Revisiting The Inugami (With Story Excerpt)

The kitsune, Hoso, interpreted by artist Aimi Isjern

For all the new visitors I have, here is a breakdown of my current project.

The Shrine War is a braided novel of three separate novellas that together tell a larger story. The lead story, The Shrine War clocks in at 12,100 words, substantially larger than the version that appeared in the anthology, Dogs of War. I am currently working on The Inugami describing events that run simultaneously with the events in the first section and currently I have over 10,170 words with an estimated 3,000 words yet to go. The final section (still in the planning stage) is entitled Incident at a Japanese Inn that brings the characters from the first two stories together in a finale.

I originally kept the point of view in The Inugami restricted to the human, Kelly Robbins, but have decided to include another as I did in The Shrine War using two points of view: Sen, the head of the kitsune shrine to Inari Ōkami and Christopher Andrews, the human who accidentally stumbles into the middle of the conflict.

SPOILER AHEAD

In The Inugami, I have written in another point of view, that of Haruka, a common kitsune who, unlike the white celestial foxes that serve Inari, is merely a red-pelted field fox. However, Haruka lacks the magic to destroy the Inugami and must seek out a white-furred celestial fox to deal with the creature. The quest does not go as planned:

Haruka gritted her teeth as she and her two male companions bowed low to the zenko, a white-furred celestial fox. Haruka had four tails signifying her age and seniority. Her two companions had three each, but they were all yako, field foxes with ermine fur, and since time began, the kami had decreed the red pelts to be servants to the white. To deepen the insult, the celestial, Miori-sama, was barely past her hundredth year, new to the blessings of sentience with only two tails, but by matter of birth, the white-furred kitsune enjoyed the particular favor of Inari Ōkami. Though yako were free to worship at an Inari shrine, they could never serve even if they reached the glorious number of twelve tails.

Little good that did them here. The Inari shrine where they had found the celestial lay in ruins. Around them, a thick wood hid the shrine from human eyes.

“Miori-sama,” Haruka said in her most formal Japanese, “that is our plight. Only a celestial fox wields the power and authority to kill an Inugami. Our predicament is grave.”

The celestial clutched her one paw to her chest, while nervously plucking at her kimono with the other. “But a band of Inugami destroyed my shrine,” she whimpered. “When I returned from my mission, the shrine was in ashes.” Tears came to her eyes. “The place reeked of Inugami, you can still smell them. Their tracks were everywhere and my sisters are still missing.”

“Miori-sama,” Haruka said trying to keep the impatience from her voice,” this is one Inugami, half-starved and weaponless. It is chained and I and my companions will protect you. You still have your prayer beads, do you not? Could you not summon an oni?”

“You will protect me?”

“Hai!” Haruka said. “You need not fear. We will travel to Hoshin Onsen tonight and stay at the Inn of the Yōkai.”

The celestial fox stopped trembling. “Really?” she asked. “I have heard of the aburaage they serve, deep fried twice with spices not of this world.” She licked her lips. “And could I have a little sake with the aburaage?”

Haruka sighed to herself. “Yes, but just a little. We must return by sunrise of the second day.”

(Note: Hoso, by Aimi Isjern, is a work in progress, but even in its beginning form, I find it strikingly beautiful and had to share.)