No Monsters

Kitsu emerged from the dense forest, each step he took carried an immense hope, even if he had to ignore his mother’s warning.

“The forest is our home Kitsu, we’re safe here. The only thing past these woods is monsters. If not for them your father would still be…”

Monsters. As if there was such a thing. With his father having disappeared shortly after he was born, Kitsu had to look after himself whenever his mother would go out to gather food. It was on one of those days he’d realized he was special.

His mother had been hunting since sunrise, and Kitsu was enjoying sun bathing in a small clearing near their den. He was just about to doze off into a nap when he felt a prick, something like a pinch in the back of his neck. It was so sudden and such a new sensation that he was immediately jolted upright. Only when he was fully awake and aware did he notice it. The scent of a predator. Slowly he turned his head, and saw through the thick greenery and brush, the tail of a wolf, circling the clearing. Kitsu would never forget that feeling, like all his senses became twice as intense. His blood felt like hot fire, and he moved at a speed he’d not even known possible without so much as disturbing a single blade of grass. Hearing the sound of a wolf pouncing onto a space that was occupied by himself just an instance ago, he flew through the woods. He’d felt fear for the first time that day, he’d also felt exhilaration .

Ever since that encounter he’d been testing his luck, always living on the edge much to his mother’s disagreement. More and more he would take care of the gathering for them, sometimes stealing freshly caught prey from others if he needed to. He grew more skilled and headstrong by the day, finding ever changing ways to get out of trouble. No matter how tense the situation, he always had the advantage. It was like he had a second set of eyes in the back of his head. Right in the nick of time he would always feel the same prick, the same pinch wherever a predator was looking at him. That’s why he was different, why he could never get caught. Even on his worst day, there was no monster that could get the best of him. It’s why he and his mother had little trouble getting by now that he was grown.

At least they didn’t used to. Recently it’d been difficult, his mother had been having less energy to go hunt and some days all she could do was stay in the den. Having to survive with just the two of them was a task, but having to provide for the both of them on his own? With the oncoming winter? He needed help, he needed to find his father.

So there he stood, gazing upon fields of flowers as far as he could see, and the same river he’d played in so many times flowing between hills and valleys as it exited the forest. There was some sort of structure in the distance next to the river. It had a large circular object that seemed to scoop up the water from the river before dumping it back in again. What was it? Kitsu had never seen anything like it, it was attached to another blockey looking thing with smoke coming out of the top. This was hardly what he had imagined, it didn’t seem scary at all. However these open fields didn’t provide much cover if he needed to make an escape, was it really wise to venture out somewhere where he would be so vulnerable? Suddenly Kitsu felt unsure, yet there was a burning fire inside him. It told him to go and explore, to discover the new world that lay just within reach. As if without his own input, his leg took a tentative step forward when…

“Hello there, little fox.”

Kitsu almost shed his entire coat in one breath, jolting a great distance in just one movement. His heart felt like it would explode out of his chest, the loud thumping in his ears drowning out any noise around him. What was that? Where did it come from? His eyes scanned rapidly when they landed on a huddled mass on the ground, pressed against one the trees lining the forests’ edge.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you.” It spoke. Kitsu hurriedly inspected the form before him, white wispy hair lay atop their head and two beady eyes peered at him framed by a wrinkled hairless skin. Bare hands raised up at him, palms pointed outward.

“No need to be scared.” Their voice sounded dry, used. Tired. He had never seen anything like them, why hadn’t he noticed they were there? There was no prick, no pinch. His breathing steadied, but he didn’t move.

“Are you a monster?” Kitsu spoke. His response came not in words but an expression. The unknown creature’s eyes grew twice in size, and their hands seemed to clutch at their chest as they backed away a bit. Then in a hushed tone they spoke.

“You can talk?” Came the quiet query.

“Of course.” Kitsu replied, somewhat indignant.

“How?” How could he talk? How does anyone talk? His mother taught him.

“Well you can talk, why shouldn’t I be able to?” If this was a monster, their manners were more frightening than their appearance. Although his mother would likely say the same about him, and had after he played an admittedly mean trick on her.

“Do you have a name?” Kitsu blinked his mind back into focus, his name?

“Do you? It’s rude to ask someone their name without giving your own.”

“Oh my, I suppose you’re right. You’ll have to forgive an old lady like me for getting ahead of herself. My name is Annie.” Annie let out a weak laugh, her shaky hands returning to her lap.

“Are you a monster?” Kitsu wasn’t sure, she didn’t seem dangerous, but he realized he wouldn’t actually know what a monster looked like if he saw one.

“What a coincidence, I was going to ask you the same thing. It’s not every day you meet a talking fox.”

“You must not have met many foxes then. If you’re not a monster what are you?”

“Well, I’m a person. For a while longer anyway.” He couldn’t place why, but there was a feeling that was worming it’s way into his skin when the person named Annie spoke. Her voice was rough, yet at the same time soft and quiet. Ir reminded him of…

“Here, are you hungry?” The person named Annie removed something from beneath the layers she wrapped herself in. Holding out her hand she showed Kitsu what looked like meat, but it was shriveled. Was he supposed to eat that? He couldn’t deny he was a bit peckish, but it could be poisonous. As if reading his mind, Annie took a small bite from one of the pieces before holding her hand back out.

“See? It’s good.” She said. Hesitantly Kitsu took a couple steps forward, bowing his head just slightly downward towards the offering. Then when he didn’t feel that familiar pinch, he took a small bite. It was good! A little dry, but altogether quite nice, Kitsu didn’t wait before devouring the other pieces whole.

“I’m Kitsu. What was that?” He said after he finished his snack.

“Oh, just a bit of dried deer my grandson caught the other day. If I’m not being too rude, may I pet you little one?” The old lady asked somewhat shyly. He was still wary of the person named Annie, but figured she didn’t look to be strong enough to hold him down if he had to run. That, and she did just give him a small meal.

“I suppose…” Kitsu bowed his head ever slightly, and felt the bony hand of his new acquaintance reach rest atop his head, moving back and forth from the crown of his scalp to the base of his neck steadily. It wasn’t an altogether unpleasant feeling, in fact it invoked memories of when his mother would butt her head against his own, or when she would bath him while he was still learning to do it himself. He was ashamed to say he was slightly disappointed when he felt her hand retreat.

“My, such a lovely coat. Do you live in these woods?” Annie cast a glance behind her, peering into what she rightfully assumed was the talkative boys home.

“Yeah. Since I’ve been born.” Kitsu paused, looking out into the field.

“Do you live in this field?” He asked curiously.

“Well, I live in the house just over there to be exact.” A thin finger pointed out to the smoking structure with the large wheel that dipped into the river. Kitsu felt his curiosity take hold.

“What’s a house? Is it like a den? Why is there smoke? What does that wheel do?” He was interrupted by a gritty laugh.

“Now now, it’s rude to ask so many questions at once. Yes, a house is like a den, it’s a nest for people. People are like me. The smoke is from the fire, it’s how we stay-” Annie’s answers came to a halt as a vicious coughing fit arose. She hunched over as she tried to calm it, it went on long enough Kitsu was worried she might not have enough air. Finally though, after a few moments, she steadied herself. Taking a few shaky breaths in she redirected the line of conversation back to Kitsu.

“Why don’t you tell me about your home? Is it just you?” Kitsu noticed her voice seemed rather unsteady.

“No, I have my mother.”

“No father?”

“He left shortly after I was born.” An odd look appeared on Annie’s face.

“I see, your mother must be quite strong to have brought you up on her own.” The fox nodded in response.

“Mom says there are Monsters outside the forest, that they got him.” The words were spoken with an air of apprehension as disbelieving eyes cast a look upon the landscape.

“Are there really monsters out here?” He asked

“Well, I suppose that depends on what you consider a monster.” Annie’s voice seemed a bit more steady now, though her answer wasn’t particularly satisfying.

“Are you the only person here?” Suddenly she went silent. Her eyes, previously cloudy and muted flashed with a momentary life that seemed as if she was looking into another world.

“No, my grandson and his wife live with me. Soon to have a child of their own actually.”

“Just your grandson? What about his parents?” Kitsu felt it odd she didn’t mention her own child.

“His parents; my own son and his wife lived here as well. Unfortunately the birth of my grandson was too much for my sons wife Marie to bear. She passed away not long after giving birth.”

“Oh. But what about your son?” Silently, Kitsu chastised himself for being pushy, but before he could apologize he noticed something. A familiar scent. The one he’d begun to smell around his mother a earlier this spring. Perhaps their similar smell was why he felt safe enough to stay near her, under the shade of this pine tree.

“What was your son’s name?” The question came after a stretch of comfortable silence.

“It was Montier.” Kitsu fidgeted. Was?

“Would you like to know what happened to him?” Though she wore a smile as she spoke, the fox picked up on a hidden sadness carried in the words

“If you want to keep talking.” Feigning disinterest the youngling turned his head away, eliciting a chuckle from the person named Annie.

“Children always have such an insatiable curiosity. I don’t mind, us old ladies love to tell stories.”

“I’m not a child!” He protested, facing her once more.

“You have a mother yes? To a mother, their child is always their child. No matter how much they grow up.” She paused.

“No matter if….” She had to stifle herself as another fit overtook her, Kitsu perked up. There it was again, this scent that was growing stronger. He wasn’t sure why, as if without having the thought to do so, he found himself pressing into her side, making sure she didn’t fall over.

“There there, I’m alright little one.” She hacked a few more times as she spoke, but after a few minutes she was able to take a deep breath. The small fox wasn’t entirely convinced, but layed back down as he felt a shaky hand atop his head once more.

“It was one dreadful winter. Oh it was so terribly cold, it’d been hard for Montier to gather food and we were down to on the barest bits of grain and stock. My grandson Olvier was still but a boy, not ready to help his father with the hunting, not that there was much to hunt. Most of the animals had retreated into the forest to try and wait out the biting chill. I bet you’ve never seen someone like me, a pe before right?” Annie asked, receiving a nod from her furry companion.

“That’s because out here we are all told from when we’re young that these woods are dangerous. We’re told tales of enchanted creatures, beasts of a frightful sort. So the hunters always stay clear of the forest, imagine if they knew these beasts were but… The sentence trailed off as the pair locked eyes for a moment.

“Well, as I was saying, Montier decided we had no choice, and despite my begging he ventured in. He promised he would only go just beyond the edge, that he wouldn’t go too far in. It was near the middle of night when I finally spotted him emerging from the dark of the woods, but something was wrong. He was stumbling.” She took a pause to expel a few more coughs, trying to clear her throat. When she opened her eyes once more, Kitsu noticed that that same far off look had returned.

“When I got to him he had already collapsed, the white frost beneath him was turning red from the gouges in his chest. All I could do was cry his name, over and over. Then I saw it, he wasn’t empty handed, he’d come back with …” Tired eyes cast a mournful pass at the fox.

“He’d come back with a wolf. It was still breathing shakily, but with an arrow in it’s side it would soon pass.” An arrow? what was an arrow?

“He’d made all the way back from lord knows where to make sure we had food. Then I saw something else in the corner of my eye. There…” She pointed a ways away to Kitsu’s right .

“….Standing at that the edge of forest was another… wolf. It was carrying a small cub by the scruff of it’s neck. I assume she was his mate. Then it happened.”

“What?” Kitsu felt bad pestering her, but he had to know.

“Well, I certainly wasn’t in my right mind, but I swear to the that in that wolves eyes, I saw her heart shattering, slowly and cruely, just as mine was in that moment.” Kitsu felt a pain in his chest, but it wasn’t the sense of impending danger. No, it was like the blood in him lost it’s warmth.

“What happened?” Surely she wasn’t going to leave the story unfinished?

“Well, this last part I was sure I’d imagined, but I could’ve sworn I heard the captured wolf tell his mate to run.” Annie’s voice was barely above a whisper now. As if her she was running out of breath to fuel her words, yet with each word she did speak, this lingering scent only grew.

“Well wolves can talk too you know.” Kitsu felt the need to reassure her that she hadn’t imagined it, and it was a little sad. Though he wasn’t fond of being chased by their lot, he couldn’t help feel sorry for the widowed wolf. On top of that, if Olvier was still a child…

“You raised Olvier then?”

“Well, after his father passed…” Annie’s breath slowed, the scent grew more potent.

“Some men from the nearby town… were kind enough… to…” Her eyes went loose. Her breathing all but stopped. That familiar scent of something that Kitsu couldn’t quite place returned his mind to the chill in his heart.

“Annie?” He barely got out her name before he felt it. A prick. A Pinch. He was back into the forest before he could think. Turning around he saw something stuck into the ground where he just was, a stick with feathers on the end. Crouching down next to Annie was what he assumed could only be another person, though he smelled different. Their eyes met the person reached for something behind his back, and Kitsu didn’t plan on finding out what. Turning his head one least time as he increased the distance between them, he saw the predator now crouched, shaking the person named Annie.

He moved like wind through the forest, hoping that if he ran fast enough he could outrun this pain that seemed to follow him. It was getting dark now, and before he knew it he was home, having forgotten to get dinner. He would need to get food first thing at dawn. The gentle glow of the moon illuminated the trail as he arrived at their den. He stood outside the entrance to the home he and his mother shared when he smelled it. Familiar. Strong. Kitsu approached slower than he thought was possible for a fox to move.

“Mom?” Kitsu asked, his voice barely above a whisper.