Chapter 95 – All Aboard
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I am only stirred from my slumber upon hearing the clanking of metal against wood, frantic whirring and beeping approaching, then departing, followed by the click and slam of a door being opened and shut in quick succession. Nope, I do not think I am getting back to sleep now…but then again, it seems as though the sun has risen, so perhaps…

Ah. No, no I am not rising from bed so easily, not with the fox and wolf wrapped around me as they are. This would be frustrating were it not so…cozy…

“Nng…Fox…Violet…”

Though my screen flickers, these two are all too content to remain at rest, which is not a terrible thing for me, they are both…incredibly comfortable. It would seem in our slumber, I ended up with Fox in my arms and myself in Violet’s, the two split off for the moment. To be rest between two women so caring as they…what did I ever do to deserve this…? Despite my doubts, however, I allow myself to cling to this small woman, and lean into the larger one, both responding in kind with Fox’s tail tightening around my frame and Violet’s arms pulling both the vixen and I closer. Goddess…am I allowed to say that I love these two…? After all I’ve done…

After all the love you have shown them already, young Coyo? Absolutely.

…Perhaps. Perhaps…

“Mmn…Good morning, Coyotl…~”

Thus the fox coos at last, turning her frame to face mine and smiling up at me as sweet as the summer sky. She really is beautiful…

“Time to go already?” the wolf groans, giving me one last squeeze before allowing herself to retreat into Fox’s shadow, though I ever feel her presence watching over me, much like another.

Surely my gaze is not so intense as Violet’s, yes?

Ah, of course not…

Hmhmhm~

Though, that is not to say the wolf’s gaze is a bad thing. It is surprising, of all people, I expected her to hate me most, and yet…

You are quite worth protecting to her, from what I understand. I feel much the same.

…Right. Right…

“Are you alright, Coyotl?”

“A-ah, yes, yes I am, lo…”

My words get caught in my throat and I feel fit to cough them out and anything else that follows.

“Fox. I-I apologize, I do not know what has come over me all of the sudden.”

When my eyes return to the contact of the vixen’s, I find a wide-eyed, bright red face staring back at me, err, brighter a red than usual.

“N-no no, it’s fine, I promise! Come on, let’s get going!”

I nod, my heart tugging me in many different directions, each towards the fox in some manner or another, but I resist the urge. Even if she is comfortable with me, I would not wish to push my luck–

Oh my Goddess I did not even notice that her and Violet separating meant she was naked that entire time, only just now realizing as the Wolf begins to form around her alter’s body like clothes. Ah. Ahhh. Okay. Calm down, Coyotl, it was nothing weird, I am sure it is normal for girls to do this with one another, err, a girl and her nonbinary…friend? Ah…It is still odd to refer to myself as nonbinary, but it feels nice in a way…

“You must be really stuck in your head today, huh?” the fox teases while sitting up, giving me a smile as my face blushes in green static.

“W-well, there is a lot to be thinking about lately…”

She tilts her head at me, ears bouncing cutely along with the motion.

“What’s on your mind?” she asks as I sit up, the fox scooting over to sit next to me. “Talking it out tends to help in my experience.”

“A-ah, it is not anything too important, I promise!” I assure her as confidently as I can, each of my antennae twitching. “Primarily…gender related. It is interesting to analyze my feelings from a new perspective.”

That half moon smile of hers shines up at me and makes my heart skip another beat, and I quickly find I am running out of beats to skip.

“I get how that feels,” she says, bringing a claw up to gently grasp at my sleeve while I grab my gauntlets and greaves and slide each on one after another. “I had no idea how much could even constitute gender until now, I’d been so focused on either trying to ignore what I wanted or scrutinizing each and every step after.”

Hmm? Once fully geared up, I look back at Fox curiously.

“What do you mean ‘how much?’”

“Oh!” she catches herself, seeming to have run a bit further ahead than she’d realized. “Guess this is kind of new, but the past month and a few more recent developments have really helped me to realize that the euphoria I feel towards my species is a lot closer to gender than I thought. It was Violet and Zee becoming System Update that really solidified my feelings on the matter.”

“Ah, so you are saying there is more to your gender than…gender?”

“Kind of!” she excitedly proclaims, tail swishing to match the pace of her thoughts. “It’s more like, gender is an aspect of your identity built from a social construct just like a lot of other things, but for some it’s more core to theirs than others. So, girl being as close to my identity as being a fox kind of intertwines the two in a way. If this sounds smarter than me, it’s because Violet really helped to hash out my feelings, ehe.”

Glancing back at Fox’s tail, I notice Violet’s maw nodding for a brief moment before returning to its wagging. How interesting…

“So your gender…it is fox and girl?”

“Yeah! Foxgirl. Girlfox? Something like that. That’s why I’m trying it/its along with she/her. Kind of in the vein of ‘that wily fox’, if that makes sense!”

My goodness. I’d never given so much thought to my own gender before, this seems leagues above my understanding, but…I think I get it.

“You are so inspiring, Fox. Here I am only just processing being nonbinary!”

That grin of its continues to infect my heart with a pounding joy, its teeth sinking in to spread that sweet sickness throughout me.

“You’re not giving yourself enough credit! I’m sure there’s a lot more to learn about yourself that you haven’t thought about yet! Maybe each of your pronouns mean a different thing to you like mine do!”

…Hmm. She’s right, I hadn’t thought about that before…

“...Perhaps. Still, I am sure this is a learning process for me, so I shall take it one step after another.”

“Why don’t we take those steps into town together, hmm?”

Ah! Right, we should not be spending our day before the mission in bed. Standing up, I nod Fox pulling herself up by my claw and not letting go. Is this really okay for her…? Well…if she wishes it so, I shouldn’t take it away from her, embarrassing as it is for me…

 

I feel as though I am beginning to understand this forest more and more each time I traverse it, to the point where Fox does not even need to correct my direction more than a few times. It skitters about in its feral form, ever full of energy even immediately after eating the breakfast Cat had left for us on the table. It is a joy watching her dart back and forth until we’ve made our way back into town, at which point…

“Ah!” Fox gasps as it does a flip and poofs back to a humanoid state so she may greet…ah…

“Sister…!” chimes the doll, whom I believe is named Annette, as she scurries over to hug the fox, “Oh it has been so long, dear sister! I had not the chance to greet you upon your initial return! I am so happy to be seeing you…?”

Alas, it would seem the plush sister has drawn her attention to me, those button eyes going wide before pulling Fox a few steps away from me. Ah…

“Sister, stay back! This is the one who summoned–”

“I-I know, Annette, I know who this is,” the vixen graciously interrupts with a sigh, Violet prying the doll off of her somewhat as she steps back towards where I stand on shaking legs.

“Then you should–!!”

“Their name is Coyotl,” she asserts, the briefest of reliefs washing over me as she takes to my side and locks claws with me. “They’re a very important friend of mine.”

Those button eyes once again glance up at me, then back to Fox, and back again to my screen with a judgemental squint.

“...Treat my sister well, or I will put another hole in your back.”

A cold shiver runs down my spine at the same time the scar of the puncture wound begins to burn up, feeling as though my sweat may freeze me over at this rate…

“Shit your pants and run back to your mommy, you snivelling brat.”

Dear Goddess, Violet really lays it on the girl who nearly jumps out of her stitches running off, at which point I drag myself over to a wall and fall onto it with a pained grunt.

“Oh, Coyo…! I’m so sorry…” Fox says, scurrying over to me and grabbing hold of my shoulder, at which point I shake my head.

“No, no…it’s fine…” I assure her, groaning as I stand up straight and dust myself off. “That is something I’ll just have to get used to. No one owes me respect I’ve yet to earn.”

“Sure, but that doesn’t mean it’s something I can just shrug off,” the vixen retorts, taking my claw in hers. Ah. “You’re important to us. We don’t want to see anyone mistreating you.”

Ah…why, I think I may just cry. Fox seems to panic a bit as the eyes on my screen wobble watery, so I shake the tears away and hold tighter to her claw.

“S-sorry. Err…thank you, I mean. For your kindness…”

There’s that shining grin of hers again. Dammit, how is she so charming…

“You’re getting better at that.”

“...I have good incentive to get better.”

“Aside from it just being good for your mental health?” it snarks, its playful attitude ever present and poking me back into shape. “You’ve got to do this for yourself first and foremost, alright?”

“W-well, of course! I just…”

I sigh, picking myself up and tensing my claws with nothing holding them at the moment.

“...It is easier to start when I can also do it for you.”

“Oh, you big doofus~”

Nothing brings me joy quite like seeing that big bushy tail swish to and fro, especially as she slips her claw into mine and tugs me along.

The three of us continue on through Aspen Town thankfully uninterrupted, though, we do find ourselves rather aimless…

“Say, what do you typically do to pass the time?” Fox asks with a cute tilt of her head, ears flopping in the same direction.

“Ah! Well…”

I tap my chin, thinking back to the last time I allowed myself free time.

“...I did not have much before my parents passed. The only solace from my studies was the television, at least…for a time.”

“Jeez, your parents kind of sucked, huh? I mean, there was no doubt before, but…yeesh…Good riddance.”

An awkward laugh buzzes through my speakers…I don’t think I’ve even been able to think such a thing, despite all the pain and cruelty they caused and perpetuated. “Good riddance”...perhaps, but…no, no I should not get so hung up on this. These are the last moments before the most daring confrontation of my life, It would do to spend them better than ruminating on the misdeeds of my forebears.

“Beyond that point, however, I mostly found myself drudging through digital forums, finding many heated debates to be had on the matter of mythology.”

“Oh yeah? I’ve heard a good bit of mythology from Cat, she loves that stuff. Why don’t we walk to Monorise and you can tell me all about it along the way?”

Ah! I can feel my spirits rise to the heavens at the prompt, my antennae twitching with glee and my static eyes sparkling!

“Y-you would be fine to listen?! I-I know I can be quite long winded…”

The fox waves its claw dismissively, smirking and shaking its head.

“I happen to like the sound of your voice, you know. Now, how about you start somewhere within the Greek Pantheon, stuff more commonly known compared to others, yeah?”

Oh, I cannot contain my jubilation! My heart flutters and my mind races with where to begin…

“Ah ha! Let me begin with some notable trans feminine icons…have you heard of the Gorgons before?”

 

“Okay okay, so let me get this straight. They transed Perseus’ gender, and that gave them the power to turn shit to stone?”

“They prefer to go by Persephone from what I have heard.”

 

I am almost sad to be arriving at Monorise, though, our arrival does give me a good reason to take a breath and rest my voice. That being said, I find my breath being taken away the moment it’s mine again, seeing the city in a completely new light! It would seem the Subterfuge and Monorise leaders have already gotten hard at work, and Ascended folk are freely roaming about, meeting with curious and excited humans, and–

“Hey! You’re the motorcyclist from last night, ain’tcha?!”

Ah. It would seem I’ve garnered something of a reputation already…a group mixed with humans and Ascended tumble over each other to meet with me, a somewhat harrowing sight, but flattering nonetheless.

“That was so METAL, DUDE!!”

“Did he taste weird? I bet he tasted like shit.”

“Is that your partner?”

“BACK OFF!!”

The small crowd is thrown back by the intensity of Violet’s roar, forming a living tumbleweed before collapsing over each other, blinking quietly, then laughing together.

“Well, they seem to take these blows in stride…” I muse before Violet takes me by the hand and pulls me along towards our Subterfuge entrance, our final path down to destiny.

Even Subterfuge seems to be in a rush, the Ascended population booming down here too, Cat clearly having gotten busy meeting and greeting. It would seem they’ve been expecting us as well, some of Elizabeth’s goons lounging about before spotting us and getting their butts in gear, showing us the way to the rat’s ride. Staring down into the depths of the tunnel ahead, before we’ve even begun to move, I feel a churning in my gut, like I’m gazing into the maw of a beast, eager to swallow me whole. We step in, Violet barely fitting and looking cool despite that, and the vehicle’s engine sputters and purrs, jostling as a mouse Ascended turns the key and starts our final step, shooting forward into the gullet of malice like a…a pill of justice. Yes. That sounds cool.

Each light we pass blinks by like a clock ticking down to demise, the weight of the underground’s depths pressing in the closer we get, passing the Sunlit Bounty, and slowing down near the Stellar Stowaway. Groups of aliens zip into the spaceship and back out on hoverbikes and hoverkarts, carrying folks in for recovery, and out for battle, our own ride speeding alongside them, charging into battle we can only imagine the depth of.

It begins to seep in. A creeping anger, writhing and mutating into a screaming hate in my heart…but a light shines through and vanquishes the dark. The closer we get, the more she has to fight, but she radiates love and keeps us safe as we turn one last corner and witness the downwards descent to hell.

Churning, rotting liquid boils in the pit that once was the path to the bottom of the subway, ghosts rising and writhing, screaming, lunging and undulating before being blasted to bits by a space ray, Legion standing tall with their stargazing shipmates, hurling nova grenades one after another from their huge launcher, all to defend the folks we screech to a halt before hitting.

Zee stands up straight from behind the massive wheeled platform attached to a heavily reinforced truck, seemingly able to shift itself to the opposite end as one of Elizabeth’s goons tests, the robot boy cheering and jumping before noticing us and running over.

“Krzt– There y’all are!” they exclaim as we step out of the vehicle, the robot leaping into Violet’s arms and spinning around her as the wolf holds them close. “Just in time! The Final Steps of Faith is complete! We’ll be good to go as soon as–”

“The party starts~” a sultry serpentine voice coos, swooping in as the Amazing Mirror’s manifestation of Bomba climbs out of the reflection’s door to join us. “And what a party we are, I must say~ Though, I can’t help but feel we’re missing something…”

“Probably a big damn hero, eh~?”

What in the…a voice both familiar and unknown cackles, riding in on one of the space bikes and leaping off to land before our group.

Though not quite so large as Violet, they are a quite the big damn hero, a rugged possum woman taller than me, clad in a rather torn up looking suit and skirt, the former not even having arms, just the roughed up cuffs of what used to be a dressy get up. More impressive than their outfit, however, is their entire form, incredibly well built, a third arm under their right arm, and two heads, one scowling, the other grinning. The energy is almost unmistakable…

“Cat and Elizabeth?!” I exclaim, the angrier head smiling softly at me while the other haws.

“It’s been a busy morning and we need to blow off some steam. Call me Law for now.”

“And where dere’s law, dere’s Order~ Haw haw~” the scummier head laughs, much to Law’s displeasure. “Da Sunlit Bounty crew is handlin’ stuff while we’s down here. Havin’ connections pays off, as it turns out~”

“Weren’t you worried about taking it easy though, Law?” Zee asks, to which the possum shrugs.

“With the support of a whole other person propping me up, I feel like I can take care of ourselves. It’s not like I can just not show up for the final final battle after all, yeah? I promised you that.”

“Plus, how can we’s lose when we’s got da light on our side~?” Order coos, clutching Yom’s necklace in their claw with a manic grin, all too happy to have what they’d sought this whole journey. At least now we can probably trust they’ll be responsible about this.

“...Alright. This is it, then,” I say, looking around at our group. Violet and Fox, Law and Order, Niamh, Bomba, Zee, and, of course…me. Coyotl…

I believe in you, Coyotl.

You’ve done more than prove yourself by now. It’s time to end this, once and for all.

“...Aw, come on, don’t make me start the cheesy cheering,” Law groans as we all look around at one another before holding their fist high. “For light!”

“For darkness!” Fox joins in from within Violet, the wolf letting her out halfway to hold her claw up before raising her own. “For me.”

“For love~” Niamh joins in, holding Bomba up instead of just her hands, the plant girl silently raising her blade as well.

“...For snow,” I tell myself, raising my claw high, Zee at last hopping up onto the wheeled platform and raising both hands.

“WE RIDE!!”

“Further and further…” Sue seems to add in sleepily, quickly switching in and out as we all climb up, Order getting the last word of course.

“FOR DA WORLD, BABY!! AAAAAALL ABOOOOOOOARD~!!”

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