Hello, my dear readers! We are here today with a nice little fourshot I came up with recently. I've always loved foxes and am particularly fascinated with the lore surrounding them in Japan. Japanese folklore in general fascinates me, if we're being totally honest. I also figured that, since the recently-finished "Once in a Shattered Moon" featured a human Jaune and a werewolf Pyrrha, and "Mistress of Grimm" features a vampire Pyrrha, it was about time to make Jaune the mythical one in the relationship.
Enjoy!
Pyrrha was five years old when she ran away from home.
She wasn't destined to be successful, of course. First of all, she was only a small child acting on impulsive anger. Second, it was the middle of winter. Third, she only brought a small satchel filled with cakes to sustain her.
A five-year-old couldn't know her chances of failure, so she spent the first half hour or so walking cheerfully through the woods that bordered the village, eating cakes, bundled up in the coat, boots, and scarf she had managed to steal from the cabinet.
Her muscles ached from the exercises that she had been doing, and her body stank of sweat. She still remembered trembling as her father looked at the time she had taken to run around the house, and shook his head, telling her to run around yet again.
"The Imperial Army has strict standards," he had said. "You need to keep getting better."
Pyrrha had been tired, hot despite the weather, and angry. "What if I don't want to join the stupid army?"
Her father's gaze had hardened. "Then, we'll suffer. We aren't noble enough to marry you to someone with any money, so this is our best chance of getting a better life. Do you want to have a poor life because you didn't want to try harder?"
This had been the final straw that sent Pyrrha running into the house in tears. It had been this that caused her to sneak out once her parents were in bed, with just her warmest clothes, some stolen cakes, and her favorite toy: a stuffed fox.
As an hour passed, Pyrrha started to shiver. The persistent winter air was biting through her coat, slipping through the tiny cracks in the scarf's defense, sliding into her boots as the snow got deeper. When she started to sneeze, she started desperately looking around for shelter.
She had reached the very edge of the village and was too scared to go to a stranger's house. They'd probably send her right back home, anyway, and she wasn't quite that desperate yet.
As she grabbed a tree for support, she noticed a path leading into the woods, toward what looked like a space of cleared trees, and immediately followed it. It was a stone path, and had clearly been shoveled recently, as there was only a thin layer of snow on top. As Pyrrha turned a corner, she found herself in a large clearing, standing in front of a red gate. She stared up at it, her heart pounding. Then, she saw the building at the end of the path and hurried through the gate without hesitation.
When she reached the doors, she realized that the building was the Temple of Inari, the god of rice and foxes. He was the god of various other things, but Pyrrha couldn't remember them just then. She did remember visiting the shrine with her parents during the warmer seasons, watching the semi-tame foxes that lived in the nearby woods play and eat whatever scraps people tossed to them. It looked so different now, all covered in snow, almost like a gingerbread house.
She hurried to the heavy red temple doors, balking at the sight of the red-collared fox statues that stood on either side, only to find them locked. Of course. The High Priest was probably eating dinner or sleeping. Pyrrha wasn't keen on looking for him. At least the roof jutted out slightly where she was, shielding her from the snow that the wind didn't blow at her. Sitting down, she hugged her knees and shivered. After a moment, she took her stuffed fox from her pocket and hugged it to her chest, wiping her nose on the worn cloth.
Pyrrha's eyes were inevitably drawn to the two stone foxes that flanked the great doors. Her trembling increased as she looked at them. She knew that there were two at the front, two inside, flanking the front prayer altar, and then a scattering of more statues in the grass and near the woods. Their fierce canine faces never failed to intimidate her, and now she was alone with them.
She closed her eyes, reminding herself that the foxes served Inari, meaning they had to be good. Even if they did come to life, they wouldn't hurt her, right? Unless she was disrespecting the god by sitting in front of the temple doors. What if they came to life and grabbed her in their powerful stone jaws and threw her all the way to the tree line, and-
A rustling sound caused her to open her eyes. She heard it again, and this time saw some bushes moving. Slowly, she stood up, clutching her fox toy to her chest. She heard a sound like tiny footsteps crunching the frozen grass and moved closer, though she balked at the sight of another fox statue. This one was a more animated creature frozen in the act of walking, one paw curled upward, nose to the ground as if it was searching for something.
There was another rustle before a small head popped out from between two bushes, causing Pyrrha to jump back and fall in the snow. It was a fox, a real one. It tilted its head at her, flicking an ear, then stepped out of the bushes. Pyrrha gasped when she saw that the bushy winter fur of this creature wasn't red, like other foxes, but a golden-yellow color.
Remembering the people who would feed the foxes in the spring, Pyrrha hurriedly reached into her bag, taking out one of the remaining rice cakes and holding it out toward the fox. The fox hesitated, glancing around as if afraid that someone else would jump out. Once it seemed satisfied, it trotted over and delicately snatched the cake from Pyrrha's hand. It walked into the shadow of the sniffing fox statue and started to eat it.
Pyrrha watched the fox and found that she wasn't afraid of looking at the statue anymore. More than that, she was starting to feel something, something deep that she had no words for. It was similar to when she was excited about going somewhere new, or having something tasty for dessert, but different because she didn't quite know what was causing her to feel excited. She watched the strangely-colored fox as it finished the cake and stood up, sniffing the ground for more, one paw lifting up.
That was when she knew. "Is that you?" she asked, pointing at the statue as she sat down in the snow.
The fox looked at her, and she was sure it was somehow smiling at her. This had to be a messenger from Inari. The thought was so soothing, Pyrrha didn't even feel cold anymore. She didn't feel much of anything, in fact.
Suddenly, the fox scampered over, letting out a weird, high-pitched cry. It stood in front of her, ears back, tail lashing, crying desperately at her. Pyrrha wasn't sure what was happening. Her eyelids were so heavy. The fox jumped onto her lap and started licking her face desperately. It leaped back, looked around, then bolted off in the direction of the temple.
"Wait…" Pyrrha mumbled through lips she could no longer feel. "Don't go…" Her vision was starting to go gray and sitting up was suddenly taking too much effort. She fell back in the snow, but it didn't feel like snow. It felt like soft, warm fur. She nestled closer instinctively, nuzzling her cheek against the softness. There was another fox looking at her, a much larger one that was pure white.
The white fox touched her brow with its nose, and Pyrrha was suddenly filled with an awful, tingly sensation that covered her skin and made her shake. There were pins and needles all over her! Why wouldn't it stop?! She pressed closer to the soft fur, trying to make the feeling go away.
Only, there was no fur. She was lying on something soft, but not furry.
"There, now. She's waking up," a voice said.
Slowly, Pyrrha blinked her eyes open. Three blurry outlines were looking down at her. As her vision cleared, she realized that she was in a small room. The outlines were her parents and a man with gray hair who wore red robes like a priest's.
The man smiled down at her. "You gave us quite a scare."
Pyrrha's thoughts were muzzy, and she was trying to remember what had happened. "Where…Where's the fox?"
"Back in the forest, I expect," the gray-haired man said. "It's thanks to him you're alive, you know. He came running to my door and scratched until I came out, then led me right to you. You were half-frozen."
Pyrrha's mother was sobbing, her hands pressed together. "Thank Inari," she murmured.
Her father shook the gray-haired man's hand vigorously. "I don't know how to thank you, High Priest. If there's anything I can do to repay you-"
The priest held up his hand. "I need no payment. If you wish to contribute to the upkeep of the temple, you know where the donation box is, as does everyone in the village. However, you do owe thanks to both Inari and the fox who saved your daughter. I ask only that you leave an offering both on the main shrine, and by the statue of the Seeker Fox, where young Pyrrha was found. The foxes are very fond of fried tofu."
Pyrrha struggled to sit up. "Can I help at the temple, sir?" she asked. Her heart was pounding as she took in the fact that her encounter with the golden-yellow fox had been real. She wanted to see him again.
The priest smiled. "If your parents say it's okay, then yes. Once spring comes."
It was Pyrrha's father who nodded his head. "Of course. It's only right that you serve the god who saved you."
"Go back to sleep," Pyrrha's mother urged. "We'll talk once you're better."
Part of Pyrrha knew that "talk" meant that she would get punished for running away. Still, with the prospect of returning to the shrine and seeing her fox again, Pyrrha found that she no longer wanted to leave.
….
When the last traces of winter had finally faded, Pyrrha walked with her mother to the Temple of Inari.
"Now, remember," Mrs. Nikos said as they went down the path. "Mind High Priest Ozpin and be on your best behavior."
"Yes, Mother."
"And don't work too hard, or you'll be too tired for practice tonight."
"Yes, Mother." Pyrrha was trying to be as obedient and amicable as possible. After her recovery, her mother had given her a long lecture about how worried she and Pyrrha's father had been, and what a horrible thing Pyrrha had done, and how firmer restrictions would be placed on her if she tried such a stunt again. Pyrrha didn't know if she could handle firmer restrictions.
High Priest Ozpin was trimming the bushes surrounding the temple, and Pyrrha was excited to see two other children helping him. One was a ginger girl who was holding a bag of clippings, which she dropped with a delighted gasp when she saw Pyrrha. The other was a dark-haired boy who was carefully pulling weeds from around the bases of the bushes. All three stood up as Pyrrha and her mother approached.
"Ah, young Miss Nikos. How are you?"
"Fine, thank you," Pyrrha replied. She looked around until she spotted the sniffing fox statue and smiled at it.
High Priest Ozpin followed her gaze. "Yes, your friend is still here."
The ginger-haired girl rushed over, a huge grin on her face. "Hi! I'm Nora. You're the girl who got saved by the Seeker Fox, aren't you?"
Pyrrha tilted her head. "Seeker Fox?" She faintly remembered the priest mentioning that term back during the winter, though her brain had been too muddled to really take in the meaning.
Nora pointed to the familiar fox statue. "All the foxes outside the temple have names, since they're all doing different things. That's the Seeker, because he's looking for something. The Playful Fox is my favorite. You wanna see her?"
"Yes, please!"
"Hold on," Mrs. Nikos interjected. "The High Priest probably has chores for you." She handed Pyrrha two bundles. "The bigger one is your lunch. The smaller one is an offering for the shrine. Be good."
Pyrrha bowed her head. "Yes, Mother."
"I love you." Mrs. Nikos kissed her daughter's brow.
"I love you too." Pyrrha watched her mother leave before turning to High Priest Ozpin. "Should I bring the offering in first, sir?"
He nodded. "That would be fine. And please, just call me Ozpin."
Nora was eager to show Pyrrha around, and dragged her companion, whose name was Ren, away from his weeding to do so. After leaving an offering of fried tofu on the main shrine inside the building, Pyrrha was led all around the grounds. She looked at the intimidating foxes that guarded the main altar and the entrance to the temple and found that she wasn't as afraid of them now.
Next came the eight special foxes. "This one is the Queen," Nora explained, showing Pyrrha a fox that sat closest to the temple, ears erect, one paw resting on a large jewel. "And that one over there is the Scholar." She pointed to a fox that held a scroll in its mouth.
They looked at the Hunter, a fox in a crouched hunting position, and the Guardian, whose fangs were bared in a frightening grimace, before returning to the Seeker. Pyrrha put her other offering of tofu beneath the statue and bowed.
The final three statues were the Thinker, whose head was cocked as if deep in thought, the Playful Fox, Nora's favorite, who was crouched in a playful position with its tail fluffed out, and the Shy Fox, who was curled up on the ground, its tail over its snout.
"This one's my favorite," Ren murmured, nodding at the smallest of the statues.
As they walked back to Ozpin, Pyrrha noticed several foxes coming in and out of the forest. Ren paused, reaching into a bag that was attached to his belt, and throwing what looked like dried liver in the direction of the foxes. Immediately, several russet forms burst from the trees and scarfed up the treats. They followed the children from a distance for several minutes after that.
Ozpin wasn't looking at the garden when the children returned to him, but toward the forest. He held up a hand as the children approached and pointed at the bushes. "Looks like one of our special friends is coming out."
Pyrrha felt a surge of delight when she saw a flash of gold. Was her fox coming to see her?
But, no. The fox that emerged definitely wasn't the one who had saved Pyrrha. This one was larger and had dapples of reddish-gold on its back.
"The Queen," Nora gasped.
"What?" Pyrrha tilted her head.
"Watch," Ren urged.
All were silent as the large, dappled fox walked primly onto the grounds of the temple. The normal russet foxes shied away as their obvious superior strode right by them and over to the statue of the Queen Fox. There, she bent down, picking up a cake that had been left there in her jaws, and trotted back toward the forest. She paused, her gaze falling on Pyrrha, then disappeared with a flash of her golden tail.
The four let out a collective breath. "There are eight foxes like that," Ren explained. "And they all take offerings from the eight statues."
"Most of them are girls," Nora added. "The Seeker's the only boy."
Pyrrha thought back to that time in the snow, when she had somehow felt a connection between the golden-yellow fox and the Seeker statue. They're magic, she realized. These foxes are actually magic!
The rest of the day was spent tending the temple and greeting visitors, who were especially prominent in the afternoon. Pyrrha learned how to clean the statues without wearing away the stone, how to properly and respectfully dispose of food offerings that were starting to spoil, and how much one was allowed to feed the wild foxes.
"They need to fend for themselves," Ren pointed out. "They can't depend on us too much."
In the late afternoon, Pyrrha's father came for her. "When are your parents getting here?" Pyrrha asked Ren and Nora as she watched her father approach.
The two children were suddenly very sullen. Nora looked at the ground, and Ren's face was unreadable.
"Their parents were killed by bandits," Ozpin explained. "I'm caring for them here until they find permanent homes."
"Oh!" Pyrrha gasped, horrified. "I'm sorry!"
Ren shrugged and managed a comforting smile. "It's fine. You didn't know."
"Hello, Pyrrha," Mr. Nikos said. "Did you behave today?"
"Yes, Father!" Pyrrha replied. "These are my friends, Ren and Nora."
"Hello, there." A shadow passed over Mr. Nikos's face as he realized who these two children were. "Perhaps you can visit our home sometime for dinner, if High Priest Ozpin allows it."
Both children perked up, and Ozpin smiled. "Of course, they can."
As Pyrrha took her father's hand and started down the path, she noticed something that caused her to stop in her tracks. "Father, look!" she gasped.
It was the golden-yellow fox. The Seeker Fox. Her fox. He was just picking up the fried tofu she had left at the beginning of the day. As he turned back toward the forest, he noticed her. His ears perked up, and his tail wagged.
"Thank you for saving me," Pyrrha called. She wasn't even surprised when the fox seemed to bow his head in response. She watched as he left his statue and returned to the forest.
"You know," her father said as they walked home. "It's good to be careful with foxes. While many of them are good, like the ones at the shrine, there are those who play bad tricks on people. They might even shapeshift into human forms to fool you."
"Really?" Pyrrha gasped.
"Really," her father affirmed. "However, they can't get rid of their tails when they transform. That's how you tell."
"How come they can't hide their tails?"
"All magic has limits. Just keep your eyes open and avoid anyone who looks like they might have a tail, fox or otherwise." Her father winked. "Just in case."
"Okay." Pyrrha wasn't concerned, of course. The foxes at the shrine wouldn't play any bad tricks on her, and she already knew for a fact that she could trust the Seeker with her life.
"I hope you're ready for your evening exercises," her father continued. "You need to get those muscles strong if you ever hope to join the Imperial Army someday."
Pyrrha suppressed a sigh, resigning herself to yet another exhausting evening. "Yes, Father…"
So, this fic is mostly going to be a friendship story, holding off on the romance until the last chapter. I firmly believe that it's possible to have healthy romantic stories involving mortals and immortals, if certain rules are followed.
First of all, the immortal should not use his or her powers to gain an edge over the mortal and make it easier to seduce them, especially if that involves manipulation of the mind/pheromones. (*cough cough* Wicked Lovely *cough*)
Second, if the immortal knows the mortal before he or she grows up completely, the relationship has to be totally platonic until much later. If the immortal is fantasizing about when the mortal comes of age and is making plans of a romantic/sexual nature for when that happens, that's a HELL NO from me. (Twilight, I am looking at you! You and your freaking creeper wolves… Don't try telling me that the Imprinting relationship is platonic until the woman grows up, and then it magically shifts! The wolf KNOWS he's gonna bone her later. It's creepy, okay? *holds back one of many rants on the subject*)
…Now that I think about it, most of these horrible dynamics are occurring in YA novels. What the hell are we trying to teach teens about romance?!
Note: My knowledge of the god/goddess Inari is limited to what I've found online. I know that they can take on various forms, and is a deity of foxes, harvest, and is also known for protecting soldiers. The Chinese version of this deity, Huxian, takes the form of a nine-tailed white fox, hence Pyrrha's dream in this chapter. My library is sadly lacking in books on Shinto deities. If I misrepresent Inari in any way as I write this fic, I apologize and hope that someone more knowledgeable will correct me.
If you like what you see and want to join an awesome fan community while earning sweet rewards, my P/atreon is Solora Goldsun.
Peace out!