Winter, Day 20 - Corvi Estate Grounds

 The kami muttered a curse at how many layers she worn, at the furisode rather than a comfortable yukata with hakama. It didn’t stop her from running though, or from reaching beneath her obi to draw out the whip she carried everywhere, uncoiling it as she ran, vulpine nose twitching as she tried to find the *scent* of the man in red.


*Where is he?* Her lips were pulled into a snarl, revealing sharp teeth grinding as amber eyes flashed with an inner fire, searching for him. For *it*.


A whisper - a chill - caught her attention, drew her to the side of the house. She caught a flash of red and heard… giggling. *There you are!* The kami gave chase, feet kicking up dust as she ran after him.


*Crack!* The whip lashed out, reaching, but was just shy of the man, who slipped away with a laugh.


“That is very rude of you, *I-na-ri*,” he said in a sing-song voice, making Shiori stiffen with anger.


How *dare* he! She sprinted after him, tails lashing out behind her in a whirl of white and red. “Get back here and face me, filth!” she snarled, feet digging into the ground and propelling her forward. The whip lashed out again, this time glowing red-orange with a surge of power, sending a ball of flame spinning toward him.


It caught the edge of his coat, setting the sleeve aflame before he managed to pat it out, the scent of char wafting behind him. “Oooh, very rude, trying to burn a *doctor*,” he taunted with a mad grin.


“You are no doctor!” she retorted angrily, leaping forward and tearing a large gouge into the lawn.


She might need to remember to apologize to Hades later, but certainly he would understand.


The whip snapped forward again, catching the man by his wrist. The red-orange glow intensified, and he yelped in pain as the whip seared into his skin. She use that moment to begin dragging him toward her, his white coat fluttering open to reveal red pox-marks across his entire chest.


Inari’s lip curled back in disgust, sure now of what she saw, though she still needed confirmation… and to *end its life*.


He surprised her, though, willingly grabbing the still-hot whip with his free hand to unwind it, and then he was free, and running. “Don’t you have more important things than me, *I-na-ri*?” he called, cackling.


She would have given chase, to bring him down, to end him, but Shiro and Kuro had caught up by then, and the thoughts-memories-images they brought to her made her stumble. “What do you *mean* there are spirits at the gates?!”


Her tails flicked around her in a halo of agitation, her gaze following the little man with clear disgust. But her lands and her people came first, and if there was something at the gates…


Shiori stalked off, angry at having to let her prey escape.


She would find him again. She *had* to.

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