It was a bright and quiet night, the moon shined and shimmered through the forest canopy, illuminating the twisting branches that seemed to enclose the narrow dirt pathway. My brisk footsteps were softened by newly fallen leaves as I fled alone. The hunters that had been following me were likely many miles behind my tracks, but I knew they would eventually catch up to me, as they had done many times before. The noses of their hounds seemed to pick up my fox scent no matter the distance I put between us, even through busy cities and across wide rivers. Perhaps it was what I would be bound to forever, a life of burning lungs and tired feet. But that still didn't stop me from trying over and over again.
A few miles ahead on this trail there was a mud hole, with the stench of sulfur strong enough to burn your nose and stain the aroma around oneself for days. Some travellers had bestowed this information upon me, and the smell that filled the air now proved them true. I had wished them well and gave them some fried rice I had upon me in return, which they had been very grateful for.
Up ahead I could see several deer and mice, standing elegantly in the dim light, sensing my presence before I even had the chance to get close. They quickly ran for cover into the forest and my stomach grumbled, it now dawning upon me that I hadn't eaten for a day and all this exercise was taking a toll on my body. A perfect meal had just disappeared before my eyes and I hadn't even realized it.
I slowed my run to a slower jog as my feet began to make footprints in the now soft ground. Without missing a beat, I could see a large multitude of mud holes around the tree line and I bolted directly towards the holes, jumping into the closest one.
My feet touched the bottom without my head going under, and I splashed the mud on as much of myself as possible, covering any inch of me that could still smell like fox. The mud was colder than I had expected, but I kept rubbing it into my skin before plugging my nostrils and dipping my head and hair under the mud, scrubbing myself with the stinking mud.
Soon my appearance was no longer recognizable, as the mud had caked on several layers, drying ever faster. I climbed my way slowly out of the pit and wasted no time getting back on the trail, creating even more distance between me and those despicable hunters.
I resumed into a trance as I ran, thinking back to the place I had just been chased away from. It had been a nice and gentle town, where I had made my place among a stable with horses, who seemed to appreciate the company of a Kitsune like myself. The stablehands didn't seem to mind me being there either, as we regularly would converse and I made the horses they tended to much more docile. The owner of the stable, an older gentleman named Richard, often would bring me with him on trips into the city, to give me a better grasp of civility and how adult life was like, and the experience was quite helpful on how to act around humans, despite my often occurring predicament I was now in.
I would probably never see them again sadly, but if I were to finally escape these damned men I would surely make my way back to them and make amends. After all, I had left so abruptly after I saw the hunters knocking on their front door. The stablehands knew that they were looking for me when they saw the wanted poster and my fearfulness, but instead of handing me over like all other humans had tried to do, they helped me escape as if it was the least they could do for me. I hope to repay that debt to them, saving my life like that.
The pathway began to widen as I continued, and the stench of sulfur in the air was soon replaced by a sweetening smell of salt and fish. Was I this close to the ocean? I had been under the impression that it was much farther away, only traveled to by horses and boats. Though to be fair, nearly a month had passed since I started running again, I wasn't taking any chances of getting caught once more.
I took several deep breaths in, absorbing as much of the smells from the air as I could. The fish still lingered strongly in the air, as well as old meat and blood, smoke, and mice. Then the smell of human civilization! Thin pillars of smoke began to pop over the treeline and the path angled more upwards, the trees diversity becoming more evergreens than leafy trees.
