Heart pounding, InuShin pushed off the soft ground. Each step echoed in his ears, in sync with his rapid breath. Firm grip on his tantō, he followed the winding path, jumping over the occasional log, broken branches, and moss covered stone.

  Ahead of him, Syelira ran fiercely, bow and arrow in hand as she carefully aimed.

  “Syelira, wait!” Dravien hollered.

  Her arrow sliced through the air, causing a sharp whistle. A ripple brushed over the trees as it vanished into the darkness.

  “What is it now?” Syelira asked, sliding to a stop.

  “Anything is possible, so be alert.” Dravien answered, scanning the area around them.

  The air around them grew warmer, more weighted as the ripple intensified. Laughter echoed around them as dozens of duplicate footsteps raced all around the trees. Many on the ground. Several on the tree branches.

  Red powder trickled around them, slowly forming into ghostly foxes, reddish-orange, weaving around them and the trees at incredible speed.

  Growling, Syelira nocked another arrow, attempting to aim at one of the scurrying creatures. “This is so irritating.”

  Once caught up, Dravien lowered his stance, his back toward Sylira. “You’re never going to hit them with an arrow, put it away.” His gaze surveyed the area. “InuShin, put your back against ours.”

  Joining them, InuShin withdrew his tantō and positioned his back to Syelira and Dravien. “It’s disorienting.” InuShin shook his head.

  “Don’t try to follow them, that’s how they get you.”

  “What can we do?” Syelira asked.

  Emerging from behind a tree, one of the children danced and she flickered little flames between her fingers. A bright smile stretched across her face.

  “Rivven, I wanna play more Shadow-Tag,” she giggled.

  The boy stepped from the other side of the tree, head tilted slightly for a moment. “Don’t worry, Rilka, Kobrrev always win Shadow-Tag.” He raised his foot and then stomped the ground, sending a shockwave toward them.

  A low rumble filled the forest as the ground shook beneath them. The soil loosened.

  “Everyone, jump for the branches!” Dravien yelled.

  Just as their feet left the ground, it vanished, revealing tripwire roots braided. Both children laughed harder as their tiny feet rushed across the fallen leaves.

  “You’re good at this!” she shouted, joy in her voice.

  InuShin’s heart raced as he stared at the roots. They’re going to kill us if we’re not careful. Bracing a hand against the tree trunk, he stood on the branch, scanning the ground.

  A sea of orange flooded the forest floor, running all over the place. What if those are just a distraction? To give the kids a chance to find us?

  “Found you!” Syelira shouted, shooting another arrow.

  The little girl squealed as the arrow struck one of the ghostly foxes, bursting into autumn-colored leaves. “So close.”

  What if we focus on playing with them, rather than trying to chase them? Sheathing his tantō, InuShin breathed out slowly.

  His ears twitched, separating the different sounds: rustling leaves, ground’s heartbeat, whispering wind. The children’s steps were slightly heavier than the ghostly foxes.

  “Syelira, save your arrows,” Dravien said. “They’re trying to make you angry. It makes it more fun for them.”

  “I got an idea.”

  “What is it?” She whipped her head around, staring at him.

  “If they insist on playing a game, why don’t we play with them?”

  “I’m not in the mood to play any games,” Syelira grumbled, her knuckles turning white. “I just want to get to the Kobrrev village.”

  “I don’t think we have a choice, but if we play along and win, we might be able to find a way to get them to take us to their village.”

  “You sure about this?” Dravien asked.

  InuShin shook his head. “No, but what do we have to lose? We’re not getting anywhere this way.”

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  Clearing his throat, he straightened himself and called out. “Rilka, Rivven, we’ll play your game.”

  Suddenly, the forest stood still. The ghostly foxes vanished. Leaves ceased. Footsteps paused. Silence surrounded them. The air was tense, yet playful at the same time.

  Poking her head out from behind a tree, her eyes lit up brightly. A wide smile stretched across her face. “You will? Will the others play too?”

  “Yes,” InuShin said. “Shadow Tag, right?”

  “You know the game?” Rilka jumped out from behind the tree, skipping with joy as she started to sing her words. Her orange hair bounced with each step.

  “I learn fast.”

  “This is going to be fun. You three are the hunters. Rivven is the Stepweaver and I’m the Shadow,” she explained.

  A whirl of autumn-colored leaves spiraled near her and Rivven appeared. “The rules are simple. The Hunters must catch the Shadow.”

  As the word left his mouth, Rilka’s robes wrapped around her, emitting a soft orangish-red light. Her form shrank until she morphed into a ghostly fox, tail flicking with excitement.

  “And I, the Stepweaver, must either slow or redirect you. I’m not allowed to trap.” His expression serious, he slid his foot across the ground, shifting the roots and stones, creating little obstacles near her. “You must tag the real Shadow, but you only get three chances.”

  “The winner gets to ask a favor of the loser!” Giggling louder, Rilka split into a dozen little foxes, each one sprinting around the forest floor; across the paths, through the bushes, around the trees, and over the stones.

  “Bet you trip before you even start.” With slow movements, he reshapes the forest once more, bending the trees, softening the dirt, and uprising the dirt. “One more thing, no weapons.”

  Light patters echoed around them, each one fast. Sporadic.

  “Great, how are we supposed to find the right one?” Syelira huffed out, hooking her bow back over her shoulder.

  “Look for subtle differences,” Dravien answered. “Illusions may be identical, but they aren’t the real thing. They don’t cast a shadow, rustle leaves differently, footsteps slightly off.”

  “But they’re so many of them,”

  A clap echoed through the forest and tree branches snapped beneath them, forcing them to fall to the ground.

  “Wait too long and Rilka will get bored.” Riven extended his arms, sending another shockwave through the ground.

  Landing on their feet, InuShin braced himself, watching the ground roll toward him like a devastating wave.

  Dravien stepped with a heavy foot in front of InuShin, stopping the vibrations. “You two chase after the Shadow, I’ll try to minimize the boy’s interference.”

  “You can control the ground too?” Rivve’s eyes widened for a second and then he grinned. “I can test my abilities while I’m at it.”

  “Try to catch me!” Rilka giggled, her voice surrounding them.

  Growling, Syelira pushed off the softened dirt, charging after one of the ghostly foxes. “Let’s get this over with.”

  “Careful, Syelira, we only get three chances,” Dravien said, moving branches and rocks to steer the little foxes.

  “I know, I know.” Syelira raced after one of them, quick on her feet as it ducked under branches and darted around trees.

  As she used a gust of wind, the little fox rolled into the base of the tree. “Finally got you!” She reached down and grabbed the little creature and it bursted into autumn-colored leaves.

  “That’s not me,” Rilka teased. “One mistake, two more and I win.”

  Clenching her jaw, Syelira straightened herself and watched the others scurry around.

  How can we tell them apart? Eyes switching between them, InuShin steadied his breath. Dravien said there are subtle differences. But how can we tell with there being so many?

  Syelira ran past him as she chased another, the air around her hot. Intense.

  Rilka’s giggle erupted even louder, if possible, taunting. “You think that one is me?”

  Rivven stomped on the ground once more, sending a heavy shockwave and uprooting one of the trees.

  In Syelira’s path, the large tree tumbled over, its branches scraping against the nearby trees.

  “Syelira, look out!” Dravien repositioned his footing and attempted to slow the collapse.

  InuShin’s heart dropped as the towering tree fell towards her, dwarfing her in its shadow.

  Glancing upward, eyes wide, she slowed herself and flapped her arms forward like wings, pushing herself back just enough to avoid it.

  “Hey, is that even allowed?”

  InuShin exhaled longly, his shoulders relaxing. Good, she avoided it.

  “It’s not a trap,” Rivven said, sending another shockwave through the forest.

  “They may be children, but they’re dangerous children,” Dravien said, lowering his stance and calming the earthquake.

  Abruptly. A small fire erupted in the distance, engulfing a shrub and quickly spread.

  “You better hurry,” Rilka said.

  A different patter of footsteps, slightly heavier, echoed in InuShin’s ears, forcing him to jerk his head. That’s her. It’s different. Just barely.

  Pushing off the soft dirt, InuShin charged after one of the foxes. It ran towards the fire.

  “Shin, be careful of the fire!” Syelira shouted.

  As they neared the flames, two more little foxes joined it, running side by side. The trio leaped between each other, like trying to mix themselves up. The fire grew brighter and hotter, casting a shadow from the nearby flora and fauna.

  One of the little foxes had a shadow. The other two didn’t.

  That one. Quickening his pace, InuShin followed the ghostly fox to the left, jumping over the branches as it ran under. “Sye, try to redirect this one! Try to make it go a certain way.”

  Rivven disappeared behind one of the trees, clapping loudly as he attempted to rearrange the forest. The fox sprite darted around one of the trees, circling around it. A strong gust of wind filled the forest, forcing the little creature to tumble.

  InuShin ducked under one of the branches and slid around the tree, opening his arms as the small sprite rolled right into him. “Gotcha!”

  The ghostly fox bursted.

  Rilka laughed loudly as she appeared from the smoke, falling back onto a pile of leaves. Her orange hair sprawled all over. “You win! You win! What’s your favor?”

  InuShin knelt before her, laughing softly. “I want you to take us to your village.”

  Her laughter quieted as she stared up at him, eyes filled with uncertainty. “Uh, Rivven…”

  Rivven closed the distance. “What’s wrong?”

  “He asked to take him to our village. Papa won’t be happy about it. He doesn’t like surprise visitors.” She tucked her chin inward, biting her lip.

  “Rules are rules, Rilka,” He said. “They won the game. So we have to give them what they want.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yes, Papa will understand.”

  “Okay!” She hopped to her feet and twirled in circles. “We’ll take you all home!”

  Breathing heavy, Syelira took her spot next to InuShin, Dravien joining them.

  Rilka and Rivven slowly moved their arms in a circular, hypnotizing motion. Trees bent, rocks moved, and the ground hardened. The flames slowly diminished and turned into off-white steam as the forest began to blur once again.

  The setting sunlight broke through first, streaks of bright orange, red, and purple pieced the tree canopies.

  Motioning for others to follow, Rilka and Rivven approached the edge of the forest.

  InuShin, Syelira, and Dravien joined them, shielding their eyes.

  Golden motes fluttered across the open field as a gentle breeze blew the tall grass. Rivven and Rilka ran across it as an older Kobrrev stood at the entrance, two large statues of humanoid-foxes stood, both adorned with leaf patterns, celestial stars, and the moon phases.

  In the distance, home rose from the earth, built to the sides of trees, several floors high. Some with balconies, others without. Leaf-patterned cloth framed the windows.

  Suspended high above the ground, bridges made of twisted vines and sturdy branches connected the upper levels to each other. Small globes of foxfire dangled from the branches and bridges, emitting a soft green and amber aura.

  The village shone with earthy reds, deep russet, and soft greens.

  “Wow. It’s so beautiful,” Syelira gasped.

  “I’ve never seen anything like it before,” InuShin said.

  “Let’s get moving,” Dravien commanded.