Kitsune in the Shadows

Chapter 18 – Just Stay Next to Me

“Wait!” Ovia started to panic again, “W-what’s wrong? W-why are you crying?”

I’m fine.

They’re happy tears!

I tried to push Ovia’s arm away so that I could tell her I was alright and thank her once again, but before I could, she had already jumped off of the bed and was pacing back and forth.

“Umm… What do I d-do? How do I comfort c-children?”

“I’m-”

“N-no, I k-know what to do,” She cut me off, “I know exactly what to do.”

She stepped away from me before snapping her fingers. Right as she did, she was completely engulfed by the surrounding darkness.

What?

…

Did she just… run away?

After a short pause, the room started to lighten up again and my worries immediately dissipated. Where Ovia had just been standing there was a now a large black fox in her place.

That’s!…

…

I want…

My first thought after seeing the fox was to try and grab onto it as quickly as possible.

You’re not leaving me again.

I started to shuffle off of the bed, but before even getting my feet over the edge, the fox ran up and jumped onto it instead, gently curling around my back before lying down.

…

“Can I?” I asked, looking over at the fox’s face.

The fox paused for a moment before responding by quickly nodding their head.

Am I… excited?

My tail seemed to have gained a mind of its own as it was swaying back and forth uncontrollably, occasionally brushing against the fox.

How long has it been since I… looked forward to something?

…

She did give me permission.

Having mentally prepared myself, I slowly leaned backwards until I was lying against the body of the fox.

…

What?…

…

What is this?…

…

This can’t be real…

How does this exist?…

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t fully describe what it felt like to be enveloped by the soft black fur. It was almost like being completely surrounded by many copies of my own tail, yet somehow even better. Her fur was slightly cool to the touch; it felt unnatural but strangely calming at the same time.

…

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I’m definitely not letting you leave me…

Not again…

…

“A-are you feeling better now?” Ovia asked as she nuzzled up against my face with her nose. Her mouth didn’t move, but I could still hear her voice clearly.

There was nothing wrong in the first place…

…

But… it feels good…

…

“Mhm,” I responded, deciding to just accept her gesture.

“Good!” Ovia’s tails started to stir slightly, “That’s good.”

I rolled onto my side, pulling my own tail into a hug while still enjoying Ovia’s fur. However, as I did, I noticed that even with my shadow coating my tail, it just wasn’t as dark as Ovia’s.

It’s not the same…

…

Is there some secret to it?…

“Now, what do I do next?…” She mumbled quietly, looking away from me, “What would Ellaria do?…”

You don’t need to do anything.

…

Just stay next to me.

I pushed my body a bit deeper into Ovia’s fur.

“Oh, I know!” Ovia nudged my cheek with her nose before continuing to speak, “S-so, h-how are you doing?”

Even though her face as a fox wasn’t very expressive, I could still feel her anticipation just by looking into her eyes.

But…

…

I don’t… have a happy answer…

…

I don’t want to ruin this…

…

“I… don’t know…”

“R-right, you don’t know…” Ovia paused for a second before unexpectedly shouting, “Wait! Y-you don’t know! W-what does that mean? Umm…”

*Fwump*

Without any warning, Ovia wrapped her tails around me, engulfing me completely in her fluff.

…

Ahhhh….

…

“I-is that better?”

“…”

“E-Ellaria used to give m-me her t-tail when I was feeling down,” I could hear the panic rising in her voice, “I-I have nine, so that must be better t-than one.”

“…”

I wanted to tell her that I was fine, but my mind was being overwhelmed by what I was experiencing. I was so overwhelmed by her tails that even the shadow that had been coating both my tail and hair melted away.

…

It… doesn’t matter…

…

I don’t know how long I spent like that. My memory of the event was hazy at best. The most I could remember was the muffled sounds of Ovia speaking as I gradually sank deeper into the fluff.

Ovia eventually removed her tails, but as she did, I instinctually latched onto one and hugged it tightly.

“No!” I blurted out.

“…”

…

What… did I just do?

My eyes went wide, and my face started to heat up. I could only imagine just how red I went.

In an attempt to cool my head off, I buried my face into the tail I had abducted. Instantly, I felt the effects, as the cool fur instantly got rid of the heat in my face, although that also meant I was able to think clearly again.

What are you doing?!

That only makes it worse!

I quickly released the tail before replacing it with my own to keep my face hidden.

“Umm…” Ovia moved the tail away from me.

Why did you do that?!

You’ve ruined it!

How could you do this?!

I pushed my face deeper into my tail, preparing myself for the worst.

“…”

Why isn’t she saying anything?

…

Is she deciding how to punish me?!

“I-I like the white…” Ovia finally spoke up.

I knew!-

Wait? What?

I pulled my tail down just enough so that I could see while still keeping most of my face hidden, just in case. Looking over at Ovia, she was facing away from me again.

“I-I think it’s… um… e-elegant!”

…

You… hesitated…

…

“O-oh no, um… Y-your B-Blessing! You said you like the B-Blessing!” Ovia kept talking, “H-how has that been going?”

Shouldn’t you already know?

It’s your blessing, right?

…

…

“I… like it…”

What else am I supposed to say here?…

“W-well, um… uh… H-how about… you show m-me?”

Why?

…

Fine.

Just by thinking about what I wanted it to do, my shadow crept up my body and settled into my hair and tail, dying them black once again.

Ovia didn’t say anything and just continued to stare at my tail.

What?

Why aren’t you saying anything?

“Uhhh… What… was that?” Ovia asked, sounding genuinely confused.

“…Your Blessing?”

“It is?”

How don’t you know?

You gave it to me.

Ovia pulled herself away, turning back into her humanoid form before sitting down next to me.

“J-just give me a second.”

Ovia grabbed my wrist with one hand before placing the palm of her other hand against mine. She then gradually pulled her hand away, revealing a grey liquid that floated into the air.

“N-now, where did I leave it?” Ovia mumbled to herself while looking around the room frantically.

All of a sudden, the floating liquid flew behind me. I instantly turned around to see where it went, but when I did, I saw Aria standing there with some kind of grey crystal floating next to her.

“Were you looking for one of these?” Aria asked as she walked up to us.

“Yes! That’s it!” Ovia blurted out.

What’s going on?

“Hello again, little kitsune,” Aria said, looking down at me, “I’m sure you weren’t expecting to see me again so soon.”

…

“K-Kierra…” I mumbled.

“What was that?”

…

“My name…” I spoke up, “It’s… Kierra.”

“Oh, that’s great,” Aria said, clapping her hands together.

“W-what are you doing h-here?” Ovia seemed to finally realise what had just happened.

“Ah, thank you for reminding me,” Aria chuckled slightly, “I came to remind you to send little Kierra here back down soon.”

“But!” Both Ovia and I shouted in unison.

“Look, I know you two would like to spend more time together, but sister, you know how those gods get.”

Ovia didn’t say anything, instead just looking down at the floor.

Why aren’t you saying anything?

I don’t want to leave you!

Not again!

…

Please, don’t do this to me again…

“A-alright,” Ovia deflated, “I’ll… send her back…”

“But-” I spoke up but was immediately interrupted.

“I’m sorry, but it’s really not our choice,” Aria said, “If I could, I’d keep you up here, but unfortunately, there are some… rules?… we have to follow.”

But…

I finally found her…

“Oh, come on, don’t look so down. You can just come back and visit again. I’m sure my sister wouldn’t mind the company, Right?” Aria looked over at Ovia.

“Mhm…”

“See?” Aria moved next to Ovia, “Now, sister, send her along.”

“But-”

“No buts.” Aria placed her finger over Ovia’s lips.

Ovia looked over to me with a disheartened expression before looking away and waving one of her tails. As soon as she did, my vision went completely black, and I felt her presence disappear.