Kensho of Black Mountain Shrine was only six years old when she first found a fox, her fox, nestled beneath a tangled briar, bright eyes watching the traffic trudge through thick snow, watching the snowflakes as they danced under gray skies. She’d run ahead of the family caravan with all intents to get lost and maybe make her parents worry like the brat she was, but the huddled red form brushed with a dusting of glittering white, burning eyes staring at her as her shadow loomed above it… that was much more interesting.
Her parents would have told her to- carefully- step away from the creature and leave it be, nestled peacefully beneath the briar- but her parents weren’t here and she could do what she wanted to! Warriors got that privileged and ever so ephemeral independence, and she’d be one in the future, so as she reached down to grasp the fox she counted it as taking out a loan against her future awesomeness.
A bright smile crept across her face as she scooped up the vulpine fuzzball into her hands, only widening as the adorable little thing nestled closer into her warmth, content to wait until her parents found her- holding a fox by the side of the road, grinning with all her teeth-
They, of course, as well educated and honorable warriors of the Shrine, panicked. “Kensho-” there was a particularly strangled expression to her father’s face, mixed with his harsh whisper that perfectly encapsulated the idea of fearful parent. “We do not disturb the foxes!” Unfortunately, that expression also coincided with a you’re going to be in trouble sort of face, only serving to make her clutch onto her fuzzy just that little bit tighter. It was fine, of course, because it’d never hurt her-
The fox bit her finger and jumped from her arms, dashing into the darkness of a show-shrouded forest, leaving behind only a stunned family and fearful caravan. Kensho smiled sheepishly. “Uh…”
She was in so much trouble.
………
Two and a half weeks later, in her small dormitory nestled at the edge of where shrine met forest and the biting wind met her poor, hypothermia-vulnerable skin, the fox found her. The same fox, she was sure- one night she’d clutched the thin blankets to herself, content in the reassurance she was a warrior, resolute to ignore mere temperature- and the next morning she was much the same, plus fox.
It was a point of eternal shame, not that she’d ever tell anyone about it, that she’d spend the first half hour of the morning snuggling with the creature without even realizing it.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
By the time she'd woken fully- thanks to those damned bitter winds- she'd noticed the fox curled gently against her side and- logically- quickly darted her fingers out of reach. "What are you doing here?" The fox responded with its best level gaze, unperturbed by the sheer panic that laced her voice. "You- you- they can't see you with me! I'd never hear the end of it!" Her hands twitched forward as if she meant to throw the fox through the window, carefully held back only by the vaguest of darting glances. "I didn't mean to disturb your rest, holy one. Please don't curse me-" the last bit was more squeak than speech.
The fox leapt into her lap, radiating smug amusement as Kensho stiffened beneath her. Clearly she found her reactions amusing as she tucked her head beneath her paws and went to sleep. That was how the seneschal of the shrine found her, face stricken between fear and incredulity, perfectly still on her bed having not even begun the morning rituals.
It was to no small satisfaction that the fox bit the senechal's fingers on the way out this time.
………
"Old Jirosho had to leave absolution to go and find you- and then you just walked in, and he didn't get you in trouble." One of the other new warriors-to-be stared at her with starstruck eyes, as if avoiding punishment for sleeping in made one divine. "You've got to tell me how you managed that."
"Yeah!" Kisoi dropped down to the ground beside them in the dappled sunlight, brushing away the detritus stirred from the wind of his passing. "I want to sleep in too, Kensho! You may think that you've a monopoly over being the coolest, but as the best woman at the shrine, I deserve your secret practices!" She held the smug look for a few seconds longer before they collapsed into giggles and laughter, lounged against the shrine's weary stonework. "Seriously, though, what happened?"
Kensho grimaced- she'd been hoping, in vain, that the others would leave her alone, but managing to break schedule without some sort of ruthlessly excessive punishment was anything but inconspicuous. "It… well, there was a few things that came up, and-"
Kisoi gasped in exaggerated horror. "You're not- with him-"
"No! Nope! Not at all- the old man's… old!" She shuddered- as much as they were the best and brightest of their generation, the children of the shrine were still children. "Well, you know how I was assigned the room with the window? Well…" her voice trailed off into the sudden silence of wide eyes and shocked glances.
Kisoi's gaze locked onto the small russet fox that had jumped down beside them, only to start eating Kensho's rice, then back to an pale Kensho. "...that?"
"Yeah!" A flush of furious embarrassment swept across her at the sudden scrutiny she found herself under, from the newest students to the oldest. Even the seneschal eyed the fox warily as he rubbed the bandages on his left hand. "...that."