Fox Trap

Part I

"I'm sorry to impose on his lordship, but...perhaps you could help me get to the nearest town or even an inn. I'm sure I could figure it out from there." I suggested hoping that would solve whatever internal dilemma might be going through his handsome head.

There wasn't a verbal response, but he dismounted and approached me. The man took my sandal and studied it as if trying to figure out if that was fixable, but I was better. I knew how to damage something beyond repair.

"Can you ride?" He finally asked, returning the sandal back to me.

"A bit," I responded.

Horses or other animals were not something I had a particular fondness for. I would tolerate them and see them as necessary in this world, but not something I needed. The man held the horse and the saddle and helped me mount. I sat to the side, my legs hanging from the animal's right side. At first, I thought he would follow, but instead, he kept the reins and led the animal forward. I found this behavior odd and not typical. Most men couldn't wait to jump on the saddle behind me, even if that made the ride times more uncomfortable.

"I didn't mean to deprive you of your ride," I said after another long moment of silence.

I wasn't used to that. Men would always talk to me and ask me questions about where I was going, why, and how I ended up on that road. I always had elaborate stories that made their imagination go wild. Not my new companion, it seemed. He walked ahead, holding the horse's reins and not uttering a word or looking in my direction.

"My father used to say that walking is better than riding." He responded without turning to look at me. "Riding makes you lazy."

"Your father is a wise man." I was trying to keep the conversation going as I couldn't afford another prolonged silence. How was it possible that he wasn't even trying to look at me as he spoke? "What is your name, my lord?"

"You call me lord, but you don't even know my name?" There was mockery and arrogance in his voice. "What if I am just a wealthy merchant?"

"I have seen panty of wealthy merchants," I responded with a smile, but he couldn't see that. "You would be the first with castle forget swords, and I suspect you also know how to use them."

"You are observant." Her remarked. "Shiroishi Tojiro."

For the first time since he helped me on the horse, I was happy he wasn't looking at my face as the satisfied smile graced my lips again. His first name didn't mean much to me, but Shiroishi was the name of the local lords. They had been holding these lands for hundreds of years. If I never bothered to know the name of the current lord, or his predecessor, this man would be a son, a cousin, or why not the present lord himself. The hours spent walking down the empty road were finally paying off, and I had sprung a trap worthy of my effort.

"Why is my lord alone on the road? Shouldn't you have your retainers and soldiers with you?" I asked, doing my best to hide the excitement. Luring merchants was one thing, but his lordship would be a fine addition to my efforts.

"It seems you find the roads safe enough to walk alone in the darkness," Tojiro responded. "What harm could come to me if no harm had come to you?"

"I'm sure your wife would be worried," I suggested trying to stir the conversation in the direction I needed.

"I'm sure she would if I had one." As he said that, a small disappointment crept through my skin.

Every yokai had its nature. Some were deceiving, and some just liked playing tricks. My sisters and I had a very special gift. We liked creating mischief and luring unsuspicious men to traps and sometimes their doom. One of my sisters enjoyed tricking travelers and shaving their heads. Another took the shape of an old woman and tricked humans into the darkest paths. Each one of us thrived on different mischief. My trick was not that complicated. I loved strife, intrigue, and drama and had to cause it wherever I went. My favorite play was tricking men into cheating on their wives or fiances. The scandal that followed was what fulfilled my purpose and filled my heart with joy. I probably should have abandoned this man here and now, disappeared in the darkness in my fox shape, but I couldn't. I was thinking about the darkness in his eyes and how resistant he appeared to be to my charms, and my ego and arrogance won. I was going to bring some mischief on this man.