《The Fiery Fox》 Chapter 1 - The little golden-red fox Amongst a great forest of trees a little fox trotted. A deep golden-red coloured fox. It ambles through the trees, ears twitching occasionally. The fox suddenly pauses and stands stock-still. It crouches, lowering itself and tightens its body, then shoots forward in a wisp of flame. The unassuming little rat never saw it coming. Amongst trees - great huge trees in a massive forest where wildlife can be heard chirping and whistling and singing - a little golden-red fox, with embers rising from its tail, can be seen carrying a somewhat singed mouse. Chapter 2 - Hot summers suit fiery foxes In a great forest with massive hulking trees a fox sits. A little beyond it the treeline ends, where a beautiful meadow awash with colour waits. It''s the height of summer. Through even the giant leaves that plaster the huge trees, high in the sky, the heat can be felt. Such summer days like these suit little golden-red foxes with gentle flames running along their tails. The fox flares its nostrils; tail sliding along the floor occasionally charring the ground. It is staring right at an owl, who stares right back. The fox flares its nostrils twice more, then hmphs and pokes its nose skyward. The owl hoots once, then twice more. "We must not leave the safety of the trees," it says, "for humans wander there." "What human would wander this deep into Emerahl Wood," the fox scoffs. It spins, flourishing its tail as flames leap into the air. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation."I want to bathe in the sun." The owl unfurls it''s beautiful, white-grey, wings, a streak of blue runs along them, "I refuse," and it leaps from the tree. The fox glances up, just in time to see the owl fade as it flaps its wings, and spins around in time to see it appear behind it. It jumps back and coughs a ball of fire the size of a fist in fright, which flies straight through the ow''s, again, fading body and smashes into a tree, where the flames barely leave a mark. A deep booming follows, "WHY IS IT ALWAYS YOU TWO," The owl once more flaps its wings and fades, its body long since vanished from the spot, fleeing deep into the wood. The fox turns towards the deep forest and starts to run, fire streaking along it''s body as it flits and scampers away from the voice. In the spot where the two small animals once were there is a cacophony of cracking noises and a deep murmer of discomfort. A voice gently booms, "It''s always that C¨². Silly little fox." The voice echoes through the trees for a time, until the forest eventually settles down; peacefully basking in the hot summer day. Chapter 3 - Do you have any new tricks? In the great Emerahl Wood, north of the meadow that seperates the deep core of the wood from the outer ring of trees, lies a deep pool of water. Shimmering light blue water trickles into the pool from a small stream. A natural barrier in the form of bushes and flowers wraps around the pool, nestling it away from the busy forest life. Lounging in the grass near the edge of the pool is a golden-red fox; it''s C¨². Splashes of water occasionally make their way to C¨², evaporating into wispy steam before they can get close. Sitting on a rock by the pool is his owl friend. "Esna, why did we come here? I don''t like the water much." The lazy fox swats at the air, wisps of fire floating up into the sky, popping into a flash of colour after a few metres. "C¨², this is the absolute last time I''ll say it; we''re meeting Ness, the dove, here." Esna dove into the water, a flash of blue came from the pool and she appeared a few metres above C¨², dripping water onto him while she evaded his fireworks. After a while of playing they settled, lazing by the pool as they listened to the stream flowing and the gentle breeze brushing through the leaves. It was a gentle summers day. C¨² and Esna sprang up, fire flaring and a blue shimmering around the owl, when they heard thumps in the ground. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.C¨² edges towards the bushes, wanting to peek through, controlling his flames hard so as to not set the bush on fire. Still alight with flame, tense in case he needs to escape, he creeps through the brush. Esna flies above, unable to see anything but unwilling to say anything so as not to distract C¨². C¨² pushes his nose through the last bit of bush, closing his eyes to get them through the natural barrier and then opening them again. To the sight of a large earthen brown bear and two cubs, ambling through the wood. The cubs jump and play with the mother. The flames on C¨² extinguish immediately as he lays flat on the ground and watches the family. The cubs pounce on floor spraying up dirt and launch it toward their mother, who laughs and merely swipes it away. Bits of dirt lift themselves around the mother and fly lazily to the cubs who swat them out of the skying, pouncing and laughing. They amble through the wood slowly, the perfect family, at least to C¨². Who hears a rustling beside him and sees Esna, now grounded and scrambling through the brush. He sees the bears and then looks back to C¨², who is laying on the ground with nary a flame in sight and sighs. "Don''t be upset C¨², I''m sure your parents are out there trying to find you! I bet one day they''ll come charging through the forest, golden flames sprouting through the sky as they look for you. Let''s go back to the pool, Ness will be here any second." And shuffles off. C¨² waits a moment, and slowly clambers up, scrambles through the brush and makes his way back to his spot by the pool as little embers slowly spark to life on his tail bit by bit. Esna appears in a blue flash of his wings in front of the dimmed firefox. "Say C¨², have you though up any new tricks?" And C¨² springs up, flames flaring, bristling with excitement. Chapter 4 - Cant you see the beauty around you? In the great Emerahl Wood an owl flies, flashing forward in blue streaks of light with each flap of their wings. On the ground red fireworks of fire can be seen as a golden-red fox flits through the forest, golden flames streaking along its body from the speed. They run and fly, faint whispers run through the bright green leaves of the trees, "There''s that pair again, mischevious youths," there''s a crack of wood, like a snort. A deep whisper retorts, "Weren''t you only a baby, a few metres tall once, Bill? Leaf the youths to youthful things and grow up," A booming laughter followed, scattering all the birds for a mile. A collective groan runs through the surrounding wood. Many of the trees slowly shift away from one tree. "Where are we going Esna," C¨² frowns. They streak up to higher ground bit by bit, and after a time the owl hoots back, "You''ll see soon! It''s a favourite spot of mine." C¨² perks up, his flames morphing through many colours as his excitement builds, maybe there''ll be animals to trick, or better yet humans. The pair continues on their way, the sun filtering through the emerald leaves of the trees, casting a brilliant bright light where it can, and a brilliant green, through the leaves, everywhere else. The ground slowly slopes up, while the terrain becomes more and more rough. The fox''s flames are visibly dimmer, while the owl has taken to flying more and teleporting less. Eventually the slope leads them higher than even the huge trees scattered through the forest. The owl swoops in and lands hooting twice, Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more."We have arrived," she sounds smug. C¨² glances around, tired, embers burning low as it looks about, "And where exactly have we arrived to? I don''t see anything interesting or exciting." The fox lays on the ground, hot from the searing sun, enjoying the warmth. The owl jumps and hoots furiously, "Nothing interesting? Look again silly fox." "I''m not silly," C¨² growls. It stands, looks around and pauses, then launches itself forwards, running circles around the clearing that sits high above the trees, "What''s interesting here, huh? I see nothing. There is nothing," It runs around screeching, as foxes sometimes do. The owl hums low and shakes its head, glancing past the dashing fox, and looks out over the forest. The canopy is awash with a brilliant emerald green, leaves swaying lazily in the gentle summer''s breeze. The wood creates a cozy background to the emerald. Past the trees the meadow can be seen. It looks almost like a watercolour painting; reds, blues, violets, yellows, purples and many shades of green can be seen; swaying in the breeze together, as if singing a song of colour. The blinding sun glances off of the flowers and mixes the colour together, like a dream . "C¨²," the fox stops running about and looks to the owl, "can''t you see the beauty around you? Doesn''t this paint an interesting picture to you?" The fox follows the owl''s gaze, overlooking the forest. "Wow, lots of green and some flowers," the fox shrugged and Esna felt a sting. She knew C¨² only felt this way because he was a little broken inside. Esna was determined to have him see the beauty out there, because even if he felt alone he wasn''t. She still sighed, "There''s more to life than pranking the Wood and playing with fire." "Well I like doing those things so I''ll keep doing them," the fox purred stubbornly, After which both of the animals suddenly jumped up spiritedly, eyeing a streaking white blur zooming through the tree line, "It''s Ness!" Chapter 5 - A gathering of fiery foxes In the great Emerahl Wood, by a deep pool, sits a flaming fox grooming himself carefully. It''s a warm summer''s day. The trees sway merrily in the wind, enjoying the warmth while it lasts. The fox is so absorbed in his grooming he doesn''t notice an owl swoop down and land amongst the branches above the pool. It stares down curiously from its perch. "Odd, you haven''t groomed yourself in a long time." To which the fox jumped in a flash of fire, shocked. It scampers in a circle huffing, "Oh it''s you Esna, you frightened me." and returns to grooming itself, very carefully. The owl appears on the charred ground in a flash of blue, "Hmm, it must be the gathering of the foxes then. You''ll have to run all the way north east after grooming you know." Esna said, knowingly. "Yes yes I know that Esna," C¨² paused his grooming just long enough to frown. "You''ll miss Ness today, she''s going to show me a trick or two about flying," the owl hooted, marching in a line with its chest puffed forward. C¨² chuckled a little at the sight, "Well I can''t fly anyway, although it is annoying missing Ness. But I bet I shall see her soon after the gathering," C¨² sounded certain, "she''ll want to see my new tricks after all," he added. Then stood and ran a cricle, admiring his clean fur. "Mhm, you look a true fox now C¨², I wonder who it is you''re trying to impress. You''ve never told me." The fox nodded at the compliment and ignored the second half of her sentence, turned and began running shouting, "I''ll see you tomorrow, I better run!" And flashed forward in fiery bursts of light. Far to the north east of the pool the wood turned a curious red. All of the trees here were a shade of red, and the air occasionally shimmered from heat. Firefoxes can be seen streaming in from all directions, heading toward the center of this red tinted forest. At the center lies a huge statue of a nine-tailed Firefox. It''s body a beautiful white, with white flame burning from it. It''s tails flare out from behind it, each tip holding a different coloured flame. There''s a crimson red,goldenrod gold, emerald green, sky blue, royal purple, bubblegum pink, a ghostly grey, a brilliant white - just like the body - and finally black. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.Each fox that passed the statue would flick their tails and launch a respective firebubble, that would pop into colour. The statue was resplendant in colour with so many foxes around paying respects. C¨² eventually made it to the gathering. Thousands of foxes milled around the area, many different colours with suiting flames painted a colourful scene in the red wood. Air shimmered with the heat. Some foxes had only one tail like C¨², mostly quite small and young, but some foxes had as many as nine tails and were many many times bigger than C¨², the largest as big as an elephant in size. C¨² looked about in awe, the majesty of the gathering never failing to amaze him. Shortly after he arrived he sat at a place of his own and heard a voice boom out and a comforting heat wash over him, "Today is the summer gathering of the Firefoxes, I welcome you all and hope your flames burn strong." A cacophony of noise ensued with flames bursting out everywhere, aside from where C¨² had sat. In the din an emerald green one-tailed fox slinks towards C¨². "I see you''re not participating as always," the fox comments, wisps of green floating into the air. "Emer," C¨² nods in greeting, a wisp of golden-red floating from his tail, "I don''t belong." "Nobody has ever said you don''t belong C¨²," Emer shakes her head as she sits by C¨², eyeing his fur. "I still don''t belong." The fox sighs and stares hard at the green fox, entranced. Then looks down. "Mark my words, one day you''ll feel like you belong here," Emer stands, eyes glinting. "I''ll find a way." The great nine-tailed fox that spoke at first stands again, after the colourful fires in the sky have died down. "It''s summer, the season of the foxes so I have little to say; however the winter comes and with it comes the dastardly cold so take mind of the young. May your fires burn bright and may you enjoy the gathering." It roared and shot a great ball of blue fire, the colour of its coat. It soared high into the sky and lingered, like a second sun. The sky shimmered with the heat, casting a blue tint over the world. Then the other nine-tailed foxes joined it and launched great balls of fire of their own. The world beneath was awash with colour as the foxes began to jump about, playing and talking. As the gathering truly begins C¨² turns to Emer cooing sadly, "I very much doubt that, nor would I care to belong." He stands and his flames burn bright and then dashes off, fur flashing extra brightly with beautiful golden-red flames. "What brings you to the gathering then?" Emer asks empty space, confused and then promptly joins in the merriment, green fur and flames flaring and quieting with the other foxes. For a time a corner of the great Emerahl Wood is awash with fiery lights, great balls of fire hang in the air and slowly die, casting a serene glow over the forest. Chapter 6 - I feel the winter coming At a deep pool in the Emerahl Wood a fox and owl play, dashing about with small bursts of fiery golden-red and gentle blues. The forest lay broiling under the intense sun. Colours glinting everywhere in the brilliant, blinding light. After a time of playing under the intense heat the two animals flopped by the pool exhausted. The owl lay with one feathered wing dipped into the cool water, hooting lowly, "You foxes always make such a ruckus at your gatherings, probably the only animals in Emerahl that make noise like that." The fox just grunted. It was true though. "We owls, we have weekly gatherings. Well I guess they''re not much of a gathering. The great elders join together and speak, and then share the news telepathically or if they''re in a good mood they''ll pay a personal visit. Imagine being able to shift as far as the entire wood." The fox grunted periodically after each pause from the owl, it heard this exact story once every season after the foxes had gathered. Every season the same story since many seasons ago when the fox had met the owl at this very pool. The owl kept hooting and tooting on eventually remarking, "I bet this summer will last at least another moon. The sun should be cooling by now but look at the heat." To this the fox finally shook his head and spoke, "No, I can feel the cold. I feel the winter coming. It''s just around the corner," and then lay his head back down, flames dying low as he relaxed. The owl cocked its head to the side, as owls often did. And then looked up at the sky, then forward, and then twisted its head all the way around to look behind it. "Odd, I don''t see any winter coming around any corner here!" And immediately burst out laughing, hooting rolling around uncontrollably until it fell flailing into the pool. The fox laughed, "Stupid, that was a terrible joke." "Does that make me winter?" A voice came from the bushes, unannounced. The fox and owl pounced back in fright, fire flaring and blue light gathering. "Or am I a terrible joke," A great green light rolled forth through the bush, clawing forward through the air.Stolen story; please report. The fox gathers a great fire all over it and charges toward the green, picking up speed. And then stamps into the floor, skidding and flares the fire out in all directions away from the green; fails to stop its momentum and careens forward tumbling sillily. The green disperses and a beautiful emerald coloured fox stands there, giggling, bows with wisps of fire floating into the air; a greeting. "I didn''t realise you were so happy to see me C¨², look at the greeting fire you sent." The new arrival laughs happily. The owl appears by C¨², "This is?" It''s hoots confused. "I am Emer, a pleasure to meet a friend of C¨², you are?" Wisps of green float up. "Esna," the owl hoots, blue light gathers at the tip of its wings. C¨² groans and stands, confused, flames flaring and dipping. "I''ve never seen you outside the red wood, how come you''re here?" Looked down at himself and inwardly groaned at his scruffy fur. "One of the sages said young foxes taking time to find their second inner flame shouldn''t be forced to stay couped up in the red wood, aside from the fact that there aren''t really any dangers in the core wood, she said sometimes a little danger is helpful. We''ve gotten too cosy she said." Emer looked smug as she commented, "And finding you was a piece of cake, I wouldn''t ever forget your flame." "That sounds kind of romantic," the Esna hooted in return and both foxes jumped back scrambling for excuses. The three laughed and played in the baking heat. The wood was awash with colour from the sun, life flourishing. The sounds of life surrounded them as they played. To the north east heat roiled off of the wood where the Firefoxes live. South of the pool was the great meadow which seperated the core of Emerahl Wood from the rest of the forest. The rest of the forest spanned across many times the size of the core wood. South still, past miles and miles of forest, lay a ground of oddly short trees, signs of ruin about it. Odd things grew here. The trees were a darker colour, some even black as coal. Little noise came from this dark wood. Signs of destruction could still be seen in some parts, the forest still unable to reclaim from whatever terrifying disaster had taken place. A great gloom lingered in the air. By the pool, back in the core of the wood, the three animals lay. Completely unaware of the growing gloom in the south. "Emer, will you be joining us more then?" C¨² asked curiously. "Yes yes, you must join us more!" The owl hooted, "Plus you''ve yet to meet Ness." "Who''s Ness?" She shot a questioning look at C¨². "She''s our great friend, a ph-" the owl began. "She''s a dove!" C¨² exclaimed, shooting Esna a glare. "She''ll be here soon actually, so you can meet her then," C¨² said shyly. Esna jumped into the water, appearing above the pool a second later in a flash of blue. "The heat was getting to me." She glided down again. Both foxes glanced at each other and tilted their heads and then shrugged. Maybe the heat really was getting to the poor owl. "Well it won''t be for long," Emer cackled, "I feel the winter coming." Chapter 7 - A present In the Emerahl Wood a chilly wind blows through the trees. The sky is grey, a stark difference to the previously blue sky. It''s almost noon and yet the sun barely peeps through the clouds. A fiery red figure can be seen dashing through the woods, unaffected by the cold. It''s a fox. The fox dashes through the forest as fast as it can, occasionally stumbling, sliding and getting whipped by the undergrowth, but constantly pushing itself faster. It suddenly comes to a stop and slides low, fires on its body burn so low and dim it looks as though they might go out at any moment. It begins to walk foward silently, its every movement carefully chosen to avoid the bramble and forest debris on the earth. It nears a large bush and carefully peers around it. In front of it, a little to the right, is an emerald green fox preparing to pounce. Its green flames burn dimly, sticking close to its body, but still a little warmth spreads into the air. It is only then the red fox looks past the green one and notices the subject of its focus; a brown rabbit with a big red mark on its back. The rabbit is facing away from the green fox. The fox stares at its back, leaving no chance to see the giant teeth and protruding jaw this rabbit has. The red fox takes a step forward, relaxed, and red flames flare as it suddenly shoots forward like a bullet. The green fox jumps back bewildered, green flames flaring in defence ready to act. That was until it noticed who was standing before it. "How?" The green fox question, bewildered. "Hrmph?" The red fox questioned back, voice muffled by the rabbit in its mouth. The green fox laughs at the sight of the red fox now covered in dirt, flames spiriting round its body, standing with the rabbit in its mouth. It spits the charred rabbit out of its mouth, "how what?" It asks, now comprehensible. After controlling its laughter the green fox wonders, "How did you get the rabbit before me? How come you''re so fast and also how come I didn''t feel your fire until you launched forward?" She pauses and adds, "C¨²," sweetly. "Well I try to be as fast I can, always." The red fox ponders, staring up at the grey sky, "I guess I''m just fast," he says smugly and then adds, "Emer." "Well, C¨², how come I couldn''t sense your flame? I had no problem finding it miles away the other day," she cocks her head sideways. "Well, Emer, I wasn''t trying to keep my flame hidden that time, was I?" He cocked his head sideways, mimicking Emer. Emer''s green flames flared and withdrew repeatedly, "Hide your flames? How does that work." "Uhh, that''s not important right now," C¨² walked towards Emer, "how come you were hunting a fanged rabbit? Their teeth can easily harm us. They can chomp right through a branch as thick as our body." Emer snorted, "Thank you, mother dearest, for the warning. Had I not hunted fanged rabbits before I might be scared right now."If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Oh," C¨² stood sheepishly. "You were worried I''d get hurt though?" The green fox giggled and walked towards the rabbit. "No. No, I was hungry." He nodded and thought about the faint mark on his side from his first encounter with a fanged rabbit and shivered. "C¨², you know it''s okay to care for your friends." Emer frowned. "Yeah yeah, Esna tells me enough about friends and caring." C¨² wandered, not facing Emer. She flicks her tail over the rabbit, bathing it in a soft flame. Almost immediately the smell of roasting meat fills the air. "How come you''re here anyway? I thought we were all meeting at the pond after noon." Emer questioned. A frigid breeze blew through the clearing, the foxes covered in flames were entirely unphased. Small critters scampered to hide from the cold winds. "Snow will come today, I can feel it." C¨² glanced at Emer standing over the meat, "This will be Esna''s last day out of her nest until the snows end, most likely." C¨² looked down. "Oh? I still don''t really understand why you came to find me." Emer looked confused and a bit sad. "I want to make a firelink with you, to keep Esna warm during the winter, and when she leaves her nest again we''ll know!" C¨² said animatedly. Emer cocked her head, interested. "Okay, I like the sound of this. Wait, have you made a link before? How did you hear of firelinks." Emer fired off question after question without thinking, then glanced up at C¨²''s pained face and her heart tumbled. "Ah, well none of that matters anyway, let''s start now." C¨² nodded, still visibly upset. He didn''t understand why the words stung, but they did. "Well, I''ve never made a firelink before, I never had someone to make one with, but it doesn''t seem hard." He said quietly while walking toward Emer and the roasting rabbit. "Maybe this is a silly idea, what do you think Esna would think?" Emer looked up, "I think this is a wonderful idea C¨²," she perked her ears up and flames grew along her, "where''s your fire, where''s your spirit, where''s your focus! You need a lot of each to firelink. At least that''s what my paren- I mean that''s what the old old foxes tell me." Emer walked slowly, each step flaring green fire out in all directions as it grew along her body. C¨² nodded, "You''re right! Fire and spirit and focus, I can''t wait to see Esna''s face when I give her my present." He walks forward; the once gloomy fires flaring brightly, growing with each step. "Now follow my lead." Emer smirks. For a time in a small clearing in Emerahl Wood blasts of green and golden red flame can be seen. Heat radiates from the area alongside shouts of "You''re doing it all wrong! Now we have to start all over." "You''re a bad teacher, ugh!" And occasionally laughter. From the north great blasts of icy winds roll through the forest, bringing with it the firsts of the snows. The snowclouds looms near the core of the Wood, already blanketing almost all of the north side of the forest in snow. Back in the clearing two foxes lay slumped on the ground, a devoured rabbit lies off to the side and between them lies a circular flame. The flame pulses with golden-red and emerald green flames. Sometimes intertwined, sometimes pulsing erratically, sometimes alternating entirely from colour to colour and sometimes creating beautiful blends of the two. Emer raises her head and eyes the firelink, "We finally finished it, I can''t believe you have such poor control over your fire C¨²." C¨² lays staring at the firelink, "It''s so cool. This was worth the hard work and my control over my fire is fine." He pouts, flaring flames. "Hard work? This is how they teach infants in the clan to control their flames better, you really do need to work on it." Emer chides and then turns and stares at the firelink commenting, "It''s so beauitful," as snowflakes begin to drift down around them, melting long before they can hit the foxes. The snowflakes shimmer with golden-red and emerald green light as they flutter through the air. Chapter 8 - The first snows All across the great Emerahl Wood snow began to fall, like cherry blossom petals drifting down silently all around. Emer and C¨² sat in the clearing, the Firelink lying between them. Their fires, and the fire of the link, glows and bounces off the white snow creating a world of golden, red and emerald green. The colours mix and cross, creating an ethereal feel to the opening. "Esna will probably be waiting at the pool, let''s go," C¨² says, leaping up and picking the Firelink up with his tail. It slides partway down and then magically stops, pulsing and changing colours constantly. Green and Red fires flare in the opening and then shoot off through the wood; otherworldly wisps flying through the white specks. The foxes look around in wonder at the snow drifting through the sky, almost whispering as they fall. The forest is strangely silent. Little else can be heard other than the soft padding of the foxes as they launch themselves through the forest, and the crackling of their flames as they flare out in majesty; streaking behind them like shooting stars. At the pool a grey owl stands, pulsing a low blue light. It looks in sadness at the snow, as it drifts down around it. Little else can be heard other than the lonely whistle of owlsong. Suddenly the owl perks its head up, staring right at some brush to its right. Moments later two foxes burst through the brush. "Greetings C¨², Emer," the owl nods, "I''ll be going soon, maybe in an hour or two. The snows have come, seems you were right C¨². Oh, and you Emer." The owl nods and hoots. "I''ll be gone for all of winter, likely. I''ll be nesting with my family until the snows stop." "Yes yes, I know Esna. We know," C¨² interrupts the owl from hooting any more. "Look at this!" He flings the Firelink to Esna. "This! This is a Firelink!" Esna exclaims. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.She begins jumping around the opening, hooting and flapping like an animal gone mad. "I''ve never seen one up close. Wait, you two made this?" The owl finally noticed the similar feeling from the fire. "Yep we made it. Eventually," Emer said, a mix of pride and irritation mixed in her voice. "It''s C¨²''s present to you to keep you warm during winter." Emer said, licking her paws. "Our present," C¨² corrected her, then bounded over to Esna and began helping him fit it on one of his feet. After some explaining Esna managed to get it on and link with it. It sat on its left foot at its ankle, shrunk down to size to fit in. It pulsed out warming fire, constantly changing shades of green and red. Esna hooted, looking up at Emer and C¨², and began flapping around the clearing flashing blue everywhere as it shifted from place to place. The three played for a time, pulses of light and laughter ringing through the clearing until the snow began to thicken and fall faster and heavier. "Thank you both. I was originally very sad about the snows, but now I know I can carry a piece of you both with me to the great nest and I won''t feel so alone. I don''t like the nest much, for the other owls aren''t very interesting, but at least it will now be bearable." The owl jumped forward to them both, raised its wings and spanned them out, and gathered a great blue light at each tip. "I will remember this gift all my life. I must leave, my father summoned me. I hope this winter is short, because I''ll miss you both dearly. Well. Farewell for now." And with those final words, she folded her wings and a great blue flashed through the clearing, illuminating it for seconds. C¨² and Emer both looked at where Esna had been standing and sighed. Although they both knew it was coming it stung, especially at the suddenness of the departure. They both lay on the ground, flames jumping about eratically, betraying their poor mood. All around them the snow falls, thick and fast. The floor is already blanketed in a light covering of snow, the white reflecting the flames beautifully into the surroundings. Around them there''s no snow at all, melting and evaporating before it can get anywhere near them or the ground. C¨² looks up and around him. He had always found the winter interesting before. There was season where it essentially rained ice, yet none where it rained fire. He''d always found it curious. He glanced up at the dull, grey sky that he could barely see through the giant trees around him. And then took a last glance at the pool, for it wouldn''t be long before the snow was piled many times his height and he would no longer be able to see the pool. And this was only the first of the snows. Chapter 9 - A fox must sleep too! From the pond a white blur shoots off and moments later a loud snap resounds throughout the clearing. In the clearing an emerald green and golden-red fox sit, staring up at the blur, eyes wide, the trees sway all around them, wisps of fire float up in goodbye. "Imagine being so fast the wind calls goodbye for you," the green fox said, turning to the golden-red. "One day I''ll be even faster than Ness," the golden-red fox replies, flames flaring along its body. The two sit in silence. The trees creak in the gentle winds. Snow silently drifts down around them, sparkling in the shimmering green and golden-red flames. Their tales drag lazily from side to side along the ground, scorching it slightly as they look up at the snow drifting down, and the white blanket that blocks the starry sky from sight. "C¨², I''m going to stay in redwood for many days." The green fox stands, looking at the golden-red fox. "But Emer, why? I thought you were going to be leaving redwood by noon every day?" C¨² stands, confused, fires dimming. "I want to talk to one of the nine-tailed Elders, I can feel myself getting so close to sprouting my second tail," Emer says, and then takes a few steps back, green flames flaring all around her; the snow melts quickly in the clearing as the temperature rises dramatically. "I won''t make this goodbye drawn out. I''ll be back before there''s a halfmoon. Until then C¨²," And with that she shot off into the wood, green wisps floating into the sky, green flames searing a path through the snow, Within seconds the heat and colour from her flames is gone, and all that surrounds C¨² is his golden-red flames and wisps floating into the sky; returning the goodbye without any words. He stands for a time and then sprints off himself, flames dim. Amongst the clusters of trees C¨² trots. Twilight falls and the world quickly grows dark in the snow. Flames burn along him as C¨² jumps through the wood, as familar with the trail as can be. His destination, a great big tree with deep brown wood. This tree lies seperate from many of the other trees.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Wind rushes through the leaves as a ball of light comes closer, a cluster of beautiful golden-red flames streaming along the elegant fox. Murmers of goodnight can be heard whispering through the trees as C¨² weaves through them; wisps of fire answer, floating in the air; a fox''s greeting. He had learned that from the other firefoxes. He knew he could stay with the other firefoxes, but chose not to. C¨² paused as he came to the edge of the trees, where a bare circle of charred ground lay around the tree. He glanced up at the tree and sighed. There was no murmer of goodnight from the tree, nor would there ever be for it was not an ent. C¨² walked now, the fire on him dimming and dying out as he walked to the hollow in the tree that he called home. As he walked into the hollow the fires died completely and plunged the surroundings into darkness, the snow blocking out all light. C¨² stood and stared at the wall in the dark, sighing deeply. He looked at the pictures he had charred into the wall, a fox sitting, tender looking, with another next to it standing valiantly. C¨² whimpered, twirled and dropped onto the bedding it had gathered over the years; laying in the home it had built over the years all alone, shivering once while it whimpered a last time. As always he couldn''t sleep. Turbulent breathing and whispering leaves were all that could be heard. After a time of lying in the dark and drifting snow that fell through the opening of the hollowed tree, three balls of fire puffed into existence. Warmth filled the hollow tree and all the snow immediately melted. They floated, circled each other and slowly changed. One became small and slowly morphed into a fox shape. The next one grew twice the size of the first, and also became a fox shape. The third and final grew the largest, although only a little bigger than the second. The three firefoxes ran around each other in delight, romping and pouncing around together. The larger ones nuzzled each other affectionately while the smallest clammered over them for attention. Slowly, the turbulent breathing calmed. The three firefoxes curled together and grew dim with the calming breathing. Occasionally the foxes would grow incredibly dim, only to suddenly flare to life as C¨²''s eyes opened again. Slowly, the colour of fire was replaced with the white of snow, with the slightest bit of golden-red flames lingering on C¨²''s body. The calm breathing of a fox floated out of the hollow, from the lonely tree that stood apart from all the others; housing its lonely, sleeping fox. Snow drifting slowly in the dark over the lonely clearing. Interlude - The Creatures of the Forest An excerpt from "The Creatures of the Forests: Emerahl" by David Flattenborough first draft Blah blah, narration on learning about creatures of the forest. Blah blah about being so many we can''t cover ''em all or you''d be reading for a week straight so we cover the big boiz(?), say sum(?) about king of forest but not literally becuase no one animal could ever hope to rule Emerahl. Except there are dragons, but we''ll talk about them another time. Yes John we''ll revise that, this is just the first draft and I don''t want to waste time at the moment, and you don''t need to scribe everything I say, only the points relevant to the book. The strongest of the magical animals in the forest, the "big critters" so to speak, are the Firefoxes, Dream Owls - also known as Reapers by most other races - Shadowfoxes, Phoenixes, Unicorns, Demon Bears, and Ghost Wolves, also known as the pirates of the forest. Firefoxes are the masters of the flames of the world. Almost all Firefoxes live in the Emerahl. Firefoxes are born with one tail. As they age and gain stronger control over their flames they evolve and grow more tails, with nine tails being the maximum. There have been very few Firefoxes throughout history with nine tails. It''s interesting to note that the tails they grow aren''t based on their age. Firefoxes typically follow a respected culture based on their number of tails, and it''s quite possible for a Firefox to never reach anywhere near nine tails. The general average number of tails at a Firefoxes death are seven, but it''s interesting to note most Firefoxes won''t grow another tail with the final fifty years of their death, which is to say Firefoxes generally live most of their lives with four to six tails. There has been speculation that a larger number of tails will add to a Firefoxes lifespan, but this is pure speculation. To this day nobody has been able to approximate the lifespan of a Firefox, and as such it is currently listed as 100-1000 years. It''s worth knowing the Firefoxes are sometimes known as the Enigma of the forest, for each one varies greatly in personality, and we know so little of them other than their absolute control over fire. Dream Owls are masters of space and the mind, at least that''s what we think. Often called Reapers by humans and most other races, because they seem to kill for little reason if irritated. Most of the other magical creatures are more forgiving and it would take a large offence to spark a rage, other than those magical creatures who have a great vendetta against a race. As a result of the reapers reaping there is limited knowledge on them. I personally find the title somewhat innacurate, for although the creatures are incredibly deadly they seem somewhat more difficult to anger. I deeply suspect that lying is what causes them seething rage, but this is purely personal speculation based on personal experience and it should not be treated as word of law. The Dream Owls are quite respectful and proper in their ways, and intriguing beasts with a deep want of knowledge that matches the most devout human scholar. Although, personal anecdotes are not anymore accurate than the information learned from the masses, as such if you meet a Dream Owl you should be respectful, do not lie, and attempt to depart from them as quick as possible without causing offence. Shadowfoxes are similar in a way to Firefoxes but with flames that embody darkness and cold, rather than light and heat. Shadowfoxes are denizens of the dark and generally despised by the other magical animals, MISTAKENLY, as they''re actually very friendly. This is common knowledge amongst humans. It''s a most interesting factoid. Human forays into magical animal politics was met with a brick wall, including any attempts at changing the hate towards Shadowfoxes. It''s unsure if this is because the Elders of the magical beasts are aware of something we humans are not, or perhaps only the younger generation holds this deep hate towards the Shadowfoxes. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.Do you think that makes sense John? Is it easy to understand. No matter, I suppose we can always revise it. Let''s continue. Phoenixs are tricky and playful. All races of the world, magical and non, have yet to pinpoint what makes a Phoenix a Phoenix. No John, lighting any bird on fire doesn''t make it a Phoenix. I thought you graduated from the School of Study on Magical Beasts and Otherkin? Nevermind. Now where was I. Ah yes, Masters of the fire of life, Phoenix are suspected to be able to live forever. The Queen of the Phoenix race, Phoenix, is rumoured to be millions of years of age; because she claimed she was herself. At least the earliest records we have in history of the Queen of the Phoenixes are of the same Phoenix, Phoenix. There has been debate that a Phoenix, when rebirthed from their ashes, is effectively born completely anew and their lifespan is renewed. This hypothesis is generally accepted among the majority of scholars as accurate, however it is also acknowledged that this would mean a Phoenix upon rebirth is effectively as strong as a newly ascended Phoenix. The problem with this is the strongest Phoenix rules the Phoenix race, this is known because Queen Phoenix told us herself. Upon rebirth she would be at her weakest, and surely overthrown by other Phoenix. I speculate this is a mystery that will remain unsolved for the ages, as it has remained unsolved for thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of years. Unicorns are odd creatures. They seem to be incredibly united, undyingly loyal to their leader. As a result Unicorns have a tendency to go through extreme changers when a new leader emerges from the pack, as their word is law. Each new leader is always followed by a change in the ways Unicorns act and how they interact with other races, whether magical beast or not. We know nothing at all about Unicorns'' lifespan, whether or not they can truly die as there is much speculation that they are immortal, and also where they live. To date, most "information" on Unicorns is purely speculatory in nature. There are claims that Unicorn horns carry great benefits to people, but there is no proven cases of using a Unicorn horn for anything. The only thing we know for certain about Unicorns is that they are incredibly strong creatures with great prowess over magic. It''s certain that they have a control over space that rivals Dream Owls, albeit they are completely different kinds of control over spacial magic. It''s also known for certain that Unicorns are masters of Ancient Magics, and as a result it is advised to never attempt to fight a Unicorn. There is a popular child''s tale that talks of a human that angered a Unicorn greatly. The subsequent curse put on him ultimately brought about the downfall of City Green, now known as the Cursed Green. Demon Bears are very protective of their young, called Demon Bears because when enraged they transform and turn into "demons". Supposedly, have demonic blood in them. This has forever remained a point of contention among scholars from all races, as it has yet to be proven and Demon Bears when questioned, fall into a great rage and transform. This has been the driving point behind scholarly factions claiming they have demonic blood in them. I suspect it might be a piece of Ancient Magic, or perhaps they''re related to Werecreatures, but I would never dare ask a Demon Bear for I quite enjoy living. They''re frank and straightforward creatures, and dislike mischevious activity, which brings them into conflict with mischevious beasts, such as Ghost Wolves. Ghost Wolves are ghostly haha! I thought that was funny John. Ghost Wolves, also known as the pirates of the forest. Masters of stealth and seemingly barely real. These creatures are, in a way, similar to owls and shadowfoxes but different still. Shadowfoxes can literally consume light and alter the world. According to Great Mages, Ghost Wolves literally skirt reality. Nobody knows, yet, how they do this. They are a most mischevious creature, more intent on causing chaos over anything else. Ghost Wolves and Demon Bears don''t like each other much due to the mischevious nature of the Wolves and the upright nature of the Bears. Wolves normally move in packs. They are one of the few races that will fight amongst themselves over virtually nothing; almost all other magical beasts will only have a conflict among themselves if there''s a great reason behind it. I think we''ll leave it there for today John, I''m parched. Would you like to join me for some mead at Scholar''s? Wait, are you still writing? I told you to only take down what''s relevant to the book, why are you writing quicker now, this is part of what is not relevant! Don''t write faster, stop writing! Honestly, John.