‘I don’t see anything. This is frustrating!’ he barked.
As I neared, the fur on my skin electrified, standing straight up, and I slowed to a crawl. Thick green stuff coated the fissure in the gate, but I was able to see inside, like looking through colored glass. What I saw made my knees go weak with fear.
The place where I stood on Brock’s land was the pinnacle of some type of rock formation, from where I was able to peer into another world. Below were thousands of beasts, of the most terrifying sort. Trolls, orcs, ogres, demons—every foul creature from my nightmares milled fifty feet below us. Worse, they were dressed for battle in steel armor, chanting foul words with thick, heavy swords held high in the air, their faces contorted in rage and determination.
They looked like they were preparing for war.
A war on Earth? Oh God.
‘Umm, guys…’ I said to Cass and Brock. ‘We have a problem.’ A fucking ginormous crap-in-your-pants problem.
Before they could question me about it, a twig snapped to Brock’s right and his head shot in its direction, Molly raised her shotgun.
Two Japanese warriors, straight out of a movie, with katanas and impeccable traditional dress, emerged from the woods. I blinked at them. What the…?
Instinctively, I started to shift back to human, afraid Molly would blow their heads off first, and ask questions later. Their katanas were sheathed and strung across their backs, and they held their hands out, palms up in a peaceful gesture.
The moment they laid eyes on me, half-fox, half-human, they dropped to one knee in unison, and bowed their heads. Both were young, tall males, with athletic builds. One wore his long black hair in a high ponytail; the other’s was cropped short on the sides and longer on top.
I completed my shift back to human form—grateful that I’d managed to swallow my usual whimpers of pain—and covered my breasts with one arm, and my hoohah with the other. I didn’t know these fools.
“Who are you?” I asked. Molly cocked the shotgun for added effect. Brock, on my left and still in wolf form, growled at the men, while Cass held his hoverboard at the ready, prepared to strike.
The one with the ponytail stood. “Greetings, Kitsune. We are your guardians, sworn to train you and protect you with our lives.”
Say what?
Time slowed as my brain struggled to catch up. They knew I was a kitsune?
“Who sent you?” I asked.
The other one stood as well, meeting my gaze. “Your father.”
The blood rushed from my face while dizziness swept over me.
My father was alive?
Holy shit.