A Fox's Whisper

14: |几卂尺|

I knew going through the Furnace was a bad idea from the start. The acrid sizzling of electricity in the air made it hard to breathe without feeling an uncomfortable tingling shoot from my nose to my lungs. Balethunder. And if we weren't quick about this, it would kill us all.

The Furnace was closed off from the world to the naked eye. It was dark, the only light being that of the luminescent glow coming from strange purple plants that managed to thrive in the Electro-infused area. The Furnace was cavernous, rock walls blocking out all natural lighting.

A heavy purple haze had settled over the whole place, making everything fuzzy and distorted. A sludgy river of toxic water flowed lazily further into the depths of the Furnace, its color also a violet hue. I decided that after this, I'd be quite sick of the color purple.

In the distance, rickety wooden scaffolds rose high up onto the rock walls, branching off into hidden unknown mining shafts and huts. I swallowed hard. It was a maze, and we were no better than mice trapped inside.

"Right," Sora said decidedly. "We just...head straight through. Nothing to it."
But her skin looked clammy and pallid, and from the way she held her bow, I knew she was nervous.

"Pochi! Don't drink the water! Stop!!" Haru yelled, his voice echoing bizarrely as he lunged for the dog who was dipping his head towards the river. He grabbed Pochi by the scruff of his neck and yanked him away.
The dog yelped, but he didn't try to drink the water again. Whichever god had thought creating dogs was a good idea seemed to have forgotten that brains would be a marvelous addition to their bodies.

Sora led the way down the riverbank, followed by Haru and then me. I kept looking over my shoulder, a sickly sense of being followed burrowing into my heart.
I should've waited for Kazuha. I hated to admit it, but I was sick of having to be brave. I wanted to hide forever, unnoticed by the rest of the world--and Dorobo.

I suppose he was the real reason I was so frightened, at least that was what I told myself. I hadn't ever been much of a coward, but we all have our fears, some more poignant and debilitating than others. Now more than ever I wanted to be able to have the choice to turn around and return to safety.

Every step I took felt like a step closer to my death. My hands began to shake and nausea swept over me. I leaned heavily against the rising rock wall, letting my cheek rest against its cool, smooth surface. If I could just rest...just try and breathe...I wanted fresh air. The atmosphere here was choking, asphyxiating, almost as if it relished in wrenching the breath from my lungs.

"Hey! Fox Girl! Quit slowing down. This isn't nap time," Sora called back to me.

I wished she wasn't right. Just then, nothing would've given me greater pleasure than shoving her into the murky river. I smiled at the thought. Nonetheless, I caught up to them, choosing to focus on anything and everything else to forget the queasiness roiling in my stomach.

"Ugh, I hate it here already," Haru groaned. "And my feet feel sticky."

That was probably because of the mud from earlier. Decidedly, he deserved every sticky footstep he took.

"Aw, don't be a baby," Sora teased. "We'll be in and out before you know it. We'll probably beat Kazuha to the coast too."

As unlikely as that seemed, I hoped that would be the case. I rubbed my arms as a strange chill raced down my spine.
This Furnace seemed almost...alive.

Kitsune...

I jumped. Was that my mind playing tricks on me? I whirled around, expecting to find someone there. But nobody was.