Believable

The clouds were darker and stronger now. The land of the flat plain was complete darkness, rain lapping against it. Tao sat with his chest heaving with pain, struggling to breathe, his hands bleeding from the ropes. He couldn't think straight, his mind felt like it was on fire. He needed to rest. His vision blurred and he fell unconscious, but he still noticed the man before him, looking Tao deep in the eyes. Then Tao collapsed on the bridge, surrounded by the storm and darkness, his body soaking wet. He fell into a deep sleep, hitting his head on the soaked wood of the bridge. He struggled against the darkness, but after everything else, he could fight no more. The man stared carefully at the sleeping Tao, and bent over to pick him up, only to realise he was tied to the post. The man held his hand out into the freezing air, and the ropes untied. Tao was free. Then the man slung Tao over his shoulder, putting his other robe over Tao's head, and carrying him off the bridge. The man walked on, through the rest of the bamboo forest and around the river.

𝙏𝙖𝙤. 𝙒𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙪𝙥. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙏𝙖𝙤. 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮, 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙒𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙤𝙖𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧. 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙚.

Tao awoke gasping for air, and then groaning. His surroundings were not familiar and he had a panic rise in him. His stomach was in bad shape and as he sat up, the pain rising through his veins. He opened his eyes and looked around, analysing the situation. He was in a dimly lit cave, with spikes hanging from the dropping ceiling, and crumbled ruins piled up in the corner. A small fire was lit in the middle of the cave, cracking away with a bowl of soup next to it. Tao blinked and just stared at the wall. How.. did he ... get here? The cave had such a deep and cold presence as he noticed he was alone. Someone must have moved him here, but he couldn't remember what had happened before he awoke. It's like his brain had faded, only the key parts of his life had remained. Thunder and lightning stormed the sky outside at the entrance of the cave, and rain was slashing down onto the ground. A cold breeze shuddered Tao. He could remember walking with his brothers in the forest, the sun awakening on their faces as it was morning, then catching some fish and some men coming near him. That's about all he could remember, he had no idea why he was in so much consistent pain and how the hell he was so wet. How was he in this cave as well? So many cautious thoughts were running through head, electrifying his brain. It hurt bad. Maybe he had a fever? Then, catching him off guard, a shape appeared by the entrance to the cave. A clap of thunder shocked the walls as more rain down poured. Tao gasped as a man dressed in pure white walked towards him. The man had a mask on, big pink eyes and rabbit ears. It was a rabbit mask, a traditional one from the Japanese Cultered Market.

"Tao. You are awake! I'm glad to see you are awake and well, poor you probably can't remember what happened to get you here for that matter, it will flood into your mind soon enough, it's just the after effects of unconsciousness."

Tao blinked boldly and just stared at the man.

Who.. was that? How did he know his name?

"Who .. who are you?"

The man sat down in front of the fire, poking it with a stick and igniting some more flames.

"Well that, Tao, you didn't even know before you became unconscious however so don't worry, that won't come back to you!" The man laughed and looked at Tao's eyes,

"I am the keeper, also known as Kang. That is my actual name. I am a fox keeper, meaning I have control over the spirit of the fox. I don't expect you to believe everything I say as well, just for your information."

Tao nodded and looked at the big rock in the corner of the cave, in which a glowing lights appeared. The man looked behind him too. A puff of smoke appeared and behind it, revealed, was a fox. Tao laughed as he saw it, he had never seen a fox before! But something was up with this fox, it was glowing orange and red and crackling almost in sync with the fire. It was on fire! The fox was ablaze!

"Ah! Totaro! And Sikai! And Tugaido! You guys have appeared! Come meet our guest, I know you've been waiting for a while!" Kang loudly said and smiled at Tao. Two other fire foxes appeared from behind the rocks and started playing with each other on the ground, tossing and turning, biting at each other's flames. They were purring and yelping, and having fun.

"They.. are on fire," Tao stuttered as he couldn't believe his eyes. Was this, the spirit of the fox?

The keeper laughed and scratched the head of the middle fox.

"As I was saying, I am the fox keeper. I have been looking for you for years Tao, and the reason for that is because-"

Tao awoke again. The rain had stopped, and he was almost gasping for air, his stomach still hurting. The entrance to the cave was bright as the sun reflected down into it, lines of hazy light covering the ground. He had just been dreaming? And he could remember everything, the samurais to the man flying them off the bridge and killing them, brutally but saving him. Then him in the cave, soaking wet but cozy and three foxes that were ablaze. And the mans name was Kang! Tao could remember it all as the memories replayed in his head. Was the whole fox situation just... in his head? Or did...

Then a voice shouted his name.

"Tao for heavens sake! We found you! The clan has been awfully worried sick about you we thought you had been killed after we found your fishing stuff washed up up on the shore of the river!"

"Tao! It's you!"

Tao looked up to see his brothers standing at the cave mouth, butterflies swarming them as they gasped heavily.

"Tao?! Can you hear us?! And where did you get that sleeping sack from?! Did you purposely leave us?!" Satori yelled, worried for his brother.

"No, I am fine. Something happened! Some samurai attacked me! And they beat me up on the bridge and a man saved me, he launched them off the bridge with his hand and they smashed their heads on the rocks! He had three blazing foxes around him too!"

The two brothers looked at each other anxiously.

"Really?"

Tao nodded with distress. It had happened, it felt so realistic! Even the ashes of where the foxes had been playing were still on the ground, smudged into the rocks! It had definitely happened.

"I promise!"

The brothers took one final anxious look before Tao lifted himself out of the cave steadily, trying not to cause so much pain to his stomach, and he joined his brothers for a hug.

"We were so worried for you Tao, I thought we lost you," Ji spoke to him, a sound of pain in his voice. Tao nodded,

"I am alright. Just hurt."

"From when the samurai beat you up?"

Tao nodded.

The sun was gleaming and a crow was squawking in the mere distance. Other birds were tweeting as the bamboo stalks stood tall in the breeze. Tao was so happy to feel air on him again, the cave was warm and stuffy.

"Take us step by step, Tao. What happened?"

"Ok so, I was just fishing on the bridge, I hadn't caught any carp yet, and I thought I could meditate for a bit, but I ended up falling asleep-"

"You fell asleep? Stupid boy!"

Satori and Ji laughed.

"As I was saying," Tao was continuing after he was rudely interrupted by the screeching of his immature brothers,

"I fell asleep and awoke to be tied up on the bridge. Some samurai had done it, and they were kicking me in the chest, stabbing me, punching me, jeering and sniggering. Then some man appeared with a robe and a mask, and lifted his hand up, shooting the men off the bridge and to their deaths at the bottom, cracking their heads open on the rocks!"

Tao imitated a man falling. The two brothers sighed and Tao knew exactly then and there, they didn't believe him. Satori wouldn't believe such a thing, and Ji was old enough to realise it sounded fake.

"Maybe tell us the real story?" Ji sniggered.

"It is the truth! I promise! You believe me about the samurai right?!"

"Of course but a man killing two men with the just the raise of his hand, not believable. You were probably just seeing things because you were in so much pain, my poor brother!"

Satori hugged Tao again and they continued walking. They went over the bridge and back into the forest, were the other brothers went off to get some berries while Tao waited patiently on a rock.

Maybe they were right. Maybe he was just imagining things, it felt so bizarre that he couldn't even believe it. Foxes on fire? Seemed to fantasied that it remained a mystery. When the brothers returned, they continued up the path and towards their clan base. The forest clan camp awaited them, not too far ahead. Tao was ready for the celebration of his arrival.