《Little Fox Soaring to Heaven》


 Chapter 1

    Solun''s death was a gruesome affair, he was gored through the chest with daggers from all sides. The men he considered brothers were the chief perpetrators of his assassination. His end came swiftly and brutally, in the end he didn''t even know the reason for his death. He wasn''t angered by his death, Solun was aware that death was an inevitable for all mortals. His end just came a little earlier than expected.


    The afterlife also wasn''t quite what he was expecting. It was pitch black,


    almost as if his consciousness was swimming in a sea of darkness. What would those stuffy old scholars think of all this? Their years of theorizing and conjecturing were for naught. There was no angel waiting for him after death, or a demon sent from hell to torment him. As far as the eye could see, there was only pure darkness..


    No heaven, no hell. Would his mind be awake in total darkness for all eternity? Perhaps, this was indeed some form of torment for sinners. Solun did not consider himself a saint, but in his opinion he was hardly the worst sinner. Was this the limbo for the morally grey such as himself?


    "I dislike that about you humans." A young, melodious voice emerged from the darkness. "Your kind tends to question matters beyond their control." He was taken back by the emergence of a young woman''s voice.


    "Who''s there? Are you an angel? Or a demon sent to torment me?" Solun cursed his arrogant tongue. Regardless of identity any higher being would be offended by such direct statements. Could this higher power peer into his mind?


    "Neither," the voice confirmed his suspicion, "I am but a humble messenger sent by the deity of deception, Yod. Her majesty has a proposition for you."


    Solun wasn''t ready to trust this messenger, but he had little choice in the matter. Being alone in total darkness would no doubt drive him to insanity. Even eternal torture would be a better fate than an eternity of nothingness.


    "I''ll hear the proposition out, but I suppose I really don''t have a choice in the matter anyway."


    "Clever. You''re right, you never had a choice anyway." She replied with disdain oozing from her voice.


    Solun wasn''t sure what her problem was. This was their first meeting and it seemed that she was less than pleased to be dealing with him.


    "I''ll bring you to her majesty. Take care not to forget your manners. Her majesty may seem lax, but she doesn''t tolerate impudence."


    "I''ll keep your warning in mind."


    In the blink of an eye there was light again. His eyes, so used to the darkness, had a difficult time adjusting. The first thing he noticed after his vision cleared was a beautiful child, adorned in free-flowing robes, that was seated on a modest yet elegant throne.


    Solun was enamoured the second he laid eyes on the child. Nothing else seemed to matter besides fulfilling the child''s every desire. If asked, he would even give his own life for-This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    "Steel your mind!" Solun thought, "such an action would be illogical."


    "Your majesty, I believe that''s enough. He is the first mortal to break away from your charm, anymore and you might break him." The messenger seemed mildly impressed with him, not that it helped his own state of mind. Solun cursed himself for nearly falling for a diety. She was beautiful no doubt, however he was a mortal, and she was a deity.


    Solun dropped to the floor, drenched in sweat and heaving for breath. Just breaking free of her influence had drained him considerably. It didn''t take much for him to infer that this child was likely the deity named Yod. She was nothing like he expected, but then again life hardly ever went according to expectations. Not even in his wildest dreams could he have imagined a scenario like this after his passing.


    "Am I not what you expected?" Yod teased, her voice seemingly projecting from all directions. She had a voice that was nothing like he had heard before. But then again, the voice of a god couldn''t be ordinary, it only made sense it was one of a kind.


    "Sorry. . . it''s just. . . you''re a lot cuter than I anticipated." Solun had met many beauties in his life, however her beauty was the first to ever cause him to to act so irrationally.


    "I am Yod, deity of deception." She introduced herself, her hand moving to point at him. "I have chosen you as my champion." Her sweet, peculiar voice echoing throughout the room.


    "What services do you require from a humble mortal such as myself?" Suddenly, a miniature planet appeared in front of him, startling and causing him to take a few steps back. Yod stood up from her throne, her ethereal dress flowing behind her as she walked towards the construct.


    "My name has long been forgotten by the denizens of your world." She said when she reached the globe. Spreading her hands over it, almost touching but not quite, she continued. "I need someone to spread my name throughout the world again. To revive their faith, this is what I ask of you." As she made her request, her eyes fell again on him, and the hopeful look on her face nearly caused his knees to give out.


    "Why did you choose me as someone to carry your will? Surely there are better candidates to spread your name." Solun tested, wary of the deity''s intentions. Yod was the self proclaimed deity of illusions and deceit, blindly trusting her words would be foolish at best, suicidal at worst.


    "No, I do not require a hero, nor a priest for this task. I need a champion that can understand the hearts of people." She smiled cryptically before continuing. "In time, you will come to understand just what makes you so unique."


    "Understand the hearts of people?" He Thought sourly. His failure to understand the hearts of people, his closest friends no less, was the reason for his senseless demise. He pushed his thoughts aside, there was no point in regretting about the past.


    "I think. . . you have the wrong person for the job."


    Contrary to his expectations, Yod took no notice of his indecision, in fact she seemed pleased, she seemed to have anticipated his reaction.


    "I can understand your doubts, I''ve put great consideration into this matter.." She smirked mischievously. "If you cannot believe in yourself, then believe in me. In due time all will be revealed."


    "Wait! I haven''t even agreed yet!"


    A blinding light permeated the room, and in the blink of an eye his mind warped away from the deity. Vibrant colors he couldn''t even name assaulted him from all directions.


    When the blinding light faded, he realized he was in the dark once more. His heart nearly stopped. Was his meeting with Yod a mere delusion? Solun heard faint rustling noises around him, he could hear. . . which meant he wasn''t in the void anymore. So just where was he?


    A chilling wind swept over his body. Solun could hear, feel sensations, but not see. His mind was still sharp, however. He clumsily got up from the cold ground, his four legs shivering? Wait, four legs? Something wasn''t right. Humans did not have four legs. Unless. . . he wasn''t human anymore.

 Chapter 2

    Solun knew that he was no longer human, and he suspected that he was in some sort of cave. The ground under him felt like loosely packed dirt, the chilly wind he felt was probably from the opening of the burrow. Soft breathing reverberated through its walls, likely from his new siblings.


    The idea of leaving the burrow briefly crossed Solun''s mind but he abandoned the thought. A newborn mammal leaving home would be suicide. Solun collapsed back onto the ground, his legs too weak to further support him.


    He took a minute to rest before getting back up on his feet. Although it was dangerous to wander outside, a little stretch around the burrow couldn''t hurt. That was the plan until he felt an authoritative force snatch him up by the scruff of his neck, and carry him deeper into the burrow.


    Although he had been seized by the neck, he felt no ill intent from the creature he assumed to be his parent. Solun was dropped into a mass of warm bodies, which likely belonged to his siblings. Their soft breathing and the heat their tiny bodies radiated soon lulled Solun to sleep.


    Time went by in a blur. Solun would wake up, wander around the burrow, and then get carried back to his sleeping siblings. When his eyesight had developed well enough to perceive his surroundings, he started playing little games with the older foxes, much to their chagrin. Some weeks, he suspected, passed by in this manner.


    The little games he played¡ªsuch as hiding from older foxes in the burrow and rolling around the ground¡ªwere slight distractions he enjoyed in his dull, monotonous life of sleeping and eating. Unfortunately, the rest of his siblings weren''t so energetic.


    At first it started with a single sibling joining in his frivolous antics, but soon enough, to the bewilderment of their mother, the entire litter joined. The whole point of hiding from the older foxes was lost now that the entire litter followed him around when hiding. Solun didn''t mind, however. The more the merrier after all.


    The mother fox finally relented and let the younglings leave the burrow. The pups were excited to finally see the world outside their burrow but still stuck close to their mother. Straying too far from her would be foolish, and foolish pups were the first to die.


    By the time his legs and eyesight had fully developed, Solun already had a good idea on how their community operated. Unlike the foxes he had known in his previous life, these foxes formed large clans, made up of different families.


    His father was usually out hunting and seldom made time to interact with the pups. The rare times he did, his siblings would scramble to gain his recognition. Solun did no such thing of course, regardless of what he was now, he was still a human in his past life. He hadn''t had many opportunities to interact with neighboring families, but from what he saw his father was well respected in the clan. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Life as a fox wasn''t all rainbows and sunshine, though. In just a single day, half of his siblings perished.


    It was the hottest day Solun had experienced so far in this form, and the mother fox had decided to take the pups out a little further out than usual. She had let them wander around a clearing in the forest while she took respite under the shade of a tall oak. He couldn''t blame her, anyone would''ve been tired from dealing with ten rambunctious pups all day.


    Their group splintered off like usual, an arrogant upstart had decided to form his own group a week prior. Solun couldn''t care less but it was still amusing to see beasts act so human. Perhaps those greedy, ever-warring nobles weren''t so different from animals after all.


    He had decided to stick closer to the mother fox. Despite the close proximity to the fox clan, there could still have been dangerous beasts lurking. The other group felt far more adventurous and went to explore a nearby cave, no doubt looking for shelter from the sun.


    And just like that, the number of his siblings had been reduced by half. It was sudden, in the blink of an eye the mouth of the cave collapsed. The commotion woke the mother fox up from her slumber, it didn''t take much for her to piece two and two together. Solun and his remaining siblings could only watch in disbelief as his mother scratched desperately at the cave-in.


    She scratched and scratched for hours until her paws bled and the fallen rocks were dyed crimson in her blood. In the end it was useless, no amount of scratching and wailing would bring back his siblings. They returned to the burrow dejected. Except for Solun. He wondered if something in him had changed when he reincarnated. If such an accident occurred in his previous life he would no doubt be shaken.


    Instead, all he felt was cold apathy. If the foolish foxes had chosen to play somewhere safer, they wouldn''t have died. It was as simple as that. If they were lucky then their deaths were quick and painless, he mused. The other outcome was to slowly starve in a dark cave before cannibalizing the weaker siblings.


    Their father was waiting back at the burrow. To Solun''s bewilderment he hardly noticed that he had just lost five children. To his prior knowledge, premature deaths were common among foxes. Still, he would''ve thought that losing half of its children would shake even the most hard-boiled fox. Perhaps his father was emotionally stunted, or simply never cared enough about the pups to grieve their deaths.


    Contrary to his expectations, the mother fox didn''t sulk for long. In a few days, she was back to her fussy self. The only real change was that she stuck closer than before to her pups when they left the burrow. It was also quieter in the burrow, sometimes even lonelier. A constant reminder that in the cruel wilderness, even the smallest slip up could result in death.


    Solun knew that to acquire human followers for Yod, he''d eventually have to leave his burrow and traverse that cruel wilderness on his own. He was unsure if his quest would end in success. There was one thing he knew for certain, however. He had never felt so excited before, having spent his past life cooped up in libraries scrutinizing ancient scrolls and dusty tomes. But now, he had a chance to make a real difference. A chance to leave his very own mark on the world.

 Chapter 3

    Solun was getting nowhere in his search for humans. Months had passed since his rebirth and he wasn¡¯t making any headway in his quest, it wasn¡¯t the lack of effort rather he just couldn¡¯t find any humans in the vast forest. Even if he did manage to come across a human, communicating would be out of the question.


    Around a month earlier he had left his family for good. Although the foxes usually stayed in families, it wasn¡¯t too uncommon to come across a fox living alone. He had found a suitable cave not too far from the fox clan, it was there he set up his base of operations.


    Every day he would patrol the surrounding regions, sometimes looking for humans, other times just to wander aimlessly. At this rate I really might become a fox, he thought wryly. He didn¡¯t mind this kind of lifestyle, however. Living so aimlessly wouldn¡¯t have been possible in his past life, thanks to his studies.


    It was a cool day, and from the nip in air he could tell autumn was just a hair¡¯s breadth away. He wasn¡¯t sure why he knew; perhaps it was beastly instinct. The arrival of autumn also brought new colors to the forest. The once green forest was now bespeckled by shades of orange and red.


    In the void, Solun had never thought he would have the chance to see autumn again. Everything felt so surreal, he was afraid one day he would wake up again in that darkness. That¡¯s why it was all the more important to find a way to communicate with humans fast, there was no telling what punishments disappointing Yod would bring.


    Yod seemed trustworthy on the surface, but only a fool would trust the self proclaimed deity of deception. He suspected there was more to this than just spreading her faith. It was already strange that she would go about it in such a roundabout way, and there was more amiss. He had never heard of Yod before.


    She did tell him that she was forgotten by the denizens of his world, but surely there had to be some records of her left. He was well versed in mythology, having read countless scrolls on ancient gods and elusive nature deities. Yet, to the best of his memory, Yod was not mentioned even once in any of his scrolls.


    He had a wild conjecture, perhaps rather than forgotten by the mortal world, what if she was never known in the first place? Just who exactly is Yod? He wondered, And why does she need the devotion of mortal beings? By definition, Deities were immortal beings who transcended the mortal limits. He had always assumed that they were indifferent to the affairs of the mortal world.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Yod didn¡¯t seem like the vain or frivolous type, there was no reason for her to acquire followers. He was probably over complicating the matter. Perhaps that messenger was right, overthinking could have its drawbacks too. Right now, he knew far too little to be theorizing about Yod¡¯s intentions.


    Solun decided to stop thinking for the time being and take a stroll outside of his cave. Stretching his legs for a run was one of the few pleasures he had as a fox. The day was perfect for a nice sprint around the forest. He started off walking, but before he knew it he burst into a full sprint.


    The orange and red trees passed by in a blur. He may not have been the strongest back in the fox clan, but he was certainly on the faster side. When he started sprinting, nothing could slow him down.


    ¡°Stop, I said wait, you little bitch! I just want to talk!¡±


    ¡°Leave me alone!¡±


    Well, except maybe that. He could make out the voice of a man, probably a brute, judging from his harsh tone. He was chasing after a female who obviously didn¡¯t want to stop and talk. Although he wasn¡¯t knowledgeable on male and female relationships, he had read countless stories of men assaulting females for their bodies.


    He darted towards the clamor, vaulting over fallen logs and other obstacles. Let me make it in time!


    ¡°Stay away from me!¡±


    He was nearly there, he could hear their voices just ahead.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you can run forever! Your family is already gone! Why don¡¯t you let me do you a favor and send you to meet them!¡±


    Solun could see them now, a plump man was right on the heels of a beautiful young woman in white robes.


    There was little he could do as a fox, but he could distract the man long enough to give the girl time to escape.


    Solun darted towards the man, fangs bared. The fox barreled right into the man, causing him to tumble backwards. Using his jaws he managed to gnaw a finger off before getting thrown off the man.


    ¡°Aaaarrghh!¡± The man shrieked, clutching his bloody stump. Solun  smugly stared at the man, he was no danger in his current state.


    ¡°Stupid fox.¡± He hissed, lunging at the fox and pinning it down. Using his one good hand he strangled the fox by the neck.


    Is this it? Is this where my quest ends?


    ¡°You really are a hopeless man, but I suppose that¡¯s why Yod chose you. You had no chance of beating that mortal. Why did you interfere?¡± Solun had heard this voice before. It belonged to Yod''s messenger. ¡°Her majesty didn¡¯t want to bestow this gift so early but I suppose there was no helping it. Take this, the power of speech. I suppose you¡¯ll also need help dealing with the mortal.¡±


    The man loosened his grip on Solun¡¯s neck, and as if sleepwalking, simply strolled off.


    Solun immediately ran after the girl. His near death experience would be for naught if he let the girl slip away. After risking his life to save her the least she could do was listen to him preach about Yod.


    The girl was fast, but no match for his superior fox speed. It didn¡¯t take long for him to catch up to her. The only problem Solun faced now was how to approach her.


    Solun leaped in front of the girl and said the first thing that came to mind.


    ¡°Wait! Would you like to take a minute to learn about our lord and savior, Yod?¡±

 Chapter 4

    Lin Shufen was grateful for the chance to stretch her legs, she had been cooped up in a tiny carriage for the greater part of the day. The ride wouldn¡¯t have been so exhausting if it wasn¡¯t for the presence of that insufferable idiot Zhang Jie and his fat sycophant.


    ¡°Where are we?¡± She exited the carriage with shaking legs. The only thing keeping her standing was Zhang Jie¡¯s rough grip on her arm.


    ¡°Tavern,¡± he answered, grinning from ear to ear. Lin Shufen ignored Zhang Jie and glanced around, trying to get a clearer picture as to just where they might be.


    The land around the tavern was devoid of any characteristics save a few withered trees and boulders. In the wilderness, such establishments of comfort were few and far between. Merchants and travelers could often be found within, relaxing from a long day''s journey. The only thing of note was a forest a mile or so away. If she could somehow escape from Zhang Jie then hiding there wouldn¡¯t be out of the question.


    This particular tavern had two floors, it could also double as an inn. A chill ran down Lin Shufen¡¯s spine. Zhang Jie always fronted himself as a gentleman but perhaps he intended to. . . violate her in this very tavern.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, sweetie. Lord Zhang is always gentle with his girlies.¡± The man with a bulging stomach jeered while unhitching the horses from the carriage.


    Lin Shufen stopped dead in her tracks, her face contorting in fear but she quickly wiped all signs of it. The bastard¡¯s head would only get bigger if he found out she was afraid. Zhang Jie nearly crushed her arm dragging her to the tavern.


    As she was being dragged, she noticed the horses hitched outside the tavern. She hoped against odds some of them would belong to sober soldiers of the local magistrate or a benevolent hero willing to lend her a hand.


    ¡°Behave. If you so much as wink at someone, I swear to god, I¡¯ll kick your teeth in and make you eat them.¡± Zhang Jie snarled, right before he opened and ushered her through the door


    Lin Shufen believed him wholeheartedly. There were rumors floating around that Zhang Jie was the illegitimate bastard of the Zhang clan''s head. At the mere mention of the word bastard, he would fly into a rage that not even his father could stop. Plenty of arrogant young masters had suffered from thoughtlessly provoking him.


    Her hopes were dashed when they entered the inn. The majority of the occupants seemed like traveling merchants and their hapless servants. None of them could be expected to stand for her against a wealthy young master like Zhang Jie.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    A young, pretty barmaid approached them at the door. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, milord, but we don¡¯t have any open tables right now. As you can see, we¡¯re packed to the brim,¡± she said.


    ¡°No matter, a table will open up soon enough,¡± he said, winking at the barmaid and walking up to a table with a gloomy young man in black eating lunch.


    ¡°Name your price, plebeian,¡± Zhang Jie said, stretching out the last word as if to inform the man in black about his background.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± The man in black asked.


    ¡°I want your table. And I¡¯m willing to pay you for it.¡± Zhang Jie stretched out each syllable this time, as if talking to a retard.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What? Pardon, but I don¡¯t think I caught that. What did you say?¡±


    ¡°I said no, idiot.¡±


    ¡°Your eyes or your tongue?¡± Zhang Jie asked, his hand on the sword by his waist.


    ¡°What the hell are you talking about, idiot?¡± the gloomy man said, eyeing his spear laying across the tabletop.


    ¡°Do you want me to gouge your eyes out of your sorry skull because you failed to see the status of the man in front of you? Or rip out that filthy tongue of yours for your insolent words? Your choice, you insignificant piece of shit.¡±


    ¡°No matter how many insects like you I squash, there¡¯s always more to take their place.¡±


    The man grabbed his spear and twirled it over his head before using it to smash the table in half. All conversation in the tavern ceased at once. Unexpectedly, the occupants actually seemed to enjoy the disruption, and watched with animated gazes as if it was a play.


    Zhang Jie drew his sword and assumed a low ready stance. Likewise the spearman assumed a stance. The second they both lunged at each other, Lin Shufen made a break for it.


    ¡°Shit! Get back here, you insolent wretch!¡± Zhang Jie let loose a string of curses but was too busy fending off lunges from the spearman to chase her down. She burst through the door and ran straight for the horses. She tugged at the rope that tied them to the hitching rails.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± The fat man cursed, seeing her burst through the door. He immediately dashed towards her.


    Lin Shufen cursed whoever tied the ropes, there was no undoing them before that fat tub of lard caught her.  She abandoned the horses and sprinted towards the forest in the distance.


    ¡°Wait! Stop running!¡±


    Ignoring the shouts, Lin Shufen continued to run as fast as she could. None of his demands got through to her. She would even run to the ends of the Earth if it meant getting away from those two.


    Lin Shufen¡¯s legs nearly gave out within half a mile to the forest, her heart lurched but when she looked back, she found the fat man doing no better. And so they both continued to run in such a manner all the way to the forest.


    "Stop! I said wait, you little bitch! I just want to talk!"


    ¡°Leave me alone! Stay away from me!¡±


    "Don''t think you can run forever! Your family is already gone! Why don''t you let me do you a favor and send you to meet them!"


    Lin Shufen nearly froze. His words were likely false, meant to make her falter, yet they still cut deep.


    Springing from the undergrowth a feral fox leaped past her and barrelled into the man. The gods had not abandoned her, perhaps there really was some form of karma in the world. She could hear his shrieks. Whatever the fox was doing, she prayed that it would keep doing it.And then his shrieks stopped. She stopped for a moment, catching her breath.


    ¡°Is- is h- he dead?¡± She muttered in between haggard panting.


    She started running again, there was no telling when Zhang Jie would finish his battle and come looking for her. As she was running, she saw the fox from before chasing after her from the corner of her eye. It bolted past her and skidded to a halt.


    "Wait! Would you like to take a minute to learn about our lord and savior, Yod?"