Deep within the forest of Inuyasha, a fox pup was found. Her fur was as white as snow and she had red markings on her forehead that was akin to a crown. The characteristics of a sacred creature. The priestess took the pup to her village and took car...
I ran my sacred blade right through the last demon's body, giving him a wound that was fatal. As he faded away, he yelled my name in a way that made my fur stand on end. I grumbled as I sheathed my sword. The demons were getting exceedingly closer to the village. I had to report it to Lady Kaede.
"Lady Kaede..." I called as I entered her house. "What is it, Asami?" she asked as she stoked up the fire in the hearth. "The demons...they are getting closer to the village. I am worried that they might attack soon" I told her as I sat next to her. My ears were folded close to my head as I held my sword tightly in my hands. She chuckled before gently stroking my hair. "Do not be afraid. They will not attack the village. We are ready for anything. Now...why don't you go and take a dip in the lake. All of that fighting must have been exhausting for you. I will finish cooking dinner soon"
"Are you sure you don't need any help?" I asked as she was pushing me outside the door. "No no...I will be fine. You must go now so you will have plenty of time to relax before it gets dark" she said, closing the door behind me. Something was off. She was pushier than usual.
On my way to the lake, a few of the villagers greeted me and I greeted them back. The smiles on their faces made me feel all warm inside. They all greeted me a happy birthday and I thanked them all before proceeding to walk to the lake. I couldn't remember when I was born so Lady Kaede decided to make the day she found me in the forest of Inuyasha my birthday. I was beginning to think that she was planning something but shook the thought away. It probably wasn't that.
I tried not to overthink as I walked to the lake. I always liked taking a dip in the cold waters of the lake. It helped me clear my mind whenever it was too crowded. I especially loved how the cold waters seemed to wash my worries away.
I took off my kimono and after carefully folding it, I placed it on a dry rock and set my sword next to it. I took slow and steady steps as I stepped into the lake, the soil surrounding the lake wasn't the most stable and one wrong step could send you falling face first into its cold waters. Once my body was fully within the lake's grasp, I let out a deep breath and purred as my tails swished gently against the still waters.
I remembered how much I hated having two tails at such a young age. Being the only non-human in a village filled with humans already made me feel so out of place, I didn't need having an extra tail at my age as another reason for me to be different. I remembered how I would hide from the other's or change my appearance to look like them. Thankfully, Lady Kaede helped me overcome that and now I felt like I actually belonged. Everyone in the village had been so nice and patient with me even throughout my mischief making phase.
I chuckled as I remembered how I used to play tricks on them using my shapeshifting ability. Looking back on it now, it wasn't so bad. They would often tell me stories of how they thought it was cute. I wasn't very good at imitating others back then so they could already tell that it was me even though I changed my appearance.
After a few more minutes of washing the stench of demon's blood off of my body, I dried myself off and got dressed. I used my fox fire to dry my hair and fur before grabbing my sword and making my way back to the village. I had finished my bath really early.
As I walked deeper into the forest that lead back to the village, the rustling sound of fallen leaves being stirred back up caught my attention. Someone was following me, I could feel their presence. They were watching me. I slowly wrapped my hand around the hilt of my sword and followed the sound of the footsteps with my eyes, getting ready to defend myself if and when they decided to attack. As the wind blew by, my nose caught the scent of the people that were following me. I smiled before letting my hand fall off of the hilt of my sword, my posture straightening as I waited for them to show themselves.
Suddenly, I felt a pair of tiny arms wrap around my waist before another wrapped theirs around both my tails. "Gotcha!" Haru said as he looked up at me proudly while Yuki giggled from behind me. "Oh no...you got me. I wasn't expecting that..." I giggled as I turned around to lift Yuki up. She released her arms from around my tails and I rubbed my nose with hers as she giggled. "Now...where is little Shoko?" I asked them both before a net suddenly fell ontop of us. I looked up and sitting ontop of a tree branch was little Shoko. She giggled as she held the end of the net in her tiny hands. "She got us..." Haru huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest. I was guessing that the both of them weren't expecting that to happen.
I giggled again as I put Yuki down and removed the net from over us. I grabbed Shoko and gently set her down onto the ground. "Now...why are you three out here so late?" I asked them and they all avoided my gaze as they played with their thumbs. I raised my brow at the trio. They were definitley up to something. I looked to Shoko and she crumbled a lot faster than the others did. "Lady Kaede told us to-umph!" both Haru and Yuki covered her mouth before she could say anything further. "She also told us not to tell her..." Haru muttered to Shoko and she nodded her head. They all showed me wide smiles, feigning innocence. I wasn't buying it.
I crossed my arms over my chest and tapped my foot while raising a brow at them. I stared intensely at the trio and eventually, they all crumbled. "Lady Kaede told us to distract you..."
"Just for a few minutes because..."
"she is preparing a surprise for you..." Haru was the first one to speak then Yuki followed before Shoko finished the whole sentence. They did this often. I thought it was cute but sometimes it kind of made things hard to follow, especially when you are not listening.
"Oh no...we are in big trouble" Haru muttered to himself. I chuckled before ruffling all of their heads. "Don't worry...now, let's go back before it gets too dark" I said before picking Yuki up and carrying her while Shoko and Haru walked side by side with me.
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"I'm back..." I said before entering the house I shared with Lady Kaede. I had taken the trio to their respective homes before returning home myself. "Welcome back, Asami" she said as she sat near the table. We ate dinner like usual until she pulled out a small wooden box. "Happy 18th Birthday, Asami" she said before handing the box to me. I opened it and inside was a beautiful wooden comb that had a carving of a fox with many tails on it.
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I felt my eyes brimming with tears as I held the comb close to my chest. I loved it. I couldn't hold myself back any longer, I pounced on Lady Kaede and thanked her while crying with tears of joy.
"Thank you...thank you so much, mother!"
She wrapped her arms around me and with a gentle smile, she gently stroked my back as I cried. "You are very welcome, my daughter"
