Shirayukihime and The Lost Fox

Chapter 2: A Sudden Landing

Akira POV

Falling doesn't feel good.

You feel weightless, and your stomach rises to your throat. Ever been on a plane and they're getting ready to land, making those sudden drops? That's the feeling.

Except this is a whole lot more real.

The floor suddenly disappears from beneath me, leaving me weightless in the air. The moment felt like an eternity before I fell into darkness. A yelp of surprise and shock leaves my mouth before I start to yell.

'Why do we yell when we fall, anyway?'

No, now isn't the time to be thinking about random things. I continue to fall, until I crash into something.

A tree canopy.

Wait, trees? I continue to crash into limb after limb of green, leafy trees. The temperature grew warm, and light filtered through the branches from what I could see. It was no longer dark. It gave me relief, but the trees still meant that there was ground. Meaning that I have to come into contact with it.

Opening my eyes, I see the ground quickly approaching. I brace myself for impact. But, my foot gets caught at the last second between the spit in a branch, effectively slowing my decent and giving me a softer landing. That doesn't mean that it didn't hurt.

"Ow..." I groan. "That hurt. What the hell was that?" I slowly sit up and take a moment to look around. I was in a densely packed forest with an almost invisible path to the side. It was about spring, and a lot of wild flowers were blooming. The sky was a cheerful hue of blue and clear of clouds, from what I could see through the dense canopy.

"How did I even get here? It was mid October last time I checked, and cold. I live in the suburbs, not the rural countryside!" I say to no one.

A sudden thought occurs to me. Where's my stuff? I twist around to look for my belongings. I turn up empty handed in my search, until I spot something long sticking out from a nearby bush. It's my wooden kendo sword. I let out a sigh. At least I still had this.

I move to stand up, but ultimately let out a muffled cry. My foot must have gotten hurt when it caught the branch. Then I notice something extremely weird.

I'm not wearing the same clothes.

My school uniform was gone and replaced with a white under shirt with three-quarter sleeves, a red vest on top, both with black accents, black fingerless gloves leading up to my elbow, black pants and finally knee high black boots with silver accents. I don't recall changing at all or even having the time to, but these aren't any clothes of mine.

Pushing that thought aside, I start looking for anything to use as a crutch. Nearby, a long, slender branch was lying on the ground, and I reach over and grasp it. Using it to help myself to stand, I once again notice something white and fluffy behind me.

I fully turn myself around, body tense with unease, but find nothing there except trees. A flash of white appears at the corner of my eye, and I turn again. Looking around, nothing was there. The white appears again, and I earn a tick mark on my head. Instead of turning my whole body around, I simply look over my shoulder this time.

A white, bushy tail was there, but instead of belonging to another animal, it was attached to me. I stare, shocked at what I am seeing. I rub my eyes and take a look again. It was still there. I switch hands with the stick and reach behind me and feel it to make sure it was real.

It was real alright, but not only that, I could feel through the tail as well! Letting out a sigh, I scratch my head. But there was something there. It wasn't only hair, but something else. A knot of dread rises to my throat as I look around for a reflective surface. Seeing a puddle, I hobble over and look down into it. I gasp at what I see.

My appearance was relatively the same. White hair, gold and blue eyes. The thing that I was shocked at was that two white, fluffy, triangles adorn my head. They look like ears. Reaching up, I snap next to one and wince at the loud sound it made. Yep, these were my ears. But, the tail and now ears, they remind me of...

"The fox!" I exclaim out loud. I quickly pull up my left sleeve and see the armlet on my arm. It was the same one; a golden fox, looking like it was asleep on the wearer's arm. Without hesitation, I try to pull it off. It stuck like glue to my arm, not even budging an inch. Even still, I pull at it in hopes that it would come off.

A sudden, hot and painful sensation burned my arm and I immediately stop with a hiss. "Dammit! What the heck is happening?" I mumble angrily. I decide to turn my attention to my kendo sword. I hobble over to the bush that it was stranded in, and pick it out carefully. I make sure to search the bush just in case some of my other stuff was stranded there as well. Unfortunately, nothing else was in the bush, but at least I still have my kendo sword.

"Okay, now to find civilization." I mumble to myself. But looking around, I realize that I don't know where I am or where to go. In other words, I'm lost.

I sigh. "Guess I'll wait for a passing traveler to ask directions." I sit down next to a tree where I have a perfect view of the trail. The only problem is that the trail doesn't seem to be well-traveled, so I have no idea how long I will have to wait until someone passes by.

'I might as well get some sleep.'

With that thought in mind I close my eyes with my sword in hand, ready for anyone with suspicious intent.