A Tale by Kagami:

Dawn begins with an eerie stillness, an empty silence that unnerves even the bravest of foxes. A dense fog clings to the ground as daylight peeks through the towering trees of the Shadowoods. The brisk, damp air surrounds a small skulk led by a fox with sharp features, bold coloring, and piercing red eyes. 

She murmurs a simple mantra — a reminder, a singular thought to dispel the apprehension and focus her mind. She summons every ounce of courage and leads the skulk deeper into the unknown, each step taking them closer to the rumored underworld of Perdita and further from the comfort of home than all but a few of them had ever been. 

“We are everything. We are everywhere. We are the conquering fire and light.” 

Months ago, Way of Human heard a faint, distant sound in the middle of the night. 

The sound stirred something primal within her, an insatiable curiosity that consumed her. What was it? Where was it? Could other foxes feel its pull? 

She sat curled under the stars with her nose tucked beneath her tail and one ear pointed skyward. Her mind replayed the sound over and over, dissecting each tone in search of a clue. She willed it to return, to reveal more of its foreign melody. 

As the warmth of the fire coaxed her to sleep, the crackle of its flames the only sound that kept her company, her mind drifted. Images of deep blue crested with white, coarse ground with flecks of black and brown flashed. The sound roused something deep within her unconscious bubbling up past the fog cloaking her conscious mind. 

She urged each fox of the skulk to investigate the distant sound. Her pleas turned into desperation, an exasperated cry that something was calling her, calling them to explore. 

“Are these woods a protector or an enclosure, a coop designed to confine us to the safety of the known?” her voice trembled slightly as her eyes darted from fox to fox searching for support.

“The trees are our home, the woods our protector!” an elder fox boomed, his voice shaking the leaves of nearby trees. “Our skulk is living proof that the Shadowoods are our means of survival.” 

“Survival.” she paused, gathering her thoughts. “Survival… Is that all we are destined for?

“What do you know of survival, kit?” another elder mused. “Return once you have reared your own and felt the weight of that responsibility!” 

“Does survival define our existence? Is rearing a skulk my only purpose? Are we not also responsible for paving a better future? One that may lie beyond these woods and exist in what we believe is the unknown?” she pleaded, hoping to appeal to members of the skulk. 

“The unknown? And what do you know of such things?” the elders cocked their heads and watched her. 

“There is a distant sound traveling through the woods in the dead of night. It shook something within me, unearthed a vision. No, not a vision but a memory? A place with…”

“Enough!” the elders exclaimed in unison, slamming their greying paws into the ground. “You know nothing of what you speak, young cub. We have heard your petition. Now return to your place.” 

The elders began to whisper warnings about the unknown, painting its appeal as a story used by a lost fox to seduce the naive and lead them away from the safety of the skulk. 

The allure of exploration, a deeper calling would ultimately condemn a fox to wander the Shadowoods and never return to the skulk. These whispers grew into rumors and the rumors became the truth — Way of Human was a fox born lost, destined to grasp at illusions and fixate on the unknown. 

Doubt crept into the mind of Way of Human. Was the voice screaming within her a manifestation of a fox born lost? Did her obsession exist only to lead foxes astray, away from the safety of the skulk? Determined to uncover the truth, she set off into the Shadowoods. 

She left at dawn and stumbled her way through the woods, leaving a fire to serve as a light to guide her home. She leapt over gnarled roots, pushed her way through prickly bushes, and climbed over jagged rocks following her intuition westward. She returned hours later with weathered paws and battered legs to rest and feed the dwindling flames of her fire. 

She did this day after day – always returning to her fire before the flames died.

Over time, younger foxes began to leave aloe, nuts, berries, and water while feeding her fire with broken twigs, roots, and moss. When the rest of the skulk slept, they would sneak away and sit by the flame awaiting her return. Though none dared accompany her into the Shadowoods, they were all captivated by her search. 

They gathered around the fire to hear Way of Human describe the sound, her visions, and the unknown within the Shadowoods. 

“The sound…the sound is like a summer breeze gliding through the leaves in these woods. A soothing, yet faint melody that lulls you into a state that unlocks something deep within your consciousness.” 

She closed her eyes and slowly inhaled while recalling her vision in as vivid detail as possible. 

“It awakened a memory of a place where your paws curl against the harsh heat, only to sink beneath the grainy exterior to a cooler, hidden layer. The surface glistens in the light of the sun, forcing your eyes to squint and adjust.”

Her eyes opened to a captivated audience. A tinge of regret and worry seeped into her thoughts. After months of searching, she was weary of her mind and the true nature of her destiny.

“Is this my destiny to be a lost fox? Is my mind consumed by an illusion masquerading as a memory? Every day I explore the Shadowoods and return empty-pawed, doubt creeps further into my mind.” 

She paused as the weight of her thoughts set in.

“Maybe you’ll tell your kin about me, about my misfortune to succumb to the calling of the unknown.”

At the break of dawn, the young foxes scampered back to the skulk while she left again to push further into the wild western regions of the Shadowoods.

As she ventured further into the Shadowoods, she discovered the occasional strange marking and scent. Trees bore scars — sharp marks that revealed the pale flesh beneath their bark. When she placed her paw against them and extended her claws, they were a perfect match. 

There was one scent that stood out from the earthy tones of the woods; it was distinctly salty with faintly familiar notes that reminded her of the skulk. Her nose twitched as she pointed it directly in the air and took short breaths in quick succession. 

She bounded through the woods, her claws digging deep into the earth as she recklessly darted between trees and lept over rocks and roots. The scent was close. She could taste a tinge of salt in her lungs. This was it. This was what she had been searching for all these months. 

She ran heedlessly, pushing further than she’d ever dared before, the memory of her fire and her skulk temporarily erased from her mind.  There was only forward. No energy could be spared.  She had to know.  Was she insane?

Then, everything turned white. Her legs tangled as exhaustion seized her, sending her plunging nose-first into a hot, gravelly surface. 

She blinked and blinked, jettisoning the small, abrasive granules from her eyes. Squinting ahead, her vision slowly returned. 

That’s when she saw it: a body of deep blue crested with white that glistened in the sunshine. It stretched further than her mind could comprehend. Her nose twitched. The scent was right in front of her. Before she could turn her head, she heard a voice. 

“Are you searching for it?” 

She nodded. 

“We are searching for it, too” 

“We?” 

The strange newcomer paused, gathering her thoughts before reciting, “We are everything. We are everywhere. We are the conquering fire and light.” 

The fox turned and trotted away. Its paw prints left slight indents in the sand, the only trace of another fox in the unknown. The fox stopped and peered back at Way of Human briefly before continuing on.