Fox in The Court

Chapter 1.

The sun shone, as in any normal morning, and a girl awoke from her sleep. She pushed the blanket off of herself and sat up on her futon. "It's morning..." She groaned and decided to get up. The girl was of average height for a 15-year-old and had a standard build as well, perhaps a bit on the scrawnier side. Her hair was reddish-orange, with subtle streaks and ends of dark gray, like the fur of a fox, and her eyes were orange as well. She stretched and started to walk. "I wonder what 'mom' is doing." The girl wondered to herself and made her way outside, a chilly breeze blowing her messy hair and making her shiver. "Ugh, it's always cold here..." There was a middle-aged woman outside, talking to another person who was hard to make out, from the angle. <Hm, I wonder what they are talking about.> The girl thought to herself. Regardless, the person soon left anyway, so the middle-aged woman turned back towards her home as well. "Oh, Honghú, you are awake!" she said, with a smile. "Why are you outside? You will catch a cold!" the lady added, in a motherly tone. "Relax, I'll be fine, I'm used to the cold by now. The surprise would be if I wasn't, since this place has never felt warm weather." Honghú replied, sassily. "Alright, miss know it all, then stay outside in that thin yukata of yours for half an hour." The lady said. "Um, well on second thought, maybe it is a bit chilly outside." Honghú quickly replied, not wanting to take upon said challenge. "Have you packed your things, young lady?" the middle-aged woman asked. To which the girl's shoulders slumped, and she muttered a curse word under her breath, as she had forgotten to do so. "I will do it, now..." She replied hurriedly. The lady chuckled in response. "Worry not, I already did it for you." She replied and pointed to a bag in the corner. The girl replied with a smile and a thankful bow. "Thank you, mom."

"No need, now go get dressed!" The lady said. The girl did what she was told and got dressed properly, after that she put the bag on her back. After a long sigh, she spoke: "I'll be going then..." and slid the door open. "Aren't you forgetting something?" The middle-aged woman asked. "Huh? Am I?" The orange-haired girl asked back. To that, the lady spread her arms. "Oh, right..." Honghú then hugged her adoptive mother a little loosely. "I'll be a messy maid for sure," she added. "Oh, that is for sure. Now get going, don't be late! Look, other girls are going already!" The lady was right; many other girls, around Honghú's age, were going to where she was headed as well. "Oh right, bye then!" She quickly let go of her adoptive mother, to go. All the girls were headed to the castle overlooking the city, to serve as maids there. The structure ruled the skyline of the city, towering over any other building, its walls were made of the best stones, and its roofs of the best tiles.

Chapter 1:

Húli Honghú

Inside the castle, many samurai were training. However, two of them seemed to have been facing off for a duel, perhaps over a small disagreement. Both raised their wooden swords, ready to swing at each other. "Begin!" Yelled someone from the background. Without much thinking, the two warriors clashed, a lot of smacking sounds as their blades hit one another. They both pushed each other back. One of them tried to quickly strike, but to no avail, the other dodged. The attacker would not give up easily and swung his blade again. This time the other person would block, and counter the attack, making his opponent stumble back. After that, he went on the offensive himself, his strike looking like a beautiful flowing stream, knocked his opponent off their feet, and their weapon flew out of their hands. The one who stood victorious was a young man of average height, built like a proper warrior, his hair light blue, with white ends and streaks, and eyes of azure. "Asahi won!" The crowd of people cheered, yelling his name. Asahi, with a smile, helped up his opponent. Many maids looked at the duel and the samurai train, as opposed to doing their jobs. But not all, as some feared getting scolded more than wanting to look at fit men. "Honghú! Where is the laundry? I forgot..." A maid in distress asked for directions. Honghú, after frowning, dismissively told her the directions. "Walk in a straight line there, once you reach that building's walls turn right, after a few more steps you will be there." "Thank you!" She then took off, in a hurry.