Kitsune Ishi
(Fox Stone)
<Steph’s pov>
Recently my family went on a beach trip with my best friend, Judy. Along the white, sandy beaches, I found a smooth, weathered stone that was slightly larger than a nickel. What caught my eye was the stone’s unnatural shade of ruby red. It stood out among the vast sea of stones. I loved collecting stones whenever I could, and as soon as I found the rock, I knew it belonged in my collection. I would have it with me everyday, until I read an article from the internet. It was some kind of legend and I became really interested in it. It took me a while, but I finally realized that the legend kind of applied to my stone. After that, everything in my life changed. Not just mentally, but also physically.
I have been interacting less and less with my family. Everyday I would take my dinner into my room and not come out until in the morning. I have also been avoiding my older brother, Nick, too, for a few reasons. One, I did not want him to find out about my stone. Two, I started becoming more and more secretive. If he found out what I was doing, it would be out in the streets in a heartbeat. The thing I was trying didn’t seem to work at all so I decided to do more research.
“It works the best in nature or the wild.” I read off my computer screen. I pondered awhile. Since I really wanted this to work, I thought it will be worth the risk. I will leave home, and test this legend out. I packed the necessities, things like a lighter, pocket knife, jerky/dried food, tinder for kindling, ropes, flashlight, and some cloth. I also took my bow from the closet, just in case. The arrows don’t really work, though. The tips are all made of soft plastic, so I also took along some obsidian arrowheads I got from and trip to Arizona. I grabbed my two survival guides and stuffed everything into a black duffle bag. Why black? You may ask, to blend into the nature. I have a pink one but it is simply ridiculous.
At soon as night fell, I slowly and carefully crept through the dark hallways in our house. shadows danced cast on the walls, flickering eerily. Silver, soft moonlight filtered through the holes of the window’s blinds. My heart pounded in my ears and my hands started to sweat. I hadn’t realized that I was holding my breath the whole time I was creeping, so when I reached the door, I exhaled, and took a deep breath again. The door was successfully opened without so much as a single creak. As soon as I got out, I made a mental celebration, but soon continued.
Our house was built on the outskirts of a fairly large pine forest. After the neverending lights of the city, I underestimated the utter blackness of night time in the woods. In my mind, the trees looked like black trunks against the vast bluish charcoal sky, the small hiking path would become dark brown and the moonlight would bleach the stones within its faint light. Even if there was a moon tonight it’s silvery rays would not penetrate the dense canopy above. I was in too far in this decision to turn back.
The darkness pressed in on me from all sides. I could barely see where I was going. Small sound of rustling bushes, the howl of the wind, and the hooting of an occasional owl was just enough to make me numb with fear. I couldn’t tell what laid in the dark forest.
Suddenly there was footsteps, thudding on the forest floor. Twigs and leaves crunched under the weight of the steps. I immediately froze, like a deer caught in a car’s headlight; and mercy. Trees and shadows surrounded me. My hand silently reached for my flashlight, instead to come up with the lighter. A tiny flame flickered on, illuminating a small portion of the humongous forest. I whipped my head to the direction of some rustling on my right. A familiar head popped out. I shrieked in surprise. “Nick?? Judy?”
“I want answers. Now.” Nick said, coming towards me. I recoiled. Should I tell them? But they will take it! He is my brother and she is my best friend! I was in an internal conflict. If I told my brother and friend about this, they might laugh and think I am stupid, hate me, or embrace it. I finally settled on telling. As I took a breath to explain, a wolf howled in the distance. I jumped quite a bit while my brother softly chuckled.
“Just tell me tomorrow.” He walked to two trees and took off the bag slung on his shoulders. In a few minutes, he had a two hammock setup, one large enough for both of us. Spending his summer time at boy scouts had definitely paid off. I snuggled close to him and soon drifted off to sleep.
<Nick’s pov>
The next morning, I woke up early with green light shining through the canopy. I was blanketed in the warmth of the sun; it kind of felt like rolling in liquid gold and getting stuffed with bananas. Hunger was the last thing on my mind. As I sat up, my eyes surveyed the landscape. My younger sister was snoring softly while Judy was slightly twitching. It was slightly chilly, though. As soon as I shifted out of the hammock, the balance was interfered and Steph fell off.
“Ow!!” She cried, sitting up and checking herself for injuries. “I was in the middle of a great dream!” Her belly rumbled, scaring a few crows as they took off. I grinned and helped her to stand. She sat on the hammock cross legged and clutched her stomach as it growled again. A chuckle escaped my mouth and she shot a playful glare at me while I put my hands up and surrendered. The third time I heard a rumble, I shook my head and hastily collected some plants and berries for a quick breakfast.
Soon, Judy was awake, too. She managed to find some wild carrots and a small stream. With me teaching the two girls how to fish with makeshift fish hooks, we were able to catch three trout and two carps. We were all famished but I insisted on smoking two trout to save for later.
After a meal of fish and berries, Judy went out to collect more supplies while I stayed back with Steph to make camp. During the time Steph’s friend was away, I seized the chance to integrate her, alone.
“Why did you run away anyways?” I asked while building a frame for our house. “It was the middle of the freaking night!” She looked away sheepishly and paused in the building. My sister sighed and spilled the secret she was holding for so long.
“Remember the stone I found at the beach? Recently, I read a legend on this website. It said that in this world there was a single stone that was the shade of ruby. It had powers that would transform you into the animal you are, at heart.” She paused to look into my eyes. “Two months after I saw Zootopia, I really wanted to be a fox. So when I discovered this information, my heart literally skipped a beat. I stayed in my room for most of the time, trying to make it work. When I was about to give up, I stumbled across another website. It had even more facts and information about the stone and that it works the best if done in nature. That is why I am out her-”
Judy dashed into our campsite and stood there panting for a bit. I waited for her to calm down before asking what had happened.
“I-I think I f-found some p-poison ivy.” Steph gasped. If there really was noxious plants nearby, then we would have to mark it and be very cautious. I made her took a deep breath and take us to where she saw it. It was not far from our camp but there wasn’t only poison ivy. There was also Foxglove, Nightshade berries, and this vibrant purple flower, that looked pretty lethal to me. This is turning bad. I know for a thing that Nightshade berries and Foxglove is definitely not native here and are fatal.. So why is it here?
I shoved that thought aside and focused on the now. Quickly and hastily, I told my sister to gather some long sticks while I told Judy about all the poisonous plants in this one tiny spot. As soon as Steph came back, she was also informed and I made a small flag-like thing with a red cloth on the top.
“Never ever touch the Poison Ivy, Foxglove, and Nightshade berries. Understand? They are very deadly.” I said, making sure that they got it. We all jumped when we heard a gunshot, followed by a thud. I listened for footsteps and finally sighed after two minutes. The person who shot the thing was probably not around here. Steph silently started in the direction of the loud *Bang!*, I followed, but Judy was frozen to the spot. Sensing this, I whispered to my sister, “Go back to camp with your friend. I will go see if I can take the kill. Perhaps it was a deer, that way, we will have venison for dinner.” She obediently nodded and guided Judy back.
<Judy’s pov>
When I hear the gunshot, I was frozen with fear. I hated things that surprise me. Steph and her brother like to call me carrots, because many things frightened me, as if I was secretly a bunny. I was dragged back to our safe camp, and that was when I finally calmed down. As soon as I was better, I exploded in questions.
“Steph, why were you out there yesterday?!” I asked, slightly concerned. “Why didn’t you tell me? What were you doing anyways?” She looked down to her fingers, which were fidgeting.
“I’m back!” Her older brother sang as he walked into the clearing, with a deer carcass balancing on his broad shoulders. “Look at what I found!”
Steph looked up with a glint of amusement in her eyes. “Thank you for interrupting me, I was just going to tell Judy about last night.”
Steph looked up with a glint of amusement in her eyes. “Thank you for interrupting me, I was just going to tell Judy about last night.”
He rested the deer on the ground, came over and sat on a rock. “I already know. Continue. I will prepare the deer.” He laughed with a kind of smugness that sometimes make me think he is a fox. “I bet none of you know how.” Steph sighed like how a sibling would do and faced me, then spilled the truth.
As dusk fell, I was sent to collect firewood while my friend read off the survival book, trying to learn how to kindle. When I had a decent amount of wood, I returned, seeing that our makeshift house and fireplace was all ready. There was a small flame flickering and casting shadows around us as the sun finally left the sky. We ate of meal of cooked venison, seasoned with some garlic. The rest was smoked and saved for the future. The soft hide was hastily scraped with a knife and laid near the fire to dry a few minutes before we went to sleep in our new house. I drifted off to sleep really soon, dreaming of running free in the forest like a rabbit.
I woke up in a pool of sweat when I heard a yowl then a sickening crash. I frantically shook Nick awake when I realized that Steph was not in here, anymore. “Nick! Nick!” He groggily turned around and muttered something inaudible. In the opening of our house, (we haven’t built a door yet.) against the moonlight, was the silhouette of the predator I hate the most; a fox. It was unmistakeable. The snout was more slender than a wolf but the ears were larger than a cat’s.
It’s ears were flattened into it’s head, lips drawn back in a snarl. This is not good. I backed up into the far end of the small cramped building, tripping over Nick. Many people often said I acted like a bunny, and this was one of those cases. Foxes are terrible. Bile rose from my throat and my entire body started shaking. I was trembling when the fox was literally one inch away from attacking me. I closed my eyes, accepting fate. This is how it’s going to end….
Suddenly, it lunged. I waited for cold claws to dig into me, but received nothing. When I finally dared to take a tiny peek, the fox was sitting on its haunches, cocking its head at me. What?
“Close your eyes.” It commanded. I remained still, still afraid. There was a shifting sound, and the voice said, “Open.”
I gasped, nearly fainting. This is so cliched. It was Steph the whole time. Why hadn’t I thought of that? Fear. A tiny voice echoed in my heart. Fear will rule your heart, until you break out of it. Invisible chains that will hold you forever, until you realize….
Her eyes twinkled with satisfaction and whispered, “I have learned it.” I fainted on the spot.
<Steph’s pov>
As soon as Judy woke up the next day, we had the food and our plans for the day all ready. After a quick meal of smoked fish, I brought my brother and friend into a clearing I found last night. I was going to teach and show them the legend. I was able to successfully transform last night, after many failures at home. You had to hold the stone, close your eyes and say, ‘Kitsune Ishi’. But one thing, you had to be out in the nature, in order for the stone to work.
“Nick, do you want to go first?” I asked after explaining. He excitedly nodded and carefully took the stone. He faced the opposite direction but turned around in hesitation. “Can you...close your eyes?” I nodded in confirmation and gave him privacy.
Soon, I heard a yowl. I felt Judy whip her head around as her hair brushed my shoulders. She was staring at Nick, wide eyed, fear literally radiating off of her. Nick sniffed curiously at Judy while she flinched as if a bullet was flying at her.
“Judy, do you want to try?” I said, hoping she won’t be as scared. She deftly shook her head and trudged back to camp. I shrugged my shoulders at Nick while he turned back.
“Want to go hunting?” He asked, breaking the silence. “Could use a bit of food.”
“Yeah, sure.” I said numbly. My friend is not acting like herself today. Maybe she was mad at me because of yesterday? No. She is the forgiving type. Usually she would be all happy and bouncy by now. We went back to camp and I left my stone in my duffel bag and saw Judy curled up in our makeshift bed.
“I am going hunting, alright?” I told her. She didn’t move a single muscle. I sighed and left the camp to search for food.
When my brother and I returned, the time was slightly after noon, the sun more than halfway in the sky. We were able to find one more deer and two rabbits. My brother busied himself to skinning the animals and I was about to ask Judy to fetch more fish when I realized that she was gone.
Panic took over. I crashed into the hut while tumbling into one of the walls, shaking the structure violently. The room was empty. I grabbed my duffel bag, rummaging in it, trying to find the stone. It was not in there. I even dumped all the contents out, disappointed to find that the stone was really gone. I sat there for a few minutes in despair. Until I finally pieced the pieces together. Judy took it. The small voice saying ‘really?’ in my head was the only doubt. Or else I was pretty convinced that she stole it. I sighed in defeat; I finally learned it but now it’s gone. Why? Why did she take it? I was really sad and confused so I asked my brother.
“Jealousy, perhaps?” He said after listening to me. “You do know that she hates foxes.”
“Ugh.” I groaned as realization swept over my other emotions, “Yes, yes I know. I just forgot.” I replied, feeling awfully dumb. I kind of wished that I had realized earlier, to spare all of that chaos. Now I need to fix our weakened house. Ugh times ten. No I have to find her.
“Do you have to have the stone to transform?” My brother asked, jarring me from my thoughts. “Is it really necessary?”
“Of cours-wait,” I grumbled. The clockwork in my head was spinning. Excitement filled my mind as I thought about it. I suddenly hugged him as a huge grin broke out on my face.
“What are you up to now, silly?” My brother asked, ruffling my hair. “Let me guess, you were so worried that you actually forgot that after you have transformed at least once, you can do it without the stone?”
“How do you know? I’ve never told you!” I complained, playfully punching him in the stomach. “Did you look at my computer? How did you guess the password?” I glared at him, suddenly no longer excited.
“Stevie, one, I’ve never been in your room since the beach trip. Two, how I found out? Check the history.” He laughed, at his own cleverness. I allowed myself to chuckle with him but soon turned into a fox to track Judy’s scent.
The trail was zigzagging deeper into the forest. Since it was darkening, it grew increasingly hard to follow because every so often I would lose the scent and be forced to retrace my steps. As I got further down the trail, the fear scent was clearly more present than before. Faster than I expected, I was at the edge of a clearing that was smaller than our camp, with Judy in the center. Stifling a gasp, I hid behind a patch of bramble. She was sitting on a fairly small boulder with a faint tint of the smell of snakes. I noticed that there was small bushes outlining this cleared land with the larger trees in the back as I scanned the area. My friend was trying to use the stone but it doesn’t work.
Right when I was about to give up watching and just run to her, a cloud of powder bursted from seemingly nowhere, spreading across the room. I immediately recognized the tang of foxglove in the air as the moon shone through the rising dust, causing the deadly powder to shine a shade of vibrant purple. That stopped me in my tracks. If I remembered correctly, contact with Foxgloves in animal form can make the person go savage. It was deadly. Even if you weren’t touching it, being in the same room was a huge risk. I was exposed to Judy as the place cleared, ridding me of the element of surprise. There was a small grey bunny in the center of the center, growling. Bunnies can go savage. My former friend lunged at me, clawing at my shoulder. I jumped over her quickly, adrenaline causing me to not feel any pain. She chased, I ran. It was a race of life or death. Judy was literally on my tail, but something prevents me from hurting as much as a single hair on her, forcing me to run, or get hurt. Warm sticky red fluid drips from my wound and matting my fur. Racing into bushes, dodging trees, with the moonlight as my only guid. Leaves crunched under my paws while the wind howling in my ears.
I skidded to a stop as I nearly tumbled into the place where we made a flag for the toxic plants. Antidote...antidote....what is the antidote? I thought frantically as she closed up on me. Ah ha! I thought triumphantly as I stumbled upon some hemlock leaves. There was also some wild carrots, which was perfect for bait. Hiding behind a boulder, I rubbed the leaves on the carrot, left it there, and jumped on the rock to hide from view. Just like how I planned, the bait was taken, the cold, wild eyes of hers returned to the normal human color and she turned back into one. As soon as she was back, dirt was smeared all over her skin and her eyes were glazed, as if she was unconscious. Sighing, I carried her back, all the way to camp. After she was in bed with my brother, I set out to retrieve the stone.
<Nick’s pov>
I stretched as morning light shone through the tiny holes in our hut. Steph and Judy was waking, too.
“What now?” I asked. Steph had already told me about the drama last night and her wound was tended to.
Taking a deep breath, she said, “We go...home.” I was surprised but I understood. She came out here to learn how to use the stone, and she did. We can’t live out here forever, so might as well go back before mother and father get even more worried.
On that note, I joked, “Yeah, before our parents call the cops, wait, no. They are one.” The other two cracked up but I could tell that we were all sad that our adventure was going to end so soon. Well, fine. I take that back. It was easy to tell that Judy was sad, but the twinkle in my sister’s eyes told me that she will be back...for even more.
