My heart raced, running towards the Mystic Forest. I was so scared of what would happen when I crossed the tree line. Right when I got to the outskirts of it, I skidded to a halt.

Looking back to where Namjoon and I had stood when Taehyung gave my punishment, tears threatened to fall again.

Namjoon appeared beside me, red clay spraying all around. I shielded myself with my tails.

"You have to go in, Little One."

"I'm not ready..." I whispered sadly. He looked down at me sympathetically.

"The longer you wait, the less time you have."

He was right. If I sat at the edge of the Forest with my fear of being forgotten. I would surely die. Leaving Namjoon without his little helper and the people who would surely listen to my warnings would die. Because I wouldn't be there. Then the people would also be without a future king.

"They will forget me..." I pouted.

"How could anyone forget a fox such as yourself?" He smiled, patting my head.

"Go be a good little fox, embrace your punishment."

I sighed heavily, taking one last long look at the two humans who meant so much to me. Turning away for the last time, I stepped into the Mystic Forest.

It felt like all the air was sucked from my lungs when I entered. The air was so cold, damp and severely uninviting. Every piece of fur on my body told me to turn back. For the love of the Sunshine god Hoseok, I wanted to. Unfortunately, I must embrace this punishment.

Strange sounds could be heard all around me. The trees were gnarled and bent. They appeared to be angry about something. I wasn't quite sure what though, they wouldn't tell me either.

Not that they could.

Little whispers started all around me. Some were asking who I was. Why my fur was so white. What I was doing amongst the forgotten.

That word stung... Forgotten. I too would soon be forgotten.

"Well don't you have to perdiest fur ever!" A boy with a bunny-like smile affirmed. He looked like one of the athletic boys from the village.

"Who are you?"

"Oh! Oh! You can talk! Not like the grumpy black fox, always hiding in the dead tree." All the trees around us shook their limbs. They were definitely upset about the boy's statement. One of them tried to smack him with a vine, but the boy moved quickly.

"Did you say black fox?" I asked wrapping my eight tails around my body. He raised an eyebrow at me, folding his arms across his chest.

"What's it to you?"

The whispering started again, making my ears perk up so I could understand them better. Where were the whispers coming from? What were they?

She can't be trusted, the little fox... she can't be trusted.

The whispers were crying out frantically. I don't know why they feel I can't be trusted. I haven't done anything...that hurt my feelings.

"I have to teach him."

Something in the back of my head told me not to tell this boy too much.

"Teach him what?" He tapped his finger on his chin, leaning closer to my face while smiling with a bunny-like smile.

He seemed like such a nice curious boy. Maybe if I just avoid that question he'll forget and tell me where the fox is.

"Do you know where the dead tree is?"

He huffed, straightening up. Then he pointed in several directions.

"Over there, over there, and right there." He smirked as he watched me turn my head every which way. He seemed like he was enjoying himself.

"Okay... but which one has the fox in it?"

"Well one way is the right way. Guess you better figure it out before the sky turns gray." He laughed at his statement, skipping away deeper into the Forest.

The whispers started again. They seemed almost panicky in their words.

Can't be trusted... can't be trusted.

"Who can't be trusted? Me?"

They went silent once more. I've only been in this forest for maybe five minutes and I'm ready to go. Everything in this forest screamed leave. I was foreign to the inhabitants, who made it very clear I couldn't be trusted. I sighed, looking in all the directions the boy had pointed to before.

"Surely one of these is the right way..."

"What are you looking for exactly?" A tired voice asked. I turned to see where it was coming from.

I laughed nervously. The thing I was looking for was standing right in front of me. His expression was that of someone uninterested.

"Are you daft?"

"Not at all..."

He rolled his eyes at me, tilting his head sideways.

"Are you sure?"

Well that's rude of him. I'm just so excited that I found him so fast and on my first day! The black nine tailed fox does indeed exist and he is definitely a grumpy one.

"You're the black nine tailed fox!" I exclaimed happily.

"You're an observant one aren't you?" He grumbled walking off into a bundle of bushes.

"HEY!! HEY WAIT!! I'm supposed to teach you!" I yelled, trying to follow him. He somehow vanished in the dark side of the bushes.

"No thanks."

Was all I heard. My heart sunk, how would I ever be able to see Jimin and little Jae again? Curling up into a ball under a nearby tree, I cried myself to sleep.