Tusks and Dagger Thirty-Six: Nine Tails to Redemption

A flash of ruby caught my eye, my breath hitching at a white fox with ruby markings on its fur. A paw motioned for me to come, a strange energy telling me to go. Mishal was strapped to my chest, my scythe hanging off of my back. Boran stepped up behind me, curiosity glinting in his eyes. Soma popped up behind us, a wide grin spreading cheek to cheek. If they were with me, this couldn't be so bad.

“We should follow that kitsune.” He suggested eagerly, playing with Mishal’s finger. “Are you coming, Tommy?” A flash of fur tinted my eyes, Tommy coming to rest on Soma’s shoulder. A wall of energy throbbed in front of us, all of us stepping through. My breath hitched at the endless sea of bamboo, a tall grass tickling at my bare legs. The skirt of my ivory cotton dress fluttered in the gentle breeze, several demonic creatures coming out of hiding. Boran adjusted his white cotton blouse, his brown wool pants brushed the tops of his boots. Glancing back at Soma, his pleasant smile relaxed my fraying nerves. His light blue blouse contrasted his black wool pants, Mishal’s big eyes twinkled in my direction. Cooing sweetly, his tiny fingers held my thumb. How could I be so blessed to have him?

“We need your help finding our stone and we will give you a reward to aid with beating the spirit in the mirror. How’s it going, Somata?” The kitsune informed me briskly, his tails wagging.  Shooting him a sly grin, my eyes flitted between the two of them. Taking a moment to gather my thoughts, the stone couldn’t be that far from here. 

“Do you have any idea where it would be?” I queried gently, hoping for a clue. “I need a place to start.” Pointing his snout towards a cave, his head cocking to the right. Motioning for us to follow him, his paws bounced into the cave. Water dripped from the ceiling, my fingers tracing the paw marks lining the cave walls. Stopping in a circular room, a golden stand waited for a stone. Hopping on top, his snout pressed into a thin line. 

“It was stolen by something.” He growled through gritted teeth, the snarls growing louder by the second. “My twin wanted revenge.” Nodding slowly, none of this made sense. Biting my lips, my ears flattened. His paws began to bounce away, my fingers curling around his tail. Yanking him back, his other tails tucked between his legs. Shrinking down to the size of a baseball, I dangled him in front of my face.  

“I am pretty sure you are coming with me. I didn’t get sucked into this situation for you to bounce out.” I reprimanded the fox, dangling him in front of my face. “Today was supposed to be my day off. This is my family with whom I was supposed to have fun. Clearly you have some things to work out with your family.”  Setting him onto my shoulder, Tommy appeared out of thin air. Rubbing his head against my neck, the kitsune rolled his eyes. 

“You aren’t trying to take my master, are you Kit?” He questioned with a raised brow, popping out his claws. “She is mine.” My eyebrow twitched irritably, his jealousy pissing me off. Peeling them both off of my shoulder, whimpers poured from their snouts. 

“Knock the shit! I am trying to work here and I can’t if I have to babysit two impish spiritual guardians.” I warned sharply, both of their heads bowing with shame. “Lead the way to his den.” Tossing Kit to the icy rock floor, he grew back to his normal size. Awkward silence hung between us, Boran curling his arms around my waist. Marching forward, the other spiritual guardians watched with intense curiosity. Fog thickened, and another midnight black cave loomed in the distance. A cave inside of a cave, how odd?

“We are here.” Kit announced with a tail twitch, so many sarcastic words rested on the tip of my tongue. “He is a bit eccentric!” Knitting my brows into an expression of frustration, my fingers wrapped around my scythe. Dackworth’s eye snapped open, his agitation matching mine. Boran kissed the top of my head, my fist knocking on the side of the cave. An onyx fox stepped out, his white markings matching Kit’s. 

“Do you have his gem?” I asked politely, his milky eyes glaring into mine. “I would like to finish up here.” Rolling out a shattered gem, Kit stiffened, his tails straightening. Pacing back and forth, something seemed off. The dimension quaked, flames erupting from Kit’s tail. Water swirled around his brother, this rivalry seemed to be going too far. 

“I am so sick of you destroying everything I own.” He growled through a wicked snarl, the fire bouncing off of the water.  “You are the fucking worst. I wish you were dead, Kat!” Rubbing my forehead, this couldn’t be happening. Passing Mishal to Somata, my raised hand held everyone back. Stepping in between them, a single tap of my scythe on the ground shut down their powers.  

“Hello, Lottie here. I am your queen and I forbid you from fighting. We are going to make a stone that stabilizes whatever this place is. We will need to gather some ingredients. Are you ready? Are you guys coming along or do I have to chastise you too?” Following after me, Kat’s tails dragged on the ground. Snarls rang out, my hand slapping Kit. Pulling out a blank piece of parchment paper,  a quick cut palm released a waterfall of my blood. Three pictures popped up, the clear, ruby and white stones glinted up from the page. The weakened floor gave  way, dual temples facing either side of me. One hid in the shadows while the sun bathed the other, silver water flooding the dimension. Fusing into one, Somata hung back. 

“I will watch Mishal and Darwin.”  He offered sincerely, my fingers wrapping around a white quartz. “I can’t enter anyways. I am not of high enough status in the magical pyramid.” Tossing him a white quartz, a white dome hummed to life. Boran's club hung by his side, his sword in his other hand. Stepping into the temple, an onyx and ivory door with fox tails swirling around the sleek wood popped up. Grasping the crystal door knob, the door creaked open. Ancient pictures lined the silver walls, two brothers getting along for all of the time. Turning back towards them, they shrank back. The first door opened, gears whirring to a stop. A wall of flames tickled roared to life, our ears pinning back.  Kit stepped forward, his body landing in my palm. Scooping up Kat, a quick throw proved my theory. Kat rolled to a stop, his ears pinning back. Lifting Kit to my face, our eyes couldn’t leave each other.   

“Correct me if I am wrong but your mother wants to see him for who he is.” I commented serenely, kissing the top of his head. “Your turn will be up next, so get ready for a trip. I promise to make it painless as possible. Stay back and catch your bearings.” Setting him down, the wall rattled as I stepped through. Tears swam in his milky eyes, his ruby nose rubbed against the dirt. His father fended off hunters, the resemblance to Kit stealing my breath away. Tears welled up in my eyes, the shadowy hunters stabbing his father aggressively. Running into my arms, his head snuggled into the nape of my neck. Petting him with the gentlest touch, his wet eyes met mine. 

“Our parents split up when we were younger,  my father took him when I needed him the most. He is able to smile through the pain but my mother hid us away. I never really learned to socialize, so I stole the gem to get his attention. Then I accidentally broke it. For days I tried to piece it back together but it didn’t work. I always break everything.” Lifting him to my palm, the scene shifted to his first day of ruling the land. Corpses lay around, long sighs escaping our lips. A broken Kit howled into the sky, their souls floating up into the sky. Laying down, his dismay dimmed his eyes. A raw fury burned in his eyes, his mother coming out to the rich shadow of the flames. Her onyx tail flicked, her paw smashing into his head. 

“You screwed up, this is all your fault!” She sobbed softly, carrying the carcass of the father. “You could have stopped it all. You aren’t my son! I will never be proud of you. A real leader stands up for his people and you were off with some random vixen. Screw you.” Trembling on the forest floor, her nine ivory tails whipped him repeatedly.  Crying out for help, his heart shattered that day. A chill ran up our spines, our breath hitching at the sight of her milky eyes looking at us. 

“Kat, I missed you. You were always better than your brother.” She sobbed softly, dropping their father. “Let me take you home now.” Kat shook his head, marching up to her. A snarl curled on his lips, his thunderous growls echoed in the crackling air.  

“No! I said no! You treated my brother like that and made me believe that he was a traitor this entire time. You don’t get to come back after that.” He sneered darkly, circling her. “Your lies poisoned my life. Go drink your own venom.” Stepping back, she tripled in size. Raising my scythe in the air, her paw knocked me to the forest floor. The ruby stone glistened in her heart, Kat leaping out in front of me. Hitting her with a wall of water, hurt flashed in his eyes.

“Get out of the way, you rotten boy.” She growled through gritted teeth. Extending  a single claw, he slapped it away. Blood rained down on us the moment his paw curled around the ruby stone. Ripping it out, her skin decayed to ash. Wiping the blood off of my face, my trembling hands shoved the gem into my boot. Struggling to my feet, another door waited for us. Boran walked in with Kit on his shoulder, concern flashing in his eyes. The silver door creaked open, a pool of water reflected our images. His father stood on the other side, a lump forming in Kit’s throat. Flames roared to life, one touch of his paw turned the water into a pool of flames. The white stone shimmered in the water, Boran tossed the two of them towards their father. Throwing me into the water, another splash shattered the surface. Apparently, someone had a death wish.  Boran swam next to me, purple tentacles whipped in my direction. Slicing them down with his blade, his foot shoved me further into the water.  Cursing to myself, his blade kept the tentacles away from me. My hair floated behind me, my tail propelling me to the bottom of the pool. This thing was really becoming handy, my lungs burning for air.  Reaching the bottom,  I needed more air. Pushing myself off the bottom, a deep gasp refilled my lungs. Boran burst from the surface, our hair  clinging to our faces. Blasting him a death glare, he shrugged his shoulders before going back down. Barely able to catch my breath, a tentacle ripped me underneath the surface. Lightning crackled in the water, the tentacles freezing in place. Attempting my next retrieval, air bubbles floated to the surface. Another splash shattered the surface, the brothers and their father fought next to us. Screaming under the water, everyone stopped. Swimming over to the father, a swift swing of my trusty scythe cut his chest open. Ripping out the stone, my heart pounded with anticipation for the wave of energy coming from his destruction. Three, two, one! The blast got me closer to the white stone, my fingers curling around the smooth surface. Guilt ate at  me, his soul floating over my head. Snatching the white ball of light, my vision faded in and out. Boran wrapped his arms around my waist. Swimming up to the surface, both of us sucked in a long breath. Sweet air filled up my lungs, Kit and Kat leaping onto my shoulders. Tommy sat on the top of my head, the other two licking my face.  

“Would you mind not assaulting my master with your tongue!” Tommy snapped bitterly, his eyes gazing into mine. “You don’t plan on adopting them as well.” Jealousy mixed with the fear in his eyes, my lips curling into a bright smile. Swimming over to the edge, a long groan escaped my lips as I pulled myself up. 

“I don’t know. They are kind of adorable.” I teased lightly, his tiny face scrunching in disgust. “Geez, I am just kidding. They have their own responsibilities.” Landing in my lap, a final door opened up. Boran helped me up, a single marble fox sat in the center of the room. Passing Kit the milky stone while my other hand pressed the ruby stone into Kat’s paw, confusion dawned on their adorable faces. 

“You have to put those stones in the proper place.” I informed them kindly, kissing the tops of their heads. “Then you must put this one into the necklace together. I believe it shows your goddess that you see each other that way only siblings can. Now get along with your tasks.” Dropping the clear rock into one of their paws, empty pads bounded over the sea of endless ivory marble. Pausing at the face, they clapped their paws. Twin ten year old boys hovered by the cheeks, Kit’s golden eyes glistening with adventure, ivory waves cascaded down his back. Pure white robes dwarfed his tiny body, the ruby markings dancing across the fine silk. Golden bells jingled off of his ruby tipped ivory fox ears. His tail wagged excitedly, my attention turning to the milky eyed Kat, his onyx waves flowing over his simple black robes. Ivory bells rang out a crisp sweet sound, his ivory tipped onyx ears pinning back. Wagging his spotted white tail with vigor, their fangs hung over their black lips. Pressing their palms together, they shoved the stones into the eyes. Childish giggles bounced off the marble walls, their bells ringing with every flip in the air. Placing the last stone in together, their Cheshire Cat grins met my genuine smile. Covering my eyes, a bright light blinded us all. The light died down, a milky ruby hovered over their palms. Floating in front of me, my motherly embrace brought them to fresh tears. Jingle! Jingle! The song of the bells mixed with their weeps, two pairs of wet eyes glancing up at me. Cocking their heads, every wipe of their tears sent them into an odd state. 

“Queen Lottie, we owe everything for your services.” They chimed together sweetly, pressing their palms together. “This is our gift to you.” Getting on their knees, they tied  silver ribbons around my ears. The golden bells sang their sweet songs, pride swelling in their eyes. Ruffling the top of their heads, my lips brushed against their foreheads. 

“I hope my song is as beautiful as yours.” I sobbed softly, not noticing the tears streaming down my cheeks. “May I make you council members? Would you do me the honor? I am going to need someone to understand the spirit guardians for me.” Squirming out of my arms, another crisp ring of bells met with their bows. 

“It is as you wish.” Kit sang gleefully dancing around, the sleeves of his robes floating with each step. “This is my favorite form,  this freedom is magical as they say out there.” Kat rolled his eyes, his palm pressing against his face. His quietness did not mask his happily wagging tail, crimson coloring his pale cheeks. Clapping his hands, a calm Mishal reached for me. Darwin leapt to his feet at the sight of someone around his age, the three of them soon playing a game of tag. A violet light bathed the land, the early evening rays tracing Boran’s handsome features. Locking my lips with his hungrily, his hand slid down to my waist. A throat clearing captured my attention, a haggard Somata handed me Mishal. Yawning groggily, he laid back down on the forest floor. My genuine smile lit up at my face at the three of them playing. Such gentle missions were a nice pace from the raw chaos of the black heart portals,every passing moment left with my tired grin.   

“I love you, Lottie.” Boran whispered lovingly into my ear, his finger tracing my cheek. “You needn’t get so lost in your thoughts.”  Cupping his hand, my lips brushed against the top of his hand. Such tender moments should last forever, my heart skipping a beat. His gentleness knew no bounds, his kind eyes twinkling with adventure. Kissing the top of my head, he tickled Mishal’s tummy.  Boran was made for the role of a father, his natural abilities stunning me. The soul stirred in my free hand, my lips blowing the ball of light into the sky.  Skidding to a halt, a fluffy snow drifted aimlessly. Spinning me around, Boran kissed me sensually. Arching myself towards him, the innocence of it all reminding me that everything was going to be okay.