A Journey Within the Realm

“I forgot to ask,” I said to Miki, “How long is it going to take to get to Triharvest?”

“Uhh… I don’t know,” Miki answered, “I have never been there and that was my first visit to Transbola. I don’t know how far apart they are from each other. Maybe you should ask Kyoko? Hey, Kyoko.”

“Yes?” Kyoko asked, walking over to us.

“Do you know how long it will take to get to Triharvest?” asked Miki.

“Two days if we only set up camp once,” Kyoko answered.

We kept on walking, mostly in silence. Occasionally, the girls talked to each other, but I kept to myself, thinking. I wasn’t the only person who kept silent. It seemed that Miki was also thinking about something. After walking for hours, the sun was starting to set. As the sky began to shine a lovely orange and red, I noticed something in the distance.

“Hold it,” I said, “What’s that over there?”

“I can’t tell from this far,” Miki replied, “Let’s get closer.”

We quietly snuck closer until we were able to see what was going on. It looked like two of Kei’s shadow minions trying to cage a small fox cub. One of the shadows had the cub in her hands. She was trying to shove the cub into the cage while the cub scratched and clawed the shadow being.

“I can’t believe it,” Miki exclaimed, “That’s a Kitsune cub! We have to save it!”

“Kitsune?” I repeated, “You mean a fox spirit!?!”

Without thinking, I rushed towards the two shadows. When I reached them, I shot flames at both of them and grabbed the fox cub before they had time to react to my presence. As I held the cub, I watched them burn into ashes. Once those two were gone, I placed the cub on the ground, got on my knees, and started petting it. My teammates arrived shortly after. Miki walked over and kneeled down next to me. Then, she examined the cub.

“Yep… she’s a Kitsune,” Miki said, “This is a lucky find. Not many people have ever seen a Kitsune. They are what we like to call a legendary mystical fox spirit. She has amazing powers that help people that give offerings.”

The Kitsune meowed like she was trying to tell me something.

“What is she trying to say?” I asked, “Kyoko. Can you understand her?”

“I’m afraid not,” Kyoko answered, “I can only talk to bats.”

“Maybe she’s hungry,” Rin suggested.

“We could try that,” I said, “What do they like to eat?”

“They like meat,” Miki answered.

“I think I have some beef jerky in my backpack,” I said, reaching inside.

It took only a minute for me to get the jerky. I pulled it out and gave it to the Kitsune. She sniffed it cautiously but devoured it hungrily. When she was done, the Kitsune licked my hand.

“Awwww… she likes you,” Miki said.

“Well… little cub,” I began, “You’re free to go back to your mom.”

The Kitsune lowered her head and tail.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, “Don’t you have a mom and dad?”

The cub shook her head no.

“What should we do guys?” I asked.

“We just can’t leave her by herself,” Rin said.

“Yeh. What if those shadow minions return? She won’t stand a chance alone,” Kuri added.

“Besides… she likes you,” Nori added.

“Would you like to join us?” I asked the Kitsune.

The cub meowed happily.

“Welcome to the team… ummm… what should we call her?” I asked.

“How about Shina?” Miki asked, “It means virtuous and good.”

“How’s that sound for you, little one?” I asked.

The Kitsune meowed happily again.

“Shina it is,” I said, smiling, “Welcome to the team, Shina!”