A small village, Eldousk, had always been a calm and quiet place. The villagers enjoyed a peaceful life, and so it had been for generations. This idyllic settlement had been founded on the roots of a mountain. The scenery was dominated by greenness, for the people hadn't cut down the trees more than necessary. In harmony with nature, they co-existed in the region. And of course, there was also a legend of hidden treasures that were waiting to be found deep within the mountain, but not that many villagers had actually looked after these fabled riches. Some young people would every now and then attempt to find them, but would always return empty-handed. Sometimes this tale would even bring greedy outsiders to Eldousk. But these treasure hunters would always fail as well. It seemed like that the riches of the mountain would remain hidden for eternity – at least from mortals.

In addition to treasure hunters, other outsider people would occasionally find their way to Eldousk as well. The local people were a hospitable kind and would welcome visitors warmly. They enjoyed to hear from the travelers what's happening in outside world. Locals also liked to craft small lucky trinkets that they would give to the guests. Because of such friendly behavior, travelers would often praise Eldousk for other people, and so the village had earned a reputation of being a gracious place to visit.

In spite of all this, the people made a fatal mistake that almost wiped the whole village out.

It began when few hunters caught black foxes and killed them to take their beautiful pelts. They hadn't seen black foxes ever before, their first thought being that a god of mountain had blessed them with such beauties. They didn't start a full-scale fox hunt, but they did catch every single one of those they met. Soon their fur became very popular and wanted among the women of the Eldousk. The folks of the village were respectable when it came to hunting animals: they would use as much as possible of their bodies and the rest of the remains would be used in a ceremony to honor their spirits. But even with this custom, Eldousk was about to face a disaster.

That day had been disguised as an ordinary one. Energetic people had been doing their chores and there had been a pleasant weather. A sunny day with a calm wind. Children were playing, villagers were in a good mood overall. No one could anticipate that something terrible would happen. And when the day turned to twilight, people would go spend a relaxed evening in their cozy little homes, though, some of them would seek company and good food and drinks from a tavern. Cheerful noises of a drunken crowd would emanate to the streets. They would rejoice until the world would be wrapped in a veil of darkness.

And with darkness came an intruder to the village, shattering the peace. An ominous howl echoed through the chilly night air, letting everyone in the village know that her presence was now there. Confused people would leave their houses and flow to the streets to seek answers for what was going on. A black figure had emerged from the shadows of the outskirts and was standing by in the glow of lanterns that dotted Eldousk, ready to unleash her wrath. She let out another threatening howl before she shot a fireball that looked like it came from nothing. It crashed against the closest house and soon the flames started to engulf the building. In the light of this destruction, her enormous body was revealed: a black fox with crimson streaks on her fur and she had nine tails. Another fireball started to take its form on the tip of one of her tails, then shooting it at another house. People realized that she was dangerous and started to run away in panic as she continued to set things on fire.

But destroying their homes wasn't the worst thing she had in mind for these people.

“Murderers! Murderers!” she screamed as her eyes started to glow in red.

The giant fox struck her front legs to the ground. Almost as swiftly as a lightning, red veins formed to the earth, making many bifurcations as they rushed to the direction of the fleeing villagers. They weren't fast enough to escape their fate. As the veins reached the people, they infiltrated their bodies through the feet, striving to climb their upper bodies, grabbing them firmly like small hands. The red veins were visible in their skin, causing pain. People tried to scratch them off, but no avail. However, the worst thing was just about to come. The veins started to suck up their blood, slowly and agonizingly diminishing their lives. The screams of dying people filled the air as their bodies were deprived of that red nectar of life. Through the veins, the fox absorbed every single drop of blood. Only drained bodies were left behind as she intruded further into the village. Poor villagers weren't fighters, so they could only try to ran away or hide, hoping that the black entity of death wouldn't notice them.

She slaughtered many people of Eldousk in a short amount of time with her horrendous blood magic. However, eventually she came across a little girl that just stood there, not showing a tiniest bit of fear. While everyone else was running for their lives, the girl seemed to wait for the fox to approach. The fox had been chasing after some of the villagers, but when she noticed this one child that wasn't afraid, she suddenly stopped in front of her, growling a little. But even though she was standing there, enormous and threatening, the little girl faced her bravely.

“Oh, foxy fox, why are you killing people?” the girl asked.

The fox monster roared and still, the child showed no fear before her.

“You killed my children! All my beautiful and precious children!” the fox screamed. “And for that, I will make you all perish!”

“But that makes you a murderer as well, right?” the kid pointed out.

“It does not matter! I want my revenge!”

“I know what a loss feels like, too. I lost my mama.”

The fox was taken aback a little by this. The girl shed few tears, probably because a flood of memories she had with her mother and how she couldn't make more of them ever again. And suddenly, the fox seemed to calm down slightly. She wasn't a bloodthirsty monster by heart. The tears of an innocent one moved her a little.

“Still, these people need to pay for their crimes”, the fox said, although more calmly than before.

“Why aren't you still satisfied?” the girl inquired. “You already killed tons of people.”

“You do not understand the broken heart of a mother”, the fox replied. “Even though it will not bring my children back, it gives satisfaction to know that their deaths have been avenged.”

“Let me become your daughter.”

The fox looked at her with curiosity in her eyes. Such an offer she hadn't expected to hear, but it did intrigue her. Would this child help her fill her heart with love, not hatred? She lowered her head and as she did so, the girl hurried to her and closed her head in her embrace. A wave of warm emotion rushed through the fox, the innocence of the girl purifying her heart.

“Very well”, the fox said. “I will spare the rest of the village if you come with me. I will raise you and tell you the secrets of the mountain.”

“Thank you, mama!”

The fox brought her body down so the child could climb up and ride on her back. After the girl had clumsily managed to get on her back, the fox turned around and dashed out of the village, extinguishing with her powers those flames that were still devouring the houses, leaving behind smoking ruins and dried corpses as a reminder of the night of terror. Into the night she disappeared with the girl, shadows hiding her trail, dashing toward the mountain.