Beneath the Essence Fog

"Crow's eye view." Joy's words raced to the sky, protected by the blanket of her whisper. 

Her tome responded with a radiant glow. Shreds of crow feathers cradled between its pages dissolved into golden dust, spilling onto the forest floor like sand from a shattered hourglass. Joy's essence reserve ignited within her, and she sensed the spiritual energy evaporate from her skin, prickling her body with icy needles. Then, in the recesses of her mind, she detected the presence of a new, vast essence reserve. Another fellow Mythfarer?

She gripped the strap on her side pack tighter with a grimace. It couldn't be a coincidence. Until now, there were only two significant essence reserves in the vicinity: the spirit fox's and her own. But with her crow's eye view, she now discerned a third. Joy bit her lip, weighing her options. She had been tracking the fox spirit's essence trail for hours and was finally within reach. She couldn't afford to let this newfound presence interfere, Mythfarer or otherwise. 

With a decisive motion, Joy held out her tome, flipping to a different page adorned with slender shavings of a horn, which she counted carefully. 

"Goblin's laughter." 

Her tome consumed the shavings she had set aside, and another surge of frigid sensations coursed through her skin. Mischievous goblin laughter echoed throughout the essence-laden fog that shrouded the towering trees. Joy held her breath, waiting. After several heart-stopping moments, a second goblin's laughter responded. Relief washed over her. It was another Mythfarer, and their reply signaled that they would—

Something approached with a gentle thud behind Joy. She spun around, instinctively flipping to a page embellished with iridescent scales.

Joy was immediately struck by the girl's youthfulness. She appeared to be no more than sixteen. She wore the familiar Mythfaring attire—light, breathable outdoor clothing reinforced with leather padding on the shoulders, chest, knees, and elbows. A hood fashioned to resemble a lion cub's head partially obscured the girl's face, but Joy could still see her deep brown eyes framed by long, jet-black hair. Maternal instincts seized Joy's voice as she closed the tome.

"Young one," Joy said softly, "I just signaled for you to keep your distance, and you acknowledged as if you would."

"Yes, but I thought we might share a common goal." The girl took a step forward. "Are you seeking the spirit fox's bead?"

Joy nodded slowly, her heart sinking at the mention of the bead. So, she wasn't alone in her pursuit.

"Do you intend to claim the whole thing?" The girl inquired.

"I can make do with half."

"Ah! That works." The girl's eyes glinted. "Why don't we collaborate and both emerge winners? We can hunt it down together and split the bead in half. Simple."

Joy frowned, but a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. It was rare to encounter a Mythfarer so young yet confident enough to negotiate with more seasoned ones.

"I have no intention to kill the fox," Joy clarified, "I'm only after its bead."

The girl furrowed her brow.

"Don't they guard their beads as if it were their life? You'll likely have to kill it to obtain the bead."

"Perhaps," Joy conceded, "but I plan to negotiate before it escalates to that point."

"Why complicate matters? Just kill it."

"I have orders to avoid killing it. And even if I didn't, I don't kill spirits."

The girl snorted slightly. Joy ignored her. 

"It's too risky anyway," Joy continued, "this one is older and probably absorbed many souls already, so it wouldn't have a problem adding us to its collection."

"If it's really that powerful, what makes you think it'll negotiate with us?" 

"It wouldn't. Not unless we offer it something it wants." 

The girl paused, her eyes narrowing. 

"And what would that be?" The girl asked. 

"An investment, my dear," Joy said, "my family and I use the bead's powers. In exchange, we return it with more human souls inside than it could hunt. Maybe enough souls for it to become human itself."

"You don't mean to say you'd kill-"

"No," Joy quickly interjected, "no killing humans. Just harvesting souls that are already on their way out the door. And who better to collect human souls like that than us, Mythfarers?"

The girl sat back, rubbing her chin. Her eyes betrayed a glint of curiosity. While the girl contemplated, Joy cast crow's eye view once more. An essence reserve was scampering away from them, growing fainter by the second. A small wave of frustration washed over her. She needed to get back on track. 

"You think the fox would let us have their entire bead with that deal?" The girl finally asked. 

Joy shook her head, flashing an apologetic smile. 

"Figures." The girl sighed. "Well, I still wager that your idea falls short. You'll end up fighting it."

"Let me worry about that, young one," Joy replied. "Now, I have to go. Are you with me or not?"

The girl looked back up at her.

"Fine. Show me how it's done." 

The Silent Grove was particularly quiet today, interrupted only by the occasional dart of an ember mouse or the squirm of a grounded serpent. The once majestic trees now stood bare and abandoned, their leaves never to return. An oppressive essence fog shrouded the treetops, casting the forest floor into perpetual twilight. Within the dense mist, Joy strained to maintain her crow's eye view, concentrating on tracking their elusive target.

The girl, who insisted on being called 'Cub' for their temporary alliance, had no problem keeping up as Joy's shadow while they moved quickly. Of course, Cub didn't relish missing out on half of a spirit fox bead, but apparently, to see a veteran Mythfarer work up close was a fair enough trade. Joy offered to let Cub practice casting crow's eye view, but Cub insisted on letting Joy do all the work for "observation's sake."

"What does your family need the bead for, anyway?" Cub asked as they continued their pursuit.

Joy hesitated, her lips tightening into a thin line.

"Eat some of it for wisdom? Cast forbidden weaves?" Cub prodded further.

"We're going to try using its shape-shifting powers," Joy replied cautiously.

"I must say," Cub remarked, a hint of disappointment in her voice, "there are plenty of other powerful things you could do with the bead."

"Yes, but its convincing shape-shifting ability is the only thing we're interested in..." Joy's voice trailed off. Her vision blurred.

"Joy?" Cub questioned, concern etched on her face.

"My daughter," Joy managed, blinking back tears, "something haunts her. Consuming her bit by bit. We were hoping that by shape-shifting and hiding her away, we could... I don't know, lure the creature away from her. Maybe finally catch it... and kill it."

A rare silence settled between them before Cub finally spoke up, a wry smile on her lips. "And here I thought you didn't kill spirits."

"I don't. But a mother makes exceptions for threats to her children," Joy sighed.

"Indeed," Cub replied quietly.

Abruptly, Joy halted, causing Cub to nearly collide with her.

"It stopped," Joy whispered.

The essence reserve they had been tracking pulsed tantalizingly close, nestled amongst a cluster of boulders. It was finally resting. Stealthily, Joy and Cub crept closer for a better look. As they peered over, Joy cursed under her breath. It didn't look like a spirit fox at all. If anything, it looked like... Joy's knees felt weak. It looked like a man, another Mythfarer. 

How could she have been mistaken? She had followed the distinctive tracks of the spirit fox and knew that only a few creatures possessed such a potent essence reserve. So where had she gone wrong?

Cub suddenly broke from their cover, flying towards the Mythfarer. Joy blinked, confusion holding her legs like quicksand. What was Cub thinking? Did she think this was the spirit fox? Did she intend to steal the bead for herself?

The Mythfarer snapped his head towards the incoming threat, fanning out a deck of cards. Then, in one fluid motion, he flicked one at Cub, shouting, "Moon's inferno!"

The card struck Cub in the shoulder, eliciting a growl. A moon symbol hummed beneath her as the card melted into golden powder. Instantly, wolves tumbled from the sky, flames clutching their pelts, and they pounced at Cub. Cub growled and rolled under one of the fire dogs' leaps and punched the second one away with incredible force as she got back up. The Mythfarer stumbled back in surprise, fumbling with his cards.

By the time Joy snapped out of her shock, Cub had pinned the Mythfarer to the ground, hands around his neck. Joy rushed to the scene, pulling out her tome.

"Get rid of your dogs, and give me the bead," Cub demanded, her lips curling to a snarl.

The Mythfarer gasped, barely managing to dispel the flaming wolves. He then weakly gestured toward his rucksack. Cub tossed him aside and began rummaging through his belongings.

"Cub!" Joy cried, finally catching up. "What are you doing?"

"Y... you," the Mythfarer gasped, glaring at Joy, "you didn't take care of it?"

"What are you talking about?" Joy demanded, her confusion growing.

"You signaled me away with goblin's laughter," the Mythfarer's voice was barely a whisper, "I thought you were laying claim to the fox."

Joy froze, slowly turning to face Cub, who had fished out what she was searching for. A fox bead glinted between her fingers. 

"Cub...?" Joy's heart pounded in her chest.

As Joy watched in stunned disbelief, Cub's form began to shift. Her lion cub hood transformed, the ears becoming more pointed. Then, the hood receded, revealing a long, elegant snout where the girl's human face had been. Once a dull amber, her eyes now glowed with a mesmerizing turquoise hue. A fan of bushy tails sprouted behind her as she grew taller, eventually reaching Joy's height.

"I'm sorry," the spirit fox said, her voice carrying a melodic lilt, "for deceiving you."

Joy stared at the spirit fox, her heart hammering as she tried to process the astonishing revelation. The fox had been hiding in plain sight.

"Why?" Joy finally found her voice.

"Ask him," the spirit fox replied, her eyes burning with rage as she turned to the battered Mythfarer.

"I... I didn't know," he wheezed, "...your child..."

"You killed him," the spirit fox said, grief evident in her voice. "Tracked him. Hunted him. You killed my child for what? His bead's power? Its knowledge?"

The Mythfarer's face paled, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I'm sorry," he choked out.

The spirit fox turned away from him, her eyes fierce and unforgiving. But her face softened as she approached Joy and dropped the fox bead into her trembling hands.

"You did not come here to hunt us. And though you may not have known it, you helped me track my son's murderer and retrieve his bead," the spirit fox said softly. "So if this can protect your daughter, use it. Use it well. Consider it a gift. From one mother to another."

"I..." Joy looked up at the fox spirit. "I'll bring back at least a thousand souls, I promise."

"No. I don't care about becoming human. Give it to your daughter after you save her. Maybe then, my son's life will have meant something." The fox spirit swished her tails. "Now leave us."

Joy stumbled back, clutching the fox bead tightly, its energy pulsing beneath her fingertips. As she turned to leave, Joy spared one last glance at the remorseful Mythfarer, still lying on the ground. She felt a pang of pity, but she couldn't afford to waste time. 

With the fox bead secure in her grasp, Joy dashed through the Silent Grove, not daring to look back. Her vision blurred again, but this time, she let the tears fall freely as a smile of hope graced her lips.