By the time we’re back in town, the sun is already beginning to bow out of its dance, the oncoming winter pulling its strings sooner and sooner each day. At the very least, the scene of Aspen Town at sundown is always a spectacular sight. I’d always thought the same of Dingeton, though, the shadows cast of each empty building gave the little village more of a somber tone to its whimpering swan song. Here, now, sunset feels less like a dying breath and more of a sigh of relief, folks both swiftly scurrying and quietly traipsing between the shadows and the lingering lights as life winds down, making way for the silence of the nocturnal folks.

“You got a roommate or anythin’?”

A sudden question of mine after a soundless stride into town breaks the ice we slide together upon, or, the ice that would be there if the roads weren’t so well kept.

“Hmm? Ah, no,” they answer flatly, if somewhat hesitantly. “I declined the offer for one. My own company is quite enough for me.”

“Mm.”

At the very least, I don’t have to lead them back to their house, they can remember that well enough.

“Alright, well, tomorrow’s the day, champ,” I groan, patting Coyotl on the back. “Get some good rest, m’kay?”

They grunt in response to the pats, gripping at the fabric of their new clothes with a sigh.

“Right. Right, right...I’ll meet you in the same place as before.”

A smirk crosses my cheek and I pat the space between their ears, though, from under their hood, it actually feels hard and smooth, it’s hard to get a real defined shape.

“Don’t you worry, one day you’ll have made enough trips through those woods to get to my house with your eyes closed.”

“...Perhaps…”

One last pat on the back, and I wave back at them, beginning my trek back home.

 

“CAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!”

“HOUGH--”

Before I’ve even made it that far from Coyotl’s house, I’m already finding myself being pounced upon, my pals the navigators wrapped tightly around my waist and spinning around from the momentum of their leap.

“Goddang, Zee, can’t you greet me a little less violently for once? If I were anyone else,  I’m sure you’d be carrying me off to a medic after that.”

The duo chuckles and eventually slows down on their rollerblades, giving me a comfy hug that I can’t help but return.

“Well, duh, but you’re not anyone else! You’re our favourite kitty cat around!”

Guh. I shake my head, hoping the blush will fly right off.

“You’ve got the pick of the litter, and you choose the scarecrow with tits?”

“We like scarecrows and tits, what of it?”

An amused snort escapes me as I give the duo a noogie and shove them off before diving right back in to give ‘em a pat on the head, earning me a grin and a giggle.

“Alright, ye of the buxom barnyard, you finished all your work for the day then? Cuz I’m about ready to pass out without something decently entertaining happening nearby.”

“You bet your sweet bippy we got everything done!” the duo answers, offering me a victorious pose and a thumbs up. “Guessing things were kinda rough in there, huh?”

“Yeah…” I sigh, deflating somewhat as a show of exhaustion before realizing I should probably pick my words carefully, as to not worry my friends. “I-I mean, I’m on a quest to bring light back to the world, I wouldn’t expect it to be an easy job, nice as that would be. Wish I was any closer to figuring this all out…”

Oof. I’m thrown forward somewhat as Sue-Zee’s hand collides with my back, prompting me to start walkin’ as I turn and smile at them.

“Ey, forget about it for now,” they advise with a terrible fake accent. “Y’ain’t gonna make progress by tuckering yourself out! Come on, let’s get you home and we can get this party started!”

“Pff. Perfect way to avoid tuckering out. Partying.”

“It recharges your emotional battery! That’s important!”

Despite my shrug, I do agree. Some quality time with the most important people in my life sounds like a good way to keep myself motivated. It’s them I’m fighting for, after all.

As we trudge through the snowy woods to my place, the lack of darting about behind the trees makes the trek feel a little lonelier than usual, even if I’ve got someone who can actually talk to me here this time. Sue-Zee seems to notice something of an absence as well, looking about with a curious concern.

“Fox ain’t with you? That’s a bit odd, ain’t it?”

“Yeah,” I nod, “she seemed pretty beat herself when we got back earlier, so she stayed behind with Niamh while I took Coyotl out shopping.”

“Whoa whoa whoa whoa, hold up,” the duo interjects, the three of us slowing down our walk somewhat. “First of all, Niamh’s here? Hell YEAH, dude!”

They hold their fist out for a bump and I begrudgingly reciprocate, only for their sake.

“Just showed up out of nowhere, as usual,” I explain, you know, like a liar. No one needs to know I called her here myself.

“Sick, we got the whole gang hangin’ out! That’s awesome!”

Zee pumps their fist and jumps into the air, a charming gesture I smile at before reminding them by saying, “And secondly?”

“Eh?”

The duo almost seems to freeze at the peak of their jump before falling back down. I swear, these two are the most lovable anomalies I’ve ever met, and that’s saying something after the past month.

“Oh, right, number dos,” they begin, their jubilant face now contorting to a thoughtful look with a hand to their chin. “You went shopping with Coyotl?”

Ah, yeah. I guess that would be kind of odd considering the chimera has been mostly reserved thus far, and still is.

“Surprisingly enough,” I shrug, putting my paws up behind my head. “Their clothes are torn to shit, and I needed something to do between then and now. Plus, maybe they’ll come out of their shell more and be a little less suspicious if I can make them my friend.”

Sue-Zee raises an eyebrow at me, the former humming to themselves.

“Since when do you make friends?”

“Oof. No holdin’ back, eh?”

“Eh?”

They seem to catch themselves as I chuckle, waving their hands back and forth apologetically.

“Agh! No no no! I meant like, you tend to keep to yourself! I’m just surprised you’d pick, uhh...Coyotl of all people.”

The chimera’s name oozes out of their mouth like a curse, making me wonder if they had some kind of run in with them that I haven’t heard about, or what exactly the vibes they’re getting from Coyotl are. Either way, I shrug once again.

“Honestly, partly motivated by the prospect of them being the key to finding that ghastly goddess and helping Fox get back to normal. At the same time…”

My hands come back down and I cross my arms, rubbing their sides as the cold becomes a bit more noticeable, my eyes opening and my gaze feeling somewhat sadder.

“...At the same time, I can’t help but want to help a fish outta water. I know what it’s like to feel like an outsider, and to be an outsider among outsiders? It’s gotta be rough.”

Sue keeps their eyes fixated on me even as we find ourselves making it through the other side of the woods, my home standing ever humbly before us and the lake.

“I kinda realized today,” I continue, a slight smile warming past my sullen stare, “that that’s what I’ve been fighting for this entire time. A future where others don’t have to go through what I’ve been through, what Fox has been through, what Coyotl seems to be going through.”

The three of us stand there for a moment, letting the snow flitter and dance about around us before I finally turn to the curious, wondrous gaze of Sue-Zee.

“For you, y’know? I ain’t gonna stop ‘til we can live our lives in peace. Together. All of us.”

Any concern or discomfort on their face seems to fade away at that, a great big Zee smile replacing it as I give them a pat on the back and guide ‘em into the house.

 

“Fox, I’m home!”

Thankfully, I don’t have to look far to find Fox curled up cozily, dozing off in the lap of a snake, eyes half open as the two of them watch some film about a fox-themed superhero and a steely villainess falling in love. My partner blinks lazily with each eye individually before registering my voice, perking up and bolting out of Niamh’s lap to land upon me, licking happily at my cheeks.

“Okay, okay, okay!” I laugh, holding her and giving her a kiss on the cheek before cradling her in my arms and turning to face our other guests. 

I can already see the girl’s eyes light up at the sight of our navigators, squeaking and squirming about joyously in my arms while her tail spins up a storm.

“Fox, oh my goddess…!” Sue murmurs, stepping forward and reaching tentatively towards her head, the fox gleefully accepting the pat and ruffling of her fur.

“It’s been a good bit since you last saw her, eh?”

“Not since she changed…”

Aw. A somewhat sad smile crosses my face as I bounce Fox up a little, offering her to Sue-Zee, the duo hesitating before allowing me to put the girl in their arms. The little fox pokes her nose at their cheek and nuzzles up against it while Sue-Zee’s fingers comb through her fur. It’s a precious scene to be sure, even more so thinking about how it’ll look after all this city business is done and we can get Fox back on two feet. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind getting sandwiched between me and the navigators, or maybe even helping me to squish them between her and I.

“And what’s a family without the beloved aunt~”

Ugh. Rolling my eyes and my head towards the sultry voice to my side, I can’t help but smile just a little at the obnoxious snake.

“Shouldn’t you be off getting wasted on vodka in that case, snake?”

“My my, she’s getting feisty with the date propositions~”

I shove her off as she chuckles and flaps her wing at my back, and I turn to lean it against the door, taking in the scene of my partner, my hopefully soon-to-be partners, and my queer platonic pest, sighing and basking in the warmth of...I guess you’d call it family.

“Alright, gang, the sun is nearly down and the creatures of the night are stirring. How’s about we get to the moonlit festivities?”

 

Once I’ve gotten snacks and drinks handed out to everybody, it doesn’t take long for Sue-Zee to start rummaging through their pack to pull out some contraptions and start tossing them at everybody.

“VR Headsets!”

“Eh?” I mew. “Like the ones you use for Navi?”

“Basically, but also no! I’ve been working on these babies for some time now. VR technology might be pretty fancy now, but it ain’t Fanc-Zee!”

I roll my eyes, worrying they’re going to end up falling out of my head by the end of the night, only to notice Fox got one too.

“Animal compatible, huh?”

“You betcha!” they affirm with a thumbs up. “It reads mental inputs, but doesn’t interact with your mind at all, you know, for safety purposes. I’m sure we’ve all heard enough VR horror stories to know that’s a slippery slope.”

Niamh and I stare at the navigators, then look down at our headsets nervously. Meanwhile, Fox swats and sniffs at hers before Sue-Zee picks it back up and helps it on her head.

“It’s perfectly safe, I promise ya! When has anything we’ve made failed y’all?”

“I mean…it wasn’t exactly a failure…” I muse, fidgeting with the tech in my paws, “...But--”

“Your suit did explode rather violently,” Niamh chides with a smirk and a shrug, prompting a glare and a pout from me, she who had her sentence stolen by a snake.

“It was supposed to explode though!”

“And what exactly was the intent of making it explode?”

“Big damage,” they answer me, leaning back on the couch trying to look as cool as possible, Fox imitating their pose right next to them. An amused breath escapes me as I smile and shake my head, ready for a night of tomfoolery.

Sue-Zee spends the night dragging us through an assortment of silly little party games, most of which are won by that sly serpent, unsurprisingly, but the navigator’s extensive knowledge of these games pulls them some wins, and as usual, Fox can rely on her stupid luck to have the entire room yelling at the absurdity of her plays.

I didn’t win a single game.

And yet, I’m having the best time I’ve had in a long while now. Everyone seems to be having a blast, even when we take breaks between games to just hang out and shoot the shit while snacking. Sue and Zee keep the conversation going strong, they’ll keep going on and on if you let them, and I bounce off them well until Niamh says some inane garbage that has us all yelling at each other over whether 11AM is or isn’t considered morning. It’s not, by the way.

Eventually, energy begins to run low (though, that’s still a lot for this group) and we decide to all watch something together, the entire gang stuffed between the armrests of the couch with me in the center, Sue-Zee and Niamh to my sides, and Fox in my lap. Sue-Zee and Niamh riff off one another for the first movie (it’s pretty bad), but we all remain relatively quiet once we start binging old cartoons. Six episodes in, I realize this is probably because the duo has fallen asleep and has their arms hooked around mine while they drool and snore.

Cute…

Glancing over at Niamh, I put a paw on her thigh to catch her attention and gesture towards Sue-Zee, the snake nodding and patting my thigh in return before turning off the TV and yawning herself.

“I’m surprised you’re even able to get tired,” I say to the serpent, who then flashes me a smirk.

“It gives me an excuse to slip under people’s covers when they offer~”

Goddammit, that was me last night. I was people. Seeing my slight grimace, she giggles and pats me on the head, which I totally do not lean into. Gay ass snake.

 

“Well~” Niamh begins with a stretch, “I do believe I should be on my way.”

“Nya?” I perk up, tilting my head at her. “So soon? I figured you’d want to freeload a bit longer.”

The snake sighs and shrugs with a woeful smirk.

“Oh, trust me, darling, I want to, buuuuut…”

Leaning down, she boops Fox on the nose and gets a little squeak out of her.

“These two right here seemed to need some help, and I am more than happy to~ However, this does mean I must be out and about looking for an old friend of mine.”

Raising an eyebrow, I look down at Fox, who turns her head up to look back at me. Now tilting my head at her and nudging my chin in the direction of Niamh, the girl gives me a nod, to which I pat her head, Fox leaning her head into my paw.

“...Thanks, Nia.”

Her smile becomes less sad as she begins to slither away, waving at me with her back turned and wings stretching out before she’s even out of the door.

“Don’t go being too grateful, I might get a bit too comfortable being outwardly helpful~”

“Alright then. Fuck you.”

Niamh laughs at me and I return the same to her, the snake giving one last look back at me as she opens the door and invites the cold into my house.

“I trust you I don’t need to tell you to take care after today, hmm?”

Closing my eyes, I sigh, smiling at the serpent and petting Fox.

“It wouldn’t hurt to hear it.”

She chuckles, the tip of her tail rattling silently.

“Perhaps I should make you work a bit harder for it then~”

“Agh, get outta here, snake!” I yell a little quieter than normal for the sake of the sleeping beauties, tossing an easily evaded empty soda can at Niamh as her laughter permeates the chilly air. “And close that damn door, would ya!”

She waves me off once more as she slinks out the door and closes it behind her, blowing a kiss from the other side of the window. Idiot.

My sigh fills the now empty space once filled by the laughter and banter of a merry band of idiots, giving me the chance to turn over and nudge Sue-Zee.

“Hey, sleepy heads,” I whisper, watching their eyes half open, “It’s about time for bed. Y’all wanna jump in ours?”

They’re clearly still mostly asleep, drowsily nodding in almost my direction, prompting me to get my arms under them. I hoist ‘em up as I stand, Fox quickly leaping out of my lap and making way for our bedroom, leaving me to smile down at the two in my arms. By the looks of it, they’ve already fallen back asleep, if the dopey drooling look on their face is any indication.

Trekking on into my room, I find Fox already curled up on the bed, the tip of her tail wagging as she waits for me to join her, but first, I gotta put these two down. Fox helps along, pulling the covers back on one side of the bed so I can rest Sue-Zee down, and she tosses the blankets back over them, allowing me to tidy up her work and make sure our navigators are nice and cozy. With that done, I start to undress myself and get comfortable myself, pulling the covers over me and finding a surprise fox peeking her head out from between them and myself, a sneaky little grin crossing her face before I wrap my arms around her and hold her tight.

“Good night, Fox…”

“Mmh…”

 

By Fox’s laboured breath, I tredge deeper into the dark woods following her sounds, these woods so familiar in the way the snow falls, yet completely foreign in its path. Every tree looks identical to the last, and my pawprints never last long upon the frigid snow. But her breath...her voice...Even through the murky darkness that hangs over me like a thick humidity that drentches me in bitter cold, I know she’s in here somewhere.

“Fox…!?” I shout, my fiercest roars whimpering to an exhausted whisper, for my voice cannot penetrate the depths of the dark fog no matter how hard I yell. 

It’s hard to tell if the land hears me as it shifts and toils beneath my feet, the ever winding path only reminding me of my weakness as it extends and changes what I never even knew. It feels as though I’ve been dragging myself through these lonely woods for days on end, my strength fading and body succumbing to the chill of the forest’s darkest night.

But I can’t stop until I find her.

Pushing onwards, through the exhaustion, through the fear and the loneliness, I feel that light inside me building like a budding spark, desperate to set the lamp’s wick ablaze. If I can’t find her, maybe she can find me. Maybe I can lead her out of here--

Just as the darkness around me seems to relent, it reverberates, like a soundless howl shuddering and shaking the blackest night itself. A warning from the woods...one I cannot heed. Clinging tighter to hope, I burn brighter, stomping forward, gritting my teeth through the cold and bearing the weight of this place for however long I must.

Not much longer, thank the goddess.

“Fox…!”

Approaching the sullen figure hunched over, sitting at the base of a withered and dying tree, the woods around me has the life drained of it with every step until the unrelenting darkness around us appears to have consumed all but each other, leaving in its wake a barren, lifeless void of dead bark and still snow.

Looking up at me, I can clearly see now that it is the Fox I remember here before me, though, hair only reaching her shoulders, and garbed in a ragged black dress cut short at her knees. Her expression is one of frozen shock, looking as though she barely recognizes me until my bright form dawns on her fully, awe and hope alight in her eyes.

“Cat…”

Another step forward, and the forest continues to rebel, Fox wincing as the very air around us shivers in fear.

“What are you doing here, hun…? What’s going on…?”

She’s never given a chance to answer, however, as from behind the tree she rests wearily upon, a dark, looming figure emerges.

Even taller than me, her form barely visible against the darkness surrounding us, a wolf woman takes form, fur forming a silhouette. Torn elbow gloves restrain the darkness trying to seep out of its edges, while her giant claws hang from the holes that once tried to contain them. A torn and tattered length of cloth wraps around her neck, down her chest and to her waist, tendrils of fabric flowing behind her without any wind, and below that, they spiral around her legs and tail to form some kind of whirling dress. Notably, her giant tail seems to end in a huge claw of its own...

Most fearsome of all, however, are her blank, white eyes...all four of them opening and staring me down with a still intensity that chokes at my soul, filling my lungs with a stiff fear. Only one thing comes to mind seeing her.