Immortal Sin

Chapter 22: Kitsune

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We check over the map once more, trying to figure out where we are.

"We're lost." Thero sits down on a log, "Just admit it, Evelyn, we are lost."

We've been on the road for about seven days and all Thero and Evelyn have done is argue with each other. While they are to busy fighting with each other and Leo being the ref, I grab the map and try to find a tall tree. 

After climbing all the way to the top I unroll the map and hold a hand over it, "Úbi sum." I climb back down and find them waiting for me.

"Where did you go?" Evelyn still seems angry at Thero, but she'll cheer up at my news. 

"I went to find out where we are, and" I hold the map out for them to see, "I did find where we are." They grab the map while I explain, "I needed a high point for my magic to work better, and we are about a months walk away from the nearest small town." 

"Well, okay then," Leo throws his bag over his shoulder, "let's get going, shall we? We need to cover a lot of land and sundown isn't that far away." He heads off into the woods again with Thero in tow. 

Evelyn stays put until I put a hand on her shoulder. She looks at me and smiles, "When this is over I can kill him right?" I know she says it jokingly, but look at his back and become expressionless. I feel a hand cover mine.

"Jacqueline, are you okay?" Evelyn's face falls into a frown and I realize my mistake. I quickly put a smile on my face, "Yeah, I'm fine, and no you can't kill him." I smile, hoping that she won't ask me any more questions. Thankfully she doesn't and we continue on our way. 

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We stop for the night in a group of trees and I walk off to relieve myself. On my way back I see my sister.

"Hey," I wave as she looks at me, "I haven't seen you in a while." 

She doesn't reply to me and looks back to what she was originally doing. I get curious and look over her shoulder. There I see a young nine-tailed fox, a kitsune. They're not even native to this area, maybe far in the east but not here.

"I think something is wrong." My sister says and I look closer at her, realizing that she wants to take me and my sister into the cave that's behind her. I look at my sister, "Okay one, how can she even see you, and two, should we trust her?"

My sister looks to the cave, "These creatures started out as a normal fox but after they reach the age of one hundred years they become a spirit, they are in both physical plane and the spiritual one." she looks back at me, "And yes I believe we can trust her."

I just shrug my shoulders and walk into the cave, the kitsune leading me deeper into the cave. 

At the end of the cave, there is light everywhere and a fire pit in the middle of the cave. I look around the place and see a table and chair against the wall and another table with herbs and books on it, but the little fox doesn't want us to look in here as she leads me through a hidden area in the wall. 

When I emerge again I'm bathed in strange light and surrounded by some strange trees and mushrooms that glow. That's what's emitting the light! I don't have time to take it all in because the fox is yipping at me to hurry up and follow her. Deeper into the forest I see another bed, but this time there is someone on the bed. 

I rush up to the bed hoping that they are still alive and as soon as I get up there the old man that's in the bed lets out a laugh. I quickly get to work using my magic to try and find out what's wrong with his, but nothing is wrong, he's dying of old age.

"Come here Masami (Elegant Beauty), I want to say goodbye and thank you." The kitsune, whose name is Masami, jumps up on the bed and climbs on his chest. 

"You've been with me since you were a baby kit, when my parents found you I was still a newborn," wait, that means this man is about a hundred years old, "I promised myself that I would live to see if you could become a kitsune, and I have now and I want to thank you for that." The old man now looks to me, "and thank you for finding her and coming to see this old man," he looks up to the canopy of the trees, "I haven't seen anyone in over forty years. As a selfish old man I ask of you one thing," he takes a deep breath and continues, "find someone to look after Masami and keep this cave hidden, and in return take anything you find in the cave system." He closes his eyes, using his last breath to say, "Thank you." 

I find myself tearing up at the words I heard the man say. I look up to the canopy and see the spirit of the man leaving the cave. I look back down at the man, he seems peaceful, he must have lived a very fulfilling life. As I go to pull the blanket up over his head, until I can find something to bury him with, something huge grabs my arm in its jaws and throws me through a few trees and into the cave wall, causing the ground immediately surrounding the cave to shake. 

"I'll go get Thero." I can't see her, but I know my sister will return with Thero because he can see her also. 

I go into a coughing fit, coughing up blood, by the time I open my eyes I'm on the ground and standing by the bed is a very pissed of, now full size, Masami. 

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