Exposed

Suijin

"I'm sorry, I forgot Jae asked me to do something really important. I really need to go do it before he finds out I haven't yet," Ki sputtered out, getting up and walking back into the house.

Her heart rate increased as she picked up pace walking through the halls. She weaved her way through the people and finally reached the front door. She swung it open and walked out of the house. The moment her feet touched the dirt she shifted and sprinted towards the trees. The wind pushed her fur back and the air blew in her ears. She ran quickly and silently away from the pack house- no, away from Joey. Her thoughts slammed around in her head as she ran through the blurred trees. The black mass she saw before kept showing up in her mind, almost like it was haunting her. It felt familiar. Ancient and familiar. It felt wrong, but not completely. Ki's distress weakened her control over herself and the magic hiding her tails shattered. They burst out from the center, smacking into the trees. As she ran, her tails knocked down the surrounding plant life and unintentionally forged a new path into the forest. Her chest began to burn and she couldn't help the howl that came from her throat. Tears began falling from her eyes, but they were instantly blown off by the wind. Thunder sounded and Ki whipped her head up towards the darkening sky. 

"Ki!"

The thunder grew louder, inspiring her to run harder. She heard howls of wolves and barking from foxes. Her breathing stopped for a second as she heard the voices of her family.

It's him.

Be careful Ki.

Set us free.

Ki's ears turned to the sound of running water. Her eyes focused on the silver water rushing downstream. She picked up pace straight towards the river.

"Ki!" Jae yelled, trying to keep track of her. 

She was a blur, her figure dashing across the forest. He saw her zero in on the river and shifted. He ran after her, feeling her distress. He pushed his muscles to run faster; the need to protect her growing stronger. As her paws reached the edge of the river she jumped. Jae stopped at the edge, pushing dirt into the water, as Ki landed in the river. The water that splashed around her sparkled in the moonlight. The feeling of relief washed over both of them. Ki didn't know why, but she always felt at home in the river. Jae stared at his sister as her orange coat shattered. She stood in the Silver River with bright white fur. He couldn't take his eyes off of her as she glowed in the moonlight.

'You look just like mom,' Jae whispered.

'I'm scared, Jae.'

'Of what?'

'Of him,' Ki said, slowly backing away from the black figure approaching the river. 

'Jae, run!' Ki yelled before diving into the river and swimming downstream.

Her tails propelled her through the water, the black figure haunting her mind. She was so scared, yet at the same time she wasn't. She wanted to stand up to it, but she didn't. She felt herself being pulled downward as the river became a waterfall. She whirled into the large body of water at the bottom. Ki sank down to the floor, watching out for danger. A sparkle caught Ki's eye. She swam over to a piece of metal attached to the edge of the plunge pool. She squinted, trying to make out what was on it.

"Ki, it's good to see you again! I was worried," a voice came from the metal which started to release bubbles. A silhouette of a serpent appeared before Ki.

'Who are you?'

"So it's true. You really do have amnesia?"

'Who are you?' Ki repeated, becoming more anxious.

"I'm the water diety Suijin." 

'Water diety? You're a god? Are we friends?' Ki questioned.

"Yes," Suijin laughed, "We are friends. I was even your teacher at one point. I suppose I still am."

'So you know me? You know about my family? About my mission?' Ki spoke quickly, a million thoughts rushing through her mind. The water felt warm around her; she felt safe. She wanted answers, and in the safety of the water she sought them out.

"Yes," Suijin swam over to Ki.

'Please, help me remember. Explain everything to me.' Ki spoke quickly, feeling panicked.

"Everything? That's quite a request."

'Then, for starters, how have I been able to stay underwater for so long?' 

With another chuckled, Suijin explained, "You're a river kitsune, of course you can hold your breath this long."

'A river kistune?'

"Yes, surprisingly, you were the only river kitsune born from your litter."

'There are other kinds of kitsune? I thought we were all just kitsune.'

"There are good and bad kitsune and they all have different strengths and abilities. You are a river kitsune and you sought me out to teach you when you were a kit."

'Then, please, teach me what that black figure is,' Ki pleaded.

"Black figure?"

'Yes, that's why I jumped into the river. It was coming for me!'

"Ki, there was no black figure."