Yandere Kitsune Hunts You Down

Thanks for helping me pack up camp! The others were dead set on trying to see the sunrise over the lake today. Some help they are, right?

<Laugh it off>

The agenda today after we go pick them up from the lake is to head south to Salted Tongues Cave.

I don't know why they call it that. I don't think I even want to know. 

What else do you want to see?

<Phone ding, pause, followed by two more>

Huh. It's from Lexi! Maybe it's some photos of the lake. 

[Pause; read the texts]

No way. Look at that! Seems like they found some kind of spirit out there. 

Seems like they're going to go investigate. C'mon, let's go see what they've found!

Y-you're going to stay and finish packing things? Are you sure? This seems like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

You're certain? Ugh, stubborn as always. Suit yourself. As for me...

<Hiking bag up; clatter of tools/gear>

I'm going to go live, a little.

<Footsteps trail off as Riff leaves; pause a bit. Then, the listener sprints off in a different direction. You can have this go on for awhile, as the listener flees it will transition to the Kitsune giving chase. For style points, use different footsteps to indicate it's a different runner>

<Until indicated, these are internal thoughts and not spoken aloud. Emmoni is still running this whole time.>

Un-be-lievable. 

All of those miserable insects showed up except for my beloved. 

Some friends they must be. Can't even talk them into tagging along to see the beautiful Kitsune in the woods.

[Pause]

All the effort into turning that pest into a thrall was for nothing. 

Not only that, but it seems like their campsite has long since been abandoned.

Urgh. I knew this plan wouldn't work. These humans are too stupid.

Not my human though.

{Pause}

<Sniffs air; immediately gag>

Oh my—blech—what is that horrendous stench?

The air is pungent and thick. Like some kind of gas is permeating it...

Wait...there's a can here. Some human invention.

My beloved must have been here. And recently, no less.

This smell...they must have known I'd try to follow by scent first. They used that can to mask where they were running!

How upsetting that they would run from me...but...oh, yes~! Just as clever as they were before!

[Intense] Our young will be excellent.

I must be close. 

I'm so excited to finally reconnect with my adelfi~

<Slowly add in rushing waters as the Kitsune approaches. This is a fierce river running quickly; not something one could swim in. It's important that this plays for the rest of the script for plot reasons>

They're running out of space to go. The river nearby is uncrossable, and the forest will only turn them around right back to me. That just leaves...the beach!

The running water will mask their footsteps...but not my ability to see them running! And sure enough, there you are!

[Half-crazed]  Time to claim my prize!

<End internal thinking; end running; the listener is tackled to the ground from behind>

Gotcha~!

<The listener puts up a struggle, and wriggles against the ground to try and shake the Kitsune off>

Nuh-uh-uhh~! No getting rid of me that easily, adelfi. I've got you right where you need to be.

Pinned under me, of course.

{The listener goes pale}

You precious thing...you look like you've seen a ghost~! What seems to be the matter?

[Listener stammers out an answer]

I'm the fox from your...[angry] premonitions? My sweet, sweet adelfi...those are not "premonitions". That would imply they were bad things. And they most certainly are not bad things. 

Those were dreams and foresight. Promises of the future that lies before you, my sweet little kit. A world surrounded by a powerful fox...and here they are~! Aren't you...excited?

...Did you refer to my apparitions as nightmares? The nerve-

No. I won't have this. I won't be disrespected this way. Especially not by my adelfi. Those were blessings that were passed onto you.

[Pause]

You look frightened. Surely you're not frightened of me. Your erastis {e-rast-iss}? 

I worked so hard to hunt you down over the years. I tried everything I could to bring you here. To bring you home. Is that why you were so terrified to go into the woods? You knew I would be lurking, just across the river?

[Sigh]

Whatever. I still have you pinned down. I can finish the bonding ritual I started six years ago.

[Bitter; through teeth] What do you mean, "what bonding ritual?"

Surely you haven't forgotten that I marked you.

{Sensually; near ear} Right across your side here...around your neck...and over your shoulder...

[Listener complains]

Yes, when I bit you. You don't need to put it so bluntly.

That first bite marked you as mine. You became my adelfi psychi...and me your erastis.

My mother taught me those words hundreds of years ago. They were from the place she was born...and were reserved for lovers alone.

[Giggle] You're my mate, silly! My soul-bonded love. 

In my culture, the first bite over the right shoulder marks the two as claimed lovers...and the second bite over the left seals them forever in marriage~

You had the gall to run away after I marked you once. I was going to bind us right there and then...

At first I thought you were just shy. Now...I realize you were just afraid and selfish. Let's put those silly feeble fears behind you, okay~?

Now...hold still while I finish marking you...

<Mild mouth sound of opening jaw and moving in>

<A magical sound; the listener has vanished after saying something!>

<The kitsune collapses to the ground>

Wh-what?? Where did you go?? 

[Snarls] Who took you from me??

{The kitsune looks around a little bit}

There you are...

<Several footsteps>

What was that little stunt you pulled? Humans are incapable of magic, so how on earth did you just manage to teleport from under me?

<Magic sound again; the listener teleports a short distance away again>

<The kitsune follows on-foot to the next teleportation spots>

[Growls] You're trying to flee from me. Your beloved. Your erastis. Your...destiny. The nerve of you.

<Magic sound, the listener goes again>

You're exhausted. Panting up a storm, sweating, twitching. Humans were never supposed to cast spells. Your body will disintegrate if you keep that up. I can't believe you can even still crawl.

<The kitsune grabs the listener>

I've got you. No more scurrying away. No more games. Your determination is admirable, dear, but futile. Now...

[Gritted teeth] How are you managing to do that?

[Relaxes, somewhat] Your mother was a witch...you're a halfling. Extraordinary. My mother's foresight was correct...you would be something special...

The spell you're using. It has a strange name to it. Beelzebub. Whatever. It seems like it can't actually take you that far, be it your pitifully human limitations or that it's some weak magic to begin with. I will have to fix both of these things, in time.

Give up. Give in. You're with me now, whether you like it or not. But you should like me! You seemed to all those years ago~!

<Magic sound; another teleport>

[Growl]

I smell blood. You'll die if you do that any further. Even you must know that. So stop-

<Emmoni grabs the listener again>

-doing that.

Please.

It's unbecoming of my mate to be so fearful of someone that just wants to show you love. My adelfi, you have no reason to be afraid of your Emmoni!

[Response]

It's my name, precious. Emmoni Light, second child of the Kilnforgers. Please commit it to memory...you'll be using it often~

[Whisper] Unless...you'd rather call me your erastis instead~

I've told you my name before. I would have thought for sure you'd have remembered from when you freed me.

[Pause; listener stares blankly]

You freed me. You were there when it happened. Are you truly unaware of what you ended up doing??

Ugh. That explains a lot.

You're terrible at romance, I hope you know that.

[Sigh]

Six years ago, you visited a temple. You have to remember that much, right? 

Good, good. It was a tribute to some minor goddess. Ruled over parchment, sugarcane, and papyrus. Goddess of paper. Hardly a drop in the ocean in the spiritual sense.

The goddess of that shrine was cruel. She locked my spirit away in that shrine, cursed to toil away in some spirit world for her every beck and call.

My physical form was trapped in a crystal that made up the base for the center column of the shrine...and hers was tied to a large crystal at the very top point of that column.

Four fox heads gazed upwards, towards that crystal to fuel the goddess' physical form and appear in the real world. Used the power of the sun to sustain it, given she was too unpopular to ever actually maintain a form with her own power.

Who would ever pray for more paper?

Then you came along. Explored the seemingly-abandoned shine, took notes and photographs. Seemed like any regular passer-by.

I watched carefully from beyond. You cleaned up trash and overgrowth. Your notes were out of respect and genuine interest towards the space. It seemed like you had already done some research, too, offering tribute of fertilizer and fresh water.

That goddess had me trapped for forty years. Forty. That's almost half your regular lifespan. The amount of loathing and contempt I feel towards her matches the size of every star in the sky. But watching you take such great effort into respecting and maintaining a place you have never even seen before? I think I fell for you on the spot.

Such dedication. Such precision. Such honor! While you handled dirt on the stairs, I managed to read your notes. You were adventuring across your home country to help as many shrines and temples as possible! A noble quest, only exemplified by your indifference to popularity or size. I had to have you.

Then...oh, how you did something marvellous! You noticed that the fox heads pointed upwards, when they really should have pointed inwards to the core of the shrine. They didn't match what other small shrines typically did.

You moved the fox heads. You changed the source of power from that wretched goddess to me! My adelfi, you broke that curse imposed by the goddess by doing that wondrous act.

I was immediately freed from that terrible prison, and my physical form returned. I was...alive again! And it was all thanks to you. I knew I couldn't pass on the chance to mate with such a beautiful soul—one as dashing, and caring, and meticulous as yours. So I sprang into starting the mating ritual right away...

[Half-pout] ...and then you fled from me before I could finish. I couldn't understand why you ran off like that...or where that burst of strength came from. You even left most of your belongings behind, only taking your notebook in one arm. I still have those, by the way. I treasure them greatly. You may have them back once you behave.

My physical form was too weak to follow after you. I had tried desperately to call you back, but you were long gone by then.

Our bonding ritual was left incomplete...and it was your fault. They're never supposed to be partial for this long, you know. Those visions you have of me...that is the magic trying to call you to find your mate again.

Clearly it had a different impact on you than it should have. You were supposed to have felt compelled to find your true love after being separated for months, and now years. A yearning in your heart to seek out your erastis, especially after knowing where I was to be found. Those visions should have made clear everything you needed to know: my name, my likes, my hope to return to you! To be paired, like we must be.

Instead...it seems to have traumatized you. A deep fear of foxes in general. A natural avoidance to wooded areas. Learning magic to escape, and tricks to stop predators. A hatred for me...

You're so cruel, adelfi!

I wanted to do nothing but show you love and you ran away from me!

I had visions of my own, too. Every day, I could see glimpses of you. The person you were and the person you were becoming. Living a life...without me! It filled me with joy to know how you were doing, and such pain that I couldn't share it with you.

But that's over now. I won't let you get away from me this time. For too long I've waited to re-unite with my beloved adelfi...and to start a life of our own together.

If your mother truly was a witch, then that should mean your lifespan will be elongated. That means you have so many more years to spend with me~! I wonder if I could turn you into a kitsune...then you could live forever!

Our family will be divine, don't you agree~?

Ugh. Don't give me that look. You chose this. You manipulated the fox heads, knowing exactly well that they were wrong. You chose to release me. You chose kindness...and I demand to repay it forever. Hold still now...

<Bite sound on the left side into the shoulder/neck of the human>

There. It's completed. We're officially soul-bonded! I can feel the ties forming between us...

Mother and her mate had a special connection...a red string that tied them together. Supposedly the same will happen to us! You'll be tethered to me, and I to you. How romantic~!

Now I'll never have to lose you again. You're home now. With me! Right where you belong. We should get going, soon. I would love you to meet my sisters right away.

{Listener complains}

[Bitter] What do you mean you're not going.

You have somewhere to be? Not a chance. You're staying right here with me.

{Pause; Listener answers}

...Nice day for a swim? What does that have to do with—

<Magic teleportation sound>

NO!

<The sound of gushing water and being submerged drowns out most sounds, as the listener has short-range teleported into the flowing river and is tumbling downstream. They can barely keep above water>

{It is clear the kitsune cannot follow, the water is too fast. Make the final lines distorted, and hard to make out; the listener is moving in and out of water too roughly}

I'll bring you back to me. I'll bring you back! That's a promise, adelfi! A promise!

{Fade out water}

END.