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Green Leaves Turn Red Learns Her Name
It came one day that the field fox who would become Green Leaves Turn Red who would be called Teishi by the courtiers in Kyoto learned that, although she was a very good hunter of mice and rabbits and voles (perhaps the very best), there was a greater hunter still, called Death. Death could catch any fox, and they would never see Death when he caught them. But there were some wise foxes who were so clever that Death did not hunt them at all, and instead they lived on and on and grew new tails in accordance with the wisdom and power of their years. The field fox who would become Green Leaves Turn Red thought to herself that she should like very much how she would look with another tail, and so she resolved that she should prove herself a better hunter than Death. After all, she thought, playing a game with Death would be much more fun, and much less dull, than dying.
But no other field fox could tell the field fox who would become Green Leaves Turn Red how to find Death, much less how to catch him. So she resolved that first she would hide from Death, and learn how he hunted. And in that way, she would find how to catch him. In this fashion, the fox saw Death come for many creatures, and lived herself for many years, because she hid so well that even Death could not find her. But from her hiding places she could not see Death well enough to know how he ended his hunts, and still she could not catch Death for herself. Eventually, the fox realized that she could not win her game by hiding. She would have to do something unexpected. And so it was that she left hiding and waited for Death, instead, knowing that after so many years of evasion, he must be looking for her in earnest.
The field fox was waiting for Death under a tree with blue-green leaves when, sure enough, Death found her.
"Ah! There you are!" said Death. "At last I have caught you."
"Indeed you did," said the fox, though she knew she had not been caught. "I have grown old, and could not possibly escape a great hunter like you." And before Death could act, she added, "For surely all must succumb to Death except the gods and the great kami, and the human mother who up the hill brews teas to soothe her babe's rattling cough is very foolish to think her treatments mean her son will escape your notice. Why, you could hunt that child with ease, before even the medicine takes effect, and still hunt me, you are so swift. And I am only a weak old fox who could not possibly escape anywhere."
Now, Death knew well the cleverness of foxes, but he could not deny that the field fox's words were intriguing. And so he set up the hill, and the fox followed behind him. In truth, she did not know if the infant boy had ever been sick at all; she only knew that Death would not wish a mere fox to seem to have exceeded him at his duties. And she knew that only by following Death openly would she get the chance to see how the great hunter ended his hunt.
It goes to tell you something of the character of foxes that the fox was not concerned that she had lead Death to the woman's son, who was in truth in perfect health, but wanted only to at last learn the secret of Death's hunt.
And so it was that Death went into the woman's house, unseen by all but the fox, who saw the way Death plucked the boy's spirit from his chest just so. (Not a secret for you or I to know, but the fox learned it then.) In that moment, she struck.
This is not a story about how a fox defeated Death. But as canny Death fled from the house with the child's spirit in hand, the fox got some of his cloak, and with it some of the boy's spirit, in her mouth as she tried to catch him. As she held them in her mouth and — because a hunter eats her kills — swallowed them, she saw out the window of the little house. There, on the hillside, was a stand of trees, and she realized that the time of year had come when summer becomes autumn, for the trees' green leaves were turning the blood-scarlet of autumn. In that moment, with Death and Life held in her mouth, Green Leaves Turn Red knew who she was, and realized that she was not old at all, but young and strong, and knew that she had won her first game.
(I do not know if it truly happened like this, but it is what Green Leaves Turn Red will tell you if you ask, or sometimes even if you do not ask, for she is very proud. And if the fact that Green Leaves Turn Red learned her true name when she tasted Death is why she would become a Reiko, who eats the life force of men, well, that is a question for the priests and philosophers, and not the likes of you or I.)
But no other field fox could tell the field fox who would become Green Leaves Turn Red how to find Death, much less how to catch him. So she resolved that first she would hide from Death, and learn how he hunted. And in that way, she would find how to catch him. In this fashion, the fox saw Death come for many creatures, and lived herself for many years, because she hid so well that even Death could not find her. But from her hiding places she could not see Death well enough to know how he ended his hunts, and still she could not catch Death for herself. Eventually, the fox realized that she could not win her game by hiding. She would have to do something unexpected. And so it was that she left hiding and waited for Death, instead, knowing that after so many years of evasion, he must be looking for her in earnest.
The field fox was waiting for Death under a tree with blue-green leaves when, sure enough, Death found her.
"Ah! There you are!" said Death. "At last I have caught you."
"Indeed you did," said the fox, though she knew she had not been caught. "I have grown old, and could not possibly escape a great hunter like you." And before Death could act, she added, "For surely all must succumb to Death except the gods and the great kami, and the human mother who up the hill brews teas to soothe her babe's rattling cough is very foolish to think her treatments mean her son will escape your notice. Why, you could hunt that child with ease, before even the medicine takes effect, and still hunt me, you are so swift. And I am only a weak old fox who could not possibly escape anywhere."
Now, Death knew well the cleverness of foxes, but he could not deny that the field fox's words were intriguing. And so he set up the hill, and the fox followed behind him. In truth, she did not know if the infant boy had ever been sick at all; she only knew that Death would not wish a mere fox to seem to have exceeded him at his duties. And she knew that only by following Death openly would she get the chance to see how the great hunter ended his hunt.
It goes to tell you something of the character of foxes that the fox was not concerned that she had lead Death to the woman's son, who was in truth in perfect health, but wanted only to at last learn the secret of Death's hunt.
And so it was that Death went into the woman's house, unseen by all but the fox, who saw the way Death plucked the boy's spirit from his chest just so. (Not a secret for you or I to know, but the fox learned it then.) In that moment, she struck.
This is not a story about how a fox defeated Death. But as canny Death fled from the house with the child's spirit in hand, the fox got some of his cloak, and with it some of the boy's spirit, in her mouth as she tried to catch him. As she held them in her mouth and — because a hunter eats her kills — swallowed them, she saw out the window of the little house. There, on the hillside, was a stand of trees, and she realized that the time of year had come when summer becomes autumn, for the trees' green leaves were turning the blood-scarlet of autumn. In that moment, with Death and Life held in her mouth, Green Leaves Turn Red knew who she was, and realized that she was not old at all, but young and strong, and knew that she had won her first game.
(I do not know if it truly happened like this, but it is what Green Leaves Turn Red will tell you if you ask, or sometimes even if you do not ask, for she is very proud. And if the fact that Green Leaves Turn Red learned her true name when she tasted Death is why she would become a Reiko, who eats the life force of men, well, that is a question for the priests and philosophers, and not the likes of you or I.)