KIROTTU
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Daylight.

It was wretched. Horrible. Sweat dripped down the corpsed hide, cascades of salty rivulets causing dark stripes to appear across wrinkled, tattered skin, scabs peel and blood stains the dull, grey hide crimson as his tail drags along the ground. Though a breeze tugged at him, it did little to soothe the ache in his body, the wheeze in his throat, the droop in his skin. He was eating, today, which was an improvement, at least. Ribs were exposed still, the condition of this body was appalling, and yet, it would not die. It cannot die, he thought to himself, for my true body remains pristine and fit, this body is but a filthy lie…

The thoughts dragged on like that for most of the day, circling around and around again the same notion of self loathing for this condition, of selfish love for his perfect body. He could not, would not stop hating this, never would he accept this temporary form as a part of himself, for that was all it was - a curse, a magical disaster bestowed upon him by an ill-minded witch, something that could be removed from him.

Oh, how he hoped that to be true.

It was odd, the disturbance the steed noticed in the sky of these fields. He had climbed here the night before seeking out a solitary place to meander about when the sun did rise and his form did shift into this monstrous, decrepit old nag of a body, and so far he had found himself quite satisfied. But now others were milling around, walking past him, ignoring him, not noticing him - it didn't matter, it stung his pride. Teeth gnashed together behind dry, parched lips, as the steed wondered what it was that could draw such a crowd.

Finally he bothered to tilt his crown to the sky above, and he could feel the presence of something there, an ancient, powerful creature.. And he was as entranced as the rest of them. It spoke to them, making an offer in exchange for a pass into this world. Kirottu hadn't the faintest idea of how to get the beast through the gate, and he was dubious as to whether it was a good idea - such a powerful being would surely stir chaos here if unleashed - was chaos such a bad thing. Yes, he told himself - he merely had to look at his own rotten body to know that where powerful magics meddled, no good would come.

The scent of a mare in particular caught his attention as the crowd gathered, but as he considered it for a moment more he wondered if it even was her scent at all. For some reason, his cranium was continually drawn towards her. It was unusual for him, to find another so fascinating - and that was how he recognised that it was magic at work. Nothing could be more fascinating then himself, nothing more beautiful nor majestic and proud - how dare she use her tricks to try and gain his, and this mystical, fantastic beast on the other side of the rift's attention. It was another insult to his pride, to think that yet another witch may have weaved her magic over him once more, without his consent.

They all spoke back, all of them using different approaches, different tactics. Kirottu had no interest in letting this demon through this shimmering faultline of time and space, he had no desire to risk making his own predicament worse. The thought that perhaps this creature could cure him did cross his mind, but then he scoffed at the ideal, thinking that his curse was far beyond the unknown limits of this beast's capabilities - only he was able to break this curse, he needed only find the key, and it was not (in his blinded opinion) in the hands of others' aid.

"Emme aina saa, mitä haluamme." He muttered to himself, choosing the tongue of his namesake to speak, in style with so many others who seemed intent on showing off their linguistic skills. They were all focussed upon what the creature offered, and so, naturally, Kirottu wondered at what it could be too. Egg shaped, and yet, too large to belong to any bird, too perfect and pristine to be a simple stone - what did it contain? The ancient one had called it a child - and Kirottu recalled the many companions he had seen by the sides of those he had encountered here. It peaked his interest, but only slightly - he was not completely sold on the idea of raising a 'pet'. But, the ones he had seen had proven to be formidable defences.. He wondered at the usefulness of them.

Suddenly, a shimmering overtook him. As he stared into the other world that existed beyond this rift, he saw the night sky behind the acrid smoke billowing up from the lava, and he felt himself shift - but he was stuck half way, not quite completely beastly, not quite beautiful. His mane and tail had grown back to their fullest, his nape had filled in with some muscles, his eyes did not appear to be as sunken into his head - and yet, his body was still frail and weak, his ribs visible and his breathing heavy and laboured. As Kirottu stood there, exposed to both midnight and midday, his body clicked and quivered with the curse that danced along him, confused and lost in the flux of time and space.

"Take me." His voice was deep and strong, loud and commanding, his eyes holding a desperate strain as he stepped forward on limber legs. "Take me, and release the child." He said again, louder this time, unable to bear this humiliation of a confused transformation in front of so many - wanting to escape this world, to hope that in another world, he might exist with no curse. Perhaps passing through the tear in the sky would shed him of the curse?

Little did Kirottu know, in trying to escape this world, he would be performing the single most selfless act he ever had.

"Take me, and take my place in this world." He breathed the words quietly, knowing somehow that the ancient creature would hear them, and understand them. He did not know whether it would work, but he willed it to, the force of his desire a powerful thing when focussed so sharply upon a single ideal.

[ Kitsune ]

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THE CURSED ONE