Chapter 7
Kitsune wandered the city, dejected. Her huge tail hung low and dragged along the sidewalk, even though nobody could see it, cloaked as she was in human form. It was twilight now, and the streets were mostly empty.
Dr. Yokostein had made her head spin, but she had felt that she was at least getting closer to a satisfactory answer. The more she asked, the more he told her.
And then, all of the sudden, he had decided he couldn't help her! That was what made his dismissal so depressing.
Perhaps the celestial fox was right, thought Kitsune. Perhaps the problem was that she was asking questions like a human. Perhaps foxes wasn't meant to dig this deeply into the mystery of their fluffy tails.
Man sitting against the side of a building
Excuse me. If you don't mind me saying so, that's an exquisite-looking tail you have there, young lady.
Kitsune stopped in her tracks. The man had dark skin and a long grey beard. He wore a dirty robe that possibly was white a long time ago, and he wore a similarly dirty turban.
Kitsune
You can see my tail?
Mysterious Man
Of course I can. Although, I must admit I am a little surprised. I've never seen a human dressed as a fox before.
Was Kitsune's spell wearing off? Or was this man some sort of holy man who could see through fox illusions?
Kitsune
As a matter of fact, it's the other way around. I'm a fox dressed as a human.
And with that, she reverted to her fox form, encircling herself with her bushy tail.
Mysterious Man
Astonishing. A talking fox. Perhaps this is the sign from God I have been waiting for. Tell me, fox, will you accompany me to the desert to meditate?
So he is a holy man, thought Kitsune. Perhaps he will finally be able to answer my question, where Dr. Yokostein could not.
Kitsune
My name is Kitsune, and I am on a quest for answers.
Mysterious Man
My name is Hasan, and it would appear that we are on the same quest. Come, let us go to the desert!
And Hasan stood up, brushed himself off, and began walking west, towards the desert.
Kitsune followed him and explained her situation. She told him about her tail, and how she had always wondered why it was so fluffy. She also told him about all the answers she had received up until she met Hasan.
Hasan
The Yokostein was correct: your question strays into territories that science cannot sufficiently answer. Of course, the answer to the question you posed about evolution is that God created evolution to work that way.
Kitsune
I see. But why did God choose to design evolution so that it resulted in my tail being so fluffy?
Hasan
This I cannot tell you, Kitsune. You will have to ask God yourself.
Kitsune
I did ask a god already.
She reminded Hasan about her encounter with the Kyubei, the great celestial fox.
Hasan
Kyubei may be a god to you, but compared to the one true God the celestial fox is but a flitting little djinni. The one true God created the universe and everything in it, as well as all time and space and thought. Kyubei is just a spectator.
Kitsune
But how do I ask the one true God?
Hasan
Do you hear that?
Hasan put his hand to his ear. They were outside the bounds of the city now, and the open desert stretched out far ahead of them in the moonlight until it melted into the inky sky.
Kitsune perked up her ears.
Hasan
That is the voice of destiny. It is God calling us to the desert, to meditate and meet Him. Then He will answer all of our questions, and more.
Kitsune was not used to the desert climate. The night was cold, windy, and dusty, and Kitsune had to curl her tail tightly around herself to protect her eyes from the blowing sand. The day was hot and dry, and the blazing sun made Kitsune pant almost constantly.
Kitsune
How do you know that this God will have the answers to all our questions?
Hasan
It is only logical. After all, this world could not have created itself, as you must know—just as surely as a bear or a fox of the forest cannot give birth to itself. Someone must have caused this world to exist, along with all the things and people and natural processes that govern it. And that someone is simply who we call God. Such a Being, by virtue of transcending time and space themselves, would necessarily be omnipotent and omniscient. This Being, you see, must know everything. So it is only a matter of contacting Him. It has been done before.
Kitsune
I see.
Kitsune spent her time sleeping and foraging for stray insects. For his part, Hasan spent his time sitting cross-legged on top of a sand dune with his eyes closed in meditation.
Pride more than anything prevented Kitsune from complaining. After all, she was a wild beast and Hasan was merely a human. She was determined to show him how to survive in the wilderness, and not the other way around.
After three days, though, she began to feel desperately thirsty.
They had not spoken since Hasan began to meditate, and while Kitsune gathered that they were waiting for a sign from God , she was unclear if there were any rules preventing her from searching out water.
After four days, Kitsune buried herself in the sand. It was cooler that way, and she felt like she didn't have to pant quite as much. The holy man continued meditating, and Kitsune wondered how he survived, even with his turban shading him.
After five days, the holy man died.
Kitsune licked his face with her rough tongue to make sure—the skin was cold and taught, even in the fiery desert sun.
So much for that, thought Kitsune.
She left Hasan's corpse and headed back to the forest, dragging her thirst-wracked body over the fiery dunes.
Along the way, she wondered if Hasan had truly been on to something. After all, what he had said about God had made sense to her.
She skirted the city and limped accross the hills and plains. As soon as the edge of the forest was in sight, it started raining. Kitsune squeezed shut her eyes, raised her snout and opened her mouth, gulping down the moisture.
After a tasty meal of field mouse, Kitsune felt almost as good as new.
It stopped raining. Kitsune shook her fur off and headed towards her home, the forest.
But then she stopped. She turned around and looked at the half-grey, half-blue sky over the meadows and hills. She thought she saw a rainbow.
The celestial fox may not be God, thought Kitsune, but he was still a god. He couldn't answer her question before, but maybe he could at least show her the way to contact God.
And so she ran off towards the boundary between grey sky and blue, where the rainbows are.