The longest my fox-spirit had ever been gone was one night. That time she had warned me that it was a long hunt and that she might be away. She had seemed so concerned that she was leaving me alone. This time was different. She had left without warning. And tonight was night number two two.

This just isn’t like her. Not at all.

I was starting to really worry that Fenra wasn't coming back and that something terrible had happened to her. It was, she always said, her duty to sleep by her master's side and right now her master's side was empty. I was alone.

I stared up at the slowly rotating fan above me. I was grateful that we had finished all the electric hookups in the cabin and the main hall but this pitiful fan was hardly enough to beat the sticky cloying heat of the Japanese summer. Still, it was an improvement. A year ago when I had arrived in rural Kitayashi to claim this temple and this cabin from my deceased grandpa, absolutely nothing had been working.

And Fenra had helped with all that. Where was she now?

Fuck, its hot in here!

I stripped down naked leaving only my boxers on and laid down on top of the sheets. It didn’t work, I was still dying. My thoughts were anxious, vivid and erratic. They centered mostly on my missing companion. When it was hot like this Fenra would sometimes sponge cool well-water over my back before bed to get my body temperature down. She was always thoughtful like that. I smiled at the mental image.

You have no idea how much I miss you, you crazy fox-girl. Come back soon.

When Fenra and I had met we'd been strangers and this temple I'd inherited from my grandfather was a mess, but everything had changed over the course of the last year. With the help of Miku and Hana, our two friends from town, we had turned this place around.

We had fixed the roof, gotten electricity going, stocked the pantry and even furnished the cabin. The gardens in the ground were growing and we’d even marked off a section for fresh veggies. I was proud of my three girls and of myself.

But things hadn't been a cakewalk. I'd had to learn to contend with my spiritual powers and duties as temple guardian, and while I had previously had my grandfather and great grandfather's spirits to guide me that connection had been severed in a battle with an evil masked summoner.

My last link to the spiritual world was Fenra, my adorable yet savage fox spirit companion, but now that she was missing I felt naked. Vulnerable. It was just me, myself and I. I stared at the ceiling fan once more. Perhaps Fenra was just on a really long hunt? She did seem to enjoy those. I had to hope at least.

My thoughts turned to my other two female companions: Hana and Miku. If Fenra’s absence lasted another day I'd have to tell them. I honestly felt slightly embarrassed to have to do so.

After all, the temple and Fenra were both my responsibility to take care of. I chewed my inner lip.

What would great grandfather advise? I wished I could speak to him, but he had given himself and his powers up for me. I wasn't totally sure what that had meant. Fenra and I, in the intervening months, had practiced meditation and I had called out to him…. but no-one had answered. My own grandfather remained silent too. It was like there was a block between us.

When I visited the between, the spiritual middle ground between our world and the beyond, I found it an empty desolate waste.

What Fenra and I had managed, however, was to train me in my physical and earthly powers. Every morning we awoke early and I practiced with my sword and my wind abilities. I thought that I had gotten pretty good, not that we'd had a chance to use them in real combat. Fenra forbade me from using such abilities in public… she warned that it was gravely dangerous to be seen with our powers. I didn't doubt it. I could only imagine what I would have thought of some strange robed warrior walking down the streets of Tokyo blasting wind up peoples pants.

Anyone doing that in my old neighborhood probably would have gotten locked up immediately. I chuckled at the thought. It would be funny though, maybe one day I’d have to visit my old haunt and give it a try-

Crash! BANG! SHRRRRK!

I sat bolt upright, immediately alert and ready for action. There were no more crashes but I heard footsteps, rapid fire, scuttling across the temple grounds.

Was it Fenra?! Was she in trouble? A demon attack!?

My mind flashed back to the spider demon that had attacked us our second night in the temple, then to the evil summoner and his zombies. I grit my teeth imagining the great pain those enemies had inflicted upon those I loved

No, I won't let her face this alone!

I leapt off the bed and headed for the cabin door and pulled it open, storming out into the night in my bare feet and my underwear. I blinked, my eyes taking a few moments to adjust to the darkness. It slowly became easier to see and eventually the pale light of the moon was enough to guide me. I stalked carefully forwards through the grounds, trying to keep my movements small and my footsteps quiet as I looked left and right for any signs of either Fenra or an intruder.

I saw nothing. A creeping sense of deja vu fell over me.

Has this happened before? The middle of the night? Sounds? Running out of bed.? I feel like the last time I had a bat or a stick or something to protect myself at least…

Meow. Meeeeoow.

The sounds echoed through the night air. It was coming from outside the temple grounds. Was that… a cat? I sprinted for the gates, opened the newly installed latch, threw it upwards and pushed the doors outwards. They creaked and groaned and I strained to push the heavy wood but eventually they swung open and I stumbled out, breathless. I cursed as a sharp rock bit into my foot as I walked out onto the gravel driveway that led up to the gates.

This just isn’t my evening

I stopped to take a look around for the source of the noise. I put a hand to my brow, squinting off into the darkness down the road. Nothing. Not a soul.

Meow.

The sound came from just to the right of me and directly behind, it was loud. Louder than any cat I'd heard. It sounded almost… human? I turned to my right and my eyes went wide. There, leaning against the temple wall, a curious look on her face… was a naked catgirl.

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<<You continue to disappoint us, minion!

You failed to take Kitayashi even when we granted you more power than you deserved. Now you hide from this guardian, from us? When will you complete the mission with which you were assigned, summoner?>>

The man smiled.

He had anticipated the anger of his overlords. It was true, he had failed in his last attempt to kill the guardian. But he would not fail again. He had been overt, using brute force. Now he would be subtle.

And he would get his way.

He snapped his fingers and the candles that lined the dark room sprung to life, spluttering orange flames casting long shadows over the bare wooden interior. It was empty save for a cage in the corner of it. Inside the cold metal bars, unmoving, was the form of a fox.

"This time, Lord, the guardian will come to me. And he will come begging. He will give up his powers willingly and turn the temple over to me. For if he does not… his precious fox shall die."

<<And if he should try to fight?>> The voice boomed.

The man smirked.

"I have a plan for that too. Something the boy won't expect, something that will trap him, ensnare him, and make him fully ours. He won't even realize it until it is too late."