Kimi

Kimi knelt awkwardly at the table, letting out a slight groan, as her knees protested the action.
Perhaps it was time to take up Meygan's teasing offer of a rocking chair, she mused, shuffling a little closer to the table.
The house was empty, Meygan was out, taking her children for a run in the forest. Her days of being able to keep pace with a pair of energetic young kitsune were very much behind her.
One of many facts that saddened her, these days.
Only a few months ago, Haruka and Ichiro would have been unable to keep up with her, if she hadn't kept a careful pace as they chased her around the trees. Meygan would have watched, with a smile on her face, as she allowed them to catch her, encouraging them as they pounced on her and nipped at her fur playfully.
Now, she barely had the energy to watch, as Meygan did her best to keep them entertained, and she hadn't been able to return to her natural kitsune form in months.
It had been almost trivial, to begin with. A few days after she'd gone through the strange portal, to the other Moonglow, she'd noticed that using her abilities was a little more taxing. Although it was a little worrying, she saw it as an opportunity to be more human, rather than 'cheating' at things like sobering up, or healing cuts and scrapes.
As days became weeks, she noticed that the 'fox-fire', that formed as a result of her abilities, had begun to wane. Like a fireplace that was running out of wood, the flames flickered and dimmed, looking worryingly like they were on the verge of going out.
Weeks became months, and she began to show signs of ageing. Whether it was a direct result of whatever was causing her other problems, or just that she was unable to use her abilities to maintain a youthful body, she didn't know. But, over the course of a few months, she'd come to look old enough to be someone's grandmother.
She didn't feel much younger, either.
Letting out a weary breath, she reached for the calligraphy brush.
Her condition wasn't getting better, and there seemed to be only one end in sight. There were things she had to do, before she reached that point.
With a slightly shaky hand, she brought the brush to the paper, and began writing.

__________________