Page 31 of Fire of the Fox

“That’s Northern Two-Lined Salamander, Bassel. Not just any Salamander. How rude!”

Bassel’s eye twitched. “Right. Northern Two-Lined Salamander. My apologies. Anyway, his kind aren’t too fond of interacting with humans, hence the reason he never joins us when we go out somewhere.”

Marlow glared at him and started arguing that Bassel made him sound lame. Bassel yelled back, and as I took in their exchange, I couldn’t help but think they were still the same. Granted, they were some kind of animal freakiness, but they still acted the way they had before. There was an undeniable air of friendliness around them. My concern over the situation was still very much present, but I couldn’t deny I saw the same people who had made me laugh and feel included all day long.

Akira stepped in front of me and said warmly, “Now for me! I’m a Raven Fae. I’ll gladly transform for you, but only if you’re okay with it. I don’t want to frighten you any more than the idiots behind me already have.”

Seeing that familiar face, I knew there was no way I could ever be afraid of Akira, so before I knew it, I was nodding. I wanted to see each of them for what they really were.

“Okay. I’m ready. Go ahead.”

He slipped off his shirt, which I didn’t understand until after he transformed. His brown eyes began to glow an iridescent color before the pupils consumed all the color in his eyes, turning them solid black. At the same time, tiny black feathers began to sprout and grow along the edges of his arms, and his nails sharpened into talons. There was a loud snap then pop as massive black feathered wings shot from his back.

I held my breath, heart racing a mile a minute. Watching him change into this creature was horrifying, but once it was over, his eyes grew warm like they always did.

Akira threw his arms open wide and jumped around in circles, singing, “Huh? Whatcha think? Whatcha think? Aren’t I amazing?”

My voice cracked as I joked, “No beak?” I was trying to make light of this situation because if I didn’t say or do something, I would commit myself to an insane asylum.

Laughing, he waved his taloned hand. “No beak. When we’re in Fae form, we don’t have all the traits of our animals. Just a few! For example, birds like me get our wings, our talons, and feathers in a few places. Canines and felines, like Rune and Bassel, get their tails, ears, sharpened canines, and things like that. Some get a little bit of fur on parts of their body, like Bassel, who has a little of his liger’s fur on his arms and chest. Others get less fur, like Rune, who only has fur on his fox ears and tail.”

Unease placed it’s hand on my shoulder as I really took in Akira’s gaze.

Noticing my stare, Akira said, “I know my eyes may seem a bit creepy considering they’re pitch black, but I’m not scary. I’m still the same Akira as before. Friendly and totally loveable! We all are.”

I took a deep breath and nodded as I processed this information and tucked it away. It was best to gather all the info I could to provide to whoever would check me in at the mental hospital. They needed to know how to treat my delusion because that’s definitely what this had to be.

I glanced at Rune then, who was still standing away from the rest of us with a bitter scowl. He looked human for now, but based on all I’d heard, I knew there was more to him. Akira called him a canine, and before, they’d mentioned he was a fox. Briefly, I thought of my fox in the woods. I quickly stomped out that notion, though. There was no way they were one and the same. They were far too different in their behavior. My eyes found their way to Rune’s neck as I searched for my necklace but came up empty.

This still seemed far too absurd to believe, but when I tried pinching myself, I didn’t wake up. I wasn’t dreaming, which meant this was very much real. These guys were Land Fae, magical creatures that looked like animals combined with humans. They were each incredibly beautiful yet terrifying. I mean, how could this happen? This kind of stuff didn’t exist.

I glanced over at Rune once more, and curiosity made me wonder what he looked like in his Fae form. Was he just as beautiful as the rest? Was he grotesque, frightening, or alluring? I tried to picture it as he stood there with his arms crossed over his chest, staring at the floor with his face pinched tight.

Akira noticed where I was looking, so he jumped in front of me to block my view.

“Rune over there is Land Fae, too. That being said, his kind can be quite scary when they’re angry. He looks pissed right now, so it may be best to leave him alone.” Akira looked at Rune and said, “I won’t ask you to transform for her, but I’m still going to explain what you are.”

Rune glared at Akira from underneath his light blond hair. Chills ran down my body after seeing that gaze. His eyes contained a darkness as he turned his glare from Akira to me. I held my breath, and my knees buckled the more he pinned that look of fiery hatred on me.

Akira moved closer to my side, and he gently wrapped me in his wings. “I don’t know what you’re so mad at her for, Rune.”

Rune stood up straight, meeting Akira’s glare head on. “How could she have fooled me? There’s no way! She shouldn’t have been able to make any of us believe she was Land Fae if she was a mere human.”

He glared at me again as his eyes began to glow a bright gold. A trail of flickering flames burst from his hand, and it circled up and around his body. As it passed over his lower half, a large, fluffy, black tail swished behind him. His fingernails sharpened into pointed claws. The flame traveled up farther, circling his upper half. When it disappeared above his head, my eyes went wide. He now had pointy, black ears on top of his head that faded into white to match the shade of his hair. He sneered at me, giving me a perfect view of his canine teeth, which had elongated into fangs.

Akira gave a frustrated sigh and waved dramatically towards Rune. “As you can probably tell, Rune here is a Silver Fox Fae. That’s why he’s so pissed. You made him think you were a Land Fae like us because you emit the same magical essence as one of us. Fox Fae are supposed to be the wisest and most cunning, so he’s irritated that you tricked him. He’s usually the trickster.”

I looked at Akira and pleaded, “I didn’t mean to. I wasn’t trying to trick anybody. I didn’t even know that you guys existed.”

“Exactly!” Rune roared. A flame erupted around his hand. “So how the hell could I have been tricked into thinking you were a Land Fae all this time? That’s the reason I picked you!”

Bassel took a step in my direction as Akira’s wings went tighter around me. If I thought I was afraid before, that fear had nothing on how I felt seeing Rune so livid.

My body shook in Akira’s arms, and when he felt my trembling, he clenched his teeth and glared at Rune. I didn’t even think it was possible for Akira to genuinely be angry, but I was proven wrong.

Akira narrowed his black eyes on his friend. “Calm down, Rune! You’re not helping her feel safe with us.”

Bassel stood by me and stared Rune down. “Yeah. There’s no need to act this way, man. Just calm down, and put out your fire. Damn. You Foxes are always so hot-headed.”

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