No one moved. No one spoke, save for Húli's continuous low growl. Kuro hardly dared to even breathe. The street he could have sworn was bustling was now strangely empty, and yet the unnatural eyes of the man before them made him feel more watched than a thousand other pairs could.

"Now, don't be shy," he said in strangely fluent Japanese, and his voice was a paradox of smooth gravel, low and rumbling and its cadence so pointedly soothing it was uncomfortable. "It's not every day a missing god, its vessel, a foreign demon, and a homeless fox come knocking at my door."

Implying it's happened before, Kuro thought dryly. There was something . . . suggestive in his tone, and Kuro could not tell if it was of the magical sort or the seductive kind. Perhaps both, he thought, as Qiūjì's lips drew back in a scowl.

Wait -

"You can see him, then?" he asked warily, his suspicion confirmed before the answer even came when the stranger locked eyes directly with the dragon.

"It's a marvel some people can't," he mused. His voice was complemented by unnaturally good looks, strangely familiar in their perfection - a chiseled jaw, high cheekbones, fine silvered hair, and the shadow of facial hair accompanied his entrancing eyes. "What luck has befallen me that the Western King would show up on my doorstep?"

"There is no such thing," Wolf said curtly, and Kuro watched with growing unease as the prosthetic fingers tightened around Kusabimaru's hilt. "Your creature stole our coin, leading us here."

"Not by design, I assure you," the man replied lightly, not sounding very reassuring. "Tiān lù likes money. I can't train him out of stealing." But he did hold out his hand, the coin purse laid out neatly on his palm. After a moment's hesitation and fighting down the unsettled feeling in his gut - while strange, Kuro did not think he was in any danger - Kuro stretched his arm out to take it.

"Wait!" Húli barked, and it cracked like thunder. Her green eyes glimmered, matching the stranger's. "Don't touch that. This guy, he's - "

"A silver fox," Wolf said coolly.

That was what was familiar. Kuro remembered, now - Húli's human illusions had held the same unnatural beauty.

"Why, thank you," the fox all but purred, grinning at Wolf. The shinobi averted his gaze; the pink that dusted over his cheeks was not unfamiliar to Kuro, but he frowned at the sight.

"It's not funny," Húli snapped.

"It's a little funny," Kuro conceded, though when he glanced back to the stranger he did not make his tone altogether much friendlier than the standoffishness that their party had already been displaying. "But she's right - why should we trust you?"

"Trust me with what?" This time, interestingly, there was no sense of trickery to the man's voice. He quirked an eyebrow, pointing out, "You've not asked anything of me. Should I have let tiān lù keep your coin?"

With that, he held the purse out pointedly again; rather than grab it himself, Kuro held out his own hand expectantly and allowed him to drop it into his palm. Somehow, it felt safer.

"I do believe, however, that you were brought here for a reason. Besides my companion," he added pointedly when Húli scoffed. "Might we go inside? The topic is bound to become too sensitive for outsiders to potentially hear."

It was clear that none of them wished to enter. There was no reason to trust this fox in human's clothing, and entering his den seemed to be begging for trouble. Kuro glanced at the dragon perched on his shoulder, trying to portray his question without words, and for a long time Qiūjì was silent. After watching the fox open the door expectantly for them, finally, the god spoke only to Kuro.

He is not a friend, but I do not think he is an enemy, either. Just be on your guard.

Only a little soothed at his words, Kuro unceremoniously scooped Húli into his arms and headed inside. She squirmed only for a moment in protest before falling still, and Kuro heard Wolf's footsteps behind him as he followed through the doorway. The door closed behind them, a green flame lit a lantern above, and . . .

Walls were covered in blades of all makes and sizes, glimmering in the fox fire and proudly displayed. A counter made of glass held ornate daggers within. Racks of finely carved bows lined the far wall, and amongst them was a doorway that offered the smallest glimpse of an indoor forge.

"You're a blacksmith?" Kuro could not help but wander, taking in the craftsmanship of the pieces.

"It is a hobby to pass the time," the fox replied, though he did not sound very modest at all. "The villagers give me much for my protection, but I prefer a more . . . interactive give and take."

Something about the way he said it made Kuro's skin crawl. He turned away from the glass display to find Wolf keeping close to him, eyes never leaving the fox; similarly, most of the stranger's interest seemed to be in Wolf, despite his comments about Qiūjì. When Kuro pointedly cleared his throat, however, increasingly displeased with how uncomfortable this stranger was making his shinobi, their staring contest broke.

"The villagers call me Jun," the fox said, though no one had asked. "I presume you are passing through to the western sea?"

"Can't imagine how you figured that one out," Húli muttered dryly under her breath.

"We are," Kuro confirmed over her, not eager to anger the deity in his own domain. It did not take a genius to realize this fox was much older and likely much more powerful than Húli. "We hope to deliver the dragon home."

"Then you should know that it will not be an easy task," Jun replied. "If you have not been told already, something foul has moved in since the king's absence."

Something foul? The other kings had mentioned something about it, but Kuro had not put much stock in the words when Qiūjì seemed more concerned with his brothers being on their doorstep. The dragon had not seemed to think much of it, if he had even put an ounce of thought into the warning at all. Kuro could not tell if the claws tightening on his shoulder were an indication of new or confirmed fears.

Tell me of it, Qiūjì commanded, the first time he had spoken in Jun's presence. Kuro did not know why he expected defiance, but was surprised when Jun complied easily.

"I do not know its name," he said, "but it is a disgusting creature. It made its home in your waters almost the instant you left, and they are waters no more - they are a toxin that leech into the land around the sea, killing everything around it. For you at the height of your power, it would be no threat; now, I would advise you tread carefully."

"I cannot imagine you have truly selfless reasons for telling us this." Wolf's voice was curt, and though the confrontation surprised them all Kuro found himself agreeing. Everything about this fox set off every alarm bell in Kuro's head.

"For the past two decades the poison has slowly crawled over the land, and it grows ever closer to this village. I will not be able to protect it. This place will die, and my people along with it. So no," Jun snapped, unpleasant for the first time since they had met him, "my reasons are not nearly as world-saving as yours, but I do not take kindly to such assumptions being made on my character by a lowly demon."

A demon - was that all Jun saw when looking at Wolf, or was it just to hurt him? Judging by the tension in Wolf's jaw, it was not a cut that dug deep, but one that angered him nonetheless, and anger was not something Wolf needed right now. Even Qiūjì drew his lips back in a snarl at the insult to his charge.

Quickly, Kuro diverted attention to himself the best he could. "Qiūjì," he tried, "do you know anything about a monster like that?"

"Qiūjì?" Jun echoed, amusement in his tone, but the dragon forced his glare away to meet Kuro's pleading eyes.

Just stay calm, he thought, praying the god could hear him. They did not need a confrontation.

I have an idea, was all Qiūjì offered, and after a moment it was clear he did not intend on expanding on it.

After a long moment of icy silence, Jun spoke again, most of the antagonism gone from his voice. "If there is anything I can offer, I will do so free of charge. We all wish to be free of this summer, and to welcome Qiūjì back home."

He stressed the name like it was some sort of joke, and Kuro could not fathom why. Was there a name the dragon was supposed to have? He had never offered one. Was it so strange that they would come up with a nickname in its stead? As far as Kuro could tell, it was not even a particularly ridiculous one.

When no one else answered, reluctantly, Kuro stepped up to do so himself; he did not want to stay here any longer. "Thank you, but - "

"A bow."

Kuro had never witnessed Wolf using a bow. It was honestly unnecessary, what with the new firearm attachment Aurelio had gifted him. Bullets, perhaps, but a bow?

Jun gave a low, thoughtful hum. "Metalworking is more my style, not wood . . . but I can make an exception for an impressive warrior such as yourself."

Wolf's face reddened again, deeper now, and Húli noticed this time, glancing between the shinobi and blacksmith. Kuro worried at his lower lip, anxious of his response, but instead of rising to the bait Wolf simply said, "Then get it done." He made for the door, and with his hand on the knob he added, "Kuro."

Kuro startled into action, hurriedly following his shinobi as they left the shop. Tension oozed from Wolf's rigid posture and clenched jaw - the blacksmith set him on edge more than anyone they had ever met, and for good reason. A cunning creature targeting his discomfort was a force to be wary of.

Before the door swung shut behind them, Jun called out, "Two days."

Wolf acted as though he did not hear it.

"Hey, shinobi."

Húli's petulant tone broke the silence of the room they had managed to rent. After the encounter with Jun, Wolf had made a beeline for the first inn they saw, and after smuggling Húli in with their pack he had taken to silently maintaining his weapons, a practice he had not partaken in for a while. Nobody had dared to speak, least of all Kuro, who knew exactly what ailed him, but Húli worked up the courage after perhaps an hour - and she sounded like she had been chewing on it for a while.

Wolf did not reply, but it did not stop her from saying, "How come his flirting worked, huh? I didn't get anything out of you."

"You are a child." Wolf seemed rather like he did not want to be having this conversation; were it Kuro's place, he would step in, but instead he hesitated and merely listened.

"I'm older than you! And it's not like you knew anyway!" She sounded offended, like Wolf's lack of interest in her was a personal insult. Was she truly insecure about such things? "So what if you swing that way, I tried before - "

"I do not swing any way," Wolf interrupted sharply. "I was not flustered, I was uncomfortable."

This was not news to Kuro, of course; Wolf's disinterest in such charms had made him an even more appealing choice of retainer than any other the Hirata family had considered, and their faith had been rewarded more than once now during their journey. It was not a new occurrence, either. Kuro shuddered to think where he would be had Wolf been tempted by anyone else, demon or human alike, whether on the mainland or even back in Ashina.

"Oh," Húli finally said, and Wolf scoffed quietly and continued to sharpen his axe. "Good."

"Good?" Kuro echoed, finally speaking up. A thought struck him, and incredulously he asked, "What, do you like Wolf?"

"What? Gods, no," Húli retorted, sounding genuinely perturbed by the notion. ("Thanks," Wolf snorted. The fox ignored him.) "I just don't like the idea of some old asshole being better than me."

"He does still have control over a whole village," Kuro mused.

"I'm going to set you on fire."

Don't even think about it.

Qiūjì's interjection had Kuro chortling despite himself, and Húli rolled her eyes and lowered her head back onto her paws. Kuro's fingers stroked absently through her fur, and the room fell back into quiet save for the scrape of whetstone against metal.

It was a strange, almost surreal thought - it was maintenance, sure, but also preparation. They were close to their destination; even had Qiūjì mentioned nothing of the sort, Kuro could almost feel the finality of it all looming. The western sea was coming ever closer, and within it apparently a toxic beast of immense power. That was not even highlighting the still very real threat of the price on their heads - even after they had restored Qiūjì's power and status, could they be guaranteed safety from the various bounty hunters and the emperor's forces?

Wolf was preparing for a fight. Kuro wanted to, as well, but with his swordplay useless at this point . . .

"What are we going to do while we wait?" Perhaps Wolf would have him train more, or they would go shopping for supplies - whatever they did, Kuro felt antsy at the mere thought of staying still for three days. They had not remained anywhere for so long since Wolf's recovery, and before that, with Aurelio, which had been enough to bring the emperor's men knocking -

"We lay low," Wolf replied simply. "Everywhere we go, the military has been close behind; this stop will offer them the opportunity to catch up. We cannot afford to be seen by them."

He was right. If they were found, that would be a massive wrench in their plans, possibly even destroying them altogether. Still, he tried not to show his disappointment; instead, he rummaged in their pack for food, and as the night stretched on he tried not to think about the days ahead they would spend cooped up.

The next two days passed uneventfully - almost disappointingly so, in Kuro's opinion. At least Húli could go out and stretch her legs, disguised as some faceless person not associated with them, and for that Kuro was envious. Otherwise, all was still and quiet. Wolf rarely spoke, an indication of his discomfort in this village owned by Jun, and Qiūjì . . . he seemed to be resting at all hours. His own version of preparing for the trouble ahead, Kuro supposed.

On the third day, Kuro tried not to appear too antsy as they waited for the sun to hit its peak - Wolf had not wanted to risk catching Jun early, and thus being forced to wait until he finished the piece - though the illusion was broken when he leapt to the door as soon as Wolf said it was time to leave. Belongings were gathered, Húli was stored away in their pack, and they made the trek down the stairs of the inn to return the room key and leave -

- only to jump back into the hallway and hide, for a stern pair of men in shining red military armor were speaking to the innkeeper, who anxiously listened as they listed off Wolf and Kuro's descriptions.

"Well," hissed Húli, who had been peeking through the backpack flap, "shit."

"What do we do?" Kuro whispered, fighting the panic rising in his throat. Wolf was silent for only a moment before he lifted Húli from the pack.

"You - transform and return the key. Kuro and I will leave through the back. We meet back at the blacksmith's shop."

"Got it!"

"The back - ?"

Kuro's question was ignored as Húli shifted and changed, settling on the appearance of a young man in a simple robe - thankfully a more convincing look of normalcy than the first illusions she had shown them.

As the disguised fox waltzed into the foyer, Wolf grasped Kuro's hand and led him further down the hallway, past several residential rooms. The back - how would Wolf know where 'the back' was? Judging by the way Wolf glanced around as they jogged down the hall, he was only guessing - but his guess led them into a large kitchen that was empty save a pair of gossiping chambermaids.

They stopped dead when the strangers entered, and though Wolf barely spared them a glance, Kuro froze similarly, offering them an awkward smile.

"Residents aren't supposed to come back here," one said, irritation thinly veiled under a false politeness.

"I'm sorry," Kuro replied honestly, bowing low. "We, um - we were just - "

"Hey!" the second one cried, pointing past Kuro. "What are you doing?!"

Her finger was directed at Wolf, who was pushing open the wooden cover of a large window and sticking his head out of it. He glanced both ways, propped a foot up on the sill, and gestured for Kuro to join him; Kuro could only mouth wordlessly for a moment before clapping his hands together in a silent plea to the young women and taking Wolf's hand to help him clamber over the windowsill.

He landed in the dirt of a narrow alleyway, and Wolf touched down beside him. The wood closed behind them with a clanging thud, and before Kuro could process what was happening, Wolf was hooking an arm around his waist and aiming the other toward the inn's roof.

"Hold on," he ordered. Kuro barely had enough time to wrap his arms tight around Wolf's shoulders before there was the almost-silent thwip of the grapple shooting toward the roof, and Kuro fought not to scream as they shot upward.

The momentum gave him whiplash, but it was enough for them to land atop the building next to the inn. Kuro had only a few seconds to marvel over the strength of the spider-silk before Wolf released him and took to sneaking across the roof to peek at the main road.

Kuro carefully followed suit, and balked at the sight of another pair of guards talking to passersby - an elderly woman carting two children along, who all seemed annoyed at the interruption of their day.

"How will we get to Jun?" he fretted, and Wolf backed away, heading for the next roof over.

"We stay off the ground," he replied, making the short hop across the gap. Kuro followed him, the distance an easy enough one to cross.

"What if they look up?"

Wolf scoffed out something that sounded like a laugh. "No one ever looks up."

His tone spoke of experience. Kuro believed it, but questioned how things might be different for a master of stealth versus a comparably clumsy teenager. He was surprised, however, to find the added weight of Qiūjì and their pack did not weigh him down much, and he followed Wolf across the rooftops with an unfamiliar ease. Besides a larger gap or two, he did not need any help across.

When had this weight grown so miniscule to him?

As they traveled they found even more soldiers swarming the streets, interrogating passersby and peering down alleyways and speaking amongst themselves, and after the scene they had made in arriving to Xining, Kuro feared just how many people might have leads for them. How had so many men mobilized here? So long spent without seeing hide nor hair of the emperor's forces, and now here they were, conveniently crossing paths with the fugitives?

The soldiers seemed to thin out as they grew closer to Jun's shop. As they leapt over one of the last gaps, the air grew suddenly, frighteningly chill; by the time Kuro's feet were firm on the next roof, he had shaken it off, but Wolf paused, hand drifting to the socket of his prosthetic as he peered about them, seemingly for the source of the sensation.

It appears the blacksmith has set up a ward, Qiūjì supplied helpfully, and Kuro tried not to wonder if it was Shura that made crossing it so much more unpleasant for the shinobi.

The street that the smithy sat on was entirely deserted. Wolf dropped gracefully to the ground below, and held out his arms to first catch the pack, then Kuro. A rapid knock on Jun's door, and it cracked open - and the smith reached out to yank them both inside.

"It seems your presence has brought unwanted attention," Jun said, and the displeasure in his tone made Kuro shiver. "The ward will not hold forever."

He turned to one of the glass displays; atop it was a finely carved piece of wood, painted black and polished to shine. It took Kuro a moment to realize it was an unstrung bow. With a gesture from Jun, Wolf stepped forward to lift it from the table, weighing it in his hands and peering down the length of it. Kuro wished he knew a thing or two about bows, but instead he was left to watch as the shinobi inspected it.

Jun offered a bowstring that looked to be made of hemp, the ends already tied to the correct length, and Wolf hooked it over each notch with the ease of practice - though Kuro had never once seen him wield a bow, he supposed it was likely the shinobi knew how to use one.

"You did not give me any details," Jun spoke up again. Kuro watched as Wolf did a test draw, and noted how symmetrical the bow was - not like what he had seen back in Ashina. "I went with a kaiyuan bow. It seemed fitting for a warrior of your talent."

"It is not for me."

"The boy, then?" The fox scoffed. "You should have said so before. The draw weight is too strong for a child."

Wolf did not acknowledge him, instead holding the bow out to Kuro to take.

"For me?" Though Kuro burned at Jun's jibe, he could not disagree - he did not know if he was cut out for this.

"Try drawing it," was all Wolf said.

Hesitantly, Kuro accepted the bow; it was heavier than it looked, but ultimately still only wood. "How do I . . . ?"

"Whatever is comfortable."

The leather grip was smooth under his left hand, and Kuro hooked his fingers on either side of the bowstring's notch. After a moment's hesitation, he pulled back; it was an effort, but once he had the string drawn fully to his cheek, he found he could hold it there easily. Truly, it was not as hard as he had expected.

Carefully, Kuro returned the string to its former position, and Wolf nodded decisively.

"Happy birthday," he said, and Kuro's brain stopped entirely.

It was his birthday? Today? It had been two weeks - only two weeks? And Wolf had remembered? It . . . it seemed so insignificant, now, but Wolf still . . .

The shinobi turned back to Jun, and though the fox furrowed his brows he said nothing. "How much?"

"Nothing for a retainer of the Western King," Jun replied, "but you had better put it to good use. And take some arrows with you." He retrieved a quiver from a hook on the wall, and pulled perhaps two dozen arrows from a bin of them; Wolf hooked them over a shoulder for safekeeping. "Now - "

The door swung violently open then, and in came Húli, still disguised. He slammed the door shut with his back to it and blurted, "We gotta go - that little spell isn't going to confuse the soldiers for much longer."

Jun gestured for them all to follow, and led to the back room that held the forge. There was a nondescript back door that slid open to an empty side street, and after a brief glance around he led them outside.

"This way."

Jun and Húli walked on either side of Wolf and Kuro like bodyguards; despite their (admittedly one-sided) feud, Kuro realized, they had a common interest - to see the Western King returned safely to his throne, even if Húli had a more personal care for it. Qiūjì himself was curled tightly about Kuro's shoulders, gaze fixed behind them as they hurried down the road, and as the village's edge came into view those talons gripped his shoulder.

There!

"Halt!"

Kuro's pace stuttered, and Jun cursed under his breath, turning on his heel. Wolf was quick to follow suit, pushing Kuro behind him and placing a hand on Kusabimaru's hilt, and curiously, Húli closed the gap to shield Kuro completely. Between them, Kuro spied the crowd of soldiers; there were more than he could see, crowded in the small road, but in front stood a man with an ornate helmet and gaudier armor than his fellows, and the men on either side of him trained arrows at their little group.

"By order of the Emperor, you are under arrest! Drop your weapons and come quietly!"

Wolf, of course, did not understand their Mandarin, but Kuro doubted he would obey even if he did. There was a metallic slide and click, and Aurelio's firearm addition emerged from the wrist plate of Wolf's prosthetic. He had only used it once thus far; Kuro was not sure how effective it would be against the mass of soldiers at this distance, and certainly did not want to find out.

"Military men are always fools." Jun stepped ahead of them, hands in his sleeves. His voice was airy but his expression stony. The archers raised their bows higher, but did not shoot; the sight of an elderly man was not a particularly intimidating one. "Your country is dying from this heat, yet you blindly follow the greed of a man who would use the solution for his own selfish desires."

A hand pushed at Wolf's shoulder, and Húli motioned with his eyes; the three of them backed away, leaving plenty of room for Jun in the middle of the street.

"I will give you one chance to leave my village. I find battle quite barbaric."

The soldiers paused before a laugh rippled through their ranks, and Jun shook his head and sighed. He glanced back to his trio of guests.

"There is only one path to your destination," he told them. "Be safe, and go quickly."

And then he began to change.

Unlike Húli, who shrunk to her fox form, Jun grew. His back hunched over and he stooped to all fours, and as his body expanded more and more his form changed and morphed to that of a great fox that towered over the buildings. Silvery-white fur sprouted from his skin as an elegant snout and ears protruded from his head, and not one but nine bushy tails flicked through the air in a universal sign of anger.

"Jiǔwěihú," Húli whispered, eyes huge.

"Fire!" the officer cried.

Arrows sprung from bows but bounced harmlessly off thick, impenetrable fur. Jun reared his head back, chest swelling with a great inhale, and heat washed over them as he expelled vivid blue flames in a wide arc. The roar that accompanied it was deafening, and the screams of the soldiers as fire filled the road and melted their armor was chilling. A powerful paw pinned a soldier that tried to run, and another man was swept up into wicked jaws and thrown against a building with a sickening crack.

"Come on!" Húli shouted, and in the blink of an eye she had shifted back into a fox and was sprinting down the path; with Jun clearly capable of handling himself, Wolf and Kuro hurried after her.

The street ended rather abruptly with the buildings, but the less-worn path went on through a wide field that disappeared over the horizon. The tall grass provided little cover, and although it was better than nothing, their only real option was hope that Jun would not leave any stragglers to follow.

Something told Kuro they would not have to worry. Still, he tried not to dismiss the possible threat.

There was no real point to running - either the soldiers would follow or they wouldn't - but they still kept up their pace of escape until Kuro's legs ached and he began to lag behind. The snarls of the nine-tailed fox had faded into silence until there was nothing left but the breeze in the grass and their heavy breathing. Even Wolf was not unaffected by the distance, though he remained the most gathered of them.

"Do you think he'll be all right?" Kuro could not help but ask, and Húli scoffed.

"He'd better be," she said, "or he's not befitting of his status."

"Regardless," Wolf cut in, "we should not let his distraction go to waste. We must keep moving."

There was nothing to do but agree, and they continued down the path toward the setting sun.