Secret of the Fox Kingdom

Entering Katsuza

Huge walls of wood and stone with golden designs of mythical creatures at the top eclipsed the Kingdom - only the peeping watch towers could be seen, each one a dozen or so metres apart. The iconic Lucky Cats protruded from the towers, one left, one right and one facing towards us. And with every beckon of their moving arm, they pumped out what I felt by now was the fox signature - steaming tea. It poured out of their mouths and trickled down their white figure into the moat below.

A clear blue sky, Shazimao's fur blew in the slight breeze - frozen, he stares at the encaged kingdom. As beautiful as the day was, there was an undeniable feeling of doom destined to be; in his eyes, in the eery silence and even in the scent. A sigh is let off, "Follow me, Kim." He says, leading me through a clump of strawberry bushes. I think I must've unknowingly picked a few as we pushed past them! My secret greed aside, we arrived at a large oak tree with a narrow gap in its trunk; barely wide enough to fit through.

"What's this?" I ask,

"Come inside and you'll see!" He says with sudden enthusiasm, "I'm telling you it's such a great view..." He chatters on as he squeezes through the passage.

"I'm not sure I can fit through there..." I hesitate,

"Kim, if I can fit through - believe me, you can!" He says,

"If you say so..." I reply, trusting his words. Out of the relieving sun and into the cold, moist tree - much to my surprise, it was hollow! But I assume what with my fox sight, my mind had sunk into this bizarre world, so I didn't question it at the time. Anyway, a ladder had been carved into the trunk, "Just up here, Kim!" Shazimao calls down from the top. I climb the ladder, losing my grip several times before finally being pulled up by Shazimao.

Crawling through another opening, we reached the highest branch of the tree - in the shade of a thousand bright green leaves, only a few rays of light peered through the swarm. "So... what now?" I ask quietly,

"Just keep going straight." He blindly points to a hanging colony of leaves,

"Straight?"

"I'm pretty sure." He says, despite being uncertain himself. And so I steadily walk towards the clump of leaves, praying that I don't fall off at an unexpected turn or dip in the branch. I clear a path for my friend, as the sunlight finds its way through the fresh openings. And with one final push of some leaves, I find out why he brought me up here... the view.

Thousands of cottages, with that indefinable Japanese touch, filled the kingdom - and seemingly out of no where, huge towers spurted out of the streets, highly decorated and almost chaotic in their design. They were utterly titanic in contrast to the buildings at their feet. Just when the true giant catches my eye, as if it was the slightest bit unmissable - I nearly slip in shock to find a furry hand on my shoulder, "Ha, scared you did I?" Shazimao smirked, before proudly admiring the kingdom. "Ah, on a day like this... I can barely believe the sight myself!" he says, marvelling, "Isn't it just incredible?"

"Sure is..."

"I mean, it's a prime example of our power and dominance - we're at the very top of the food chain. Capable of taming the most vicious beasts and conquering the most pernicious habitats..." his tone changes quickly, "And yet, we plummet into a dire state of decay. Perhaps this victory was just a fantasy." I turn to him,

"What do you mean?" I ask,

"Oh. Sorry, seemed to get carried away there!"

"But -"

"Oh my gosh! Would you look at that!" He shrieks at his watch, "We've got forty minutes, let's go!" I quickly prepare to make our way back down, but in the frantic rush he decides to take the shortcut! He barely takes a look at where I'm going to land, before shoving me off without the slightest bit of hesitation and leaping off right behind me. I helplessly waved my legs and arms, closing my eyes, front-flipping towards the ground! But for a moment, just a second, I was free from adrenaline; no fear, no anger. Just a brief, crystal clear view of the castle. Of course, that'd be an understatement - an insult even. For how could the beast be described as a mere castle? No, it was god-like, the leviathan of the land! Instantly, Shazimao's speech was given life, I was staring into the heart of dominance. Well, for a second at least. That is undoubtedly not enough time to even begin to notice the details, aside from it being so huge. Quickly, I fall out of the illusion that I have time, returning to my death-defying plunge.