As the memories finally stopped flooding her mind, Miko started to sniffle.
"I thought you said we will be together forever, but I didn't know forever had an end... Am I really too selfish? I'm sorry...."
After her hour long crying session, Miko did not know who to turn to anymore. She felt as if she did not deserve her friends, and even though it was lunchtime, she felt too depressed to eat. It was not a big deal actually, since in her prime, she could go about six weeks without food. However, with her current strength and physique, she probably could not last more than four weeks. Miko turned to leave, wondering how badly did she mess up her life right now.
Once Miko had travelled further east from the lake, far enough from the village to see nobody comming by, she transformed into her fox form. Firstly, she was much stronger this way, and she could reach her destination quicker. She ran into the forest, covered by the foilage and the leaves, she felt much safer and at home. After all, she was a fox and this was where she grew up. Miko felt a little upset and annoyed she could not run as fast as before. Her stamina had also depleted much faster. Reminding herself that this was her choice, she quickly stopped complaining and sat on a tree branch to take a break. Many different beasts lived in the forest, and it was animal instinct to not stick too close to the ground as you would be more susceptible to being attacked. It was also a habit that had been instilled since young, so she hopped onto the tree branch without a second thought.
After a few minutes of rest and having recovered her stamina, Miko jumped off to continue her journey. Just as she landed on the ground, she heard the rustling of leaves followed by footsteps.
"Brother look! A fox! Its quite pretty, we can spare her and keep her as a pet!" A young girl of about nineteen years of age exclaimed to her brother, which seemed to be of similar age to her. Even though with the loss of power, Miko still remained more beautiful than most of the other foxes. This beauty was natural, although it can be improved. For example, through cultivation, one can purify their body, expelling toxins and making their skin appear clearer and lighter. Since Miko's power was taken, there was nothing to purify and expel the toxins in her during the years she was asleep, causing her fur to dull.
The young girl lept up and tried to catch Miko, to which Miko jumped back and dodged. The only reason she had not yet turned to flee with her tail tucked between her legs was because she was trying to evaluate their cultivation. Afterall, most ordinary humans would not come here powerless. If they were weaker than her, she would try to steal a portion of their cultivation to aid her own, and if not, she would definitely escape. However, as her power was weaker now, it took her longer to identify their cultivation level.
"Haha sister! Calm down! The beast here are much more sentient and powerful then normal forests. If you jump too quickly, you might scare them. They are more suspicious of us than the normal wild beasts." What the young boy said was true of course, as this was no ordinary forest. It was enchanted. The beasts here are more intelligent and wary.
"Oh look! Maybe that one seems to like you. It hasn't ran yet." The young boy smiled. He seems to have mistaken Miko's evaluation for obedience and her favour.
"Awwhhhh! Come here!" The young girl screamed and went to grab Miko, hugging her very tightly in her arms, squeezing her against her chest. Miko snapped out of her trance, partially because she was being squeezed half to death, she was still wary of them, and she had managed to finally evaluate them both as third stage or foundation building cultivators. Honestly, Miko didn't mind being hugged like that that bad as it was barely tolerable, but what she heard next really made her blood boil.
"I will keep you in my residence, where I will keep you as a pet! You're so pretty! Everyone will love to come see you! I will also have maids come take care of you and give you a boyfriend where you can have cubs with! Then, you can raise them and I can sell them. That way, father can never threaten me with allowance anymore since I have my own income!" The girl exclaimed. Miko furrowed her eyes at this. First, she is treated like just an object, not even taken care of by the girl at hand, just some maids. Secondly, she already has someone to she would want to spend her life with, and did not want to be confined in a residence or whatever or another boyfriend other than Takei. What made her mad the most was the fact that the girl was only using her as a symbol to her status, and breeding her for money. What was she, a pup milling machine?! Angered by this comment, Miko struggled to get out of the girl's embrace, to which the girl though was a symbol of affection and that Miko was trying to snuggle with her. She just hugged Miko tighter. Miko was really mad and annoyed at this point, so she managed to wiggle free her front leg and swipe her claws across the girl's face.