"Notpacified . . . "

So the Spider hadn't been quite right.

"Sotherecouldbedormantorevenopengatesinthewilderness?"

"There could be, I suppose. We often have teams who explore out in the wilderness or send out drones to reach areas where we have difficulty getting to. Nothing too peculiar has been reported, at least on a spiritual level if that's what you're asking, Kitsune-sama."

He nodded, thinking. The Phoenix would know . . . wouldn't they?

"Ifthewildlifekeepsgettingagitatedsomuchthenyoumaywanttosearchforahiddenportalsomewhere."

"The wildlife agitated?" she said curiously. She had thought the incidents were mostly due to Lion going out in search of big game and bushi wanting to prove their toughness than actual wildlife agitation.

She gave a shake of her head, "I suppose I had recently come back from wilderness surveillance in time for the miai and I haven't noticed it myself. That doesn't discount these potential changes to their behavior recently, Kitsune-sama. The perimeter has kept even stray reavers away from the Shiro but there has been an uptick in rakers, which is unfortunate for them and has agitated the locals to unfortunate violence. We had guess that the spore migration might have something to do with this, as it does affect the otori cycles and territorial boundaries somewhat."

"TheresponsetotheRakersmaycausemoreinbalance. Especiallyintheirpredators."

He frowned, now quite upset with himself for having joined that particular hunt.

"Spore migration?"

This was new to him. He'd thought the spore activity he'd seen had been normal.

Chiruha couldn't help but show a brief smile at the topic. "I'm sure that Kitsune-sama has noticed the variety of smells that seem to make their way into the colony, some of them unpleasant, which I apologize for. Everyone here has wordlessly tolerated it so far. It often has to do with the wind and our proximity with the Xenofungi forests, often strong winds will bring those spores and fungal matter towards the Shiro. We've been dealing with that for decades apparently. They are largely harmless, although might cause some nuisance to the structures where we need to scrub out the siding and roofs from the growths."

He nodded.

"Haveyouconsidereddomingyoursettlements?"

It would be expensive but would keep the native wildlife out and, more importantly to the Kitsune, the Rokugani influence diminished in the fungal forests.

"Mrrreh!" Aoi said in a haughty tone.

Chiruha looked to Aoi and the back to Izumi, "Doming? I suppose there might have been plans for it earlier on in the settlement but whatever reason they didn't go through with it. Resources were limited back then and we likely made do until today. I think the fact that they are mostly harmless except those with sensitivity issues might have been the deciding factor. I know now it's likely because my father has grander plans to extend our borders."

"HencetheMiaitodrawattentionandmaybeinvestmentthen?"

The Fox didn't really like that. He wasn't running things though.

"Mrrrlll..." Aoi vocalized with a roll of his tongue.

"Yes..." she nodded sadly on the matter, "It was what I meant in regards to the balance of the eco system. It's hard to keep in check if the city borders were to extend past the Xenofungi forests and make way for industrial plants, much like those found to the west at Shiro Samidare. It's no secret that this miai is held to gather favours and interest, ultimately springboard to further development on the planet itself."

"ThenIhopethepushbackfromAsakazeisn'tdisastrous. Thenaturallifeformshereseemtobeonthelargeside."

Dasshu gave Aoi a beady eye look . . . it was the only one he had what with the naturally beady eyes and 'Kweh'd' softly.

"Something like this won't happen overnight thankfully...but I'm sure if my father ever gets a sizeable garrison going, perhaps there will be some clearing operations in progress to pacify the surrounding lands of wild threats before the resources could be harvested from it. Maybe, even make a business out of it, catering to visitors who are looking for large game. There have been a few who've done so before. The life here is impressive but I don't think there have been many worlds on record where it could give enough pause to stop anyone so ambitious..." she frowned as she glanced off toward the direction of the Xenofungai forests.

She turned to look to the small Fox. "Kitsune-sama...perhaps you could share further insight what goes on Kitsune worlds?"

"OurworldsareallLionpacified. Wegravitatetowardstheforests. NaturalorRimplantsandwetrytoharmonisewiththelocalfloranadfauna. We'reusuallynotfarfromtheLioncroplandsforanygivencolony. Thisisbecauseweareadeptatalteringourcropssothattheyproducethebestqualityandmostquantitywithoutdrawingtoomuchonthebiomeofthecolony. Oursettlementaresmallastherearen'tmanyofusandthey'reintegratedintoourforests."

He looked actually happy as he thought about the Fox lands on Inari's Cradle.

"HaveyouseenholosofourholdingsontheHomeworld? TheancientMoristherearewhatwestrivetoachieveonourcoloniesbutmeldedwithlocalfloranadfauna."

Chiruha gave a slow shake of her head, "I can't say I haven't seen too many recordings of your world, although I have heard a few things about the shared world. I could only imagine that there's a lot of arrangements made with the Lion so that both Clans can fulfil their visions of the world, both of you meeting at the common need and expertise of agriculture."

It was a weird relation that perhaps had more in common with the dislike of the Mantis than anything else.

"We'rethesmallestclanofall. Wewouldstruggletodefendanyofourholdingsagainstadeterminedenemy. TheonlysafeholdingsarethoseonRokuganitself. WeshareourexpertisewithplantandanimalandtheLiondefendus. It'snotallprettysakurablossomsthough. WetradewithmanyotherclansandtheLiontaxusonthat."

He grimaced.

"Taxusalotrecently."

"It would seem prudent to seek partners elsewhere but I imagine that your...gratitude to the Lion prevents you from actively doing so. It doesn't seem like a worthwhile pursuit, almost. Hopefully, your arms aren't tied when it comes to your choices at the miai?"

"Wellit'sunlikelyI'llbeleavingtheFoxwithmyposition, sowe're . . . sorryI'mlookingideallyforsomeoneIcangetonwithwhohasfamilyaccesstoresourcestheKitsuneneed. Floraandfaunaresourcesmostly. MommaFoxwasmostinsistentonthat."

And as MommaFox was on the Kitsune Biopharmaticals Board she expected to get what she wanted.

"Oh! Of course, of course!" she chuckled when it turned to the business of marriage itself, "I imagine that the Kitsune aren't doing this readily but there are opportunities to be had here. I'm sure that my father is hoping for the same and the further development of Asakaze."

"Againtherearen'tmanyofus, sowehavetomakegoodchoices."

Unlike Uncle Tomoyo who was off gallivanting around Crane space being a fighter pilot or something. All of Izumi's generation had been told to not be like Uncle Tomoyo.

--

Disclaimer: Uncle Tomoyo is in fact in Crab Space being a life support engineer, third grade. The fact rarely matches the legend.

Chiruha was perhaps a bit more shocked to find that the Kitsune were more politically minded than she had thought them to be, especially considering their legend. Of course, this was only one Kitsune and one of rank. However, he was right the Kitsune were few.



"Krrrrelll! Krrrreeeeeel!" Aoi called out and gave the weight on his back a small shake.

"Oh! Please forgive me, Kitsune-sama, but I should get going and get these parts to where they are intended! It was an honour to meet you and I apologize about the setting. My day finds me in all manner of places, so I'm used to it but you might not be," she said before bowing deeply.

"If there is anything else you wish to discuss, please let me know!"