You place a steadying hand on the trembling tanuki's head, feeling the rapid flutter of its tiny heartbeat beneath your palm. 'Little friend,' you say, your voice carrying the weight of your newfound resolve, 'we must call upon the wisdom of the forest. Gather the spirits - tell them the Kitsune calls for council at the Great Cedar.'

The tanuki's round eyes widen further, but it nods vigorously before disappearing into the undergrowth with surprising speed. As you wait, you notice the forest has grown unnaturally silent - no birdsong, no rustling of leaves. Only the occasional whisper of foxfire drifting between the ancient trees.

One by one, the spirits arrive. A wizened kodama emerges from the hollow of a thousand-year-old tree, its bark-like skin creaking as it moves. A pair of mischievous mujina appear in puffs of smoke, their masked faces uncharacteristically solemn. Even the normally reclusive water dragon coils itself around a nearby rock, its scales glistening with dew.

You stand before them at the base of the Great Cedar, your nine tails fanning out behind you as you recount the vision from the stream. The spirits murmur among themselves, the air thickening with their collective anxiety. The kodama is the first to speak, its voice like dry leaves scraping together. 'The Shadow Eater has not walked these woods since the Great Purification... if it has returned, then the balance between worlds is indeed in peril.'

The water dragon raises its serpentine head, water cascading from its whiskers. 'The stream spirits report strange currents in the spirit realm - pools of darkness where there should be light, whispers where there should be song.' As it speaks, you notice the normally vibrant colors of the forest spirits seem slightly faded at the edges, as if the very magic sustaining them is being slowly drained.