Fox Tale- How I found my wife in the most unexpected place

The sun was still pretty low, but it was already getting hot, and I knew it would get only worse. At least there wasn’t much dust in the air, so I could keep my mask off and use my sense of smell to detect any potential danger faster than they could detect me.

It had taken me almost 3 days to reach the abandoned city. I almost regretted leaving my home, but my natural curiosity was stronger than any other Kitsune I knew, and the prospect of finding something useful won in the end. Now, I found myself walking through the empty streets littered with trash, admiring the crumbling buildings that towered above me.

Had humans really lived so high up?, I wondered when a sudden noise reminded me to pay attention to my surroundings. It was only an empty can picked by the sudden gust of wind, but I clutched my crossbow nevertheless. Humans may be gone, but what was left was even worse. Not that a crossbow would be of any help if I got unlucky and met one of the beasts that roamed the wasteland, but I preferred it over a pistol. It created so much noise that no amount of illusion would convince even the stupidest of the creatures that I wasn’t there.

According to my uncle, humans had been easier to trick than the beasts, but I guess we would adapt to this, too. After all, we’d been quick to find our way around the electric alarms, cameras, and the other things Dad had told me about. Every time he came home, he’d carried a sack full of wonders he’d found on the other side.

What should I get?, I wondered. I could show off by coming back with sweets.

Finding food in the human world had become more difficult, and common items, once obtained with ease, had become a rare thing. Exchanging a candy bar nowadays could cost you as much as 5 golden rings or even a necklace. I guess our world changed, too. I sighed, remembering all those treats my father had brought home.

That decided it, I thought, I would get sweets. I started to look for an entrance to the underground. Cities like this always had small shops and vending machines that you could trick into giving you a chocolate bar without needing to waste a coin. I wasn’t sure where to find one, though, but I assumed it must be around somewhere. In the worst case, I could look for a train station; they should have what I needed.

I started to walk towards the centre, choosing smaller alleys more out of instinct than any other reason. Humans were gone, after all. The air was still and dry, and I knew that I would soon have to find shelter from the blazing sun. A part of me wanted to keep exploring, regardless of how lucky I might be in my search for sweets. It was a big reason I’d come to this side in the first place, to go to all these mysterious places we could never visit and see all the things no one had ever seen before. Thinking about it was so exciting, it made my heart race faster. I loved mysteries, after all.

At least the buildings offered many interesting opportunities for treasure hunting. You never knew what you could find in one of those empty flats. In any case, it was better to be there than trapped out in the open in the middle of the day. Maybe I would be lucky today and find what I wanted.

The road ahead of me was almost completely blocked by the wreckages of burned-out vehicles. I looked at them curiously. I had never seen them so deep into the city. The wasteland was full of them, but here? I shook my head and, covering my eyes with my hand, looked up at the yellow sky. It was time to find some shelter and rest until it cooled down.

I was almost ready to enter one of the buildings when a gunshot cracked in the air, and I froze for a moment. With rising panic, I weaved an illusion, hoping it would hide me from whoever it was.

I ducked on the pavement and sniffed. There was something in the air except the smell of gunpowder, a smell that stirred my memory, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t identify it. Yet I was too curious to stay hidden, and as soon as my ears picked up on the direction of sudden commotion, I made my way there.

As soon as I did, I picked up the scent of something else. This time, though, I knew what it belonged to. What did Vargas do outside during the day? They should be hiding from the sun in some forgotten hole, unless someone was stupid enough to get in and disturb them. Fresh meat was a rarity, after all.

My ears started to twitch with excitement at this unexpected mystery. Who could be so stupid to lure out the beasts? Even my little sister knew better after hearing all the stories I’d told her. At least they are easy to fool, I thought. I quietly approached the entrance to the underground parking and could hear howling and barking from the inside. I let my eyes adjust to the darkness and slowly crept in, keeping my crossbow ready.

A pack of Vargas surrounded one of the big trucks forgotten in the car park. They were barking frantically, trying to jump onto its roof. Someone must be up there, someone who definitely didn’t want to become their meal. I rounded the corner of a car. It was a girl, I saw, crouching on the roof. I looked at her curiously. Was she a human? Was the strange smell I’d sensed a distant memory of the time when my father took me to the other side? Maybe.

Suddenly, the girl looked directly at me and cried out.

“Help me!”

I froze. How could a human see me? My ears started to twinge, and I fought the urge to clean the dust from my tail. It was so embarrassing to be caught like this. So embarrassing.

She called out again,

“Hey, help me, please.”

I couldn’t resist the urge, and I nervously started to clean my tail, pretending she didn’t see me. The Vargas barked even louder, and their jumps made the car sway from side to side. They are too stupid to throw her off, I thought as I started to walk away, hidden from them by the illusion.

I sniffed the air, almost forgetting about the girl, when I picked up the faint scent of a fox. I blinked. Was that…? Could she be one of us? My ears started to flap again. Of course, how else would she be able to see me? I ran back, almost drawing the attention of one of the beasts, before I managed to duck behind one of the cars.

Think Kiara, think, don’t be impulsive, I told myself as I looked at the beasts and girl trapped on the roof of the truck. I put my hand into my pocket and took a pack of matches. This will do. I smiled as I lit a match, hoping that I wasn’t excited enough to mess up the illusion I would create. As the fire caught, a couple of the Vargas stopped their dashes and raised their heads, sniffing the air. A long howl echoed through the parking, and the beasts ran into the shadows.

I never knew what images someone’s mind conjured up from the illusion, but considering that they once had been dogs, before things went terrible for them, even the fire would have been enough to scare them. I ran to the truck and shouted,

“Let's go!”

The girl jumped down and looked at me, her eyes pleading for answers, but we didn’t have time for it. I had no idea how long the illusion would last, so I grabbed her hand and ran towards the light I could see by the entrance.

They shouldn't follow us into the daylight, but fresh meat was scarce, so I didn't want to take my chances with them and instead brought us into one of the buildings. I dragged her up the endless stairs, Vargas were not good at climbing them, and entered one of the flats and closed the door behind us.

I looked around, and after not detecting any danger, I said,

“We should be safe here.”

I looked at her and smiled. She froze, and her eyes were full of fear as she looked at me.

“W..what you are?” she said, trembling.

I blinked and looked at her closely. Of course, she neither had a tail nor ears. My ears started to flutter nervously, and I pressed my face to hers and sniffed her. She jumped back.

“D..don’t eat me…ok”, she pleaded.

Her panic movements and shrill voice made me laugh as I watched her stumble and fall onto the floor.

“You have Kitsune blood in you, quite a lot of it, considering you could see me”, I told her as I sat down on the floor.

“What?”

She blinked and I sighed.

“It was an old custom, back in the days, to come to the other side and gather the shiny things you needed to trick a human into marriage. I didn’t know anyone still did it,” I said as I nervously brushed the dust from my tail.

She looked away, and stayed silent for a long time.

“I.. I came here to look for my dad, she said quietly. He used to live in that building…”

I shook my head and said without looking at her,

“Humans are gone…”

She nodded, and I could see tears flowing down her cheeks.

“Why then.. did I..?”

I sighed.

“Nothing happened to us Kitsunes, and you are at least half-blood, so maybe….”

“...It protected me from the viruses and the radiation..” she said quietly and started to sob.

I felt bad for her, but I had no idea what to do with crying humans, and my mind started to panic. After a moment, I leaned over to hug her and let her cry in my arms. It wasn’t really her fault that humans messed up, after all.

The sun slowly set, and when she’d calmed down, she put her head on my lap and looked at me.

“What shall I do now?” she said quietly.

I took a deep breath. I had been thinking about it, too. According to family legend, my great-grandpa had brought his human wife with him to our side, and she lived with him in our village for many years.

“You can come and stay with me.”

“Really?”

She smiled faintly, and I could see a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

“Sure.”

I nodded and smiled back.

I think I found something better than a few bars of chocolate.