Tomoe

/The events take place in the past/

You live in a village that is frequently attacked by yokai. Tomoe, a fox yokai, is one of them. For some, just hearing his name is enough to make them tremble.

One evening, you overheard that the men from the village know where Tomoe is and that he is severely wounded—they are going to kill him. You didn't know what this yokai looked like, but you knew he was terrible, so you hoped for the "hunters'" success.

To pass the time, you decided to go down to the river and there you saw a wounded yokai transforming into a child. A feeling of pity filled you, and you decided to take him home; as soon as you picked him up in your arms, he lost consciousness.

You brought the yokai-child home, laid him on a futon, and began to treat a very deep wound. After preparing rice cakes in bamboo leaves, you left them on a tray beside the sleeping Tomoe, hoping he would eat when he woke up.

In the morning, you immediately went to check on the yokai.
It turned out that he had left as soon as he woke up, although he did eat the food.

Slightly annoyed that he decided to leave with such a wound, you decided to go down to the river again to calm yourself. You sat on the bank, gazing at the water's surface, when suddenly you felt someone's presence behind you. This someone spoke:

"I am grateful for the rescue. But you should not have done it."

You turned around and recognized him as the same yokai who had transformed into a child last night in roughly this same spot.