FSE

Furry search engine

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I dream vividly, but I know not what it was when I wake up. My eyes are closed, legs sore, and an unfamiliar warmth beside me. I roll to my side, eyes still closed, wondering what is beside me. It's warm, soft, and smells faintly of wine. It stirs in a rustle of blankets and untangling limbs. I didn't realize an arm had been holding me until it's weight and warmth vanished. Whoever is beside me yawns.

My eyes open to a predator's sharp-toothed mouth scarcely a hand's breadth from my face.

My muscles tense, throat clenching shut in time to keep me from screaming. The memory of rancid breath burns in my nose even though I can't breathe, sweat beading on my brow. Terror pounds in my veins and all I can do is sit there as the tongue in that mouth curls. A taste of blood floats in my mouth but I know it isn't real. I'm beneath that tiger man-eater again even though I know it's dead. I tore open its throat with my weak, human teeth while it tried to tear open my chest with its claws. Kicked it off of me and started to beat its skull with a rock until bone and blood and dirt were one and the same. I killed it and it will never return, that is what the priest that found me said. The blood in my mouth isn't real, my tongue is too dry to be swimming in blood. Sense starts to return, letting me see the teeth and tongue in front of me are wrong. All wrong, the fangs aren't trying to gouge my face off and the tongue is much to smooth. Nothing is filling my agonized lungs even though I have a desperate need to scream. The mouth closes to reveal blue eyes glowing happily in the early morning light. Words come from the thing laying with me but I can't hear it.

The thing beside me gently places a hand against cheek, soft pads under it's softer fur. But there is a hint of claws there, hidden in the luxurious texture. Its glacier blue eyes gaze imploringly at me, not a hint of malice in those orbs. But I flinch away in fear from its unfamiliar touch, my mind churning in confusion from sensations real and remembered. I scrabble into a sitting position, fighting against blankets and several fluffy tails. Memories of yesterday begin cutting through my fear. My breath washes out of my mouth raggedly as I stare at my hands. I refusing to breathe through my nose as I try to calm down for the sake of my company.

"I had not meant to frighten you Egil," The kitsune says, rising gracefully to her feet.

I nervously shake my head. "You didn't."

"I ask that you not lie to me in my home. If you do not wish to speak of what ails you then say so, I respect the secrets of my guests."

I breathe through my nose. There is no scent of a man-killer lingering on my face. I know that. But sticks to my skin after it was burned into my memories by that tiger-headed monster. "It was a nightmare, nothing else."

"Is that so? How odd, you slept most peacefully and no cruel spirits can haunt your dreams in my home." There is shuffling of cloth that draws my attention. To my relief Rin is in fact clothed and only gathering the garments I discarded last night. The fox woman looks down at me questioningly, waiting for me to explain my lie.

"A waking nightmare." Before she can ask what I mean, I furrow my brow and give her a questioning look. My fear has settled enough that I can think straight again. "Why did I wake with you next to me?

She waves as if it is perfectly reasonable for the master of the house to lay uninvited next to a guest. "My sisters got riled up after seeing you handle Miki like that."

"On my honor-"

Rin's throaty chuckle stops me. "My sisters are old enough to make their own decisions. But after Saki told me what I happened I guessed you didn't want to be bothered again. It may have been out of turn but it was all I could think of to keep them away from you. At least while also letting me rest for the day ahead." She picks up the more formal clothes I discarded last night and offers them to me. The moment I touch the offered clothes Rin vanishes, her laughter bouncing off the walls.

Something about that laugh strikes me as familiar. I blame it on the wine and unwelcome excitement of last night and change clothes with a red face. I did not doubt curious eyes watched me from somewhere, so I rushed to redress. Except for my belt and all its pouches, I needed to be certain those sit properly. And that nothing had been pilfered while I slept.

Dressed and decent I step out into the hall expecting to see a kitsune waiting. Emptiness greets me. Looking one way and then the other I wondered if anything of the past day actually happened. Or had I stumbled into some abandoned home and drunk myself stupid. Turning to open the door to the room I slept in, half convinced I'd imagined everything, I slide the door open. And come face to face a kitsune hiding her hands in her long sleeves.

"Come." Rin hurries down the hall with short, quick steps that jostle her many tails. My long strides hindered by the clothes I'd been given, I struggle to adjust to her quick pace.

Instead of the same private dining set up like last night, Rin leads me right to some sort of common room swarming with kitsune. Every last one looks up at the same to stare at me. There were, by my quick count, fifteen kitsune including Rin. Besides the master of the house, all of the fox women clustered around two in-ground hearths. They filled had been filling their bowls from several pots cooking their food when I entered. Until I walked in and became the sole object of their attention.

Under the watchful gaze of so many fox women, I felt a twinge of fright. I scarcely knew what their magic could do or what they might do to me if I offended them. Magical beings tended toward creative vengeance when slighted. But I'd walked battlefields, halls of kings, and the forests of man-eaters. This fear I could handle. I was their guest and that meant we were all bound to respectful behavior.

Rin leads me to one of the hearths, the kitsune there shifting to make room for both of us. Before I can count tails a bowl and a peculiar spoon are thrust into my hands. Grateful not to have those infernal eating sticks forced upon I look at the pots. And am swarmed by a flurry of five foxes alternating between trying to serve me, get a better look, and sneak in a touch. The only one I recognize, Miki, did all three at once until blue sash - Saki - forces her to sit away on the other side of the hearth.

Leaving me to the mercy of only four kitsune with a disturbing amount of interest in me. I survive the attention and even keep my hand away from my knife.

Then come the questions. Where am I from, how I got here, was I secretly a fox with blue eyes like that, could I really use that sword I carried, why didn't I seem afraid of a bunch of kitsune, what's in my pouches. On an on their questions assailed me. Right up to Rin coughing into the back of her hand. Every last kitsune gathered around me backs off, allowing me to eat what they put in my bowl. I've visited so many lands I barely notice what I eat any more. I only shovel the food into my mouth without a second thought.

When I finish eating and set my bowl down I get surrounded once more. Questions rattle off around me and I have no help from Rin this time. She seems almost amused by my plight. I sit straight as I can and blow out a breath, trying to find a way to escape without causing offense.

"I can answer three questions," I declare.

"From each of us?" Asks a hopeful four tail kitsune.

"Your hospitality is grand. But I only have time for three questions this morning," I announce, slipping into the speech I use around faeries. Nothing that might be mistaken for an apology dares to slip past my tongue. Rude as that might seem it has kept me alive.

Instead of arguing with me the kitsune huddle together and whisper among themselves. Even Rin and Saki join in the discussion. Had Rin not asked me to accompany her down the mountain I would gladly spend the morning answering questions. After laying down a few rules of course. But since I must be somewhere else soon, I stare at the coals in the hearth while they plan their assault. The glowing embers of a fire are the same no matter the land, as are many of the questions I get asked.

The huddle of tails breaks and they all face me. Saki is the first to speak, a surprise since I was certain all she wanted was my inevitable departure. "From what land do you hail?"

"A cold place you've never heard of."

Rin haughtily glares at me. "Do you doubt a kitsune's knowledge, fortuneteller Egil?"

I speak the name of my homeland, or what might have been the name of my homeland. Wars reshape and rename many things, and I left on the eve of terrible tensions. Chaotic whispers among the kitsune prove my guess correct. No one has heard of my people in this far-flung corner of the world. For their sake I list off the most recent lands I've passed through until they recognize none of the names. Their knowledge extends only to that miserable, bandit filled desert. I sometimes find it hard to not believe I've wandered into a different realm entirely.

They cluster together again and mutter among themselves. The kitsune I saw far too much of last night, Miki, perks up. Her white tipped ears swivel toward me. Nothing good brews in those mischievous eyes.

"How long are you going to stay?" Miki asks.

One of her sisters bats the two tail across the ears while I answer. "Do not worry. I never overstay my welcome."

"Egil," Rin says, her voice alone stopping the kitsune from angrily piling onto Miki for wasting a question. They stare with dismay and hope at their eldest sister, wondering what she will ask me. "Would you accompany me to the village today?"

"After the generosity of inviting me into your home, it would be rude for me to refuse," I say.

More than a dozen kitsune recognize my intention to leave and start throwing questions at me. They become a mass of voices speaking over each other, their curious eyes and flicking tails filling my vision. Before they get any ideas about trapping me I stand up, my legs grateful to be out of that miserable kneeling position, and shake my head. Fox tails sway and stiffen and twitch, a mass of confusing movement. Their ears pivot to me and a few of the kitsune seem downcast.

"I do not wish to disappoint your eldest sister," I offer as a thin apology. After my encountering faeries I'm reserved in my apologies. There are many fates worse than death. One of which I may have led myself right into. My attempt at an easy escape only inspires more questions from the dozen curious fox women. The tailed women try to talk over one another, with several kitsune standing up as if to follow or block me when I stand. Miki is among those that rise to their feet, why wouldn't she be after disregarding all decency last night, and watches me with hungry eyes. At least five more pairs stare at me the same way, from two to seven tails, all their words meaningless when so tightly jumbled. My spine stiffens while my shoulders fall into false relaxation; I don't have a sword but there is a heavy metal pot within arm's reach. I could wound a few before numbers felled me. Better to die swinging something, even if I want no seat at my ancestor's tables.

Breathe. Weight on the balls of my feet. Wait for a moment to strike, hit the nearest and -

Rin coughs into the back of her hand, silencing the room and snapping me out of a violent mindset. Did she use magic to calm everyone? I like that thought more than I do any others. "Leave him be sisters. Saki, see that his clothes are returned before showing him to the gate, where I shall join him shortly."

The eight tail rose delicately. She gave her sister a respectful bow. "Yes, sister," Saki says sweetly, before turning icy brown eyes on me. "Follow me, foreigner."

I do as she asks, making a hasty retreat from a room of ears that swivel to track my passing.

---

After I'm allowed to deal with certain morning necessitates, Saki brings me to an empty room. Since she has seen my scars twice now and is glaring at me frigid impatience, I strip out of the fine clothes loaned to me. The blue sash wearing kitsune watches my every movement, silently sizing me up and making no effort to hide it. Yet the dignified, aloof expression that she wears like a wooden mask obscures her thoughts. I do my best to keep her in the corner of my eye as I start putting on my familiar and worn travel robes. It's a shame I haven't been given my boots back, but I know the people of this land have strange opinions about covered feet in their homes.

"Before you leave," Saki says, bowing from the waist once I'm clothed and in the middle of adjusting how my belt sits. "I must apologize for Miki's behavior and my own negligence last night. It has been many years since we've had a guest and sisters are excited because of it. I tried to keep them out of the wine but some of them must have slipped drink past me. I have no excuse and must beg your forgiveness."

"You don't need to apologize to me," I say.

"But I must," she says, bowing lower. "It is my duty to watch over my sisters and see that guests are treated hospitably. I failed to do either."

"You've been a fine host," I tell her, "So don't apologize for foolish mistakes your kin make."

"Would you accept my apology if I had Miki give hers?"

"We both know that would be unwise, Saki," I say. "But I see this is important to your honor. If you will lift your head and look me in the eye I'll accept your apology, even if I think it's unneeded."

The kitsune slowly straightens. Her dark gaze meets mine, forcing me to turn my eyes higher than I'm comfortable with. Why are all these foxes as tall or taller than me? No matter. Before she can get the apology out of her mouth I take a terrible risk.

"Thank you, Saki, for helping me get away from Miki's drunken mistake last night. I am sorry if my visit has been a bother to you or your house, I say," biting my tongue and waiting to learn if this will be a mortal mistake.

Her brown eyes regard me with a hint of curiosity. "Are you testing me, foreigner?"

"Yes," I admit. "Although I am quite serious. I did not walk up this mountain to disrupt your home or impose myself as a guest."

Her eyes narrow, the white accents of fur around each brown orb suddenly reminding me of warpaint. "Might I speak plainly, foreigner?"

"I would be delighted if you did," I say, expecting nothing like a straightforward response from her.

Her back straightens, adding to her imposing height, until her unmoved fox's visage ominously stares down at me. "I appreciate your apology. It is good to see you are a man with manners, of one sort or another."

"Then let us be at peace with one another," I say, offering out my hand.

"Please do not mistake my demeanor as hate for you, foreigner. I simply wish not to see a man with so many scars earn more." If that is a veiled threat it is one of the finest I've ever heard, and delivered without a hint of emotion or even errant twitch of her tails. That is until she takes my hand, the gentle touch of the pads on her palms and finger taken away by a near crushing grip. Her claws press against and she smiles at me, putting every sharp tooth in her mouth on display. My breathing quickens and I ever so slightly shift my weight. Readying myself to kick her legs out from under her and drive my fist into her throat if she lunges.

Her smile does not falter as she says, "I will pray for your safety on road."

"Thank you, Saki. But if you would, my name is Egil," I say, my grip firm but my strength restrained despite my readiness for violence. Having her bare her teeth at me isn't a good reason for me to be rude, even if I'm ready to defend my life.

She releases my hand and the smile fades from her face, teeth hidden by her placid expression. Taking half a step back she tilts into a bow but doesn't go any farther than dipping her head. "My apologies, I try to use the title best suited to our guests, I did not mean to offend," Saki says.

"You haven't." It is obvious she will not use my name. "But I worry if we take much longer we may offend your sister Rin," I say, eager to get on my way. Much of the readiness for action slips away from my limbs, but I'm far from relaxed.

She nods in agreement. "We might indeed. Follow me, there is something else that must be done before you are ready to leave."

Nodding and hoping that something else means getting my boots back I follow the kitsune out of the room. The corridors and halls we pass through matter little to me. I'm too focused on every slight move she makes to let unimportant details stay in my mind. Womanly as her shape is, or what I can see of it past her bushel of tails, the strength of her grip was no laughing matter. Add to that the efficient grace of her measured, soft footfalls and I can't help but suspect she is a trained fighter. Or I'm overthinking things because I'm still on edge from waking up to see Rin's teeth in front of my face. Without shame I touch my pendant and trace the simple rune with a thumb, the touch of silver calming my stride and easing the tension out of my back. No need to let the kitsune of this house know I've been a hair's breadth from violence all morning.

We step outside into the brisk autumn air and on to a covered, and slightly raised, wooden walkway wrapping around the building we exit. I must admit the lacquered, square beams holding up the roof are tasteful in their simplicity. The more I look at around the more I appreciate the woodwork I see. Every beam and board is laid out precisely and looks lovingly cared for, but the odd little nick and scratch on the floor eases my mind. Signs of a lived in home are good. It means I haven't stepped into the land of faeries after all.

"Wait here," Saki commands, keeping me from feeling anything resembling homesickness. Before I can express my agreement she vanishes back into the main building with a whip of her tails. One of those confounding door-walls slides shut with a clunk of its wooden frame.

Left with my thoughts and no idea when she'll return, or even how many kitsune are watching must be watching me right now, I put my back to one of the building. Not the most defensible option but the wooden and oiled paper will slow down any attacks from behind. And I get a chance to see anything coming at me from the front this way. Though there is nothing more than the mountain rising in the distance, the sun's light bathing its lonely peak, and a sheer cliff face for me to see. And one of those strange arches so beloved in this land stands before the sheer wall of the cliff, leaving me wondering about the purpose. But my thoughts on the purpose of the arch aren't as vital as trying to figure out why Saki brought me here and not the gate.

A few possibilities for this strange situation cross my mind as I keep my breathing quiet as possible, lest I miss the sound of soft footsteps. I'd consult the runes if I thought I had anything resembling privacy, but I'd be a fool to think there aren't at least three kitsune watching me even now. Last night convinced me that at least one fox will be watching me at all times, whether I can detect them or not. And unfortunately I hear a scratch on the tiled roof above me that is suspiciously like claws slipping. A click of clay slabs confirms I'm not alone.

Fingers on my pendant I hum something inoffensive and wait, gaze lazily roaming from side to side. I think it's only fair I let them know I'm aware of their presence. Even though I can't shake the feeling that slip might have been intentional.

Wood clacks, my hand falls away from the rune about my neck and toward my knife, and the door-wall opens up enough to allow Saki to step out. The humming dies in my throat and I give her the friendliest smile I can manage, which turns genuine considering what she carries in her arms. My boots and sword, the leather on both cleaned. While I'd like both back she only hands over my boots.

"Thank you," I say, not pushing my luck by asking for my sword as well. She's bound to give it back before I leave. Right?

"It is nothing," she says with a hint of a bow.

Stepping off the raised, wooden walkway and onto the stone path beside it. I don't look up or behind myself, ignoring how the hair on my neck rises when I put my back to the kitsune, and slip on my boots. I'd rather not acknowledge whoever is up there. Or draw Saki's attention to them, that would be cruel to everyone present.

The eight tail kitsune steps beside me without nary a sound and waves for me to follow her. I get three steps before something scrabbles on the roof tiles above, clay clicking as it dashes away. One of Saki's furry ears twists toward the direction of the noise and two of her tails flick irritably.

"Who taught you?" I ask, hoping to draw the blue sash wearing kitsune's attention by speaking the first question on my mind.

Brown eyes lacking any warmth turn to me. "Excuse me?" she says, the politeness in her voice at odds with the cold look she's giving me.

I should have picked a better question.

"You move masterfully, and without so much as a sound. I couldn't help but wonder who taught you to fight, or dance." I hadn't thought of that last one until now, but that's a born and bred warrior for you.

"Why do you wish to know?" she asks, looking ahead and away from me.

"Curiosity, mostly," I reply.

Saki says nothing, her silent footsteps and my plodding boots bringing us closer to the corner of the large building. We make the turn and I accept that I won't get an answer to my impulsive question. Only for Saki to prove me wrong once I get sight of the wall enclosing the kitsune's large home.

"My father taught me all he knew," she says, wistfulness creeping into her perpetually polite tone. "He said I had talent, unlike my twin sister."

I must have miscounted tails in the confusion and fright of this breakfast, I would have sworn Saki had the most tails aside from Rin. That or kitsune don't gain more tails as they age? But that was one of the keystones of the stories I heard. Except, what do I know? I'm just a man, I don't have ravens whispering the secrets of the world into my ears. Resigned once again to my fallible observations, I ask, "And do you have talent?"

"Enough to keep my sisters safe."

"Then you've got more talent than me," I say as we draw closer to the wall.

If Saki has anything else to say she keeps it to herself as we pass several small outbuildings on our approach to the gate I entered from yesterday. The large doors hang open and the nine tailed Rin waiting in the opening. Her back is to us and, in truth, I recognize her only by the number of tails lazily swishing about. In place of fine silks the master of the mountain is wearing a wide straw hat with holes cut in it for her ears to poke through, a brown dress held up by a white sash, and woven sandals. If she weren't a fox woman and wearing silver bracelets and pendant, the very same jewelry I used as a bribe to gain entrance to her home, Rin might be mistaken for a well-off peasant's wife. Looking at flowing, delicate floral pattern on her dress I change my mind to wife of a merchant. I wonder if she would take offense to my observations?

When I'm only a few paces away Rin turns her head, blue orbs filled with warm mirth landing on me. "Where did you get those clothes, Egil?"

"They were a gift from the head priest of a temple to the south," I explain, wondering what is wrong with my clothes. They're getting worn, sure, and they're too thin for the coming winter. But when I hide my sword and belt on a bundle on my back and wear a hat like Rin's no one bothers me on the road. More than I can say when I tried wearing the clothes of a peasant or the fine clothes a lord gifted me.

"A temple? Well, curious as that makes me, I think my sisters would be upset if they missed that story," Rin says, casting a knowing smile at Saki. The eight tail kitsune has the same distant look as always, but she nods to her older sister in silent agreement. And though her cold brown eyes don't look at me, I can feel Saki watching me.

"We will have to save that once we are back from the village," Rin says, showing me a smile without revealing any teeth. The consideration isn't lost on me and against the sting that gives my foolish pride, I feel gratitude for her gentleness.

"I never said I would come back up the mountain with you," I say to the nine tail, not daring to look in Saki's direction.

"True," Rin merrily giggles into her sleeve. Swiftly recovering she shows me another smile and says, "But I have all day to convince you to be our guest again. Or you could ask those runes of yours now and see if I'll succeed, save us all the time."

"How about we make out way down the mountains and leave it to fate instead?" I ask.

"If that is what you prefer, Egil. Now, Saki," Rin says, looking at her sister, "Are you going to return his sword? We can't have him trekking all the way back up here for it if he decides not to indulge in our hospitality again."

"Of course, eldest sister. I was merely waiting for your blessing," the eight tail says, offering my sheathed sword up in the palms of her hands and bowing her head.

There is a polite way to do everything in this land, but I don't the correct method to receive what is already mine. Grabbing the leather scabbard, which I can only hope offends less than putting my hand on the hilt, I take my sword back, wary of Saki's hands the entire time. While avoiding offense to anyone willing to have me as a guest in their home is core to my beliefs, I would also rather not find out which one of us is better in a fight started by my poor manners. I must do something right because neither kitsune chastise me. While I tie my sword to my belt where it belongs Saki straightens and says, "I will pray you two have an easy trip down the mountain."

"And I will pray our sisters do not give you a hard time", Rin says, putting her back to me and embracing her sister. "So relax. I'll only be gone for three days, at the most."

The younger kitsune takes a moment to return the gesture, looking at me icily and warmly saying, "I will. But do be careful, you're the only eldest sister I have."

Breaking their hug Rin pats her sister, who no longer glares at me, on the shoulder. "Worry about yourself some more Saki. I'll be fine." Turning her blue gaze to me, the master of the mountain waves at the open gate. "Shall we be off Egil? Or do you wish to say goodbye to any of my sisters first?"

"I think it would be best if we got on our way," I say, turning my back on the home of these kitsune.

A fleeting thought about whether this has been real at all or if I fell into an illusion on my way up the mountain shatters from Rin's a hearty laugh. A stray tail brushing against my leg as the master of the mountain follows me through the gate. "Eager to be alone with me again, Egil?"

"I thought it best if I don't overstay my welcome," I say, the gates creaking shut behind us and drawing my attention. I catch sight of far too many tails vanishing behind the top of the walls, and I realize that I am about to be truly alone with one of these kitsune soon. No hidden eyes, skulking listeners, or scrabbling stalkers. Only myself and Rin, lord of the mountain and magical creature that wants to ask for my help.

"A silly thing to think when I've invited you to stay again. Should you wish of course," she says, walking in lockstep beside me.

We head toward the first of the arches I passed under on my way up here. From this direction I see the red paint is in better condition, with fewer chips and flakes. I can also see far into the distance, catching a glimpse of valley below. The sun climbs above two forested peaks in the east, reaching for the hazy clouds hanging in the blue sky. Mountain air always has a clearheaded freshness to it, no matter the land, and it makes me hopeful for the day ahead. A cool wind rustles the trees and cuts through my robe, trying to spoil my mood. If I'm lucky the sun's warmth will keep the chill away on my trip down.

Descending the steps in silence and rubbing my hands I almost regret not asking the kitsune if they could give me some warmer clothes. I expect the walk to drag on as I wait for Rin to ask me what she wants my help with. And I'll be stuck enduring a chilly autumn wind that won't let up. Not the worst way for today to go, I could be laying traps in the woods and evading a dozen kitsune trying to kill me. I suppose that means yesterday was a good day after all.

After we pass under the second arch Rin speaks up, voice conspiratorially quiet. "Egil, do you mind answering a question?"

If your sisters find out they might be jealous, I reply, looking up at the wispy clouds hanging in the sky.

"That they might, but I believe their ire is focused on Miki for the moment," she says, shifting close enough to me that one of her tails brushes my arm. Leaning in until I can feel the warmth of her breath against my ear she asks, "At the risk of my many sisters' wrath, I'll ask you one anyway. Do you know how to use that sword of yours?"

I glance at the kitsune and become painfully aware of her double meaning when I see the grin tugging at her mouth. The white fur on her muzzle makes her smile all the more prominent. Last night might not have been part of my good day.

Looking away I say, "Yes."

"Interesting. Would you permit me one more question?" she asks, tilting her head to regard me with curiosity, as if I ruined a game she had planned. I may have indeed, but I'm not sorry.

"Speak freely with me Rin. It's a long way down your mountain." And talking is proving itself an excellent distraction from the relentless breeze trying to chill my bones.

"Well then, I'll change the order of my questions," the kitsune beams. "How many of the torii did you pass through?"

"The what?" I know I've heard that word somewhere before. But try as I might nothing comes to mind. Perhaps I'm remembering a word from some other language? I seem to have collected those like scars.

"Torii," she says. My blank expression must prompt her to attempt an explanation. "We've walked under two so far."

"Oh, the arches. So that's what they're called," I say.

"They aren't arches, they're torii. They mark the entrance to a sacred place," she tells me.

Which means these 'torii' are thresholds of a sort. Wonderful. I'm glad I chose not to strike them with my sword. Messing with a threshold is a good way to anger mighty and mystical forces. "Does it mean anything that I walked under nine of these torii?"

"What do you think it means, cunning fortune teller Egil?" she asks, brushing one of her many tails against my leg. The contact raises the hair on my and brings forth a burning desire for, of all things, warm furs.

I shrug, denying her the pleasure of an unnerved reaction from me. "That I'm a stubborn fool?"

She chuckles. "You proved yourself stubborn, but you've too keen an eye to be a fool. Most don't know they've walked under nine torii. Knowing you saw them all eases the hurt on my pride after you cut through my illusion on our moonlit garden walk."

"Do these torii do anything?" I ask, not wishing to remember last night.

"Not to you." She waves a hand. "You can forget them, I merely wished to soothe my vanity."

Of course she did. And her tail brushing my leg has been nothing but an accident. And Saki just happened to show me to the back of the house. I am often a fool, and occasionally stubborn, but I've lived this long and have working eyes. There is something going on with these fox women. As if Rin's plea the night before didn't tell me that already. I doubt I'll get off this mountain without becoming entangled in it but I can try.

"We've got a long way to go," I say as the third torii comes into sight around a bend.

"Indeed we do. Should I sing us a song to pass the time?" she asks, one of her tails drifting against my low back for a moment. She's going to keep that up until I say something, isn't she?

"So long as you forgive me for not joining in. I'd rather not torment you or any wayward listeners with my voice," I say.

Adjusting her hat so I can't see her mouth, the kitsune either hiding a smile or a grimace - I didn't get enough time to tell which - Rin starts softly singing. Only the clearest of chimes could match her voice. The words of her first song escape my notice, but from the way her tails sway with the cadence, I don't need to understand. It's something happy. That's enough for me to forgive her reticence to show her face. She switches to another song once the first ends and we pass more of those large, red torii. By the time the ninth is far behind us Rin holds the final note to a sad end, the last song the most somber.

"You've a voice sweet as a summer maiden," I say. "Only you pass the time far better."

"A strange compliment. One you shouldn't repeat to my sisters, they would see it as an invitation." The tip of a fluffy tail flicks against my arm and, when she tilts her head, I can see a small grin on her mouth. "I must thank you, Egil, and apologize. Your company has made this walk so enjoyable I forgot to ask you the most important question."

"Which is?"

Her grin fades to a neutral seriousness. "Did you notice an untended stretch of the path?"

"Yes. I believe it's coming up, in fact," I say, looking to the side of the path. For a while now the stone shrines have been showing signs of neglect and the trees have become bleaker and more menacing. I said nothing about the worrying approach of that frightful section of the path because I didn't want to spoil my travel companion's song. She's shown me courtesy, for the most part, so I thought it only fair to return the same.

"You've keen eyes or at least a clever wit," she says. "Did anything seem amiss?"

I nod, paying no attention to the tail that strokes against my calf. "Aside from some trickster with a womanly voice attempting to lure me into the forest?"

"Did it not seem wise to mention that to the master of this mountain?" Rin asks.

"It didn't seem important. Besides you already know what my intentions were when I came to this mountain of yours," I point out.

"I do. But I'm glad we drank in peace instead," she says, falling silent when I nod in agreement.

Dead leaves crunching under our feet and neither of us has anything else to say. I came to her home ready to die to end a threat and was shown gracious hospitality instead. We are left with our private thoughts. Gone are the touches of her tails and gently sway of hip trying to brush mine. Worn as my heart is it still pains me to realize she's only been trying to get in my good graces. Not that I am any better for gifting her silver trinkets to gain access to her home. Deadly teeth and claws aside, the kitsune I've met are still women and it has been a long time since I've had any show interest in me. Even longer still since I felt temptation. I'd say something is wrong with me for thinking about bedding Miki last night, but compared to the tales I've heard in my travels of what men have done the temptations of a fox woman seem normal. I can't look for divine guidance either since the gods are far from the best guides when it comes to lusts. My duties as a respectful guest aside, I wonder what I would have done. Other than avoiding the sight of her teeth if I gave in to the desires of my loins.

No. I wouldn't have done anything. I know myself well enough that I'd have found a dozen more reasons why bedding her was a bad idea. Even if some lonely part of me wants a woman. Which is why it hurts to know Rin was likely preying on that weakness of mine. Or she was genuine and is now lost in thought, I don't know. Nor do I dare to seek out her true motivations. My best, and safest, hope is that she wishes me no ill will.

"Before we go further, I ask you stop and hear out my plea for your aid," Rin says, stepping in front of me and putting a stop to my wandering contemplations. The kitsune stands a step below me, no longer forcing me to look up to meet her shaded blue orbs. Gone is any hint of her merriment or amusement. Wearing worry plainly on her fox face and in the lively depth of her eyes, she waits for my acceptance or refusal.

"I will listen, but I can promise no more," I tell her, feeling a chill enter my heart. If I act to help this kitsune it won't be for pity or the lust in my loins. I'll only aid her if it is the right thing to do then be on my way. Like I've always done, and I as I will continue to do until the day death is upon me.

"For even that, you have my thanks," she says, taking a step back and bowing from the waist. There is enough depth to the gesture I am inclined to believe her gratitude is sincere.

Rising from her bow she looks up at me, her hands hidden in her sleeves folded in front of her. "First, I ask you take my arm in yours and not let go. I swear upon all of my tails, my sisters, the sun, and the moon that doing so is for your safety and nothing else as we walk on the path. For what I want to ask of you is simple but dangerous: that if something speaks to you from behind, and you alone, you look at it. And once we are safely away, tell me exactly what you saw."

Ice fills my stomach. I am no man going into the underworld to beg the return of his beloved from the ruler of the dead. But I know not to look behind myself in certain places. That trickster on the path might have been as dangerous, or more, than the fear in my gut said at the time.

"Your eyes say you understand the danger," Rin says. "Then know I wouldn't ask if I could do this myself, or if I could ask my sisters. But if you refuse I will still escort you to the village below, and the gates of my home will forever stay open for you. That is the least I can do for a man willing to share an evening drinking with me."

I don't answer right away. Instead, I touch a pouch on my waist and speak a few quiet words, loosening the drawstring and digging my fingers in. I put the thought of rune meaning aside and snatch the first piece to touch my skin. Drawing the chunk of whalebone out I see the symbol I expected, the same as what hangs around my neck. I drop the rune back into the pouch and tighten the string, while Rin watches with quiet respect. Or silent hope, either may sit behind her steeled gaze.

Not that it matters. My answer rolls off my tongue, feeling like a hammer splintering brittle metal as I say, "I'll do as you ask."

"You will? Truly?" she asks, and I nod. Hope blossoms on her face and in her smile, but she hides away her sleeve. Bowing, and recovering her composure swiftly, she rises and says, "Thank you, Egil."

"If anything tries to eat me I will try to kill it," I declare.

She nods. "I promise, should anything like that happen I will aid you."

Then I'd better hope a kitsune's promise is binding.

The nine tailed kitsune makes her way up the steps, taking my offered arm in with her own. I don't need thoughts about how warm she is, but the wind and my own foolish sense of righteousness and honor have chilled my bones. But she's warm, she's a woman, and I'm going to get myself killed. At least I can touch the pommel of my sword, though what I desire is more of her body heat to spread my way. I should feel shame as a man from my homeland, letting the cold bother this much. For my pride, and the sake of decency, I keep as much distance from Rin as our linked arms allow. If she minds my obvious mistrust then she doesn't show it.

Our steps fall into a rhythm, our feet touching the next carved stone stair at the same time. I pay little attention to Rin beyond what is necessary to keep pace with her. We draw too close to the spot I had the unpleasant encounter, the gnarled trees mean and shrines no better than rubble. I keep my ears trained on the sound of swaying branches, watch the twirl of the leaves and dance of shadows with the edges of my vision, and measure my breathing so I might taste the air. And, appearances be damned, I touch the pendant about my neck to steady my nerves. Interestingly, I catch Rin doing the same to the silver world's tree hanging from her neck, as if it has any meaning to her beyond clever craftsmanship. She only touches the silver for a moment, her hand rising and head turning as she feigns a sneeze.

Twigs snap underfoot to my left and a shade shifts in the trees to the right. The hair on the nape of my neck rises. I strain my ears but don't dare flick my eyes in either direction. Rin works closer to me with each step, and laughter chimes through the hatefully twisted branches around us. So faintly I can barely hear it, the kitsune beside me whispers, "Look behind yourself when I say 'night'. And whatever you do, don't speak to what you see."

"The wise one, come down from her mountain. Wearing silver? Have you found yourself a man at last?" taunts a womanly voice I'd rather forget, words honey sweet but sharp as a knife.

Beside me, Rin has gone stiff. She places a hand on my arm and pulls herself closer to me. At least four of her tails brushing against my legs and back. "He is no one's man," says the master of the mountain.

"Truly?" the voice asks. "Then he should come with me to my home so that he might know real hospitality." The barbs in those words aren't directed at me, yet they graze me anyway.

"Perhaps you should come to my home yourself," Rin replies. "To know our hospitality and compare it to your own."

"O wise one, I want no quarrel with you. All I want," the voice breathes next to my left ear, "Is to know if this man thinks my home is better than the one up there. I think it is. But you'll have to follow me to find out." Fingers trace the sleeve of my clothes. "Won't you come with me and say?" the voice pleads.

Ignoring the question and words dripping with honey I keep walking and watching ahead of me. Something tugs at the shoulder of my travel robe yet I refuse to falter or flinch. Rin makes a disapproving humph in her throat. Two of her tails brushing against my back and her hip bumping against me for a moment. Worryingly her warm tails stay pressed against my back. I hope Rin says the word night soon so that I might get this over with.

"You should know when a man has no interest in your advances," the nine tail admonishes. Either Rin enjoys this verbal game or is better at hiding her true feelings than I thought.

"How can I know that when he won't look at me," the voice says, bouncing between my ears with each word.

"I believe he prefers to look at night," Rin says, my head whipping around at the half-agreed upon signal.

What I see burns itself into my mind. How could it not? I've seen this one, or its ilk, before in many lands. But my hand won't go for my sword, or my pendant, or even its throat. I see the madness in those hazel orbs set around white fur, the wicked and inviting grin of teeth meant to tear flesh, attentive ears and swaying streaks of orange behind it like an ominous sea sky, and the leaves stuck in its fur. My instincts roar that this thing is a hunter of man. Only the breath that leaves it toothy maw is clear of the rancid stench of a man-eater. A lingering scent of herb cooked fish and rice hangs on its breath, staying my hand on the hilt of my sword.

"Don't you look so cold," it says, gelid air surrounding me. Consuming me as if I wore nothing and just rolled around in the snow. My limbs trembling from the unnatural chill, my teeth chatter, and my breath comes out as a frigid fog. Heat becomes a distant memory, a false hope, even when the wind dies down. As I shiver those hazel orbs draw closer. "Come with me, to my home," it offers. "Where the fire waits."

My hand starts to rise, foolish words of acceptance trying to make it through my trembling teeth and the ice cracking on my lips, ready to accept any offer of warmth. This thing might be crazy but it is no man-eater. And it has a fire. That is worth the risk of trusting it if means I can warm myself. Fire would chase away the chill before it tricks my body into the numbness before death. Keep my spirit from descending to darker, harsher cold in the land of the dishonorable dead.

Rin's soft tails curl against my legs and back, and with sublime strength, she tugs my arm and twirls me away from those hazel eyes. Warmth spreads into me wherever Rin touches, yet my knees buckle and nearly take us both down the carved steps of the mountain. But she reclaims her balance in time, and my shuddering fingers weakly grabbing her sleeves. Embracing me, sharing her warmth, she speaks softly to the thing I saw.

"Egil is not yours," Rin declares with the absolute authority of one that has claimed a mountain.

Angry words fly at Rin but I don't have the strength to hear them. I slide into darkness, held aloft by a soft warmth and steady strength.

---

Dreams of wheat fields, fruitless fjord fishing, and the crackle of a winter's hearth bleed into my awakening. Stone supports my legs and cold air tingles my nose, but for somehow my head is resting in a warm bed. Furs lay across my shoulders and down my chest, drawn so high they tickle my jaw. To my dismay, my lower half is left in the shelter of whatever clothing I fell asleep in. Eyes shut I sift through memory and dream, uncertain of where the truth lies.

I left wheat fields and the fjords behind long ago. I still fish, for necessity and enjoyment, and in all lands a winter's hearth crackles beautifully. Does that mean the kitsune and mountains were all dreams born of sleeping like a fool? I doubt that but dare not open my eyes to find the truth. I'd rather let it all be a fitful fantasy of sleep than the mess I walked myself into in this strange land. Where proper beds don't exist at all yet here my head is in one. And I'm not stupid enough to lay down with my sword still belted to me.

Groaning, I open my eyes to face stark reality.

Rin's blue orbs look down at me. Staring up at her, knowing my head is resting in her lap and her tails are covering me like a blanket, I summon the strength to sit up from somewhere. Probably my desire to avoid scandalous situations. Her tails lift off of me and she puts a hand on my shoulder to steady me when my palm slips on the stone beneath me. The sun moved a good bit across the sky, but dusk is still a ways off. That breeze, cursed or magical, died down while I was out of it. Getting my bearings, seeing that the trees still hold half of their fading leaves on branch still and that the shrines are not only tended but replete with offerings, I ask the most obvious question.

"How did you get me down this far?" I croak through a scratchy throat.

"Kitsune are very crafty," Rin says with a hint of seriousness.

I look at her and nod. "Well, you have my thanks. I'd fallen entirely into that magical trick."

"That wouldn't have happened if I'd been faster." She folds her hands on her knees and stares at her palms. "If you've words to admonish me with do so, I'm sure I've earned them."

Laughing, then breaking into a short cough, I shake my head and clear my throat. Water or tea would do my throat some good. "I was prepared for something bad happening," I rasp. "You saved me. Leave it at that, I've already gotten enough apologies from your sister."

"Then would you tell me what you saw? Or would you like to reach the village below first?" Rin asks, lifting her head and furrowing her brows. I notice her hat is gone, a detail that seems significant.

I close my eyes and recall the face tied to the honeyed voice, and let a ripple of fear run its course. I don't want to speak with my throat and mouth feeling so abused, but I have to for the sake of my promise. "It was a kitsune," I say, keeping my eyes firmly shut to hold onto the memory.

"And what did she look like?" Rin quietly asks.

My throat dries up even more. She knows the answer already, I'm sure, but I'm bound by honor and my sense of what is fair to tell her. "Dirty. Covered in bits of dead leaves like she was rolling through the forest floor. White fur around her eyes, like Saki only not as graceful. Taller than me. A crazed look in her eyes. Smiling at me with all her teeth on display. But she eats well, and if her breath was anything to go by she is a good cook."

Moments later, when Rin asks nothing else, I open my eyes and see Rin wiping at the corner of hers with a sleeve.

"Do you have any family, Egil?" the nine tail asks, trying to hide her tears by folding her hands in her lap. The slump in her posture is telling of her mood.

"A few brothers, a couple of sisters, a lot of cousins. But I may as well be dead to them, thanks to distance and how I left," I say, wishing I hadn't. Not because I've fulfilled my promise but for how unpleasant talking is with my throat so irritated

"I'm sorry to hear that," Rin says. She sounds so genuine I almost believe her. "Do you have no one else?"

"My mother and father, a few uncles, and a mean grandfather were still alive when I left," I say. She didn't have to save me back there. I'm willing to talk through the discomfort for that.

"Did you love your family?" she asks.

That makes me think. I'd rather not, but I suppose the answer is simple enough. "I still do," I rasp, wondering what my history has to do with the mad kitsune. "Though I'm a coward that ran away from the stirrings of war."

A tiny, sad smile alights on her mouth. Her shoulders loosen, but I can tell she still feels the weight of an invisible burden. "A coward would have walked into Meiko's arms," Rin says. "Not attempt to draw his sword."

"I'm almost certain my hand wasn't going for my sword," I say. Then what Rin has tried to work her way into saying hits me. At least, I think it does. "Is that the mad kitsune's name, Meiko?"

Rin's fox face doesn't stir nor does her voice waver. But a few of her tails won't settle down, growing more restless as she says, "Yes."

"You knew about her?" I could be angry about the magic and deception but that would be unfair. I knew it was a bad idea to help Rin like this, that my life might be put in danger. So it's best if I don't make myself an enemy out of Rin and let go of any building frustration.

Rin nods, a touch of regret in her eyes. "I know her very well. She is one of my sisters after all."

"Meiko is Saki's twin," I say, making that guess on instinct and half-knowledge, "Isn't she?"

"Your cleverness continues, as does Saki surprising me", Rin says, staring at her folded hands. "Most of us share blood only by our mother, but Saki and Meiko had the same father."

"Then why does Meiko live in the forest instead of with the rest of you?" I ask, not eager to pry too deeply into the family history of the kitsune.

"You've put my mind at ease, telling me she is okay. But everything else about her isn't something you should concern yourself," Rin says, waving dismissively and collecting herself. "So long as people continue to stay away from my mountain then Meiko is only my problem."

"If rumors reached me it'll reach others, and then you'll have every hot-blooded fool looking to make a name by killing a man-eater show up," I point out.

Her mouth closes, becoming a line of white concentration. "I see you are wise as you are clever," she says at last, once her tails are still.

"I'll have to disagree with that," I say.

"If you aren't wise that means I'm a fool for not seeing something so obvious sooner," she counters.

"Wouldn't want that," I say, accepting my defeat. Some fights aren't worth winning, even if you can. At least my throat is starting to feel better. "So, what will you do with this wisdom?"

"For now, I'll continue to the village," Rin declares. "I've little I can give you as thanks, but you will always be welcome in my home. And if you care to join me, the villagers are always grateful to see me, Rin, a humble servant of the lord of this mountain." Her grin is so convincing I almost think it's genuine.

Almost.

First chance alone I get I'm casting the runes for that mad, possibly murderous, kitsune that hit me with magic. Then again for secrets of the master of this mountain. I don't want to hurt Rin or family but leaving a danger like Meiko for everyone else to stumble into is against what I believe in. Surely there will be a way to solve their problem without someone dying. But I doubt this will be a simple as offering my hand to the jaws of a beast so it might be chained.

Turning my thoughts away from morbid possibilities and toward what is to come I ask, "Do the villagers know you are kitsune?"

"Of course not," Rin says rising to her feet. One moment I'm looking at a fox, the next a beautiful, and shorter, woman with stark blue eyes. But if I strain my eyes I can see hints of tails in her shadow, and the smile on her lips is exactly what I've come to expect from the master of this mountain.

"Is this form more pleasing to your eyes?" she asks, trying to toy with me. Or distract me.

It works, but not as she might want. "You're still you," I say, starting toward the village.

Rin follows a few steps behind me and this time I don't look back. I wonder if the runes could tell me how honest those remarks of hers are. Not that I'd trust the reading.

I wish I could leave these kitsune alone, to deal with their unwell sister, but rumors always have a source. If there is a possibility of a man-eater hidden somewhere in the forest on that mountain then I can't leave. Not if I want to live with myself or have any rest in the dead of the night. And the matter of Meiko unnerves me still.