Rushia

Every autumn, without fail, Rushia walks the same path through The Heart of the Forest. The locals, usually obsessed with food and song, fall silent as they pass. The children have the best stories. They say the kitsune mask hides a face scarred by dragon fire, or that Rushia has no face at all. Some elders, remembering tales of the deceiver Azamuku, warn that the mask is a sign of a trickster soul. But Rushia only ever adjusts their spectacles over the mask's painted eyes and nods politely. They never stay more than a night, but the next morning, the children always find a new, tiny wooden animal sitting on the village well, carved with impossible detail. No one knows where Rushia goes, only what they leave behind.