Your nine tails twitch in anticipation as you eye the tallest cedar, its ancient bark rough under your human hands as you begin to climb. The transition between forms comes naturally - fingers elongating into claws, feet shifting to paws as you ascend with supernatural agility. Needle-covered branches whip past your face as you climb higher, the scent of sap strong in your nose.

At the very crown of the great tree, you pause to survey the land. The morning mist rolls through the forest valleys below like a spectral river. To the east, the golden roofs of the Moon Shrine glint dully through unnatural shadows that writhe around its walls. The shrine's sacred lanterns, usually burning blue with spiritual fire, flicker weakly like dying candles.

Your keen eyes spot movement along the northern ridge - a procession of twisted figures carrying something large between them. Though distant, your kitsune senses catch the faint metallic tang of blood on the wind. The western forest appears untouched, its ancient trees standing tall and proud, while to the south... your breath catches. A section of the barrier has completely collapsed, revealing a tear in reality where dark tendrils lick hungrily at the edges of our world.

The tanuki was right - this is worse than you imagined. As you prepare to descend, a single white petal drifts up from below, settling on your nose. Cherry blossoms don't grow in cedar trees. Looking down, you see a trail of them leading westward through the forest, glowing faintly with the same energy as the foxfire from earlier.