Fallen

Chapter 1

The day had already proved to be disastrous for Xiao Zhan and it was only midmorning. Just after sitting down at the table for breakfast he had been chastised... again for his opinions, which were completely contrary to his father's. He was not being belligerent on purpose, quite the opposite, he was just expressing his take on the current situation. However, his father had made it very clear that his opinion was a) not needed and b) not welcomed. His dad had become so enraged that he was forced to leave the table without having finished his food, which sucked because now he was ravenous.

Nothing seemed to be going right for him lately, his actions or his opinions seemed to be wrong and were bothering... well almost everybody. The feelings of frustration were building up. He was feeling exasperated and that was not conducive to anything good. His self-control was at an all time low and he was becoming short-fused and sometimes plainly aggressive at uncalled times.

It was not like he was rebelling on purpose, because he was not. He was trying to be a filial son, but he couldn't help it if his brain formed its own opinions. It was just a difference of point of views, but his father didn't see it that way. For him, Xiao Zhan was being unfilial just because he didn't think like him and refused to keep his mouth shut. Maybe the fact that his father, Xiao Zhong, was the leader of the nine-tailed fox clan, and was used to being heard and obeyed without any question, made matters worse.

The anguished gaze of his mother convinced him that it was better to leave it for what it was and go out to get some fresh air. Xiao Zhan wished he could find a way to change his mind and align his ideas to his father's. If only it was that easy. Both of them shared a stubborn streak which surely came from their bloodline, so the chances of one of them relenting and just meekly accepting the other's opinion without question were almost nil.

Unable to stay inside for another minute, he left their den, needing to be free of his father's oppressive rule. Immediately after crossing the threshold and without a second thought, he changed his form swiftly. After a heartbeat, a beautiful white-furred fox with red hues at the end of his tails emerged. If he was honest to himself, he would always prefer to be in his fox form, since it made him feel unbounded to earthly matters. His human form was of course useful, but he would have to agree with anyone who said the fox form was the natural state for all nine-tailed fox spirits.

Deciding on going to his favorite forest clearing for a run, he strode to follow the tortuous pathway towards the cherry blossom forest, his favorite place to go when he wanted to be alone. Just passing that, a relatively long valley surrounded by pine trees offered him the open space he needed. He wanted to run, to let loose the primitive impulse of communing with the forest. The sun was bright and the sound of a nearby waterfall combined with the smell of the moss and the pine tree bark pacified his soul.

Springing into a run, he felt his muscles, bones and sinews come to life, working together in perfect synchronicity as his lungs filled with air. His heartbeat quickened to an almost unbearable rhythm and he felt... alive. His enhanced senses kicked in the moment he shifted to his fox form, so his hearing, sight and smell senses made him hyper aware of his surroundings. He heard the chirping of baby birds in their nest, waiting for their mother to return with some food for them. It reminded him of his own mother who he knew was divided between her loyalty towards her husband and her need to protect him. He hated to put her in such a difficult position.

Suddenly, after reaching full speed, a strong metallic smell reached his nose. It was a peculiar one, but it was also somehow familiar, something he had previously smelt something like... blood, an abundance of it. But, was it possible? There was absolutely no reason for him to smell blood in this part of the woods since hunting large prey was forbidden here, at the very core of the nine-tailed fox clan's territory.