The fox who left

Prologue: The Fox Who Left

This tale begins with a fox.

A spirit born of magic and love. One whose kind intentions were misunderstood by many. She was a being that moved with the wind and spoke tales of romance to any who listened. Her eyes filled with story's from a thousand lifetimes, and her cunning was sharp from the ages. Descending into human realm without intention to deceive, she searched for something much more dangerous.

Love.

No one knew what tempted her to cross the thin veil. Whether it be loneliness, or just curiosity, there as something that called to her heart. Maybe she grew tired of watching humans dance beneath the stars, or felt the passion in their hearts. Wanting something more, she stepped into the mortal realm. Wrapped in a silk kimono made of foxfire, she met a mortal man. He did not hide from the sight of her tail, nor startle from her strange power. Looking into her eyes, he saw a woman he could love.

Quietly they lived together hidden between hillsides, while spending each day as their last. She cared for the man with all her love and devotion, while laughing at his clumsy ways. Together holding each other beneath the stars, he swore to protect her with his life. In time she became pregnant with a child. The boy had his father's gentle eyes, and her powerful magic coursing through his blood.

But secrets never remain silent, and the world is cruel to what it does not understand.

When the priests came, she vanished in flames of blue light. Returning to the spirit realm, but not before she scattered her power to keep her child hidden.

Growing up not fully understanding what he was, the boy knew that others feared him. They all felt something in his blood stirred and he was not one of them.

His mother was the first crossing, but not the last.

Now once again, the veil is thin.