Asura

Asura watched wide-eyed as fire rained down upon the temple. The trees were burning, the buildings were burning, and the statues were covered in ashes- if not burning themselves.

"Aura, I always told you that you would have to go into the world and find your own Master one day," her mother speaks. The ten foot tall form of her mother towered over her. It was traditional for Sacred Snow Foxes to stay with their parent for a year, before heading off into the world.

"Yes, Mother," Asura replied- though she didn't understand why this was important. They had to defend the temple.

"That day is now. Leave," her mother said coldly.

"But- Mother, we have to de-" Asura started, before she was interrupted by a furious, powerful voice.

"LEAVE!"

Asura couldn't bear to question any more, when presented with that voice. She directly ran off, tears streaming from her eyes. How could her mother yell at her like that? She always did her best, and she was just kicked out when she wanted to help?

She'd find a new home. One where she wouldn't be abandoned. One where she'd never leave. One she could protect with her everything.

Her little paws padded through the dirt. Slowly, the dirt became sand, and a thick fog filled the air. She didn't know why, but the fog burned her snout and throat.

She quickly turned around, running back into the forest, where it was safe. She followed her nose, which allowed her to easily find a source of water. She used the liquid to clear her throat, and after sating her burning body with the cool liquid, she looked up. Her blue eyes seemed to glow slightly, cutting through the dark.

Fortunately, there was a small burrow, which she could crawl inside of to feel safe from the night. It was only a bit larger than her, and there seemed to be several in the area, so she doubted it was inhabited. She lay on the soft dirt, closing her eyes and directly falling asleep.

She had no idea how long had passed, but she was woken up by a voice.

"'Ey, boss, did I dug up a fox yesterday?" asked a somewhat whiny voice.

"What?" asked a gruffer voice. "Have you started drinking already?"

"No, boss. In this hole 'ere's a 'ittle fox I don' remember diggin' up."

Two shadows blocked out the bright light that was shining over the horizon. Asura opened her eyes slowly, looking at them. One was taller and stronger, the other was a bit shorter and plumper. However, both of them seemed quite menacing.

"That's a Sacred Snow Fox. Eveyone who has ever been chosen by one has become a king unparalleled, or died a horrible death. Or both. I actually hear a lot of both."

"So 'er, we should ignore this calamity?" asks the shorter man.

"No, you fool! Obviously, I'm destined to become a king. Quick, help me catch it," the taller one corrects.

Asura felt a shiver go down her spine. She absolutely wouldn't follow people like these.

She would only follow a God, like her mother had. No, maybe someone even stronger.

She quickly darted off, escaping underneath their legs.

However, she'd hardly started when she realized there were hundreds of holes around her, with dozens of men digging. She knew not what they searched for, but she knew what they were all searching for now, for every pair of eyes turned onto her.

"GET THAT FOX!" the tall man yelled.

A large man dived at her, and she quickly jumped aside. Yet, several more followed after, and she found herself getting cornered. A big hand reached down to grab her, and she knew she'd have to fight.

She dug her teeth into the man's hand- but couldn't stand the taste, and immediately jumped back. While the air was filled with his yell and swears, she darted off.

The next couple hours of her life were filled with torment. Arrows fell from the sky, nets were thrown, and she kept encountering men who smelled a mixture alcohol, salty coins, and spoiled milk.

She kept running through the woods, but eventually, she found the encirclement closing around her. The fog was at her rear, and the men were slowly drawing in closer. The even seemed concerned she'd run into the fog, for they blocked that off, too.

"Now now there, foxy, I'll take good care of you. Just come to Uncle Jasper," the tall man says, holding out his hands.

He was too close, she couldn't avoid him when he finally grabbed her. Resigning herself to her only option, she looked at him. The moment he let down his guard, she bit down on his wrist.

A horrible taste filled her mouth, and an even more horrible noise filled the air. However, this time, she used her full strength. When her jaw shut completely, she felt herself hit the ground once more. She darted under his legs, spitting out the putrid meat.

She didn't need to think twice before she jumped right into the fog. She kept running, expecting to get through it, but it only seemed to get denser. Everything looked the same, and she couldn't tell left from right.

Her lungs were burning, perhaps literally, and the ground was eerily flat, as if every hill had been blown away. She kept running, and running, and running. She didn't know how many hours passed, however, eventually, she rolled down into a crater.

Her stomach was growling, she hadn't eaten in over a day. For the young fox, that felt like a month ago. In this poison, she couldn't rely on her nose to guide her, and her eyes were blocked by the fog. There wasn't a sound in the world besides the wind, likely dampened by the fog. Or, perhaps there were, but they weren't sounds she could make sense of.

Each step was labored as she tried cross the crater. It felt like she'd been walking for over an hour. Perhaps she'd been mistaken- this was just a weird valley, or an empty lake. It was much too large, so whatever had made it would have had to have been massive.

As she was walking, suddenly, the fog gave way, and she found herself in a clearing. She could see the cliff wall of the valley, and at the top was a massive oak tree. Though, it didn't quite look like an oak.

'So beautiful' was the only thought that entered her mind.

She had never seen such an attractive tree, grown so tall and perfectly, as if shaped and groomed its whole life. It wasn't until she got a bit closer that she realized it seemed to be the origin clearing the fog. As she approached the cliff wall, she felt her sense of smell coming back, and the soft smell of wood- and the unmistakable scent of mana.

Hidden within that tree, there was food. If she just got a little bit, she could continue on her journey.

Snow Foxes had terribly sharp teeth, so she lightly bit down on the bark after reaching the top of the tree. If she didn't know any better, she'd thought she just bit a rock. It didn't budge.

She stopped, stepping back, before trying again- using her full force from the get go. A force that could easily remove a man's arm. Biting down, she felt her teeth sink in, and felt a feeling of satisfaction.

However, now, it was like biting rubber. She sank in, before, a moment later, that force was reflected back, and she was sent flying off the cliff.