Write a story about a fox spirit (a gumiho, jiǔwěihú, kitsune, or hồ ly tinh), inspired by, e.g. Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese folklore.

Posted in Fiction on Mar 10, 2023

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✍️ 33 stories

“狐と笛 - The Fox and the Flute” by Russell Mickler

The Fisherman. A Forest Path. Promises. Cherry Blossoms. It was nearing the end of the day, and Henjō lifted his trap from the lowland river. He frowned at his luck as he reeled in his nets and lines from the water. Recovering only two eels and a catfish, Henjō would go hungry today, for his catch would only feed his wife and child. His stomach growled in disappointment. A young man, Henjō wore a green kosode over his hakama trousers, and a round straw hat shielded his fac...

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“Atlas Rises” by Mike Panasitti

It was December 2066. It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark. I was 14 years old and my mother was driving me to my father’s house in rural Wisconsin, outside of Madison. There was no way I was going to spend the obligatory Gift Exchange and New Year’s holidays with him again. Last year instead of getting me presents, he smashed my guitar against the fireplace then put the mangled remains of it as well as the notebook where I kept my musical scribblings into the burning hearth. “T...

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“Whiskers in the Wind” by Sav Lightwood

It had been three days since Ojisan passed. Legs curled, proper and quiet against the shuttered rooftops. Sora couldn’t bring himself to leave. If he sat still enough, the morning breeze, the first waft of spring and blossom, reminded him of Ojisan’s warm breath against his whiskers. He had been there all night, curled carefully within the man’s arms as he swayed against his rocking chair. For the first...

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“Google Doogle” by Tricia Cundiff

I have a story to tell, though no one will believe me. When I lie in my bed at night, I barely believe it myself. But in the light of day, as I see my wife and daughter playing in the backyard, I know it all to be true. The tale must be told, although few may ever read these words. But the truth of it should be laid down, for I can take no credit for the changes in my life. I am a man of little worth, a real s.o.b...

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“An Unlikely Encounter” by Fiona Sailman

The fox stared at him with wide yellow eyes, asking questions that the man could never begin to answer. It tilted its head, studying him. He swallowed, then spoke. “H…hello.” It did not respond. He didn’t really expect it to. But kitsunes were rare to spot, and even rarer to interact with. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Of course, he had to choose his words carefully. Some kitsunes wer...

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“Father Fox” by Graham Kinross

Snowflakes caught amber beams of twilight. The fox called Father shivered on its trail through the woods. Stuttering wails echoed off trees as the vulpine wanderer felt the deep night wrap its clawing hand around the world. Infantile cries led the fox to two shivering forms intertwined. Bald little things looked into the sunset orange eyes of their savior. “Who are you?” asked Father as the children cower...

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“When Lightning Strikes” by J.C. Lovero

I was three hundred years old when lightning struck me for the first time. My mother beat me in combat—training in the Sea of Trees in Honshu—as she had done with every other duel. Her katana bit into my chest, and blood slipped down her blade as I dug my fingernails into the moist soil. You can not defeat a nine-tailed fox, Ken’ichi, she had said. Her pearl necklace—nine beads—swayed in the wind. A millennium of lifetimes compared to my three.Standing outside of the hospital, my ears strained toward the gray sky, remindin...

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“We the Lawless” by Alexey Williams

The bricklayers could be heard trudging home from the construction site, and Machiko laughed as Keiko formed her hair into a stylish bun."It really is a beautiful house," said Machiko.Masamune could smell the perfume on the back of her neck, her forearms, and in her hair. She had not finished readying herself for their evening out, but she stood up from the table and mirror. She nudged away Keiko the maid and ambled over to her husband, who had been thoughtful and mum since they had moved into the house...

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“A Legend Untold” by Shaivi S.

여우.Yeou.Haneul couldn’t imagine what went through the minds of Yeou’s parents to name her something so vile. So accusing. Fox. As flattering as it is to have a human named after one’s own kind, Haneul could only imagine the poor girl growing up with eggs thrown at her head and people pushing her off swing sets. Whatever weird things bullies did in the 21st century. Maybe foxes had finally lost their bad rep around town. People can change after centuries of ...

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“Spirit Fox” by Laurel Reinhardt

They told me it would be like this. . .that I would be mourning the death of a fox, a wild fox, who had spent a little of his wild life with me. But I hadn’t chosen him, it was he who had chosen me as a companion for about five minutes a day for just over a month. Even on that first day I could see he was quite scrawny. They told me he probably had rabies and I should steer clear of him an...

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“The Test” by Valerie Zhang

Buried in the Qingqiu Mountains crested with lines of pine trees and soaring peaks, lived Lin and Grandfather. They dwelled in the sloping valley at the base of the mountains, where the snow would melt to feed vegetables that were grown in Lin’s garden. In the day, she was allowed to roam wherever she wished. She tended to her garden and the goats, ran through fields of wildflowers with her bare feet, ...

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“The Captain and the Stowaway” by Max French

A grizzled old sea dog with a long, grey beard peered down at the unexpected visitor that had somehow found its way onto his boat. "Ahoy there, ya orange devil," he growled suspiciously. "What shenanigans have landed you scurrying about my boat?"The fox gave a slight bow, its eyes glinting with mischief. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. I've simply gotten lost somehow."The skipper relaxed his shoulders, sighing. "No need for apologies, but could you tell me how a critter like yourself got lost out ...

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“Yuki-Kitsune, the Snow Fox” by Ralph Aldrich

Minokichi is a young boy who lives on a hillside farm in Shirakawa-go. Every day he leaves his slant-roofed house to tread over a mile to go to school in the village. All the farmhouse roofs are steep to help them withstand the copious amounts of snow Shirakawa-go receives every year. However, because they live so high up in the mountains, snow storms can spring up unexpectedly, quickly dropping several inches of snow...

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“The Kumiho, the Fox Bead, and the Garlic Teriyaki Tempeh with Broccoli ” by Benja Catton

*Some sensitive themes: violence, sexual overtones, alcohol use* Layers and highlights and lots of cleavage. The girl would probably have described her expression as “pouty” or “playful,” but to him it suggested lightly bearing down for a bowel movement. Ryan Huntsman swiped left. It’s definitely not her, he thought. He swiped left again. He hardly ever swiped right. His friends liked to tease hi...

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“Hoai and the Holy Fox” by Marcus Newton-Howes

It was 8031 BCE. Cáo was the youngest of four kits. He struggled for recognition within the fox family, but when his mother soothed him at night in their den, she would always say, “One day Cáo, one day. If you work hard at your magic, even you may write your story into the stars.”It was 1420, and Emperor Lê Thái Tổ was racing through Lam Sơn, his bitter enemy, Marquis Li Bin of the Ming army, hot on his heels. His men had moved off at an angle to divert the pursuing enemy while the emperor mo...

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Write a story about a fox spirit (a gumiho, jiǔwěihú, kitsune, or hồ ly tinh), inspired by, e.g. Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese folklore.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 33 stories

“狐と笛 - The Fox and the Flute” by Russell Mickler

“Atlas Rises” by Mike Panasitti

“Whiskers in the Wind” by Sav Lightwood

“Google Doogle” by Tricia Cundiff

“An Unlikely Encounter” by Fiona Sailman

“Father Fox” by Graham Kinross

“When Lightning Strikes” by J.C. Lovero

“We the Lawless” by Alexey Williams

“A Legend Untold” by Shaivi S.

“Spirit Fox” by Laurel Reinhardt

“The Test” by Valerie Zhang

“The Captain and the Stowaway” by Max French

“Yuki-Kitsune, the Snow Fox” by Ralph Aldrich

“The Kumiho, the Fox Bead, and the Garlic Teriyaki Tempeh with Broccoli ” by Benja Catton

“Hoai and the Holy Fox” by Marcus Newton-Howes

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story where a character must continue to tell their tale to a listener to avoid unsavory consequences.

Write a story inspired by this quote from Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy: “In the middle of the journey of our life I came to myself within a dark wood where the straight way was lost.”

Write a modern version of "The Tiger, the Brahmin, and the Jackal," in which someone suffers from their own good deeds and must turn to an unlikely source for help.

Start your story with “It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark.” (Hans Christian Andersen, “The Little Match Girl”)

Contest #189

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

290

Contest entries

137

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Tired of MS Word?

Explore more writing prompt ideas: