Somewhere, in the inner circles of the stone fortress hidden inside the world tree Yggdrasil, Itori was seated on the floor in a small room completely engulfed in darkness. This was her official bedroom in the guild, although anyone who visited would most likely come to the conclusion that it didn't really feel like an inhabited room. There were no decorations or even that much furniture. The closest thing to a bed was a bedroll located in the corner. There was a single small table in another corner with a simple chair, and one bookcase filled with scrolls and other works of literature. And that was it. There weren't even any candles or light lachrima, so the utter darkness was standard unless someone brought in a light source from outside. Due to its location there weren't any windows either.
Many people would find this room to be claustrophobic. Little to nothing in it, no light, only one exit which was a heavy door.
For Itori it was a place she could retreat to if she really had no need of worldly pleasures and just needed to think. It was true that she didn't actually sleep here often: she found herself far more comfortable in the Red Dragon Inn in the Ace of Spades. While she could understand the need for a headquarters located in the realm between realms, the ideal location to catch any intruders attempting to invade Earthland, it just didn't feel homely. The Ace of Spades was a lively place where members of Sabertooth were almost always treated with warmth and friendliness as the people of the city were aware just how much effort the mages put into both founding the city, defending it and rebuilding it after the elder gods had wreaked havoc. Not that Itori had much interest in being praised and put on a pedestal but she was happier in a place filled with lively people who got along.
But right now she had something to focus on. After many years of wandering the world with merely one tail, the sign of a kitsune who had yet to really become mature, she had found herself growing several tails in the last couple of years. Given that it had been very strange for her to not grow any tails at the normal rate the fact that it was now happening at such absurd speeds made her both curious and concerned. As kitsune were spiritual creatures their tails were more than furry appendages: It was an extension of the kitsune's very being, one which greatly enhanced both the vastness of their power and their innate ability to control said power. The difference between one tail and two tails was already big enough that it could be considered the difference between two subspecies. And each tail refined and enhanced the kitsune more than the last.
And here she was sitting with seven beautiful white tails spread out behind her. After thousands of years of being at the bottom of the ladder, not knowing why or how, she suddenly was nearly at the top within mere years. When usually one would grow another tail every hundred years until they reached their limit at the eighth hundred year, when the ninth tail formed and the vulpine spirit reached its final and strongest stage.
Since for Itori the tails had showed up so quickly after another she was able to accurately gauge the difference... and it was staggering. When she joined Sabertooth she had struggled to create the simplest illusions: while she had trained for all those years to improve her control she simply didn't have the power or the native talent. To cover an area in a smokescreen or turn herself invisible was what she had been limited to.
Now?
Around her the room shimmered. Flat stone walls turned into waves, literal waves of water flowing upwards against the ceiling which had turned into a field of grass. From that grass field green blades fluttered towards the marble floor Itori was now seated on, glowing with a veridian gleam before they evaporated upon contact with the marble. With another thought the room was back to normal, only for the walls, floor and ceiling to turn into a chittering and squirming mass of chitinous bodies. Another thought and instead Itori was seated in the midst of the heavens, above her the starry sky and below the blue aether. And then it was once more what it was before.
Now it felt like reality itself had become fragile with how easy it was to turn what was real into what Itori wanted it to be.
But even so she didn't know why her rate of progression was so lopsided, and so late. Even if her growth had been delayed by ten times the normal amount she would alredy have been a nine-tailed fox by now, and instead she was now left wondering why after millennia she finally had received her seventh tail.
Hearing the rumbling of her stomach the spiritual vixen rolled her eyes and sighed before getting up. She wasn't getting answer sitting here and letting thoughts chase one another through her head. Maybe she'd get an insight once she filled her stomach. At the very least she'd be in a better mood: right now she was confused and somewhat exasperated at this sensation of staring at a stone wall with no sign of a keyhole or a handle.
Wandering through the halls of Sabertooth's extradimensional fortress her essence orb floated above, to the side and slight behind her head, the radiant orb giving everything in the area a ghostly appearance. Formed from Itori's own essence and that of creatures who had met their end at the kitsune's hands it was an item of potent power, and of great importance to the seven-tailed fox. While kitsune were rare enough that nearly nobody was aware of this kitsune were very vulnerable when their essence orb was in the hands of another. Since it was formed of their own essence as well if they couldn't easily retrieve it they'd have to rely on persuasion to get it back, which usually resulted in them granting wishes or performing favours. While Itori wasn't against doing things for others she really didn't want to be on the bad end of that negotiation.
Having reached the kitchen Itori had gotten started on one of her famous giant feasts. Her metabolism allowed her to always eat more without becoming fatter or hitting the bottom of her appetite, and together with her liking for food that meant she would take any opportunity to prepare meals of such size you'd think she was preparing it for the legendary monster Behemoth. One advantage of living for so long was that she knew an impossible amount of recipes and her culinary skills bordered on impossible. This had only been augmented by the fact that recently reality's laws had become less steadfast in limiting her abilities.
The downside of this was that Itori could often get absorbed into enjoying the meal. In this case that nearly proved to be disastrous, as she had already been indulging herself for over half an hour before she noticed that her essence orb was no longer following her around.
As noted before the fortress inside Yggdrasil wasn't known for its dense population. It was that quality that led Itori to most often reside in the Red Dragon Inn even if sometimes the peace and quiet of the world tree's bowels was a blessing. However it also meant that she hadn't been as careful as she would have been under other circumstances, especially not with a fantastic feast splayed out before her.
Once she had verified that the orb was no longer in the kitchen she immediately stopped eating and headed out of the room, her ears sharp and her eyes narrow. She was a gentle and amiable soul, but if someone was trying to get away with her essence orb... even the most placid of flowers could deliver a nasty sting to those who held it incorrectly.
Fortunately she could hear footsteps (now that she was no longer distracted) and she immediately gave chase. The footsteps weren't of a human: they sounded like they belonged to something quadruped. Some kind of mammal though: reptiles and amphibians weren't as flowing in their movements due to their coldblooded nature. It was heading away from the inner rings, towards the outer rings. Was it trying to get to Earthland or another dimension? Itori's form turned a ghostly white as she moved faster, turning into a silvery blur as she dashed through the immense hallways like an apparition. She was gaining now, but she wasn't sure whether she'd be able to catch the thief before they reached a portal...
She was honestly surprised when, rather than heading for one of the portals, the thief headed for one of the passages that led to the pocket dimension Yggdrasil resided in. Was the thief lost? There really wasn't anything there. They were heading upwards and outwards, and there weren't any ways out of the pocket dimension there unless they had created a new one, a feat which was most unlikely. While Yggdrasil served as the nexus which connected realms it also was a lot better protected against intrusions which didn't come from already existing gates.
Reaching the outside Itori finally came close to see who was responsible for the theft. It was someone she'd actually heard about from other guild members, but whom she'd never seen before herself: the squirrel named Ratatoskr. In the myth of man he was the squirrel who travelled up and down the length of the world tree to carry messages all the way from the top to the bottom and back up. He'd been living here long before the Sabertooth mages arrived, and according to the higher ups would help the guild if the guild hall ever were to be attacked although for the most part he still acted like an independent creature.
Which was all well and good, but this independent creature had stolen Itori's essence orb. Even if he was known as a bit of a prankster that was a bit too much for her to just dismiss it and leave it be.
"Apologies, but could you please return that? It is very valuable to me and I would rather not have it leave my sight."
Ratatoskr came to a halt after having climbed onto one of the world tree's branches, a branch big and sturdy enough that you could probably have built a small village on it. Turning around he held the essence orb above his head while staring down at Itori. Itori meanwhile turned back into her usual appearance so they could communicate properly. He may be a prankster but if she asked nicely...
"Don't you know who I am? I'm the mighty Ratatoskr! The one who brings messages from the highest heavens to the deepest hells without breaking a sweat! You should be grateful that I took this as a tribute to my amazing self!"
Great, apparently he had the kind of overconfidence you saw in brats. Itori bowed before Ratatoskr as she effortlessly pushed down her instinctive reaction of annoyance. She had lots of experience dealing with difficult people: getting angry and hostile just made them more adamant to not give you what you want.
"Once again I apologize mighty Ratatoskr, but that is not something I could give away. If you wish for tribute I can find something of equal value but which I myself do not need as dearly, but I would inquire you to return that orb first for it can be quite dangerous for it to not be in my possession."
The squirrel raised his eyebrows before shaking his head and balancing the orb on his large tail. "Dangerous? The mighty Ratatoskr laughs at the idea of danger! Have no fear, it's in good hands with me!" He then spun the orb on one finger, Itori still hiding her frustration as she noticed that he wasn't done speaking yet. "But I'm as generous as I'm amazing, so I'll give you an opportunity! If this thing is so important to you there shouldn't be any issue with you earning it back, right? You'll just have to take it back from me! If it's so important that shouldn't even be a challenge!"
With that Ratatoskr suddenly jumped upwards, leaving behind streaks of blue lightning as he moved without regard for gravity and at speeds that would leave you wondering if reality hadn't sped up without you noticing. "Catch me if you can!"
Itori stood there for a couple of seconds, trying to comprehend this, before she gritted her teeth. She usually had the patience of a saint, but this time a button had been pressed that shouldn't have been pressed. Once again shedding the limitations of flesh she jumped after Ratatoskr, running directly up the impossibly wide trunk of Yggdrasil as she chased him down.
And so began one of the wildest chases Itori ever had to endure throughout her entire life. She could sense Ratatoskr's soul and she was as good at ignoring the laws of physics as he apparently was, but chasing a squirrel in the biggest tree in existence was an exercise in frustration. Every time she got close he'd suddenly be heading in a different direction, and by the time she corrected her course and followed he'd already built up quite the lead. Sometimes he was in places where she wasn't even sure how he got here or how she was supposed to follow: as a tree which spanned between realms and dimensions Yggdrasil didn't always follow the rules of logic or space, and unfortunately for Itori Ratatoskr knew all about how to exploit that.
Running so high that the ground was no longer visible for the clouds below Itori had no choice but to helplessly watch as suddenly a streak of lightning shot down back towards the world below. She could hear the squirrel's carefree and taunting laughter trail behind him as if the tail of a comet while she turned around and ran after him. Thankfully she could at least move as fast as him, but she had to admit it was amazing how easily this strange creature could go wherever he pleased. She was aware of how truth was often stranger than fiction, and how the myths of mortals often failed to entirely encompass the reality behind it, but knowing was different from seeing this little creature travel from the top of the world tree to the very roots as if it was nothing more than a walk in the park.
Reaching the bottom the squirrel now was on the other side of the trunk. A journey which could take days or weeks depending on which method you took (once again, Yggdrasil's geometrics were just straight out strange). Deciding that she'd never get anywhere if she didn't start being tricky as well Itori moved straight through the tree, her nature as the bridge between the spiritual world and the physical world allowing her to take a route even birds couldn't take.
Popping out on the other side as if a ghost trying to scare children she saw Ratatoskr waving at her before he was already racing back up. "You found me but the game's not over yet!" Narrowing her eyes once more Itori's vermilion orbs glowed for a moment. She rarely felt as infuriated as she did now. Under normal circumstances (or as normal as possible) this might have been a fun game, but he refused to give her back her orb. That was pretty much the only object she couldn't joke about!
That was when the chase began to become really strange.
Ratatoskr was still laughing when suddenly Itori was standing in front of him. Once again grinning and giving her a wave he changed directions midflight and bounced towards a nearby branch, then promptly let himself fall back down while planning to shoot back up once he had confirmed that Itori was chasing him towards the ground. However when he hit that branch instead Itori shot up through the wood as if she had been waiting inside and he narrowly dodged her grasp. Blinking in surprise the squirrel mustered his confidence and jumped upwards anyway, finding himself immediately being chased.
"That's some interesting tricks you're using there, but you'll have to try harder than that! Wasn't this your most prized possession?!" All this time he'd managed to juggle the essence orb safely while running away with ease. He'd even once managed to make Itori fly off in the wrong direction by holding it out as a part of a balancing act before faking a drop and catching it. While it looked like he was being reckless he actually had perfect control over the situation. He was having a lot of fun and while he was taunting the kitsune and playing her for a fool he wasn't planning on dropping the orb. He would probably give it back once she'd run out of steam. Maybe. It couldn't be that dangerous to keep the orb for himself, right? Maybe he'd even be doing her a favour if he took care of a dangerous object such as this.
Reaching the foliage at the top of the tree (a roof so long and wide that the only reason the lands below weren't cast in shadow was that it was too high up to block out much of the sun) he nearly shrieked in surprise when suddenly the branches themselves were grabbing hold of him. With a burst of speed which had lightning sparking in every direction he escaped only to find Itori's face only inches away from his. Another burst of speed and he was sliding down the trunk of the tree, trying to regain control of the situation. She'd been a good chaser, sure, but now things were just becoming odd! How had she even showed up there? Last time he'd seen her she'd still been halfway up the tree!
He shook his head, holding the orb in one furry hand while using the other to splash some water in his face to clear his mind. He was just getting caught up in things, that was all. It had been some time since he'd been able to play like this so all the adrenaline was making his creative mind go crazy. Yeah, that was it. He was one of the most creative of creatures after all! Wait, water? He was on... the... tree?
Wha-... How... Why was he suddenly sliding down a fast coursing river?! Looking around he saw that the tree was still there but there was a river! There wasn't supposed to be a river here! How was there a river here!
Jumping sideways to get back onto the familiar bark of his eternal friend Yggdrasil... he once again landed in the water. This time he didn't stay on top of it and had to swim back to the surface, tail tightly curled around the orb to keep it from slipping away. Gasping for breath he looked to where he had jumped from... no river there.
"What is happening?!"
"I would appreciate it if you returned my orb."
Ratatoskr screamed as Itori was now standing at the riverbank with folded arms, looking at him with mild disappointment and a lot more impatience. Standing still... and yet, despite him being carried along by the stream, she stayed right next to him.
Abandoning all pretense of not trying his hardest to stay away the mighty Ratatoskr shot away like an arrow from a bow, or a thunderbolt striking the earth from heaven. Finding familiar tree-trunk under his paws he raced away from Itori, taking all the shortest paths and tricky routes that should leave pursuers befuddled and questioning their sense of direction. Only for Itori to be awaiting him at the other end!
"You... you're cheating!" Spitting out the accusation Ratatoskr resumed running away, but now suddenly he couldn't move his feet. They were stuck to the tree despite his pulling and pushing. The kitsune unfolded her arms and walked towards him, and for a moment the squirrel forgot that they were playing a game and actually panicked.
Bark and splinters flew everywhere like shrapnel as the furry prankster destroyed his footing with a burst of lightning, throwing the orb away and then jumping after it before zigzagging away. But running up the tree suddenly felt like a tiring task... He felt himself being pulled back down by something. What was pulling him? There wasn't anything pulling him! But he could feel something dragging him back down! Gravity? But he laughed at gravity!
"The orb if you would be so kind."
"N-No!"
Confused as he was Ratatoskr was also an ancient entity, and not one to be underestimated. Quickly adapting to the situation he began to run back down, letting gravity be his ally as he rushed towards the bottom of the tree. Except now gravity was... pulling him up? This didn't make any sense!
Jumping away from the tree Ratatoskr was planning to use some lightning-assisted flight to take back the initiative. Like the eagle he pestered daily he danced through the air, more nimble than any monkey could dream to be. But he kept facing the same position in regards to Yggdrasil. No matter how far he moved to the left, the right, up or down, back or forth... he was still there where he started.
Beginning to feel truly frightened now Ratatoskr clutched the orb with both arms and tried to desperately think of what to do now when suddenly he felt a hand on his head. Itori had gently hit him with the side of her hand while standing behind him, floating in the air as if it was as common as the floor. of her room.
"I believe I have caught you, so you should be returning the orb now."
Looking back at Itori Ratatoskr's eyes were wide as he shivered once, then slowly nodded and returned the essence orb. Bouncing it once or twice to make sure it was in pristine condition the kitsune returned it to its position floating behind her before she finally smiled and patted the squirrel on the head. "I hope I did not scare you overmuch, but you really should not take this orb without my permission."
Ratatoskr nodded again. He'd be defiant, or perhaps boastful that she had to resort to cheating to even catch him. But having the world that he was so familiar with suddenly fail to meet his expectations had left him so confused that he was at a loss for words.
"If you wish to play again at a later date I would not object to it. For now let us return to the ground."
Gently taking hold of the prankster's hands she began to walk down the staircase which obviously wasn't actually there. And somehow still functioned as one. A space-defying staircase. The apprehended thief wasn't sure exactly how high in the air they had been at the end of the chase, but he was pretty sure that it hadn't been so low that it took less than thirty steps to reach the lands through which Yggdrasil's infinite roots burrowed.
Itori hummed as she walked back to the entrance of the stone fortress inside the world tree, already thinking about the meal she'd been forced to leave behind for this. She only came to a halt when the mythical squirrel called out to her, having recovered somewhat from the ordeal but still more honest than he'd otherwise be. "How in the name of the gods did you do all that?"
Coming to a halt Itori didn't turn around, instead looking over her shoulder while her seven beautiful white tails were spread out behind her. "I may not be a nine-tailed fox, but even for a mere seven-tailed kitsune like me what is real and what is fiction is a matter of opinion." With that she stepped inside, leaving the outplayed squirrel behind.
Ratatoskr stared at the entrance for a while, scratching his head and trying to dismiss the last clouds of confusion that obscured his normal confidence and liveliness. Eventually he shrugged and dashed back up towards the top of the tree. He'd have to try again later to show that fox that she hadn't beaten him completely yet.
Although he did think it was better if next time he didn't turn her orb into a prize. Apparently she could be a bit testy about that thing.
WC: 4120
Many people would find this room to be claustrophobic. Little to nothing in it, no light, only one exit which was a heavy door.
For Itori it was a place she could retreat to if she really had no need of worldly pleasures and just needed to think. It was true that she didn't actually sleep here often: she found herself far more comfortable in the Red Dragon Inn in the Ace of Spades. While she could understand the need for a headquarters located in the realm between realms, the ideal location to catch any intruders attempting to invade Earthland, it just didn't feel homely. The Ace of Spades was a lively place where members of Sabertooth were almost always treated with warmth and friendliness as the people of the city were aware just how much effort the mages put into both founding the city, defending it and rebuilding it after the elder gods had wreaked havoc. Not that Itori had much interest in being praised and put on a pedestal but she was happier in a place filled with lively people who got along.
But right now she had something to focus on. After many years of wandering the world with merely one tail, the sign of a kitsune who had yet to really become mature, she had found herself growing several tails in the last couple of years. Given that it had been very strange for her to not grow any tails at the normal rate the fact that it was now happening at such absurd speeds made her both curious and concerned. As kitsune were spiritual creatures their tails were more than furry appendages: It was an extension of the kitsune's very being, one which greatly enhanced both the vastness of their power and their innate ability to control said power. The difference between one tail and two tails was already big enough that it could be considered the difference between two subspecies. And each tail refined and enhanced the kitsune more than the last.
And here she was sitting with seven beautiful white tails spread out behind her. After thousands of years of being at the bottom of the ladder, not knowing why or how, she suddenly was nearly at the top within mere years. When usually one would grow another tail every hundred years until they reached their limit at the eighth hundred year, when the ninth tail formed and the vulpine spirit reached its final and strongest stage.
Since for Itori the tails had showed up so quickly after another she was able to accurately gauge the difference... and it was staggering. When she joined Sabertooth she had struggled to create the simplest illusions: while she had trained for all those years to improve her control she simply didn't have the power or the native talent. To cover an area in a smokescreen or turn herself invisible was what she had been limited to.
Now?
Around her the room shimmered. Flat stone walls turned into waves, literal waves of water flowing upwards against the ceiling which had turned into a field of grass. From that grass field green blades fluttered towards the marble floor Itori was now seated on, glowing with a veridian gleam before they evaporated upon contact with the marble. With another thought the room was back to normal, only for the walls, floor and ceiling to turn into a chittering and squirming mass of chitinous bodies. Another thought and instead Itori was seated in the midst of the heavens, above her the starry sky and below the blue aether. And then it was once more what it was before.
Now it felt like reality itself had become fragile with how easy it was to turn what was real into what Itori wanted it to be.
But even so she didn't know why her rate of progression was so lopsided, and so late. Even if her growth had been delayed by ten times the normal amount she would alredy have been a nine-tailed fox by now, and instead she was now left wondering why after millennia she finally had received her seventh tail.
Hearing the rumbling of her stomach the spiritual vixen rolled her eyes and sighed before getting up. She wasn't getting answer sitting here and letting thoughts chase one another through her head. Maybe she'd get an insight once she filled her stomach. At the very least she'd be in a better mood: right now she was confused and somewhat exasperated at this sensation of staring at a stone wall with no sign of a keyhole or a handle.
Wandering through the halls of Sabertooth's extradimensional fortress her essence orb floated above, to the side and slight behind her head, the radiant orb giving everything in the area a ghostly appearance. Formed from Itori's own essence and that of creatures who had met their end at the kitsune's hands it was an item of potent power, and of great importance to the seven-tailed fox. While kitsune were rare enough that nearly nobody was aware of this kitsune were very vulnerable when their essence orb was in the hands of another. Since it was formed of their own essence as well if they couldn't easily retrieve it they'd have to rely on persuasion to get it back, which usually resulted in them granting wishes or performing favours. While Itori wasn't against doing things for others she really didn't want to be on the bad end of that negotiation.
Having reached the kitchen Itori had gotten started on one of her famous giant feasts. Her metabolism allowed her to always eat more without becoming fatter or hitting the bottom of her appetite, and together with her liking for food that meant she would take any opportunity to prepare meals of such size you'd think she was preparing it for the legendary monster Behemoth. One advantage of living for so long was that she knew an impossible amount of recipes and her culinary skills bordered on impossible. This had only been augmented by the fact that recently reality's laws had become less steadfast in limiting her abilities.
The downside of this was that Itori could often get absorbed into enjoying the meal. In this case that nearly proved to be disastrous, as she had already been indulging herself for over half an hour before she noticed that her essence orb was no longer following her around.
As noted before the fortress inside Yggdrasil wasn't known for its dense population. It was that quality that led Itori to most often reside in the Red Dragon Inn even if sometimes the peace and quiet of the world tree's bowels was a blessing. However it also meant that she hadn't been as careful as she would have been under other circumstances, especially not with a fantastic feast splayed out before her.
Once she had verified that the orb was no longer in the kitchen she immediately stopped eating and headed out of the room, her ears sharp and her eyes narrow. She was a gentle and amiable soul, but if someone was trying to get away with her essence orb... even the most placid of flowers could deliver a nasty sting to those who held it incorrectly.
Fortunately she could hear footsteps (now that she was no longer distracted) and she immediately gave chase. The footsteps weren't of a human: they sounded like they belonged to something quadruped. Some kind of mammal though: reptiles and amphibians weren't as flowing in their movements due to their coldblooded nature. It was heading away from the inner rings, towards the outer rings. Was it trying to get to Earthland or another dimension? Itori's form turned a ghostly white as she moved faster, turning into a silvery blur as she dashed through the immense hallways like an apparition. She was gaining now, but she wasn't sure whether she'd be able to catch the thief before they reached a portal...
She was honestly surprised when, rather than heading for one of the portals, the thief headed for one of the passages that led to the pocket dimension Yggdrasil resided in. Was the thief lost? There really wasn't anything there. They were heading upwards and outwards, and there weren't any ways out of the pocket dimension there unless they had created a new one, a feat which was most unlikely. While Yggdrasil served as the nexus which connected realms it also was a lot better protected against intrusions which didn't come from already existing gates.
Reaching the outside Itori finally came close to see who was responsible for the theft. It was someone she'd actually heard about from other guild members, but whom she'd never seen before herself: the squirrel named Ratatoskr. In the myth of man he was the squirrel who travelled up and down the length of the world tree to carry messages all the way from the top to the bottom and back up. He'd been living here long before the Sabertooth mages arrived, and according to the higher ups would help the guild if the guild hall ever were to be attacked although for the most part he still acted like an independent creature.
Which was all well and good, but this independent creature had stolen Itori's essence orb. Even if he was known as a bit of a prankster that was a bit too much for her to just dismiss it and leave it be.
"Apologies, but could you please return that? It is very valuable to me and I would rather not have it leave my sight."
Ratatoskr came to a halt after having climbed onto one of the world tree's branches, a branch big and sturdy enough that you could probably have built a small village on it. Turning around he held the essence orb above his head while staring down at Itori. Itori meanwhile turned back into her usual appearance so they could communicate properly. He may be a prankster but if she asked nicely...
"Don't you know who I am? I'm the mighty Ratatoskr! The one who brings messages from the highest heavens to the deepest hells without breaking a sweat! You should be grateful that I took this as a tribute to my amazing self!"
Great, apparently he had the kind of overconfidence you saw in brats. Itori bowed before Ratatoskr as she effortlessly pushed down her instinctive reaction of annoyance. She had lots of experience dealing with difficult people: getting angry and hostile just made them more adamant to not give you what you want.
"Once again I apologize mighty Ratatoskr, but that is not something I could give away. If you wish for tribute I can find something of equal value but which I myself do not need as dearly, but I would inquire you to return that orb first for it can be quite dangerous for it to not be in my possession."
The squirrel raised his eyebrows before shaking his head and balancing the orb on his large tail. "Dangerous? The mighty Ratatoskr laughs at the idea of danger! Have no fear, it's in good hands with me!" He then spun the orb on one finger, Itori still hiding her frustration as she noticed that he wasn't done speaking yet. "But I'm as generous as I'm amazing, so I'll give you an opportunity! If this thing is so important to you there shouldn't be any issue with you earning it back, right? You'll just have to take it back from me! If it's so important that shouldn't even be a challenge!"
With that Ratatoskr suddenly jumped upwards, leaving behind streaks of blue lightning as he moved without regard for gravity and at speeds that would leave you wondering if reality hadn't sped up without you noticing. "Catch me if you can!"
Itori stood there for a couple of seconds, trying to comprehend this, before she gritted her teeth. She usually had the patience of a saint, but this time a button had been pressed that shouldn't have been pressed. Once again shedding the limitations of flesh she jumped after Ratatoskr, running directly up the impossibly wide trunk of Yggdrasil as she chased him down.
And so began one of the wildest chases Itori ever had to endure throughout her entire life. She could sense Ratatoskr's soul and she was as good at ignoring the laws of physics as he apparently was, but chasing a squirrel in the biggest tree in existence was an exercise in frustration. Every time she got close he'd suddenly be heading in a different direction, and by the time she corrected her course and followed he'd already built up quite the lead. Sometimes he was in places where she wasn't even sure how he got here or how she was supposed to follow: as a tree which spanned between realms and dimensions Yggdrasil didn't always follow the rules of logic or space, and unfortunately for Itori Ratatoskr knew all about how to exploit that.
Running so high that the ground was no longer visible for the clouds below Itori had no choice but to helplessly watch as suddenly a streak of lightning shot down back towards the world below. She could hear the squirrel's carefree and taunting laughter trail behind him as if the tail of a comet while she turned around and ran after him. Thankfully she could at least move as fast as him, but she had to admit it was amazing how easily this strange creature could go wherever he pleased. She was aware of how truth was often stranger than fiction, and how the myths of mortals often failed to entirely encompass the reality behind it, but knowing was different from seeing this little creature travel from the top of the world tree to the very roots as if it was nothing more than a walk in the park.
Reaching the bottom the squirrel now was on the other side of the trunk. A journey which could take days or weeks depending on which method you took (once again, Yggdrasil's geometrics were just straight out strange). Deciding that she'd never get anywhere if she didn't start being tricky as well Itori moved straight through the tree, her nature as the bridge between the spiritual world and the physical world allowing her to take a route even birds couldn't take.
Popping out on the other side as if a ghost trying to scare children she saw Ratatoskr waving at her before he was already racing back up. "You found me but the game's not over yet!" Narrowing her eyes once more Itori's vermilion orbs glowed for a moment. She rarely felt as infuriated as she did now. Under normal circumstances (or as normal as possible) this might have been a fun game, but he refused to give her back her orb. That was pretty much the only object she couldn't joke about!
That was when the chase began to become really strange.
Ratatoskr was still laughing when suddenly Itori was standing in front of him. Once again grinning and giving her a wave he changed directions midflight and bounced towards a nearby branch, then promptly let himself fall back down while planning to shoot back up once he had confirmed that Itori was chasing him towards the ground. However when he hit that branch instead Itori shot up through the wood as if she had been waiting inside and he narrowly dodged her grasp. Blinking in surprise the squirrel mustered his confidence and jumped upwards anyway, finding himself immediately being chased.
"That's some interesting tricks you're using there, but you'll have to try harder than that! Wasn't this your most prized possession?!" All this time he'd managed to juggle the essence orb safely while running away with ease. He'd even once managed to make Itori fly off in the wrong direction by holding it out as a part of a balancing act before faking a drop and catching it. While it looked like he was being reckless he actually had perfect control over the situation. He was having a lot of fun and while he was taunting the kitsune and playing her for a fool he wasn't planning on dropping the orb. He would probably give it back once she'd run out of steam. Maybe. It couldn't be that dangerous to keep the orb for himself, right? Maybe he'd even be doing her a favour if he took care of a dangerous object such as this.
Reaching the foliage at the top of the tree (a roof so long and wide that the only reason the lands below weren't cast in shadow was that it was too high up to block out much of the sun) he nearly shrieked in surprise when suddenly the branches themselves were grabbing hold of him. With a burst of speed which had lightning sparking in every direction he escaped only to find Itori's face only inches away from his. Another burst of speed and he was sliding down the trunk of the tree, trying to regain control of the situation. She'd been a good chaser, sure, but now things were just becoming odd! How had she even showed up there? Last time he'd seen her she'd still been halfway up the tree!
He shook his head, holding the orb in one furry hand while using the other to splash some water in his face to clear his mind. He was just getting caught up in things, that was all. It had been some time since he'd been able to play like this so all the adrenaline was making his creative mind go crazy. Yeah, that was it. He was one of the most creative of creatures after all! Wait, water? He was on... the... tree?
Wha-... How... Why was he suddenly sliding down a fast coursing river?! Looking around he saw that the tree was still there but there was a river! There wasn't supposed to be a river here! How was there a river here!
Jumping sideways to get back onto the familiar bark of his eternal friend Yggdrasil... he once again landed in the water. This time he didn't stay on top of it and had to swim back to the surface, tail tightly curled around the orb to keep it from slipping away. Gasping for breath he looked to where he had jumped from... no river there.
"What is happening?!"
"I would appreciate it if you returned my orb."
Ratatoskr screamed as Itori was now standing at the riverbank with folded arms, looking at him with mild disappointment and a lot more impatience. Standing still... and yet, despite him being carried along by the stream, she stayed right next to him.
Abandoning all pretense of not trying his hardest to stay away the mighty Ratatoskr shot away like an arrow from a bow, or a thunderbolt striking the earth from heaven. Finding familiar tree-trunk under his paws he raced away from Itori, taking all the shortest paths and tricky routes that should leave pursuers befuddled and questioning their sense of direction. Only for Itori to be awaiting him at the other end!
"You... you're cheating!" Spitting out the accusation Ratatoskr resumed running away, but now suddenly he couldn't move his feet. They were stuck to the tree despite his pulling and pushing. The kitsune unfolded her arms and walked towards him, and for a moment the squirrel forgot that they were playing a game and actually panicked.
Bark and splinters flew everywhere like shrapnel as the furry prankster destroyed his footing with a burst of lightning, throwing the orb away and then jumping after it before zigzagging away. But running up the tree suddenly felt like a tiring task... He felt himself being pulled back down by something. What was pulling him? There wasn't anything pulling him! But he could feel something dragging him back down! Gravity? But he laughed at gravity!
"The orb if you would be so kind."
"N-No!"
Confused as he was Ratatoskr was also an ancient entity, and not one to be underestimated. Quickly adapting to the situation he began to run back down, letting gravity be his ally as he rushed towards the bottom of the tree. Except now gravity was... pulling him up? This didn't make any sense!
Jumping away from the tree Ratatoskr was planning to use some lightning-assisted flight to take back the initiative. Like the eagle he pestered daily he danced through the air, more nimble than any monkey could dream to be. But he kept facing the same position in regards to Yggdrasil. No matter how far he moved to the left, the right, up or down, back or forth... he was still there where he started.
Beginning to feel truly frightened now Ratatoskr clutched the orb with both arms and tried to desperately think of what to do now when suddenly he felt a hand on his head. Itori had gently hit him with the side of her hand while standing behind him, floating in the air as if it was as common as the floor. of her room.
"I believe I have caught you, so you should be returning the orb now."
Looking back at Itori Ratatoskr's eyes were wide as he shivered once, then slowly nodded and returned the essence orb. Bouncing it once or twice to make sure it was in pristine condition the kitsune returned it to its position floating behind her before she finally smiled and patted the squirrel on the head. "I hope I did not scare you overmuch, but you really should not take this orb without my permission."
Ratatoskr nodded again. He'd be defiant, or perhaps boastful that she had to resort to cheating to even catch him. But having the world that he was so familiar with suddenly fail to meet his expectations had left him so confused that he was at a loss for words.
"If you wish to play again at a later date I would not object to it. For now let us return to the ground."
Gently taking hold of the prankster's hands she began to walk down the staircase which obviously wasn't actually there. And somehow still functioned as one. A space-defying staircase. The apprehended thief wasn't sure exactly how high in the air they had been at the end of the chase, but he was pretty sure that it hadn't been so low that it took less than thirty steps to reach the lands through which Yggdrasil's infinite roots burrowed.
Itori hummed as she walked back to the entrance of the stone fortress inside the world tree, already thinking about the meal she'd been forced to leave behind for this. She only came to a halt when the mythical squirrel called out to her, having recovered somewhat from the ordeal but still more honest than he'd otherwise be. "How in the name of the gods did you do all that?"
Coming to a halt Itori didn't turn around, instead looking over her shoulder while her seven beautiful white tails were spread out behind her. "I may not be a nine-tailed fox, but even for a mere seven-tailed kitsune like me what is real and what is fiction is a matter of opinion." With that she stepped inside, leaving the outplayed squirrel behind.
Ratatoskr stared at the entrance for a while, scratching his head and trying to dismiss the last clouds of confusion that obscured his normal confidence and liveliness. Eventually he shrugged and dashed back up towards the top of the tree. He'd have to try again later to show that fox that she hadn't beaten him completely yet.
Although he did think it was better if next time he didn't turn her orb into a prize. Apparently she could be a bit testy about that thing.
WC: 4120
