Chapter 4

Getting inside wasn’t the issue. He could have done that with his eyes closed.

Once inside, things got slightly more interesting.

First off, both the farmer and his wife were huge. Not just tall, but fat.

“They certainly enjoy their lamb chops, don’t they?” he snickered to himself as he silently walked through the main room.

From the kitchen, the wife turned towards him, her round face squishing together as she squinted toward the faint sound she’d heard.

‘Oh, sharp ears. Probably makes up for poor eyesight,’ Fuku thought as he froze in place, waiting until her gaze drifted elsewhere.

Then he tiptoed toward the far end of the room and whispered, “Sooey,” before darting off, stifling a laugh.

He couldn’t help himself, humans were just so much fun to mess with.

He couldn’t judge too much, of course. He was rather plump himself—though he always claimed it was just long fur. Truth was, he enjoyed a good belly rub. A little extra padding only made him more rubbable, should the opportunity present itself.

He padded into the bedroom and beheld a bed clearly built to withstand the weight of the huge couple. It wasn’t just a four-poster—it was practically a cabin. The legs were thick, squat logs almost as round as he was, the underframe just as heavy. The whole thing nearly sat on the floor, leaving little space beneath.

The mattress was ancient—two sagging, spring-stuffed pallets set side by side. The cloth was worn thin, barely containing the coils that threatened to poke through at any moment. Piles of bedding were heaped on one side, while the other held only a thin gray blanket. The air smelled of must and human sweat, cloying even against the summer breeze drifting through the open window.

‘I’d hate to be that bed when those two get frisky,’

Fuku shook his head and glanced around for a closet.

‘At least finding something to fit Ben shouldn’t be as much of an issue,’ he thought to himself as he moved over to a large wardrobe. 

He flung open the doors and beheld an array of colorful clothing—so many large garments that a single seamstress would have been proud to finish them all in a year's time.

He whistled, then immediately clamped his paws over his mouth.

Heavy footsteps began thundering in his direction.

He hadn’t removed the leaf, but his Disappear-leaf—one of the abilities he had access to—didn’t work as well on people who listened better than they saw. To someone with sharp ears, his magic was much less effective.

So he dove to the opposite side of the bed and—tried—to squeeze underneath.

But the bed was too low for his ‘extra area for belly rubs’ to fit, and he disliked staying small when using Reduction, so he was reluctant to call on that skill.

He froze, not daring to move, as the footsteps entered the room and stopped. He could practically feel the woman squinting into the shadows, listening. In his mind’s eye she already stood with a kitchen knife raised, ready to stab whatever had dared creep into her house.

Then the dog outside began barking.

He heard the farmer outside say something but couldn’t make it out. 

The dog barked again, its tone more intense.

Fuku felt a shiver of dread run up his spine. The dog—it must have noticed Ben.

But the noise seemed to pull the woman’s attention away. She turned and walked toward the front door, shouting something to her husband.

This was Fuku’s chance. He scurried back to the wardrobe. 

With a silent apology to the woman—for having such bad taste—and to Ben, for what he was about to have to wear, Fuku grabbed several of the large floral dresses and bolted.

He scampered to the window—luckily, it was open. With the leaf still perched on his head, he bounced through the frame, stuffing the massive pieces of cloth into his tail as he went. He landed with a soft thud and immediately bolted back toward where Ben waited.

Just ahead, the farmer unlocked the gate. The dog shot out like an arrow, heading straight for Ben’s location. Exactly what Fuku had feared—the animal had caught his scent or heard something, and now it was locked onto him.

There was no time to think, only act. As he sprinted, Fuku ran a rapid inventory of his remaining tricks. Mystic Paw would be perfect here—but he’d already spent his uses of that skill back in the Labyrinth while sneaking his way to the center.

All he had left for the day that would help in any way was Gust… and his remaining use of Fleetfoot.

So that’s what he used. The skill flared to life inside his paws, propelling him faster—but still not fast enough. He hurled himself into the air, called on Gust, and felt the wind catch his tail, blasting him forward in a gale-like blast of wind.

Mid-air, he pulled one of the dresses from his tail and landed just yards ahead of the barking dog, feet away from where he had noticed Ben pushing himself up from the ground.

With Fleetfoot still active, he was already running before his paws even touched the dirt. “Come on, doggo!” he yelled, waving the dress in the air behind him as he ran away from where Ben lay.

The dog followed right along.

Fleetfoot only lasted a couple of minutes, but he knew he would have to take advantage of every last second. His plan was to circle back toward the house. This would keep the dog's attention focused on him and lead it even farther from Ben's hiding spot. With any luck, he could then use the farmhouse as an obstacle to shake the dog and double back.

***

Several long minutes later, panting, Fuku collapsed against Ben’s flank and let the leaf slip from his head.

The farmer had shoved the dog back into the sheep pen after it shredded the dress and lost interest in returning to what had first drawn its attention—namely, Ben.

“Fuku,” Ben whispered as the Tanuki leaned against his side. “Are you okay? Was that you?”

Fuku lifted a paw, one clawed finger raised in the universal sign for hold on a minute. He wheezed, caught his breath, then finally replied.

“Yeah, I’m fine. But… you’re gonna have to be a very ugly woman for a while.”

***

Hey, this is Reinventor.

Just wanted to add a quick note—if you’re enjoying the story and want to read ahead or help support its continuation, please drop by my Patreon and become a member. You’ll get access to all posts—three full books’ worth!—and can read ahead in Whispers of the Silent Age with almost daily chapter updates for only $3.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you love this story as much as I’ve loved writing it.

https://www.patreon.com/c/u70608036