(POV change)
Mae looked up towards the sky.
Not long ago, the human that had been occupying her land for the last 6 months had walked away on an assignment. Though she didn't worry about him and the panthers at first, the culmination of the disciples gathering on the edge of The Depths, the abnormal spirit beast, and the man slinking his way through the forest who was much stronger than he should be made her worried.
She, as caretaker of The Depths had an adept control over nature. This forest was her territory and, as such, not even Illus could beat her when it came to detection here. She had sent Illus because she sensed the spirit beast was strong and abnormal so she figured the combination of the panthers and Illus would be for the best, but now they were splitting off from one another. It was just bad timing that the outer court test was taking place, something she didn't expect.
Though, she was a bit concerned. It was evident to her that there was foul play involved with the making of that creature. An evil cultivator was probably behind it. That's what she told herself. However, she couldn't help but think about the Blood Sect. The absolute evil in the cultivation world and the reason why so many people could not even attempt to get past the 7th Heaven. They operated on all fronts. She didn't expect them to be involved here so she didn't think about it too much, it was probably just a run of the mill evil cultivator. They were pretty common.
Unfortunately, she couldn't get involved. The only reason she was able to be here, in the First Heaven, was under the condition that she couldn't use any of her power. In reality, she was the caretaker or, as most liked to call her, the mother of the Depths. She had been alive for a long time and had nurtured many spirit beasts in her lifetime, giving her that moniker. She took care of The Depths, and would periodically pass through each Heaven to check on things, though in most she couldn't actually do anything if there was a problem. At least, she couldn't exert her power.
Mae had long since reached a certain point in the cultivation world. She was strong, but, unlike cultivators who used their ambition, she, as a kitsune and spirit beast, used her instincts. For her, her maternal instinct had always prevailed rather than things such as pride or lust that people often followed. She wanted to take care of and pamper the ones she favored, raise them to become strong and be her children. She loved them, that was for sure.
*Flashback*
Mae thought back to when she first met Illus. She was passing through the 1st Heaven on a routine checkup when she was informed that their was a cultivator in her valley. She had worried about the occupants, assuming the worst, but, to her surprise, the cultivator did nothing. He just sat there.
She observed him for a while. He was relatively new to the cultivation world, as she could see due to her far superior cultivation base, and she expected him to tense and worried. All cultivators know that power is everything, and being weak was a major source of stress, but, contrary to her opinions, it was exactly the opposite. The cultivator never opened his eyes, he just sat there. He gave off a relaxing aura, despite being threatened by Ost, who was currently growling at him.
So... she approached him.
As she walked up, he stirred. He cocked his head a the edge of his lip lazily turned up.
"A fox milf?" he muttered, something that did not escape her ears.
"Ara ara~, is that what people think of me?"
Illus had snorted and shrugged.
"Just my opinion on your appearance, nothing more. I'm sure you hold your opinion on mine, as well."
Indeed, she had noticed his raggedy appearance. Dressed loosely in cultivator robes, he wore a wide brimmed straw hat. His visage would most certainly be described as handsome, but not fancy. He had patches of stubble and long, raggedy gray hair that lay behind his head. He was certainly... different from the cultivators she had met.
"So... why have you come here?" he asked.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that question?" she returned, but as she did his eyebrows shifted.
"What do you mean why, the spirit energy is quite good here. As for my purpose here, I am simply existing, nothing more."
"Existing?"
"Indeed. Existing. That is all I am doing and all I want to do. Well, I guess I am cultivating. I'm trying to figure out if I can lay down and cultivate with similar efficiency. This whole 'lotus position' bullshit is annoying me. Puts me in a mood, if you will."
Mae frowned, not in annoyance, but in confusion. She was having trouble understanding him. She had interacted with many different humans in the past, but she had never gotten close. They were, all too... consumed. Consumed in whatever desire that drove them and consumed in preserving their own life. Seeing this man here completely unafraid, despite an unknown being walking up to him, was strange. She could clearly tell that he recently started cultivating, he should be stressing about cultivating and getting stronger, not trying to figure out if he could cultivate laying down.
"Oi."
"What?" Mae commented, slightly startled from getting shaken out of her thoughts. She looked at him, but noticed that he was not looking at her, but rather past her, his expression slightly excited. She knew what was coming, she had experienced similar things from the other cultivators in the past.
"Can I touch your tail?"
Mae sighed internally. This was a common occurrence. Her nine tails swayed behind her. Like her hair and ears, they were grass green. They possessed a layer of fluff not commonly seen and were an insatiable desire for many. It annoyed her to no end the lengths some were willing to go to try to touch her tails. They always put up a fight.
"No."
"Okay."
Expecting an argument or confirmation, Mae was a bit shocked. She had never met a cultivator who just took that lying down or without ulterior motives, but this man actually agreed. She could tell he didn't care. As soon as she said no, his expression turned uninterested and he just went back to normal like he had never been excited or had the desire in the first place.
"Interesting." she whispered.
"Hmm?"
"It's nothing."
"No, I heard you, I just don't know what you mean."
Surprised again, she smiled.
"What's your name?"
"Illus. You?"
Her smile grew more as she answered.
"Mae."
She walked away, back to where Ost and the shadow panthers were observing. The panthers hid in the forest, their sleek black fur giving them cover in the shadows of the trees, the only evidence of them being their shining green eyes.
"So?"
Ost asked, seeing her smile.
"He asked for my name."
Ost and the shadow panthers, previously just listening in, widened their eyes in shock. Cultivators viewed them as resources and, as such, did not even bother to consider they might have names, even for Mae who was currently transformed into her human form.
"I think we'll be just fine."
*End Flashback*
Mae smiled at her memory of their first meeting. Since then, she had decided to stay in the 1st Heaven for the time being and observe. Soon, he was interacting with the Ost and the panthers, who were curious, without trouble. He had wormed his way into the valley and now, it felt unnatural for him to not be there. Mae and Shade, in particular, had become fond of him. Shade because she had found a kindred spirit and Mae because she had never met anyone like him before. And she liked it. He was an ideal for someone who liked to pamper people and who's greatest desire was for spirit beasts and cultivators to stand on equal ground.
She saw his respect and had come to view him differently because of it. She wanted to help him reach his goal, no matter how odd it was compared to most. This was a story of the first human to ever become a "child" of the one known as Mother Nature throughout all 9 Heavens, first gained her favor.
Mae chuckled, and turned her eyes towards the Illus's direction. She hoped nothing bad would happen, but she couldn't help but worry. She didn't want him to change, as all her children had, seemingly inevitably, done. She didn't want him to get hurt, but she couldn't help but feel that something was about to happen. Something that would start to change the course of both The Heavens and the lazy man she had come to care for.