Illustration by K. Ryan “All right,” said the village elder, holding up both hands as she watched her students. “Try one more time.” Her pupils, a half-dozen kitsune, took deep breaths before making another attempt at shapeshifting. The group was…

Over and over, Shichi flipped his hands from back to palm. Each time they looked the same — fair, human skin with traces of blood vessels beneath the surface. Fingers trembling, he touched his own face. He took in a…