Fox 12

Looking over at Alistair's angelic form buried into Levi's side as they both slept had my mind racing with unanswered questions. Seconds after Levi declared that Alistair's aura was dark he changed his answer claiming that he must have seen wrong and it that it was a dark blue-ish color. Jason and Tommy seemed a little hesitant to accept that as was I but we didn't ask any questions, just laughed it off.

But even after we agreed that it was a mistake they still seemed just as tense as I was. I could tell that something was off. Either Levi was lying or he truly mistook the two colors but either way he didn't believe it himself and how could he?

It seems impossible to me for Alistair to be dark but if all my past research has taught me anything I shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. The nurses cleared Levi to come back to the room with us and he doesn't have to attend classes for the next to days if he doesn't want to considering his eyes would be extremely sensitive to everything at this stage. He was recommended an upperclassman who knew more about auras who would help him understand and control his abilities. She seemed sweet and had no qualms about helping us out, it even seems as if she may have quite the crush on our flame haired friend.

I stifled a laugh when I saw how her eyes bulged as he exited the bathroom without a shirt the first time they met. We were scheduled to be leaving the medical room at any moment when she so sweetly dropped by. Alistair begged Levi to put something on but he shrugged and walked over to the stunned girl and offered his hand in greeting. She barely could string three words together to say hello before she was excusing herself from the room.

Alistair appeared to be skittish all day and I was dying to ask him why but it never seemed like the right time. When it grew late Tommy came back to the medical room to escort us back to our dorms and even he was tense still. He walked us back to the room with few words as Levi practically bounced around him like a little puppy.

After that it was a quiet night in the dorm. None of us really discussed what happened earlier because on some level I think we all knew it wasn't a fluke. There had been something dark about Alistair's aura and he knew what it was and wasn't telling us. Although I felt a strong connection with him I realized in that instant that I knew next to nothing about him. He hadn't told me much about himself and I'm willing to bet that he told Levi just as much.

A soft whimper caught my attention as I broke from my musings to look over Alistair again. His soft pink lips were pressed firmly together in a grimace, his hair curled into his face begging to be pushed out of his tightly shut eyes, and his eyebrows were furrowed alerting me to the fact that he was probably having a bad dream.

Reaching over I gently ran my fingers through his hair, just lightly brushing his scalp with the tips of my fingers. His eyebrows relaxed and the faintest of smiles appeared on his face before he rolled over and buried deeper into Levi's arms relaxing a bit.

"Such a sweet sight..." A faint voice echoed inside the room.

"Who's there?" I questioned into the dark sitting upright slowly, careful not to wake the two sleeping figures beside me.

"Come see me Tae. We have much to talk about." The lithe voice seemed to wrap around me as it echoed in the room creating unease deep within me but at the same time warming me to the core.

"Where? Where do I go?" I questioned in a hushed whisper as I gently pushed the covers aside and slid out of bed.

"Where we first met pup." She laughed her voice light.

"Well that's not extremely cryptic at all." I muttered into the darkness as I slipped on a shirt and some shoes.

"I'll meet you in the forest." She whispered into the night.

"But I can't! It's off limits for us." I almost shouted out but nothing came back as a reply. My curiosity was peeked and I wanted to know who it was that I had just been speaking to. As quietly and quickly as I could I slipped into the closet and packed a small knapsack with a shirt and some shorts and threw it over my shoulders.

I tossed off what I had on and shifted into my kitsune form. I figured I'd have more luck escaping that way considering they had teachers and familiars guarding every wing of our dorm buildings to make sure none of us left and strayed into dangerous areas. Thankfully the knapsack had been charmed to form around familiars even after they shifted so I was able to easily carry my bag with me.

I laughed at Levi when he suggested putting in a doggy door for when he didn't feel like shifting back into his human form. I thought it was kind of demeaning to be honest but now the idea works for me perfectly. As the magical doggy door caused the wood to disintegrate in a rectangular section allowing me to pass through seamlessly.

The entire hall was shrouded in darkness which only aided in my escape. The soft padding of my paws on the hardwood floors seemed to echo all the way down each end of the hall. My ears perked up with every creak and sound that reached me.

"You're doing well pup." The voice encouraged me and I huffed in annoyance as I crept further down the hall, staying close to the walls.

As I reached the top of the hall I heard some shuffling and instantly stopped in my tracks. My little foxy head poked around the corner as I tried to use my advance sight to see what it was. There at the end of the hall was a large brown bear and I almost turned back right then and there. It was true then that they had beefed up on the security of the halls since the incident.

He huffed and let out a low growl before flopping down on his belly causing me to flinch away on instinct. When it was silent again I looked out from where I was hiding, making sure to keep low to the floor. His paws supported his large head as he rested at the end of the hall blocking the exit I was going to use. It was clear that he was tired from having to watch us all night. His large blue eyes seemed to slowly close on their own as I stood the in the shadows trying to wait him out. I was sure that he'd fall asleep soon but there was no way I'd be able to get past him and into that staircase without him noticing.

With a low whine I began to crawly slowly along the floor as his breathing began to even out more. He was asleep and I made sure to keep my eyes on him as I inched closer and closer to the second hallway. I was quite hopeful that there wouldn't be someone else down the other hallway but I knew better.

The sound of sharp claws clinking along the floor echoed down to me before I even reached the end of the hall. I was starting to rethink whether or not this was really worth it but the insistent nagging of my mind wanting to know who it was that was talking to me before kept me going.

I kept low and close to the wall as the sound began to get louder and louder. My eyes bulged as I spotted the largest and most ferocious looking bird I had ever seen. His sharpened talons clinked on the wooden floors with each step that he took. His head cocked to the side, clearly listening for any little bit of sound that would tip him off. As if he had just noticed me his head whipped to the side and he looked directly in my direction.

"Good pup, you've done well so far. Should I provide you with some help?" The melodic voice echoed inside my mind just as a soft fog filled the hallway. The bird stopped staring in my direction and seemed to panic just a bit as the fog became thicker and thicker allowing me to sneak past it and towards the stairwell. Silently I thanked the mysterious voice for the help she provided as I descended the stairs, one floor at a time.

It took a little while but as soon as I made it to the ground floor I nudged the already partially open door further and slipped through. My feet sunk into the soft, wet earth beneath my paws as I instantly shot of into the direction of the forest. As I swiftly moved across the campus I thought about whether or not this was a good idea or not. I should have at least woken Levi up.

"You've come this far little fox." The voice teased.

Annoyed, I pushed forward running faster than before to get to the forest. Once I was close enough I slowed down just enough to try and survey the area. Nothing seemed extremely out of the ordinary but there was this soft flow of energy that seemed to pulse right at the end of the forest.

"It seems that someone has put up a little safety precaution. No worries." She laughed as if the idea of someone keeping her from what she wanted in itself was laughable. A minute or two later there was a surge of energy large enough to disrupt the one that was before me. In seconds both seemed to dissipate leaving me with one decision to make; do I stay or do I go?

Well I came this far already I might as well see what was going on. If anything happened I could easily let down my mental barriers and call for help. With that alone I pressed on into the thick underbrush shoving aside the thorny branches to trek further into the forest.

I wasn't entirely sure where I was headed but something was leading me in a specific direction. I turned left cutting through to a clearer path that had seemed to already be carved out. My small paws sunk into the wet earth beneath me as I paused, looking in several different directions before sprinting off to the left.

"That's it pet, trust your instincts." Her voice carried on the wind. I bristled at the nickname but continued on in the same direction. Before long the instinct to run left me and I stood in the middle of a clearing surrounded on every edge by dense forestry. As I took a step out into the clearing a shadowed figure moved gracefully from behind the rocks, small feathers floated gently to the ground as it stood besides the rock.

My eyes found the soft pale skin that was partially hidden by a large hood that shrouded most of the face except for a pair of dark red lips that curved up into a small smile. It was her. The woman who had been speaking to me all this time. All I wanted to do was ask a million questions but as I opened my mouth to speak all that came out was a yip.

"Shift, darling, so that I may speak to you." Her voice was gentle yet commanding and I found myself shifting before I could stop myself.

"Who are you?" I blurted out at first breath.

"Right question, wrong time." She giggled; her laugh like the soft tinkle of a bell. "Ask another."

"Were you that creature from before?" I questioned already knowing the answer.

"Well it's not going to be any fun if you ask questions you already know the answers to darling." She sighed, twirling away from the large rock and further into the darkness her black dress billowing out from her lithe form sending feathers fluttering everywhere.

"What questions should I ask then?" I huffed, annoyed.

"Whatever you want." She replied as she twirled back into the sliver of moonlight. Her hood momentarily provided me with a glimpse of more of her face. Along her cheek there were dark markings that seemed itched into her skin but almost seemed organic as if it was growing.

"What do you want from me?" I questioned.

"Ah! Good question." She praised me. "I want you to keep doing what you're doing and I wanted to let you know to question everything. Life isn't always what it seems, sadly."

"What does that mean." I questioned starting to get fed up with the riddle like answers.

"It means that people aren't who they seem." She replied quickly. "It means that you question your lives. Question motives. Question your friends. Question your enemies. Question everything because in this world that we live in nothing is as it seems and everyone lies about something. You're not from this world though, pet, you're different."

"What's with all the nicknames." I muttered.

"I love the pet names, poppet." She laughed and I found myself smiling with her but that soon stopped when I remembered what she had done.

"Why did you attack us?" I snapped.

"You were taking too long to find your powers and we needed to speed things along."

"We? Who's we?" I questioned.

"Hmm..." She stopped twirling momentarily. "Good question, good time, but the wrong person."

"What does that mean?" I sighed.

"It means that it's not my answer to give so unfortunately you'll have to wait for that answer." She replied actually sounding a bit reluctant to give me that answer.

It seemed like the night came alive around us as the leaves on the trees shook in the breeze that passed us. The chorus of the nocturnal creatures echoed around us as we sat there and simply enjoyed each other's company.

"Can you at least tell me your name?" I asked.

"Merula." Her voice was hard and unforgiving. "I have been given the name Merula."

"Do you not like the name?" I prodded.

"It is the name given to me by those who betrayed us. My master gave me my original name when he rescued me but they stripped that away from me and I am now called Merula." There was so much hurt and anger in her voice and I stood in awe as I watched her lips part in a snarl exposing a pair of long incisors reminding me of her true nature.

"What are you?" I couldn't help but question.

"Oh, well, I am many things." She hummed.

"Alright..." I paused, trying to find a way to explain this. "I'm a kitsune and you are a..."

"Oh! I'm a hybrid. I was created from forbidden magic and in return I'm fused with another familiar. He should be around here somewhere. We can't be too far from each other for too long." She answered spinning around as if she was searching for something. She held her hand up high, palm down, and waited.

Before long a black bird fluttered down and perched on the back of her hand. It shook it's wings out and craned it's neck as it looked at me. He turned away from me and to her as they held a secret conversation with her nodding her head in agreement.

"Yes, I agree. They've done a good enough job." She spoke aloud.

"Who is that?" I questioned.

"Who is who?" She answered turning her attention back to me.

"The bird on your hand."

"Ah...He's my soul mate. I can do nothing without him and since the incident I haven't been able to go anywhere without him either." She smiled widely showing off her bright, sharp teeth but somehow I got the impression that she felt it was more a blessing then a curse.

"Why me?" I questioned.

"Why you..." She repeated.

"Yes, why me."

"You're special. You and your friends are different. You will be targeted and they will come to find you but please keep your friends safe. All three of you are important."

"Why are we important?" I questioned.

"Well that I do not know. All we know is that when we found you were supposed to guide you." She answered.

The bird cawed snatching her attention from me. She turned and stared at him for a few seconds before nodding her head once or twice and then sighing. He opened his wings and flapped them a few times and somehow I could tell that he was annoyed with something.

"What's his name?" I questioned.

"Once upon a time his name was Marcus." She smiled lovingly at the bird.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that who we were before isn't who we are now so our names have no meaning to us anymore." She sighed tugging her hood further down, shielding more of her face.

My eyebrows furrowed as I stared at them. It was clear they were still completely in love with each and I doubt that would ever change but it was also obvious that they'd been through a lot. Helion was a monster to put these people through that.

"Why'd he do it to you?" I questioned.

"Who? Did what?" She questioned.

"Why did Helion change you into these...these...things?" I shouted out in anger.

"Helion?" She questioned in confusion. "Helion was nothing but good to us. I miss master Helion but they took us from him and then they took him from us. He's never coming back and now we roam around with no master but at least we found you."

So he wasn't the bad guy in all this? According to his familiars Helion wasn't the one who did this to them. I stood there in confusion as she continued to ramble on and on about how good her Mage was to her and how there was no one like him nor would there be another like him.The bird would cry out in agreement every so often.

"If he didn't do this to you then who did?" I ventured.

"The man in the red cloak." She answered cryptically but it was more like she herself wasn't sure.

"Do you know his name?"

"I can't remember anything before that day." She was beginning to panic as if she had just realized that memories only went so far back.

"Cano...Cano why can't I remember? Can you remember?" She questioned the bird who cawed in response. I assume that they've been speaking to each other this entire time over their mental links but I couldn't understand why he wouldn't just shift to speak to her. I also really wanted to see him, to see the person or creature who had been following me around.

"How far back can you remember?" I questioned.

"I can remember his sad eyes. We were lying on separate beds and Cano was staring at me with those beautiful eyes of his. He was worried but not for himself only for me. The man in the red cloak mocked our love and devotion to each other before the chanting began. The low chanting echoed louder and louder before the pain started. After that everything went black and when I awoke my entire body was in sheer pain but my lovely mate wasn't anywhere in sight."

I couldn't see her eyes but a light trail of tears fell down her cheek and rolled over her chin before dropping to ground. Her beautiful, dark red lips were turned down in a deep frown. Cano fluttered his wings a bit before hopping up to her shoulder. He nudged her face in what I assumed to be a sign of comfort. She lightly scratched the top of his head and gave him a soft smile.

"I remembered the night it all happened." She sighed. "But I don't want to talk about it now. We don't have much time together. Once the sun rises we'll have to go back into hiding until the next night."

"Why are you hiding out here?" I questioned.

"We needed to be close to you, to help you so we can't leave. You can find us here whenever you really need us." She explained.

"Can I tell my friends about this?"

"You should. It's not good to keep things hidden between you and your friends especially when you're in the type of relationship that you share." She replied with a smirk.

"Wh-What do you mean?" I stuttered.

"Oh nothing..." She giggled sounding more like a child than an adult. "Hmm...Seems we have a lot less time then I thought."

A snapping branch caught my attention and I spun around to see nothing and no one. I realized that we still had a few more minutes before whoever it was found us. Turning back around I noticed that they were getting ready to leave.

"Wait!" I called out. "When can I see you again?"

"Whenever you want. We'll know you're here and come out to meet you. Go tell the boy bye Cano." She instructed the bird who instantly flew over to me and rubbed his head along the side of my face. Timidly I reached up and ran my fingers along his feathered head. He reacted instantly and leaned into my hand. "Time to go Cano."

He flew off and they ran out of the clearing, disappearing into the forest. Rustling behind me caught my attention once again, only this time I was faced with two familiar faces both staring back at me in confusion.

"What are you doing out here Tae?" Levi questioned.

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