Chapter Two: I Hear Mother:

Three kitsune gathered above the empty space. Shiroko opened her eyes.

"Kohaku's not dead," she said. The other two stared at her.

"What do you mean?" Aki asked. "Is he still here?"

"He is, but he isn't," Haruka's kitsune said. "He's found another host."

"What?" they asked.

"Who?" Yayoi asked. Shiroko shook her head.

"I'm not sure," she said.

"How did he do it?" Aki asked.

"I'm not sure," Haruka's kitsune replied. Aki snorted.

"What good are you?" he asked.

"That's not important right now," she said. "We have other things to worry about."

"Other things?" Yayoi asked.

"Yeah," Shiroko said.

"Like what?"

Shiroko closed her eyes. "Feel that?" The other two closed their eyes as well. A deep chill ran through their bodies. They all opened their eyes.

"It's her!" Yayoi gasped.

"Yes," Shiroko said. "She's calling out to us. She wants to escape."

"But what of us?" Aki asked.

"Exactly," Shiroko said. Yayoi looked up at her sister.

"You don't mean�" she began.

"It's starting to go that way," Shiroko replied.

"So, what do we do?" Yayoi asked. Shiroko pressed her lips together.

"Not much yet," she said.

"So, what?" Aki asked "We wait for death? Hell no!"

"That's what our humans believe," Shiroko said.

"So� are we at war?" Yayoi asked.

"It's going to turn out like that," Haruka's kitsune said. Shock washed over the other two.

"Nobody has ever declared war against mother!" Yayoi gasped. "What are they thinking?"

"Survival," Shiroko said. The other two kitsune eyed her.

"What?!" they asked.

"It's true," she said. "They fear death. They will do anything to survive. That's why others must die for them to live. Even mother's current vessel."

"Can't we stop them?" Yayoi asked. Shiroko shook her head.

"No," she said. "This is their drive. You can't take that away from them. All we can do is support them until we both die. Kohaku was lucky to find an alternative in the end."

"Humans are stupid creatures," Aki said at last.

"Yes," Shiroko agreed. "But we are to serve them in this coming war."

"Against mother," Yayoi said.

"Yeah," Shiroko said. At least Kohaku didn't have to deal with this mess anymore.