Of Fallen Wings & The Six Tails

The Kumiho and The Enigma

The sound of thunder roared through the night as winds whistled in tandem throughout the trees of the snow-covered forest. The ferocity of the winds caused trees to crack and splinter as men became wary of the drastic change of weather so suddenly.

"Was it not clear just moments ago? There was not a single thundercloud in the sky and there still isn't! What's going on?" a man asked as he tried to keep his torch from blowing out from the ferocious gusts.

"No matter, we must kill her quickly before she can escape! Follow the trail she left behind!" another yelled within a group of twelve, all armed with swords, spears or bows as they trudged along the thick snow.

The group of men scoured the area with their torches lighting the way and a blood trail to guide them in the darkness of the forest. Slowly but surely, the winds ate at their dimming light source causing them to hurry. Because of the winds, the fires danced and swayed uncontrollably, leading shadows to trick their eyes as they search for the woman they were hunting.

A distance away, the fox-like ears of woman twitched in response to the chatter of the group as she hid in the shadows, injured and scared. Her raven-colored hair rained down her shoulders like a waterfall and shone in the dim moonlight. Her feral like eyes shined a faded coral color that glowed in the dark and her pupils were slit like a fox just as any of her kind: the Kumiho. At a gaze or a stare, her face was truly beautiful and could captivate anyone with just a mere glance...maybe even the Gods would ask her hand if they saw her. If anything, it was her deadliest weapon as it has taken hundreds of victims into its alluring gaze.

"If only it didn't snow more last night! This is wearing me down too much!" a man whined.

Another slapped him on the head and shouted. "Shut up and keep your eyes open! She's injured and won't be far now!"

An arrow protruding from her left arm bled at the wound's entrance leaving a trail of crimson dripping on the soft white ground. She's been running for the past few hours since the dusk became night and her stamina waned as it grew colder with each passing hour. The men chasing her were no ordinary group of men but hunters of monsters, demons and the like and unfortunately for her, they seemed well versed in killing her kind.

"The trail leads there! Let's hurry!" a man shouted as he pointed at the blood trail leading to her not too far away. As she heard their footsteps echoed closer throughout the soft snow, a loud crack in the trees was heard above them causing them to stop in their tracks. For some reason, the winds also stopped abruptly and the sound of thunder was noticeably absent as well. The situation confused the men who now looked at the treeline above.

"Is this a trick from the Kumiho?"

"No, they don't have that kind of power! Now let's hu-"

"Kekekekekeke...."

A notable sound of laughter echoed in the trees causing the men's hair to stand up in the back of their necks as they looked for the source. It didn't sound human and more birdlike in its tone causing them to be on full alert. The woman also listened silently as she was unsure of what to do at the unexpected event unfolding before her.

"What the hell was that?!" one man yelled as his voice trembled in fear.

"Is it a dokkaebi(goblin)?!"

"No, if it was, they would've shown themselves already...." another man murmured.

"Wait ...do you see that in the trees?! Those 2 white orbs up there! What the hell is that!!?!"

One man pointed at a tall tree that stood above the rest and seemingly reached for the skies. Their torchlights were not enough to light the area where the 2 orbs were but they could faintly see a figure standing on the branches as it silently watched them.