Art: teakitsune

"I left the couple a parting gift, then set on my way. For a large shrine it seemed to be a difficult place to find. By the time I arrived at the gates, it was dark. There was a vendor for selling lanterns, so I attached it to the end of my staff. Using the lantern, I lit my pipe using the lantern’s flame, then began my journey up the stairs to the red ornate gate. Strange blue lights would appear all around me, then disappear as quickly as they came. It was strange, because I could feel nothing out of the ordinary, as if this was completely natural like water flowing in a brook. When I reached the top of the stairs, the shrine loomed over me like a towering wall. Inari statues were placed sparsely through the grounds."