danger," I explain, wondering if she'll believe the truth. Then again, I said nothing about what I'd do after I was certain the village was okay.

"Do not worry about the village. I am going for that very reason," she says. "I suggest you stay here and continue to rest."

I dislike the sound of that enough to sharply ask, "Am I prisoner in this home?"

"You are an honored guest. The promises my family made to the village are not duties you must attend."

My anger gets the better of me. "I wouldn't have walked across more of the world than anyone has heard of if I cared about duty," I snap, body moving with my words as my voice grows with pent up anger. "There's a fire near the village and if I can be of any help to the people that gave me a place to sleep and their scarce food, I'm going. Even if I am no longer welcome in this home."

The kitsune's tails freeze, and I think I count more than six before they start swishing again. She's quiet for a moment, before reaching up and moving her mask away, taking enough of a step forward for her brown eyes to shine in a beam of light. That I didn't notice or suspect it was Saki speaks ill of my nerves.

"If you wish to accompany me," she says, "I will not stop you. But I cannot speak for eldest sister's reaction."

"I'll deal with any more offense I cause her later."

Saki nods, reaching up to slip her mask back down. "Wait there," she instructs, leaping up and swinging into the crisscrossing beams above.

There's no hint of a sound as she jumps from beam to beam, but I can at least track her shadow. There's a thud as something lands on the other side of the once weapon laden wall, and I cross my arms. I suspect she only made that much noise to try and put me at ease. Dozens of breaths I force to be patient later, and I hear a yipped sound of exertion. Looking up I see her shadow pass through above once more, my body twisting around to face her as she lands in the center of the room. She's laden with weapons. A spear with red tassels and long blade, a straight sword in a wooden scabbard, strangely curved knives connected by silken cord, and more importantly the items I came for.

She offers me my sword and knife back. I gratefully take them both, checking the blades before securing them on my belt. When I look at her, she's made the knives connected by silk vanish and is wearing the sword in a sash at her waist. The spear she holds oddly against her back, the point angled down. "We aren't leaving by the gate," she states, turning to leave.

I'm in no position to question it, and follow after her. I can't complain about the silence when I morosely sat alone in my room for who knows how long.

Outside, she leads me around the back of the building. She looks up at the wall surrounding the home, then to me. If she expects me to have an idea of how I'm supposed to scale that quickly or quietly then she won't get an answer. Fortunately, she makes the decision to leap up and scale the wall, claws on her feet scrabbling inelegantly for purchase. With one arm and respectable strength she makes it onto the tiled overhang on the wall, before crouching low and bracing herself. She flips her spear around, lowering the blunt, wooden end down for me to grab hold of. Grabbing it with my good arm, I have sudden gratitude for all the limbering and strengthening of my body as I scrabble up while she pulls. Between us, we get me onto the over hang, and I can look down on the snowy ground outside the walls. She drops, sticks her spear into the ground, and holds her hands out to help catch me.

With a look toward the buildings of the kitsune home, I feel a strange pang of longing. The gate, the large building in the center, even the lone torii nestled in front of the sheer cliff. It's all become strangely familiar, and some part of me knows I may not return. This place is no mere dwelling, it's a home, and I was invited in. Now, I'm leaving without saying anything to the one that invited me.

Not that I think she would even see me now, let alone listen to me after the offense I must have caused.

I scoot myself off the wall, doing all I can to support my weight on the edge, but Saki still has to grab the underside of my feet to help me down. That indignity over with, she wastes no words in heading off, expecting me to follow.

Without a word, I follow the dangerous kitsune.