Kitsune in the Shadows

Days quickly turned into weeks, which themselves turned into months. Everything just seemed to fit together. Nothing was out of place. It was… nice.

Every week, I would go through the same motions, spending my time with Raynelle and Ava until the one day I could visit Ovia. But that wasn’t a bad thing. It meant that when I woke up, I knew Ava and Raynelle would still be there. I knew that I would still be able to go see Ovia. I knew that I would be safe.

The only things that changed were relatively minor. For example, Raynelle stopped leaving me by myself in the house when she took Ava out. Instead, she would leave me with Beni, and I would get to listen to more of his stories. I enjoyed those days quite a lot, as Beni was able to get messages from Ovia as he was telling his stories. It was nice being able to talk to her even when it wasn’t the day I was allowed to visit, even if it was a little cumbersome trying to talk with Beni as the intermediary.

My growing pains also started coming back every so often, although, after the first few times, I almost started looking forward to them, even if I changed my mind once they actually arrived. Each time they came and passed, I grew quite a bit taller, though I still wasn’t even as tall as Ava.

I started talking even more as well, though it still wasn’t easy for me. It was almost impossible to get any words out when it came to anyone I didn’t already know. But with Raynelle and Ava, I was at least able to say a sentence or two. Ovia helped quite a lot, even if she didn’t know it. Each time I visited her, she would stutter less and less. Seeing her improve like that made me want to put extra effort into talking, no matter how difficult I found it.

Just like that, a whole year passed by me.

…

“… Kierra?”

Someone poked my cheek.

…

“Kierra?” The voice repeated.

This time, I was shaken a little.

…

It’s too early…

“Come on now, the sun is already up.”

I was lifted from my cosy pillow before feeling someone cradle me in their arms.

…

Just a little longer…

“*Yip*” I tried to complain but had forgotten that I was still in my fox form.

“Kierra… No matter how long we spend together, I’m not going to suddenly understand Fox… At least I don’t think it’s possible…”

I reluctantly opened my eyes, unable to see much more than a purple blur hovering above me.

“Good morning sleepy head,” Raynelle scratched under my chin, making my tail sway back and forth involuntarily, “Now that I’ve got you awake, you need to get ready. I’ve finally gotten permission for something that I think you’ll enjoy.”

Something I’ll enjoy?

I let out a quiet whine as I tried to ask what she meant.

“Great,” She set me down on my bed, clearly misunderstanding what I was trying to say, “I’ve already gotten breakfast ready for the two of us, so as soon as you’re dressed, just head to the table and dig in. The quicker, the better.”

Raynelle made her way over to the door, but just before she left the room, she turned back towards me.

“Actually, before I forget, make sure to wear something comfortable. Something you can really move around in, y’know?” She opened the door, “… I’m sure you understand what I’m trying to say.”

With that last comment, she left the room, being careful so that the door didn’t slam behind her.

I quickly turned back into my humanoid form, gently wiping my eyes until I could see clearly.

“What was that?” I mumbled to myself, the whole event playing over in my mind as I tried to recall everything she had told me.

As I was thinking, Umbra brushed up against my leg. I responded in kind by giving them the pats I knew they were after.

“Morning, Umbra.”

While my fox form had mirrored my own growth, Umbra hadn’t seemed to have grown at all. They were still a cute little baby fox, just like when I had first met them.

After Umbra was satisfied, they settled down in my shadow. Now that I was freed from patting duty, I quickly got dressed in a simple T-shirt and shorts before leaving my room and seeing Raynelle waiting at the table.

“What are you waiting for? Eat up,” She called out as soon as she saw me.

I joined her at the table, where two omelettes had been set out. Raynelle didn’t say anything, instead just staring at me expectantly as I took the first bite.

…

There was nothing wrong with the food, per se. It just… didn’t feel as fulfilling as I had grown used to. It was like there was something fundamental missing that I just couldn’t put a name to.

…

“What about Ava?” I asked, wanting to avoid telling Raynelle what I thought of her cooking.

“Still?!” She hastily took a bite of her own omelette, “… What am I doing wrong? I followed all the steps she gave me as closely as possible, so why is it just not as good? She must be using some kind of magic… actually… could she be infusing some of her Healing Magic into the food…”

That’s not what I meant!

I wasn’t trying to compare the two of you.

I just… wondered why we were eating without her.

“Is she still sleeping?” I asked, hoping to make myself a little clearer.

“Oh… you meant…” Raynelle took another bite of her omelette before continuing, “I just thought she should be allowed to sleep in every so often… She’s the only one who cooks between the three of us… Isn’t it nice to give her a break every so often?”

…

I guess that makes sense…

The two of us quickly finished off our food, though Raynelle didn’t give me any time to digest before she spoke up.

“Alright, now that you’re full,” She said, getting up from the table and picking up a cloak before handing it to me, “Let’s head out. The earlier we get there, the better.”

Not wanting to disappoint her, I immediately picked up the cloak, letting my hair change to the now all-too-familiar grey before following her out the door, “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see soon enough. But I will at least tell you it’s somewhere you’re definitely interested in.” She responded.

Raynelle led the way down unfamiliar paths that went around the very edge of the city, tracing the inside of the wall that surrounded it. We were walking for about twenty minutes before a building in the distance caught my attention.

It was a large building that looked similar to those on the main shopping street. It only caught my attention because it looked out of place amongst all the small houses that were usually on the edge of the city. Unlike those shops, however, there were no signs or displays, just a large wooden door, probably more than twice Raynelle’s height, that had been left wide open.

“What do you think?” Raynelle asked as soon as she noticed that I was looking at the building.

What am I supposed to say?

…

“I… don’t know?” I responded after a brief pause.

Raynelle just laughed as she took me into the building, “I’m sure you’ll change your tune soon enough.”

The inside somehow seemed even bigger than I had expected it to be from the outside. Looking up, I saw that there were at least four floors, with a few people running up and down the stairs frantically. Raynelle put her arm around me and walked over to the nearest counter.

“Hello Nellie,” The young man behind the counter spoke up first, “I assume this is the one that you’ve been telling me all about?”

Nellie? I’ve never heard anyone actually use that nickname before…

“Yes, this is the one and only,” Raynelle chuckled as she patted me on the back.

“Well, little miss, as I’m sure you can tell, I’ve heard quite a lot about you,” He made a show of tipping his hat to me before looking back up at Raynelle, “Anyway, I assume you’re here to use one of the rooms in the back?”

“Yes, that’s what we’re here for,” Raynelle responded.

“Alright, you’ve got it for the entire day, so take as much time as you need,” He wrote something down before handing Raynelle a key, “I’ll also have someone on standby if anything happens, though I doubt anything will with you there.”

Raynelle took the key and checked the tag that was attached to it, “Are you sure you’re not showing me a little too much preferential treatment?”

“Come on, Nellie, I can do this much for you. No one is going to complain with all you’ve done for this place.”

“I’ll have to just take your word for it then,” Raynelle turned back to me, “Now let’s get going. If we wait too much longer, this place will start being swarmed with people.”.

I tugged on the hem of Raynelle’s shirt, trying to tell her that I was ready to go without saying anything.

“Then what are we waiting for,” Raynelle wrapped her arm around me before turning back to the man, “Good luck with your work today.”

The man just let out a sigh in response. Raynelle let out a small chuckle before leading me further into the building. We eventually reached a locked door right at the back; Raynelle took out the key she was given and opened it.

Once again I was shocked by what I saw. The room was huge. It was big enough that Ava could probably fly around the place without being too uncomfortable. The majority of the floor was covered in a layer of what looked to be dirt, though it was clearly by design.

“So what do you think?” Raynelle asked as she started stretching.

“Why… are we here?” I asked, still looking around the room.

“Hmm… I thought you would have figured it out by now. You’re the one who has been asking me about becoming an adventurer after all.”

Adventurer?

Building?

Then is this?!

“Is this a guild?!” I couldn’t hide the excitement in my voice.

“I knew you’d get there eventually. Specifically, this is one of their training rooms. While doing some work for them, the guild ended up owing me a favour. So I used it to get this place to ourselves.” A grin spread across her face as she spoke.

A guild… just like in Beni’s stories.

Maybe one day… I could…

But…

“I thought you said I couldn’t be an adventurer?”

I had asked Raynelle about it a few times before, but each time, she said it was a bad idea without giving me a reason.

“I said being an ‘adventurer’ was a bad idea. I didn’t say it was a bad idea for you to want to go out and see the world.”

What does that mean?

“You don’t have to worry about the specifics right now,” Raynelle helped to unbutton my cloak, “You’re still a way off from being ready to make a decision like that… However, that’s exactly why I’ve brought you here.”

“I don’t… understand,” I responded, still trying to make sense of Raynelle’s words.

“Well, no matter what you decide to do in the end, it’s probably going to be a good idea to do some kind of physical training. Even if it’s just to do nothing more than get a little muscle on your body, cause as you are, I’d be worried just giving you a bag to carry your things with you.”

That’s not my fault.

It’s just because I’ve been growing so quickly…

“Oh, come on Kierra, don’t look so down about it. We’re here to start doing something about it, right? And trust me, if anyone can help you with this, it’s me,” Raynelle flexed her arm as if proving her point.

…

I looked over her arm, but instead of making me feel any more confident, it just made me worry about what she had in mind.

What sort of training do you even have to go through to get muscles like that?

…

…

Yet, despite my reservations, I couldn’t deny that she made a good point.

“Okay… I’ll try.”

“I knew you would,” She ruffled my hair, “Now, we’re going to start off very simple. All I want you to do is run laps around this place. Just do as many as you can without passing out. Today isn’t about pushing you after all… at least… not too much.”

…

“Why?” I immediately cupped my hands over my mouth as I had accidentally asked the question I was planning on keeping to myself.

“Well, Kierra, as I’m sure you know, you’ve been doing an awful lot of growing lately… and while me and Ava haven’t really said anything about it… you have gotten… a ‘little’ clumsier…”

My face immediately flushed red. It was true that I had tripped over a little more often… and maybe also walked into things I thought I would fit under… but…

Was it really that bad?

…

“There’s no need to be so embarrassed about it,” Raynelle smiled, “Of course, you’d need some time to get used to your body as it grows; you just haven’t had as much time as everyone else.”

…

That’s true…

“Mhm,” I responded.

“There you go. Now, get running,” Raynelle walked behind me before giving me a light shove forward, “The best way to get used to your body is to use it after all.”