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It was an average day, in an average town. I was just an average kid. My life was moving along at it's normal, slow pace. I had just graduated from high school and was wondering what to do now. I was thinking of joining the Army. You know, serve my country, see the world, meet chicks. All the good stuff.
My family was against it. The nation had just gone to war, and they said I would get myself killed. That I wasn't a hero. That I shouldn't try.
I joined the Army.
Three grueling months in basic training. There were so many times I wanted out, so many times I wanted to die. But I finished basic, and moved on to AIT. AIT was a joke. As hard as basic had been, this was easy. Sit in a classroom and listen to a Sergeant talk about the same things over and over. For six months.
The time came for our Physical Fitness test. We had two minutes to do 42 push-ups and 53 sit-ups. Then we had to make a two mile run in under 15:54.
The sit-up were easy, 65 in two min. I passed the push-ups with an even 50. It was the run that got me. In basic, I had hurt my hip, I had thought it had healed, but I was wrong.
I was given an Honorable discharge and sent home.
It was nice to be home. After nine months away it was good to see my friends and family again. I thought I could just slide back into my old life, my mom forbid that right away. So with many reservations I got a "real" job.
My life was then mostly work. I starting to frequent several sites, mostly the ones devoted to furries. Boredom had set in and I began to wonder. I started to write stories, at first short little tales and poems about a fictional version of Earth where Magic never entered the Great Sleep and vanished from human memory. Then longer stories and finally a novel.
Though great fun, writing was not something I could do for a living. Nor was spending the next 30-40 years as a cashier. I dreamed of starring in the stories I wrote. I dreams of fighting epic battles against the forces of Evil, and bringing the Light back to a blasted civilization.
Naturaly, this lead me to Dungeons and Dragons. I found an outlet there for my passions. Playing the noble paladin, I swept Greyhawk clean. But even this failed to give me reprieve from my endless, nightly dreams. Still I longed for the days Sword and Sorcery.
One night, as I lay in my bed trying to fall asleep, I was assaulted with the sense that someone was watching me. Using a skill I had picked up while in the Army, I faked falling asleep. Keeping my eyes partially open, I saw something that couldn't happen. A figure seemed to materialize out of nowhere. It was male, that I could tell. But all other features of this strange creature seemed to be in a state of flux, as if he couldn't decide wether he wanted to appear as a man or as a fox.
I did recognize this creature, or thought I did anyway, as being a kitsune. A member of a playful race of fox spirits that loved to play pranks on humans. They were spoken of in great detail in Japanese folk-lore, but nowhere else.
Next, I heard my window slide upwards very softly, if not for the fact that I was awake and listening very closely to the room, I never would have heard it. the kitsune didn't seem to hear it, he walked around the edge of my bed and leaned over me, placing his muzzle a few millimeters from my nose.
None of the previous events cause me alarm. No, what startled me the most was what the kitsune had to say, in a very soft voice, one that sounded like a dream, he spoke to me. "You have a great soul, Hunter. You shall one day make a very fine Kitsune, but for now you have mortal matters to attend to. Wake Great One! Wake and see your true enemy!"
The low hum of an electric motor announced the presence of another being in my room. The kitsune vaulted out the door and vanished down the hall, a soft "damn" from by the window was all I needed. I sat bolt upright in my bed, pulling a 3 inch combat knife from my bed side table, and rolled out to face the intruder. He was a middle aged man dressed in all black, looking very much like a robber. At the sight of the knife he paled, dropping the small device he held.
Rasing his hands to the night sky he pleaded, "Please sir! I mean you no harm! Allow me to collect my device and leave your home, I am greatly sorry to have intruded upon you're time of rest and assure you I will not happen again." He raced through the little speech like one who has said it many times before.
"Why are you in my house, and why was there a kitsune here as well?" I asked, moving a step closer.
At my mention of the word "kitsune" he looked at me with awe, "You could see the Trickster? No, you were asleep and saw him in your dreams, there isn't to be a human born with the ability to sense spirits for another 60 years..." The last part was said more to himself.
I took another step closer, "Yes, I could see the fox-spirit hovering over my face, and I heard you open my window. How did you do that? This room is on the second story, and that window was locked from the inside."
"Amazing..." He lowered his hands and looked at them. After a moment, they began to glow with a soft blue light. "What do you see?"
"An idiot standing in my bedroom at two A.M. preventing me from going to sleep. Oh, and your hands are glowing."
He grinned and the glow vanished, "You are the next! I must have mistranslated a passage!" He became very flustered, then handed me a business card. "If you wish to know more, here is my address. I have many answers for you. And I'm sure you have many more questions. Now sleep, Chosen One! And find me on the marrow."
I fell into a deep and restful sleep.
The next morning, I doubted wether the events had actually happened. However, there were several things to prove my dream as fact. First was the business card, still clutched in my hand. Second was the window, it was still wide open to the cool morning air. And finally, I was covered in shed fox-fur. Tricksters indeed. Somewhere, a kitsune was having a grand laugh at my expense.
After work that day, I drove to the address in the card. It was a small shop, almost squeezed out by two far larger stores on either side. In fact, had I not been looking for the place, I may never have found it.
Inside was much the same as the outside, small and squished. The ringing of the bell on the door caused a small man to come running. It was the same man as the night before, he smiled when he saw me.
"Ah! I knew you would come!" He chuckled, "no one can resist the promise of answers, even if they don't know what the questions are. Come! Come! I have much to show you!"
He took off into the back room once more, I followed him, a little bemused my this strange man's actions, now and the night before. The back room resembled a pack-rat's bedroom, piles of miscellaneous stuff scattered about the room. I appeared that someone had attempted to clean, but not done a very good job. As I entered the room, I felt something strange. Like walking near a charged electromagnet, the hair on my neck and arms stood up.
The little man cleared a path through to the other side. There he lead me through another door and down into the building's basement. Switching on a small overhead bulb, he moved to sit in one of two old recliners. Motioning for me to sit in the other, he reached over to a small refrigerator. "Want anything to drink? I have pop, but no beer."
I sat, still trying to figure out this man, why had he invaded my home? And then invited me into his? "No thanks."
"I'm sure you have many questions for me, let me see if I can answer most of them." He cleared his throat and began to speak:
"A long time ago, before humans walked the Earth, the spirits ruled. Now they were not idle spirits, no, they had a great civilization. One that was prophesied to stand for a thousand years. Unfortunately, Time had other plans.
"A great plague came, destroying most of the spirits and contaminating the rest. After centuries of prosperity, that great civilization was cast into the sea. You may know it as Atlantis.
"Time went on, the forces that drove the plague thought all the spirits had been erased, but a few clung to life. Mostly by becoming parasitic creatures, preying on the one thing that was immune to the Spirit Plague, us.
"Thus the legends of the Vampires and Werewolves were created. In order to protect ourselves, a group of special humans was formed. A kind of 'task force,' they existed to remove the spirits from our world forever. And they were successful. Almost all of the spirits were banished nearly a thousand years ago. Only a few remain to this day.
"Unfortunately for us, our numbers have diminished drastically. At first, no special skills were needed, only the desire to free our world was needed. But as time moved on, and the spirits became less and less numerous, general knowledge of them faded. Until, now. When it takes a special type of person to join the Darkness.
"As you could see that kitsune last night, I believe you are the next to join us. If you are ready, I can teach you what I know, as I'm sure you are one of the 'armchair adventures' like so many of us once were."
He sat back in his chair and waited for me. I looked at him, trying to see if maybe this wasn't some elaborate hoax. "If what you are saying is true, then you must have proof of it. Let me see your proof."
He only grinned, "I have proof." He reached over and rang a small silver bell, a rustling from the darkness then, what appeared to be a small fox walked into the light. It was another kitsune, I knew that before I even saw it. But this one was female, she appeared beaten and bedraggled. As if she had not run free in a long time.
With cloudy eyes she looked up at the small man, "Yes, master?" Her voice, though reminiscent of a long lost dream, was tired and emotionless.
He looked up at me as he ran a hand along her head, "You see, some of them are quite capable of being tamed. Just intelligent animals really. With the proper training they can be quite loyal pets. Of corse this one still carries the Plague and must be destroyed eventually. But for now, she makes a fine pet."
I shook my head, "This doesn't seem right to me. How can you justify killing hundreds of innocent creatures for no reason? I mean, how do you even know that she even has this plague? Don't you think that after all this time it may have simply died off?"
He sighed and gestured for the kitsune to leave, as she trotted away she looked back at me and for a second I saw a spark of the old Trickster spirit still burning within that beaten husk. "I see you are one of the skeptics, I suppose I should have expected this, in this day and age they teach compassion for all living things. But my point is valid, they are a deadly threat that must be dealt with if the human race is to survive.
"Still, I respect you for the questions you ask. And the Law is final, when a Member finds a potential, that one must be taught. Regardless of the feelings or views of the parties involved. Thus, I will instruct you in the ways of the Darkness, and allow you to take the test to become a Member.
"Your training starts now."
For the most part, the "training" was easy. It only took a couple of hours for him to instruct me on the "way of the Darkness" as he put it. Much of it was learning to see the magical energies that spirits put out, and as I already could to some extent, that part went by fast. The hardest part was learning to control those energies. My instructor, he insisted that I call him "Master," wasn't very good at it and glossed over may details of that lesson.
Around midnight, a small object on a shelf started to blink. He walked over to it and picked it up, "Ah, what perfect timing! A group of kitsune have appeared in the park, this will be an excellent test for you. Come, it's time for you to prove yourself to the Darkness."
The trip there was quick and uneventful. As we traveled, I wondered why we would need to bother a few fox-spirits that were hanging out in the park. It was after midnight and most humans would be in bed, fast asleep.
We arrived to chaos, people running about in a panic, I could see several spirits dashing to and fro, giggling maniacally and casting spells on the poor humans. It was quite apparent that the humans could not see the spirits, and neither could my guide.
He walked into the center of the small clearing, a small spirit following him and mimicking his every motion. "Hear me kitsune! I am here to remove you from this world, you can either leave peacefully, or in pieces! It's your choice."
The small spirit made a silly face, causing the other spirits to giggles and surround him. I also had to chuckle, these little spirits were like children. Playful and mischievous, but not really the deadly forces of evil that he had made them out to be.
I walked over to my mentor, carefully avoiding the small spirits and there attempts to trip me, "These aren't kitsune. I think they're Mujina."
He scowled at me, "And when did you become an expert on spirits, hum? I've been doing this for thirteen years, now stand back and let me work."
He pushed past me and began a soft chant, the Mujina began to dance around him to the candace of his chant, with the same spirit still mimicking his actions at the center of the circle. I made my way out of the circle and found a place to stand and watch, wondering what he would do once he discovered these were not the spirits he thought they were.
A bright glow began to emit from the various spirits as they danced around, as the glow intensified, the normal expressions of joy and mischief on the Mujina faces was replaced by one of pain. I jumped to attention at this and tried to stop him, "Hey! What are you doing? You're hurting them! Stop! Stop it now!"
He didn't seem to hear me. One of the Mujina managed to turn to look at me, the pain in his little face was almost to much for me. "Help us, Hunter... Please?"
A grim determination settled upon my soul, I would stop this man. Now and forever.
I took a step back and centered myself as I had been taught, finding the wellsprings of magical energy being twisted by the human magic. I also saw that there was another source. My mentor, he was producing energy of the same type as the Mujina, but much weaker. I reached out and took hold of that energy.
That got his attention. His eyes flew open and he looked at me wide-eyed, "What are you doing? You need to me focusing on the spirits, not me!" When he realized that I had my intended target, panic set in. "Hey! Let me go! Don't! Don't do that!"
With a small twist I began to inflict pain upon him, the same type that he had been doing to the Mujina. That action freed the little spirits from his grip, they vanished without a trace, leaving only eight words behind, "Thank you Hunter, we will not forget this."
A few seconds was all I could manage to maintain, as my grasp slipped away, he fell to the ground. I was also weakened by my efforts, using a power I hadn't even known I had. But I managed to stand and staggered over to him. I stood above him and spat on his face, "You are barbaric, torturing spirits for no reason. They were only playing, couldn't you see that? Nothing they did was harmful, it wasn't until you arrived that the people who had been here panicked and ran! And these were not kitsune! If you're going to threaten something, get the damn species right first!"
He looked up at me with panic in his eyes, "Wha--what are you going to do to me?"
"Me, nothing. I am going to walk away from you. I am going to leave you here, in these Spirit Woods, alone and unable to protect yourself. I will leave you one peace of advice though, find a god, and beg His forgiveness. Before the spirits clam your soul and punish you for what you have done."
I never did find out what happened to that evil little man. I went back to his house and ransacked it, looking for clues as to the whereabouts of other Members. As well as a certain kitsune who needed freeing.
I found her curled up behind the furnace. The magical collar that bound her to him glowing evilly in the darkness. As I approached, she spoke, "Just leave me to die. I have no wish to serve another human, I would rather die."
"I'm not here to enslave you, I'm here to free you. It's not right, what that man did to, to all the spirits." I sat down on the cold concrete floor and waited for her to come to me, "I'm not going to force you do do anything you don't want to do. But if you want that collar removed and your freedom back... I'm right here."
She lifted her head, the lifeless eyes stared at my soul. A spark of recognition seemed to lift her up, "You are the Hunter!" She unwound herself and trotted over to me, sitting on her haunches before me, a strange sight indeed. A creature that was shaped like a human female sitting before me like a dog, I had not noticed she was anything other than a fox before, the way she'd carried herself was that of a beast.
I could see the spark of life within her begin to grow, she was becoming free. "You will free me? And not ask anything of me?"
"No, nothing. Here," I reached over and found the clasp to the collar, as I fumbled with it, it seemed to burn my hands. The pain was rather intense, but I ignored it, seeking only to free this poor spirit. I finally released the catch, the collar fell hissing to the ground. "There, you are free now."
She stood up, I could hear joint cracking and popping as they moved into a position that had not been in for a long time. A second fox tail waved it's way into being along side her other one. I stood as well, and had to smile. She was a tiny thing, about four foot, seven inches tall. She looked up at me and smiled, the bright, happy smile of one who had lost all hope and had it returned unexpectedly.
She held out a paw, "They call me CrazyFox, I am happy you finally found yourself Hunter. Maybe now, we can end this insane war that has been raging for millennia."
I took the paw, and was pulled in to a hug. "Yes, now we can end the war."
We stood there, this crazy kitsune who had spent several lifetimes as the playthings of insane men yet still retained enough of her spirit to laugh and giggle with me. And me, a man who had only dreamed of this happening.
The hug was interrupted by a soft snort from behind us. We both flew apart like school children who had been caught doing something wrong.
Another kitsune stood there. This one was also female, although taller than CrazyFox. She also appeared to be older. I could see nine tails waving about behind her. This new kitsune smiled, "Well, it's nice to see that the Darkness' newest Member doesn't have the fears the others do. I am called The Lady Kitsune, or just Lady."
She walked over to look at me, "You are handsome, for a human. I think you shall make a fine Hunter, but no hunter is complete without a Name. How can you banish the Darkness if they do not know what to call you?" A silly grin was plastered across her face.
"I will Name you then, CrazyFox shall bear witness." She stood before me, all silliness lost as she stared into my eyes, "I Name you; Hantakitsu. The Hunter Fox."
After that brief moment of sanity, she grinned once more and pounced upon me, planting a kiss on my face before she vanished like a dream. I sat up and looked at CrazyFox, "I have a feeling this is about to get interesting."