Fox Ball

When I came to, the moon was high in the sky, casting an eerie glow on the hill before me. I was still seated in the chair where I had drank that horrid soup. My companions were all asleep other than Guide, who was staring at me with a look of wonder and caution. That’s when it all came flooding back. “Who are you?” I whispered, trying to keep from waking the other members of my group and alerting them to the possible danger that was seated before us.

A small smile took over his features, the moon glinting in his teeth. “You know who I am child. I am Bendigeidfran.”

“No you’re not. You’re…something else.” I was adamant. I know what I saw. “You’re not the man that I met that night in the woods.”

“Are you so sure of that?” Came the reply.

I frowned, thinking back to that night. There was always something off about Guide, an unknown power and wealth of knowledge that he never shared. I always put it off, thinking that I just didn’t understand what a Druidic monk was capable of. Doubt crept into my mind.

He only smiled in return, allowing his eyes to glow white once again. He blinked, and the glow was gone.

“I know you’re not him. He once told me that a Druidic monk couldn’t be supernatural as that would throw off the balance between the human world and the supernatural world.” I thought back to the tails that had surrounded him before I had lost consciousness. “You are clearly…something else. Now, I’ll ask again. Who are you?”

The smile faded from the man’s face, replaced by a look of awe. He simply stared at me as I called on the power deep inside my soul and brought it to the surface. Electricity crackled in the air around me, setting my hair on end. Thunder rolled through the cloudless sky, quietly at first until it was pounding through the air. My companions managed to sleep through it somehow.

“My name is Inari.” When they spoke, their voice had changed. It wisped through the air, reaching my ears with a calm serenity that I had never felt from Guide. It didn’t have the rough edges that Guide’s voice did, but rather reminded me of the soft purr of a kitten as it nursed from it’s mother. Just upon hearing it, I felt my power wane as all my muscles relaxed. “I am the God of rice, a celestial being, that has been laying in wait inside this man until I was sure.”

I leaned forward in my chair sluggishly, feeling as though I had been drugged. “Sure of what?”

“Sure that you would be able to win,” was their simple reply. They leaned back, an easy smile taking over their features as they stared at me.

Thoughts flooded through my mind at a slow pace, an easy dripping of unintelligible musings. I couldn’t quite place what was going through my head, it foggy from some unseen force. It took me a couple moments to respond. “God of rice. Are you a kitsune?”

They laughed softly, the sound like a fluttering of fairies’ wings or a soft breeze rustling through the trees. It calmed me further until I was almost sliding out of my chair. “Yes and no. I used to be a kitsune, but have since transcended into the celestial world.”

That made little sense to me. How could you once be one thing and now be something completely different. My frown must have been comical as they laughed again, a little louder this time. “I guess it’s time to give you a little more history on your kind, our kind, and where the kitsunes truly came from.”

I leaned forward in my chair, almost slipping out of it.

“I was first born over 4,000 years ago, before this world was created as it is now, and long before Calvanaire,” they sneered at the name, a dark look overcoming their features, “existed on any plane of existence.” I nodded to show I was following along so far. “I was the first and only of my kind for a long time. I will spare you the horrors of my growing up as they are not pertinent to what I am trying to convey.” I couldn’t help but wonder what that meant.

“It took me a long time to gain control over being a kitsune. I began as forest, completely controlling it by age 16, and moved on to other types. At the time, I had no idea what to expect nor of what types I was exploring. Just that there was power within me that needed to be expressed.” I nodded again. I guess that made sense. “I gained my first two tails simultaneously by the time I was 50 years of age, my power strengthening as I mastered the celestial and time types. It took over 200 years for me to gain my next.” They were counting on their fingers, a thoughtful look in their eye. “No, 300 years.” They finally just shook their head. “It doesn’t matter. Just know it took me a long time.”

“Around 500 years of age, I met another kitsune. Up until that point, I had thought I was the only one. I was proven wrong. At that time, I started meeting more and more kitsunes, knowledge of different types being passed on to me, allowing me to grow my power. I gained my next tail within the year of meeting others of our kind.” As they were speaking, each tail began to appear behind them, first two, then another, and another until 4 tails whipped in the wind. They were an extremely pale yellow, almost white, long and poofy. They didn’t seem to be attached to him, more of a hallucination or a trick of the light than anything. Maybe he was bringing them up in an illusion. I wasn’t sure. But they were absolutely beautiful.

“To make a long story short, by the time I had gained all 9 tails,” they appeared behind them, with one extra until all of them disappeared in the next moment, “I had mastered all types, all but one. My power was a force to be reckoned with and it went to my head really fast. I had some of the same ambitions as your dear father, but rather I wanted kitsunes and humans to live harmoniously. I attempted to merge the two groups, but as humans are weary of all things different, a war began. You humans call it something, I can’t remember, but what they don’t tell you is that it was between the humans and beings that weren’t quite human. My son, Yuuki, led the kitsunes in battle. He was a hybrid, like you. Only one other hybrid existed, my daughter, Yuna. Yuna stayed with the children as their parents fought to protect our kind.”

A sad look appeared on their face, shrouding Guide’s features in darkness. “It was only after Yuuki was slain and Yuna and the children slaughtered that my ego fell. I pulled back my forces and created Calvanaire to keep the rest of our kind safe. In my time of heartbreak, Peter appeared to me. He told me there was a way to bring them back. He was only a couple hundred years old at this time and had one tail. I don’t know why I believed him, but I did. What I didn’t understand was he was seeping my power from me as the dark fox within him was spread into my soul.”

I gasped in shock. They had been possessed by a Nogitsune. I leaned back in my chair, away from Inari. They only laughed in return, the sound easy, but with a dark edge to it.

“Don’t worry child. For awhile, the Nogitsune consumed me in my grief. It caused me to do horrible, horrible things and I finally passed over the throne of Calvanaire to Peter.” They sighed a deep, troublesome sound. “It took me over a hundred years, and a lot of carnage on the human world, until I was able to overpower the dark fox within me. Once I had done that, I transcended into a celestial being. Everything became clear then and the dark fox was silenced. I have been living in the celestial plane until I learned of what Peter had planned for the humans and their world. I exited my own plane of existence to come here. I have been laying in wait for over a hundred years. At the time, I didn’t know what I was waiting for, but still I stayed. It wasn’t until you were born that I realized what I had been waiting for. I was brought here by you. I was anticipating your arrival here. Finally, I entered this man and gave him the knowledge to help you in your quest.”

Everything started to make sense. I always knew something was off about Guide. Turns out it was because he had a God inside him all this time. One thought still plagued my mind. “How does this help me to defeat Peter?”

They smiled, looking me in the eyes as theirs glowed a pale white. “Now that is the question. There is something that Mr. Bendigeidfran has not told you. Not his fault, but rather my own, for I have yet to share with him this information.”

I scooted to the edge of my seat, anticipation pushing away the drugged feeling. They paused for a moment before continuing. “There is something called a Kitsune’s Ball. Now this object, not always in the shape of a ball, holds a massive amount of power for the kitsune. This is where the power of the tails comes from and is where it is contained. If the tails were always being used and had no way of being ebbed down, it would consume the individual until they were nothing but dust. A Kitsune’s Ball is created after your fifth tail is achieved, so Peter is in possession of one. If this ball is destroyed, the owner of it is severely incapacitated, their power limited for a short amount of time until another Ball is created. This is how you will defeat Peter. You will destroy this Ball and take his life, restoring balance between your world and the humans.”

My head was pounding from all the information. “You are not quite ready for this. You must gain your first tail before you are able to destroy a Ball, but with the help of your family,” they gestured around to my companions, who were still asleep, and then pointed to Guide’s body, “and the information I have been feeding to this man, you will gain your first tail soon.”

The thought of having a tail, while exciting, filled me with a weird feeling. I never thought I would have a tail. Granted, I never thought I would be a fox spirit either, but I guess things just happen.

“How will I know when I get a tail?” I couldn’t help but wonder.

“You will know. Trust me, you will know,” was the response.

I nodded, even though the whole thing didn’t make a lot of sense. “Where is Peter’s Ball?” That’s what I really needed to know.

They sighed, a shadow of frustration covering their features. “That I do not know. It’s something that he will keep close to him though, maybe even on his person. Which will make it that much more difficult to obtain.”

I nodded in understanding. I already had an idea of what it could be, but if I was right, it was going to be near impossible to get to it. “How do I destroy it or them or whatever it is?”

“That is something else that I do not know.” Helpful I thought to myself. “Just removing the Ball from him will tremendously limit his power, but not for long. You must figure out a way to destroy it as quickly as you can.”

I nodded, my mind flooding with questions. Just as I was about to ask them, they held up a hand. “Now I must leave you child. I know you have questions, but this is all I can tell you for the time being. Find the Ball and destroy it. I believe in you.” Their voice had started waning, a bright glow beginning to flow through Guide’s skin and up towards the sky. “Good luck and may the Gods be with you.” It was just a whisper, but I was able to hear it as the glow reached it’s peak and then dissipated all together.

I was left alone with an unconscious Guide and sleeping companions. I knew sleep would evade me for the rest of the night as I stood and headed toward the Ruins. I had too many thoughts racing through my mind, too much to think about. I didn’t know whether or not to tell my companions about what I had heard this night, but what I did know, is that I needed to gain that tail as fast as I could.

I sat in the middle of one of the crumbling stones, it shifting beneath my weight but held strong. I closed my eyes, trying to clear my mind as I focused my energy out and down. If I was going to do this, I needed help. I wouldn’t dare include my family in this. I couldn’t bear if something happened to them. But maybe, just maybe, I could find help from someone, or rather, something else.