Krystal pats Prysis on the head when he licks her, then listens silently as Kao tells his story. After he finishes, she looks into the fire for a few minutes, then turns back to him. "There have been rumors in the city at the base of the mountain," Krystal says quietly. "Rumors of men hunting rare beings. I see the rumors are true."
Krystal looks first at Prysis, then Kao. "My dear Kao and Prysis," she says tenderly. "Do not worry, especially about the hunters coming here. This mountain is completely untraversable at this time. And it will remain so for another three months. During that time, we can come up with a plan to either deal with them or escape."
Krystal's face hardens. "Of course, I am not completely helpless. I am a master of illusions and not bad with weaponry. If it comes to a that, I am sure I can "convince" them to forget about the two of you." She takes a bite of ham and chews thoughtfully. "Of course, I can always call upon the creatures of the mountain for aid."
Krystal swallows her food and then looks directly at Kao. "You've told me your story. Now I shall tell you mine." She takes a swig of cocoa, leans back in her chair, then looks above Kao's head, as if remembering days long past.
"I was born into a family of long-lived mountain foxes. I had a brother and a sister. From day one, my parents could tell I was different. You see, in my family, there runs an extra gene. That gene is the gene of the kitsune and the last one to have that gene was my grandmother. Unlike my brother and sister, I could speak and understand the human tongue. So, my mother and father sent me to live with my grandmother.
200 years passed. I learned much from my grandmother. Things such as shapeshifting, magic, and the language of animals. Then, 50 years later, while I was out hunting, some men came to my grandmother's den. They killed and skinned my grandmother, then set fire to her den. I saw the smoke and ran home, only to find the whole den burnt to ashes. Dejected, I returned to my parents' den and stayed there for 50 years.
On that 50th year, another group of men came to the den while I was hunting. This group of men did the same thing that the other group of men did. Thus, when I returned, there was nothing but ashes left. Desolate and alone, I traveled the mountain. 100 years I traveled. On that 100th year, I met a kitsune who would soon become my husband. His name was Fox McCloud. We dated for a while, then decided to get married.
Together, we built this den-house. We had a son, named James McCloud. He left us at the age of 200. Fox was an inventor and a miner. He died in a mine collapse when I was 800-kitsune-years-old. In his will, he left me everything. To this day, I have lived here alone. I have not heard from James in 150 years."
Krystal looks at Kao. "And that's my story." She takes a bite of ham, chews it, then swallows. "What do you think?" she asks.
