Chapter 1
Inasa was a mere 7 years old when he came to face a kistune for the first time.
It was a pup. Barely larger than the cats that roamed the towns streets and cleansed them of the rats and other vermin. It was tiny, to him… he didn’t understand how something like it could be so dangerous. It’s fur looked as if it were as soft as silk, it’s large eyes reflecting his own through blue and grey.. the tips of its ears, muzzle, paws, and tails were a beautiful, blood red.
It simply just stared at him for a moment, Inasa gripping the handle of his tiny katana tightly as he contemplated his next move.
He was a child. He didn’t know how to kill a kitsune.. even if it too was young.
He gave a small sigh, letting go of the handle and breaking into a smile. He had some dried meat in his bag that he’d saved from lunch, which he grabbed and crouched down to offer to it.
The kitsune's tails waved through the air rapidly, showing its alarm as it lowered its head. Inasa smiled, showing a mouthful of dull and missing teeth, the kitsune’s tails suddenly stopping its movements and dying down to a mere flicker.
It crept low to the ground until it retrieved the meet from his hand, dropping it down onto the ground tk gnaw at it.
That was when Inasa got a close look at it’s beauty. The fur gave off a kind of light, small particles of dust or power floating around it and reflecting in the light. The pup was watching him as it ate, blue and gray eyes shining brightly in the moonlight.
Inasa didn’t even think before he reached down to let its head, a low growl filling the air as he did. The tails of the kitsune began to wave once more, but it continued to gnaw at the dried snack.
Inasa pulled his hand away, frowning for a moment before he pulled another piece of jerky from his bag, holding it up. “See? I’m a friend, little fox.” He said, handing it to the creature just as it finished the last one. His hand landed on the head of the pup this time, the soft and silky fur feeling like clouds under his palm. It was amazing how soft and well taken care of the kitsune was.. though he could see its ribs through the softness of its hide. No wonder it was so hungry, it was probably starving.
“You’re hungry, aren’t you?” He said, frowning softly. “I’m sorry.. has your mother not returned? Do you know where she’s gone?” He looked up and around, trailing his hand down the spine of the pup to feel every bone in Its thin body. He felt horrible for the thing… it was so young, so innocent… he couldn’t imagine what kind of pain hunger felt like. He was well fed. The entire village was.. thankfully these very monsters didn’t attack their crops and animals.
He frowned once more, the pup finishing the second piece of jerky. It immediately looked up, stepping up to sniff at his bag. It didn’t seem to fear him for the moment while it’s head was hidden under the flap of the leather bag. It drew a laugh from the human child, “sorry, pup.. I don’t have any more. I can bring you some tomorrow night, if you wish?” He offered, the pup pulling away and looking up at him. It seemed to peer into his eyes for hours, sitting in silence and complete stillness… until it blinked, backing away before turning and disappearing into the surrounding bushes along the trail.
Inasa smiled, watching it go with a lingering sadness.. the poor pup was starving. No kitsune pup was left on its own unless the mother was… dead. He later discovered that a kitsune had been killed by the town's best warrior. The tails and head had been hung in the main garden of the town in celebration.
Nonetheless, began their nightly routine. Inasa would bring the kitsune food and water in trade for a few minutes of petting its fur whilst it ate. It lasted a few years, inasa growing bigger and bigger with each passing year.. and so did the kitsune. It’s body became healthier and stronger with every passing week, and so did inasa’s. Before either of them knew it, they were both growing into fine adults.
Though it was when inasa turned 14 that things began to go south. The killings in the town began to pick up.. and the kitsune missed most of their nightly meetings. It was hard to believe that the creature inasa had known for nearly 7 years now was killing people throughout the village.
He’d cared for the beast when it had shown up with a patch over its eye burnt clean of fur, nursing it back to health and ensuring that it cleaned the wound. That had been a long few nights, but they were both lucky kitsune were fast healers. It thankfully only turned out with a permanent scar.. though inasa never could figure out whether it was blind or not after that.
But to imagine the same tiny pup he’d seen all those years ago.. seducing and killing the people of his village? It was impossible. He never understood how it could kill so ruthlessly. Many of the people whose lives it took were innocent by common knowledge.. though most of the killings were those were had rape accusations against them or were involved in some wrongdoing within the village.. but the fathers that were killed never seemed fair.
Especially inasa’s.
Inasa’s father was a man of pride and power. He was tall, dark brown hair, and dark, cold eyes. He had a face of wiry hair too, standing taller than any other man in the town. He was well respected, even by his wife and child.. though he was strict, and cruel. Inasa himself never came to recognize that.. but the kitsune did.
The kitsune had watched the man beat his wife and child for common misdoings, such as tripping in the hall, burning the food, leaving the meat out for too long, not folding the laundry correctly.. everything. It made it furious to see such behavior go undealt with. Such men needed to suffer a painful death for making their loved ones suffer.
The night his father had been found dead in his own bed had been the worst night of Inasa’s life. His mother had screamed in terror upon entering the room, seeing the kitsune standing in front of the window over the mangled body of her husband. It stood in a human form, red and white hair with large, red tipped ears jutting from the soft locks. A flowing, white kimono that reflected the light of the moon. Blood dropped from its hands and mouth, pupils tiny slits as the woman cowered in fear.
It didn’t move for a moment before it slowly moved and picked up the katana from the man's hand. It sheathed it before turning and jumping out the window.. just seconds before Inasa rushed into the room.
His mother was weeping, sobbing into her hands as her long black hair came undone from its traditional braid. The scene in front of him was horrifying.. his father lied naked on the bed, throat slit open with a horrified expression frozen onto his face. His body was frozen in time, it seemed.
The town's best soldier.. Seduced and killed by the very kitsune his own son had saved.