The Heart of a Fox

by T. Isilwath

  “Yoshi.”

  “Doushite?” he asked and looked away.

  “Akihiro wa inu dewa nai.” He gasped, then swallowed hard, nodding. “Wakatta. Demo… Ore wa kitsune da.” She paused, gave him an amused smile, and tugged lightly on one of his ears. He flicked it out of her grasp, but she gave it a rub anyway.

  “Hontou ni?” she teased.

  Laughing lightly, she started forward then reached back and grabbed his arm when he lagged behind, pulling him up to walk beside her.

  “Doushite konna kotowo shiteiru no?” he asked carefully, his voice soft and uncertain.

  “Akihiro, watashi no tomodachi,” she replied simply.

  “Ore? Kimi no tomodachi mo?” he gasped, stopping in his tracks.

  She stopped as well and turned to face him. “Hai.” He stared at her for a long time, his cheeks slightly flushed, then lowered his eyes. “Arigatou.”

  She smiled and lightly rubbed his forearm. “Ikouze.”

  “Un,” he agreed.

  Together they began walking side-by-side back to the camp. They were silent, but it was a comfortable quiet so Joanna didn’t mind the lack of conversation-stilted and broken as it was between them.

  She sensed the trees’ unease a short time later and halted along the trail.

  :Danger,: they warned. Beside her, Akihiro tensed and sniffed the air.

  “Johrannah-sama…” he whispered, his voice full of caution.

  The unmistakable sense of Other rolled over her awareness, thick and heavy like an oil spill and about as pleasant, and the sensation almost made her nauseous. Whatever it was, it was between them and the camp, and they would have to either go past or around it in order to get home.

  “Youkai,” he said harshly.

  “Wakatta,” she replied.

  She didn’t have the words to tell him that she sensed it too, but he seemed to know that she did. She found it amusing that the both of them were trying to assume the protective position over the other. His hand came down on her shoulder, warning and restraining at the same time, and she protested silently.

  The same hand grabbed her arm and urgently pulled her off the trail.

  “Kochi,” he whispered harshly, his voice edged with worry. She went willingly, trusting his superior senses and speed to keep them safe. He knew this forest better than she did, and he knew the Others better as well. If he thought running was the best course of action, then she wasn’t about to argue with him. He led her back to the marshlands where they had hunted the ducks and urged her into the swampy water, forging a narrow path through the heavy reeds and knee-deep muck. She worried that she would have to let go of the ducks because their scent might draw unwanted attention, but when she went to dump them into the water, Akihiro stopped her.

  “Dame da. Ore-tachi no tabemono,” he said in a fierce whisper.

  “Okay,” she answered in English because she was distracted, and he cocked an ear at her.

  “Nani?”

  “Ii yo,” she amended.

  He nodded and took her down a stream, hurrying her along and causing her to struggle not to slip on the slick rocks in the dim light. He kept going until he found a Sugi. It wasn’t as big as the cedars of their grove, but it was big enough. Much to her surprise, he grabbed her around the waist and leaped up into the high branches without so much as the blink of an eye.

  ‘Wow. He’s… he’s strong too…’ she realized as he took them higher and higher into the tree.

  He stopped when they cleared the canopy and wedged them both onto the same branch. She tied the ducks to the closest limb and tried to settle against the trunk, but Akihiro was in the way. He put his arms around her and pulled her close to his body, pressing them both tightly against the tree.

  “Akihiro. Hara no kizu wa,” she warned, not wanting him to hurt himself.

 

  “Ore wa shimpai janai,” he answered.

  “Demo…”

  He shook his head and shushed. “Urusai. Kuru ze.”

  She understood that he wasn’t trying to be rude so she didn’t take offense at his command.

  ‘He’s scared,’ she realized, feeling his breath against her neck.

  She tried to soothe him by rubbing his leg in small circles with her fingers.

  He responded by tightening his grip a little, but otherwise they stayed silent.

  From their high place, she could easily see the full moon rising above the horizon and the stars coming out to twinkle in the cloudless sky. She gazed up at the moon and reached outward to touch the tree with her mind.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said.

  The cedar responded with a wave of welcome and peace. It was not afraid of whatever crashed in the forest below, and she had an idea that Akihiro had chosen the cedar because its strong scent would help to mask theirs. The feeling of Other got closer, and she could hear something very large moving somewhere underneath them. It grunted as it lumbered along, and Akihiro pressed them even closer to the tree. A moment later there was more crashing and the sense of Other increased as more noise came from the opposite direction.

  ‘There’s two,’ she realized.

  “Kuso,” Akihiro whispered hoarsely.

  “Un,” she agreed.

  At first she thought the two were hunting together, but then a great bellow shook the forest and she dared to hope that they were enemies instead. If the two things ended up fighting, it would be easier for them to slip away unnoticed. Akihiro relaxed a little as the challenge was issued, and she guessed that he had come to the same conclusion.

  The first bellow was answered with a roar, and the sound of two large bodies rushing towards each other echoed below them. There was a tremendous crash as the two collided, followed by snarling, growling and the telltale noise of a struggle. She flinched when she heard the cracking of wood and a nearby tree toppled over. Akihiro shuddered as the two creatures hit another tree closer to the cedar where they were hiding.

  ‘We’ve got to get out of here,’ she decided.

  Gently, she pried his arms from around her waist and reached for the hanging ducks.

  “Iie,” he protested, his voice barely above a whisper.

  “Ikite,” she replied.

  “Iie. Buji ja nai.”

  “Daijoubu. Hayaku.”

  It looked like he was going to balk, but she grabbed the ducks and started down the trunk. The two Others were close-by, but she still couldn’t see them.

  Their fight shook the forest and two more trees fell. As she got closer to the ground, she smelled a terrible stench and pulled her jerkin over her nose.

  ‘Gods what is that?’ she wondered, trying not to vomit.

  Akihiro landed on the branch behind her.

  “Kusee,” she heard him say.

  “Hai,” she heartily agreed.

  His hand grabbed her, pulling her to his body, and he wrapped one arm around her waist.

  “Kochi.”

  She felt his muscles tensing and had enough time to grab his shoulders before he jumped. A cry of alarm died in her throat as he sailed from the cedar they had been hiding in to the tree next to it. His leap was flawless, and he landed on an adjacent branch, but she didn’t have any time to breathe before he jumped again. Her stomach bottomed out as they fell, and she was certain that they were going to hit the ground when his body twisted and he grabbed another branch. He pulled them close to the trunk of the tree and grew still, his body taut. She could feel him breathing heavily, and she clung to his back, digging her fingers into his shoulders as she waited for him to move.
>
  They were low enough for her to see the creatures now and her heart started pounding. Both were huge, hulking beasts, but one looked like a reptile, all scales and deadly claws, while the other had thick, black fur and closely resembled a large bear. They were striking at each other and blood was splattered everywhere. Some of the blood was caustic because it corroded whatever it touched.

  ‘I don’t know what they are. I don’t want to know what they are. I just want to get the hell out of here.’

  She reached for a branch to get her balance, but it broke with a loud snap.

  “Crap!” she cursed.

  The reptile beast heard the noise and swiveled its huge, tooth-filled head her way. She froze, hoping that they wouldn’t be seen because they were still in the tree, but her hopes were in vain. The creature let out a shriek and charged.

  “Chikushou!” Akihiro growled.

  A number of options ran through her head as the beast got closer and closer. She quickly cataloged what weapons she had with her, and tried to figure out what they could do that might give them a chance of escaping with their lives. Her gaze focused on the monster’s huge, bulbous eyes and an idea formed in her head. Quickly she grabbed a dagger from her leg sheath and threw it. She had only a heartbeat to sight and aim before she let the lightweight weapon fly.

  All the lessons Michael had ever given her on how to throw a knife con-densed into one decisive moment as the dagger flipped over and lodged itself unerringly right in one of the reptile creature’s large eyes. It screamed and halted its charge to scratch at the knife, gouging its own flesh with its claws.

  “Sugoi…” she heard Akihiro breathe behind her. The bear beast took advantage of its opponent’s injury and attacked. With the reptile monster fighting for its life, their presence was forgotten, and Akihiro grabbed her again, taking another leap. He landed on the ground and ran, carrying her with him, and she found herself slung halfway across his back as he raced through the forest.

  Once the initial shock and rush of adrenaline wore off, she dug her fingers into his shoulder and called him to a halt.

  “Akihiro! Yameru!”

  He stopped immediately and she hopped down to her feet, huffing as she tried to catch her breath. Akihiro was breathing hard as well, but he was standing at attention, his eyes wide and his ears straight up, listening for any sounds of pursuit. She faced the direction they had come from, using her own meager senses to see if the danger had passed. She also took a minute to survey their surroundings and determine where they were. In the short time that he had carried her, he had covered an amazing amount of ground, and they were now more than halfway back to camp.

  Still trembling, they waited for several anxious moments before she decided that they hadn’t been followed. She looked down at her hand and saw that she still had the ducks, but lamented the loss of one of her daggers.

  ‘Crap. Maybe I can get it back later. But first things first…’

  “Akihiro, Hara no kizu wa?” she asked.

  “Eh?” he replied, his ears twitching, then seemed to understand her question because he placed one hand over his stitches. “Daijoubu.” She nodded. “Yoshi.”

  They waited a little longer, then Akihiro gave her a nod, and they began to walk the rest of the way back. Much to her delight, he did not fall behind, but stayed beside her as they traveled down the path. Now that her heart had stopped pounding, she looked at him and gave him a nervous smile.

  ‘Nothing like a shared near death experience to bring people closer together, ’ she mused darkly.

  He looked back at her and smiled softly, his eyes tentative and hopeful.

  “Sugoi,” he said, pantomiming her dagger throw. She let out a deep breath. “Nan demo nai.”

  “Nani?” he blurted in disbelief.

  She shrugged. “Kakko yokatta mo.”

  “Eh? Joudan de shou.”

  “Iie. Tsuyoi shi. Hayai mo.”

  “Ore ja nai no. Ore wa yowai.”

  “Sonna. Uso da.”

  “Uso ja nai wa yo. Ore wa hanyou nan da.”

  “Nani yo? Tasukete moratta ja nai?”

  He swallowed and nodded.

  “Sore ga daiji na,” she insisted. “Kaeri-mashou.”

  He lowered his ears and didn’t argue with her, but she could see the shadows behind his eyes.

  ‘He thinks I’m upset with him. I’ll have to reassure him that I’m not.’

  She was actually very impressed. Despite the obvious danger they were in, and despite the fact that he could have gotten away a lot faster by just running off, at no time did he leave her side. The idea of abandoning her hadn’t even seemed to cross his mind. From the moment they sensed the threat, he had taken control and sought to guide her to safety. Gone was the shrinking, cowering, little fox, to be replaced by a determined protector who did his best to keep them both safe. It was only afterwards, when they were out of danger, that his countenance fell and he was timid again. It proved to her that he could rise to the occasion and be a leader, but only when he had no real choice in the matter.

  By the time they had made it back to camp, her leather leggings were stiffening up with mud from the marsh. The very bottom of the leggings and her boots were soaked, but the mud had been washed off when they went wading in the stream. Her first order of business was to get out of her dirty leathers and go take a bath. She would also take the ducks with her and field dress them.

  Since there was no way she was going into her shelter still dressed in the filthy clothes, she pulled the jerkin over her head and dropped the leggings off, hanging them both up on the rope clothesline while her companion got a fire going. When she turned around she was faced with a stunned Akihiro. His eyes were as wide as saucers as he stared at her in mute shock, his hands frozen in mid-fire preparation. She looked down at herself, wondering what it was that had him so pole axed. By her standards, she was fully covered in her bike shorts and sport bra, but she realized that she must look indecent to him.

  ‘Ooops.’

  Akihiro abruptly came out of his paralysis, flushed beet red, and fumbled with the tinder in his hands. He ended up dropping it as he whirled around to put his back to her.

  “Sumimasen!” he apologized.

  “Sorede yoroshii desu,” she assured him. He seemed to curl into himself with his shoulders hunched up and his ears drooped, so she went over to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, frowning as he cringed and brought one arm up to protect his face as if he expected to be punished for peeping. She attempted to soothe him by petting his ears until he relaxed a little bit.

  “Ofuro ni hairu,” she said softly. He nodded that he understood. “Un.” She gave him a pat then quietly went into her hollow to get her toiletries bag and a set of clean clothes. She also pulled out her dressing robe and put it on for Akihiro’s comfort. The robe was made of satin and had white lotus flowers on a dark blue background. Michael had given it to her for her birthday last year and slipping it on gave rise to mixed feelings.

  While she was in the hollow, she remembered that Akihiro’s pants were also covered in mud so she searched through her store of scrounged clothing until she found a pair of trousers she thought might fit him and brought them out with her. He’d lit a small fire and was sitting beside it, his face illuminated by the warm light. He looked up at her when she approached him, and she saw him look her over. It was the first time he’d seen her in anything that remotely resembled a kimono, and he seemed perplexed by it.

  “Yukata?” he asked.

  “Ma-na.”

  “Sou ka.
”

  She handed him the clean trousers.

  “Nanda kore?” he questioned, looking at the clothing.

  “Fuku,” she explained, then pointed to his muddy pants. “Yo-koshite kudasai.” He stared at her for a few moments, then nodded so she turned her back and waited for him to change. She heard the rustling of fabric, then a telltale rip, and realized that he must have needed to tear an opening in the pants for his tail.

  “Un,” he said and she knew he was ready.

  She turned around and picked up the muddy clothing. “Arigatou. Sugu kaette kuru.”

  “Un.”

  Giving him a final smile, she took her bathing items, supplies to replace her insulin pump infusion set, his pants, and the ducks down to the stream. She cleaned the ducks first because they were the messiest job and saved the gizzards. Then she washed Akihiro’s muddy trousers and draped them across a rock to damp dry while she bathed. One of the things she missed the most about the modern age was hot water, and she desperately wished she’d been able to find one of Japan’s many hot springs.

  ‘I’ll have to ask Akihiro if he knows of one nearby.’

  She scrubbed her hair and cleaned the mud out from underneath her nails, then she changed the infusion set and checked the insulin level in her pump.

  She had been stretching her insulin supply by reusing the cannula so as not to waste any insulin that was in the tubing. Technically, she wasn’t supposed to do that, but there were precious units of insulin in the tubing that she couldn’t afford to lose, and so far she wasn’t suffering any negative effects from reusing the tube.

  Everything looked good, and she didn’t see any signs of infection or irritation at the entry point. Once she was finished, she dried herself off with a towel, adhered her pump back to her abdomen, and dressed in the clean set of underwear, sweat pants, sweatshirt, and flip flops she had brought down to the stream with her. By the time she returned to camp, Akihiro had a merry fire going, and he’d put the fire grate on the rocks in anticipation of her cooking dinner.