The Fox Fire Chronicles

Chapter Four: A Secret Revealed

Luna has learned that her birth mother had sealed her soul into a book to hide from the Order of the Pure Earth, and that she is in fact a kitsune spirit that was placed into a spiritless child's body, saving the body from death and providing a hiding place for her. Aside from her discoveries about her kitsune nature, she has agreed to meet her friend Wess at the well her family and his family share.

"Wess!" Luna has arrived an hour later than she and her friend agreed upon. The sun was already low in the sky, and they could not be out at night with the curfew enforced by the the Umbrandian soldiers. "Where are you?" She lets our a frustrated sigh. "Ugh. I told papa I had somewhere to be. He's probably already gone."

"Hi, Luna," said a voice from behind her.

"What--? Oh. Don't scare me like that, Wess. Honestly, how do you do that?"

"Do what?" Wess was puzzled, unaware he did anything wrong.

"Honestly, sometimes you are so thick. You seem to have a way of sneaking up on other people. It kinda creeps us out sometimes."

"I dunno. I don't really try to do it. It just kinda happens."

"Anyway, did you bring it?"

"Yeah. Got it right here. Hang on." Wess reaches into his satchel and extracts a red ribbon. He holds it out to Luna, but retracts the gesture when she reaches for it.

"What gives! You said you'd give it to me."

"I wanna know what you wanted it for. You don't sew, and I've never seen you do any crafts. I'll give it to you when you tell me."

"None of your business! Now give it here!"

"Explain first."

"No!"

"Then the ribbon will make a nice addition to our hog slop. They eat anything, you know."

"Fine! But you'd do well to remember that curiosity killed the cat."

"But satisfaction brought him back."

"You win. I'm going to hang an amulet from it. Happy?"

"Not quite. I wanna see the amulet. You've never liked jewelry. Why do you want to wear this amulet?"

"I wear the bracelet you gave me."

"Only to keep from disappointing me and your dad. He made it, after all."

Luna lets out a moan and pulls out the ishi her adoptive mother gave her, despite her instructions not to show it to anyone. She flashes it at Wess, and starts to but it back in her bag, but Wess grabs it before she can stuff it in.

"What is this? Looks expensive."

"It's nothing."

"It's definitely not nothing. Why so secretive? I thought we were friends."

"We are. It's just that Alvula told me not to tell anyone about it." Luna pauses. Her eyes widen as she realizes the catastrophic mistake she just made.

"Who's Alvula?"

It was the inevitable response, as none of the village inhabitants possessed such an unusual name. Yet Luna dreaded it all the same. She had inadvertently opened the door to a series of questions that would result in either the revelation of a dangerous secret, exposing both her and her friend to the threat of peril at the hands of the Order, or the destruction of years of trust. Luna could not abandon her only true friendship, so her decision was clear.

"My birth mother." Luna replies cautiously. She braces herself for the reply, as Wess's mother had been the midwife that delivered her adoptive parents' child.

"But Lady Amana is your mother. My ma was there when you were delivered."

"Her baby's spirit left it's body. It was dying. My mother was a mage, and she and I were in danger, so she sent my soul into the child, saving the body and hiding me. I only found out yesterday."

Wess takes a step back. "I know some things about magic, and I know what you describe is impossible. No mage, regardless of skill, can force another to possess a body." Wess pauses, seeing that Luna was more afraid than he, "What are you not telling me?"

"Do you promise to not tell anyone?"

"Yes, Luna. But I don't think I could continue to be your friend if I don't know who you are."

"Okay. I believe you. If I wasn't human, could you still be friends with me?"

"Yes. Whether you look it or not, you're human enough for me."

"I am kitsune. I don't know what all it means, but we are fox spirits of some power. My mother was one, and she is the one the Order came looking for when we were younger."

"Those men that accused us of harboring a beast? No wonder your dad was so defensive. He was protecting you." Wess struggles to remember what the men said, as he was only six at the time, and serving as the town watch-boy. "Were they telling the truth? Are you an evil beast? A trickster?"

"No! I didn't even know I was one until yesterday!" Luna sheds a tear, but is struggling to hold back more, cloaking her sorrow with anger. "How could you think that?"

"I didn't. I was just asking."

"Can I have my ishi back now?"

"Ishi?"

"My amulet! Give it here!"

Wess looks down at the amulet he had in his hands. He had forgotten he still had it, and held it out to his friend. "Oh. Sorry. Here, take the ribbon, too."

Luna takes the amulet and ribbon. She threads the ribbon through the hole in the ishi, and places it around her neck before concealing the amulet in her shirt.

"So, what now?" Wess asks. "Are you going to leave? Find your mother? Learn about who you are?"

"I already met my mother. She is here. And no, I'm not going to run off. The village is full of soldiers, and I'd raise suspicions if I just disappeared. I doubt they'd let me leave without a good reason."

"You're right. So, can you show me your true form?"

"I don't know how. My mother is going to teach me how to leave this body, but I haven't learned yet."

"Where is she, by the way?"

Luna begins, but is interrupted by a third voice, "I am here."

Wess spins around and sees a ghostly apparition of a fox, yet with nine flowing tails. He gulps, and greets the kitsune, "You must be Alvula. Nice to, uh, nice to meet you."

"No need to be afraid, boy." She adds with a chuckle, "I won't bite."

Wess relaxes a little, but still doesn't let his guard down. "So, do all kitsune have nine tails?"

"Only the old ones. We get another tail every hundred years, starting with our second tail at two hundred. On our hundredth birthday, we don't get another tail, but can assume human form on our own at that age. I am nine hundred and seventy years old." Alvula looks to her daughter, "You do not remember it, but when I sent you into that body, you were already eighty-five years old. We age differently than humans, for sure. That makes you ninety-six tomorrow, Luna."

"But I'm only ten! I'm not that old!" Luna blushes. Seventy was considered old for a human. Ninety was just ancient. She couldn't possibly be that old.

"Like I said, we age differently than humans. Your body is only ten, almost eleven, but your spirit is much older.

"So, we're going to need more candles." Wess jokes. The sunlight was almost completely gone. "I've got to go. My parents will feed me to the pigs if I'm not home soon. They eat everything, you know. See you later, old lady." Wess laughs when he sees the inevitable blush form on Luna's cheeks.

Luna and Wess head home. Tomorrow was an important day. Luna lies down on her bedroll and begins to drift into a deep sleep.