Kitsune Quotes

We missed you at the wedding," he said.
"Yeah." puck shrugged. "I was in Kyoto at the time, visiting some old kitsune friends. We were travelling up to Hokaido to check out this old temple that was supposedly haunted. Turns out, a yuki-onna had taken up residence there and had scared off most of the locals. She wasn't terribly happy to see us. Can you believe it?" He grinned. "Course, we, uh, might've pissed her off when the temple caught fire-you know how kitsune are. She chased us all the way to the coast, throwing icicles, causing blizzards ... the old hag even tried to bury us under an avalanche. We almost died." He sighed dreamily and looked at Ash. "You should've been there ice-boy. ~ Julie Kagawa

Captain's Log...

...Four days have passed with no sign of human life on this island. Hunger is about to push me to the point of...

...Eating pocket lint.

It looks edible. ~ Ken Akamatsu

Selethen was names Hawk. Alyss had been given the title of Tsuru, or Crane. . .Evanlynn was Kitsune, the Nihon-Jan word for Fox . . .Halt strangly enough had been known only as Halto-san. . . But Will had been taken aback in his confrotation with Arisaka to discover that his name - Chocho - meant "butterfly". It seemed a highly unwarlike name to him- not at all glamorous.And he was puzzled to know why they had selected it. His friends,of course, were delighted in helping him guess the reason.
"I assume its because you're such a snazzy dresser," Evanlynn said. "You Rangers are like a riot of color after all."
Will glared at her and was mortified to hear Alyss snigger at the princess's sally. He'd thought Alyss, at least, might stick up for him.
"I think it might be more to do with the way he raced around the the training ground, darting here and there to correct the way a man might be holding his sheidl then dashing off to show someone how to put theri body weight into their javelin cast," said Horace, a little more sympathetically. Then he ruined the effect by adding thoughtlessly, "I must say, your cloak did flutter around like a butterfly's wings."
"It was neither of those things," Halt said finally, and they all turned to look at him. "I asked Shigeru," he explained. "He said that they had all noticed how Will's mind and imagination darts from one idea to another at such high speed," . .
Will looked mollified. "Isuppose it's not too bad it you put ~ John Flanagan

And you think that's it? All is forgiven and he'll just be cool with me having Storm King's grandchildren because we're all united in some super team? That's naive."
Dorian's face suddenly hardened. "Equally naive is the thought that I would carelessly allow him to do anything to you or your children. How many times do I have to convince you of my protection? Do you really think that if he comes back here and attempts to harm one hair on your head, I'll allow it? Eugenie, if he so much as looks at you in a way I don't like, Rurik and his conspirators over there won't have a chance to act because I'll have long since run that bastard kitsune through myself." Dorian's tone astonishingly became light and easy again. "Now then. I wonder where we'll be making camp tonight. ~ Richelle Mead

I did, however, manage to do it without hurting those dogs. Very considerate of me. Don't let it be said I'm not an animal lover-that wretched kitsune aside. ~ Richelle Mead

There are a number of good books that draw upon fox legends -- foremost among them, Kij Johnson's exquisite novel The Fox Woman. I also recommend Neil Gaiman's The Dream Hunters (with the Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano); Larissa Lai's unusual novel, When Fox Is a Thousand; Helen Oyeyemi's recent novel, Mr. Fox; and Ellen Steiber's gorgeous urban fantasy novel, A Rumor of Gems, as well as her heart-breaking novella "The Fox Wife" (published in Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears). For younger readers, try the "Legend of Little Fur" series by Isobelle Carmody. You can also support a fine mythic writer by subscribing to Sylvia Linsteadt's The Gray Fox Epistles: Wild Tales By Mail.

For the fox in myth, legend, and lore, try: Fox by Martin Wallen; Reynard the Fox, edited by Kenneth Varty; Kitsune: Japan's Fox of Mystery, Romance, and Humour by Kiyoshi Nozaki;Alien Kind: Foxes and Late Imperial Chinese Narrative by Raina Huntington; The Discourse on Foxes and Ghosts: Ji Yun and Eighteenth-Century Literati Storytelling by Leo Tak-hung Chan; and The Fox and the Jewel: Shared and Private Meanings in Contemporary Japanese Inari Worship, by Karen Smythers. ~ Terri Windling

This is not one of the bandits," she said.

Gavril looked closer at the shadow-stalker-abandoned corpse. "You are correct," he said, as if with some surprise.

She gave him a look. "Thank you. So it seems we are stuck in the middle - sorry, the edge of the steppes - with no horses and a useless wagon and a landscape populated by shadow stalkers. If they are indeed raised by some confederate of your father's, then we should be safe enough. We simply need to find this sorcerer and turn ourselves in to him to be returned to your father and resume our original mission. However, the fact that it" - Moria waved at the shadow stalker - "attempted to attack you suggests we are not safe at all. What is going on here, Kitsune?"

"I . . . I'm thinking."

"If you do it aloud, perhaps I can help. Unless you still think me a dull-witted Northerner."

"I only said that to needle you."

"You also did it in front of your father."

"As I said, it was to convince him you were not intellectually capable . . ." He stopped and scowled at her. "You're needling me now, Keeper. Playing on my guilt to make me share my thoughts."

"I do not believe I am intellectually capable of such cunning - "

"Enough. ~ Kelley Armstrong

Considering most everyone on the ground wants my kind dead, this is probably not the smartest thing I've ever done. Though, neither was entering a compound of Fae-Hating-Crazies when you're a Kitsune. ~ Melissa Simmons

Yes. Your plan is sound. I will go first."
Moria stood at his back, dagger raised. Gavril pushed the door. It did not budge. He eyed it and seemed ready to bash his shoulder into it when she whispered, "You cannot fight with a dislocated sword arm, Kitsune. Kick it."
He hesitated.
"If you fall on your arse, I'll not laugh." She paused. "Or not loudly. ~ Kelley Armstrong

They caught the sound of footfalls at the same moment, and both stood as a tall figure ran toward them, his blade in hand.

"Stop there, traitor," Sabre said, raising her sling. "Or I'll fell you before you take another step."

"The advantage of a missile weapon," Moria said.

"Exactly. And it appears he has enough experience with yours to respect mine."

"No, he'll only pretend he's listening, as he talks and distracts, and then creeps close enough to use his sword."

"I can hear you," Gavril called.

"Good," Moria said. "Then you can hear that I'm not under any duress, and you can presume that if our visitor was helping me escape, we'd be gone by now, not chatting like girls at a tea ceremony. Since I know you'll not stay where you are, you may approach half the distance, then lay down your sword and come closer."

"May I?"

"Only if you behave. And keep quiet. Otherwise, stay where you are."

"I think you forget who is - "

" - in charge here? No, Kitsune, I do not. I am in charge, because if you do not return with me, you will pay the price. That is why you've accommodated me so far and it's why you'll continue to do so now."

Sabre chuckled. Gavril stalked closer. ~ Kelley Armstrong