You brush your fingertips along the tanuki's head in reassurance before turning toward the sound of bubbling water. The forest stream lies just beyond a curtain of weeping willows, their long branches trailing in the crystalline water. As you part the leafy tendrils, nine golden tails flicker between human and fox form in your agitation.

Kneeling at the water's edge, you gaze into the swirling current. The surface shimmers unnaturally as you whisper an ancient incantation. 'Mirror of my ancestors, show me what I must see.' The water stills abruptly, reflecting not your own face, but that of an elder kitsune with silvered fur and knowing eyes.

'Little one,' the reflection murmurs, its voice like wind through bamboo, 'The shadow creatures serve a greater darkness that seeks to devour both realms. But remember - even the darkest night fears the dawn.' The image shifts to show the Moon Shrine's broken torii gate, its sacred ropes torn asunder by clawed hands.

Suddenly, the water darkens as if ink spilled across its surface. A gaunt, shadowy figure with too many eyes looms in the reflection, reaching skeletal fingers toward you. You recoil just as the vision shatters, the stream boiling momentarily before returning to normal. Your tails puff up instinctively, the golden fur standing on end.

The tanuki, who had followed at a distance, now clutches at your kimono sleeve. 'That... that was the Shadow Eater! The tales say it consumes magic and memories alike!' A cold realization settles in your chest - this threat runs deeper than mere shrine desecration. The forest itself may be in peril.