Fuchikari

Pocket pouches are crazy.

They're just treated like a regular thing here but you can store an entire suit case of stuff right around your waist in a little pack. This kind of convenience would be revolutionary on earth but here it was just treated like a simple item.

Maybe that's just how common and convenient items were  treated everywhere...

People had access to all the information in the world in their pockets but nobody did anything groundbreaking whilst sat on the bus apart from checking a map to make sure they got off at the right stop.

 Maybe a text, a post and some mindless scrolling.

Wasn't having every piece of information in the world in your hand more amazing then having five pairs of underwear and ninja outfits in a pouch. 

It really did put things in perspective if you thought about it like that...

"Seriously Tobu, I know I joke about you having a brain made of clouds but you need to man up now and focus on the task. Have you confirmed all your tools are in the pouch?"

"Ah. Yeah. I checked. Everything's there."

"Good, go say bye to Ma, she'll cry for weeks and stress Nezuro to death otherwise."

We were all ready to go, it was me, Pofu and four members of the Fox Guard setting off. They were the elite warriors of the village that ensured its safety and it looked like this was a dire enough event for four of them to be sent out. It was probably five with Pofu but it was never confirmed in game if he was part of them or not.

I held back the urge to ask and went over to Grandma who was still berating Nezuro even now. I noticed that he had a bandaged arm and a swollen eye but decided to ignore it.

"...that would be enough. If Pofu wasn't the one guarding him I wouldn't even allow- Tobu! Come here!"

I was enveloped in a surprisingly powerful hug.

"I'll be setting off now Grandma."

Enkei came running over with tears in his eyes.

"Tobu. You and father need to come back fast. You can't go longer then a week. Hic-"

Grandma picked him up with one hand incredibly swiftly.

"You have to be a big boy now Enkei. They'll be right back, don't worry. You can't send them off with bad energy. You have to wish them well."

Mizu patted my head messing up my hair and handed me a lunchbox.

"That's for you two to eat tonight but no snacking whilst your supposed to stay on guard okay. You need to be on high alert at all times. Do you understand?"

"Yeah. I won't slack off and I won't let Pofu drop his guard as well."

I gave them all a final farewell and Pofu came by to give them a quick hug before we set off.

"Good energy... Hic- Good luck Tobu!"

Slowly getting further away were Enkei's words as we left the village. 

It felt like I had something stuck in my throat and my eyes were stinging because of the pollen. A resounding thud hit my back pushing me forward.

"This isn't goodbye Tobu, men like us can never die. It would be doing a disservice to those who care about us. Complete the mission and come right back. The glory of the spirits guide us, thus a Roaming Kitsune knows no fear. Trust in yourself who was selected because it was something only you could do. You wouldn't have been chosen otherwise."

I glanced at Pofu's face as we walked through fields towards a nearby farmhouse. It wasn't the usual jovial expression he wore over the past day but one that was scarred with war-like conviction.

Why did he have to keep raising death flags as well...

It was doable. 

The plot had changed so his death could be averted, I just needed to avoid the regular path. There was no point thinking negatively now.

The journey had just begun and we were plodding through flowerbeds.

Soon enough I would meet the Tiger Princess, it was making me wonder how similar she would be to how she was in the game, so far everyone I had seen was just like their character but had much more depth to them, more than a couple bubbles of dialogue could ever portray.

The Tiger Princess had a special power that made her the target of every dark force in the game. She had a pure heart and the ferocious will of a tiger. The spirit power she possessed was called the Torakobi. It was-

"We're here. Old man Kano, we need six Fuchikari, we're deploying immediately."

[Komi]

The woman with a scarred face banging on the door of the little yellow farm house was Komi, she was the oldest looking of the four Fox Guard and the only woman in our group. The four Fox Guard who were chosen today were different to the ones chosen in the game so I didn't know much about them.

Already, the plot had changed.

An old man came out with oversized clothes, I hadn't seen him in the game either and he didn't even look like a kitsune, his animal ears were round. He silently scanned us, nodded and made a loud whistle.

Seconds passed before I heard a quiet shuffling noise, and they appeared sprinting out from a closed off barn.

They were my favourite mounts in any fantasy game I had ever played.

Giant golden snow weasels was how I would best describe them. They were about the size of a pony if you didn't include their long tails.

I knew they were based on the japanese marten, their fur was a light golden colour and it looked like their face was dyed white by snow. They ran up closer and stopped in front of our party looking at us with innocent curiosity.

[Fuchikari]

Everyone moved forward to ride on one of the giant weasels.

"Just pet its head then get on its back man. Are you a kid."

[Tori]

He was the chubby teen in the Fox Gaurd here with his older twin brother.

"Stop yapping Tori. This is a serious mission."

[Yaki]

The older slimmer twin was already on his Fuchikari. They had identical faces yet somehow one had a round body and one was as thin as a stick. I felt like I was missing out on an inside joke just looking at them.

I moved toward the remaining Fuchikari and tentatively reached out my hand to pet it. It looked quite hyper active despite it being larger than the biggest of dog breeds. Its head was buzzing around with curiosity and was almost as large as my torso.

Delicately stepping up, I tried getting on its back, it was a weird feeling trying to not slip with the fluffy fur. The moment I was on, it wrapped its tail that was twice the length of its body around my torso like a seat belt.

"Fuchikari carry their young on their back in the same manner, since they've been raised with people they believe us to be developmentally stunted Fuchikari. They're quite cute animals."

[Gatou]

It was the last member of the Fox Guard, a tall skinny man with black hair and dark circles under his eyes.

"Alright, let's go Pofu. It's going to be a two hour trip to The Forest Of Lost Souls according to my estimates"

Komi was taking stock of her pouch and was also ready on her fluffy weasel steed.

Pofu was getting comfortable on the largest Fuchikari which was more similar to the size of a horse than a pony.

Realising that this might be a problem I had to speak up. I had no clue if Tobu rode these animals before.

"Ah. Wait. I don't know how to ride one."

It was Gatou who answered.

"You don't have to worry about that. Even though they're pretty skittish and have an incredibly low attention span, these ones are different from those in the wild. They've never left their mother, so they'll naturally follow her wherever she goes. Only Pofu needs to lead the big one and the rest will naturally stick close."

He said that with a monotone voice but he was very affectionate with his Fuchikari, rubbing its forehead and stroking its back as it purred.

From a regular student to a ninja on a giant weasel riding out to battle. It was a strange feeling. 

The mood was heavy and the air felt electric.

Pofu rode forward and gave a look back.

"Fox Guard. Our mission is to secure the safety of the Tiger Princess. Anything else is a bonus. Follow me and stick close to the Roaming Kitsune."

He let out a booming war cry.

"Head out!"

Faster than a super car the fuchikari all raced forward trailing behind Pofu.

It was time to save the princess.