《The Mysterious Secret》 Chapter 1 As a cat I could hunt, as a bird I could fly, and as a dog, well... I could chase my tail. My name is Trey Rivers and I live on a small farm outside of Belon, Colorado. I''m a shapeshifter, someone who can change their appearance into any animal they so please to be, but only I know that. It''s really quiet where I live, on my parents farm. The only loud times are when Mama rings the bell to call us to eat, everything but breakfast, because we have to wake up for that. I wake up about 6:45 in the morning to prepare for school. I eat breakfast, kiss Mom and hug Dad goodbye, then I pace out the door, get on my bike, and ride to school. It takes me somewhere around twenty minutes to get to school from the farm on my bike, and if I''m lucky my dad will take me in his old white Ford. Once I get to school I put most of my things in my locker and head to my classes. After school I leave on my bike and go back to the house only to drop off most of my school supplies. Then I head over to the forest near the farm and explore deep into it. I shift into a fox and head over to the hut I''ve made for myself, then I nestle down and nap. Afterwards I play around in different animals, jumping, climbing, flying, you name it and I can do it. Then I become a human again and head home, running through the tall barley fields. Thick and tall enough so that you can only see above my stomach. Finally I eat dinner outside and head to bed, and hat happens to be the full routine of my day, except on weekends. Weekends I will sleep more and play longer and get more time with my family. Somedays they want to see my fort, so especially for these times I bring them out and show them it. It is pretty much just a pile of sticks with a hollow center, covered in mud. You can walk in and sit on a chair of sticks or mats made of leaves. On the outside it looks like one of those pueblo homes with the dry mud on the outside. What no one but me knows is that there is a trapdoor beneath the mat. That is where I sometimes hide snacks of some kind. Anyway, they head back to the house and I mess around some more until dinner. But one day... it all changed. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.I woke up at 7:53 in the morning and went downstairs to eat. When I got downstairs Mama said, "Pancakes, eat up!" Dad was already chowing down on his with banana slices mixed in. She told me, "I got some special ones for you, just like your dad''s." She handed me ones with chocolate chips on top. "Thank you Mama", I replied. I sat down and picked up my fork. I poured some maple syrup on top and ate three. I washed my plate and put it in the dishwasher. Then I picked up my backpack, told them goodbye, and ran out the door to my bike. I hopped on and rode all the way to school, watching the houses roll by as iftheywere moving, and not me. I picked up the pace and made it to school in 17 minutes, a new record for me. I was about 10 minutes early so I passed the time by helping the teachers into school and helping them unpack. When school started I was already in class waiting for school to begin. The teacher gave us all papers to finish some math problems. I finished a lot earlier than most of the class so I acted like I was still working on it so Mrs. Kenny wouldn''t give me extra work. I drew a gryphon, a dragon, and a couple other things I wish I could become. Then we all handed them in to the teacher and headed to the next classes. I first went to English, then Music, finally everyone headed to lunch. I grabbed $2.00 out of my pocket and headed up to the lunch line. Showing my school ID to Fred, one of the ''Lunch Ladies''. He let me near the front where the kids with passes got to go. The rest of the kids either brought lunch or forgot their pass. I got my food and headed out side in the grass in my usual spot, next to the fence. I started to eat my salad until a girl headed over and sat near me. "Um, hi." I said, obviously showing that I am not a conversation starter. She looked over at me, "Let''s cut to the chase. I saw you yesterday in the forest." Chapter 2 "What do you mean?" I asked nervously. "You know exactly what I mean. But you might not want me talking about it in public." She replied. I looked at her nervously, secretly hoping she wasn''t talking about it. Shapeshifting. Just the fort, and the food. "Meet me in the forest outside of your house, after school." She told me. I looked away, maybe she didn''t know, maybe she was joking, maybe she just, knew, maybe. I hope not. I went to my next two classes thinking about her and shapeshifting. Too distracted that the teacher had call on me three times until I answered. "Peru!" I said. "The correct answer is Argentina. You usually get these right, are you feeling alright?" Mr. Smith asked. "I feeling great, thanks." I replied. The whole class snickered at me. I wished school could end. When school did end I got on my bike and crossed my fingers all the way home, hoping that she didn''t know. When I got home I dropped my backpack on the floor and unpacked my school suppplies. "Hey son, how was school?" Mama asked. "It was fine, thanks." I replied. "You going to head down to your fort again?" "Yup", that was my best excuse. I headed out to door heading to the forest, thinking about what to say to her. The girl who knew my biggest and only secret. I think, I hope not. When I did get to the forest she had a big smile on her face. "Now, what do you think I''m talking about. Why I waited here for you?" She asked. I shrugged, I wasn''t going to tell her. That would be dumb of me unless she already knew, which I hope she didn''t. She looked at me seriously. Then she leaned over and talk-whispered, "Foxes, and Falcons, different animals. Shapeshifting." I jumped back, nobody knew, and I didn''t expect her to know. "Surprised, aren''t you? I would be to." She said. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I looked over at her. "What do you mean ''you would be to''?" I said. There was no possible way that there was anyone like me except in books and comics. Unless... nah. No way, not possible. "Follow me." She walked into the forest signaling for me to follow. I followed her, realizing that maybe, just maybe, she could do what I do. I followed her past my fort and farther than I ever have gone. Then we entered a part of the forest I never even knew exsited. The trees were taller, the branches longer, and the dirt softer. She led me up to the tallest and thickest tree in the forest, and I could tell from down here. "We''re here", she said. She walked up to the base of the tree and looked up. I followed her gaze up the tree and saw a giant, well built tree house. "This is my tree house. Come on up." She said. She climbed up a ladder that hung down and I followed her up. When I got near the top she stuck out her hand and said, "You ready?" I took her hand and she pulled me up. When I stood up and looked around there were realistic drawings of animals everywhere, on the floor, on the walls, even on the ceiling, and there were pawprints of the animal beside them. Once I saw the pawprints next to all the drawings I knew that she could do what I could. I knew that she could shapeshift. I looked at her with my mouth open wide. "You''re like me, you can shapeshift too." I said. "It took a while for you to realize it. I''m glad I''m not alone on this ''power''." She replied. "Same here, but I''m wondering how you found out." I said. "I was a falcon when I saw you. Definitly my favorite flying animal of all." "Same as well. I didn''t catch your name. What is it?" "Hannah, and yours?" "Trey. Thanks for telling me about this. See you at school tomorrow?" "Sure, see you later." she said. I left down the ladder smiling. There was someone out there like me. And I knew it. Once I knew I was out of her sights I changed into a falcon and flew high above the trees until I got near the edge of the forest and hid behind a tree. I turned back into a boy and headed back to the house, running with joy the whole way. Before I entered the house I lessened my smile back to normal so Mama and Daddy wouldn''t suspect anything. Today changes everything, I told myself. Chapter 3 In the morning I woke up again at 7:55 in the morning and headed downstairs, dressing all the way. "Good morning son", my dad said as I skipped the last two steps down. "Morning", I replied. I ran to the table and chowed down some eggs and bacon. "In a rush?" He asked. "Yup, lots of assignments." I was sub-consciously saying things because all my mind was focused on getting to see Hannah again. I grabbed my backpack and rushed out the door. "Forgetting something?" My dad lifted up the lunch box. I ran to him, hugged him and rushed out the door, telling him, "Love you, see you later." I hopped on my bike and peddled my hardest and fastest, making it to school in record time... Only to see that Hannah wasn''t there. I took a seat on a bench, acting natural. In the meantime, I opened up a book, one about great explorers who went searching for mythical creatures, but none found any. But the thing is that they said they had seen them, but not as what they thought. They said they were people from a secret land, not creatures. They could shift into anything in their imagination. But no one believed a thing. People had different explanations for their reasons of seeing them. Some were heatstroke, pressure, hallucinations, and other things. But I happen to believe them, with some changes. I have something in my mind, an intuition, you may call it. I think there was a royal kingdom of us, shapeshifters. We were the mythical creatures people dreamed about. We could become any animal and more from our imagination. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. I was so focused in reading the book when Hannah came and said, "Hey, what you reading?" I jumped and then smiled, realizing it was her. "Oh, this? Just some old stories." I replied. "Can I see it?" She said. "Sure", I handed the book to her. She read the page I was reading and then, to my surprise, explained my own theory to me. "I think the same thing!" I said, a little to loudly. "Shh", she put her finger to her mouth, "Not too loud." "Sorr-" the bell rang and people started shuffling to their classes. "See you at lunch", she said, hurrying to her first class of the day. Until now, I didn''t know I liked her. I smiled, probably a little to much, because during the day, people were giving me weird glances. At lunch I calmed myself down and we talked about what we should do over the break, after all, today was Friday. Chapter 4 After Friday, the first three days were pretty chill. We spent a lot of time together and talked about how we wished to shift to the amazing creatures in our drawings. Each day I saw her, we spent more time together talking, sometimes even entire days. But after those days, things changed, but not for the better... I rushed downstairs super early in the morning and packed some stuff. I wrote a note on a post-it saying I was out exploring and I wouldn''t be back until night. I quickly ran out the door and got on my bike. I rode to my hideout and unpacked quickly. I had brought some snacks, a flashlight, and some bandages... but most of it was snacks. I shoved most of the things into the secret hatch and some I left in my backpack. I ran outside and shifted into an eagle, then started to fly away. My backpack was gone, still of mystery of my shapeshifting, but then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted and figure moving through the forest. I veered my sleek eagle body through the wind and headed towards the place where I saw the figure, but when I landed, it was to no avail. The figure was gone, vanished, like it was never there. This confused me, but I continued on my way, back to the tree house. When I arrived, Hannah was there, drawing and waiting for me, as usual. I landed on the wooden floor of the tree house and shifted back, saying, "Hey Hannah, what''s the plan for today?" "I was thinking maybe, I know it might sound crazy but, just maybe, we could go explore the old barn..." She replied. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. "Wait... what. That''s crazy, it''s haunted. Everyone knows that." I stated. "Just wait, it''s not haunted, only a fake saying to scare people." "But even if we did it old and on the brink of collapsing." "We can shift, so don''t worry, we''ll be fine." Hannah starting heading out. "Wait!" I said, but she was already in the air flying. I shifted myself and flew out in pursuit. Halfway there she slowed down and we admired the view. The small town we lived in went past us, some tractors gathering barreled grass, cars driving by, even the train, billowing steam behind us. As we came down to land, I spotted a figure, much like the one I thought I saw, darting into the barn. "Hey Hannah, I really don''t think we should be here." I said. "Why, are you scared?" She teased playfully. "No, ju-" "Then let''s go." She landed on the ground and shifted back. I did the same. "It''ll be fun, you''ll see." She slowly sneaked into the barn and disappeared. I followed after checking no one was nearby but us. The barn was extremely dark and musty, with goop hanging from the walls. Mold was everywhere, and it was harder to breathe than outside. Hannah was studying the floor in the far back corner. I walked over to her and she signaled for me to look closer. "Look at these tracks", she said, "They come from that hay bale, it seems fresh too. I thought no one comes in here." She scooted over to the hay barrel she was talking about. "Come help me move it", she said while she was doing her best to. "Alright", I said, walking over. I leaned against the hay bale and together we pushed it just enough to make it roll away. Underneath where the bale once stood there was a trapdoor. "Should we go in?" I asked. She just stood like she was waiting for something to happen. "Well", she said, "We might as well while we''re here... yes, I mean yes." Chapter 5 I opened the hatch and cold air blew out. "I wonder what''s in there." Hannah said. "Whatever it is, it must be deep", I replied. Just to prove my point I kicked a rock in and heard it hit the walls, not stopping even when I couldn''t hear it anymore. I started to climb in to begin the ladder climb down. "Wait", Hannah said, shifting into a monkey, "follow me." She wrapped her long fingers around the side of the ladder and started to slide down. I repeated her and slid down with her. The wind was racing around us as we flew down the ladder towards the bottom, however far that was. Then, as I was looking down at her, a small light appeared below her. "Look!" I yelled over the rushing air, "The bottom!" She looked down and slowed her speed. I did the same. When we stepped foot on the bottom we shifted back to human. The walls and ground alike were all concrete, obviously holding up all the dirt and stone. The light was dim and occasionally flashing while me and Hannah walked through the hall. There were no doors visible on either side but we continued walking anyway. "Hey, Hannah, do you think we should go back? I really have a bad feeling about this place", I said. "Wait", she stopped walking, "I hear something." I listened as well. "It sounds like animals." "Ya", I said, "I hear it too." I continued walking with Hannah, but then, the end of the hallway appeared in sight. "Do you see that?" I asked Hannah. "Yup, I do. It''s definitely not a door, more like an opening." She replied. We kept walking, but more carefully now that the end was in sight. As we neared the edge, I heard voices of people talking. Apparently Hannah did too because she looked over at me and put her finger to her mouth. When we stood in the opening at the end of the hallway the voices were much clearer and the animals were visible. We stood shocked at the sight. All the animals were in cages and were appearing to be communicating. I backed away, not too far though, and pulled Hannah with me. The conversation was so clear now that I decided to listen. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. "Kate will be very pleased with how much your group of scientists has been working, and not to mention how many breakthroughs have been made." Said one lady. "I am glad to here this, I will see to provide this information to the rest of the workers here." Replied a man talking to her. "Charlie, go tell them." From what I could hear, a second man, probably Charlie, walked away from the conversation. I edged closer to where they were talking, trying to get a view. When I edged close enough, I could see that the first man, whose name I still didn''t know, was a lean built man. He wasn''t small, but he wasn''t big either. There was a dog next to him, a Rottweiler, it seemed. The lady was walking away, wearing high heels and fancy clothing, unlike the man, who was wearing an old flannel with odd colored stains on it. Charlie was no where to be seen, same with any other people. But there were other animals roaming around. Then much to my surprise, the dog the was sitting next to the man stood up, sniffed the air, then morphed into a man. "Henry, I am afraid this chat, is no longer private." Said the man that was just a dog. "What do you mean?" Replied Henry. "We have visitors", then he leaned in, "Shifters. I crawled backward to Hannah and whispered, "We have to go, now." We stood up and ran, heading back to the entrance. Then, behind me, the man''s voice said, "Where do you think your going?" I turned around and he was holding a gun, aiming it at me. Then I heard it fire, and the world went black. Chapter 6 I woke with a start, opening my eyes only to see I was stuck in a cage. But then I realized I wasn''t my normal self. I had shifted into a falcon. I apparently had shifted when I was knocked out, and then was transferred into this cage. I looked around and took in my surroundings. I appeared to be in an office of some type and my cage was positioned on the chair in front of a the desk were some papers and nameplate saying ''Victor James, Director of Operations''. Then it hit me, Hannah wasn''t here. I started squawking for Hannah when eventually I heard her. I would hate myself if she got hurt. "Ugh, my head", she said. "Hannah, are you okay?" I asked her frantically. "No, are you?" She said, her form a falcon as well. "Good point", I looked around. "Do you know what happened? I can''t remember a thing." She looked around, "A little, but not much. Do you want to know?" She replied drowsily. "Yes please. All I remember is a gun going off, I thought I was dead." Then I remembered a little bit. I had been shot! I fluffed up my feathers in search for any wound, but I found none. "Don''t worry, you aren''t wounded. What I remember is the man that was there shot you with some sort of stun gun. You immediately were knocked out and you fell to the ground unconscious. I tried to drag you to the exit but the man caught up and called in others. I tried to hold them off but I was overpowered and they held me back and dragged me into a cage. Then someone else shot me with a stun gun and I was knocked out as well. Now I''m here, and that''s all I remember." Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there."Wow, who are these people? ''Cause they sure don''t seem nice." I said. Then the door opened and in walked a man wearing a well kept suit and tie. He walked calmly over with his hands folded behind his back. He stopped behind the desk and sat down. He grabbed out a couple files and tapped them nicely on the desk. Hannah and me stared at him, a-little curious, a-little scared, but mostly angry. Then he looked at us and smiled. "I see you had a nice nap." He grinned more. "I also see you are both kitsune." "What are you doing down there! There are animals, but not animals. What have you done!?" Hannah yelled. The man ceased his smile and grimaced. "You, and your friend here have trespassed and are hereby subject for testing. You meddled with my studies and attempted escape. This is not excusable, either we will erase you memories, or not. This is still to be decided by my board." He stood up, swiped the files, and left the room. Astonished, and taken back. Me and Hannah stood there thinking, ''What have we gotten into?'' Chapter 7 Me and Hannah looked at each other. Our worlds had been turned upside down and now were trapped and worried. Victor was going to have his lab workers test on us, and we had no defense against them. What do we do? What do we do? What do we do? Ideas raced through my mind, but none would work. And the fact that we could not move, nor shift, would give us zero opportunities. Then Hannah spoke. "I sorry... I''m sorry I got us into this mess. I was wrong to think that we should have gone to the barn. In the end it ended up with us being trapped here... together." She managed to make a frown with her beak, causing me to follow suit. Then I replied, "Like you said, we''re together. That counts for something, right?" "It does... in a respect." She replied. Then, as I was thinking... one of my ideas popped! I reached with my head and poked my beak into the small lock on the door of the cage. "What are you doing?" Asked Hannah. I was too busy concentrating that I did not hear her ask. I waited to hear a few clicks, then I turned... And surprisingly, the door opened, letting me out! I flew out and as quickly as possible, shifted to my original form, human. I started to search through the drawers for a key, all while Hannah''s face was still in shock. My hands clasped around the last drawer and I tugged. No movement. Again I pulled and nothing was evident, but I then saw a keypad on the front. This could not be opened with a beak, I had to be strategical. Or not... I lifted my foot and slammed it down on the lock, causing the plastic to bust open. I put my hand inside and unlocked the drawer, pulling it open all the while. Inside was a key! Now I could hear Hannah attempting to open her cage, but she was in vein. I grabbed the key, ran to Hannah''s cage, and put the key in. I willed it to open, turned... and the door opened! Hannah climbed out, shifted to human, and collapsed on the floor. I collapsed next to her. Our breathing was heavy, as we were still in shock of all the recent events. We lied there for a while, too exhausted to stand up. But then I realized that we probably didn''t have much time, so I crawled up to my feet and stood. I walked to the door, wanting to peek if we had time. Now the doorknob was in easy reach. I put my hand around the cold, smooth silver and turned. Then the lights turned black, and all I could hear were my shuffling footsteps, and Hannah scrambling to get up.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Chapter 8 I stayed in place, waiting for the lights to resume shining... but they didn''t turn back on. Meanwhile Hannah had found me next to the door. My ears listened for any sign of sound at all, but only Hannah''s restlessness and our breathing caused the slightest of noise. Victor would have noticed a power outage by now, I thought, maybe I should go now... I agreed with myself and turned the knob to open and the door creaked. Small rays of light peeked out and exposed the room once again. I peeked though the crack and saw nothing but a white hallway, and a dark wood door at the end. No cameras could be seen... I closed the door, encasing the room in darkness once again. "What should we do?" I said to myself. I pondered for a little while. Then Hannah spoke up. "If we want to escape, we need to run... fast." She said, as if that wasn''t already obvious. She put her hand over mine on the doorknob, turning it slowly. Soon the door opened and we let it open all the way. We both took a step back and leaped, sprinting through the hallway, we got to the door, hurriedly opened and jumped through... only to fall a few feet into another cage. We fell hard on the soft carpet over a metal floor. We were trapped once again, except this time it was in a bigger cage and we were together. Men and women alike stood around us as if they were watching us, which unsurprisingly, they were. Some were staring, some were taking notes, and some were chatting with each other. These people were acting as if we were a science exhibit. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.Victor is truly evil, I thought, truly, truly evil. No one would even think of such a bad thing as this. Then the group of scientists walked off, leaving Hannah and me alone. I looked up, the door was still there, but it was somehow closed and most likely locked. I didn''t even risk trying because above the door, on the ceiling, sat several sprinklers. Of which their use was unknown, I did not expect anything good to come from this situation. As I looked back down, a sound got my attention. I was the sound of sizzling, like the extinguishing of a fire. I was afraid to look up, as it sounded like it was coming from that direction. Curiosity got the advantage of me and I could not handle not discovering the source. I looked up and saw the sprinklers had been activated and what appeared to be nearly invisible sizzling hot fire, slowly sinking down in our chamber, I flattened myself against the floor and hoped it would not reach me. Sooner than later, I breathed some in. Immediately the concoction took hold. The room began to spin and my body felt like I was at the bottom of the sea, being crushed. Next the gas turned and very dark shade of black, obscuring nearly all vision. I turned my head to the side, seeing Hannah lying there, nearly unconscious. As the world began to disappear, all I could manage to say was; "Hannah" Chapter 9 I woke up feeling very groggy, my body felt very exhausted and didn''t even want to move. I yawned, opened my eyes, and realized where I was... in a testing lab. I still felt much too exhausted to even struggle, so I sat lied there, waiting. What felt like for hours, I was contemplating what had happened in my life. Me being the good quiet kid at school. My mom and dad always being there for me, helping me in all the ways they could think of. Then Hannah... Hannah! Where was she? I looked around and could not spot her anywhere, then as I was looking, a scientist, walked in on if he was on cue. He then wrote several things on a notepad. He set it down in the place it just was, and walked over to me. "One second", he told me, "Let me do this." He adjusted my restraints. I stared at him observantly, studying why he did, although it was to no use. This man in front of me seemed as if he wasn''t even in his twenty''s. He had brown hair, hazel eyes, and wore the typical lab coat you would think of. As he finished adjusting my restraints, he looked at me and told me something I would never forget. "You", he said, "You are something extraordinary. Many of us people here at this lab have never seen someone like you. You are truly, truly special, remember that." He then immediately made a quick retreat of of the room I was in, leaving me astounded. My conscious re-emerged and I realized that I still hadn''t seen or heard Hannah. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a head with brown hair... it was Hannah. "Hannah", I asked, "Hannah are you awake?" No response. "Hannah!" I said, louder this time. Still no response. I was now getting increasingly worried. "HANNAH!" I yelled, one last time. I heard a groan and saw her head move. I breathed a sigh of relief. As I started to relax, I heard Hannah speak to me. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement."Hey Trey, what happened?" She asked. I told her responding to her question, "I''m pretty sure we got tricked, so we''re trapped again." She turned her head so I could see her face. It seemed as if she was unharmed in any way, only she looked a bit drowsy, I was still tired too. She weakly smiled and I followed suit. "I wish we weren''t here..." she said. She turned her head back to look at the ceiling. I just gave up trying to talk, knowing she only wanted to rest for a little more. I closed my eyes and let my mind go blank. "Do not be afraid," I heard. "What did you say?" I asked Hannah. "I didn''t say anything," She told me groggily. "Oh..." I replied. I let my mind go blank again. "You can leave..." I heard once again. "What?" I said, confused. "I didn''t say anything, just let me take another rest." She replied, getting annoyed. "Listen to me, I can help", now I knew no one was saying this. But I waited. And listened. "You are trapped, this I know, but I know of a way out." I looked around, one more time, making sure no one was talking to me. And to my despair, no one was. "First you must be removed of restraints." "And how do I do that" I whispered, doubting this voice a lot, this could easily be just another test. "Just say the words, ''Yarlen labs'', and you will both be free." I worried, but at the moment, it was all I could do... so I said the words. "Yarlen labs!" And with that, the restraints released, and I was free. Chapter 10 I jolted upward, completely astounded that somehow those words had worked. And more importantly, I was free! I turned around, Hannah was also sitting upwards, looking at me. "How..." She stuttered. I just shrugged, stood up, and grabbed her hand. "This is our chance! We need to go now... I''ll tell you later." I let go of her hand and shifted into a fox. This was the first time I had shifted since we were trapped in this lab. As I looked at Hannah, she was shifting. Her hair, clothes, and body, became one as she turned to a otter, good for maneuvering. The fox was my most comfortable form of all animals. We headed off into the mess of hallways. As we neared one intersection, the voice spoke again. "Left, then through the second lab on your right." I turned left, and Hannah followed close. No people were to be seen, lucky for us. I went through the lab and into the first area of this massive lab we had seen. All of the animals still continued to cry and yelp. I looked to the sides to look for the entrance in which we came. I spotted it and looked at Hannah. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "We need to fly", she said, immediately becoming a blue jay. I shifted to a falcon, and we took to the air. We rushed to the entrance, over all of the animals and scientists below us. As we went over the railing, we turned right into the long hallway, and flapped our wings and fast as we could. In no time at all we reached the ladder and instead of climbing it as a normal person would, we instead flew up the tall, narrow tube. Sooner than later we came out of the tube and into the old, musty barn. I shifted back to myself again, and collapsed onto the floor. We were both exhausted from the stress of escaping, we had almost forgot to breathe. "We''ve done it." Hannah said, "We''ve escaped." She crawled up and got on her feet. "Here", she said, extending her hand down to me. I reached out and grabbed her hand. She pulled me up and we began walking. "Let''s go home", I said. "Mhhmm!" Mumbled Hannah frantically. I turned around. A man in dark clothes and armor had a handkerchief around her mouth. Her eyes blinked and her relaxed to the side, unconscious once again. "Nooo!" I yelled, lunging at the man behind her. But right as my hand was about to reach him, some grabbed me from behind, and put one over my mouth. "Mmhm! Mhhhmm! Mm..." Almost instantly whatever chemical it was took effect, and I passed out. Chapter 11 How many times lately had I been unconscious? Was the first thought to pop in my head after waking. Soon enough my hearing cleared and instead of silence, I heard more peaceful noise. It was the noise of birds chirping and of water running, not like the lab at all. I slowly opened my eyes, rubbing them as I woke up. Around me were no white walls, odd equipment, of anything of the such. I looked around at my surroundings, blown away by what I was seeing. Rather than being in a laboratory room, I had been relocated into a large tent. Inside this tent lied several medical equipment, a radio, and some food on a tray next to me. Just now I realized that I was indeed starving, as my stomach growled. I reached over and grabbed some food, stuffing it quickly into my mouth. The flavor bursted throughout my body. Man, I thought, When did I last eat... Soon after, I had finished all of the food on the tray. Now filled with more energy, I stood up and took a moment to think. I am missing something, for sure, I thought. Then it occurred to me, Hannah! Was she missing again? As I turned around, her sleeping body lied there peacefully. It is odd that we are not tied up or anything of the such, I thought. Walking over to Hannah, I shook her shoulders to wake her up. "Huh? What? What is it?" Said Hannah. Her eyes fluttered open, taking in her surroundings. She sat up rapidly, most likely confused, just like me. "I have no idea where we are, or what is even happening even more, but we''ve been transferred." I told her. In the background birds chirped, leaves rustled, and some water quietly tip-tapped. She nodded her head and replied. "Neither do I, but I think the safest thing to do now is to escape and go home." She stretched, but before she got on her feet completely, she snatched some food from her tray. "Alright", she exclaimed, "now let''s go." She stood up and walked towards the entrance. But right before we could reach it, a woman in nurse''s clothing walked in. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. "Oh", she exclaimed, shocked, "You''re awake!" She took a second to regain her posture, then smiled. "I''m sorry for barging in on you, that was my fault." She looked around, spotting the empty food trays. "I see you enjoyed your food, and still have leftovers", she signaled at Hannah. "Don''t worry, you''re safe here, nothing is going to happen to you." Somehow her voice was very calming, and Hannah put all the food back, surprisingly without a fight. Hannah''s face looked a bit entranced, as if being controlled. "Now if you''ll excuse me, I have to bring someone to introduce you. This will only take a second. So please, young lady, enjoy your food, you''ll need the energy soon." And with that, the nurse calmly walked out of the tent. Hannah walked over and stated to eat her food, and very quietly in fact. "Hannah", I asked, "Are you alright?" She nodded, and with her mouth full she just said, "I''m feeling great actually. It''s quite wonderful." Then continued to chew. Currently I am now extremely worried, never has she acted this way in front of me. "Hannah", I yelled, snapping my fingers in front of her face... no response. As I was about to slap her in an attempt to wake her up, the nurse walked back in, trailed by a man wearing a safari outfit. "Good afternoon", said the man. "It is good to see a new soul around here. He smiled and winked at the nurse. "Please, Ms. Dreyon." She nodded and looked at Hannah. Soon after Hannah finished eating and stood up. "I believe it is time for formalities. My name is Sir Rogers, and this is my assistant, Ms. Dreyon. We know of your recent troubles and hope we may be of some assistance. If you could both be so kind as to follow us, it would be most appreciated, we have a few things to show you." With that they both turned around and I looked at Hannah. She looked back at me and shrugged, while mouthing, ''I dunno''. We started to follow both people out of the tent, unable to do anything different. We had no choice. Both Sir Rogers and Ms. Dreyon walked through the entrance and continued, leaving me and Hannah to follow. I walked through the entrance and looked around, immediately making my jaw drop in awe. Chapter 12 Surrounding me were vines and tall trees, covering the sky above. In the trees were monkeys, apes, birds of all types, and more. On the ground many animals were together, including the occasional tent and house. My feet walked on pathways of beaten down dirt, contrast to all of the surrounding grass. I appeared as if there has been a community here for centuries. To me, in my mind, it looked like paradise. As if someone did visit here, they would never want to leave. "See, young man, you are special, like all of the residents here." Said Rogers. I immediately got jittery, already knowing that Victor''s corporation knew, I hoped these people didn''t as well. "We have been watching both of you for a while now, possibly a couple of years. You sparked our interest with your power and capabilities." I glanced at Hannah, straight confusion and anger showed. "When we discovered your disappearance, our magine contacted you through telepathy." Sir Rogers stopped and turned around. "We did have to knock you both out for safety reasons, since we do not know you personally." He gave a big smile, "But you are here now, you are safe, you are happy, and you are... home." He said the last word with emphasis. Immediately a million questions with no answers flooded my mind, so I opened my mouth ready to speak. "Tsk tsk, so time for answers yet, first Mama Sonora must discover your traits, strengths, and powers." Blurted Ms. Dreyon. They turned around and continued to walk. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Hannah tapped me on the shoulder, mouthing ''Powers? Plural?'' ''I''m so confused'' I mouthed back. Hannah nodded in consent. ''Maybe this isn''t bad... Perhaps it was destined'' We both shrugged and trudged on. Within a few minutes, we were upon a large rock with many holes in the sides nearby, each appearing as if the holes were infinite. "Queen Sonora, we have the freed foxes. They now stand behind us." Our in the distance, somewhere behind the rock came rustling, and whining. Both Sir Rogers and Ms. Treyon bowed down on their knees. Soon after, a most curious creature of beauty and wonder stepped out from behind the rock. I appeared to be just a fox, but several distinct features were different. Rather than the rustled, matted, red fur of a fox. Hers was pale, like the full moon on still waters. Instead of one tail, she had what looked like nine tails. She stepped of the ledge and slowly floated down, white sparkles coming down with her. Hannah grabbed my shoulder and pulled me down, bowing as we did so. The queen''s paws reached the ground, softly pressing on the leaves. "Rise", said the queen, making us comply, rising upwards. "You must be the two many have been talking about. I have heard much about both of you." She looked at Hannah, "You must be the girl, Hannah", then she turned her head to look at me. "And you are the boy, Trey, right? I believe so." She reached out both of her paws to touch Hannah''s and my cheeks. Then to my great surprise, she became a human right in front of my eyes! My brain stopped unable to the scene that played out in front of me. All I could hear was the queen''s voice, kindly saying, "Welcome home." Chapter 13 It took a while for my brain to catch-up, but in the end I happened to be in a house of some kind. But rather than it being an actual house, it was kind of like a group of rooms set into a cave. A bit confusing, if you ask me, but the information did soak in. What I had been told were of many things. First of all, there was indeed no sky above, only the illusion of one. The whole place was submerged into the ground, through ancient invincible magic. The trees and rocks and earth were created at the same time as the hole. Another thing about the jungle was that it could not be breached by anything since it was somehow... in another dimension? And no normal human being could enter, only Kitsune. The queen had given us a personal tour and explain nearly all of our questions. But only one thing she told us extremely confused me. She said that we were kitsune, an ancient mythical creature of multiple tails and infinite wisdom. We could be one of two things, either anima-kitsune or homin-kitsune. Anima could become the shape of any animal form, whether dog or cat or bird, any animal''s shape could be ours. A homin on the other hand could be the shape of the kitsune, their original shape, and any human gender, shape, form, or look. That is what most spies were, although few were anima, mainly used for infiltrating. Luckily Hannah lived next to me, as there was a door connecting both of the rooms. Honestly, I felt like my world had been turned around. I had been captured and fed information so fast I hadn''t had time to contemplate anything really. Just when I thought that I was the only shapeshifter, Hannah came along, and I got used to that. Then we came along the old barn and were caught and caged. To much things happened in that time so fast, I can''t even remember all of it. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.Later we escaped and were knocked unconscious once again. Now we''re here, discovering nothing is as it seems. It was indeed a bit confusing, but that''s just life. Tiredness hit me like a rock. I hadn''t been able to properly sleep for what felt like ages. Is being unconscious a variation of being asleep? It must not be, as I have been unconscious and am very tired. I got under the sheets of my bed, after all, they told me I would need some sleep for tomorrow. I closed my eyes and imagined me as a kitsune, someone with a tail or more, fox''s ear on my head rather than my own, and magical powers, individual to each person, some stronger than others. Even I was said to have my own, and Hannah''s hers. I let my mind go blank, letting the soft, warm sea of peace swallow me up. Dozing off I had one more thought... What does this new life hold in store for me? A woman was crying-A man sat next to her, being comforting-Then a fire came, making the woman scream-The fire chuckled, throwing a fire-The woman''s scream stopped, along with the man''s-The fire walked out, leaving a trail of flames-The area set on fire, leaving only darkness, and loneliness. Chapter 14 I woke up in a cold sweat, a little scared from the dream. After all, it seemed so real. Oh well, I thought, I need to get up now anyway. I pulled the blankets off of me and got onto my feet, getting dressed as I went. I wonder if there is food in the fridge. I then realized they had electricity here, in what seemed like an old wild jungle. I opened the fridge and it was filled with food of all kinds, including some deviled eggs, which I personally love. I grabbed out a couple, stuffing them into my mouth as I walked out the front door. Immediately I was flooded with the sounds of nature and wonder. Many anima-kitsune making noise as different animals, most likely a daily tradition. It was increasingly hard to be stressed on an environment like this, or be worried at all, since everything was so peaceful. I knocked on Hannah''s front door, waiting for her to come out. Soon enough, the door opened and her face appeared, her hair was made and her face glimmering with morning light. "Good morning", I said with a smile on my face. "How are you feeling?" "Pretty dang refreshed", she replied, "it''s nice to get some sleep now." She gave a big smile and came outside. Closing her door, she grabbed my hand and we started to walk away. "We have a fresh start, to make a better life." She continued on, her words striking my heart true, "Not many people get a second start, much less are told they get to do what they want to do. Usually they''re forced into hiding because of a gang or group. But we have options, and can be free, as long as we aren''t evil." She stopped and looked my straight in the face, "We can chose our future! We can be together! We can be freed from earthly troubles!" Hannah pulled me towards a bench, nicely sitting nearby. She sat down and signaled for me to sit next to her, which I did. "You know, after the time, even though short, I''ve liked you as a friend. But time goes on, I like you more and more. Less only like a friend and more like a boyfriend." She blushed and looked away, knowing what she said. I hadn''t seen her so literal, usually she''s just playing and having fun. I thought about it, we were friends, and this new life had opened up possibilities that weren''t there before. One of which being what she had pointed out. My mind told me yes, and so did my heart. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I spoke up, "You know what, I agree, this new way of living opened up possibilities that would never had happened before. And now we do have the chance of being together more, and learning about each other more. So yes, being my girlfriend wouldn''t be so bad. After all, I do like you, more than just a friend." "Really?" Hannah smiled and put her hand on my leg. "Really." I put my hand on top of hers. Then to my surprise she leaned over and her lips touched mine. Is this what love feels like, because this feels nice. I kissed her back and we hugged, enjoying the moment while it lasted. I pulled away, smiling because of the good butterflies in my stomach. "I didn''t know how that felt, but it sure feels good. I''m glad we could agree." Her smile was contagious, making me laugh in joy. She then stood up and put her hand around mine. "We better get to the queen, probably don''t want to be late." I got up and we started to walk, her head on my shoulder, and butterflies in my stomach, giving me the feeling of true joy. Chapter 15 Hannah and me approached a cutout in the large rock border of the jungle. Under the entrance of the area stood the queen, a man, and a woman whose names and faces I did not know. There were smiles on their faces, maybe happy to see us. We walked up a few stairs and the queen introduced us. "Hannah, Trey, these are some of the fine people of our small school. Mrs. Harold teaches history of creatures, you''ll hear about our god through her. Mr. Javier is the sports teacher, he''ll help you gain your first powers." Both of the teaches waved their hands. "Their both going to personally show you two around the school, and hopefully you''ll meet some nice kids along the way. Well, I''ve got to get going, after all, the deputy is having some problems." The queen walked away, leaving both me and Hannah with the teachers. "The queen has already told you our names, so we can skip that part." Said Mrs. Harold, "But anyway, welcome to our school, we try our best to help all of our students gain their first tail." Mr. Javier nodded in agreement, "And we''ve never had a student who hasn''t! Just follow us and we''ll show you around." Both teachers started to walk away, leaving Hannah and me to follow. "This is where you will be going to everyday, and it is pretty great if you take the time to soak it in."Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. "It really is quite wonderful here", said Mrs. Harold, "And hopefully you''ll make a few acquaintances in the process." "There is only one rule in order to graduate. You have to gain your first tail, which is a great treat, I know from experience. I bet if you talk to any of the other kitsune that have freshly graduated, they can give you better information than I can." The school halls were empty of any trace of previous people, roaming the halls. It gave the appearance of a fresh new school. My mind''s wheels turned, processing current and past information, and even adding some to each other, giving more clarity to my situation. Soon we were upon the library, so incredibly huge, I smiled, knowing that so much knowledge filled these shelves. "This is the school library, filled with so much ideas and knowledge, only the queen has read most of them, thanks to her power." Exclaimed Mrs. Harold, filling with a little curiosity I thought to ask a question. "What is the queens power anyway? We have only just arrived so we do not know." I questioned. Mr. Javier replied happily, knowing that he is spreading knowledge. "The queen has the most effective power of all current kitsune. She has the ability to stop or slow time, although that is not her only power, she has many others that she keeps secret from all creatures." He nodded with joy, "Now we shall finish the tour of the rest of the school." They both started to walk away again, but before I continued, I caught a glimpse of a story nearby, labeled: ''The Complete Guide to All Kitsune'' Chapter 16 Time had passed rather quickly lately, Hannah and my relationship had grown stronger, as now we spent everyday together as much as possible. School was fun, and I had indeed experienced someone gaining their tail. After a couple minutes of awe, the process was over, and he was rightfully excused from school for life. I actually liked school, and didn''t feel the urge to be invisible, because I had something to be proud of. Something I didn''t need to hide anymore. There were a few kids in the school that I was now friends with. They were your typical middle schoolers, attempting to graduate strong. Only three of them though, each having their own unique personalities. Jack was the quieter one, and he had a good aura to him, and was always in a joyful mood. Every once in a while he would speak up, and when he did, it was bold, but in a kind way. He also loved all types of magic, and the study of it. If he got the chance to go to the library, he would read about studies on mana and the application of it. Flannery was the more flamboyant one, who would take the time to explain whatever she was talking about, even if everyone alrighty knew. She was shy to other people, but in the end a very likable person. Her favorite hobby was drawing pictures of anything and everything, because she was good at it and enjoyed it. Finally there was Colton, nice kid, that''s for sure. I enjoyed talking to him, as he would probably make a funny joke, and he would always know the latest news. Plus, he knew his way around the jungle, and knew all the best hiding spots. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.They were all good friends to have, and always there for me and each other. Another thing here was the fact that I was getting accustomed to living here. The trees and weather were familiar, I understood the faith and laws set in place, and how community worked together. Even the school taught the history behind the faith, explaining it in detail. Anyway, Hannah had told me something very peculiar lately. "You know, I''ve been having a weird tingling sensation all over my body lately. It''s very odd..." Stated Hannah. "That does sound a bit odd, I''ve never experienced something like that before." I shrugged my shoulders in confusion. "It''s not a bad feeling though, instead it actually feels kind of relaxing. Like I''m at peace with the world." She said, "just odd." She looked back down at her book. "What are you reading?" I asked. "It looks interesting, what''s it about?" "It''s just a story about an alternate history where griffins were hunted by human archers and one griffin attempts peace, it''s very interesting." She went back to reading her book. "Cool, I''m going to go look for a book of my own." I walked away, scanning the shelves for any interesting looking book. Then out of the corner of my eye I spotted a book, one that look old and majestic. Walking over to it, I saw the title was softly glowing, as if the book was alive. When I had finished getting close to it, I read the title, and somehow it was the same one I saw during the introduction to the school. ''The Complete Guide to All Kitsune''. I looked at the book in confusion, how was it still here? Wouldn''t the librarian and her magic have put it on the shelve by now? Maybe, but then how is it still here? Chapter 17 The book still sat there, it''s title having an ominous glow. The book seemed to pull me closer, the magic wafting off of it in waves. Maybe I should get Hannah... I walked away from it, heading back towards Hannah. She was already up and scanning through the bookshelves, done with reading the book. "Hey Hannah, I think something''s a bit amiss." I said. "Well," she replied, interested, "What is it?" "I believe it''s better if I show you." I held her hand and led her to where I saw the book. The book still lied there, still ominously glowing. "Here, I found this, and can feel a strong pull from it." I pointed at the book. Seconds later confusion was obvious on her face. "What do you mean? There''s nothing there..." She looked at me, "Are you okay?" "I''m completely fine, but now I''m just confused, there''s a book right there... Don''t you see it glowing?" "Nope, but if you can see something, then why don''t you pick it up?" "Alright... I will." I put my hand over the book and grabbed the strap laying on the side. I picked the book up and gave it and blew, send the dust that had lied on the book flying everywhere. "Wow!" Hannah exclaimed in astonishment, "How did you do that?" "Do what... I didn''t do anything special." I replied, wrapping the strap around my shoulder. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. "There was no book there before, but then your hand touched it, and now it''s visible! That book has some magic in it, we should probably talk to Jack." "Or everyone." Jack was sitting in the library next to Flannery, taking notes on a small half-sheet of paper. The book sitting next to him was called, "Friend or Foe, Beasts of Mana". "Hey Jack, we may have found something you''d be interested in, it''s an old book." Said Hannah. "I''ll take a look", Said Jack, eagerly taking the possibility of holding an enchanted item. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a notepad, covered in sketches and notes, which he then used for observing. "The most odd thing about it is that it disappears when Trey lets go." Pointed out Hannah, signaling me to do so. I dropped it and saw it phase right through Jack''s hands. "Wow! Impressive... What happens when you touch it again?" Asked Jack. I put my finger to the book, and Jack''s eyes squinted. "Peculiar, if I could make any hypothesis, it would be that the book thinks you worthy of reading it, caused by the spell." "Perhaps you should, after all, I don''t believe it would hurt to see." Blurted Flannery. I pondered for a bit, then decided my answer. "I''ll open it tomorrow, and we''ll read some together." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Hey Hannah", said Flannery, "I think I found a book you might like." Flannery handed Hannah the story, titled as ''The Power of the Earth: Study of the Elements''. "Thanks!" Hannah opened the book and read a few lines. "Wait, the tingling stopped..." Hannah set down the book and sat down. "I think I know what''s going to happen." "What?" I asked. "I''m going to earn my tail..." Authors Note - Ta-da! Hannah''s going to earn her tail! Yay, applause for her. ?????? I decided it was time to get the story moving again, and add a big event. Now that Hannah will earn her tail, I guess I''ll just have to find a way to describe it, as well as my creative mind can manage. Anyway, thanks for the reads y''all have been giving me. It''s been hard to write and do school at the same time, so expect a random upload schedule. Chapter 18 "That''s great!" Said Jack, in his usual joyful mood. "Wonderful, I wish I was as early as you!" Added Flannery. I was still a bit stunned, she''s going to gain her magic powers! It''s happening so soon! "Wait, Wait, Wait... it''s happening now!" Two seconds later her chair began to rattle and she stood up, then her feet lifted off the ground and her body began to float. She giggled loudly, "Oh, stop it! That tickles!" She looked at her back, and then downward, where sparkles began to shine. The sparkles extended outwards, forming a long curve, and continuing to make Hannah giggle. The sparkles suddenly disappeared, leaving a fox tail in place. Then her hands went to her head, feeling for any changes. Suddenly her ears popped into nothing and her hands were pushed up from the top of her head. Hannah removed her hands and two fox ears popped up from underneath her hair. She grinned as much as someone could and floated back down to the floor. Jack, Flannery, and me all had our mouths open in awe, amazed at the presentation we just experienced. I personally only had one word to describe the event... Beautiful. Purely beautiful. Hannah''s blond hair shimmered, then before anything else could happen, a small strand of her hair turned silver. "Wow! I''m... just speechless." Said Hannah, "They weren''t kidding! That was incredible." She looked at herself, taking in her new tail and life. Hannah swayed her tail and moved it around, smiling more and more for each movement. But right before she could burst out in joy, she told us, "I''m gonna go find a mirror, I need to see this!" She ran off and before she left the library she yelled, "This is amazing!" It echoed a bit and me and Jack looked at each other. Stolen novel; please report. "A-maz-ing!" He said, with obvious excitement in his voice. "That was incredible, with all the people I''ve seen go through that, I''ve never seen anything more majestic... She is truly something special." "She sure is, and nothing I''ve seen has ever been as beautiful as her transformation. I don''t think anything could ever match up to that." I replied. "I don''t even have words to explain that, it was just to unbelievable." Flannery pitched in. We all nodded, still in small shock. The book bumped me softly, not of my own doing. "Okay, I''m going to put the book back in my room, it''s magic is getting less patient, if what you say is true." I walked out of the library, tossing a goodbye as I left. Hannah hopped out of the bathroom, excited as could be. The sight of her raised my joy level even higher. "Wait up! Don''t forget me!" Shouted Hannah. "I couldn''t, even if I tried", I shouted back. She ran through the hall, catching up to me as I walked out the exit. "It''s pretty cool, isn''t it, can''t wait until my tail shows up." "Then we would both have magic powers, and we could experience them together." She grinned, skipping a bit, happy as could be. I nodded in agreement, and through the jungle, eventually ending up in my room. Hannah followed me in, heading to the door connecting to her''s. "Well, goodnight", I said, "Have fun enjoying your new tail and ears!" "Oh my gosh, I have fox ears!" She squealed softly and almost shut the door, "Goodnight, And remember I still love you", she whispered as she shut the door, all outside noise cut out. I set the book on the table and lied down in bed, still with my clothes on, and too tired to care. I then let the soft sound of a background fan send me to sleep, the nice peaceful buzzing drowning me with comfort. Chapter 19 I woke up with a start, in a cold sweat once again. The dream that occurred the first night I was here had repeated. The fire felt evil, and destructive. Plus the faces of the two adults were still fuzzy, but I could hear their voices softly. Besides that, the same event had happened. I shook my head, putting the images away. Taking off my used clothes, I stuffed them into the washer, and grabbed some new ones. Putting them on I heard a knock at the door, knowing it must be Hannah, I replied. "One second, I''m almost out. Okay?" I said, hearing Hannah''s voice yell back. "Alright! Plus, I wanna see that book of yours!" I finished putting the rest of my clothes on, grabbing a hat saying, ''The Good Life - Oregon''. I walked over to the door, spotting the book laying in front of the door. Acknowledging the fact that it was magic, I picked it up and felt the power waft around my hand. The door handle was opened by Hannah, pulling so I could exit. I nodded to her saying, "Thanks", on the way out. She sparked in the sunlight, with the surprising grey strand still there. She closed the door, smiling, and started to talk as I headed off to on of the corners of the jungle. I listened to her talk, each word filling me with happiness. "I was playing with my tail last night, seeing what all it''s like. It''s pretty interesting, the power that it hides and holds. One of the things I was practicing was controlling my tail to knock and curl, along with some other things. I still have no idea of what magic I hold, but hopefully I figure it out soon. Anyway, when are you gonna open the book? I''m curious about what is inside of it." "Well, whatever is inside this book holds strong magic, that is for sure. I can feel it, even if no one else can. Perhaps, that''s a power of mine, I can sense magic. But anyway, sounds like you''re having fun", I said, while Hannah now was skipping in front of me. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "It is fun! You''ll know it when you have it!" Hannah sat down on the stump she always sat on when she was here. Playing with the leaves that were still barely dangling on. I sat down in the corner, inside a natural formation through the wall. It was a miniature cave that a grown man could even fit in, making a little seat for anyone. I sat down and put my back against the wall, putting the book up on my lap. I could feel the power and magic resonating from it. The cover of the book had lifted up slightly, humming softly. This no longer seemed like a normal enchanted item, but instead a powerful item of true life. With curiosity getting the better of me I opened the cover all the way, revealing citations, from sources unknown to me. And the author''s name listed at the bottom, ''By Kat Kitsune - Holder of knowledge''. Turning the page, with all previous fear long gone. The book pages suddenly began flipping rapidly, releasing massive amounts of mana, entering my body. I felt a small shock, and then some tingling in my spine, giving me the impression of tickling. Hannah stood from aside, with her tail pulling towards me, telling my mind what was happening. I was now going to earn my tail! The day after Hannah too! I felt my feet become so light, lifting me up into the air. The tingling continued except now it began crawling down my spine. I spun around, attempting to look for a tail, feeling for the tingling. Sparks of intense energy formed in high concentration near where my tail would be. I could feel light entering my eyes, and the most satisfying feeling happened. The moment where the sparks disappeared and a fox tail lied, I could never feel better than that. Then I could feel my ears be replaced with a fox''s, a something in my hair change. My feet then gained their weight back, and I lowered to the ground, aware of the world, more than I had ever. Hannah''s jaw dropped and her hand went over her mouth, looking up at my face. "Wait, you need to look at yourself, your hair..." Hannah pointed out, surprised. I ran back, suddenly worried about what Hannah had said. Once I reached my front door I burst in and looked in the mirror... Looking back was me, with a strand of silver hair, matching Hannah''s exactly... Chapter 20 The silver strand sparkled from the lamp''s light. Hannah stood behind me, with her hand lying on my shoulder. "Maybe it''s a sign? One of the prophecies that the council announces?" Hannah said, smiling with wonder. "I don''t know... I earn my tail and the first thing that we notice is this." Joy could be heard in my voice, as well with a small bit of confusion. Hannah spun me around and her tail perked up. "This is exciting though, right?" Her voice was happy, and very contagious, making me laugh in return. I nodded my head and my tail waved around. Hannah looked past my should and watched it for a second, immediately giggling in happiness. I looked at her tail and got slapped in the face. "Ppphh", I spit put a hair, laughing. Hannah looked up, confused, and realizing what made me laugh, she giggled her signature giggle. She leaned over to hug me, but right as we were hugging, the door shook from the knock of a fist. We pulled away from each other, and walked to the door. Opening it, Flannery, Jack, and Colton stood there. But Jack appeared different from before. Jack now had a tail and ears, all matching the brown of his clothes. But what stood out the most was the apparent streak of hair, colored silver. Flannery, Jack, and Colton were staring at my hair, while Hannah and me were staring at Jack''s. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator."How..." Said Flannery, a look of confusion was visible on her face. Colton had his head tilted, contemplating the events. With me completely out of it, I signaled them inside. We all sat down on the couch and chairs, surrounding the table. When I sat down, I moved to the side a bit and ended up in a comfortable position, even though my tail differed. We all looked around, waiting for someone to speak up. Eventually it got too awkward, and I broke the silence. "The recent events are odd, that is true. But perhaps this was all meant to happen? Maybe we are special, or have a higher purpose than others." I said, waiting an answer from the others. "I have to agree with you", said Colton, "Lately the council has been receiving prophecy after prophecy. None have stood out largely yet. But possibly that case may change soon." We all nodded in agreement and continued to talk about things, the nature of which soon did not matter, as we all became more comfortable the more we talked. Eventually we all began to laugh and joke about various things, all worries gone for a moment, and instead replaced with joy. Soon enough it became dark outside and everyone said their goodbyes and left, excluding Hannah, who stayed behind. When the front door was shut, Hannah spoke ecstatically, "This is fun, and exciting! It was destiny for all of us to meet!" She then yawned loudly, reaching towards the brass handle to her room, and walked in. "Goodnight, I''ll see you in the morning." The door shut and I was left alone, but I was not tired. I was excited, and ready to experiment and discover my powers. Chapter 21 I woke up with a start, the light shining into my room, my palms and forehead sweaty. Fire, and people screaming, nothing at all in the dream was pleasant. It was a repeat of a previous dream, except this time it had been more clear and precise, with more detail and imagery. What woke me up was the final scream of the woman, who is still unknown to me, scaring the sleep out of me. I bent over with stress and took a few deep breaths, letting the tension melt away. Less than a minute later I was up on my feet and walking to the fridge, getting ready to prepare myself a meal. But before my hand reached the fridge, I felt my new tail pulling back, towards Hannah''s door. I turned around and tilted my head in confusion, does my tail have a mind of its own? Nah, we are one person, so no way... maybe. But I followed it, and as I was about to open the door, there was a knock. I shook my head and opened the door. Hannah looked a little surprised, "Well, that was fast." I shrugged, letting her walk by me. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and yawned. She blinked a few times and mid-yawn said, "Good morning Trey, did you have a nice sleep?" I nodded and replied saying, "In a way..." She raised an eyebrow, looking me over. Then to my surprised she just she shrugged and went to the fridge and opened it, grabbing a couple of raw eggs and bacon. With her hand, she signaled me over, saying , "Come help with breakfast." I walked over to the oven, bent down and grabbed a couple of pans, sticking them on top of the already simmering stove. Then I walked over to a cabinet next to the fridge, grabbing out a pancake mix and putting it down on the island counter. Opening up the package, the seal ripped and the flour exploded everywhere, including Hannah, who had just walked by. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Hannah spit a couple of times and then looked at me suspiciously, and finally we both started to laugh uncontrollably. "Ha! What are the chances?" She smiled, with a gleam in her eye. I nodded, mixing the ingredients together into pancakes mix, finally putting some in the pan. Sooner than later, the pancakes had finished cooking and were put on a plate. Hannah sat down at the coffee table and we shared a couch, eating side by side. Suddenly the large book started to shake, making my tail alert, poking around behind me. I slightly jumped, still being new to it and all. Putting my fork down I stood up and grabbed the book from its spot on the nightstand. Not sure how it got there, I brought it to the couch, and opened it up, beginning to read it''s contents. The size of the book only proved the amount of wisdom inside was great. The first page read - Welcome to The Guide To All Kitsune, this book took many years of studying, collecting, and writing to accomplish. May this book be of help on your journeys though the multiverse, and to the people you associate with. My name is Kit Dregon, and I am the author of this book, as well as the people who helped me with my research. The intro to the book interested me, so turning to the next page ended up with another surprise. A note slipped out suddenly, trailing dust as it drifted to the ground, ominously. Chapter 22 I leaned over and grabbed the note, shaking off the dust and mold patches. Several letters were visible, but none of which matched of the language I spoke, except for two near the bottom. Appearing to be initials of some kind, they listed as B.G. "That''s odd... I can''t seem to understand any of it," Pointed out Hannah, a look of confusion over her face. "Neither can I," I replied, nodding with interest. Then it hit me! I know someone who could most likely decider it...
"Hey Jack, I need a favor from you." I handed him the note, his mind working on it almost instantly. Walking over to a table, full of books and machines, who''s creations are unknown. He set down the note and disappeared into a back room, clanking and crunching sounds were audible. "Got it!" He yelled, running back out and almost tripping along the way. In his hands were a large, dusty book. Slamming the heavyweight down onto the table he exclaimed exhausted, "Here we go- An encyclopedia of letter interpretation. Hopefully this is only coded English." He flipped through the book, page after page after page of meaningless words. Eventually he stopped, near the end of the book, and squinted his eyes. Taking glances back and forth between the note and the book he grinned. "I believe I''ve got the translation right here." Leaning over to take a look, I saw that the letters matched up with each other, different letters indifferent locations nonetheless, but still the same writing style. Jack began to write down letter after letter on a piece of scrap paper, eventually done with the translation and handed it to me. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "I read it already, it seems to be an invitation to a meeting between the author and whoever wrote this note." Said Jack, smiling at his knowledge. I nodded and glanced at him, I almost forgot that he was a kitsune now. His ears shined a black color, same with his tail. Even his hair had slightly changed color from its usual brown to a darker color. I got to say, black does look a bit better on him. Pointing my attention back down to the note I read it out loud. "Ahem... Dear Henry, I wish I could see you now rather than later. My situation is dire, and I require your assistance. During the last few months, I have traveled nonstop, under fire from enemy forces. Although I do not know these men and women, they know me. Just recently, two days ago, I heard some of the people talking to each other, discussing something about finding the key of Varian, and unlocking its treasure or something like that. Please meet me where we annually meet tomorrow. I will be there at 4 o''clock sharp, and hope you read this. Sending my sincerest apologies, B.G." I look up at faces staring at me, surprise on their faces. "Someone, whoever this B.G. fellow is, he was in trouble, from some organization hunting him down. And for the reason of finding a key." Hannah looked at Jack. "Do you think you could find any information about this? I would relieve some stress." Jack nodded his head in agreement, weaving back through the mess of his house. I took one last glance at the note, taking it in. We had found a distress call, someone that was in dire need of the author. But then, out in the corner of the note, lied several words. Setting the note back down I wrote them. In the end they spelled ''April 26, 1991''. Then I realized something, "Hannah, this was written 27 years ago... We can''t do anything, it''s much too late."