Some nature-loving Specter Wolves had slipped into the Kitsunes' domain to admire the sunset and the brown high grass as it waved gently in the soft breeze.
The five of them rested and frolicked among the stalks, keeping a considerable distance from the towering palace of the Kitsunes, of course.
"Ah, I just wish Shizuka-sama would one day put an end to all that snow..." one wolf murmured, sinking into the warmth of the evening and visibly enjoying the peaceful scene.
"She is the Ice Princess of Death," another observed from a short distance, "...and she is simply too lazy to keep her aura under precise control."
One of their number lay perfectly still on the grass, quiet as a stone.
"Haha!" another wolf laughed, her voice noticeably feminine. "Aniki, you shouldn't say those kind of things aloud; the Phantom Fangs will skin you alive if they heard."
"That is why this place is a treasure," Aniki replied, his dark fur rippling in the dusk. "We have kept ourselves concealed so far, so those wild foxes have not discovered us."
"But will that day not come soon?" another wolf asked, his gaze heavy and half-lidded as if sleep would claim him any moment. "When we are found."
"Hey! Don't say such terrible things, Specter Wolf #99!" the female growled, snap of anger in her tone. "Do you understand what will happen to us if we are actually caught trespassing on the domain of those oppressive trespassers themselves?"
Specter Wolf #99 rolled onto his back and rested his head on the flank of the silent wolf beside him.
"It's not all that horrifying," he yawned. "We will simply resurrect at the ice castle, right? Death is forbidden in the Shadow Realm."
"That is true," the first wolf who had spoken conceded, turning to face them, "but do not forget there are fates worse than death. What if we are taken as test subjects for the Kitsunes' latest deadly techniques?"
"Eep! Stop scaring me, Specter Wolf #17!" the female trembled, burying her head in her paws. "On second thought, Aniki, maybe we should stop coming here completely."
"Calm yourself, Specter Wolf #79!" Aniki called, still gazing serenely out to the horizon. "We have done this many times already. Do you truly doubt our skills of concealment?"
The silent wolf finally muttered, barely audible, "...If it comes to it, we can still escape with Shadow Movement..."
Specter Wolf #79 bowed her head, the worry plain on her face. "I just... I don't want any of us to get into trouble with the Phantom Fangs or Lord Trigger."
"You worry too much," Aniki smiled, confidence in his voice. "The Supreme Lord watches over us all. He has always watched us… Otherwise, by now we would have been discove—"
His words cut off abruptly as he stopped speaking.
Then he suddenly turned, staring in a single direction with his fur prickling.
The others froze too, every movement stilled except for the pale rolling of their eyes.
They rose and moved in a tight, urgent formation, fear consuming their quick steps as they crossed beneath the torii gate into the Kitsunes' domain.
Tears had begun to spill from Specter Wolf #79's petrified eyes as they jogged further in.
The five prayed silently that they would not meet any Kitsune as they hurried across the garden and courtyard.
They passed one large building and stopped before another that bore a golden circle above its doorway. Aniki pushed the door open and they slipped inside as the heavy latch rang.
When the door closed, they bowed low instinctively to the small girl who was examining herself in a large mirror. She turned, smirking with evident self-regard.
"What do you think?" the girl asked, adjusting the folds of her yellow kimono tied with a golden sash. "Am I not so beautiful that you would risk venturing into the abyss just to take a peek?"
The wolves trembled and glanced at one another. Aniki recovered enough to stammer, "Uhm... G-Golden one, we must apologize for trespassing—"
He stopped mid-phrase, then panicked and drove his own head twice into the wooden floor in a frantic, desperate bend. Blood spattered the boards.
"Was that the proper response, you burglar?" Gold asked coldly, the corner of her golden eye narrowing.
Her kimono shimmered beneath the lamplight as she regarded them with the chill of someone who enjoyed being feared.
"F... forgive me..." Aniki whispered through the pain, his face pressed against the blood-smeared floor.
"You there!" Gold snapped, turning sharply toward one of the wolves. "The one trembling far too much."
#79 glanced up nervously, then timidly gestured to herself to inquire if she was being referred to.
"Yes, you." Gold confirmed with a nod. "Go outside and fetch a rag to clean up this mess. But make sure the others do not see you. Especially not Onee-sama or Haha-ue."
#79's eyes widened with horror as she obeyed, slipping quietly out of the building and vanishing into the shadows.
"But really," Gold said, returning to her own reflection in the mirror, admiring herself, "for Specter Wolves to sneak all the way to our side of the realm... Hm. I must say, I admire your boldness. Go on, clap for yourselves."
The wolves immediately began clapping their paws together, their hands shaking all the while.
"Clap too much and you will get caught, though." She rolled her eyes as they instantly stopped clapping.
"Huh? Who told you to stop clapping?!" she snapped.
At once, they resumed, softer this time, their paws tapping nervously against one another.
"The moment I sensed the irregularity from afar, I thought I was hallucinating," Gold said, stepping down from her elaborate chair and beginning a slow walk toward them. "It is not the first time I've had the sudden urge to oppress Specter Wolves that I actually see things... but this time, I was correct."
She stopped directly in front of them just as #79 hurried back inside, panting hard, holding a rag in her jaws.
"Ah, that napkin—