his hand

 go and seek.

 but what could be found?

 a man of sallow pallor at a window, turning, turning so that the glow of lightning was as illumination.

 father.

 GO FORTH!

 golden eyes opened to a vast sky. ælfrǣd woke, sitting up with a gasping choke, clutching at his throat. had not the point of a tooth been there before? panting, breath ugly with fear and loud, he stood to shaking legs and blinked in disbelief, whirling here and there.

 not a throne room. not his home. not — no. his head throbbed. the only thing which existed now beyond fog was — GO FORTH!, echoing edict.

 "yes. yes, i must — put down my standard." but he was only still, gazing at the beautiful roll of the green land until his eyes stung with enchanted tears. golden fields, emerald cascading. rich rivers scoring rich earth, and forests ancient as his forbears.

 this is the land you have been given.

 "— yes."

 this is your land. and you are ruler of it. of all you see, and what you do not.

 "king ælfrǣd. i am — king."

the staff team luvs u

Thousands of years. So many that Nagito had lost track of the exact number. Did it really matter, when they'd thrown all of it away in one moment - one single, ridiculous folly?

They had been untouchable. Regarded so highly among their peers that Nagito's name had struck awe and unease both into lesser yokai. Centuries, millennia of work, squandered. Gambled away as if it was nothing more than a handful of yen in a game of shogi.

Nagito, the nine-tailed fox.

Nagito, the fool.

And now, Nagito, the one who wallows in self-pity.

Waking up from a gruesome stab wound through the heart had been an ordeal. They'd spent a moment marveling at the fact that they were alive at all, and only after that realized that they could not transform.

This had not happened for thousands of years. Nagito had been but a cub, less than fifty years old, when they'd last been trapped in this form.

It was limiting. It was powerless. It was weak.

Nagito was weak.

They'd taken some time to simply be, before they'd started on their walk. Surely, there must be some cure. Some workaround for this plight. If they'd just think of one. Somewhere in their mind, they had to have the knowledge.

But the further they dug, the more their brain ached behind their skull.

And so, Nagito simply walked, paws crushing verdant greenery underfoot. It was an objectively beautiful meadow, lush with the upcoming spring in the air, but Nagito did not have the time or patience to appreciate such things.

The meadow, which did not currently belong to them alone.

It seemed as though the wolf came out of nowhere, but perhaps Nagito wasn't paying attention. This would not be the first time in recent days that they'd missed what was right in front of their nose, after all. The thought came to them with a sneer, bitter and jaded.

There was little point in dwelling on it now.

A wolf was perhaps not the best thing to approach in such a small form, but Nagito was confident in their ability to outwit their foe, should the encounter come to it. If they were fortunate, with luck on their side, it would not be necessary.

The wolf, dark black against the vibrant grasses, was speaking to itself. Nagito only caught the very last words:

I am - king.

Curious in their approach, the kitsune circled to the front, giving the other canine a wide berth.

"A king?" they drawled, studying the man, eyes flicking across his expression with interest. Perhaps he knew something of this place. "Of what?"

the staff team luvs u

thanks for joining!

---

what did he know of kingship? of leading men? armies? how might he inspire others not only to follow, but to conquer and to build? desperately ælfrǣd wished he knew the name of this very region so that its standard might support him now. the noble wolves who had been mother and father in title as well as honor; he did not think he was fit to utter their names.

once. once when he had the land and the titles; yes. he would make a great epitaph to both, and guard their names against his heart until that moment.

his sons! would he have them? he imagined himself a father, yes, but he had no chance of that in this moment. a kingdom did not exist without sons, and he was currently a man with nothing to offer a woman he intended as queen.

ælfrǣd had just been ready to bow his head again when a voice sounded, curious. the man opened his eyes to find not wolf but fox, a thing of greystone and granite, watching him with the curious eyes which so defined their species.

for a moment he was only surprised. why would one approach another such as himself? it struck him like a dismally dull spearpoint that again, it was because he was not fierce. not aspirational. even beasts of the field felt safe to approach. "of here, i suppose," ælfrǣd said with a disapproving thin to his lips. yet he was curious, and this showed itself as well.

"of all this land. that which you see, and that which is beyond the green horizon. the one above has ordained me to be king over it all." he cleared his throat, rolled the slender shoulders. "what is your name?" fox or not, an individual with knowledge would be indispensable, and ælfrǣd would be moved to reward with what he did not possess.

the staff team luvs u

There was little pride to be found in the wolf's posture. Not a braggart, clearly, nor did he seem the type to domineer, judging only by the fact that the kitsune had been allowed to remain in his presence, though Nagito supposed there was still time for those things to rear their ugly heads. 

Eyes like the golden coins the fox had so diligently hoarded in their previous life took them in. They did not feel malice when they made eye contact, and were met with words rather than teeth. A smaller okami such as this one would have been no issue at all mere days ago, but now Nagito felt very much as they were - a lesser predator; a scavenger. Perhaps they'd wake to find it had all been a nightmare, and this would be but a distant memory, but for now they would be taking few risks. 

Of here, I suppose.

This field did not hold the appeal of the kingdoms that Nagito had experienced. Beautiful, clearly, but there were no palaces. No servants. No gilded architecture. Perhaps woodland animals would think of this as a proper domain, so Nagito would do well not to judge, but it lacked the allure of an empire. 

A request, then, for their name. The kitsune had nothing else to offer, but their name was a price they could pay. It held no meaning here - of that, they were certain. 

"Nagito," they extended, a hint of the power that the word contained still lingering on the tip of their tongue. Fleeting, but present.

There were several more inquiries they wanted to make - they had precious little knowledge of the place, after all, and hoped that the wolf might hold more expertise than they. Instead, a smile, tight-lipped and guarded, formed on their small maw. 

"A crown is a heavy weight to bear," they said. They had stolen a few in their time, gold and silver and other precious metals cool under their touch, expensive gemstones glittering in the dim lighting. Ashen eyes studied the man's expression once more before they spoke again, choosing each word with care and propriety: "Forgive me if I am overstepping, but it seems to me that you are not entirely delighted by your domain, Your Majesty." 

There was no delectation in the way the okami had announced himself, after all. A curious thing, for someone chosen by a deity to subjugate this land - one would think the wolf would be overjoyed with his realm, if they had not seen the way his lips had pressed together when he'd first mentioned it. 

A curious thing indeed.
 

---

Of course! <3 I've been hoping to thread with you for a while now. I love your writing!

the staff team luvs u

that makes me feel so welcome ;; urs flows like a beautiful valley river, i love its cadence

---

your majesty

a little laugh, a little choke. all surprise, to hear himself addressed as such and then a renewed shock to have heard it here, of all places. there was much for which he must strive to acclimate. a mind honed by much time inside dusty halls and around old men at last stirred. why would a fox address him so quickly as lord? of course he shared the prejudice of many in his kind, a moral failing that such an upright man failed to see in himself.

maybe endearment? had he — no. there was no chance he had brightened this fox to follow. it was something else, then. but ælfrǣd would not forget who had first called him king, and a second pondering look carried a heft to it that had not been there before. a consideration.

"can a beggar choose his road?" came the rejoinder, more gruffly than he meant, and a quick quirk of his mouth telegraphed apology. "i am ælfrǣd." eyes shut hard for a moment. "king ælfrǣd. i must get used to saying it. king ælfrǣd, of — well." the man laughed aloud, a sound that held a boyish vulnerability mingled with true humour.

"i do not question the one above. whatever he has decided, that will be my path." nagito. were all the denizens of this land named such? "nagito. it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. i wish it could be beneath more — luxurious circumstances." humour. how dare he try it!

what would his mother make of him? the father who had believed in such aspirations? but he had not been firstborn, not ælfrǣd. a fourth son, which was why it seemed fitting that the one above would banish him here. before there had been three shadows beneath which his existence was only suffered. here there was none, only the slim smudge of himself in the grass below the bright sun.

no crown for his head. not even its semblance. something to earn, that vital weight on his brow. "do you know anything of this place? anything at all will be quite helpful." the golden eyes turned grimly back upon the unspun kingdom, the pretty fallow earth waiting for his guiding hand.

the staff team luvs u

A crown was a heavy weight to bear, and Nagito could see it in this wolf - the resignation to his fate, whether it was wanted or not; whether he was prepared for it or not. Determination in the face of what seemed to be an insurmountable task given to you was an admirable trait, but not one that the fox possessed. Nagito had never been one for doing things they did not want to do.

There was a triviality to it, as well. Mortals always craved these fleeting titles; badges to wear to make them feel important. Far be it for Nagito to belittle them for seeking power, but seeing many Emperors and Kings alike rise and fall... well, it simply lacked the allure for them that it held for both human and beast, with their finite, precious lifetimes.

Though Nagito supposed that their own lifetime now might be the same. This body was far from what they were used to, and didn't foxes have notoriously short years in the wild?

A humbling experience. Perhaps Inari was testing them.

The wolf laughed, a startled sound that he might not have intended to create. A rhetorical question, then, bitter in its delivery, though Nagito would take no offense. They felt the same in their situation - trapped, eternally, or perhaps not long enough, in this fragile form. An introduction, a name said thrice, first alone and then two titled behind, as though the man were convincing himself to wear a coat that did not quite fit him.

"King Ælfrǣd," the fox spoke in turn, testing the name on their tongue. Old English - a name befitting a King, for certain. Their ink-dipped tail sweeping around to curl round their forelimbs and a soft, huffing laugh escaped them in response, more genuine than their plastic smile beforehand. "I've found that circumstances are rarely as luxurious as one might wish. It is a pleasure regardless." A glint in their eye followed, head tilting just so to the right as they regarded the okami. Each action provoked more curiosity from the kitsune, stoking their desire to poke and prod and wheedle information from the wolf's tongue.

But they refrained. No one enjoyed being pressured for details, Nagito included, and so they settled for what was offered. Knowledge would come in time.

Ah. A question they could not answer. A sting to their pride, having been dropped in a place where they knew absolutely nothing.

Nagito was not accustomed to not knowing.

The fox shook their head, eyes flicking over the landscape, lips pressed momentarily into a thin line before that same neutral smile took its place again. "I fear I have nothing to offer." The admittance tasted bitter. "I was rather hoping that you might have knowledge that you could share with me. I've only just woken in this place." They sought the wolf's treasure-gold eyes once more, a question of their own: "I believe that you and I may be in a similar predicament?" Both dropped into a land they knew nothing of, trapped by gods that they could not reach?
 

---

thats so sweet - thank you! ;u; yours reads like poetry

the staff team luvs u

<333!

---

 

disappointment fell like bell's knelling. "i suppose indeed we are," said the king with utter regret and reluctance to admit it. a silver sheen to the grey day was that nagito seemed to be warming, at least in part. was it their conversation? was he approachable? ælfrǣd did not know why he suffered such a disease of the nerves. it lodged often in his gut, souring it for the day until he was able only to take a cold pottage of edible but thoroughly tasteless greenery.

"i was at prayer and i believe i fell asleep," the pious king ælfrǣd admitted with a wry tremble to his lips. "suppose, furthermore, that the one above took great offense at my disrespect and banished me here." his eyes caressed the viridian slopes. "there are worse places to be spiritually exiled." maybe that was all this was. say his sleeping form still existed at prayer, and he was only dreaming.

vividly. permanently? "if we have nothing to offer one another, then let us begin as friends, lord nagito," the aspiring royal welcomed. this fox, curious though it was, had been the first to recognize the crown which ælfrǣd currently did not wear. that warranted an acknowledgement of its own. "i must mediate on a name next," he said, though it was easy enough to sink down into the grass beside nagito, the vulpine named now as noble by the king of —

the one above will provide, he told himself in assurance. "prayer will provide me what i seek. i am but a conduit for a higher will." at this point in time, the king saw no reason to proselytize. that was the realm of priests. but any kingdom begun by him must naturally submit itself to the providence of a greater destiny. it was the only way in which men might be bound; by belief.

he watched a meadowlark winging, gave thanks for its beauty and its very breath. "the way i see it, a kingdom must begin upon four points: belief, battle, breeding, and bond." the words danced in his mind, and he plucked them one by one, apple-shining and crimson in his proverbial pensive palm. "i will need a priest, a warrior, a nobleman, and a betrothed, simply to begin the foundation for my aims."

a man of repute who could not be bought, a man who served the one above. a warrior who should be converted to the same, or willing to follow. and a betrothed, more importantly a wife, who brought the promise of lands. ælfrǣd knew it all; he had seen it play out, pawns on a board, soldiers and peasants to till and to be called up and to die in service. fundamentally the king had memorized the structure of a kingdom, but never its work.

a long, loud sigh raised the shoulders of ælfrǣd and dropped them. "what a task has been set before me."

something like a smile played across his face as he turned it toward nagito. "but even now, he provides my kingdom a lord. breeding." the third point, satisfied.

the staff team luvs u

The confirmation of their similarity was expected, but a bit disappointing, nonetheless. Knowledge was power and Nagito sought it in all aspects of life - this would not change with the physical transformation they'd undergone. Still, there was much to be gleaned from this conversation as it stood. Trust would be hard-won, especially after what they had experienced to place themself in this situation to begin with, but an allegiance with a future King would be a valuable asset. If there were to be a kingdom built upon these lands, Nagito would at the very least require passage, and it would not hurt to be in good standing with its people. 

"It is a rather peaceful place for an exile," the fox mused, taking in the lush grasses, the hills that seemed to go on for miles. A boring land, perhaps, but a plentiful one. If the body Nagito was stuck in was not so fragile, they might suspect they'd been handed a pleasant afterlife. Cutting sharp eyes toward Ælfrǣd, the kitsune smirked. "Believe when I say that you are not the first nor the last to displease their god. My own is likely none too thrilled with me, either, to send me here."

The difference between them was that Nagito had not only fallen asleep at the shrine. They could still feel the warmth of hands on their skin, the ignition of something more than simple, fleeting fire in their chest. Trust that went bone-deep, and trust that had, in turn, sent a metal stake through their heart.  

If we have nothing to offer one another, then let us begin as friends, Lord Nagito.

A friend - more than that, their traitorous mind whispered - had been the reason why they'd landed themself in this mess. Had they not experienced such a jarring betrayal mere hours ago, they would not have hesitated. Still, they did not - visibly, at the very least. There was a hint of surprise, both at the offer and at the title, given as though this wolf believed them worthy of it, when Nagito hardly believed themself worthy of the name they'd worked so diligently to cultivate over the past few millennia. 

"I suppose that can be arranged," they said with a huff of laughter, eyes creased in an amused smile. "So long as Your Majesty would not mind associating with a fox, that is." But that did not seem to be of any concern to the King, who willingly lowered himself to rest beside the kitsune. His fur glistened with silver that they had not yet noticed - another hint of treasure interwoven throughout his being. 

A name would be a difficult thing, but Ælfrǣd did not seem overly concerned. Prayer, he believed. Prayer would gift it to him. Would Inari hear them, here, Nagito wondered? Would prayer make any difference? They wished, briefly, for the kind of belief this wolf seemed to possess. 

Belief, battle, breeding, and bond.

A priest, a warrior, a nobleman, a betrothed.

A grocery list of individuals and requirements. A good start, they supposed, though Nagito had never, in fact, intertwined themself too much with the creation of empires. 

"Perhaps it would be easier to look at it as a series of steps," Nagito started, thoughtful, watching that same meadowlark and wondering if it had once been something else. Human, yokai, or other. Had every creature here been banished? "Kingdoms are not built in a day. There is time." Not thousands of years of it, as Nagito had so often taken for granted, but time nonetheless. 

Their tail thumped the ground, once, pleased at his final statement. The fox still held little interest in titles or kingdoms, but they did hold an interest in this future King, now. For what, they were not sure, but they had time to discover that as well. "How shall I contribute?" they quiried, head tipped to the side as they watched the wolf. A game of sorts for them to begin, or perhaps security was what Nagito was after. Either way, they would need to live more cautiously now in order to survive like this, and there were likely far worse wolves to align with than Ælfrǣd. 

Trust was far from won, but there was the beginning of comfortability - of this potential for a friendship that Nagito had not expected upon first approaching the man.

the staff team luvs u

there was only one deity insofar as ælfrǣd was concerned, and it was the name who had sent him here, to this place. he did not speak in argument or acumen, only gave a small half-smile at the understanding that he and his nobleman, the first who had come to him — that they would not share a god.

"indeed; already you have begun, lord nagito," the king said softly, watching grasses wave, touching the pad of his outstretched paw. "you are advising me. and you are correct. a kingdom is not built in a day." but nor was there time, insisted the mind which had been so compelled already by the vitality of a greater aim than his own. "if i am to create, then i should know if there are other rulers in this region who would not accept my own proclamation."

the softness upon his countenance remained untouched, but above his somber mouth and set jaw, the goldcoin eyes hardened. "enemies." as quick as the storm had set across the dark land of ælfrǣd's face, it was gone, and he was brightening back to his dry shows of tactical attempt. "i would ask you to go, lord, but as you are no doubt aware, many of my kind have gone beyond prejudice when it comes to the fox."

an unfair notion. anyone could be of service to the one above, be integral. a tool. lovely dust through which a power might work its purpose. it was what they all were, dust, himself included. king included. ælfrǣd told himself he must not forget this, that he must not succumb to the gluttony of power as had so many before him. modesty and ambition could be better bedfellows.

everyone home had seen him as a pious, stuffy child not in any danger of being chosen for the crown. perhaps it might have eventually come to him, when he was in his old years and his three elder brothers had waged their wars, draining the battle coffers of their father. then ælfrǣd would have been chosen king, crowned to preside over a ravaged, failing land, blamed till his quick death by too many peasants with too short a memory for all the vile years when he had been no figurehead at all. an invisible boy meant to die a transparent man.

sitting amid the rustic splendor of what was to be his own garden, kingsmind could only thank the one above for sparing him from a fate. that granted was in its own way, impossible. but now ælfrǣd was meant to work upward from earth to battlement rather than from a laden table to the largesse of a spiral staircase and the swords swung down onto those raging.

he had inherited no conflict here, no stack of demands to marry son to daughter and daughter to king, no interminable groan from bloated priest. he was to be his own man. his own king. and here he was free to shape a kingdom in the manners he had always felt proper. a grand undertaking. ælfrǣd held fear, yes. fear of humiliation, of failure. of being cut down in the first battles needed to set a border. of becoming a tyrant.

and so he simply would not allow these things to pass. lord nagito offered surely, skills the king did not yet know. there must be reward for it, and for all men who chose to follow the lord of the green. his own estate! but the wolf must not go so far ahead of himself. between he and the lord they had only their titles, and titles alone did not create food nor following from thin air.

"if we are to embark on a series of steps, the first should be to make ourselves known." animated, the wolf stood, brushing away bits of green and the half-dried hay which signified a rich sun. "i will bring no gift. king ælfrǣd does not come in supplication, but to be seen as equal." it was a notion which sounded laughable even to him, to demand respect when he had no lands, no soldiers, no structures, and no wife. "through the one above are all things made possible," said the royal, and he smiled gently at his silversung lord before he began to move down the sloped sward.

the staff team luvs u

Advising was something that they could do. This version of themself could not hope to stand up to a wolf in battle, nor could they hope to bring down prey large enough to satisfy a larger canine. Could they even hunt at all? Nagito could not recall the last time they'd needed to struggle for a meal. Technological advancements had made it to where they could simply press a few buttons and receive their favorite foods within a half hour at most. Far different from the rats and rabbits and berries they'd consumed in their youth, far before any kingdom was established on their continent at all.

They'd grown complacent, lazy, gluttonous - it was no wonder they'd met their end. Hot shame burned beneath their fur, disgusted with themself. 

Yes, this guiding of a new king was something they could manage. They had been fortunate enough that they'd met a wolf that did not wish to tear their head from their shoulders, and they would not squander this opportunity.

"I am happy to be of use. Most of your kind would not have been so pleasant for someone like myself to meet," they admitted. "I was not sure what to expect when I first approached, but you have been remarkably kind." A ruse, perhaps? Attempting to get their guard down, to strike at a moment where Nagito was comfortable, relaxed? But then, why would King Ælfrǣd need to lie in wait? If he so desired, it would be easy to rip them apart even as they sat and watched the grass sway together. 

No, that outcome was unlikely. The more realistic assumption was that there would be no bloodshed. 

Inari must be testing them, indeed. Brought down from one of the most powerful yokai in Japan to become a simple fox, in service to a wolf king. Even Nagito themself could not argue that the humbling was unnecessary. 

How quickly Nagito had been invited in, become part of this. We. Ourselves. Was Ælfrǣd genuinely glad of their presence, or was he simply so in need of followers that anyone would be accepted? Either way, Nagito held no grounds to complain. They were alive, weak, defenseless. This was most likely the best case scenario, regardless of anything else. And what use did an ancient kitsune have for titles? Status? Nagito had never craved mortal power before, so being a vassal to a kingdomless King was the least of their concerns. 

Ælfrǣd stood, and the fox mimicked him. It would be good to get to know the occupants of this land, wolf or otherwise. Nagito craved knowledge like they craved breath itself - if there was a chance they could learn more about this place, they would jump at the opportunity. 

"Might I accompany you?" they asked, offering the wolf a small, genuine smile of their own. It tightened a little with a combination of both amusement and self-detriment, then, as they added: "Unless someone of my ilk would tarnish the kingdom's reputation before it's even begun." They certainly were not the brilliant kitsune they'd been just hours before. If anything, they might make a laughingstock of the poor King. 

the staff team luvs u

i will start a new thread for them in VW <3

---

"of course, lord nagito," king ælfrǣd answered, "and i learned that fear, while motivating, is not the first step toward anything at all. whether it is acting in fear or wielding it as a weapon. that will not be necessary until such a time has come as it is unavoidable."

across the way there were the stone teeth of jagged mountains. such often lent themselves to enclaves of warrior-men — battle, second point — and so thus, if ælfrǣd assumed correctly, the promise of trade or war might draw them. but suppose he found some noble high king of the spires there? that then would require another tactic, and that might well be bond. fourth point. a daughter in need of a noble husband.

the king daydreamed, then broke his supping at mental table to say; "you are neither prey nor a captive of any sort, and they must know it. perhaps —" and the gilt eyes looked round for some decoration, some natural twine or bloom there in the wild, "perhaps it might be pleasant to array ourselves. normally servants would do this for us, but — we must be humble and wait for them to submit themselves to us."

gentle terrain was deceptive, dipping into gullies and thin waterway. tree-stands here and there offered shelter and hunting. ælfrǣd managed to catch a rabbit for them both, and, owing to modesty, did not take the larger portion for himself.

instead he prayed, and in prayer he found the end of his nerves. steeling himself for who he must now declare himself to be, the king went on, in silence now, a heavy cowl of quiet that reflected a sun's dying light.

closer now the mountains loomed. nervousness thudded in his belly as wreathing mists from the stone appeared to reach out toward him and the foxy lord. he had wanted to rest again, but could not think of sleeping now. evening was fallen, darkening the skies.

a breath taken. ælfrǣd gave nagito a reassuring nod before he stepped into the fog cast over the rugged forest carpeting foothills at summit-base. whatever would happened was willed. ordained. he need only have trust.

the staff team luvs u

“I make a point not to let fear control my actions,” they said simply. It was a partial truth - while they would not allow the fear they'd felt to inhibit them from approaching, it did in fact control their tongue. Their opinions. Nagito was wise enough to not test the fates with a more powerful creature.

Not prey, indeed. Nagito allowed themself a lighthearted laugh. “Perhaps I could serve as a centerpiece for a table, though I doubt I'd taste good enough to eat.” Foxes were hunted for their fur and for being pests, but Nagito had not heard of them being consumed as a delicacy. Joking aside, it was rather nice to hear a confirmation that they would not be looked down upon - it was far better a reception than they had been expecting.

Adornments would be lovely. Nagito was not as endeared to their gray fur as they had been to their white, but if it were entwined with decorations - jewelry, flowers, strings, - then it would look more appealing, they were certain.

“I will see if I can find something for you,” they decided finally, their tail giving a light wag. A Lord they might be in name, but Lords bowed even to Kings, and wouldn't it be appropriate to bring him ornamentation to decorate his fur? It would help him look the part.

But this was not an urgent need. The decorations could wait - Ælfrǣd was on the move, bringing them up toward the mountain nearby in search of other wolves. It would not be a particularly long or strenuous journey, though there were more obstacles than Nagito would have expected, and had the wolf they now called King not brought them food they likely would not have been able to travel so long.

Even in that Ælfrǣd surprised them. It would have been easy for the wolf to take the larger half, or even the entire rabbit, but he did not. Curiouser and curiouser, this wolf that they'd chosen to follow.

Trust was a long journey, but perhaps they'd begun on the right foot.

---

I'd love more threads with these two in the future <3

the staff team luvs u