"Brothers, sisters, cousins, in-laws, since Yomi's death, and Hikari being reduced to nothing with the most trivial of effort by the demon queen... Our family has become believed to be weak, that our power is a farce. These would-be usurpers have all crashed like waves against a cliff. Now is it these mages turn, to see what happens when they face a pack of kitsune, instead of one of our family!"
"Do you know why we're here?" Shinji the two-tailed kitsune asked, more a teenager by kitsune standards. (Most kitsune weren't considered adults until they'd grown their third tail).
Akira, the five tails, looked at his little cousin (related on their grandfather's side). Shinji as a child had been found in his home village as a lone survivor, digging the graves of his own family as there was no one else.
"We're here because we all made an oath of honor to follow Fukushu, no matter where he might lead us, even if that means defying the clan. We'll fight these human mages. We'll follow through on Fukushu's designs and plans."
Shinji sighed as the kitsune created illusions, exploding runes, petrification, transmutation, and polymorph traps like a mine field both below the ground and floating invisibly in the air. Ranging from illusion mazes, worst-fear-illusion phantoms, turning the victim into a lucky cat statue or a good luck Tanuki statue, or into a fox-girl maid, or many others. Shinji doubted a single one of them would actually accomplish anything.
"We're here because it is the fate of those not chosen by destine to lay on their paws like dogs... nay, like bricks of clay, to rise up those chosen by fate. The Mages are chosen by fate, we are not. Our fate was sealed the moment we were born. Our entire lives have been leading up to this battle, our hopes and dreams mean nothing. We were always fated to merely be slaughtered by the approaching storm, so others could behold the unbreakable might of the storm. We are but trees to be tossed aside in its way so its awesome power can be shown. We're here to die so they look good! And that's if we're LUCKY!"
"How can you be so defeatist Shinji?!" Akira asked. "We'll fight to the bitter end! We won't ever give up! We are not dogs to be commanded, and not sheep to be slaughtered! We'll stand against them! We're united by blood! We won't surrender! Also! We just need to hold them off for forty minutes." Akira said.
"You say that like we'll be able to hold them off for forty seconds!" Shinji said. 'Hikari was an eight-tails, and it was like she was a one-tails for all the difference it made. We're less than pawns, at least pawns actually serve a purpose in the great game. We're pawns of pawns. We're going to die, not even be thought of, and our corpses left to rot if we're lucky. We're fated to lose in whatever way will make those chosen by destiny get to display their might to the world. Death comes for every last one of us, and we can't stop it anymore than the sun rising. That is fate."
"I am not going to cower before destiny like a dog!" Akira swore.
"We're likely going to end up fighting Mika too you know." Shinji said. All present shuddered. Fighting one of their own kind in its own way felt more unpleasant than dying. But an oath of honor had to be observed. In particular since Mika was a CHILD by kitsune standards.
Daichi, a three tails and Fukushu's nephew, said dramatically. "Don't be so down! We can do this! As long as we believe in ourselves and each other, there's nothing we can't accomplish! And that including holding off the queen of demons!" Daichi said this with sparkles in his eyes and a smile on his face.
Eichi, a four tails and Daichi's older brother, drank a bottle of saki. He thought to himself, 'Please come out of this alive little brother, mother asked me to look after you.'
A seven tails kitsune, sat in a meditative pose, wearing a blind fold to hide his destroyed eyes. Seven swords floated around him, the hilt grasped in blue flame. "I swear by the honor of our ancestors, if I die today, I will take at least one of them with me."
Akira's younger sister, the four tail vixen was Aiko holding a set of prayer beads, finished her prayer to Sunsano, petitioning that her spirit would become part of her storm after her death.
Aiko had centuries ago been taken in by a circus trope, who'd wanted to mutilate her for their freak show! She'd been adopted into the clan instead. She keep a glaive at her side along with a rifle, the bullets enchanted to pierce enchanted barriers.
Aiya, Shinji's sister in law, and a three tails... muttered a ritual, drew the proper kanji on her chest's fur... All her life she'd failed to learn shape shifting as a kitsune was supposed to be a natural at, made worst by the fact she was a natural kitsune, not an adopted one... She'd been told she was an exceptional artist, but she knew her family lied to her just to spare her feelings. If her ritual worked, she'd at least finally be of service to her to her family. She drank the vial of poison. She'd offered her spirit in service to a Shinigami... in exchange, the spirit of death would prevent any of the mages from taking the child until the time was up...