I saw it, I swear!

Kitsune was in such a state of terror that Iho didn't know what to say or do at first. He listened patiently while the girl tried to hide herself away in his fur, gasping for breath while she told him the tale of her fright. He stared at the pup in bewildered confusion, the story getting more and more complicated and nonsensical. A ghost had chased her across the stream? He looked back over the water again and found nothing sinister looming in the shadows. Kumiho knew Kit was a rational and logical young girl though, and something had clearly spooked her bad, so whether it was a legitimate ghost sighting or not, something had freaked her out.

"Hey, it's okay now. You're safe with me," said Iho to Kit, reaching a large paw up to gently rub her back and bringing his snout down to go to nuzzle the top of her head, careful to avoid any unexpected pricks from her antlers. The little Ashen princess asked him to help her find it, and with a bright and confident smile he nodded to her. Anything to make her feel better. "Sure, Kit. You stick with me, I'll keep you safe from any ghosts." The wayfarer continued to comfort and embrace the princess until he felt her tremors begin to subside and knew she had calmed down some before he finally released her. He just prayed that the girl's parents didn't notice she was missing and come looking for her. If they caught Kumiho wandering a dark forest at night with their very underage daughter, he was as good as dead.

Kumiho rose to his paws once Kit had gathered herself up again, intent to start scouring the banks of the stream with her until he found out what it was she had seen when she asked about the quiet and and the strange colored fireflies. Iho looked back up to the sea of blue and purple insects, wondering the exact same thing himself. "Y'know, I'm not really sure," he answered her honestly. "I've never seen fireflies like this before—not this color, anyway. Just stick close to me from now on, okay, Kit?" He didn't believe the fireflies were a danger to them, but he also didn't trust the unnatural silence or the otherworldly things that seemed to be taking place around here. "Can you show me where you saw the ghost?" If she could point him in the general direction she'd seen the specter, maybe he'd be able to pick up a scent trail and together they could figure out what she had actually seen.

WC: 436
Total: 1713 / 2500

"Speech"