I was born on: Day 30, Month 5, Year 57 of Cycle 74 (4437) Gengshen (The Year of the Monkey) by the Chinese calendar my family uses (They never converted over to the newer Japanese version, and wouldn't hear of using the western one)
I have a birthday celebration every Monkey year, and last year (2004 by the western calendar) I turned 17 (YAY!)
I was born in our old den on Inari-San (Mt Inari in Japan) and lived there for a few years till there got to be too many humans about, then my family moved to a remote location in the forest. This forest later became a Japanese national park, and is protected from development, so I guess that's where they'll stay.
(Here's a link to Fushimi Inari, the primary Inari shrine on Inari-San, and some of the surrounding area: http://farstrider.net/Japan/Kyoto/Fushimi.htm )
(For those curious, my family now lives in Hakusan National Park... Here's a small link: http://www.emecs.or.jp/01cd-rom/section_2_e/park/hakusan.html )
By tradition, young women from our clan serve in the shrine as Miko, disguised in human form of course, and relay important information between the priests there and Inari-Kami. My older sister and one of my cousins have this job right now. I might have done as well, but unfortunately, my transformation skills are kinda... Well... nonexistant T_T
It's true, Mom says I'm a late bloomer. I have practically No magic at all, and even at my age I still only have one tail *pouts* I really want to learn some magic, but I haven't been able to find anyone to teach me yet. Mom says it'll come with time, but I don't want to wait :P
Well, I couldn't just leave her lost in the forest, so I took her to a place I knew the humans would eventually look (I think they called it a 'rest stop') near one of the big trails. I left her there and watched from a distance till they found her and I knew she was safe. I was sad to see her go, but she looked so happy when the search party brought her parents... I knew how bad I would feel if I got separated from my family, so I was glad she got hers back. ^_^
Well, as fate would have it, the very next summer she came back! She actually went back to where I had left her and called out trying to find me! I was SO happy, my little friend and I had a great time during her vacation, and every year she came to visit me again... At least for the next 5 years, and then she stopped coming.
I didn't know it at the time, but her Dad had been transfered back to the U.S. That's why she stopped showing up. I missed her, but I never forgot my best and only human friend, she had even taught me a little English (I'm still learning BTW)
Anyway, about 15 years later, I heard that there was a human girl who was looking for me. She had moved to Yuriba, one of those out of the way places where magic and such is still the norm. There is a small kitsune community there, and she had got them to send a message to me through family members that knew my clan. It was her! My little friend, after all those years! I went to Yuriba as soon as I could make arrangements (It's not so easy to get to, at least not when you're actually trying ~_^) And there she was, all grown up. It's weird how fast humans grow, isn't it? Anyway, I was kinda shocked to see that she wasn't exactly human anymore either... It seems Yuriba has quite a few Jusenkyo springs (Magical springs who's water curses a person with another form if they get it poured on them) And my friend had been changed into a cat-girl!! She had changed her name to Neko Angel, and was starting to get used to her new form by the time I got there. We built a house together in a bamboo grove, and that's where we live even now ^_^ I love my new home and all the friends I've made there, it's GREAT!!
