Once upon a time, there was a beautiful forest,

and, in that forest: where our story begins lived a simple fox. She was happy as any wild animal could be, I suppose.

Anywhere she went, it was lush and green, the waters crystal clear, and at night the forest held a mystical, otherworldly air, filled with fireflies well into fall.

One night, a monk took notice of these woods. Villagers had come to him, beseeching help. Their barren lands would not bear fruit. The monk, seeking a solution, searched this forest, hoping to find it's source. It wasn't long until he spotted her, as she had two tails at this time. She was clearly a young kitsune, having not even taken human form. She had no need.

Eager to please, the monk approached the timid creature and knelt, bringing to her the village's plight and pleading for her assistance. So, the fox gave a portion of her power and the village started to flourish once more.

The fox started to return home, but the monk had other ideas. And so, he bound her spirit to the hill. For years, the kitsune was made to watch as the place grew from village, to town, into a bustling city. With superior technologies, people no longer needed her power to thrive.

The shrine and tree that bound her withered and broke, destroyed by time, eventually allowing her to leave. But, the world was a different place, then.

She found herself in a thriving metropolis that was once her peaceful, serene forest. It was chaotic. So, she ran, unsure of where to go until she bumped into a foreigner. Their clothes, smell, everything about them was different. She liked it.

As the door opened behind them, a swirl of smells hit the fox's nose: Sweets, teas, what seemed like a world of delights. She saw a girl briefly step through the doorway in something she'd never seen before and wave them goodbye. Her dress was beautiful!

The fox had never seen anything like it. She wanted to be pretty too, so the fox drew on the power she'd accumulated over the years and did something she'd never done before. She transformed! No longer just a fox, she drew attention. She had not realized, though that that wasn't necessarily a good thing.

Her body was humanoid, with a few notable exceptions as her tails twitched and her fox ears turned. The cafe maid who was standing in the door screamed and grabbed her now human arm, quickly pulling her inside and hurrying her to the back while the foreigners outside tried to wrap their head around what they'd just seen.

"What's the matter with you," The maid asked, as soon as they reached a back room with a number of what looked like tall closets. The confused kitsune tilted her head in confusion, looking around, not quite sure how to respond. She moved her mouth, trying to form the words,"Ma- Matter?" She smelled with sweets in the air, turning her attention to the door to the kitchen.

The maid seemed flummoxed, sighing to clarify,"Yeah. Girls don't just go appearing naked in the middle of the street out of nowhere! I should have called the police. You could have gotten in a lot of trouble!"

The fox's ears went flat as she looked back to the maid in remorse,"S-sorry... n-new... d-don't k-know... things..."

"What's your name, anyway," the maid asked. The fox thought about in for a moment," Monks called... Saikii..." That was the name they'd given her, anyway. She hadn't always had a name.

The cafe maid briefly smiled, brushing some hair out of her face, she stood, opening one of the tall metal closets and pulling out a dress much like the one she wore, making Saikii's face light up. She tossed it to her,"Here. I guess you can borrow this for now, but I expect it washed. We can't have you going around naked. It's bad for business."