Prologue:
The woods were calling out to him, an unseen force pulling him in. The man could not fight against it, not that he wanted to anyway. It was a familiar feeling to him; he felt it everytime he entered the forest. He took a step off the path, his eyes unblinking as he began to walk into a fog that rolled between the trees farther ahead. But then he hesitated, feeling as if something was trying to call him back. A voice?
"Hey Kiku! Where you goin'?"
The whipped around, coming face to chest with his American friend. Too embarrassed to try and explain the weird feeling that had overcome him, Kiku bowed.
"I'm sorry Alfred-san, I thought I saw something."
"Huh? I don't see anything…" Alfred looked around. "Maybe the woods are just playing tricks on you."
"They very well may be." a new voice spoke from above. Looking up, the two were shocked to see what appeared to be a white haired, red faced woman jump down from a high branch. Or had she? Kiku stumbled back in shock, what he had thought was a red face and white, descending on him from an incredibly high spot, was a lovely brunette with a jokester smile, standing on a branch only a couple of feet off the ground. She jumped down, giggling at them.
"These woods play tricks on many people, both young and old. You always see something when you enter her domain."
"Her?" the men exchanged a glance.
"Yes, these woods are supposedly protected by a lone tengu woman."
Kiku gulped, remembering the red face. For some reason, he could have sworn the appearance of the lady in front of them was flickering between her current one, and a woman with white hair and red eyes.
"A tengu you say?"
"Hai." she smirked. "If I were you, I would stay on the path where she cannot chase you."
They looked at the empty path in curiosity, but when they turned to question the woman, she was gone.