'Huh, why are you glowing?', one of the skippers asked the mysterious young woman who had boarded their ship before they left China.
'I do not know, must be something in the air, she said in a warm comforting voice, then proceeded to cover her face with her shawl.
'I guess you right.' the young naïve skipper said , handing her the food and backing up.
'Thank you.' she said
And started hammering away at the meal, eating the chicken drum sticks with bone and all, the young skipper was left awe-struck by how such a beautiful woman, could eat in such a monstrous manner, he took a few steps, her skin was pale, yet beautiful, her blue eyes shone through the hair covering her face, captivating beauty indeed but unnatural and divine, could the rumours upstairs be true, could she be…
'Ahh, it seems, I had forgot to get you something to drink, I will go get it soon.'
'Mhmmm', these are the only words she could muster during her intense labour, of supply herself with nutrients.
He slipped away and brought a bowl of water and placed it cleverly next to her, on the floor, knowing that she would have to look straight into the bowl in when she picks it up and there is enough light from the torch to see clearly, even if she is wearing a cloak.
She soon took a break her disembowelling and decided the to have a drink, she bent down and froze at the instance of her reflection, looked up at the skipper, who was not terrified but rather mesmerised by the reflection of the snow white fox in the water but soon that all changed when his human tendencies kicked in, and the only words the woman could muster up was.
'Shimata.'
He backed up slowly repeating the words 'Kitsune….ki…kistune…kistune!', he scream and ran to the dock.
'Ha, I though he might have been different, gosh, I am totally going to have to fight my way out, pity, I did not have enough time to suck all his spirt energy.'
Not long after her source of food ran out screaming, the entire most of the crew rushed down to the lower deck, armed with their swords pitch forks, torches an bow and arrows.
'What is it you want here you evil spirt, do not think we suffer the same fate as the Shang empire, we will end you here!.', Captain Soto said.
The fox-woman's ears twitched, her voice a blend of silk and steel. "I've harmed none of your crew. Why such hostility?"
A grizzled skipper stepped forward, his face etched with lines of fear and anger. "Because you're Su Da Ji! Pure evil incarnate!"
She sighed, a sound both weary and dangerous. "Nature decreed my form, not my choices. I am what I am."
Captain Soto's knuckles whitened on his sword hilt. "Evil is evil, regardless of its source. It must be vanquished!"
The kitsune's eyes flashed, nine spectral tails materializing behind her. "If you insist on this folly, remember my warning: not all of you will survive the night."
With fluid grace, she cast aside her shawl. The air crackled with otherworldly energy as a low, menacing growl rumbled from her throat.
Captain Soto took a hesitant step forward, his resolve visibly wavering.
The fox-woman's lips curled into a predatory smirk. She spread her arms wide, an invitation and a challenge. "Well? What are you waiting for?"
For a heartbeat, silence reigned. Then, Captain Soto's voice shattered the tension:
"ATTACK!"
The hold exploded into a frenzy of blood and steel. The kitsune moved with supernatural speed, her delicate hands now lethal weapons. She plunged her fingers through a skipper's chest, the sickening crunch of bone drowned out by his final, gurgling scream. Another fell, throat torn open in a spray of crimson.
Her face contorted, vulpine features emerging as she lunged at Captain Soto. Razor-sharp teeth flashed, and his head tumbled to the deck. But in her bloodlust, she'd grown careless.
White-hot pain erupted in her side. The young deckhand, eyes wide with terror and determination, had driven his pitchfork deep into her ribs. The kitsune whirled, her eyes blazing with fury. She inhaled sharply, cheeks puffing out, and released a gust of scorching wind. The boy's scream was cut short as his head simply... vanished.
Panting, the fox-woman assessed her wound. "This is bad," she hissed. "Time to embrace my true form."
In a shimmer of fox-fire, she transformed. Where the woman had stood, a snow-white fox now crouched, her multiple tails swishing anxiously. She darted up the stairs, paws barely touching the wood.
On deck, chaos reigned. More crew members spotted her, nocking flaming arrows to their bows. The air filled with the hiss of burning projectiles as she weaved and dodged.
A wicked gleam entered the fox's eyes. "Fools," She thought. "Fire is my element!"
Inhaling deeply, she drew the flames toward her. The fires swirled, coalescing into a massive, roiling sphere of destruction. With a triumphant yip, she released it.
The fireball exploded across the deck. Men screamed, diving for cover as wood splintered and sails ignited. In the mayhem, the fox leaped over the railing, plunging into the storm-tossed sea below.
Dawn broke over an unfamiliar shore. The kitsune, back in human form, stumbled from the surf. Her wound throbbed, her strength ebbing with each labored breath. The rising sun promised exposure and danger; she needed shelter.
Summoning her last reserves of energy, she limped into the dense forest. The trees loomed ominously, shadows seeming to reach for her with grasping fingers. Suddenly, something seized her from behind.
Too weak to fight, too drained to even cry out, the kitsune felt herself being carried deeper into the woods. As consciousness slipped away, a final, chilling thought crossed her mind:
Had she escaped one threat only to fall prey to something far worse?
The acrid taste of fear coated her tongue as consciousness slammed into her. Fragments of the past day flickered through her mind like a broken film reel, but the crucial pieces remained frustratingly out of reach. Her body screamed in protest as she stirred, each movement revealing new constellations of pain across her skin.
Deep within, her vulpine alter ego snarled, hackles raised against the alien environment. Teeth bared, she fought to orient herself in the oppressive darkness. As her eyes adjusted, the walls of a deep ditch materialized around her, its sides stretching upward like the maw of some earth-born predator.
The full moon hung low and bloated in the sky, its sickly light transforming the world into a monochrome nightmare. Every snapping twig, every whisper of wind through leaves sent jolts of terror down her spine. Was her attacker still out there, lurking just beyond the veil of shadows, waiting to finish what they'd started?
Time stretched and warped, seconds feeling like hours as her frayed nerves threatened to snap. But even as fear clawed at her throat, an insidious curiosity began to take root. With agonizing slowness, she dragged herself from the ditch's embrace, emerging into a claustrophobic maze of ancient trees.
Their gnarled trunks pressed in close, as if trying to reclaim the small clearing where she'd lain. And there, nestled at the base of one massive oak, a bounty revealed itself: berries glistening like droplets of blood in the moonlight, alongside other edible treasures.
Hunger erupted within her, primal and all-consuming. Without a moment's hesitation, she lunged for the feast, her desperation momentarily overpowering her fear.
"I'm glad you like them. I was rather concerned some of these berries might not agree with you," a voice purred from within the shadows.
The fox's ears twitched, her head swiveling as she tried to pinpoint the source. She spun in frantic circles, hackles raised, but the voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.
"Up here," it said, amusement lacing its tone.
She leapt back, a snarl forming on her lips—only to have it die in her throat. There, perched atop a gnarled log, sat the most magnificent nine-tailed silver fox she had ever laid eyes upon. His coat shimmered like spun moonlight, and his oceanic blue eyes seemed to glow with an inner radiance. Her panic melted away, replaced by awe.
Mustering her bravado, she declared, "I'm not scared of you. It would be a shame to end such a striking nine-tailed fox."
"You find me beautiful?" he asked, gracefully leaping down to land beside her. He began to circle her, his movements fluid and predatory.
"I give credit where it's due," she retorted. "It's been a while since I've encountered a nine-tailed fox as beautiful as myself."
He chuckled softly. "Quite proud, aren't you, stranger?"
"There's nothing wrong with pride born of strength," she countered. "Though I must say, you're rather small for one in their final form."
His eyes glittered dangerously. "This isn't my final form, little one. This is merely my base state. If I were to reveal my true form, you'd find breathing rather difficult."
She scoffed, but a flicker of unease danced in her stomach.
"And what do you mean by my strength and beauty? ' He continued, "All I see before you is a fox with a single tail and a coat as black as charcoal."
"What do you mean?" Confusion coloured her voice.
"See for yourself," he replied enigmatically.
With a graceful flick of his tail, he traced a circle in the air. A shimmering pond materialized before them. Another wave of his tail, and the water's surface froze into a flawless mirror.
"Come, have a look," he invited. "By the way, what's your name?"
She remained silent, cautiously approaching the icy surface.
"Well then, I'm Sasuke," he offered.
As she gazed into the mirror, a blood-curdling scream tore from her throat, echoing through the forest and sending nearby spirits scattering.
"Wait, calm down—" Sasuke began, alarm evident in his voice.
"Calm down?" she shrieked, her voice echoing through the forest. "I'm hideous! Powerless! My beautiful tails... they're all gone!"
Sasuke's ears flattened against his head, but his voice remained soothing. "Let's not make this worse than it is. You still have one tail. It's quite thick and fluffy, actually."
The fox's hysterical laughter cut through the night air, tinged with a note of madness. "I am ruined, finished! SU DA JI, the great terror, reduced to nothing but an overgrown rat!" Her laughter dissolved into soft sobs, tears glistening on her obsidian fur. She tilted her muzzle towards the star-strewn sky. "I suppose those Indian gurus were right after all. We truly do get what we deserve in the end. Karma exists, and it has come for me at last."
Sasuke's tails twitched uneasily. "Well, it doesn't take a guru to figure that out."
Su Da Ji's golden eyes narrowed. "Thank you so much for your words of encouragement," she spat. "No wonder you're surrounded by so many friends."
The silver fox winced. "First of all, ouch. Secondly, why not think of this as a new beginning? A fresh start to do something good, to repent, to clear out your bad karma. It's a second chance to be something better."
Su Da Ji turned towards him, a smile slowly spreading across her face. "Maybe you're right."
"Of course I am," Sasuke preened.
"This is a second chance..."
"Yes," he nodded encouragingly.
"To be better than what I was."
"Exactly!"
Su Da Ji's smile widened, revealing sharp teeth. "To gain so much power that I rise far beyond the level of a God!"
Sasuke's eyes widened in alarm. "Mhmm... huh... no, that's not—"
"To transcend the transcended!" Su Da Ji continued, her voice rising with fervor. "So I can conquer..." She paused, her brow furrowing. "Where am I now?"
Sasuke sighed heavily, his tails drooping. "Japan."
"Japan!" Su Da Ji exclaimed, her eyes glowing with malevolent glee. "And from here, I shall reclaim my lost homeland by destroying the entire Shang dynasty!" Her hysterical, wicked laughter echoed through the forest, sending chills down Sasuke's spine.
Sasuke's ears flattened against his head. "Um, I don't know what's happening here, but I still think my philosophy of redemption is better."
Before Su Da Ji could retort, the air filled with rustling and whispers. Spirits materialized from the shadows, surrounding them on all sides. Their forms were diverse and otherworldly, some beautiful, others grotesque.
A serpentine creature with glowing scales slithered forward. "Who is this you've brought here, Sasuke?" it hissed.
"Can it be trusted?" A bird-like spirit with razor-sharp feathers chimed in.
Sasuke's tails twitched nervously. "This is... Nanashi!" he blurted out, realizing too late he didn't know her true name.
"It?!" Su Da Ji snarled, her hackles rising. "IT?!"
"Calm down," Sasuke pleaded. "You'll only make matters worse. My friends, allow me to introduce this—"
"This?" Su Da Ji's voice dripped with venom.
Sasuke stumbled over his words. "Oh, sorry, I mean—"
A spirit resembling a twisted tree trunk creaked ominously. "I don't think we can trust it. Just look at her."
"Hideous," another spirit whispered. "As black and ugly as sin itself."
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the gathering, and Su Da Ji's rage boiled over.
"Why you—!" she snarled, muscles bunching as she prepared to spring. "Come out of the shadows and face me, cowards!" Her fangs gleamed in the moonlight as she charged forward.
"As you wish," a deep, rumbling voice answered from above.
The other spirits tittered with malicious delight. "Now you're going to get it," they chorused, their voices a cacophony of anticipation.
The forest fell eerily silent, as if nature itself held its breath. A massive shadow, darker than the night sky, descended from the canopy above. It moved with an unnatural fluidity, blotting out the stars and plunging the clearing into an oppressive darkness that seemed to swallow all hope.
Nanashi's heart thundered in her chest, her earlier bravado evaporating like morning dew. The air grew thick and heavy, carrying the sickly-sweet scent of decay. A primal instinct screamed at her to run, to flee this ancient evil, but her legs refused to obey.
Suddenly, a shaft of moonlight pierced the gloom, illuminating a sight that would haunt Nanashi's nightmares for eternity. Before her loomed a monstrosity that defied comprehension — an colossal arachnid, its bloated body easily the size of a small house. But where its head should have been, a woman's face leered down at her, pale as death and beautiful in its terrible perfection.
Eight eyes, burning with the intensity of freshly spilled blood, fixed upon Nanashi. Two flanked each side of the creature's face, while six more were arranged in an unholy crown across its forehead. Each iris seemed to hold countless millennia of malice and hunger.
From its maw hung curved fangs, long as swords and dripping with venom that hissed and smoked where it struck the ground. The acidic stench burned Nanashi's nostrils, making her eyes water and her stomach churn.
Time seemed to stretch, each second an eternity as Nanashi's mind struggled to process the eldritch horror before her. Her body trembled, every instinct screaming for flight. But as the creature's baleful gaze bore into her very soul, something inside Nanashi snapped.
A laugh bubbled up from deep within her, starting as a low chuckle before erupting into full-blown, manic laughter.
Nanashi's laughter subsided, replaced by a mocking grin. "Now, this is just sad. You're absolutely hideous. I was depressed thinking I was the ugliest thing in this forest, but you've made me feel much better about myself. With a face like that, you could convert Oni into Buddhas. Your visage is an insult to anything with a face or bearing the slightest resemblance to one. It's a crime against nature, I tell you!"
The spider-woman's eyes narrowed dangerously. "To think, I was considering sparing your life. Now, I'm just going to kill you."
"Don't worry, darling," Nanashi quipped, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "My soul has already fled my body after seeing your face. I'm just an empty shell now."
"Die!" the massive arachnid roared, lunging forward with terrifying speed.
In a flash of silver, Sasuke leapt between them. "That's enough, Jorōgumo!"
The spider-woman halted, her fangs mere inches from Sasuke's face. "But she—"
"I know," Sasuke interrupted, his voice firm but understanding. "She's... challenging, like swallowing bitter medicine. But we both know why she's here, yes?"
Jorōgumo nodded reluctantly, her multiple eyes blinking in unison.
"Good," Sasuke continued. "Just bear with me a little here, okay?"
"Fine," Jorōgumo hissed. "But keep her as far away from me as possible."
A sly smirk crossed Sasuke's muzzle. "Oh, I already have the perfect place in mind."
Jorōgumo gave a nod of approval before addressing the other spirits. "We're done here. Let's go." With that, she melted into the shadows of a nearby tree, disappearing from sight.
"Aww, you're leaving already?" Nanashi called out, her voice laced with mock disappointment. "I didn't even get your names!"
"We don't like you!" a spirit shouted from the darkness.
"What an impolite and rude girl," another muttered.
A third spirit's voice creaked like old wood. "Youngsters have no manners these days, no different from the human ones."
As the last of the spirits faded away, Sasuke turned to Nanashi, his expression a mixture of exasperation and amusement. "Well, it seems you've made quite the first impression."
Nanashi shrugged, unrepentant. "I'm not surprised. I've always had a way with people." Her eyes narrowed suddenly, curiosity replacing her bravado. "So, what were you and spider lady talking about? And where exactly is this 'perfect place' you mentioned?"
"Her name is Jorōgumo, not 'spider lady,'" Sasuke corrected, a hint of reproach in his voice.
Nanashi rolled her eyes. "Fine. Jorōgumo. What were you two talking about?"
Sasuke's tails swished thoughtfully. "We were discussing your new accommodations."
"My new... accommodations?" Nanashi's ears perked up, a mix of curiosity and wariness in her voice.
"Indeed."
"But why? This place seems perfectly adequate."
Sasuke sighed, settling onto his haunches. "You may find it adequate, but you don't exactly look 'fine' to the other spirits. Besides, each forest spirit has their own territory. If I let you stay here, you'd be infringing on mine. And I prefer my solitude, thank you very much."
Nanashi bristled at his tone. "No need to be rude about it. What am I going to do, steal dirt? Make it dirtier than it already is?"
"With your apparent penchant for spite, who knows?" Sasuke retorted. He yawned, stretching his multiple tails. "Regardless, prepare for rest. We have a long journey ahead tomorrow."
With that, Sasuke leapt atop a nearby log, curled up, and promptly fell asleep. Nanashi scoffed, muttering under her breath as she reluctantly settled into a makeshift den beneath some roots.
Just as she was drifting off, a muffled thump jolted her awake. Her eyes snapped open to see a looming figure – the same beast-man who had carried her earlier. Heart racing, Nanashi attempted to spring up, but the creature was faster. It exhaled a crimson mist that enveloped her den.
Nanashi's limbs grew heavy, her thoughts clouding. As consciousness slipped away, her last coherent thought was a mixture of fear and fury at whatever new fate awaited her. The forest faded to black, leaving only the sound of her own slowing breath and the whisper of leaves in the night breeze.