The Kitsune Temple's wooden floorboards were sparkling as the rising suns of the realm greeted the land. 

Ryuu scrubbed away at the wooden floors with a toothbrush, undergoing her punishment for sneaking away the day before. She swept the dust away with her dragon tail as she made sure not even a single speck was left. To the other Kitsune, she appeared diligent and thorough to get her punishment done. However, in reality, all that went through her mind was the nightmare she had last night. 

A tiny voice called out to her, yet the Half-Dragon was lost in her thoughts. 

"Ryuu!" A small, high-pitched voice yelled as a small kitsune launched herself to headbutt her out of her trance. 

Ryuu spouted random gibberish as she tumbled into a wall. The base of one of the shelves came loose and several books landed on her head shortly after. After a couple of seconds, she pulled herself together and removed one of the books her horns pierced through. 

Standing before her was a small kitsune with three orange tails with white tips. The tiny fox was hugging a teddy bear as she looked up at Ryuu with large, round eyes of brown. "Big Sis Ryuu, are you okay?" asked the little one.

"I'm fine, Moka." Ryuu stumbled as she stood up. Wincing at the pain in one of her thighs, she placed her hand just over where she felt it and a radiant, golden circle manifested. She let out a relieved sigh as the pain subsided and her magic dissipated shortly after. "I really want to play with you, but Lady Tamamo was pretty strict about my punishment."

"But that's why I was trying to call you!" Moka said with her tails pointed upwards in a frizzy way. "You're being summoned!" 

Ryuu calmly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She clapped her hands together, trying not to lose her composure. "Excuse me, Moka," she said as she gently patted the little fox's head. "This is important." Ryuu suddenly sprinted down the main hall and out onto the open balcony. However, unaware of her surroundings and a lowered guard, she felt her ankle come into contact with something in the doorway. "Eh?" Another tumble as she saw the world roll vertically until she stopped, sitting up in front of Tamamo-no-Mae, who was casually sipping some tea. 

"How lively you are this morning," she said, pouring more tea for herself. "Now, stand." 

Ryuu scrambled to stand straight. As always, she couldn't help but feel nervous before a legendary kitsune. "Permission to speak?" she asked, her voice wavering.

"Why not?" said Tamamo without lifting her gaze. "You already spoke, did you not?" 

"Is there any reason why you summoned me?" she asked. "I haven't finished going through that punishment." 

"A simple question requires a simple answer," Tamamo sighed. "You have already reached an age where lessons will become difficult to be retained within your mind." She looked up at her. "From this point onward, you must obtain such lessons with your own hands."

"By that you mean..." Ryuu gulped. 

"It's time you leave the temple to venture out on your own," Tamamo continued, looking back down at her drink. "However, if you can land a single hit anywhere on my body, then I shall reconsider and transition your lessons into advanced magic." 

"And if I can't?"

"You leave right this instant with only the clothes on your back," Tamamo answered with a terrifying expression with a gaze sharp enough to send chills down her spine. "Knowing how you dragons are by nature, your pride won't allow you to turn down such a challenge."

Ryuu jumped back and pulled out her bladed fans, unfolding them. "Dragons are as prideful as foxes can be clever," she replied, her nervousness melting away. 

"Begin whenever you're ready," Tamamo casually sipped her tea. 

A light breeze blew petals of cherry blossoms off the planted trees of the Temple balcony. The silence between the teacher and student was oddly calming, yet air around Ryuu was fierce compared to Tamamo-no-Mae. While the Kitsune didn't appear concerned, the Half-Dragon was determined. 

The moment a cherry blossom blocked Tamamo's line of sight, Ryuu ran and tried to attack the fox from the side. However, Tamamo leaned back to avoid her student's fan. 

"Tsk," Ryuu said frustrated as she unleashed a fury of slashes, only for Tamamo to avoid them by leaning side to side. Getting more and more annoyed by the second, Ryuu thrust both of her fans at her teacher, only to have them stopped by chopsticks in both hands. 

In one swift motion, Tamamo flipped Ryuu over into one of the planted bushes.

Ryuu pulled her head out of the bush and stumbled back. Looking up at the intimidating presence behind her, she saw Tamamo with a somewhat terrifying smile. 

The entrance of the temple was quickly opened from within with Ryuu tossed out. Her bladed fans were folded in as they were thrown shortly after, bouncing off the top of her head. She grabbed her fans and placed them on the small hooks on the side of her waist. She raised her hand to shield her eyes from the afternoon suns. She took a deep breath and hid her horns and tail once more with magic as she began to make her way down the mountain steps.

A few hours passed, and her stomach growled as she walked along the base of the mountain. "Go out on an adventure, she said," Ryuu grumbled to herself. "You'll learn valuable life lessons, she said." She kicked a pebble away out of frustration. "Couldn't even let me pack some snacks before I got kicked out. This is worse than when she dropped me off in the middle of a forest for three months..."

The ground began to tremble as Ryuu frantically looked around to see a caravan of merchants traveling on the path. She saw this as a chance to get somewhere as quickly as possible. Without putting much thought into it, Ryuu stood in their way. 

"Hey!" She jumped as she waved her arms to get their attention. 

The coachman of the front-most wagon noticed Ryuu and pulled on the reins despite how much the horses protested with their neighs and huffs. 

"Wait a second..." Ryuu squinted her eyes, noticing the horses somehow moved faster. "Wait, wait, wait! Stop!" she shouted as the horse-drawn wagon grew closer and closer. She closed her eyes, expecting to brace for impact. 

But there wasn't a crash.

Ryuu slowly opened her eyes, only to be met with the muzzle of a horse right in front of her face. "Nice... horsie?" She said sheepishly as it licked her face, leaving it drenched. "Ick..." She gagged from the smell. 

The horse-drawn wagon's coachman peeked over. "You okay?" 

"...Peachy," said Ryuu unamused, walking up to him.

The coachman noticed her pointed ears. "An elf? What are you doing outside of Mesebel city?" he asked as he passed a towel.

Ryuu quickly dried her face and nearly gagged again. "I guess you could say I'm just a traveler. Where are you and your friends heading?" 

"The capital of the Cyninq Kingdom, Holywell," he answered. "There's a festival that'll be takin' place soon. Celebratin' some kind of holiday but that doesn't really matter to people like us." 

"Can I hitch a ride?" Ryuu asked, handing back the towel. "I want to see all the stuff there."

"Well," he said. "We'll arrive by the next sunrise. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to bring you there. Hop in on the back. If yer hungry, there're some things you can eat but try not to eat the merchandise." 

"Don't mind if I do," Ryuu said playfully as she went around and climbed in. She immediately unwrapped a chocolate bar. 

The coachman snapped the reins and the horses neighed, pulling the wagon toward the distant kingdom.