It's a lovely garden. Something about it feels like she's supposed to be welcome here. Maybe it's the life size artfully mossy stone-carved fox statue.

-And then the fox-mask woman is picking her up and tickling her and rubbing her ears and laughing!

"Huhuhu scared you~!"

She titters lightly, ears scrunching up fondly under the assault, yipping and stretching out pleasedly. 

It was a little odd, though... This place feels too nice for it to be really scary, persay. 

She noses in, a little low bashful huff slipping out as she looks down and leans in a little more. 

That's alright. Just a bit of playful mischief. 

"Welcome to the shrine, little miss fox. Do you understand my words?"

She nod bobs a bit, and nuzzles against her chest. 

It's... odd, thinking like this. It takes more out of her then it used to in the hazy of long ago, it feels? But she can perk up her ears and order her thoughts and make it work. 

She gently lies her snout against her thighs, and sighs faintly. 

"Well, I feel that faint little whiff of excitement from the goddess, so I know you're one of hers. So I'm supposed to explain things. But there's no hurry."

Does she want pets, perhaps?

Mhm! 

She leans in eagerly, and swishes out her tail. It's... nice to be pampered, like this. 

Pets and tail-brushing with this little brush and a plate of little nibble-ables how about, once they've moved to a little chair.

The woman takes off her fox mask. Her face is pretty ordinary and unassuming, under it. Round and plain and relaxed and unburdened.

She purrs, warm and throaty, and lies down contentedly. 

She glances up appraisingly for a moment - she looks... sweet? 

She chuffs pleasedly, and nibbles at the food idly. 

"I don't know how much you'll retain, but I can always repeat myself. You're a kitsune! A poor lost soul taken by Goddess Tamamo and given the shape of a fox. I'm not one, just an ordinary priestess. You're growing up right now, but you'll be able to transform some day, between being a fox, like now, and being mostly human-shaped."

Her ears tuck back in thought, and then she shakes her head out a little. Transforming seems... fun? She's always liked fussing around with her ears and tail and stretching out, and this just seems like it'd be - bigger and funned than that? And it feels like it's something she's still - made for. 

She curls up a little tighter, laying loosely on her lap. 

"Well, there's no hurry. I think you've got a while yet. It's supposed to be unmistakable when you're about to transform."

She nods a little, then stretches out with a bit of a yawn. She's feeling a little sleepy, after all this thinking...

A nap is fine.

This person will hang out in this little village, always making a minute or two for Amber, for the next while. People bring her small problems, or ask for advice or blessings. She gets to know them, and helps, usually wearing her mask and occasionally playing up what is clearly a dramatic character. One memorable day has her decry various people as if accusing them of something terrible, only for the actual words to be ones of praise. It turns into a great game.

Time passes.

The temple is soothing and fun to explore - the air is always as sweet as spring, here, and the people are kind and give her skritches and gifts and make kind noises to her. She listens to them sometimes, and doens't listen to them at others, but it's all the same. She visits the forest again, for all that it's a little trickier when she's not tracking the shadows from the start, but they're easy enough to find, when she takes her time. 

It's a worthy life, if not one that feels as quiet as full as it used to.