The clouds parted to reveal the moonlight at the foot of the camphor tree. Tsukinoko bit her thumb until it bled and smeared the red drop on her sealed wrist tattoo. Three clouds of smoke exploded in quick succession, releasing powerful roars that sent her tumbling backwards.

  Three panthers stood before her, as tall as a full-grown man. Hyō, a black panther with piercing yellow eyes. The second, Yukihyō, a gray-eyed, thick-coated snow panther, and the smallest of them all, Pansā, a slender, green-eyed leopard, mute unlike his fellows. Tsukinoko opened her eyes wide, fearing she would never see her only friends again.

  - Tsukinoko... ? hesitated Hyō softly. Is it really you?!

  - You're so big!" she exclaims, pawing Hyō's nose.

  - And you... normal, Yukihyō murmured in astonishment.

  - Is it true that we're in the future? Well, the present... I don't know," she hesitates, lowering her head.

  - We're well into the present, and it's been at least five years since we've seen you," Hyō replies with a worried look.

  It was now clear that she had traveled back in time. Yukihyō approached, sniffing her all over, and she giggled as his whiskers tickled her.

  - What's going on?" asks Hyō. Shouldn't Tsuki be getting wrinkles? Or don't humans get white hair as they age?

  The panthers stared at her strangely and Tsukinoko then explained the situation to them, tears in her eyes as she hugged Yukihyō tightly. One year in this world was equivalent to four years for felines.

  - We're so happy to have you back, we'd been worried when it had been a while since you'd called us. And finally after a few years... Hyō sighed without finishing his sentence. We'd come to our senses, after finding your house in this state.

  - If only I'd come back with you that night," growls Yukihyō angrily.

  - You couldn't have done anything against him," Hyō rebuked him.

  The panthers in turn update Tsukinoko with news from their kingdom. Hy? had inherited the throne from his father when he died two years ago. His cousin Yukihy? and Pansa were his close advisors.

  Tsukinoko rejoiced that everything was going well for them, then abruptly stood up as she needed their help to return home.

  - Tsuki, we stopped by to see if you were home and-

  Pansā roars violently and Hyō takes his cousin back.

  - She has to see it for herself," she says softly. Let's go.

  - I've got to be back before tomorrow afternoon! shouts the little girl as she climbs on top of her best friend.

  - We'll be back in the night, don't worry," replies Yukihy?, patting her on the head.

  Galloping north, Tsukinoko scanned the landscape on Yukihyō's back. A canyon at the bottom of the valley, guarded by two gigantic statues had appeared, one of Karumin Jinmuya, the other of Anba Hashirama, facing each other, ready to attack.

  The cursed Canyon did exist and had engulfed the house where she'd grown up. Looking at the statues, Tsukinoko froze in incomprehension. The panthers descended the cliff, then continued on to the other side of the crevasse.

  - Are you sure this is it?" grinned Tsukinoko.

  - Yes, take a good look," Hyō replies.

  Ruins amid the rocks scattered before them. Plants had sprouted between the broken wooden planks and the exploded bricks, the wood eaten away by moths and time, the roof tiles tumbled to the darkness of the Canyon floor.

  Advancing through the rubble, tears flooded Tsukinoko's eyes, and she almost threw herself into the void. With full hands, she dug and dug, again and again, pulling aside bits of skirting board and sections of wall that fell into the void.

  Long minutes later, after stripping out the old living room and his old bedroom, the door to his father's cellar was there, jammed against the wall. No stairs, no holes, no entrance, as if the cellar had been buried, swallowed by the layer of earth. Tsukinoko dried her tears and joined the felines.

  - It's not here," she said curtly. This isn't my house.

  - Kitten... sighs sadly Yukihyō.

  - You've made a mistake! So where's our stuff?

  - This hole has no bottom. It's all been washed away by now," he shrugs. Your parents are gone.

  - And where are they then! Huh?! Why would they go and leave me?! Your shitty sense of smell, this isn't my place! she shouted.

  Yukihyō was about to retort, but Hyō held him back, and he let out a hiss mixed with grief and frustration. Tsukinoko resumed her search among the rubble, clearing away the remnants of furniture.

  Hidden among the weeds, a small torn embroidery catches her eye. She delicately removed the dirt clinging to it. It was one of her mother's embroideries, and she recognized it very well; it was the one she'd been finishing the day before the tragic accident. The embroidery crumples in her hands as she bursts into tears, trying to call her mother but her grief muffles her voice.

  This pile of ruins was indeed his home. Hyō nudged Yukihyō, who hesitated, but finally went a little further digging into the ground in front of a large polished stone, pulling up dried roots. A knotted shroud held a paint case, some moth-eaten drawings, two intact swords and a broken comb

  The swords had a braided black leather hilt over a purple silk strap. The end of the hilt and the guard were carved from black tourmaline, abundant in the mountains. Small white "T "s were engraved on either side of the guards, and the rather short blades were stored in black leather scabbards engraved with flowers along their length. Tsukinoko clutched her belongings tightly, incredulous and depopulated.

  - But..." she murmured, wiping away her tears. Why are my things buried here?

  - We don't know who did it, kitten," said Hyō. It's probably over time, they-

  - Why in the sheet?! she screams again. And why are my other things missing?!

  Hyō strokes her head, trying to calm her.

  Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  - There's nothing left here. Let's go back to Hanamaru.

  As she left, she noticed an old kimono with holes still folded under the rubble. Indigo in color, it had peacock feather motifs on the sides. Clean but dusty.

  Tsukinoko remembers her father at breakfast, drinking his tea on the porch of the house, with the first rays of the sun shining on the silver threads of the kimono. Barely awake, she would pour herself a cup of the hot tea and lie down beside him, her head on his thigh, to watch the valley floor come to life as the sun climbed into the sky.

  As before, Tsukinoko and the panthers settled down on the branches of the camphor tree. The felines had sensed as much as she had that they were being followed since they left, but none of them let on. Tsukinoko had hidden her belongings in the trunk and settled on Yukihyō's back to scratch his ears. The panther purred softly as Pansā climbed down from the tree, before following him to get something to eat after their escapade.

  The black panther told her what she and her kind had been through all these years. Lulled by its purr, Tsukinoko dozed in her fur. Accepting her sad fate, she cried herself to sleep, her eyes burning with irritation at the restless Negin.

  Dawn broke and before leaving, Tsukinoko took one last look at the embroidery, kissed her denial, then slipped it into the tree's eye with pieces of a broken Daruma she'd found the day before, to make her wish come true.

  She quickly returned home to eat some fruit and sharpen her swords as best she could. Several finger cuts later, she wrapped the last wounded man in a bandage.

  Seventeen o'clock was ringing in the village as she stormed into the Chief's office, thinking she was running late, and caught him in the middle of a discussion with a soldier.

  - That's right, all the animals have been attacked," he continues. But there are no wolves or other predators this close to the village, so we don't really know what it is. We're still investigating.

  The man turns around and sees Le Chef looking towards the door.

  - Come in, Tsukinoko," he orders. Tell us, you used to live with farmers, didn't you? A farmer found all his calves dead this morning. They were probably attacked by wild animals," explains the Chief.

  Tsukinoko raises her eyebrows, fearing that she knows the origin of this massacre and will have to answer for it.

  - Please explain.

  - Last night I called my friends, and uh... They're panthers. And they went to eat. Well, hunting," she grimaces.

  - Are these your invocations?" he says, pointing to her wrist. Did you leave the village with them?" he asks, frowning.

  - How do you know? How did you know? Did you follow us?!

  - You're not a soldier yet, Tsukinoko, so you can't leave Hanamaru unsupervised. Where did you go?

  - At home..." she said shyly. I wanted to see if my parents were home. And so I picked up some things, just like that! she smiles. These are my swords, look!

  She suddenly widened her eyes along with them as her finger dripped blood over the soaked bandage

  The Chief glanced at the soldier who crouched in front of her to examine her finger. Tsukinoko doesn't flinch as her finger is almost cut in two. The man pulls out a blade and pricks the tip, but her lack of reaction makes him tense up.

  - I think she's severed her nerves," he warns the Chief. She'll also need stitches to heal the wound.

  The Chef nodded in annoyance as Tsukinoko tried to move her middle finger, which was struggling to keep up with his demands.

  While Tsukinoko was being cared for, the Chief looked curiously at his sabers, explaining to the soldier that he would compensate the peasants as the person legally responsible for Tsukinoko, and henceforth for her invocations.

  Back in the office, Tsukinoko was going to ask about her training, motivated, but the Chief frowned.

  - If you have animals and use them in combat, with or without invocation, you have to declare them. And they have to understand that there are rules here. So ask them to come and register.

  - Now?! she shouts abruptly.

  He raises an eyebrow at her sudden panic.

  - I mean... Outside is better," she defends herself. They've put on a little weight.

  - Right. It's time for your first training session anyway, maybe they could join us," he says as he stands up with his folder under his arm.

  In the courtyard of the Residence, Tsukinoko asks the Chief to hold his sabers for a moment, then summons his three friends without delay. As the soldiers pass by, their blood runs cold from the muffled roar, and all the employees run to the windows in panic

  The Chief admired the panthers, his pipe dangling from his lips. Their heads towered above his, and one could only imagine their size as they dashed forward, their finger-thick claws at the end of paws as imposing as they were majestic.

  - Outside is better, indeed," he thought, without batting an eyelash.

  - So she's Hyō, he's Pansā and he's Yukihyō, Tsukinoko shouted, pointing at them in turn.

  Around them, the growing crowd did little to reassure the panthers, who snarled viciously whenever anyone approached. Suddenly, the councillors emerged from the din.

  - What's going on, Haruo? orders Harue Kato.

  - I'm recording Tsukinoko's companions," he says calmly.

  - This? Is it hers?

  Shoji Fujita stepped forward to get a closer look, but Hyō roared in her face, horrified at being treated like an object. Tsukinoko stepped in, and all the soldiers around had put themselves on guard.

  - They're the Chief's advisors. Don't get mad, you'll get me in trouble with those fossils," Tsukinoko whispers, grimacing.

  The Chief lets out a smirk upon hearing this as Yukihyō grunts through his teeth.

  - And where does she get these panthers from?" snapped Harue.

  The Chief turns to Tsukinoko, waiting for an answer too.

  - Well... It happened like the calf accident," she shrugs. And so I know it was them, because when I was little, the farmers' animals were always being eaten," she says. In the valley, wild animals could get in through the mountains! The kids and I had to look after the herd during the day, watch over the cows and bring them in for the night. And in the herd there was a cute little calf I loved very much. So one day I brought the herd in, except that the little calf escaped and-

  - Abrège," Harue says curtly.

  One soldier even pouted as he began to enjoy her light-hearted tale, and Tsukinoko resumed, rolling her eyes and speaking at full speed.

  - And the calf runs away and Yukihyō eats it and wants to eat me afterwards, but he feels sorry for me because I'm crying and then because he sees me alone in my house because I can't go out anymore because of the danger of the wild beasts, because of him what, and we sign the pact to play together, we didn't know what it really was, she shrugs. And over time I got to know his cousins," she says, looking at them.

  The Chief turns to the advisors and awaits their response.

  - She's definitely full of surprises, that orphan, Haruo," says Shoji. How do we know she's not lying? She comes out of... nowhere and with such techniques.

  Tsukinoko didn't know what to say, still uncomfortable about attracting attention. Her hands were sweaty with fright, and Yukihyō could feel the dampness on her fur.

  - We're here to be declared, as requested by your Chief," he says in a deep voice. You have not bothered to introduce yourself. I inform you that you have before you Queen Hyō, Sovereign of Janguru, accompanied by her faithful advisor Pansā-sama, Prince of Janguru, and myself Yukihyō, Commander and Supreme Advisor of the Kingdom. Since the dawn of time, the Wild Cat Kingdom has worked alongside soldiers, by conventional alliance. Today, we stand before you as a result of the wish of this child who had the courage to approach us, we agree to tread your lands despite the misfortunes they sow. I therefore ask you to respect her Majesties who have agreed to make this journey, something that hasn't happened in over a century. To begin with," he roared.

  - Janguru?" stammered Shoji. We thought your people were a legend. No soldier since the founding of Hanamaru had ever seen one of yours...

  Animals were highly respected among soldiers. Some were even idolized, and the advisors felt embarrassed by these rulers. The Janguru Panthers were mentioned in war stories, but their sudden and unexplained withdrawal had over time made soldiers who claimed to know them and fight with them look like impostors.

  - We'd be remiss if we didn't express our gratitude for your help during the wars between our founders and neighboring countries. Please forgive this clumsiness. Haruo, you have everything you need? tries Harue.

  He nods. The felines disappeared without a second thought. Tsukinoko looked at the advisors, crossing her arms with an annoyed air, but they ignored her and dispersed the soldiers, before she made her way to the training ground to wait for her master.

  - Haruo, which expert adjutant is responsible for her? asks Shoji. Or was she enrolled at the Academy?

  - I'll be supervising Tsukinoko myself. She's my disciple now.

  - Haruo, are you sure you have time for this?

  - I'd like to remind you that I formed the Legendary trio at one time, while carrying out my duties.

  - So be it," she sighs. I assume you've taken the necessary precautions.

  No sooner had training begun in a forest field than Tsukinoko's belly was rumbling. Her burning stupidity confessed to justify her hunger despite her well-stocked wallet, she fiddled with her slashed fingers in apprehension. Not to mention leaving the village without permission, devouring calves and insolence. The Chief's frown trembled with annoyance as he took a drag on his pipe, trying not to lose patience with this magnet for trouble, adorable as he was.

  - Sorry, Jījī," she murmured shamefully.