Definition: “Fabricate information out of thin air, or arrange for a situation, to confuse, mislead or deceive the enemy.”

  - The Thirty-Six Stratagems, Ancient Chinese Proverbs and Military Text

  In early fall, mornings arrived in the Fragrant Mountains slowly and then all at once. After the midday sun burned off the dawn mist, the mountain unveiled a panorama of brilliant fall foliage. Splashes of golden ginkgo, amber sumac, and crimson maple doted the granite cliffs as wisps of clouds drift to the azure sky.

  On a low branch of a young maple tree, a small young fox was studying a beehive.

  Autumn slowly stepped toward the nest. She had just decided that it was best to break the whole sprig and let the hive fall to the ground when the pained squawk of a grouse then a thud of an arrow hitting the tree truck below alerted her to the fact she was not alone. Fearfully, Autumn flattened herself against the branch, hoping she would blend in against the scarlet maple leaves.

  A young man walked below her to check on the kill. He was taller than a year-old sapling and held a bow in one hand and a quiver of arrows was slung over his back.

  Autumn had seen humans, and gods, before. On New Year’s Day, Autumn’s mom took her and her sisters to greet the local earth god, a jovial old man who gave them honeyed jujubes. In the spring, human ginseng hunters camped on the territories her skulk claimed, and when she was younger, Autumn and her sister had gone to watch them out of curiosity even though her mom warned them not to.

  The man below was an improved version of both the god and humans she had seen. There was an aura around him, glowing blue light rippled from him before fading into crisp fall air.

  Autumn’s mother had told all the kits about this. Aura that extended beyond the body of a human or animal indicated they were overflowing with magical powers. Thus, they were not mortal beings, but gods, goddesses, demons or immortals.

  Most rustling below her, Autumn looked down and saw another young man walking up to join his friend. Red, silver and golden tendrils flowed from him and doubled back, twisting around each other like vines. He wore a robe made from a shimmering white cloth that reminded Autumn of winter frost on leaves. He held a fan in one hand as he peered at his friend, who was pulling the arrow and the grouse it pieced from the tree truck.

  “Good shot!” he said. “Lei you hit the target a hundred times out of a hundred tries! We will all be jealous tonight as you eat this fat grouse.”

  Autumn glanced up to see that indeed more people were walking up to her tree. She pressed her body tighter to the branch and held her breath.

  Lei turned to the speaker and said with a courteous tone. “Prince Jin, I hunt so you may come to my fire and eat anytime.”

  Prince Jin said with a winning smile, “I will take you up on it!”

  Just then another voice spoke up. It was a girl’s this time. “Prince Jin, I want to eat some of the grouse too!”

  Prince Jin turned and said to someone out of Autumn’s field of view. “Of course! My dear Princess Ling. Your grace and beauty would make any food taste better.”

  How shameless Autumn thought, it was not even your food and yet you are promising it to someone else. She felt her tail twitch in annoyance. Be quiet, she reminded herself. It didn’t matter how these young gods split the grouse as long she didn’t suffer the same fate.

  Just then another voice called out. “Princess Ling watch out for the bees!”

  Autumn saw a flash of bright light and heard a woman’s scream followed by a loud crack.

  Something had broken the branch that the beehive and Autumn were attached to. All three plunged toward the ground. Autumn braced herself for impact and the explosion of bees which she hoped would give her the chance to escape. However, she never hit the ground. A strong wind picked her up and spung her around. Autumn found herself disoriented and tangled in layers of soft white silk. Instead of buzzing and screaming, there was only silence.

  Autumn clawed her way forward but quickly realized that she was resting on the forearm of Prince Jin, covered by the fabric of his sleeve. Afraid that any movement would alert him, she relaxed and peered out from a gap in the cloth. She could see the neatly cut halves of the tree branch on one side while the beehive was aloft midair inside a golden globe. Prince Jin’s right hand was held out toward the globe and Autumn could see a flow of golden energy from his fingers.

  During the commotion, another young god with almond eyes and a blue aura had created a shield between himself and the beehive. A beautiful young goddess stood behind him. That must be Princess Ling, Autumn thought. Had the beehive hit the ground, Prince Jin and Prince Lei would have been left to fend for themselves against the bees. Autumn cursed at the idiot who had cut the branch in half in the name of protecting Princess Ling.

  Before anyone else spoke, Prince Jin said, “Cousin Ling, weren’t you saying just this morning that your food wasn’t as sweet as you liked? Look, Prince Kuo just found you some golden honey. Now your food can be as sweet as you.”

  Prince Jin waved his right hand and the golden globe containing the beehive began spinning in the air. Golden honey swirled out of the honeycomb and fell into a crystal jar that appeared from thin air. With another wave, the beehive floated up in the air and attached itself to another branch while the crystal jar, glittering in the sunlight, floated toward the shield. When it reached the man who must be Prince Kuo, it stopped. The man waved his hand, and the blue shield disappeared. He bowed to Prince Jin and then took the jar of honey and handed it with a flourish to Princess Ling, who, in turn, curtseyed gracefully with her dark eyes downcast, a smile curving her pink lips.

  How odd, Autumn thought to herself. Claiming someone else’s grouse to eat while giving away the honey you yourself harvested. It must be nice being a princess, not having to lift a finger for all for the honey. Autumn raised herself to get a better look at her prize disappearing in front of her and felt a hand push her head back into the fabric.

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  Prince Jin turned and began to walk away from the group but suddenly Princess Ling called out again.

  “Wait! What else fell from the tree?”

  Autumn felt Prince Jin’s arm tense. He hesitated for a second before finally turning back.

  “Some mountains hide tigers and other dragons. However, in these woods, only small foxes hide in the branches.”

  “A fox?” Princess Ling asked in her melodious voice. “Let me see.”

  Autumn’s heart raced as Prince Jin peeled back the fabric to reveal her. The gods and goddess crowded around him for a closer look, momentary blocking out the sun. Up close, Autumn could see Princess Ling’s long lashes and smell her floral perfume.

  “Her fur is exceptionally beautiful,” Princess Ling observed.

  Autumn shivered in fear. These are words she hoped to never hear.

  “Indeed,” Prince Luo agreed. “It would make a beautiful collar for your winter coat.”

  Autumn felt the arm beneath her tighten further. Then she was being turned around and presented to Prince Lei, who had shot the grouse.

  Prince Jin said, “Her fur is indeed amazing. Don’t you think Lei, that it is the exact same shade of red as my jade?”

  “I too have never seen fox fur that color. It does perfectly match your jade,” said Prince Lei.

  “Exactly!” Prince Jin said loudly. “Prince Kuo you are a genius, cuffs made from this fur against my white silk coat would be a perfect outfit. I shall keep it and have my Shutong skin it later this evening.”

  Autumn felt herself being placed inside a small wooden cage enforced with silver threads of magic. The last thing she saw before black fabric covered the cage was a red yupei, a jade phoenix charm, hanging off the belt of her captor.

  ***

  Autumn lay listlessly on the bottom of the cage as it swung from side to side. Without any light, she no longer knew what time of day it was. She could no longer hear the voices of the young Gods who had captured her. Instead, she was surrounded by the stink of horse musk and foreign sounds such as the clattering of metal harness and grinding of wooden wheels. Fear and regret filled her body. Was she still among the streams and trails she had grown up with? Would her siblings go look for her when she didn't return in the evening? Would it hurt a lot when they killed her?

  That last thought sent a surge of hot rage through her body. She scrambled up on shaky legs and tried again to gnaw on the bars of her cage. It made little difference as the silver threads of magic seemed to prevent her teeth from doing any damage.

  Finaly the swaying stopped. Someone lifted the cage and placed it, along with the black covering, on the ground. Autumn could hear rapid footsteps around her and other strange new sounds- voices yelling, fabric rustling, metal objects banging against one another and tree branches snapping. Soon she smelled smoke from a nearby fire.

  Autumn crouched at one end of the cage, farthest from the door, and waited. She imagined lights appearing and hands reaching for her. She would not be able to fight off magic like those that trapped her, but if a finger or thumb got close to her teeth. Well, she wasn't going to die without a fight.

  However, no one touched the cage. Gradually, Autumn began to sense bits and pieces of the scene around her. The scent of cooked meat signaled food was being prepared. She could hear faint bits of laughter and conversation. Eventually she was able to identify the voice of Prince Jin, who had placed her in this cage. His pleasant alto voice grated on her ears.

  Suddenly one side of the black covering was lifted and a round face with a crocked nose peered at her. The glowing aura around his face much dimmer than those of the young gods. Autumn hissed. The face disappeared to be replaced with a flaming torch, temporarily blinding her. She heard the cage door squeek and something being shoved in. Before she could do anything, the cage door was shut and the black cloth was draped over her prison again.

  Left alone in the dark, Autumn felt hopeless. She had one chance to get out and now it's gone. She wanted to scream in frustration but that would be pointless.

  Instead, she sniffed at the new objects. It seemed to be a bowl of water and some cooked meat. Autumn wondered if it would be safe to drink the water or eat the food. Were they meant to sustain or poison her?

  Yet if they really wanted to kill her, what could she do? Would poison be worse than a bludgeon to the head? If she didn't eat, she would die from hunger and thirst anyway. If she ate, there is at least a chance the food was fine, and she could stay alert and look for a chance to escape.

  Autumn's stomach growled as she drank thirstily from the bowl and devoured the meat. The water tasted pure and was ice cold, as if it was just gathered from melting snow. The meat tasted like rabbit, but it was juicy and much fattier and flavorful than anything she ever had before. After gulping down everything, Autumn laid back down to wait.

  The night became colder, and Autumn was thankful for the food and her fur. The sound of footsteps around her cage became infrequent. The faraway chatter and laughter gradually died down as well. Soon the camp was silent. Gradually Autumn fell asleep.

  The swaying of the cage woke her up. The movement was different than before. Instead of the rough jostling that had knocked her back and forth, the floor of the cage shifted subtly, side to side, up and down. It felt like someone was hiking while carrying the cage.

  Autumn listened intently. She heard the nocturnal noises she was used to, the screeching of owl, scurrying of rodents and the calls of insects. But the only unusual noise was a soft rustling of fabric and an occasional snap of twigs. Heart pounding, she waited.

  After a long time, the cage finally stopped moving. Autumn tensed, trying to prepare herself for whatever might come through the cage door. Instead, the black cloth was completely lifted off.

  The full moon shone brightly in the sky above and by its light Autumn saw a dark figure beside her. Cold wind ruffled her fur. They were in a clearing, on top of a mountain. As her eyes adjusted, Autumn recognized Prince Jin, the god who had caught her this morning. Instead of the gold and white silk robes from earlier, he wore a plain black tunic and black pants. Only the red jade yupei on his belt confirmed he was the same person.

  Prince Jin sat down on a log beside Autumn's cage. He gazed at the moon and began to speak.

  "Little fox, fate is a strange mistress. You can spend years living day to day without worrying about anything more than the weather. Then one day you wake up and everything changes. Was it your fault for being on the wrong branch at the wrong time? Or was it my fault for catching you along the beehive? Who is wise enough to decide?"

  He sighed deeply before turning to look at Autumn who stared back at him with dark eyes.

  "But from the moment Princess Ling saw you, your fate was forever altered from the course you had been on. Once she desires something, she will move heaven and earth to obtain it. And it seems she is set on having you as a collar."

  "There will be hunters on your trail in the morning. Run as far north as you can, hide among the red maple leaves there for three days before returning. That should be enough to save your life, but just to be safe, I will grant you a little bit of my power."

  Prince Jin opened the cage door and reached for her. Autumn let him pick her up. His hand was warm and gentle. He took her out of the cage and ran a finger in a light caress down her back, glowing red threads flowing from his hand. Autumn felt warmth radiating from her spin to her limbs, the heat lingering long after his touch.

  "I always thought my jade was beautiful, but your fur is truly exceptional. Someone so lovely should be free. But a simple illusion is all the protection I can offer you. The rest is up to you. Good luck little fox."

  Prince Jin knelt and set Autumn on the forest floor. She looked up at his face, his eyes reflecting moonlight back to her, no longer laughing. Giving his solitary figure one last glance, Autumn turned and bolted into the dark woods.