Chapter 2 The Black Fox
ARC I THE ROAD OF SHADOWS
The fox first appeared three days after they left Nebelheim. Nobody noticed it. Except Kev. The small black cat sat atop Moon's palanquin, lazily grooming a paw while the group traveled through a valley of silver grass. Then he froze. Golden eyes narrowing. Far away atop a rocky hill stood a fox. Its fur was black. Not dark brown. Not gray. Black. So black it seemed to absorb the sunlight around it.The creature simply watched them. Silent. Motionless. Its eyes gleamed silver. Kev stared. The fox stared back. Several moments passed. Then the fox turned and disappeared behind the hill.
Kev frowned.
"Odd."
The cat returned to grooming himself. But for the rest of the day he remained unusually quiet. That night he mentioned it to Moon. The ancient god sat within his palanquin beneath a canopy of moonlight while hundreds of tiny fairies carried the shrine through the sky. Their dragonfly-like wings shimmered silver.
"What kind of fox?" Moon asked.
"Black."
Moon's hand paused. Only briefly. Then continued brushing his long hair.
"I see."
Kev immediately noticed.
"You know something."
Moon smiled.
"No."
"You absolutely know something."
Moon resumed brushing his hair. The conversation ended. Kev hated when that happened.
The next day the fox appeared again. This time Toivo noticed it. The group had stopped beside a stream while Gret forced Toivo through another brutal training session.
"Again."
CLANG.
"Again."
CLANG.
"Again."
Toivo collapsed into the dirt.
"I think I'm dying."
"No."
Gret crossed his arms.
"You still have enough strength left to complain."
Before Toivo could answer, movement caught his eye. Across the stream. Standing between two trees. The fox. Watching. Its silver eyes never blinked.
Toivo frowned.
"That's strange."
Gret followed his gaze.
The giant warrior immediately straightened. Every instinct sharpened.Hunters recognized hunters. The fox felt wrong. Not dangerous. Not yet. But wrong. The creature stared for several moments. Then vanished. Not ran. Not hid. Vanished. Like smoke blown away by wind.
Gret's hand tightened around his greataxe.
"You see that?"
Toivo nodded.
"Yeah."
Kev appeared beside them. The cat's tail twitched.
"Second time."
Both warriors looked at him.
"You've seen it before?"
"Yesterday."
Gret's eyes narrowed.
"What is it?"
Kev glanced toward Moon. The child-sized god sat beneath a tree reading a scroll. Apparently uninterested.
Kev looked back.
"Good question."
By the end of the week everyone had seen the fox. Morning. Evening. Rain. Sunshine. The creature always appeared. Always watching. Never approaching. Never attacking. Never leaving. It stood upon distant hills. Sat atop ruined walls. Watched from forest edges. Appeared in reflections. Sometimes Toivo thought he saw it walking beside them in the fog. Then it would be gone. The strange thing was that nobody could find its tracks. Not even Gret. And Gret could track wolves through a blizzard.
One evening he spent nearly an hour examining the ground where the fox had stood. Nothing. No pawprints. No scent. Nothing.
The giant warrior rose slowly.
"I don't like this."
"That's because you're sensible," Kev said.
Toivo folded his arms.
"Maybe it's just a fox."
Both Gret and Kev stared at him.
Toivo sighed.
"Right."
"Not just a fox."
The atmosphere gradually changed. The road remained peaceful. No monsters attacked. No bandits appeared. No disasters occurred. Yet tension slowly crept into the group. Like a storm approaching from beyond the horizon. Even the marble horses seemed uneasy. Several times the magical creatures stopped walking and stared toward distant forests. The white golems carrying Moon's palanquin occasionally turned their heads toward empty hillsides. As though sensing something. Or someone. Watching. Always watching. The answers should have come from Moon. Instead he became more mysterious. One evening Toivo finally asked directly. The group sat around a campfire beneath a sky filled with stars. Moon looked older now. Night had restored his true form. Long black hair flowed like silk across his shoulders. Jet black eyes that turn Silver eyes reflected firelight. The fairies danced lazily through the air around him.
Toivo pointed into the darkness.
"The fox."
Moon looked up.
"What about it?"
"You know something."
"No."
"Moon."
The god smiled.
Toivo groaned.
"That smile means yes."
"It doesn't."
"It absolutely does."
Gret nodded.
"It does."
Kev nodded harder.
"It really does."
Moon looked mildly betrayed.
The others stared.
Finally the ancient god sighed.
"The fox isn't dangerous."
"That's not an answer," Gret said.
"It is."
"No."
Moon smiled again.
An infuriatingly calm smile.
"The fox isn't dangerous."
Kev buried his face in his paws.
"I hate talking to immortals."
Moon looked pleased with himself.
Which somehow made it worse.
Several nights later Toivo woke unexpectedly. The camp was silent. The fire had nearly died. Gret slept nearby. Kev lay curled atop Moon's blankets in cat form. The fairies floated gently above the camp. Everything seemed peaceful. Then Toivo saw movement. At the edge of the forest. The fox. Closer than ever before. Standing between the trees. Watching. Silver eyes glowing softly. The creature wasn't looking at Toivo. Or Gret. Or Kev. It was staring directly at Moon. Moon sat awake. Already watching it. Neither moved. Neither spoke. For several moments they simply stared at one another. An ancient god. And a black fox. Then something strange happened. The fox lowered its head. Almost like a bow. Moon's expression softened. Only slightly. Then the fox vanished into darkness. Gone.
Toivo sat upright.
"What was that?"
Moon looked toward him. His black eyes changed into silver. The silver-eyed god was silent for a long moment. Then he spoke softly.
"A warning."
Toivo froze. Before he could ask another question, Moon lay down again. The conversation was over. But sleep did not return easily that night. Because somewhere beyond the darkness Something was coming. And the black fox had already seen it.
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