Kitsune: A Little Mermaid Retelling

Chapter Four (Part Three)

Hikaru started out at a trot, but once he was down the hill a ways from the palace and the darkness swallowed him, he took off at a clipped pace. The hill on which the palace sat lent itself to panoramic views during the day. With the daylight dying, he could see little beyond the stars reflected in the paddy fields that surrounded the palace. He rode along fields, skirting farmhouses and avoiding the populated areas. He had no particular destination in mind, he just wanted to put space between himself and the palace. He needed room to think. His entire life had been planned out for him, from the moment of his birth, but now that everything was set in motion, he could not help but take what little rebellions he could manage.

He arrived at the forest edge. It was miles from the palace. The moon, a mere sliver against the inky black sky, gave poor light. He knew he had been gone too long, and his absence would be noted. I should not let Hotaru's taunts goad me into recklessness. But that wasn't all of it, not really. He was curious. Had the boar really been as big as he remembered? Did that woman really have fox ears and a tail? And where had she gone when she disappeared?

He dismounted and walked along the edge of the forest. He held onto the reins of his mount and his horse trailed after him. The trees were spaced farther apart here. The pale sliver of light cast deep shadows between the trees. The woods creaked and moaned as the wind rustled through the branches. He dared not go further. He thought he had seen a pair of eyes gleaming in the shadows, but it may have been his imagination. It's just a forest, I was foolish to even doubt it was anything other than that.

He listened to the song of the night birds and the rustle of wind for a few more minutes. When he turned to leave, he found a fox sitting in the middle of the pathway, its tail wrapped around its lower half. It cannot be. He blinked, and when he opened his eyes again, the fox was gone and in its place a woman stood.

Hikaru rubbed his eyes in disbelief. But the image did not alter. The woman was young, close to his own age, wearing a golden kimono with a pattern of crimson maple leaves. The maple leaf pattern clustered on her shoulders and cascaded down her sleeves and along the front panels of her kimono. She stood absolutely still in the center of the road. Her entire body seemed clenched tight as if the slightest twitch of muscle would send her skittering away like a wild animal. She stared at Hikaru with a confused expression. Perhaps it was the moonlight, or maybe he was losing his mind. But she looked just like the woman with the fox ears.