The blood-red evening light was fading to black by the time I finally left the troupe and headed off to the shaman's hut in the forest.  I could smell the place before I saw it—it was the smell of parchment and cooked rice and freshly-churned earth.  I passed the garden, mostly filled with cabbage, radishes, and the few remaining cucumbers of the season, and headed up the path to the front door.  The cooling corpses of six rabbits greeted me—I snagged one off the rack where it had been hanging and took a bite from the leg.

The shaman's face turned as white as the paper he was reading when I stepped inside.  Perhaps it was the blood dripping down my chin and onto the floor, or the fact that I didn't bother disguising my golden-yellow fox eyes as something more human.  Whatever the reason, it gave me some satisfaction that my presence unsettled him.  Still, he didn't seem scared enough, in my opinion, so I lifted the invisibility charm on my tails and bared my fangs for added effect.

The shaman now looked ready to faint, which was a more acceptable reaction, as long as he didn't actually carry through with it.

Since I was in no mood for pleasantries, I marched over and cleared the dinner dishes, pens, and scraps of paper from his desk with one foot and then sat down on the floor across from him, ripping another chunk of meat from my newly-acquired meal.  It took the man quite some time to finally find his voice and greet me.

"M-m-moon Sun," he acknowledged with a flickering smile.

"You lied to me," I said flatly, spitting out a chunk of rabbit fur.  "I detest liars."

Confusion flittered across his face, and I narrowed my eyes, trying to discern if it was genuine or just an act.  "I don't...don't understand," he finally managed to say with a nervous gulp.

I leaned forward and slammed my elbow down on the table, making the man jump.  Then, ever-so-gently, I put my chin in my hand and gave him a bloody smile.

"You're still trying to get rid of me," I told him.  "I don't know how you did it, but you somehow managed to involve me in this curse."  I narrowed my eyes.  "Lift it.  Now."

"I don't know how!" the shaman protested, scooting back and raising his hands.  "I didn't add you into the curse, I swear it.  All I did was seek out the key words of the spell so you could counteract it, as you wished.  I had no idea you were involved."

My false smile slipped back into a snarl.  "That's ridiculous.  You're the only one who wants to get rid of me and who actually has the potential to do so."

"I..." the shaman suddenly paused and his gaze grew unfocused.  I drummed my claws on the table while I waited for him to answer.

"I think I know who might have cast the spell," the shaman finally told me.  But he shot me a panicked look before blurting, "But you must promise not to kill the person if I tell you!"

I felt my hackles raise but forced myself to remain calm.

"I promise," I spat.  A fleck of rabbit blood landed on the shaman's cheek, and he did his best to ignore it.

"And...you can't kill me, either," he added timidly.

"I'll spare you this time," I told him.  "But I make no such promise for the future."

Figuring that was good enough for the moment, the man took a breath and nodded.

"Her name is Han Yuri.  She comes from a town just outside Hanyang—perhaps the very one your cursed nobleman comes from."

"And why do you think she's the one who cast the curse?" I asked, gnawing around a bone.

The shaman grimaced but continued.  "She visited me a few weeks ago for some rare herbs, and noticed the rabbit infestation in my garden.  When she asked about it, I...well."

"You told her about me," I finished for him.

"Not immediately!" he amended.  "I just told her that there hadn't been any foxes on the mountain for a long time, and the rabbit population just reflected this fact.  But she caught on very quickly.  Then I asked her if she knew of a way to help, and she said she might be able to do something..."

A growl started deep in my chest, and the shaman tried to subtly put more distance between us.

"It's not a curse of revenge," I told him.  "This whole time we've had it wrong.  It's a love curse."

"Well, I wouldn't call it a curse, exactly—"

"It's a curse to me!" I snapped.  "You know perfectly well what happens if that nobleman and I fall in love with each other.  I'll turn human.  You'll be rid of me.  And the mountain will no longer be safe."

"It will be safe," the shaman said, trying to persuade me.  He leaned forward pleadingly.  "You can leave this place with a clear conscience.  The travelers will be fine, the foxes will be fine—"

"Another lie and I'll rip your tongue from your mouth," I snarled.  "I promised not to kill you this night, but maiming is still a possibility."

The shaman immediately closed his mouth, and I continued.

"I am proof of this mountain's treachery," I said.  "Creatures like me are rare indeed, but we exist for a purpose.  And no curse is going to stop me.  That woman will not stop me, and you will not stop me.  I've put up with your meddling this long, but my patience has worn thin.  Any more plans to get rid of me, and I will ensure your death."

A tremor ran through the shaman, nearly imperceptible, but my eyes noticed it.  "What will you do now, then?"

I stood up from the table and dropped the remaining skin and bones of the rabbit on the floor for the man to clean up later.

"I'll have to change my plans."  I didn't bother to elaborate, since no good ever comes from spending time explaining your strategy to someone not on your side.  Knowing the scheming shaman, he would use the information to still try to get rid of me, despite all that I had done for him.

The sun had completely set by the time I stepped back outside.  I melted silently into the forest shadows, keeping my ears pricked as I headed back to my cave.  My eyes had no trouble adjusting to the darkness, and I made swift progress.

A soft nicker and a snort from somewhere to my left had me changing direction and heading towards the source to investigate.  The sound was far from both the mountain trail and the village, and I had a feeling that I would be familiar with whoever it was trying to travel under the cover of night.

My suspicions proved correct as I drew closer to the sound of heavy equine footfalls and smaller, stumbling human feet.  I watched through the trees as the nobleman and his servant struggled past, leading their horses by their bridles.  Their progress was slow, and I couldn't help but snicker as the servant stumbled into a spider web and started a ridiculous dance to rid himself of the wispy threads.

The nobleman heard the noise and spun in my direction, sword drawn.

"Show yourself!" he called out.

I hid my vulpine features and stepped through the trees.

"We meet again, nobleman," I said.  His servant, having just freed himself of the spider web, saw me and stumbled backward in surprise, snagging his sleeve on a branch and nearly falling over.  I allowed myself another amused smirk at his antics.

Park Young Min did not let himself be distracted.

"How did you find us?" he asked me, still not lowering the sword.

"I just happened to be passing by," I answered.  Nodding to their saddlebags, I said, "Leaving so soon?"

"Yes," he said, before adding, "I do apologize—it seems we won't be able to listen to your singing."

Our eyes met, then, and almost immediately I could feel the pull of the spell between us.  It had been weaker at the performance, and not at all noticeable that morning, but it apparently grew stronger with each time we met.  It couldn't be ignored now—it felt like my energy was leaving me, pouring into this human, and I felt compelled to follow the current and walk right up to him.

I held my ground and looked away.  I would not be swayed by manipulation.

The human was less able to shake the magic, and in the short time we had held our gaze, he had lowered his sword and taken a few trancelike steps towards me.  His servant was now hovering behind his shoulder and tugging the noble's sleeve back nervously.

Young Min blinked and shook his head, confused, then looked back at me.  I made a point of examining my nails.

"Young master...young master, we should leave," the servant was saying.  But the nobleman wasn't finished talking to me.

"You know Kim Nara?" he asked.

I tilted my head back and leaned against the rough bark of a tree.  The moon was a thin sliver overhead and the stars were bright and clear in the darkness.

"Yes, I know her," I said.  "We met two days ago, on the path leading up to Bird Village from Hanyang."

I heard the nobleman give a small sigh, but I kept my gaze on the tree branches stretching across my view of the night sky above.

"She seems to think you..." he trailed off, searching for the right words, "might be able to help me."

"How much did she tell you?"

"She seems to be under the impression that you're...that you're not human."

I smiled and turned to face him, but didn't meet his eyes directly this time.  "You want proof."

He frowned.  "Are you saying she's correct?"

I let the charm on my eyes fade away to reveal my slit pupils and irises the color of the dying sun.  The nobleman's servant, easily frightened, tripped in his hasty retreat and fell on his rear.

"Would you like to see my tails, too?" I offered.  "Or is this enough to have you convinced?"

"It's a monster," the servant whispered hoarsely, turning to his master, waiting for the signal to flee.  I barely resisted the urge to snarl at the man.  The nobleman, at least, seemed to have more sense and remained where he was, though he did not speak.

"You're going the wrong way," I continued, tilting my head in the opposite direction of their destination.  "This path leads to Miryang, but you should return to your home.  You live just outside the capital, don't you?"

"And how will that help cure my illness?" Young Min asked.

I glared at the black horse beside him, since eye contact with the noble was still out of the option.  "For all of your scholarly training, you sure are slow to catch on," I snapped.  "This is not an illness, but a curse."

"And you know how to cure—um, break it?" the nobleman asked.  He sounded skeptical.

I revealed my tails and moved my gaze to just above his eyebrows—as close as I risked to meeting his eyes and furthering the curse.  I needed to persuade him.  "No, but I know someone who can."

He thought for a moment, and the sounds of the forest at night grew louder again in the silence.  A bat screeched overhead, and a frog croaked nearby in response.  Off in the distance, probably too low for human ears, I could hear a badger rooting through the undergrowth for its meal.  Crickets that had been startled by the servant's stumbling started up again.  There was also another, fainter sound off in the distance, but before I could place it, the nobleman spoke.

"All right," Young Min said, nodding.  Immediately, his servant started to protest.

"But she's a nine-tailed fox!  She's a—"

"Call me a monster one more time and I'll make sure you regret it."

The servant stopped talking immediately, and I turned back to the nobleman.

"I'm glad you're being sensible," I told him.  "I'll meet you once you've returned to your village.  Don't look for me—I'll come to you."

"What will you do in the meantime?" Young Min asked.

I gave a sigh.  "Fulfill the other half of my promise."

Yay, another chapter! Let me know what you think, and don't forget to vote! :)