The Gift

“Hey mom, look!” A young voice of a boy echoes through the woods.

“Huh? Oh my! It’s a white fox!” A sweet voice of a woman replied.

The fox was sniffing a red flower, and it immediately dashes away after it got seen by them.

Both son and mother are having a stroll inside the woods, known to the locals as milky woods. It is called milky woods, because of the combination of all types of white bark trees in the area and the cold mist that moves with the stream. Both of them walk through the soil that is tainted by the color of the fallen tree leaves, and they quietly hum a song together with the birds chirping along with them. After walking a few minutes, a familiar figure jumps in front of them and gave them an innocent look.

“Mom, look?! It’s the same fox again!” The boy carefully approached the animal. “It’s okay, I just wanna be friends with you.”

“Be careful honey, it might bite you.” His mother worried.

When the boy got closer, the fox quickly ran to the opposite direction which the boy quickly followed behind.

“Hey, wait!”

“Sora! Wait, where are you going?!”

The mother acted quickly, she's trying to catch up to her son. With each steps, the leaves are cracking and crunching underneath her weight. She successfully evades the trees, bushes, and the tree stumps, but with a weak stamina, she quickly exhaust herself and ended gasping for breath.

“S-Sora?! Wh-Where are you?!” The mother called out weakly.

She looks all directions, hoping all the way to heaven and back to earth that she’ll find her son soon, and most importantly, in one piece.

“Why such a rush?”

The woman’s whole body shot straight up when an unknown voice suddenly spoke up, she looks around her but there’s no one there. Is it a ghost? She thought. But she keeps looking around for the source of that voice, maybe whoever that is, saw her son.

“Where are you looking at? I’m down here silly!” The voice giggled.

The woman glances down, and saw a badger looking back at her with curious eyes. They stared at each other for mere seconds until…

“Hey! Stop staring at me like that!”

The woman yelped and jump back making her fall onto her butt.

“Y-You can talk?! B-But animals can't talk?!”

“H-Hey! That hurts my feelings you know! …We are all the same here!” The badger exclaimed. “Now, most importantly, I’m guessing you were running after that boy when he followed the white fox right?”

The woman quickly crawls in front of the badger’s face after mentioning her son.

“Y-You saw where they went right?!”

The badger took a few steps back.

“H-Hey lady! Have you ever heard about personal space?! Geez!” The badger exclaimed.

Sora’s mother lightly blushes and smiled awkwardly while scratching the back of her head.

“Hehe, sorry… But you saw them, right? Where are they?”

The badger put a paw underneath his chin and spoke. “Well, I did saw them but I don’t technically know where they headed. But I can assure you your son is safe and sound, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“N-Nothing to worry about?! My son ran off all by himself! Not to mention, there might be some dangerous creatures here in these woods!” Sora’s mother exclaimed.

She stands up and begun pacing around aggressively. Inside her mind, she’s thinking about her son getting mauled by a bear or something.

“Sora?! Where are you?!” She calls out. The only response she got is her voice echoing through the trees.

“Stop panicking lady! Your son is safe!” The badger tries to reason with her.

Sora’s mother glared at him, making him flinch.

“Look, let me explain something to calm your nerves.” The badger gulped.

“Alright, talk badger!” The mother demanded.

The badger groaned out of annoyance from her calling him that so bluntly.

“Well first, call me Shiro, not just all plain badger, alright?” Shiro strictly pointed out. “Secondly, about your son. He’s safe, so you don’t have to go all worry because the fox will protect him.”

“Protect him? How?” The mother asked.

“Because that fox is no ordinary fox. That white fox name is Inari, she’s the protector of this woods and she probably lured your son to her temple.” Shiro explained.

“Inari?”

The name of the fox keeps repeating inside the mother’s head, I think she heard that name before. Suddenly, memories of her mother telling her the tale of the white protector of the woods flooded her mind. During her younger years, she's always treating folklores and legends as an entertainment behind the campfire when her mother is telling a story about it with her siblings, but now, she’s regretting that she didn't take it so seriously.

“Inari? …You mean the Japanese Goddess?” She asked.

“Uh-huh, That’s Inari herself.” Shiro replied. “And the funny thing is, she takes a liken to you, so she gave you a gift.”

“A gift?” The mother cocked her head.

“Oh, you’re not aware of that huh? …Didn’t you find it weird you can understand us animals? I mean, if someone saw you talking to me, they’ll think you went all coo coo crazy in the head.” Shiro chuckles.

“Wait, hold on, you mean I’m the only one who can understand you?! …But why me?!” The mother looks shocked from the badger’s explanation.

“I don’t know, we could ask her if we get to the shrine. Now, let’s go find your son lady.” Shiro gestured to her.

The mother smiled and stand up.

“You can call me Yuki.” She said to him in a sweet voice.

“Ahh Yuki, such a pretty name. It’s nice to meet you.” Shiro happily said which Yuki just respond with a respective nod.

A few moments later, the temperature drops dramatically as they walk deeper along the woods. Both human and animal are shaking at their very core as they walk. Did the badger warn her about going in here? No, of course not.

“G-Geez, it got cold all of the s-sudden. W-Why didn’t you warn me about going in here?!” Yuki shivers.

“I-It’s been almost a y-year, and I forgot what will happen if we go to the shrine! …I-I should’ve eaten a large m-meal!” Shiro exclaimed.

Suddenly, Yuki saw one snowflake landed on her nose.

“S-Snow? B-But it’s the middle of summer?” She commented.

“W-We must be close!” Shiro said before yelling out. “Follow me! Hurry!”

Shiro run and Yuki quickly followed behind him to the path that’s leading to the shrine. Both of them are breathing and gasping heavily. For Yuki though, she felt like she’s going to pass out from the lack of oxygen in the atmosphere, but with her son inside her mind, it’s giving her the will power to go on.

The ground and trees are beginning to be covered by snow, and immediately, they both saw a torii with two fox statues standing in both side of the gate. Both of them halted as they gaze upon what’s in front of them.

“Beautiful…” Yuki mumbled; a white cold vapor comes out from her mouth.

“W-Well, what are we waiting for? L-Let’s get inside!” Shiro demanded while shaking underneath his fur.

Both of them walk towards the torii. Yuki felt weird when she passed by the red gate, it’s like they entered a barrier or something. Also, the temperature here is normal. She then looks back behind her and saw the snow is only covering outside the gate, that’s when confusion struck her like someone had thrown a brick on her.

“Who are you?!”

Yuki suddenly jumped when the demanding voice suddenly spoke with a loud tone. She quickly turns around to face…

“A white deer?”

This day has gotten even weirder for Yuki, even though that she’s now aware of the gift that Inari gave her. First a badger, and now a talking deer? …What’s next? A talking bear that wants to eat her?

“I, Kashima demands an answer! What is your reason for being here trespassers?!”

Yuki immediately steps forward. Her badger companion tries to stop her, but he was too late.

“I’m looking for my son! Do you know where he is?!”

“Son? What’s his name?”

“Sora, Sora Yamazuki!”

“Mom! I’m over here!”

A familiar voice suddenly yelled out which made the weight that Yuki’s been feeling inside her chest vanished. She quickly looks behind the deer, Kashima and saw her son with the familiar white fox standing in the shrine’s doorway.

Her son, Sora, quickly dashed towards her. When he got close, he jumps into her mother’s warm embrace and both of them finally got reunited again. Yuki looks at the white fox, Inari, and she gave the goddess a warm smile as a means of thank you which the fox replies with a nod.

Inari suddenly spoke up with a crystal-clear tone.

“Come inside, I have prepared a warm meal for you all.”