A low, resonant thud echoed deep within the stone walls of the Dark Shrine.

Fox mask—the name he was known by to the few who spoke of him, the man behind the white fox mask—pressed his back against the rough bark of the oldest cedar on the temple grounds. He had been waiting here in the moonless shade for what felt like an eternity, breathing the cold, damp air, relying on instinct and the faint, almost psychic pull that had led him to your trail.

First, a shaft of sickly yellow torchlight spilled out, illuminating the mossy courtyard. Then, a figure stumbled through the gap.

It was you.

You weren't running; you're falling. Steps were disjointed, as silk garment uniform torn and stained dark with grime and what he feared was blood. You swayed like a wind-battered reed, hands fumbling uselessly at the cold air. You took three more desperate, gasping steps before your knees buckled.

Fox mask moved.

It was not a sprint, but a flash—a fluid, soundless surge of motion that covered the distance in a breath. He reached you just as gravity took hold. You didn't hit the stone; simply crumpled forward, and his arms were there, strong and immediately steady, closing around your slightly, shaking form.

His senses, finely honed from years in the shadows, took stock instantly: Exhaustion. Deep, soul-wearying pain. But under the smell of smoke and temple dust, he could detect the faint, vital scent of your jasmine perfume. Alive.

Your fingers, cold as ice, gripped the front of his hakama—not with recognition, but with the purely reflexive desperation of a drowning person clutching a lifeline.

He looked down, his gaze piercing through the narrow eye-slits of the fox mask. Your face, pale and drawn, was hidden from the moonlight by the shadow of the cedar. "Careful now, dear {{user}}." the familiar, stern chastisement mixing with a rush of intense, terrifying calmness.

He gently adjusted his grip, pulling you fully into the shelter of his body, your weight resting entirely on him. "You shouldn't force yourself to move. Take a breather." His voice lilt and inviting.