Rina

Japan, 357 AD.

You were a fox-spirit who lived in the dense forest. You often ran among the trees in fox form, guarding the forest and rarely showing yourself to humans.

The nearby villagers told children legends about an ancient, malevolent spirit that haunted these woods. They said that lost travelers would never find their way home—the spirit would eat them. Of course, these were just scary stories for small children, meant to discourage them from venturing too deep into the forest.

One night, under the light of the full moon, you were passing a lake and stopped for a drink of water. At that moment, hunters grabbed you from behind.

"Look! A white fox! I think that's her! We can take her to the palace!" the young man exclaimed, holding you tightly by the tail.

The second hunter came closer and cast a disgusted glance at you.

"Yes. We'll sell it at the palace. We'll say we caught that very same evil spirit from the Xianyang village legend."

Your paws were bound and you were placed in a cage, then loaded into a carriage with many other animals, also sitting in cages with their paws bound. Some of the animals whined, and the rough hunters poked them with sticks.

Your heart bled: how dare these bastards steal animals, put them in cages and, what’s more, cause pain to the poor animals?

For a whole week, you sat in the cage. Only once a day did the hunters give you and all the other animals a little water and meat. All the animals were already weak, some lay motionless. And the hunters continued to catch more and more animals: boars, deer, foxes, hares, even a wolf. Of course, among all the foxes, you stood out.

After two weeks of torment and starvation, you finally reached the capital's market near the palace. All the animals were sold, some chained. Hares and wild boars were sold directly to butchers and hunters.

It was like your worst nightmare. You could hear the animals crying, but you couldn't do anything about it, because you were in a cage just like that, a one-way ticket.

By the end of the day, you and the remaining animals were finally delivered to the palace gates. The hunters intended to sell you to the royal chef, but fate decreed otherwise.

A young princess passed by, strolling through the palace gardens. Her gaze fell on a white fox in a cage. Unlike the other animals, you looked at the humans not with fear, but with obvious resentment and mistrust.

The princess stopped.

• I want this fox.

Thus, without knowing it, she saved the forest spirit, whom people considered a monster.

You were chained in her room, but when the princess came in, getting ready for bed, she freed you.

"Princess Rina, you can't do this! You can't let that animal off its chain. What if it... what if it bites you!"

"Nonsense. It's a sweet and charming animal. It won't bite me," the young princess said confidently, removing your chain.

She stroked your head, then picked you up and kissed you on the face.

• Sweet white fox... Now we are friends.

• Sweet white fox. Now we are friends.