Shadows

Chapter 1

I was staring into the eyes of the vixen in front of me. I tried to stand up but my legs were aching so much they refused. After a few more painful tries, I was up. The silence between us was starting to scare me, until she spoke.

"Come with me young one," she said.

I felt like I didn't have much of a choice so I decided to follow the mysterious vixen. We were venturing out deeper into the forest.

Thoughts started to creep to my mind. Where was she taking me? Was I safe with her? Should I be worried?

"Relax young foxling, I'm no threat to you," she said as if to have read my mind. How did she know? How much does she know?

"I know fear when I smell it," she replied. Now she was really scaring me.

"Anyway, let's continue on our destination."

"To where?" I finally asked.

"To the Likira Lake."

"Why?"

"To show you something."

The deeper we went into the forest, the more life you could hear. I wish I could see the beauty of the forest while I could. My vision was still bad by the time we got there. But as we were approaching, you could see the huge lake filled with waters that held secrets I now wanted to know.

"Now look into the waters and tell me what you see," she said.

"But how? I can't see and my eyes still hurt."

"Oh right, let me adjust that for you."

She came up to me, touched her nose with mine, and I felt my eyes go into a small trance before sharpening and shaping. I closed my eyes at the powerful feeling. When I opened them again, I could see again. Whoa. No wonder I wanted to see this beautiful scene sooner.

"Now look into it."

I stepped up to the lake and looked into its mysterious depths. It looked empty, until for a split second I saw a black fox and a white fox, but with a shadow in the middle stretching toward them. They flickered from my sight in moments.

"Wow."

"What did you see?"

"I saw a black fox and a white fox, but there was a shadow between them stretching out for them."

"I knew it, but Shadow never listens to me, does he?" she murmured in a dark whisper with an angry edge to it.

I turned to look at the vixen, but when I saw her, she was tensed up, frozen in worry.

"They're coming, I must leave. You will learn our ways and live among us with the spirits of the forest. I will see you again, young one. Farewell."

Before I could respond she was gone in cloud of mist and firelight. From the corner of my eye, I could barely see a creeping shadow pass by in a single terrifying flicker. I was alone once again. I was about to start exploring when there was a rustle of a bush behind me. I spun around, ready to fight but froze when I heard my name.

"Jenny?"