By Akyliom

Treading cautiously through the dense fog, Jairas ears are pinned back as he navigates around the looming trees and thick foliage, passing by large rocks covered in glowing runes that had his fur standing up on-end. This place feels… unnatural. There is rumored to be some sort of Vayron here, mystical in nature, and though he’s been paid to investigate… Jaira is wondering if this was a wise decision.

A caw from a crow has him jumping, much to his annoyance, and he’s gritting his teeth as he glares flatly at his surroundings, “this sucks.” Being in the middle of a spooky forest, by himself, looking for some mysterious Vayron… okay, yeah, this definitely isn’t a smart decision, but he’s committed to this, and at least his magic is defensive based, and he’s good at serpentine if a situation calls for it! Though he hopes it doesn’t have to come to that.

Approaching a clearing, Jaira eyes the field suspiciously, his gaze landing on a small shrine in the center of it, overgrown with foliage, but also surrounded with… candles? So someone is around here… but where?

Coming closer to it, Jaira kept alert… but that didn’t matter much, not when the air above the shrine flickered, before the clear image of fox-like being appeared, their camouflage dropped, lazing about on top of the roof. Wait, no, that’s not a fox.

"You’re a long ways away from the village,” purred the being, eyes glinting mischievously through their mask, “awfully bold of you… haven’t your parents ever told you not to venture so deep in the woods?”

Jaira rolled his eyes, “enough with the dramatics, I’m only here because you keep spooking the damn village to begin with.”

“Aw, they don’t like me?”

“I mean, not really.”

The Reos chuckled behind their mask, and raised their paw to casually lift it off of their face, pushing it off to the side of their head, teeth bared in a playful grin, “I’m just doing what I’ve always done, such a shame that these newer generations are ignorant to tradition… I just want what I’ve always rightfully deserved. An offering of sake isn’t that difficult of a task, is it?” A laugh.

“All you want is booze? That’s why you’re bothering those people?”

The Vayron examined their claws, tails swishing lazily, “I consider it payment, there’s a lot of terrible things in this forest… a lot of terrible things that I keep at bay.” They’re sighing, before getting up from their lying position, stretching themselves out, “and now they send people after me… ridiculous.” Their previously relaxed persona is switching to something agitated as they growl, “disrespectful, ungrateful…”

“Hey, they just wanted me to come out here and figure out who you are. There was nothing about dealing with you, they just wanted to know what your deal was.” Jaira could feel the pressure in the air rising, and something told him that angering this one wouldn’t be a smart move, they aren’t normal, not at all… “but I can go back, and tell them that you mean no harm, that was their biggest worry.” They had no clue if they were a malicious beast, a spirit, or something else.

The fox-like Vayron narrowed their eyes critically, and then scoffed, “all I do for them, and they doubt me… hmph, such is the arrogance of man and beast…” They slinked closer to Jaira, and despite their short stature Jaira couldn’t help but take a step back out of nerves, “I’ve protected these lands for hundreds of years… how easily history forgets.” The elders should’ve continued telling tales of their deeds… Instead they let those stories fade, and now these pups wander cluelessly into the jaws of this forest, unaware of the horrors that lurk within it.

“I can let them know.” Jaira can feel this one's temper rising, and it’s quite the shift in comparison to their earlier demeanor at the start of this encounter. Fickle. “In the meantime, though, what’s in this place? I had a bad feeling coming in here, but I didn’t see anything.”

“Hm,” the Vayron snorted, before glancing over to their shrine, “you weren’t attacked because I upkeep my shrine and place wards… there are many spirits and creatures that would snap you up in their jaws if they were allowed to, pups that would be stolen from their homes in the night without a trace, crops would wither and die from their disease… There is nothing kind here. A village should’ve never been built here, this forest is too ancient, but here we are.”

“Why do you protect them to begin with?”

“I didn’t, for a long time, but alas, my heart grew fond of one, and they had me promise to look after this place. If that fondness of their memory dies, then I will move on… but until then, I remain, and keep my word.” Their gaze seems reminiscent.

“Oh,” Jaira isn’t sure what to think of that, this is a very finicky situation… If their protection is really that essential, the fact that they’ll move on once it suits them is a bit worrying for the people living here. “Will you at least warn the people that you’re leaving, and that they’ll be in danger?”

“Hmm, maybe, depends on if they can soothe my current anger towards them,” they brush past Jaira, trotting towards the treeline, “but run along, little messenger, and make them remember what I deserve.”

“R-right…” Yikes.

(916 words, Jaira 8348)