A Fox’s Tail
Prologue

Boy, what a day! I stretched my agile fox form on my bed to relax after a long, spring day out and about. I was enjoyed that it was Friday night and I would be off of school the next day. I purred at the thought of an off day just for my freewill and me. I just loved to be free to do what I wanted and not be trapped in the foundation of school or housework. It was unfortunate that my dad would not be home till the day after, but I would have to wait.
I snuggled into my bed with the light dim on me. I thought about my day at school, my group of sweet friends, my family and how tired I was. I snuggled with my fox plush and purred softly as I dreamed before I slept. I could not be happier or feel lighter. I reached to my lamp and slept into darkness…

Chapter 1: Once upon a time

“Scarlet Carnation!”
“Mom, come on…” I moaned. Geez, couldn’t I just get a bit more sleep? I mean, it was Saturday! The day was pretty much made for sleeping.
“I will not say it again!” A pillow was thrown into my face, forcing me to come back to reality. I had dreamt about this cute boy that I didn’t even know and was probably why I didn’t wake up earlier. The boy had almost kissed me before the pillow mauled me. My mom was hovering over me with a very annoyed gaze. I sat up and stared at her, half asleep still. I waited till I was told to get out of bed before moving. I glanced at my clock next to my bed. It was already 9:30. No wonder she woke me up… but 9:30 feels like 6:30 on a Saturday.
“Geez, such a lazy girl…” My mom nagged. I didn’t really hear what she said as I dragged myself downstairs. My little brother, also a fox like the rest of my family, was in the living room watching TV. We hardly got any channels, but he was still interested for some reason.
I stopped in the kitchen, my mom finally done nagging. “Remember to make your bed.” She concluded as she headed to the sink to clean. I nodded. I’d remember when I went back up. I also noticed my dad was at work already. He only was home on Sunday’s, unfortunately, but I liked him more than Mom; he would talk through problems with me and actually try to play with me, unlike Mom.
After a quick breakfast, ignoring anything my mom said, I went back upstairs and stared at the mirror and closed the door to my room so no one would bug me while I did my daily preparations. My hair was a mess, not as neat as usual. It was all over, but I’d fix that in a second. Being a thirteen year old fox, my pink fur was still tidy and soft, since I always had it like that, day and night. It was usually shiny too, but I hadn’t gotten there either. My eyes are a pretty light green that I think suits me. The yellow, five pointed star on my forehead was still as perfect as always though. It seemed to be engraved in my fur. I probably got it from my dad who had it as well.
I took a shower, cleaning my fur and hair up and then got dressed in my room, wearing a red, thin blouse and red shorts. I went back to the bathroom so I could comb my hair correctly, then took a red bandana and tied it over my head. Finally, I was as cute and pretty as ever. I winked at myself, feeling very full of it. I thought I was the top of my village, with shiny eyes and a cute face no one could ignore.
Now with new found awakening, I charged downstairs, almost falling at the bottom of the steps. I was ready to head out and meet up with my friends for a usual Saturday. I noticed my mom rushing in the kitchen though, reminding me of the annual picnic my village was having that evening. Before I could leave, my mom stopped me to help out. “Scarlet, honey, can you go buy some fruit from the market?” She asked, giving me some money and a basket.
I nodded. “Sure.” I grabbed the basket and money and left, hardly noticing my brother, who had fallen asleep again on the couch with the TV still on. How lazy… I thought to myself.
It was very beautiful that fateful day! The sun was shining with hardly any clouds in the sky and everything, all the plants and houses, were shining from it. My village wasn’t that large; it was a mere little farm town in the middle of no where. There were but a few streets crisscrossing the town, all paved, but all just passing through and heading to other places. We didn’t get much traffic in any direction. Small farm fields were set up near homes to raise crops and there was a town square for festivities and such. We didn’t have our own school, however, and had to take a bus to it in the neighboring town. There was a post office, market, and a police station for our support. My family was not farmers, however, so my house was but a fancy home amongst the fields.
I strolled down the street, passing people who were outside already. Some waved to me, since almost everyone knew each other in such a small place. I smiled back or said hi to the neighbors until I reached the grocer just down the street.
The grocer was a wide, stature of a man who ran the market with his wife. I was a bit afraid of him, yet he seemed to like me. His market was pretty much his house, with some food outside and others inside. It was no supermarket. "Scarlet, hey there!" He exclaimed as I came to his shop. He was washing the fruits and vegetables, exactly the food I needed, in the front with a hose.
"Hi!" I greeted. "How are you?" I acted polite and sweet to give a good image as usual.
"Haha, just fine." His voice was low and startled me sometimes, so I tried not to stay long. I picked up the fruit and paid him, which made me notice I had some money left over. I eyed the window of his shop, which revealed some candy near his register. The shop keeper, whose name I forget, noticed my glance. “Want a piece?” He asked, smirking. He knew well I couldn’t resist a piece of candy. I nodded, handed him another coin and grabbed a piece before I left, sticking it in my mouth quickly. My sweet tooth got the best of me often.
I took the way back home, a smile with candy filling my face. Despite the candy and nice neighbors, Chiyo, the name of my hometown, could be so boring sometimes. It was peaceful, but peace sometimes just wasn't enough. I liked to go explore the area around us, but I could never get too far before dinner or some event I had to be at that I hardly cared for occurred. Unlike most people in the town, I didn't want to stick around.
"Hey Scar!" I froze. That was none other than Felicia's voice, probably the only girl in town that wasn't my friend. She snuck up on me from her house when I passed by, since I wasn't paying attention to where I was. "What are you up to?" The pink cat reached into my basket and stole an apple.
"Hey!" I exclaimed with a sticky mouth. "That was for the picnic!” Felicia was my bother in Chiyo. She thought she was prettier than I was and would always taunt me when I did something wrong. She didn't seem to like anything of me, nor did I like anything of her.
"Hm..." She shrugged with her mouth full, hardly caring. It was an expected response.
I pushed her aside and continued on my way back, hearing her complain from the shove. "Just leave me alone." I said, stomping my way back home.
Felicia laughed to herself behind me and went off on her way. I was so glad that she decided to give up and I was wondering how I'd stand her at the picnic, where I knew she’d be at.
I delivered the fruits to my mom and she thanked me kindly. My brother wasn't home anymore, probably off with friends. I decided I'd follow his footsteps and see my best friends before the picnic. Maybe they'd provide a bit of comfort for my anxiety and boredom...

The picnic was as boring as everything else in my town could be. I only went to the picnic for the food and because my mom made me. My friends said it would be a blast, but I was the only one that thought this town needed more excitement. I had to heave through the constant chatter of it during the day. Helping my mom set it up wasn’t exciting either.
Eventually, I followed my mom and brother to the picnic near the police office that evening. My dad wasn’t home yet, which only made it worse. My dad would’ve given me more enthusiasm to go. When we got there, plenty of people were there already. Food was laid out on tables and music was played on a radio. How exciting… music and food I could find at home. As well, it seemed my friends had only wanted to go as a socializing time. It wasn’t like they had all day to do that…
I was dragged into their conversations while my mom helped the adults out. I tried to show care or excitement around my friends, though I knew they were horrible attempts. My friends fell for them anyway. I kept looking around; hoping my dad or someone exciting might show up. Almost the whole town was at the event though and it was too difficult to see anyone specifically.
While staring at some food, wanting to go home or, better yet, out of town, the crowd began to complain together. A young bat girl, looking about my age, ran through the crowd, not someone I had seen ever be in Chiyo before. She was pure white and as she went by me I felt the panic in her strides and breathe. I looked back the way she came and saw a small group of shadowy figures chasing after her. They tried not to disturb us, though it was very late for that. The crowd was confused and some were running home already, seeing it as bad news immediately. I rolled my eyes at them; I was too interested to run away. For once, this town had something interesting going on. A random girl being chased in my shadowy figures was cool enough for me.
I abandoned my friends and pushed passed everyone to watch events unfold. The girl ran out of the crowd and froze when she reached a dead-end at a house, unable to find a quick way around. She panicked, jumped around and faced the figures, putting her hands in front of her. “You want a fight then?” She yelled at the unknown people with a strong voice. “I’ll give you a fight you won’t forget!”
I watched in awe as the shadowy figures suddenly flew back by a strange ripple in the air. I felt a sudden gust of wind and a chill that I had never felt before. It teased my nerves and brought on a sensation that I didn’t know existed, making my fur stand still in a mix of heat and cold. The dark figures tumbled over, revealing their faces. They didn’t look like more than normal people though, not scarred like I thought they might be.
Surprising the girl, two more figures grabbed her from the sides, coming out of shadows. I hadn’t even noticed them there myself and some people, who hadn’t ran, gasped. “Let me go!” The girl complained, but she couldn’t seem to get them off of her in her struggle. I wanted to help her, but there was nothing I could do. The crowd began to get smaller as the sudden event increased in pressure and danger.
“Let go of her!” Someone, not any of the figures, roared. My ears immediately caught the intruding voice, since I had heard it so many times. I watched as my dad, running out of no where, pushed his way through the remaining crowd and ran towards the girl in a heroic dash. He had a nice figure and was fit for such physical activity. I didn’t move at all as people tried to rush by me, since I was even more attracted to the scene with my dad there.
My mom grabbed my arm and broke my gaze. “Scarlet,” she urged, “let’s go. This is dangerous.”
“No!” I yelled. I was unusually offended by her. “I’m staying here!” I refused to miss a moment of the action.
“Scarlet you’re coming home!” She raised her voice in anger and frustration. I saw spots of sweat on her forehead.
“I said no! I need to watch dad!” I forced my arm from her rudely. I was going to learn how heroic and strong my dad really was, whether she wanted me to see or not.
My mom sighed. She couldn’t control me, she knew. She didn’t say any more and redirected Michel away. I stayed put and watched with great interest.
Then, suddenly, dad brought a hand back to start an attack and the hand began to glow! I gaped as he sent a streak of gold light at a figure. It hit them easily and knocked them over, freeing a side of the bat girl. She immediately took advantage of it and used her other hand to force the figure off like she did to the first two, in a wave from her hand that made the air around it whip in ripple like a rock in water. The other figure flew back and into the grass, shaken.
With the moment cleared of danger, I ran out onto the battlefield to my dad with great questions on my mind. What the heck did he just do? He was surprised to see me there when I caught up to him. “Dad!” I looked up to him with a smile, despite my confusion. He looked nervous, which made me more suspicious. “What’s going on here?”
“Oh, Scarlet…” He sighed deeply with scared eyes. His voice was a bit low, but it made him tough. He could work it to be caring very easily anyway. “It’s very difficult to explain. You see… these people were after this girl here.” He gestured at the girl who just smiled.
“Why? Who were they?” I raised an eye softly, wanting to hear but not wanting to make things hard on him. I knew they were chasing her, but I had no clue who the bat girl or the pursers were.
“I… don’t think I can tell you…” He admitted and shrugged, wanting to end the subject. He made it sound like he really knew the answer, but just didn’t want to say it.
Then, another new voice broke out conversation, one I had never heard before that day. “Why not just tell the girl?” The voice preached and I shivered again, this time longer than last time. My dad turned and faced a new figure, almost completely in shadow near the house. He was much wider than the other cloaked figure and much more intimidating. I felt depressed just looking at him.
“Nergal…” My dad mumbled his name. The name was not familiar to me, but it gave the same impression as his appearance; dark and crude. “Won’t you just give up?”
The supposed Nergal laughed to himself menacingly. “Not as long as fate keeps moving.” He let part of himself fall into the waning light of the moon. He was robed from head to toe, with only a small slot open for his face. He was a bear, explaining his size. He raised a cloaked arm and let the robes slide off of it to reveal his hand. It glowed like my dad’s but of a different color, a sinister black. I had never seen such a dark black; it was pure and hard to look at.
My dad’s hands started to glow again in a white, gold color that was a complete contrast with Nergal’s. “Then your fate will end here!” He ran away from me before I could say anything and towards Nergal, leaving me with the bat girl by my side, who was watching in as much excitement as me. I wanted to see more of what my dad could do and see how awesome he could fight. These abilities must’ve been a secret, but I was too absorbed in the new battle than to worry about him not telling me.
My dad and Nergal clashed with their powers with my dad’s streams and sparks of gold and Nergal’s bursts of black mixing in fight. It was like a classic good versus evil match. They hit at each other, but my dad’s punches were blocked by Nergal’s strange powers and Nergal couldn’t hurt my dad with his magic either.
I cheered as my dad jumped back and unleashed another stream of power, this one larger and stronger. It broke through Nergal’s defenses, catching him by surprise and knocked him into the side of a house, almost knocking the wall down. My dad made a charge at him, ready to hit him again. The powers looked like magic, something from a fantasy. My dad’s light was beautiful. I wished I had powers like that.
I had never seen my dad run or move so fast, yet it seemed to take him forever to reach Nergal. Time was slowed it seemed, especially for me. I watched with anxiety pumped in me. I wanted my dad to defeat that guy and show him how strong he was. As he got closer, I leaned closer without taking a step, grinning from ear to ear. My confidence in my father was beyond high. The bat girl was not smiling however, appearing distressed. I couldn’t believe she wasn’t happy for this, but she must’ve seen the outcome ahead of time. She seemed to know more than I did.
Then there was a hit. “Nooo!!!” I yelled without thought, immediately when it occurred. Nergal had propelled his arm into my dad and stopped my dad dead in his tracks. Nergal had waited till the last second to hit him in the chest with that much force before my dad could do the same to him. It didn’t knock my dad back, but made him grunt deeply and almost collapse, his shine fading from his hand. I felt my spirit shatter piece by piece as Nergal opened up his magic again, right into my dad’s chest. He yelled in pain as it burned him, but was unable to escape in his injury. I was quickly able to smell the burning and my senses to save him kicked him.
“No, stop!” I ran towards them to stop the fight, hoping my gentleness could stop Nergal. Before I could get too close though, I froze in my tracks suddenly. I couldn’t move at all! My eyes fluttered in confusion as I felt like as statue.
“You’re going to get yourself killed…” The bat girl stepped in, showing she was the cause of my sudden freeze. I didn’t know how she did it, but a shine in her hands, white but similar to my dads, gave me a clue.
“Let me go!” I complained and struggled, but to no avail. I was no where near strong enough to do anything. My mind was in a race to prevent my dad from being killed. Tears were over my eyes, but I didn’t notice. The girl didn’t obey and held me too easily. My eyes were glued to my dad as he finally was let free from Nergal and collapsed to the ground in a slow, echoing thud. “No, dad!!”
When my dad hit the ground, my pride and spirit were with him. Nergal looked down on him for a second and then at me and the bat girl, who didn’t do anything, hoping he’d ignore us. He didn’t seem to care for us anymore and stepped back into the shadows, disappearing as quickly as he had appeared.
The girl finally let me go of the strange grip she had on me. I sprinted instantly to my downed dad. The girl followed and helped me turn him over to see his condition. He was out cold. His chest was heavily burnt and blood seeped from his mouth. I didn’t even try to stop my tears, since it was too horrible just to look at, maybe not for the bat girl but he was my dad! Nergal had seriously hurt him in front of me, possibly killed him!
“Dad,” I pleaded in a shaken voice, “are you okay?” He wouldn’t move or speak. “Dad, please!” I bent next to him and tried to wake him, as if he were just asleep.
But, then, my dad spoke! It was weak and he didn’t open his eyes, but he mumbled it while I was there to hear. “Scarlet… sorry…” He said in a few new breaths, the last of his energy. “You’re… responsible… now…”
I stared at him, trying to comprehend what he said. It sounded like he was laying something upon me, something I needed to do for him. Whatever it was, I was ready to do it for him. “Yes, Daddy…” I replied and kissed his cheek as he held me. I forgot about him dying for a moment and remembered how much he meant to me. However, his body soon went cold against mine.
My throat had knotted and I couldn’t speak, only whimper a bit. My face fell into my dad’s stomach, losing its support. I didn’t feel any breathing, which only made my condition worse. I cried deeply into his soft fur, but didn’t sob. Truly, I was proud of the way he had fallen; I had not known my dad was so great and I could not feel completely torn by this.
“There there…” The bat girl sat next to me and put an arm around me. I was a bit surprised, since she was still a stranger to me and her concern a little while ago wasn’t much. “I’m sorry… he was really a great man…
“How… do you know my dad?” I lifted my head and looked at her with wet eyes.
“He helped me a lot with those Dark Hunters.” She explained to me. “He really tried to stop Nergal, but I don’t think he was chosen for it.”
I wiped my eyes and tried to bring myself back together. This was a very sudden and hard event, but I had to remember what my dad died for. “Then… I’ll have to try…” I vowed out loud.
The bat girl laughed to herself, but not so much to hurt me. “You’re not even a Mage, how will you stop Nergal?”
“Maybe I am, you never know.” I grew more serious and glared at her. I didn’t like people telling me my limits. “I AM his daughter…”
She nodded. “You could be, but not until you are will you stand a chance. But do you know what a Mage is?”
I shook my head admittedly. I felt ashamed since it was obvious my dad had association with who ever they were.
The girl laughed again, making me angry. I didn’t see what was so funny. “I’ll tell you if you become one.”
“Who are you anyway?” I finally asked for her identity, which I had not known throughout the event. I was suspicious now and I wanted to address her better.
“Um…” She paused. “Just call me Sasha.”
“Okay Sasha, but who really are you?” I wanted more than that, if she was a spy or some evil witch who wanted my soul and was only acting a bit nice.
“A nobody.” She shrugged. “I’m just a normal Mage really.” She spoke with no hesitation, but I was still unsure about her. My dad’s sudden death made me not trust her or anybody at the moment.
“Then why were those people chasing you?” I asked sharply.
“They chase everybody that’s not on their side. I just happened to escape because of your dad.” She snapped back, seeing I was trying to pick at her.
I nodded, pretending I understood. I wanted to ask much more, but I could not concern myself with it then. “What am I going to do now…” I mumbled in despair. For the first time in my life, the future was unclear.
“I’ll help with his body.” Sasha offered awkwardly. “But you’ll have to tell the rest of your family.”
I knew that, but it seemed too far ahead to imagine, even if it would be in only a few minutes. I picked the pieces to my spirit up and stood up, ready to go home. This wasn’t like school, where I could just forget about some homework and still move on, I had to tell this to my family whether I wanted to or not.
“Where will you go?” I asked Sasha before I left.
“I’ll bury the body near here and tell you tomorrow. I’ll stick around a bit incase they come back after you or this town.” Sasha answered and stood up as well.
“Good…” I replied. “I think I’ll need you a bit…” I realized I was a bit rude earlier, but I would need Sasha’s help to figure out what to do.
“Why?” She raised an eye, but kept a smile.
“I just will.” I didn’t have a sure answer to give her. Sasha already seemed like a friend to me and I knew that the town would react drastically to this event. Since I was related to it, I wasn’t sure what they’d do to me, so having Sasha around would make things feel better.
Sasha didn’t ask further, luckily. “Fine, see you tomorrow. I’m sorry for all this…”
“It’s not your fault.” I assured and walked away before any more words could be said. I wasn’t ready to tell my family yet; I was hardly ready to tell myself the truth, but it would have to be said. My dad was dead and there was nothing I could’ve done about it…