• The Lunar Foxx

    Chapter One: Kukiko

    Back when I was a little girl, my family and I traveled around western Japan looking for a place to live. In those days there existed demons. It was hard to find a place to settle down and live in peace. My family was big and poor. I had four little sisters and three younger brothers. I was the eldest out of them all.
    Being the oldest sibling meant alot of responsibilities. I was only thirteen when this era of hatred broke out. The Demonic Demons would prey on human flesh and blood. They would even devour their own kin. The Demonic Demons would eat any humans that crossed their path. When in desperate need of food, they will do anything for it.
    There was also another type of demon. They were called the Angelic Demons. They were strong and friendly. They didn't have to be helpful to society, but they chose to anyway. Angelic Demons are usually a Guardian of a village. In return of the demon's sympathy, the villagers would build a temple for their guardian near the village. They taught the villagers how to raise crops and heal the wounded or the sick. The angelic demons were very intelligent and helpful. They helped fight off enemies and other demonic demons.
    People also had demons as companions in war or for self-defense. Children like myself, sometimes had an Angelic Demon as a friend or helper. I had a Angelic Demon as one of my best friends. She was a fox demon called by Kukiko. She had snow white fur with five poofy tails with light orange rings going around them. Kukiko had dark blue eyes with the lunar symbol in the middle of her forehead. She was a small but strong fox. She was able to fight off any demon with her strength or fox magic. She still practices her techniques to get better than she already was. The most destructive thing she could do was her "Foxx Fire". She could either blow it from her mouth or shoot it out of her paws. The other techniques involve small objects or trinkets such as her "Smashing Top" and "Weepy Mushrooms". Some attacks were rather funny, but once used, not anymore. My younger sisters and brothers favored Kukiko very much. Anytime they had food they would share with her. They usually gave her wild berries or cooked fish. Kukiko loved fish. She was able to get her own fish out of rivers and creeks. Thanks to Kukiko, my family was able to eat almost everyday. She use to help gather food with my siblings and I. I was greatful to have her as my companion.
    When I was seven years old, I found Kukiko in the vast forest near my small village. Shugi and I were playing in the trees. We loved climbing trees together when we were little. One day we were climbing this tall tree, when I got to a high branch there was a nest sitting on it. Resting in the nest I found a little fox demon snoozing under a blanket of tree leaves. I stroked her white fur gently smiling. Quietly, I called Shugi up to come see her. He was amazed to see the cute little fox sleeping soundly under the shade. We sat there and watched her sleep. It was the first time my brother and I saw such an angelic demon up close.
    When she awakened she sensed us automatically. She looked scared at first, but to befriend her I sat quietly glancing at her with a kind smile across my face. Cautiously, she walked toward me. She was looking right into my eyes. Looking back into her deep, dark, blue eyes, I pet her head gently. She came closer to me and laid herself out on my lap. She felt soft and relaxed. Her soft white fur brushed my legs. Slowly I picked her up holding her. I carried her back to the ground with Shugi following behind. I fed her some berries when we returned to the village. After that, I took her to the nearby river to give her some water. Shugi asked if we should call her by Kikyo, because of her eyes. I suggested Kukiko, because of her snow white fur. When I said the name, her head jolted from the river and pounced to me. I had a premonition that that was her name at birth. Shugi couldn't argue and we both called her by Kukiko. Shugi and I led Kukiko back to our house to show our mom and dad. My mother greeted me with, " Welcome home, Akemi. Where's your brother?" I answered back, "Outside playing with Kukiko for a bit," Mother looked confused at first then asked, "Is Kukiko a new friend of yours?" I replied, "Yes, I'll bring her in you to meet her." I walked outside to tell Shugi to come inside. I called Kukiko into my arms and carried her into our house. When I walked through the curtain, my father instantly looked at what was in my arms. Then yelled out, " No, no, no, no! We're not keeping that demon!" Shugi argued, "She's not a bad demon! She's a good one and hasn't done anything!" Kukiko was getting scared. Her twin tails sagged down as her raised ears were getting lower. She hid her face in my chest whimpering. I sat down holding her saying, "Its okay, its okay." My five year old brother and my dad were arguing. I was keeping Kukiko quiet.
    I interupted the argument between my parents and brother. I said in a quiet voice, "Shh...she's sleeping." Kukiko had fallen asleep in my arms. She was tired. My mother looked at me cradling the sweet, angelic fox. My mom came out and said calmly, "Akemi, you can keep her," I replied, "Really mother?" She answered back smiling, "Yes, as long as you take care of her. You must feed and bathe her." I smiled and said, "Yes, I will mother."
    Shugi sat next to me smiling. He opened his mouth and said, "Hey, Akemi," I replied, "Yes, what is it?" "Since Kukiko is yours now, is she going to sleep with us tonight?" I answered, "She's still a baby, so she'll be sleeping inside with us." Shugi and I shared a bed together and we were wondering if we should make Kukiko a bed for herself or just have her sleep with us. Shugi started looking around for an extra blanket and a small pillow. He couldn't find any, so we decided that she would sleep with us, I placed Kukiko between our two pillows on our layed out bed on the floor. It was already dark outside so we couldn't go play any longer. Instead, Shugi and I changed into our nightgowns and went to bed. We prayed before we went to sleep. We prayed for the day, hoping there were no demon attacks during the night. Lucky for us there wasn't. When I layed down, Kukiko came over to me and fell asleep on my chest. I pet her head gently and fell asleep smiling. I knew Kukiko and I were going to be friends for a long period of time.
    She was Kukiko, I am Akemi, and this is our story.