The Lost and Found

Chapter 3

The gang followed the old woman as she hurried through the town, carrying the little fox-girl in her arms. Or, well, they walked slowly as the old woman shuffled along as fast as she could, mumbling to the fox-child. "Poor dear, poor little one, my sweet Sumi..." While they walked, Hak and Yona filled the others in about the girl and the shopkeeper in quiet tones.

Their pace was agonizingly turtle-like due to the old woman's tiny gait, which gave the villagers ample time to gape at the strange group.

"Everyone is staring," Shin-Ah said quietly, obviously made uncomfortable by a town's worth of attention.

Jae-Ha simply sighed. "It can't be helped. We are all so attractive, after all."

"Somehow I don't think they're focused on you beasts for once, Green," Yoon said, glancing over at the tall young man.

Indeed, most people seemed to be gawking at the old woman and the fox, which meant that what had happened at the shop was already swiftly making its way around the village.

"Ma'am—" Hak started, but the old woman held up a hand.

"Be patient," she said, "We'll be there soon."

They inched after the woman and tried to ignore all of the villagers and their unwavering stares. Finally they came to a small house near the outskirts of the town. As they reached the fence around the home, the fox squirmed out of the old woman's grasp and shifted back into a girl. She paused for a moment inside of the gate, closing her eyes as she lifted her face to the sun and her tiny bare feet sunk into the warm grass.

Behind her, Jae-Ha felt a sudden empathy for her. He knew the look on her face, that relief at being in the sun once more, all too well. Glancing over at his younger blue dragon brother, he knew that Shin-Ah also knew the feeling.

"Inside, Sumi," the woman said, waving her hands, "All of you, into the house. We don't have much time." Her papery face crumpled into a frown. "That worthless son of mine won't wait for long before coming here."

The home consisted of one room with a mat, a cooking area, and a few cushions to sit on. It certainly wasn't made with five warriors, a pretty boy, and a princess in mind, so it was hardly large enough to contain all of them. Jae-Ha and Hak had to press up against the wall while the others scattered about the room. Yona and Yoon shared one of the cushions while the woman took the other, which left Kija, Shin-Ah and Zeno to sit on the floor. The fox-girl reluctantly came inside, dragging her feet, but she laid down in the doorway, refusing to come all the way indoors.

"So Grandma has a great-granddaughter who can turn into a fox?" Zeno said, grinning, "That's a new one."

"It's complicated," the old woman said, folding her hands into her lap. Her watery eyes looked at the girl, Sumi, with warmth and affection before turning back to the group. "I didn't know she was still alive. That rotten son of mine..."

"Can you start at the beginning?" Yona asked gently, "I think we're all just a little confused about it all."

Jae-Ha and Hak glanced at each other, both somewhat amused by Yona's understatement. The kid had transformed into a fox and back again multiple times, her supposed grandpa had kept her captive in his shop, and he was planning on killing her or something. Yeah, they were all just a taaaad confused by it.

The old woman sighed. "The beginning was almost ten years ago now," she said, eyes misting over as if she was looking into the past, "It was the middle of winter when a foreign woman from a country across the sea showed up at our village. She was a traveling singer, or that's what she said. She had a beautiful voice."