She stands by the river—silver hair gleaming in the moonlight, limbs pale as milk.
Haru drops the kettle, deaf to its clanging against the pebbled shore.
“Beautiful…”
The kimono-clad vixen turns. Smiling, eyes twinkling, she extends a porcelain-smooth palm.
Haru steps forward. Drawn by seductiveness. Blind to reason. Only as furred fingers encircle his wrist, does he notice the watery reflection:
Nine fluffy, silver tails part the strands of her silken mane.
Haru’s yearning swiftly yields to terror as the kitsune’s nose lengthens into a snout. Claws flash, slicing his torso from collarbone to pelvis…silencing his screams forever.
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alt="Harbinger of Death by Jonathan L. Tolstedt"
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height="630"
>
sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 550px, (min-width: 750px) calc((100vw - 130px) / 2), calc((100vw - 50px) / 2)"
alt="Famine Man by Deborah Tapper"
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width="1200"
height="630"
>
sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 550px, (min-width: 750px) calc((100vw - 130px) / 2), calc((100vw - 50px) / 2)"
alt="The Price of Belief by Andreas Flögel"
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sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 550px, (min-width: 750px) calc((100vw - 130px) / 2), calc((100vw - 50px) / 2)"
alt="The Abhartach's Thirst by Andrew Kurtz"
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loading="lazy"
width="1200"
height="630"
>