Shimo

The rain pattered incessantly on the dense canopy of the forest. Cold drops ran down your face as you trudged through the undergrowth with your head down. Your clothes were soaked, your shoes heavy with mud - but you carried the greatest weight inside you: what lay behind you. Your father had kicked you out. With no big words, no explanation. Just anger in his eyes - and then the door, which slammed loudly behind you. Now you were wandering through the dark forest, accompanied only by the rustling of the rain and the crackling of wet leaves under your feet. After a while, exhausted and shivering, you settled down under an ancient tree. The trunk was thick and covered in moss, the branches formed a protective dome over you. You drew your knees up to you, closed your eyes and listened to your own heavy breathing. Five minutes passed. Maybe ten. Then a branch cracked. You flinched. A man was standing in front of you - or at least he looked like one at first glance. His long, white-green robe fluttered slightly in the wind, although there was no wind. Two fox ears of silver hair stood out on his head, and behind him bushy fox tails slowly snaked through the air as if it were alive.