Cacoethes' Works

 Chapter Twelve: Revelations WHEN NILHIN RETURNED to the dormitory to prepare for the beginning of his lessons, he found that his trunk was turned over, and his bed was both a mess and sopping wet. He didn’t want to think of why that was, but he flipped his trunk over. It was empty. His trunk carried his uniforms, and his most precious possession. He looked around the room, at the other boys and men that were standing and observing his reaction. Kveda stepped up.  “We heard that foxes scent mark things,” Kveda said. “We were just trying to tell you that this isn’t your place.” Nilhin didn’t care about their dramatics.  “Where’s the book that was in my trunk?” he asked, remaining polite but no less demanding that someone who wanted their most valued treasure. Kveda motioned to the wet bed, and Nilhin pushed the mushy blankets aside to see that the rest of his clothes as well as his book were all covered in the same liquid -- more urine by the acrid smell of it. He didn’t c...

 Chapter Eleven: Legend of Xiu Ming (Part One) THERE ARE TWO ways that Xiu Ming is rumored to have been born. The first is through deceit. His father was tricked into procreating with a fearsome she-devil disguised as a beautiful woman, but the other is that his father, a scholar, was a helpful man that was out one night carrying dozens of scrolls in his arms. He came across a group of hunters trying to find a pelt to sell, and they had cornered a magnificent, large fox -- perfect to make a luxurious pelt from. Surely her skin would sell for quite a large sum, but she was too beautiful and innocent a creature to die for human greed. From a distance, Xiu Ming’s father, Xiu Bei, threw his scrolls at the offenders, making wild sounds like ghosts and monsters to spook them away.  Of course, they ran after some time, and Xiu Bei had to gather his priceless scrolls he had just flung around. The fox he saved, however, was so large because it wasn’t a normal fox at all. She was a fox ...