FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Tails of Power

A Small Kindness

He gasped at the view of a black-furred and clawed hand in front of his face and she suddenly grabbed for the top of his head. "Ow!!" he exclaimed as she tweaked one of his perked ears. "What the...?"

She grinned down at him, "And just wait until you look behind you, my love." Then her muzzle pressed against his, and her warm body close thereafter. And in the swirl of eighteen tails, they began their new lives.

He smiled at her as her lips left his after the longest time and he felt her body so close. "This is something I could get used to very fast," he murmured, his newly-furred paw reaching back to caress her rump.

She giggled and licked his nose affectionately. Then her gaze changed to a serious one and she sighed sadly. She smiled to him warmly, "While I would love for us to dally, we do have jobs to do in the world. It will take a while for you to learn the ropes. Or remember them as the case were, as you do know everything about being a Kitsune already. You just need to kind of remember it. One of the things that happens is that Kitsunes have a feel for the future and tend to just -know- when they need to be somewhere for a task. You'll get used to it soon. Because I know right now that we have a task to complete. Come, my love, and learn."

He sighed reluctantly, but he knew she was right when he gave it half a thought. It was a feeling that he had that something needed to be done. He looked at the bed. It was all that remained of his prior life. He looked at her. She was all that he needed in his new life. He smiled as she offered her paw to him and took it, turning his back on the bed and heading off with her, onward to the future.

* * * * *

"I don't GIVE a shit about what you dream of anymore, Todd. I'm SICK of this. You got me that pendant, but now you have it more than I do. You're always distracted around me. It's as if I'm not even here sometimes!" Jackie was in a worse mood today than usual, and probably for good reason.

"You told me a long time ago that you thought we might be soul mates and I believed you. I moved out here to the mountains with you, I giggled at your kindness to the animals out here. I even help you put in this fucking flooring! But for the past two months, since we started planning for the wedding, everything's been different. You keep talking about dreams of somebody else. You stop responding to me and just stare off into space. You won't even give me back the pendant you gave to me to begin with. You said it was a symbol of our love, to help me find my animal connection, whatever the hell that means, and now you won't let me keep it!" Jackie was screaming at him now, crying and ranting. Todd was just numb.

"You go out into the woods and won't let me come with you anymore. For a long time, I thought you were seeing somebody behind my back, but I followed you enough times. You just go to sit at the edge of that field and watch that fox." Jackie shook her head and held her face in her hands, shaking with tears. Todd almost wanted to reach out to her and comfort her, but for some reason he couldn't. Something was very wrong. She shouldn't be here. And he felt that way the most strongly for the past two months.

Thinking back on their almost-two-years of relationship, Todd realized more and more that things just didn't fit. He felt as if she did more putting up with him than loving him. Like she was just there because he was independently wealthy, retired, and had this lovely cabin in the mountains as his primary home. He had originally thought that he loved her, but now his heart was torn in opposing directions. He had promised he would marry her after two years, but now, two days before the wedding...

Todd had visions. He had dreams. When he dreamed, he saw the medallion he held, but it wasn't around Jackie's neck. He could barely make out the face above the medallion in his dreams. Smiling and cheerful, framed in brilliant red hair reaching the middle of her back. The woman in his dreams had the best personality and he didn't even know how he knew this. But it was definitely not Jackie, with her blonde hair cropped short at her shoulders; and her constant griping, complaining, and crying over just about everything.

Todd gazed down at the medallion in his hand, which she insisted on calling a pendant. It was an inch-wide made from custom minted platinum. One side was graced with a Celtic interface, similar to a Celtic knot, but having unconnected ends. The other side had a relief of two foxes sitting beside each other, one nuzzling the other. The person who had made it had custom-designed the fox side for him and had needed to triple-stamp the medallion for the detail in the foxes to show properly.

"Give me that!" Jackie suddenly exclaimed, making a grab for the medallion. Todd reacted strongly, swatting her hand away with more force than he intended and clutching the medallion to his chest, glaring at her harshly.

Jackie stared at him, favoring her smacked hand as if he had just broken it, though he knew he hadn't hit it that hard. An angry look came to her face and she scowled at him with a sneer. "You know what, then? FINE! KEEP the damn thing!" She tore at the engagement ring that graced her left hand, pulling it off her finger and throwing it at him as hard as she could. "And keep this fucking thing too! I'm leaving, Todd!"

He halfway thought about stopping her as she stormed out of the room, but that vision of the red-haired woman flashed in his mind again. He wouldn't stop Jackie. He probably could if he tried, but he had no desire to. He heard her tearing around in the bedroom and in a haze, he simply stood up to leave.

His first step brought a crunch from beneath his heel and he looked down, lifting his foot to investigate. The engagement ring was there, the large diamond torn from the crushed setting. He found himself more saddened by the gouge in the hardwood floor than by the destruction of the $5000 ring. And he wasn't saddened because Jackie had helped him put it in either. In fact, she hadn't done much more than lay four planks before complaining about the "slave labor" she as being subjected to the rest of the time as she did nothing else.

Todd stood staring at the gouge for a moment, trying to make sense of his thoughts, and in a sudden flash he had a vision. The red-haired girl from his dreams, helping him to put in the floor. She worked hard alongside him, plank for plank, ache for ache. She outdid him in the sanding and finishing even. A full day of hard work, shared and completed, then a delightful exchange of rubdowns in the shower and beautiful lovemaking with the hot water flowing over their nude bodies. It was shortly followed by sleeping out beneath the canopy of the night sky as the finish dried.

Todd closed his eyes for a moment. He had no idea where these visions came from. He clenched the medallion in his hand, trying to make some sense of it. Then his reverie was interrupted by loud complaining from the bedroom as Jackie most likely tripped over something again. With a shake of his head, he left the destroyed ring where it was and walked out the front door and across the yard to the thick forest, having no trouble finding his way in the dim evening light.

* * *

Todd opened his eyes as a speckled ray of morning sunlight filtered through the tree canopy to strike his face. He felt discomfort in his hand and looked down at it. He had been clenching the medallion too tightly as he slept. Gazing at it as he stood up to stretch, all-too-aware of the little aches he had from having fallen asleep on the uneven forest ground, he felt a tear course down his face.

He looked around and realized he was at the edge of the field that he had been visiting often recently. A flash of orange caught his eye and he gazed across the field. The fox who had her den at the other end of the field was watching him alertly now that he was standing up. He watched her until she lost interest in him and ducked into her den. With the same smile that he always got from seeing that lovely creature, he started walking back towards his home.

Arriving home, he was first relieved to see that it was at least still standing. Jackie's SUV was gone. Stepping in, he found the place not too much of a disaster. Jackie had upended the bedroom and bathroom somewhat, but otherwise everything was in order. Though there was a strange musty smell about the main room, as of many animals in one place. It was similar to the forest outside, just stronger, but for some reason it made him smile. Todd had a feeling that he would not see that woman again. In fact, he HOPED that he would not see that woman again. Good riddance.

His stomach was grumbling, since he had not eaten dinner the prior night, but he heard the noisy chatter of birds outside. It was about time to refill the feeders. Forgetting about his own breakfast for the moment, he grabbed a pail of bird food and a pail of squirrel food and headed out to refill the feeders.

The birds of course scattered when he showed, but didn't go far. They had seen him around enough that they did not consider him much of a threat. The squirrels were another matter entirely, with two hopping on the pail even as he carried it out so they could chose from the best morsels first. He used the pail of bird food to refill the numerous feeders around his yard. Several birds were familiar enough with him that they came swooping down to claim food even as he turned away.

The squirrels that were riding on his bucket scolded him noisily as he poured food from it into the feeders for the larger birds - like jays - and for the squirrels. One of them held on until the very end, quite dismayed at the empty bucket. But soon the birds and squirrels were happily entranced by the proliferation of free treats.

Todd headed back in to see to his own breakfast, but paused at the door. He turned to scan the forest nearby. Something had caught the corner of his eye again. He stared at the foliage and underbrush for a long time, but soon noted that the birds and squirrels were not concerned. The woods were upwind of them. If there was anything dangerous there, or another human, the critters would be long gone.

Shrugging, Todd turned back to the house, then stopped and looked sharply at a bush at the edge of the forest. He finally saw it. That fox was there, watching him. He had not seen her wander this close to the house before and found it strange that the birds and squirrels were not at all concerned about this predator being so close and so obvious. He was strangely happy to see her there. He smiled and finally went into the house to get his breakfast before his stomach got loud enough to scare the animals away.

After breakfast, Todd sat down and looked at the medallion, trying to think about the past two months more clearly. After a moment's contemplation, he headed to the place where he had stepped on the ring. Both the ring and stone were gone, probably taken by Jackie when she left. Well, she could have them. He sat and stared at the gouge in the floor, frowning to himself.

Making a decision, he headed out to the garage to retrieve the extra stain and finishing coat from the original installation of the floor. He had to fix that gouge. He felt watched as he walked to the separate garage, and just glancing, he saw the vixen watching him from the edge of the driveway. She must have taken more interest in the house since Jackie left. That woman was really not as animal friendly as she claimed.

Todd was aware of the vixen watching him enter the garage. He quickly located the necessary repair supplies. Heading back out of the garage with his armload, he was surprised to see the vixen sitting in the middle of the driveway, much closer now, still watching him intently. He didn't know fox's behavior completely, but there must be some reason for this. He stopped and watched her for a while until she suddenly stood up and shot off into the foliage lining the driveway. Shrugging, he went back to the house.

Whistling merrily, he got to work on sanding the edges of the gouge. It thankfully wasn't too deep, so he wouldn't have to fill it in. A quick application of stain and varnish and the floor was as good as new. He closed up everything and ran his fingertips across the shiny surface nearby, thinking of his vision of the red haired woman again. Who was this girl that invaded his dreams?

He shook his head and stood up, feeling somewhat woozy from the fumes of the varnish. He needed to let the room air out, so he headed towards the windows. They were opened quickly. Then to the sliding door that opened onto the large porch from the room. He stopped in his tracks as he saw the vixen sniffing at the corner of the sliding glass door. She looked up at him, staring for a while, then slinked off the porch.

He went quickly to the sliding door and opened it, seeing the vixen vanish into the bushes. She was definitely becoming quite brave. He smiled to himself and went to the table nearby to retrieve the medallion, then headed out. He would take a walk and give the varnish a chance to dry and the house a chance to air out. It wasn't much of a spot, so it should be good before lunch. Wandering through the woods, he enjoyed the breezes and sounds and scents. The environment was so relaxing. So invigorating. So... lonely...

He was alone now. Jackie was gone. He didn't miss her specifically, but he did feel the pang of wanting somebody around.

He realized that his feet had brought him to the edge of the field that he had spent weeks watching the vixen in. He wasn't sure what it was about this field, or that fox, that so often brought him here to watch. He scanned the field, looking to see if she was around, but he didn't spot her. So he sat down and waited, holding the medallion in his palm and gazing at it.

As he sat and waited, gazing at the token in his hand, he realized that for the past two months he had been feeling the pain of loss. But he didn't know what he had lost. His vision blurred and he felt the tears streaming down his face. He saw tears falling on the shined metal surface of the medallion and knew it was connected somehow. Hanging his head he wept. This medallion was all he had now, and for some reason it was the most important thing in his life. It was his connection to... He didn't know what it was connected to, but it was important.

He wasn't certain how long he sat there crying, but his thoughts and sniffles were interrupted by a pressure on his hand. He blinked his eyes open and saw an inquisitive squirrel investigating the medallion in his open palm, probably looking for food. He let a small smile creep to his face at first, but then cried out in dismay as the squirrel laid claim to the medallion and scampered away with it and up a nearby tree.

Todd felt as if he had just been laid a mortal blow; his mind reeled at the thought of losing that medallion. He watched in horror as the squirrel examined the shiny coin-like object, and silently prayed that the squirrel would drop it. His breath caught in his throat and his hopes sank as the squirrel took the medallion further up the tree and out on a branch, seeming intent on keeping it. He reached out desperately with a hand, almost ready to collapse with grief, and whispered "Jennifer..." It didn't even occur to him that he didn't know anybody named Jennifer.

There was a flash of motion by his feet, bringing him back from his fading awareness, and he jumped back, falling over backwards. Somewhat stunned by the impact with the ground, he lifted himself to a sitting position and saw the vixen standing with her front paws against the trunk of the tree the squirrel was in.

The vixen yapped several times at the squirrel and the furry thief chattered and scolded back in response, its tail fluffing out twice as big as before. The vixen laid her ears back and growled, yapping one more time. The squirrel jumped at the final bark from the fox and dropped the medallion, which bounced off a few branches before landing in the thin grass beside Todd.

Todd reached desperately for the medallion, but he was suddenly overcome with a wave of dizziness. A vision of a black-furred animal face... a wolf or some canine... flashed before his mind's eye. Its amber eyes burned into him, seeming to penetrate his very soul, and he didn't like it. He heard a low growl from the vixen and his head began to clear.

A scuffle from the bushes nearby caught his attention and he saw the retreating back of a fox with stark black fur. The vixen continued to growl at this intruder into her territory and the black fox shot a look back at him. He gasped in shock. The fox's face was the same black canine face he had seen during his dizziness. The black fox laid its ears back and vanished into the forest.

Todd let out his breath without having realized he was holding it, and he felt chilled even though it was a warm and bright day. He remembered the medallion and snatched it up from the ground, holding it close and weeping again from joy. He sat clutching it for a while, then suddenly remembered the strange actions of the vixen that had resulted in its recovery.

His eyes shot open and he saw fox paws resting on the ground directly in front of him. He looked up slowly, not wanting to startle the vixen. "That was very kind of you to get that back for me," he murmured, hoping to encourage her to stay with a kind voice. But as his gaze reached her eyes, she stood up and turned her back on him, walking away.

"What have I lost?" he whispered to her retreating form, fraught for any answer. He knew a simple animal, even one as amazing as this one, could not tell him, but he still had to ask. What came next should have shocked him, but it didn't.

The vixen paused in her departure and looked back over her shoulder at him, then spoke softly but clearly in a sad voice. "The same as I have, Todd. The same as I have."

His jaw dropped and he stared as she turned to begin walking again. A single thought came to his mind, and a word hung on his lips. Just before she reached the edge of the thicket, he voiced it. "Jennifer...?"

The vixen froze in midstep and slowly looked back at him.

"Am I going insane?" Todd asked himself, bemused. "How can a fox speak to me?"

The vixen suddenly looked as startled as he was just a moment ago, her mouth dropping open. She turned around slowly, staring at him. "You... heard me?" she asked in a small voice. He knew this voice. It tore at his heart.

"I did," he murmured. "Both a moment ago and now. I must be going crazy," he decided.

The vixen dashed over to him, literally skidding to a halt just inches from his face and staring into his eyes. "Don't tease me or joke with me Todd. Tell me you can hear me again. Tell me!" she pleaded.

Todd stared in disbelief, leaning back from her vehemence. "I can hear you, no joke or teasing. Even if it means I have gone insane, I can hear you," he stated. Then it came to mind once more, and he asked softly again, "Jennifer?"

The vixen suddenly yipped in delight and did a spin in midair, dancing around him in joy. She finally calmed down, coming to a softly-panting halt in front of him, and her eyes looked wet. "Yes, Todd. I am Jennifer. Well..." She hung her head in sudden sadness, "I was Jennifer."

Todd felt guilty at his next questions before he even asked them. "Who are you? Why do you haunt my dreams?"

The vixen winced and her ears and stance wilted from her prior joy. She turned her back to him, sitting down, and mumbled quietly, "Of course you can't remember. I should never have tried to fool myself." She stood and began walking away again. "I'm sorry Todd, I'm so sorry," she said, her voice cracking.

Todd reached out to her, wanting so desperately to comfort her. He felt that he needed her and he didn't know why. But she sensed his reach and bolted, causing him to cry out in despair as she evaded his touch and retreated quickly. He felt himself fading again, blacking out though he knew not why.

Then the vixen suddenly stopped as if she had struck a solid barrier at the edge of the clearing. A voice echoed through the forest and Todd realized he could not hear it with his ears, only with his mind. He looked around searchingly, but could not determine a source at all. It was simply there in his mind.

"You have your third tail now. He is still tied to you. You can help him to remember."

The vixen looked around in a panic. The forest was suddenly very silent. No breezes rustled through the leaves, no birds sang, no insects chirruped. Dust motes floated slowly in the beams of sunlight filtering down into the clearing through the canopy overhead and Todd felt his awareness returning again, though not with the feeling of dread that he had from that black fox.

The vixen called out into the silence, sounding alarmed, "How? How can I do this? Tell me! PLEASE!" She danced around in a frenzy. "TELL ME!"

"Reach deep in your own heart. Find it for yourself, as you have done with all of your other abilities. You know the answer. Show him everything."

There was a sudden breeze against Todd's face, and what seemed like an explosion of sound as birds resumed singing, squirrels resumed scolding, and the forest burst into life once again. Todd got up onto one knee from his sitting position, still feeling faint. Insanity. That had to be it.

A furry projectile of decent size suddenly collided with his chest, knocking him onto his back with a woosh of breath. This was... familiar... The vixen stood on his chest, staring at him, and he gazed at her amber eyes in wonderment. The eyes of the black fox had frightened him, but these eyes attracted him. They were warm, welcoming, and inviting. They became the whole focus of his attention, tunnel vision taking over as he sank into them. Just before his peripheral vision faded completely, he imagined he saw not one, but three distinct tails flicking behind this vixen, and the same medallion he held tightly was hanging around her neck. Then he was lost in her gaze, his mind and eyes glazing over as his consciousness flowed into her eyes.

* * * * *

Jennifer had always been a fair young woman. Beautiful enough to be able to break some hearts just with a smile before leaving, for how could anyone bear to part with such a lovely face? She was never too fond of the men she found though. They loved her physical attractiveness, certainly, but they were always too distracted and forgetful of her needs. She sang quite well, for instance, mostly for herself, but many tried to dissuade her from it, calling the singing silly.

She was intelligent enough to know she had time still, and she was not a woman to let anything get in her way. She did not just "make due" with the young men who liked a pretty face and didn't care about her mind. Though she began to wonder if a man like she sought even existed.

Meeting Todd had turned things around. She never forgot that day. Jennifer had been walking to the store to grab a few items when she had come across a young girl gazing up into a large, thick-leaved tree and wringing her little hands together in worry. The girl's actions had caught Jennifer's curiosity, and so an investigation ensued.

A serious of mewls from the foliage of the tree attracted Jennifer's attention as she approached and asked the young girl what was going on. The little girl informed her that three kittens had gone up the tree, and wouldn't come back down. Jennifer considered going up the tree to get them herself, but the little girl called up into the tree, asking an unknown individual if the kittens had been found yet.

Jennifer had jumped back in surprise as a man suddenly dangled from the tree upside down, his knees hooked over a branch, and one young feline in each hand. He announced that he had two and would get the third one, as he handed the two in his possession to the little girl.

The girl was ecstatic to receive the two cats, but the man was not so pleased when the third kitten decided to make its way down his leg tail-first and claws dug in. Jennifer would have expected anybody to let out a string of obscenities at this mistreatment, however the man had gritted his teeth and reached up to disengage the feline from the back of his thigh and hand it to the girl, eliciting a squeal of delight from her.

The girl thanked him and rushed off with her armful of kittens, then the man vanished back up into the tree for a moment before climbing carefully down the trunk. He had asked her if the little girl was her daughter, and she proclaimed that she had just been curious about what was happening. She introduced herself as Jennifer and told him she was impressed with his willingness to help in the crisis, and he had replied that he was happy to have impressed such a lovely lady.

She sighed, thinking again of how her looks were all that anybody ever noticed, and when they noticed that, they generally had to be fended off with sticks. Nice guys, small minds. He was indeed staring at her cleavage. She was about to bid him farewell and leave him behind before he got too attached when his question caught her attention. He asked her what animal spirit was associated with her pendant.

She blinked at him, noting that his gaze was on her face now, and picked her pendant off her chest to look at it. It was a stylized Celtic interface, meaning "Animal", though not actually accurate in its design. It was meant to help a person connect with the spirit of the creature on the opposite side, but this sad pendant had no creature depicted on the other side.

She told him it was a token only, and showed him the blank back, but that she hadn't yet decided between a wren or a fox for her animal. He had looked thoughtful for a moment, then grinned, mentioning that the fox fit her hair, and the wren fit her name. And he said that a wren would be even more appropriate if she enjoyed singing for herself, an observation that surprised and pleased her.

Then he smiled to her and told her that he would be on his way. He was spending some idle time before looking for a hotel to spend a few nights waiting for his new house to be ready. It was supposed to be ready a week ago, but some last minute details had held up the finishing work.

She frowned. A special annual tourist event was in town for tomorrow, and she knew that every hotel, motel, and inn would be booked solid for several towns around. She mentioned this to him, and he made a face and indicated that so far on his stroll, he had discovered she was correct. He thanked her for the information, and sadly decided that he'd likely have to head all the way to the next metropolitan area to get any space, so he'd have to get back to his car quickly to make the relatively long drive.

Her inquiring further led to the discovery that his car was on the other side of town, and within the event area. She knew that the streets in that area would be closed off by now for the event starting tomorrow. Signs were put up early in the morning to let folks know about this, so they could move their cars in time. She asked him about this, and he admitted that he had parked there the previous night, then walked up into the nearby mountains and enjoyed a nap beneath the stars, followed by wandering around to see the town afterwards. But he shouldn't do that two nights in a row, let alone the multiple days before his car was able to be moved again. Showers were a good thing, especially after long hikes and tree-climbing kitten rescues.

There was something about this man. She had watched his face the whole time now, and he had genuinely been paying attention to her, as opposed to her looks. He wasn't even doing that creepy thing of watching her face and trying to steal looks at her breasts. Her decision may have been reckless, but she offered to drive him to near his car so he could retrieve his belongings, then house him on the futon in her apartment until his car was freed at least. She figured she could lock her bedroom door. She also knew that if she made so much as a peep in her bedroom too late at night, her downstairs neighbor would be on the phone to the police to complain about the noise, so she could easily get the police there if needed.

The man had tried to decline an offer that any lecherous pervert would jump on in an instant, saying that he didn't want to trouble her. She smiled to herself, coming to the conclusion that either he was gay, or he was the first genuinely good guy she had ever met. She hoped it was the latter, because something felt very special here. But her insistence had won in the end, and he conceded defeat and willingness to take her offer.

He questioned her briefly and discovered her errand, so insisted on helping her to complete that first. He even helped carry the purchases. Not like a macho stud thing to impress the helpless pretty girl, but just literally out of second nature. The stuff was returned to her apartment, then a quick trip across town in her car for him to get his travel bag, and everything was well situated.

She was very interested in this man; almost enough to be blinded by it. When they returned to her house, he noted the books she read, and observed that he liked some of the same authors. Her probing into this revealed that he had indeed read those books, and was not just leading her on.

She finally broke out of her twitterpation enough to suddenly notice that he had decent-sized marks of blood on his pants on the backs of his legs where the kitten's claws had penetrated. He looked and chuckled, saying he guess the kitten got him a bit better than he had thought. He admitted the clawmarks were relatively painful.

Making a decision and taking matters into her own hands despite his protests, she soon had him face down on the top of her bed and his pants off as she treated the claw wounds. He winced as she cleaned them and disinfected them, and she was again impressed that he had shown no sign of his discomfort in front of the little girl. She also admired the muscles of his leg. Unlike most men she had met, and even dallied with a few, this man stayed in shape, though not in a muscle building way.

She announced the completion of her work and he rolled over to sit up. She informed him that he should take a shower, then she would apply ointment and bandages to the wounds. He thanked her and she took a moment to stretch languidly. Her stretch was interrupted by a small cough as he asked softly where the shower was. She pointed it out to him. He nodded and grabbed his bag, then smiled and beat a red-faced retreat to the bathroom.

She watched him curiously, and just as he turned on the light in the bathroom, she noted the prominent - and easily identifiable - bulge in his underwear. Well, well, well... He wasn't gay, that was for sure. Ever more promising. She left to make a quick meal and get some reading done.

She expected him to be done with his shower soon, so she was finishing up the meal and singing to herself quietly. The reading had been informative. She completed the food preparation and turned around with two plates to find him standing in the doorway. She blinked in surprise, her face reddening a little since he had invariably heard her singing. But he told her that she had a very lovely voice, and perhaps a wren would be a good creature for the other side of her pendant.

She peered at him for a moment, and smiled when she decided he was being genuine. Then she mock-scowled and chided him for having put on full-length pants again before she treated his wounds. But he could eat first, she announced magnanimously.

The meal was simple, but took a long time, for they talked a lot; it was mostly her pumping him for information. She found out that he liked animals a lot, and had a house built nearby, just a simple place he said. She found out that he hiked and biked and worked on things, which pointed out to her why he was in decent shape. She came to the distinct conclusion that he was an intelligent man, and kind to boot. In fact, as she spoke to him, she became further convinced that this was the type of man who really didn't exist. Yet here he was, sitting in front of her.

She casually asked about his wife or girlfriend, trying to hide her intent. He simply replied that he had been single for a few years now, and had promised himself he would take some time off in his new house before looking again, since his last relationship had been relatively painful for him.

The meal finished, and the time late enough that she did not want to disturb her neighbor downstairs, she closed the windowblinds in the living room and finished treating his wounds on the futon. She hummed softly as she did so, admiring his form, even though it was from the back, and quickly had all of the ointment and bandages applied. Then she retrieved blankets for him, flattened the futon and bid him goodnight.

In her own room, changed into her comfy flannel jammies and laying in bed, she found that she couldn't sleep. She stared at the wall for the longest time in the dim light, thinking over things. She heard the toilet flush in the second restroom. Realizing he had just used it, she finally made a decision.

Silently retrieving a small object from her nightstand, she headed out into the living room quickly, catching him just as he was getting back under the blankets. She smiled slightly, because it appeared he wore flannel pajamas too. Her presence startled him, and she informed him that she couldn't sleep, and that she wanted to talk a little.

He agreed, and they sat on the futon facing each other. She said that she had been thinking about the fox or the wren for her animal, and she had been trying to make up her mind. Her hand strayed to his thigh as she said this, and he noticed immediately, trying to gently remove it. But she was very insistent, moving closer to him.

She told him that while a wren was a lovely singer, they were also flighty birds, and not very striking to look at. She continued to lean closer as she spoke. Foxes, on the other hand, paired for life, and were quite sly, highly intelligent, and very striking in appearance. Foxes had a good way of accomplishing what they sought, and getting what they wanted. So she had finally chosen for her animal to be a fox.

He nodded with a small gulp, obviously slightly discomfited by her close presence and attitude. She was stalking him, and that was quite obvious. But she didn't give him time to get too uncomfortable. She smiled in the dim light and announced that she wanted him, and was going to do her best to get him, then literally pounced him.

His initial protests melted away under her soft words and encouragements. She told him why, explained her case, and added a powerful blow to his resistance with her soft body and loving caresses. He had a last minute concern over pregnancy, but she smiled and informed him that not only was she on birth control, but she also had a condom to take care of any other concerns. And one should never try to get between a vixen and what she wants, she pointed out.

His fight broke, and the night that followed was one of long foreplay, wild, passionate lovemaking, and tender snuggling. As she lay on top of him and snuggled in the aftermath, he suddenly let out a somewhat odd-sounding squeak of a noise and began to shake gently. She looked at him, and asked him what was wrong.

He smiled at her in the darkness and she realized he was laughing softly, but it seemed like hysterics rather than humor. She frowned as he told her he just realized something, and he hoped she wouldn't be too upset. This did not bode well.

Then he held his hand up, as if offering to shake her hand, and told her he knew her name was Jennifer, as she had told him at the beginning, but he had never introduced himself. His name was Todd, and he was pleased to meet her, even though vixens could make a person break a promise to themself. She broke down laughing, kissed him tenderly, and felt very pleased with herself for landing this wonderful man... even if she never knew his name until after jumping his bones in quite a forward manner.

That had been the beginning of an absolutely beautiful relationship. He spent the next few days at her apartment and they talked about many things. He was always kind, considerate, and caring, and he paid genuine attention to her. They enjoyed time together at night, twice more with the passionate loving, and once just cuddling happily.

She was shocked to see his new home. He had mentioned a simple place nearby. Well, yes, nearby in the sense that it was deep in the mountains, with a private access road built all the way to it, and this small town was the closest civilization. The road was winding and twisty, as it had been built with great care to avoid the larger trees. It was narrow, meant to deal with one vehicle at most normally, with small pulloffs every once in a while should two vehicles need to pass each other.

The house, on the other hand, was no "simple place". At first she was shocked to come around a bend in the road and suddenly find a house there on a bedrock hill, nestled in so well amongst the trees that it was almost hidden. He was proud as he showed if off to her, describing how he had gone to great pains to keep the house from disturbing the forest too much. The basement had been dug into the bedrock itself, trees were left standing only feet away from outside walls, and everything was built to be efficient and unobtrusive.

The house had pantry and storage space enough for months' worth of supplies; solar panels provided heat and power, along with a specially built power line from town, and a silent and buried backup generator for emergencies. Supplies of fuel for the whole house would only need to come in once every two years, probably less often even. There was a satellite uplink for communications of both phone and network, as well as another hard-wired line to town just in case. The garage had repair materials of all sorts, tools, and everything else. And the winters were mild, with only a small bit of snow. It was like a forest keep, absolutely wonderful!

As she saw more and more of the place, utterly entranced, she had a nagging feeling about something. Finally, as he was showing her the permanent bird feeders and squirrel feeders and even drip systems for water for the creatures, she confronted him, asking how much this had cost. He looked embarrassed as he admitted that it was a bit over three million dollars.

Her jaw dropped and she asked how on earth he had that much to spend on a house. He told her that he was independently wealthy. Good stock purchases when he was younger had made him a multibillionaire and now he preferred to spend time doing the things he loved rather than doing the things other people expected him to do. He lived fully off the interest from basic investments now, but he didn't want to be seen as a rich and powerful man. It only caused problems.

She gazed at him in realization. Though left unspoken, she realized it was problems with his relationships most likely. What woman wouldn't want to get a piece of his money, after all? Just like... what man wouldn't want to get a piece of her flesh? She stated her fear that she hoped he didn't think she was after him just for his money. But he smiled and took her into his arms and soothed her. She hadn't known who he was, or what he had before she decided to claim him, he told her. He accepted her as genuine, and that was the only reason he broke his promise to himself. And he was glad he had done so.

She continued to live at her own apartment for a month, though she spent more time at his place than at hers. Then one day, when they were walking near a lovely field near his home, he stopped and she knew something was up. Her heart fluttered as he turned to her and extracted a small box from his pocket. But she felt a flash of distress in a way. She was certain he was about to propose to her, after only a month, and she for some reason didn't want this. She wanted him, but she didn't want a ring yet, it just felt wrong. Her feelings were in turmoil as he told her he had a gift for her, and she tried to think of how she would refuse his proposal.

Then he had opened the box, and the glint caught her eye... not of a ring, but of a beautiful platinum medallion. It was not too large, and hung from a simple yet very sturdy silver chain. She recognized an actually accurate Celtic animal interface minted on the side facing her. Her fingers trembled as she lifted the inch-wide medallion from the small box and turned it over on her palm. The other side was minted with a beautifully detailed depiction of two foxes sitting beside each other, just snuggled close with one nuzzling beneath the other's chin.

She stood in shock as the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees threw glints off the lovely pendant, and Todd told her that it was a gift with no strings attached... well, other than the chain to hang it from her neck. He said that he realized that he had no claim on her yet, and nobody ever knew what the future would bring. He had this made especially for her, so that if they ever parted, perhaps one would still have it, and remember the other forever.

She felt the tears running down her cheeks and had an instant and irreversible change of heart. She looked at him as sternly as she could, and told him that she would only accept this gift on one condition. He looked concerned, but asked what it was. She said that she would only accept the medallion -IF-... it came with a marriage proposal. She didn't care what the future brought; she just never wanted to lose him. She never wanted this pendant to be something to remember the other by, because she never wanted them to ever be apart.

He had taken half a moment to get his wits about him, but he conceded... with his own condition. He wanted the engagement to be two years, because he wanted her to be absolutely certain of her heart. On his knee before her, he vowed to her that should she accept his proposal, he would become her mate for life exactly two years from the day they first met.

She had wavered, worried about the delay, but he had taken her hand and kissed it, murmuring that he felt they might be soul mates, and if that were the case, then nothing would ever keep them apart. She literally pounced him over backwards, the soft peat of the field cushioning their fall. After gazing into his eyes for the longest time, she made passionate love with him right there, sealing the agreement.

Months passed in a flash. Beautiful memories were made, reinforced, and revisited. It was almost impossible for two people to be happier with each other than Todd and Jennifer were, and yet they still found ways to do so. They worked on the extra touches in the house together, laying a hardwood floor as one of their biggest projects. They hiked together often, kept in good shape, slept both at home and under the stars, enjoyed the constant presence of the animals in the forest; overall it was a wonderful time for both of them.

* * *

Twenty two months passed since their first encounter at the kitten tree. Jennifer thought it would take too long, and yet it also seemed to go by so fast. Her life with Todd had been nothing but absolutely wonderful. He woke her up that morning with breakfast in bed and the announcement that he was going to town today to get information, since it was time to begin planning for their wedding in two months. After he had cleaned up from her meal, he had departed for town, leaving her humming and singing merrily as she enjoyed the morning.

She began straightening things up, putting small things away, and so on, when she noticed that Todd's safe was not fully closed. The door had caught on a corner of carpet when he went to close it, from the looks of it. One of the agreements that they had was that they both got a safe to keep special things in that were private to them alone. This included surprises for the other person, and many other things.

She was about to push the door closed when she felt dizzy suddenly, a vision of a black-faced fox flashing before her. She shuddered as she recovered, gripping the safe door for balance. That creature she had just seen... it seemed so malignant, so dark. She shook her head and sat down, then noticed that the only current content of Todd's safe was an unmarked book.

She knew she shouldn't touch it. It was in the safe for a reason. But a cold wind brushed past the back of her neck, and something gave her both a feeling of trepidation and a need to look. She found her hand closing on the book, and lifting it to read.

It was a journal, or a diary, whichever. Remembering the shiver she got, she suddenly feared that she would find something horrible in it. She was deathly afraid that there was some deep, dark secret hidden within its pages, just waiting for her to find, to ruin her life.

She started to put it back, then suddenly felt dizzy again. The same black fox face flashed before her once more, and the look in its eyes seemed to force her to open the book. She opened her eyes to the neat writing, and began to read with a sense of dread in her heart.

The journal started from four years past, documenting the end of a horrible relationship. The entries were sparse, months between them, and she quickly found where she had come into his life, almost two years ago. She read quickly, knowing he would be back from town at any moment.

As she flipped through the pages, the things she read brought tears to her eyes. But they were not tears of pain, or distress. They were tears of pure happiness. Thoughts filled the pages that he never expected her to know of, things that he would be embarrassed to tell her, and some that he planned to tell her once they were married. And these thoughts were beautiful, loving, caring, and perfect.

As she reached the page that he had written that morning, and saw everything now, she realized more than ever that he was wonderful, and that he was hers. She jumped guiltily as a tear from her cheek fell onto the page and carefully wiped it away, feeling a pang of regret for having invaded his journal like this. She carefully placed the book back in the safe and closed it.

She scooted back away from the safe, hugging her knees close to herself as the chill feel came again. What had ever enticed her to look like that? What had filled her with such dread? That seemed so unlike her.

She looked up suddenly as a dark voice informed her that it had been so certain there would be bad things in that journal, that it had lured her to read it. She looked up to see... well, it was a fox... but on two legs, standing like a woman, and as large as one. Dark black fur covered her whole body, and she reeked of maliciousness and evil. A smaller, normal sized black fox stood beside her, growling at Jennifer.

Jennifer's eyes widened in fear and she backed away as the fox woman told her that she had been so eager for some horrible things to be found in the journal. She said that she had been hoping for her pet to be able to feast on hatred and self-pity as dark secrets were revealed. But since that failed, her lovely pet would have to make due with feeding on Jennifer's fear and death.

The standing dark fox woman vanished in a burst of acrid black smoke, and Jennifer screamed as the black animal that was left leapt on her, snarling and trying to get to her throat. Then Todd was suddenly there, his foot connecting with the creature's ribs and sending it skidding across the room with a yelp. Todd was yelling at it, but his voice was fading away from Jennifer, and she did not know why. The black fox had not injured her more than a few scratches.

The black fox stared at her, seemingly ignoring Todd, and the voice of the evil fox woman came again from nowhere. Fine, my pet, it had said, if you can't have her, then you'll make sure nobody can.

A strange, sparkling thread suddenly dangled before the black fox, hanging out of nowhere. Jennifer opened her mouth to scream as the black creature of evil grinned at her maliciously. Its tail suddenly split into two, waving behind it as it caught the thread in its teeth, and pulled hard. Her scream was never heard.

* * *

Jennifer awoke to a silent world. Lifting herself off the non-existent floor, she opened her eyes and looked around to see... nothing. There was the ground beneath her feet, sort of, but nothing but blackness forever onwards. She ran for a long time, not losing breath, and not tiring, but she never reached an end of the darkness. There was no sound. Her own voice seemed muffled as she screamed out for somebody, anybody, as if the darkness was sucking it away.

She collapsed and cried, lost and alone. Then a voice she recognized invaded her thoughts. She looked up to see the black fox woman again. A malicious grin broke the fox's muzzle, and she spoke only a few words. A gift, she said, and dropped a torn burlap bag. For the rest of eternity, she scowled, and then vanished, leaving Jennifer alone once more.

Jennifer reached for the bag, emptying it out into her lap and tossing the limp, torn fabric bag away. Todd's journal, a photograph, and the platinum medallion he had given her.

She clasped the medallion to her chest as she looked at the photograph. It was of Todd, smiling with his arm around another woman. A woman with short-cropped blonde hair, who was wearing the same medallion, and showing off a ring with a stone bigger than a finger should be able to hold. But Todd's smile seemed vacant, hollow, like he was forcing it out.

Dreading what she would find, she began to read the journal. It was identical up until the point at which he met her, but instead of meeting her, he met some woman named Jackie. Jennifer's heart sank as she continued reading. So many events described in the journal were very close to what she knew to have happened, but Todd was constantly hinting that he didn't feel it to be right. Jennifer realized that she had been dragged out of the world, and this other woman, this Jackie, had taken her place in Todd's life.

But as she continued to read, she knew that Todd felt it wasn't right either. She could tell by what he said that he didn't truly love Jackie. She read slowly, not growing hungry, or sleepy. She realized she truly didn't exist anymore, not even bodily. She looked at, and into, every word. And as she reached the end, the day that Todd was going to start getting information for the wedding, she knew that he could still feel her, that they were somehow still connected. The photograph lay to the side, forgotten. Jennifer curled up on her side, clutching the journal and the pendant to her chest, crying an endless supply of tears into the vast darkness around her, wishing with all her heart for some way to return.

She had no idea how long she laid there. She had no idea how many tears were cast to the emptiness. She expected it could be forever. But now she felt the pendant warming in her grasp. Not growing hot, but just comfortably warm. She sat up and gazed at it, wondering at the gentle glow emanating from its surface.

Then a voice had startled her. How did you get here? It asked. She spun around on her rump to see a man standing there, fuzzy of face and relatively... bad-looking... but just in an unkempt way. He looked as surprised to see her as she was to see him, but he seemed to quickly recover, though he didn't seem completely sure of himself.

He told her that her thread had fallen from the tapestry of life, and he could put it back in for her. She would be rich and powerful, famous and loved by everybody. He even suddenly was holding a huge suitcase, and he sat it down, opening it to show her gold, jewels, and money. He said that it would take his energies to do that, and he asked that she simply lay with him quickly to help him regain his energy from the effort. Or if she could not stand the sight of him, he would even become handsome for her.

She gazed at him and asked him if she would remember her old life. He told her she would not, but the fame and fortune of the new life would make up for it. She held up the medallion, gazing at it, and the sight of it obviously shocked this strange man. He asked her where she had gotten it, and how it had come to be here, completely off his obviously almost-scripted spiel now.

She told him that it was given to her by somebody in her past life. It was given to her by the one and only man she could or would ever love. She thanked him for his offer, and declined it. She would not go back for anybody but Todd. It was him, or nothing.

The man seemed to be at a loss, looking bewildered as the suitcase full of riches vanished. Then there was a tear in the darkness behind him, light shining through as two figures stepped out. Jennifer shielded her eyes from the bright light, blinking away spots in her vision as she looked at two new fox people standing there, one male, one female. She had a flash of fear for a moment, remembering the black-furred fox woman, but these two both had warm red fur, and when the female looked at her, she felt comforted and soothed.

The ugly man had turned around in shock, and suddenly dropped upon one knee before these two. Jennifer looked at the swirl of tails behind the two foxes, and after some trouble, counted nine distinct tails behind each one.

The female fox told the man that this case was far too complex for him, that nothing here was as it seemed, and that a dark one had been involved. The man paled, and suddenly his own form changed to that of a fox, though Jennifer saw only five tails gracing his rear end. This five-tailed fox man bowed and simply vanished, leaving Jennifer with the two nine-tailed foxes.

The female of the two told Jennifer that normally, Kitsunes, which is what they were, were created when somebody's thread fell from the tapestry of life after gathering the energy of life experience from the tapestry. But Jennifer's had been forcefully removed, the female Kitsune explained, and the energy needed to gain tails as a Kitsune had been stripped from her, so she would normally be stuck here in nothingness forever. And sadly, there was nothing a Kitsune could do to give her that energy.

Jennifer cried out in distress at this news, clutching her knees to herself. But the two Kitsune dropped to their haunches beside her, the female hugging her and whispering in her ear. The female told Jennifer that she was in possession of the energy needed already. But she would have to find it for herself. Find that source of positive energy.

The voices and the Kitsunes faded away, leaving Jennifer alone in the darkness once again, but now she had hope. She sat and thought. She had the source of power already? Where? Then her gaze dropped to the still-glowing medallion. Holding it up by its chain, she gazed at it, then slipped it over her head.

* * *

Jennifer woke to a ray of sunshine on her face. She yawned widely, and blinked at the forest surrounding her. Then she jumped up in surprise. This was the field that she and Todd used to come to so often! She took a step, and something felt wrong. She promptly tripped and fell face first, though not nearly as far as she thought she should.

Her whole body felt wrong. She glanced back at herself, and was shocked to see a lovely orange-furred fox body that she could only realize was her own. Two tails sprouted from her rump, and she gazed at them, enthralled for a short time, before she came to the sudden realization that she was a Kitsune.

She managed to sit comfortably, and thought for a while. Information came to her, as if it was stuff she already knew, but had simply forgotten, and was now just thinking and remembering. She was a two-tailed Kitsune. She had some abilities and powers, but not many. She could walk, now, she felt confident of that. She glanced back at her two lovely tails, and with a twist of her will, one of them dissolved away, no longer showing.

She felt a weight around her neck and glanced at her chest. It was the medallion! Her draw of power was overdone as she reached to it with her will, and it faded away also, kept safe from prying eyes or accidental loss. Using too much energy in her hurry made her tired, and she flopped over in the sunlight, falling swiftly asleep.

She woke again in the evening as the sun was starting to go down. Something had disturbed her rest. Lifting her head, she looked around for the source of the disturbance. Her heart caught in her throat as she saw Todd standing at the edge of the field. She jumped up, seeing the haunted look on his face, and he saw her and smiled. She was about to run up to him, to hug him, to hold him, but as she called out to him, her voice came as a sharp bark.

She paused in dismay as she realized that she was naught but a fox. She could be a fox with two tails, but this would be likely to scare him. She realized she could even look like another animal, with a simple illusion she could do. But she could not speak to him, or be with him in his world. So she watched him from afar. She used her new very good ears to listen to what was said, and paid attention. And she worked hard to gather energy, so maybe she could get her third tail eventually.

She had only been missed a bit more than two weeks, and she was learning much. But she was saddened as well. She could see that Todd was getting worse. He'd come out to the field more often to watch her and he'd gaze at the medallion he had, the exact copy of the one she wore, just from the thread in a world that didn't have her in it. He was growing more distracted, and she heard him arguing with Jackie more often. Well, if you could call her shouting at his silence an argument.

Jennifer kept track of the days more closely. Two days before the wedding, now, and Jackie was in an absolute rage. Jennifer watched through the window, having the spare energy now to be invisible easily. She watched as the evil woman took the engagement ring off and threw it on the ground.

Jackie stormed off to the bedroom, and Jennifer winced as Todd accidentally stepped on the ring, gouging the hardwood floor. Her ears wilted. It was not technically the same floor that she had put in with him, but she still remembered that work fondly. Especially the fun afterwards. She watched as Todd walked out the front door, and considered following him, but wanted to take care of some last things here first.

Concentrating, she willed a lot of power, and phased through the sliding glass door, stepping past its substance as if it were not there. Jackie came storming out of the bedroom with a sloppily-packed bag and looked around for Todd, but he was of course gone. Then she saw the smashed ring on the floor. Jackie screamed, and declared she was going to burn the fucking place to the ground, and the damn forest here with it.

Jennifer felt an instant alarm, and put out an immediate mental call of distress to all the animals nearby. And boy did they respond to this Kitsune's call. As Jackie was reaching down to pick up the ring, trying to decide how best to start the fire, birds swooped in from all over the forest. Rabbits, squirrels, deer, bugs, snakes, lizards; everything that flew, walked, crawled, or skittered... all coming to the Kitsune's request.

Jennifer whimpered, realizing she was low on energy. She reached deep within herself, and found the hidden medallion, once again brimming with the energy that her love shared with Todd gave it. She reached for that energy, drinking it up, savoring in its flow, and with a massive push of her will, all of the windows of the house were flung wide, and the sliding glass door flew open.

The expenditure of energy was still great, and Jennifer lost control of both the invisibility spell and the wrap of illusion that hid the medallion. She found herself sitting there in front of the open sliding door, panting softly from the excursion, with Jackie staring at her murderously. The woman howled in anger as she saw the medallion hanging from Jennifer's neck, and came towards her with an obviously lethal intent.

It was right about then that the cavalry arrived. Birds of all shapes, sizes, and colors swooped in through the windows and door, chattering noisily around the room. Squirrels leaped in through every opening they could reach, swarming the infuriated woman. Rabbits bit at her ankles as squirrels tore through her hair and birds swooped, scolding at her. Lizards glared at her, causing her to take a step back. And then the snakes, many poisonous ones included, arrived in full force and with obvious threat to bite.

Jackie realized now that it would be suicide to remain here, but she still stared with rage at the vixen sitting calmly amidst all the chaos. Jennifer scowled and shot an image of her prior human self to the woman's mind. Jackie's eyes widened, and she shook her head, finally frightened for her life. The woman fell to her knees begging the Kitsune to leave her alone. She would leave and never come back.

Jennifer barked sharply and the chaos immediately ceased. Birds found places to perch, squirrels and rabbits left off their harassment, and the snakes curled up in a ready position. The creatures surrounded Jackie except for a single open route left to the front door. Jackie stood up quickly, looking around at the animals in surprise, and glowered at the vixen again. She was obviously about to open her mouth to say something nasty when a single snake hissed and reared back as if ready to strike. Jackie made the smart decision and beat a hasty retreat with the words left unspoken

Jennifer and the creatures kept their guard up until they heard the SUV outside start up and depart, then the vixen collapsed from exhaustion. Most of the animals paid silent respect to her as they passed her on the way out, and a number of squirrels tugged on windowsills, trying to close them, but to no avail.

The little vixen slept on the floor for a few more hours, waking when she had her energy back. Hopping up on surfaces, she applied as much physical force as she could to the windows, so she did not need to use too much magical energy to close them. Finally, once all the windows were closed, she headed out the sliding glass door and tried pushing it closed with her shoulder. It wouldn't budge. She applied magic to it, but it was too heavy for her tired state. She sat down, feeling defeated, when a furred hand reached over her and slid it silently shut.

Jennifer spun around in surprise, and there was the male of the pair of Kitsunes that had helped her to begin with. He smiled at her and reached down to ruffle her head fur. He told her he was very proud of her, and then simply faded away.

The vixen ducked her chin against the medallion, feeling its glowing warmth, and took comfort in it for a while before carefully hiding it away once more. Sniffing at the ground, she found Todd's scent, and followed his trail. She smiled as she found him sleeping at the edge of the field that she had made her home. She knew he would be safe. The animals respected him even before she got here as a vixen, and her magical presence had made that respect very solid. She curled up near her den until morning, and once the sun was up, watched him from a distance until he awoke.

Something felt wrong that day: a feeling of foreboding. So she watched Todd much more closely. She was filled with joy when he started whistling a song that she had taught him when he was repairing the damaged floor. Then she found an odd scent by the sliding glass door, so she went off to investigate.

It smelled like another fox... but not quite right. She followed the fox's trail to where it intersected with a squirrel's scent, with both present at about the same time. But there was no scuffle as if the fox had chased the squirrel. Strange. Then the fox's scent just stopped. She frowned, and followed the squirrel's path to see if it yielded any clues.

The trail was random for a short ways, then made a quick beeline in one direction. She followed it, quickening her pace she realized it was heading for her own field, and the feeling of wrongness intensified. She heard a gasp from up ahead that she recognized as Todd, and a strangled cry from him. She rushed quickly and saw a squirrel up in the tree with the medallion, and looking quite ready to run off with it. This definitely wouldn't do.

Ignoring Todd's probable confusion at her actions, she ran past his legs to the base of the tree. Hey, squirrel! That's his shiny thing! He gives you so much from the kindness of his heart, you really should give that back to him! But the squirrel said that the other fox wanted this, and asked the squirrel to get it. Jennifer pointed out that if the squirrel took the medallion, the squirrels and birds wouldn't get any more food from Todd anymore at all, and they would be upset with the medallion stealer. This got the squirrel's attention, and he dropped the medallion with an apology and scampered off.

Then Jennifer felt a cold wind ruffle her fur, and a dark presence. She looked across the field, and there was the same Dark Kitsune fox that had been sent to attack her and had torn her thread from the world! He looked at first like he was ready to attack, then stopped short in sudden surprise. She growled warningly at him, telling him to back off from her love and her territory, and to her surprise, he left. She had no idea why he left though. He was a two-tail also, and she was still low on energy from everything she had done recently. He could likely have beaten her.

She watched as Todd finally got his wits about him to pick up the medallion, and went to sit in front of him as he cradled it while crying. She realized that she was just a fox, four on the floor, and couldn't even speak. And she had never existed here. She would never be anything more than haunting dreams and visions to him.

He stopped crying after a while, and realized she was there. He looked up at her slowly, and she came to the final conclusion that all she could ever do was watch over him now, and take what little comfort she could from being somewhat close. Not wanting to upset anything anymore, she stood up and turned, walking away. She heard him mutter to himself, asking what he had lost. With a tear in her eye, she turned to look at him over her shoulder, telling him that his loss was the same as hers... They had lost each other.

She was just about to reach the edge of the clearing when he called out to her by name. She stopped, stunned, and looked back at him as he muttered to himself about hearing her speak. What was this, some cruel trick? She turned around, hardly daring to believe as she asked him for confirmation, which he provided.

She felt hope again, not knowing at all what was going on, and rushed up to him. She had to know that she was not imagining things, and sure enough, he responded to her voiced question, even knowing her name again.

She was ecstatic! He remembered her!! Yes, she was Jennifer, she told him, then realized that she was still just a fox. And his next words struck her like a physical blow. He asked who she was, haunting his dreams. She realized that he didn't remember at all. He couldn't remember. She had never existed. She was the only one who remembered herself.

She apologized to him, turning to go as emotional anguish coursed through her, and felt him reaching out to her. She couldn't bear it anymore and bolted, needing to get away, feeling as if it were tearing at both of them. At the edge of the clearing, she gasped as she suddenly ran into a furred leg. The nine-tailed Kitsune female looked down at her and waggled a finger.

You have your third tail now, the nine-tail told her. He is still tied to you. You can help him to remember. And with that, the other Kitsune vanished, leaving the forest completely silent. Jennifer was in a panic. Third tail? She hadn't even noticed! That would be why the two-tail Dark one left. But how could she make Todd remember? She cried out to the forest, asking, hoping that the Kitsune was still listening, and was told that she should find out for herself.

She looked at Todd and an image flashed into her mind. He was kneeling in the same place that he had been when he originally proposed to her. Her mind snapped into focus, and she knew what she had to do. In a dash, she pounced him, knocking him backwards into the soft peat of the meadow. Standing on his chest, she dropped all of her other spells, her tails and the medallion appearing as she gazed into his eyes, just as she had done almost two years before. Weaving her newly gained magics, she drew his consciousness lovingly into her mind. She would show him her memories, and share them with him, so they could be together again.

* * * * *

Todd drew in a deep breath as the visions he received faded away. It was dark now, a full moon shining down brightly from almost directly overhead. The thick fur of the vixen was backlighted by the moon's brilliance, making her outline glow with the soft radiance. He reached up to touch her cheek, gazing in wonder as he saw indeed that the medallion hung around her neck, and three tails flowed behind her.

"Jennifer," he whispered softly. "How could I ever have forgotten you?"

Her muzzle lifted into a smile, and a tear streaked down her nose top drop onto his neck. "I am still a Kitsune, Todd. I am still an animal," she murmured sadly. But she blinked and looked thoughtful. "But now, with a third tail, I can..."

Her paws slipped off him to either side of his chest and waist, and she concentrated, drawing on her new abilities. He watched in amazement as her form grew and changed, and she became a humanoid fox, straddling his waist with her hands to either side of his shoulders. She looked at herself, and was quite gleeful at the accomplishment. Then with a final twist of power, she clothed herself in illusion, changing herself to look like the human woman she once was.

Todd stared in awe at the transformation, and reached up to touch her cheek again. But his hand did not touch the insubstantial illusion, and instead touched her furred fox cheek. He jumped in surprise, drawing his hand back, and she looked sad.

"I can take the appearance of the human I once was, but it is only to see, and takes much of my energy, tiring me quickly. Beneath this cloak of power, I am still nothing but an animal," she murmured sadly.

Todd smiled and his touch returned to her cheek. "Then save your energy, my love," he murmured as his fingers stroked through her lush fur. She blinked in surprise, and let the illusion drop, panting faintly from the effort. Todd continued to caress her lovingly, and he held up the pendant that he still grasped, holding it beside the one around her neck. He showed one side of each to her. "You have found your true animal connection, simple as that. Why should I love you any less for this? I accept you the way you are. You will always have my love, because I know the heart is yours, no matter what you look like."

Todd looked up at the full moon, then blinked and looked at his watch, piquing Jennifer's curiosity. He smiled at her attentively perked ears, and took her furred hand in his own, wrapping it around the two medallions.

"As of twenty two minutes ago, it is now the same day that I met you exactly two years ago," he murmured. "One month after that, I gave you this medallion, with a vow to become yours forever exactly two years to the day from the day I met you. You pounced me on that day just like you have today. The tampering that tore us apart could not keep us apart, and I intend to keep that vow, no matter what."

He reached up with his other hand to caress her cheek again, and continued up to stroke her ear, eliciting a murr of pleasure from her. "We can't get married in a church obviously, with you being a fox," he said with a wry smile. "But since you are a fox, you should know how to lay claim to your mate for forever."

Jennifer looked up suddenly as both of the nine-tailed Kitsune appeared standing behind Todd's head. The male began making fluid motions and gestures in the air with his paws as the female spoke. "You can have him forever, and he have you, but it will cost him the life that he has now. You cannot make that choice for him, he must make that choice himself."

Jennifer looked at Todd, who was still gazing at her, and obviously could not see or hear the other two. "Todd," she said quietly, swallowing a small fear as she glanced up at the male Kitsune, who had finished his motions, and now a familiar-looking thread was dangling from a rip in reality. "I can claim you, but if I do, you will lose your life as I have lost mine. You will lose all your money, your home, your riches, and everything. You will never have existed as a human. Are you willing to do this?"

Todd did not hesitate, nodding immediately. "I had the riches before I met you. And when you were gone, I had the riches with Jackie. They meant nothing to me. Only you mean anything to me. I will do anything, and give up everything, to be with you."

Jennifer still gazed with fear at the thread though. She knew it was Todd's thread, her Kitsune nature told her that. She also knew that simply plucking it would not necessarily work. He could be lost to her forever. The female nine-tailed Kitsune looked at her and smiled though. "Have faith, young one. Claim him as yours. Share in a joining of power and pleasure and love. We will see to the thread at the proper moment, and make certain that he stays with you. Trust us."

Jennifer gulped again, and nodded. The fear remained at the edge of her mind, but she knew that Todd had placed his trust in her, and she could not let him down. She felt a warmth in her heart, and a tingle growing in her belly. She gazed down at this man who she loved so desperately, her own shadow cast on his face from the moon behind her. The shadow of her ears went above his head, giving him faux ears in an alluring manner, and she felt a need growing.

Two weeks in darkness. Six weeks as a fox. Now she was in a woman's shape again, but with more. She had power, and she had her beloved here beneath her. She remembered the day he had proposed, how she had pounced him into this exact same spot, gazed into his eyes for so long, and then made such passionate love with him. She must have him again.

Todd gazed at Jennifer as she seemed distracted by something behind his head, but he saw nothing. Then suddenly she looked at him with a hunger, literally a fire in her eyes as she gazed at him. Her claws raked down his chest and he gasped, but they tore only the shirt he was wearing, not damaging his skin at all. Her claws raked across him several more times, shredding the shirt until she was able to rip it out from behind him and toss it away.

He shivered in the night air at her sudden lustful ferocity as she backed down his legs, scratching at his pants. But his belt did not give under the cutting of her claws. With a growl, she extended power, and with a brief shock of warmth, the full remainder of his clothing literally burned from his body, again leaving him uninjured. He remembered her passion as a human, and he saw that same passion here, multiplied by her intense need.

Her sex ground against him as she suddenly pressed herself to his body, kissing him desperately. It was a new experience for both of them, kissing a fox and kissing as a fox, but they didn't care. It was the passion, the love that counted, and that was all.

Her body was so delightfully warm in the chilly midnight air, and her flesh was so wet and hot against his, that it took only a very short time for him to be fully aroused. He didn't push the pace though, for he was the one being claimed, and he was to be hers. He held her and kissed her, his lips licked by her and his throat nuzzled. She rubbed herself against the length of his shaft, nestling it between her folds and deriving more pleasure for both of them.

Todd was left almost breathless by her passion before she had even begun to join with him. She took his throat in her teeth and repositioned her hips to sink her body around him, engulfing him completely and suddenly in her heat, and he found himself gasping from the pleasure. As she took his flesh into herself, her teeth released him only when he was fully hers, and she arched herself up and back, silhouetted against the full moon that looked down on this carnal joining.

With all of his newly returned memories of her, he could not remember her once ever being quite this passionate, but he shared her passion now. All three of her tails were in constant motion across his legs, her hips rocking against his with each thrust she took down onto him. Her fingers curled, claws digging against his chest. But with no injury to him they brought only pleasure as he reveled in the knowledge of how much she enjoyed this.

His hands flowed over her body, sifting through her lush fur and finally finding their way to her hips. He held her waist firmly, pulling her down onto himself as he pressed up into her. He could feel her body clenching around him, and he knew her so well that he recognized it meant her imminent climax. When that happened, his body would have no choice but to respond in kind. He was almost hers.

Jennifer saw the male Kitsune grasp the thread in his fingertips, and had a flash of fear for a moment. What if something went wrong? Maybe she should stop and reconsider. But the female's words echoed in her mind. She would trust them. She had to have him.

She threw herself onto Todd's flesh with abandon, claws gripping at his shoulders as she felt his sweet sweat even in the cold of the night. She forced her eyes open to gaze down at him, and he saw the flame deep within them. Through his gasping breaths, he voiced four simple words that sent her over the edge. "I love you, Jennifer", he proclaimed.

Driving herself down to claim his flesh completely, her peak hit her. She felt her body clenching, milking his flesh as he stiffened and shuddered with his own peak. A buck of his shaft, and she felt his seed splash into her, so hot and wonderful...

Todd could not hold back as his announcement of his love for her threw her over the edge into ecstasy. Her inner walls tugged at him, squeezing so beautifully, and his body shook with reaction. His flesh throbbed as his hot fluids spurted deep within her and her body demanded more...

The female Kitsune who was watching nodded at the thread knotted around Todd's thread in a complex pattern, intertwined inseparably. The male Kitsune gave a sharp tug on the thread, and both Jennifer and Todd were sent spinning into darkness.

* * *

Jennifer woke slowly, opening her eyes and seeing nothing but darkness around her. A flash of panic hit her as she recognized this place, but then she realized that she was still atop Todd. His flesh was still held within her body, the warm glow of the pairing still making her tingle. She gazed at his still form and he quickly began to awaken, opening his eyes to meet her gaze. He smiled and stroked her cheek lovingly, then suddenly took note of his surroundings.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"You are nowhere," a warm voice answered as the female nine-tailed Kitsune appeared beside them. Todd blinked up at her as she looked at Jennifer. "You may want to get off him for a short while, young one," she murmured as small motes of light began to dance up out of the darkness around the two lovers.

"No!!" Jennifer cried, wrapping her arms around her love. Todd curled his arms around her in return, and both of them looked quite unwilling to let go. Then both of them exclaimed in surprise as the motes lifted them bodily into the air. The nine-tailed Kitsune raised an eyebrow and smiled, then vanished away.

Jennifer and Todd held each other closer as the motes swirled and danced around them, then suddenly swarmed at them and into them. In a flash of power, both were transformed, though Todd's change was more dramatic. Four clawed feet settled to the dark ground of nowhere, and Jennifer finally reluctantly released Todd from her warm body as she leaned back to gaze at his newly-furred form.

Todd looked at his clawed hands with his mouth hanging wide open, and patted his thickly-furred abdomen. He stuck a leg out to the side and peered at its new digitigrade shape. Then Jennifer leaned around him, peering at something with a frown.

Todd blinked as Jennifer grabbed all of his tails, counting them out one by one. "Six?!" she exclaimed in surprise.

Todd eyed her tails and counted carefully. "You have six also, dear."

Jennifer yelped and reached around herself, recounting her own tails. "But... how?" she murmured.

"Selflessness, love, kindness, acceptance, trust, and faithfulness," a voice echoed from nowhere, causing them both to gaze around. But they smiled in delight and hugged each other warmly as the voice murmured, "Welcome to the family."

* * * * *

"Faithfulness?" he asked her, looking at his own nine tails curiously.

She nodded. "You know it too."

He flicked an ear in agreement, as he did know it. "But you said..." he began, but she put a finger to the tip of his muzzle and licked his nose gently.

"Perhaps there is more to the universe than this single Kitsune knows," she murmured.

He smiled and nodded. "Well, maybe we should see how much we can learn, then. However I think we last left off with something left undone..."

She grinned and tweaked his ear, though more gently this time. "That's something I can deal with learning about right now. So... how many licks DOES it take to get to the creamy center of a handsome nine-tailed Kitsune? Let's see... One... Two... Three..." And in the swirl of eighteen tails, they began... er... continued... their new lives.

Recommended Next Steps

If you enjoyed the story, you're encouraged to comment below, fave the story, and vote on it.

Click here to send the author a tip

More StoriesNext Story

Head here to support me on Patreon