NO PLAN SURVIVES CONTACT

The room fell under an oppressive silence, a tangible aura of shock filling the air in response to the sudden appearance of the kitsune. Iris found herself locked in the piercing gaze of the kitsune, who now stood in her humanoid form, the illusion almost uncannily realistic even if the adventurer knew what lay just beneath.

Each of the kitsune's eyes, one a mesmerizing violet and the other a striking cyan, shone with a mysterious blend of intelligence and playfulness, her trio of tails moving in a steady rhythm that accentuated the silence. There was an unspoken expectation hanging heavy in the room, akin to an arrow nocked, its bowstring stretched to its limits, ready for the snap of release.

The inn's patrons seemed trapped within this sudden spell, cutlery hanging mid-air and words dying on their lips. Faces etched with surprise turned towards the unusual spectacle now occupying center stage–Iris’s party and the fascinating fox girl. Iris could feel the intense scrutiny from the audience, all eyes locked on her, awaiting the drama's next act.

The kitsune, utterly unfazed by the attention, her gaze never straying from Iris and her companions. The once cheerful chatter and laughter had vanished, replaced by a pulsing current of anticipation. It was a distinct shift, a startling reminder of how quickly a situation could spiral from the ordinary into the extraordinary.

This is fine. Everything is fine.

“Is that her?” Kaira asked quietly.

Iris nodded slowly, her eyes not leaving the kitsune’s. “Yes, this is her.”

“How did she get in here?” Ser Meredith hissed.

“Everyone, please be nice to our… guest,” Iris ordered, slowly raising a hand toward Ser Meredith who she knew was preparing to attack. “She’s quite smart and just likes games, isn’t that right?”

The kitsune’s eyes brightened and she let out a series of yips before her expression fell again. She turned her focus back to the map and pointed at the location of the bandit fort, again before peering at Iris with an expectant look.

Iris’s confusion must have been evident because the fox-girl sighed and pointed at Iris, followed by herself, then down at the map, tapping it furiously with narrowed eyes.

“There’s something there that you know?” the adventurer asked, her curiosity overwhelming her confusion.

That did not appear to be the correct answer because then the kitsune grabbed Iris’s arm, and started pulling.

Iris screamed out in surprise. “I thought that was an illusion!”

The kitsune rolled her eyes and barked, tugging on her arm again.

“Okay, okay. I’ll follow you,” Iris acquiesced.

A distinct tension clung to the room as if the air itself had solidified. Iris's friends exchanged hesitant glances, their faces a canvas of trepidation.

“Iris, are you sure about this?” Laken questioned, his former desire to meet the kitsune replaced by a mask of concern.

Ser Meredith's gaze was no less wary as her hand stayed hovering over the hilt of her blade, poised to pull it at a moment’s notice. “It's dangerous to blindly follow an unknown entity, even if it appears harmless.”

Iris offered them a comforting smile. “I know it seems risky,” she admitted. “But I have a feeling that we need to trust her.”

Her gaze flicked back to the kitsune, who merely rolled her eyes with an air of impatience. She gestured dismissively, her message clear: ‘Follow if you want, or don't. It makes no difference to me.’

The group, led by the seemingly frustrated kitsune, cautiously ventured outside, their footsteps on the wooden floorboards of the inn punctuating the silence. The air was cool against their skin, the early morning sun just beginning to peek over the horizon, painting the sky in hues of red and gold. The kitsune led them straight to the stables, where Mocha, Iris’s trusted steed, was housed.

Upon entering, the familiar scent of hay and horse washed over them, and Mocha’s ears perked up at their entrance, but then her eyes narrowed as she saw the kitsune.

‘Iris, who is this?’ her friend nickered, the magical horse’s focus now entirely on the fox girl.

“Mocha, I’d like to introduce…” Iris started before looking at the kitsune, who sighed and faced Mocha before letting out a series of barks and yips.

The horse blew out air from her nose in surprise. ‘I can understand you!’ she neighed.

The kitsune’s bark sounded quite unamused, followed by another string of yips.

‘Woah, bitch. Calm down, you’re the first other… creature that I can understand,’ Mocha whinnied. ‘And you know these people can’t understand you.’

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A frustrated bark replied.

‘Look, yes. Fine, I will tell her. But I don’t do things for free. You need to pay in apples,’ Mocha nickered. ‘Wait… How’d you even know Iris and I could understand each other?’

The kitsune let out a few yips.

‘You followed her back last night…’ Mocha gave Iris an unamused look. ‘Makes sense. She’s definitely oblivious at times.’

Mocha turned her head to Iris but the kitsune then let out a couple yips, which the horse nodded to. ‘And I’m Mocha,’ she huffed in response.

Iris raised a brow. “What did she say, Mocha?”

The kitsune gestured to Iris in a get-a-move-on type of way. Mocha snorted. ‘Her name is She-who-loves-pranks-and-chicken. She wants to go with us to the hidden wooden place with many bad men.’

“She-who… What?”

Pondering the situation, Iris’s mind sifted through countless anime memories, picking out one particular kitsune name that she had always liked. With an air of determination–and a little bit of fangirling, she turned to the kitsune. “Can we call you Akane?” she asked, physically forcing herself not to squee.

Please say yes, please say yes.

The kitsune, seeming to sense Iris's sincerity, sighed but then nodded her agreement.

“Okay, awesome,” she said, trying to hold back a smile but failing. “Mocha, why does Akane want to go with us, and how does she know about it?”

Akane’s tails flicked slightly.

Ohmygosh. Her tails are so fluffy.

Mocha asked the question, and Akane replied with a long, winded explanation that the horse then relayed to Iris.

“Iris? What are they saying?” Kaira prodded, reminding Iris that everyone was standing there behind her.

“Oh! Sorry guys,” Iris said and turned around. “So, the kitsune here has agreed that we may refer to her as Akane as her actual name is really long. Also, she wants to join us in attacking the bandit fort. Apparently, the Marauder Prince and all of his bandits are capturing animals, but especially magical animals, to either sell or to kill for their mana cores.”

The others exchanged shocked glances, their eyes returning to Akane as they digested the new information. “You want to trust her? She just appeared out of nowhere!” Ser Meredith asked, her focus set on Akane. “She’s a… she’s a monster.”

Iris shook her head. “No, she’s a magical creature, but that doesn’t make her a monster. I've seen monsters.”

And some of them looked like normal people.

“You don’t think that it's too much of a risk?” Gryff asked, his own focus set on the fox girl.

Laken, previously silent, studied Akane with newfound interest. “Perhaps,” he finally spoke, his voice measured. “This is an opportunity we shouldn't dismiss. After all, we could use all the help we can get.”

“I agree with Laken,” Kaira chimed in, folding her arms. “Though I can't shake off the feeling that she’s hiding something.” Her gaze met Iris’s. “But you trust her, don't you?”

Iris nodded, her determination unshaken. “I do. She's intelligent, capable, and might just be our best bet against the Marauders.”

The rest of her party gave each other questioning looks before coming to an unspoken understanding and signaling their agreement with firm nods.

Iris turned to Akane. “Well, it looks like you’re a member of the party now. Just remember, for this part of the quest we have to have a plan.” Akane simply rolled her eyes, but her tails gave quick, satisfied flicks.

Ser Meredith’s gaze passed between all of them with a conflicted expression. “This is crazy, you’re all crazy…” she said with a shake of her head.

Iris shrugged, a smile growing on her face. “Of course, it’s crazy. We’re adventurers. It’s our job to deal with the crazy.”

✦ ✦ ✦

“Keep an eye on the sky and treeline for the harpies,” Iris called out, raising her voice over the noise of the moving wagon. “Remember, they look like telv or high elves crossed with birds.”

Their quest had led them to the fringes of the Cursed Forest, an area that Iris had learned the hard way was the newly formed dominion of harpies. Despite winning their previous interaction, Iris did not want to risk another confrontation with the harpy queen.

Gryff had taken charge of the wagon, directing the horses along the rugged path, with Kaira seated at his side, her eyes scanning the horizon for potential threats. Their wagon creaked and jostled, the road crunching under the weight of their journey.

In the back of the wagon, Bree and Laken sat in an awkward silence, their gaze pointedly avoiding what sat next to them, but lacking the courage to move. For sandwiched between the two was Akane, oblivious to how she was invading their personal space. In fact, the kitsune's attention seemed entirely focused on the dense foliage of the forest.

Meanwhile, Iris rode alongside the wagon astride Mocha, who was bedecked in her full battle armor, the steel glinting under the sunlight.

Akane turned her gaze to Iris and let out a sequence of sharp barks. Mocha's ears flicked back and forth, her equine eyes focused on the fox-girl as she translated, ‘Akane says that the bird people are quite rude,’ Mocha whinnied. ‘And aren’t fun to play games with.’

Iris chuckled as she shook her head. “Can’t disagree with that.”

She’s so carefree. I'm jealous.

The day passed by with the group maintaining a steady pace alongside the foreboding forest, eyes peeled for any signs of danger. Iris’s warning appeared to have resonated with her party, lending an eerie quiet to the initial leg of the trip. Yet, no harpies emerged from the forest’s depths to harass them as they had when Iris, Sera, and Tanith had journeyed from Cosdale. The only sound accompanying them was the crunch of wheels against the packed dirt and the occasional rustle of leaves in the breeze.

As time wore on though, Iris heard hushed banter and muffled laughter followed by hurried shushes which did much to ease the tension. For her part, Iris remained alert atop Mocha, her gaze flitting between the forest and the road ahead. Meanwhile, Gryff continued guiding the wagon, Kaira steadfast in the seat next to him. Akane sat quietly in the rear, her focus fully immersed in whatever quiet conversation was happening between Laken and Bree who had finally grown used to–or at least ignored–the kitsune between them.

Finally, the red sun started its descent and the forest’s edge receded, signaling a pleasantly uneventful end to their journey past the Cursed Forest.