Shadow of the Fox

It is very hard to be human, little fox. Even the humans themselves don’t do a great job of it.

The spider does not spin its web in a heartbeat, nor does the albatross fly across oceans with a few flaps of its wings. Many would consider what they do impossible, and yet, they still complete their tasks without fail, because they simply...start.

He told me that the tiniest pebble, when dropped into a pond, will leave ripples that will grow and spread in ways we cannot comprehend.

The future,” she said, her voice echoing over the crowd, “is an ever changing stream. Every choice, every decision we make, sends it down a different path.

He didn’t know how to laugh, or smile, or have any fun. He didn’t know the pleasures of the simple things - laughing, dancing, finding beauty in the world. It seemed like a very boring existence.

No one has ever shown you any kindness before, have they?

Magic itself cannot be evil. It is how you use your powers that determines the intent.

Watching her, I found myself holding my breath, unable to look away. For just a moment, with her dark hair rippling about and her skin glowing under the lantern light, she was mesmerizing.

For a moment, unseen by condemning human eyes, I gave into my fascination and let myself look at her. Her pale skin seemed to glow in the moonlight slanting through the latticed windows, her hair an inky curtain across her back and shoulders. She breathed calmly, her face unguarded in sleep, as it was when she was awake. A jet-black strand of hair came loose to fall into her eyes, and I was filled with and incomprehensible urge to brush it back.

Those with no passion can never comprehend the drive for perfection.

Master Isao taught kindness and patience in all things, especially when one was injured,” I went on. “He said that caring for the spirit was just as important as caring for the body.” Looking into Tatsumi’s blank, emotionless face, I had a sudden, heartbreaking insight. “No one has ever showed you any kindness before, have they?

And absolute power can corrupt even the purest of hearts. Such is the folly of men.

Okame groaned. “Hold on,” he growled as we turned toward the door. After pulling the sake gourd from his obi, he yanked off the top and tipped the container upside down into his open mouth, emptying it fully. He wiped his lips, then tossed the bottle at the headman and turned back to us with a grin. “Okay, now I’m ready.

Fear was the first thing that had been purged from my body; the most dangerous emotion of all.

Okay," he said cheerfully, and raised both hands in a hopeless gesture. "Now we're lost.

the tiniest pebble, when dropped into a pond, will leave ripples that will grow and spread in ways we cannot comprehend.

Fear, my sensei had taught me, was simply the body’s aversion to pain and suffering.

It is very hard to be Human, little fox. Even humans themselves don't do a great job of it.

And yet, I've heard stories of wild dogs who would defend a stranger on the road to their last breath, simply because that person threw a crumb instead of a rock.

caring for the spirit was just as important as caring for the body.” Looking into Tatsumi’s blank, emotionless face, I had a sudden, heartbreaking insight. “No one has ever showed you any kindness before, have they?