Page 4 of Foxes of Legend

All kitsune had weapons to fight off any demons. Demons were drawn to kitsune—they wanted to kill us as much as we wanted to kill them.

The students parted in fear as a guy with black hair and tattoos covering his arms and neck stepped forward. Dark ruby eyes, flawless skin, his hair effortlessly styled, messy but in a way that looked intentional. Gorgeous but deadly, like an angel of death. A deep pink scar curved from his ear to his jaw, across his cheek. He wore a white t-shirt and black jeans with a dagger and a shortsword hanging on either side of him, both so black the metal absorbed every ray of light around them.

The only thing missing from his bad boy appeal was a leather jacket. Something told me he had one. His eyes swept over me with disapproval before telling his friend, “I would actually like to get some sleep tonight.”

“I didn’t ask you to join,” Kairos, the golden-haired god responded, giving me a reassuring smile and a wink. “Unless you want him to, of course.”

The comment caught my breath, heat pooling in my cheeks and everywhere else.

“He needs his beauty sleep,” the giant piped in. The dark one punched him hard in the arm, but the giant didn’t flinch.

“Don’t you have any standards?” the dark one asked his friends as he examined me with contempt. A few of the students chuckled nervously at the comment. The dark one’s glare kept everyone a safe distance away. “At least fuck someone who can pass the admissions exam.”

Those words snapped me back into reality. I pushed through the crowd, doing all I could not to run away and embarrass myself further.

3

Dove

The secretary puckered her lips, gesturing for me to take a seat as she picked up the phone and frantically whispered into it.

Without sitting, I strode across the room, causing the secretary to panic as I went straight into the office. Elder Peter barely glanced up from his paperwork, letting out a sigh. He wore the white robes of all Holy Foxes. The red belt that marked him as an Elder hid behind the desk.

The secretary grabbed my arm, preparing to drag me back out—this wasn’t our first meeting—but Elder Peter raised his hand.

“It’s fine,” he said, letting out an annoyed sigh as he continued to sign one of the papers. “You failed, Dove. There’s nothing more I can do.”

“I killed those demons faster than most of the other applicants! And I got a perfect score on the written exam,” I argued. “How did I fail and not them?”

Elder Peter’s pen stopped moving, and he set it down. “Speed is not the only factor in scoring. We need our recruits in top physical condition; Foxfire Academy is more demanding than your typical demon slayer academy. We’re the best in the country, arguably the entire world. Demons will exploit any weakness and a break in our frontline would be catastrophic. Weneed our warriors to trust each other, watch each other’s backs. Not concerned with protecting the weak.”

“I didn’t pass because of my burns?” The realization stole the breath from my lungs.

He failed my physical exam before I’d even taken the test. If I had enough magic or money, I would have already made it in.The rage boiled up inside of me and I shoved it back down. If the Elder suspected I lacked control of my emotions, it would be yet another reason to reject my application to Foxfire Academy.

“The healers informed me of your condition.” He frowned, his eyes moving back to his paperwork. “And with no fox form to speed up the healing...”

“My injury will heal, Elder.” I couldn’t hide the desperation in my voice.

He cleared his throat as he met my gaze with indifference. It was oddly comforting compared to the constant pity from others who knew my history. “Dove, the goddess has denied your fox form for good reason. It is best to go to the temple, beg for her forgiveness. Take up the robes once more and perform your duties. She will bless you,if you deserve it.”

I’d heard this spiel thousands of times from a dozen mouths. I had been abandoned at the temple shortly after my birth like most foxes without any magic. My white hair signaled the scarcity of my magic from the second I entered the world. I’d spent twenty years believing I would be chosen to be blessed, until demons attacked Hawthorn.

I’d learned a lot in my first year out in the real world, away from the sanctuary of the temple. But arguing with an Elder was never a wise choice so I kept my voice calm. “The academy has accepted other students that can’t shift.”

After their first tail, usually around puberty, a kitsune gained access to their fox form and their magical abilities. Killingdemons increased that magical power. After killing enough demons, one could grow up to nine tails.

It wasn’t unheard of for kitsune to take longer to shift their first time. But most kitsune had their first tail by the time they were thirteen, when they would get their blood tested for Fated matches. But I was twenty-one, the youngest age accepted at Foxfire Academy.

Demons bred like rabbits. Our population was hardly sustainable at the current declining rate. Kitsune needed to find their Fated to get pregnant. It was the reason why our numbers were dwindling to the demon hordes, who fucked anything with a pulse.

Elder Peter frowned. “You’ve trained hard since the attack at your temple. But you would not stand a chance in such a weakened state. And without any magic!” He laughed, throwing his hands up in the air as if asking the goddess how someone could be so stupid. “Perhaps you should try again next year.”

“Next year? There has to be something. My blood test—”

He smiled pitifully. “Once it comes back from the lab, we both know what will be confirmed. Now, I’ve given you the chance you begged for so desperately. I am sorry I must do this, but I have to ask you to collect any of your belongings and leave the premises.”

“I will make a petition with the Archfox,” I threatened.

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