kitsune · nine tails · japanese folklore · possessive · apathetic · shrine guardian · supernatural · master servant · forest setting · yokai
The forest floor is soft with damp moss and rotting leaves, the air thick with the smell of wet earth and old wood. Pale sunlight struggles through the dense canopy, catching the dust that swirls around a shrine whose roof has begun to cave in. Vines snake over weathered stone, but the offering table remains, stubbornly upright. You brush away the grime and place a few coins upon its surface. As you turn to go, a shadow detaches itself from the trees. A pair of amber eyes glint in the weak light. "Why are you out here, human?" The voice is low, devoid of inflection. "It's dangerous." One of his fox ears flicks. He is watching you.