When she noticed the moon nearing the horizon once again, Eva got up from the patch of soft moss she had napped on. Looking around she soon spotted Kurt amidst the vegetation all around them. From the looks of it he was finally done running around all night like a hyperactive puppy. Squeezing through the bushes between them and hopping over some roots, she made her way to his side.

“Probably should have asked earlier.” The snow white fox began. “When are you going to turn back?”

“Well I can turn back once the moon has set.” The werewolf admitted. “Though I’d prefer to wait till morning. Sleeping outdoors in October is much more comfortable with fur.”

“Wait, you mean you can control your transformation?!”

“Except for when the full moon is in the sky.” Kurt elaborated with a facsimile of a shrug. “But it hurts like a bitch. And then there’s the urge to show off my physical prowess when in this form.”

“I see.” Eva replied with a nod, one of her ears flicking to the side. “Explains why you needed to get out here, a wolf running all over Tokyo like a lost, hyperactive puppy would have drawn way too many eyes.”

“Yes, especially seeing as the Japanese wolf has been extinct for over a century.”[1]

This sad fact hung heavily in the air for a second or two before Eva spoke up again.

“Anyway. If you can change back once the moon has set, why don’t we head back asap.”

“I’d rather not try to get around at this time of night in a city I’m not quite familiar with yet.”

“Well if that’s the only issue, we do have a handful of spare rooms. There you could sleep on an actual bed. Or well a futon at least.”

“In that case I might just take you up on that.” Kurt said as he stretched his limbs. “Let’s head back to that mountain shrine before we’re in complete darkness.”

With a quick nod, the fox followed the wolf. Backtracking their semi random wanderings through the undisturbed wilderness was not made any easier by the moonlight slowly fading. But in the end they did manage to get back to where Kurt had hidden his clothes just before the last sliver of the moon dipped below the horizon.

Moments later the duo, once more in human shapes, carefully made their way to the torii, their path now lit up by Kurt’s phone. Following the mental tug from the return post-it-note, Eva quickly guided them across the foxroad and back to Mumeikitsune.

There the two of them, Eva once again in the guise of a fox, carefully and quietly made their way inside and up to the second floor. Once she had shown him to an empty room ready for guests, the Kitsune made her way to her own room and collapsed onto her dog bed.

Only a second later she had dozed of.

Later that Sunday Morning

“So you are a German wolf Youkai, Mr. Wagner?” Yukiko inquired, trying to confirm her understanding of what the two exchange students had just explained to the other residents.

“Kind of.” Kurt conceded with a nod. Leaning a bit to the side so Toya could put the last of the Breakfast on the table he continued. “Thank you. So Yukiko, how does a Yuki-Onna end up living in the middle of Tokyo?”

“I hope to train as a Maiko next year.”[2] She replied after finishing her sip of miso soup. “And to get a bit of a head start, instead of going to Highschool. But as teachers for traditional arts are rather rare in mountain villages, Mom arranged for me to work and stay here once I finished middle school.”

“Interesting. Mind showing me what you have practiced so far some time?” Kurt inquired before a knock on the door demanded someone’s, in this case Eva’s, attention.

As the Kitsune left the table to answer the door, she stopped following the conversation between the two.

“Hello.” Eva said to whomever might be knocking this early on a sunday as she opened the door. But she was only greeted by confusion when she didn’t see anyone on the other side of the door.

That is until an annoyed sounding bark drew her attention towards the ground where a white fox had dropped a red envelope. Before she could say anything though, the fox had looked her in the eyes and run off.

Picking up the envelope, it turned out to be addressed to herself. More precisely to the Kami of Mumeikitsune. Closing the door again she returned to the others and opened it.

“Dear Kami-sama,” it began, “I invite you once again to our annual get together. This year it will take place on a chartered ship. The Details are found on the enclosed tickets. Yours sincerely Ō-miya-hime.”[3]

Looking over the other contents of the envelope, it turned out that this event would take place in two weeks time over the course of a weekend.

Well hopefully I’ll find someone there to get some actual answers from, Eva thought as she turned to her so far untouched breakfast.