Oh, yeah! Dear readers, I do so love being on a roll. Also, any and all constructive criticism is more than welcome, so please feel free!
Enjoy!

 

 

 

The Fox's Path (Chapter 4)

by

Elite Shade

 

 

 

"It's great to see you up and about!" the large bear said as he extended a paw to shake to Taylor. His grip was firm, but not crushing. The large grin on his face was so infectious that Taylor couldn't help but smile herself. "I'm Abe, and it's nice to finally meet you!"

"Hello, I'm Taylor," she said smiling back.

"Well Taylor, my wife has informed me of your current... situation, and I just want you to know that you are more than welcome to stay here as long as you want."

"Th-thank you...uhm, Abe. You have all been very generous and I... I don't..." Taylor trailed off suddenly feeling hot tears prickle at the back of her eyes. Just then, Lily set her box of ingredients aside and walked over to Taylor. She wrapped her in a hug, followed shortly by Laura. Shaun looked at the silently crying vixen, and reached out to take her paw in his. Ben stood by Abe and scratched his head, big emotional moments not really being his forte. Abe leaned forward and placed a paw on her shoulder, gently squeezing.

Why can't I stop crying?! Taylor wondered as the tears continued to fall. Eventually, after a moment, her tears started to subside, prompting everyone else but Laura that it was okay to break free from the embrace. Laura continued to hug her for a few more minutes before letting go as well. Taylor wiped her eyes and looked embarrassed. Everyone continued to smile until Ben decided to break the awkward silence.

"Oh hey Abe, I gotcha something," he said as he handed him a brown package.

"Ben, you didn't have to get me anything," Abe said while he was tearing the paper.

"Hey, you're my favorite brother-in-law, of course I would get you something."

"Last time I checked, I was your only brother-in-law." Abe chuckled as he opened the box. He instantly caught his breath. Reaching in, he pulled out a pair of silver leather gloves. They had markings made of large intricate swirls tracing each knuckle.

"Ben... how? Where?" the large black bear was truly at a loss for words. Taylor correctly assumed that, like all of the other gifts, these gloves were rare and magical in nature.

"Are they real?" Shaun asked, just as amazed as his father.

"Oh yeah," Ben said while ruffling Shaun's headfur, "those are one hundred percent genuine Altorii gloves!"

Abe, still speechless, slipped them over his paws, and they molded themselves to fit perfectly. The swirling patterns lit up in a pale blue light.
"Huumnarou Teluvamn!" Abe spoke these words, his voice reverberating. The swirls became brighter and the gloves appeared to melt and reform. Taylor stared, amazed at what she was witnessing. The gloves reformed themselves into a pair of bigger, spiked, silver gauntlets. Across the spikes, several small sparks danced every now and then. Everyone but Abe and Ben were transfixed on the gloves. Abe then said a word, "Mehelvas!" and clapped his hands together. In a literal flash, the gloves melted and reformed back into their original form. Abe happily slipped them off of his paws.

"I can't believe you actually found an Altorii artifact," Abe said, his voice filled with wonder.

"Oh, I found more than just that," Ben said clapping Abe on the back. "In fact, I happen to find myself in possession of a few scrolls and objects with writings on them that I would really appreciate if you could translate for me."

"Sure thing Ben! But first, I have got to get a shower and get out of these scrubs," Abe said as he started up the stairs. Lauren got up and hugged Ben, thanking him again for the wonderful gifts, and stated that she was going to check up on dinner, and Ben said he had to go gather some more things from his car.

"Wow! This is so COOL!" Lily exclaimed excitedly as she bolted up the stairs with her new collection of ingredients. Shaun had gone back to inspecting each of the little blue figures, carefully turning them over as he examined them.

"Wow. I've always wanted some of these," he said as he started to carefully place them back into the box. He turned to Taylor, and saw the serious look on her face. "Is something wrong?" he asked, his concern showing.

"This is all a lot different than what I'm used to," she said, thinking carefully about her words so as not to give Shaun the impression that she was upset.

"Wanna talk about it?" he asked.

Taylor looked at him. She briefly considered telling him that she wasn't actually a fox, or a girl, and that she's from another world entirely. However, even after seeing actual magic, she was still very sure that if she did tell him the truth, he would think that she was nuts.

"No... I think I just need to think some stuff over is all," she said lamely.

"Oh...okay." Shaun said, a little disappointedly. "You know Taylor I just want you to know that--"

"Hey Taylor!" Lily said as she came bounding down the stairs excitedly, her tail wagging. "Look what I just cooked up!" she said as she handed her a small vial of bright red liquid. The screw on cap appeared to have some sort of plastic stick attached to the inside of it, probably for some sort of applicator brush.

"Um... thanks Lily. What is it?" she asked after inspecting it.

"I whipped up some nail polish!" Lily said proudly "I call this batch Taylor's Blush!" she said with a smile.

"Taylor's Blush?" she asked, looking it over and getting a feeling that she was not going to like where this was going.

"Yeah, because it reminded me of how you always blush whenever you and Shaun look at each other. Ooooh! Just like right now!" Lily excitedly pointed out that Taylor had indeed started to blush yet again. Shaun was blushing as well. Before either of them could yell at her, Ben came back in carrying a very large and heavy looking trunk, with a very thick and intricate lock on the front. He grunted as he set it down. The moment he let go of it however, something inside started to rustle very quickly, until Ben kicked the side of the trunk.

"That's enough of that outta you!" he said sternly. Whatever was inside apparently understood his meaning entirely, as the rustling noises immediately stopped.

"Uhm... Uncle Ben?" Shaun asked tentatively.

"Yes Shaun?"

"What was making that noise?"

"Well... I'm not really sure what it is... but don't worry!" he quickly amended upon seeing the looks on the their collective faces.

"Whatever it is, it's harmless." The three looked a bit relieved to hear that, though they were significantly less so when they all heard him mutter "I think" under his breath.

"Anyways, this chest is locked, airtight, and magically sealed with some of the best spells and enchantments in my repertoire!" he said casually as he walked away from the box and towards the good smells wafting from the kitchen.

"So... your Uncle goes on trips to faraway places?" Taylor asked while keeping an eye on the chest.

"Yeah, he's a professional explorer. He's completely certified by the Mages' Guild," Lily said matter-of-factly before plopping down next to Taylor on the couch. Taylor, sensing another little joke from Lily, looked to Shaun for confirmation.

"It's true, he is. He goes and explores uncharted territories, heads to excavations, and more often than not is tasked with finding specific lost artifacts."

"Whoa!" Taylor said thoroughly impressed. "So he's like a real life Indiana Jones!"

"Who?" the twins said confusedly. Taylor mentally slapped herself.

"Uh... he's the main character of these kinda old movies I used to watch when I was little, about an archeologist who went around the world and found ancient and sometimes deadly artifacts."

"Huh. I thought that the Lescht fundies were totally against any kinda technology, as well as the magic hating stuff," Shaun said while scratching his head.

Taylor was about to try and explain that she wasn't from some sort of cult society when she was once more interrupted.

"Hey! I bet you used to sneak out to some kinda old theater or something and watch old timey movies and the like!"

"W-wait now," Taylor started, yet Lily wasn't listening at this point.

"OH My gods! Is that what happened?" she said suddenly looking sadly at Taylor.

"Did they catch you sneaking off to do that stuff and punish you? Were you kicked out of the only life you've ever known?" Lily looked like she was about to shed a tear or two.

"Not exactly!" Taylor said quickly. The look in Lily's eyes suggested that she didn't believe her.

"Lily, I think that that's enough," Shaun said gently as he stood up and put a paw on Lily's shoulder.

"I swear it wasn't like that!" Taylor said quickly.

"Oh, so did you run away?" Lily then asked, Shaun rolling his eyes.

"Lily I swear."

"What? You can't blame me for being curious!"

"It's okay Shaun, really," Taylor said. The twins then sat down on either side of her, looking to her.

"What really happened is..." Taylor trailed off. She was still very unsure as to what she could possibly say in her situation. From their perspective, she was a mysterious teen who was ultimately homeless. She knew nothing of magic, or this new world around her. From what she has gathered since she had awoken to find herself in this situation, so far the only explanation that won't lead to her being committed to an insane asylum was that she had been raised in a magic and technology hating cult. Resigning herself to the fact that she was going to have to lie to the two new friends she had made in this new world, Taylor looked to the floor as she answered.

"Yeah... I ran away from them," she said.

"Oh wow!" Lily said excitedly.

"So...do you think that they'll come after you?"

"Uh... nope! No, they... uh... they think I'm dead!" Taylor panicked slightly.

Why did I have to say that?!

"You faked your own death! That's so badass!" Lily jumped up, clearly thrilled by the notion.

"Was there a big explosion? Did you burn down some sort of barn or silo and throw a dead fox in there to make it look like you?"

"N-no!" Taylor said, now regretting adding to the lie.

"Seriously Lily?" Shaun said exasperatedly.

"Uh... no I just left and... uh... made it look like I... uh... threw myself off a cliff!" Taylor said quickly, cursing herself for digging this hole, and with both paws apparently.

"Huh," Lily said mulling it over. "WOW!" she then jumped up and started towards the stairs.

"Lily where are you going?" Shaun asked.

"I'm gonna call up Sadie and Becky and tell thm that I've got such a Badass for a new little sister!"

"LILY, NO!" Shaun yelled as he bolted up the stairs after her. He swiftly grabbed her shoulders and spun her around facing him. This surprised Lily, as she had never seen her brother act this way before.

"Don't you get how dangerous that is for her!" he said, his voice dead serious.

"If somehow, in someway, any one member of the Lescht's ever find out that one of their own faked her death and escaped, they might just come looking for her!"

"But Shaun, how would they possibly find-"

"All it would take is just one overheard conversation!" Lily looked into her brother's eyes. Then she looked down and nodded. "I guess you're right. Besides, that might put our family in danger too."

Shaun smiled and hugged her.

"It's okay. You just can't be so reckless with this kinda information is all."

Lily sighed, as though she had been told that many times before. Taylor watched, fascinated by the whole exchange.

Huh... he really does act like the "Big" brother to her. Laura called out to everyone that dinner was ready, making all three teens jump. They then looked up the stairs as Abe, now dressed in some jeans and a red T-shirt with some small multi-colored paw prints decorating it all over, started to make his way down. The shirt looked slightly faded and well worn.

"Dad!" the twins both groaned.

"What?" he asked confused. Then he saw the twins look at Taylor and his shirt and blush. That's when it clicked in his mind, making him smile as he decided to explain to Taylor what was happening.

"They're both embarrassed because they made this for me as a Father's Day gift back when they were five. I remember it clearly because the paint was still wet, and they were both completely covered with the paint themselves from their heads to their little paws."
The twins looked away and blushed while Taylor giggled at the thought of them as little pups, dripping with paint.

"They were especially fussy during the bath we had to give them."

"DAD!" the twins yelled with a look of horror on their faces. This made Taylor laugh and Abe chuckle. They then all made their way to the kitchen, both wolves still with deep blushes on their faces, to see that Laura and Ben had already set the table. At the center was a very large casserole that smelled so good. Taylor's stomach started to growl.

The three teens sat on one side of the large round table while the adults sat on the other side. As they ate, Taylor thought back to her family back on Earth. There was usually so much tension that a sit down dinner like this was practically impossible. Laura asked the three about their shopping experience, and Lily immediately started by talking about the situation with Barry in greater, and clearly exaggerated, detail.

"Shaun picked Taylor up in his arms to check for any possible injuries, while she tearfully looked up and kissed him!"

"Okay Lily, seriously, you gotta quit doing that!" Shaun said to her while she giggled. Ben snickered at the sight.

"Like uncle like niece," Abe said with a smile as he saw the indignant look on Ben's face while Laura laughed as she realized how right he was. Soon, the meal was over, and Ben and Abe headed into the living room where the trunk was, while Laura started to clean up with Shaun was helping her. Lily then eagerly grabbed Taylor's paw and started to drag her upstairs, into her room.

Taylor looked around. Aside from the one she had woken up in, she didn't have any experience with a girl's room. The walls were a light peach color. Tacked onto the wall were some posters for what appeared to be various horror movies. The bed was messy, with the bright blue comforter in a ball partially hanging off the side. There was a fish tank on a desk next to the window. Inside the water was something blue swimming back and forth quickly. Something that resembled a snake. The creature stopped its swimming and rested on the bottom, watching Taylor intently with one large green eye on the side of its head.

"That's Humphrey! He's just being a little grouchy today because the vet had to give him a few shots yesterday," Lily said simply while motioning to the snake creature which appeared to make a 'huff' sound with its mouth before wriggling under the multi-colored pebbles on the bottom of the tank.

"What is he?"

"A Leischweir Achilliopola... or as they're commonly called, a Water Wyvern."

"Wyvern?"

"Yup! I was so excited when Mom and Dad said I could get one! I got him back before he even hatched!" Lily said with a wistful look in her eyes. "They're really smart, and can understand most languages, so I would watch what you say around him."

"Uh... okay."

"So? What do you think? Is the color alright, or would you like something different to try?"

"Huh?"

"The nail polish?" Lily said with her arms crossed. It was then that Taylor noticed that on the desk was what looked like a mortar and pestle sitting next to a cauldron on a hotplate. Next to that was the box of ingredients that she had been given earlier.

"You don't like it?" Lily said, looking a little hurt.

"What! Oh! Nonononono!" Taylor said trying to spare the girl's feelings. "It's not that it's just that I..."

"What?" Lily asked.

Taylor sighed. "I don't know anything about nail polish or stuff like that." She was about to include some lie to cover for that when Lily just assumed one then and there.

"Oh! I'm sorry Taylor!" she said pulling her into a hug.

"For what?"

"Well, I should have guessed that those crazies you ran away from wouldn't let girls know about make up and nail polish and stuff like that!"

Taylor was about to nip this little thought in the bud when she noticed a sly smile on Lily's lips.

"I just had an AWESOME idea!" she announced.

"About what?" Taylor asked suddenly feeling uneasy.

"It'll be a surprise later!" she said suddenly pushing Taylor out of her room. "I gotta put some things together first!" She then closed the door before Taylor could respond. Taylor was left in the hallway, her uneasy feeling not going away. Just then, she heard footsteps come up behind her. She turned to see Shaun come up with his box of Pocket Golems in one paw, and her new magical encyclopedia in the other.

"I noticed that you left this on the couch," he said as he handed it to her. Suddenly, they heard some loud cursing coming from downstairs.

"Dad and Uncle Ben are working on a little project with whatever was in the trunk. I think that it would be a good idea to stay up here until they're done," he said with a smirk as he walked onwards to his bedroom, which was right across from Lily's, and right next to Taylor's.

 

Hearing something skittering followed by Abe's deep voice shouting "There it goes, shock it!", Taylor decided that Shaun was probably right. Heading on into her room, she looked around and saw all of the shopping bags from earlier. She then noticed another door that she must have glossed over this morning. Opening it to find a private bathroom, she decided that now was as good a time as any to take a shower.
She grabbed a pair of red cotton panties from the underwear drawer, picked up the nightgown she had worn this morning, and headed inside. Taking a lesson from the earlier intrusion to when she was changing, she locked the door. Stripping off her clothes, she looked at herself in the mirror once more. She then sighed, and turned on the water to the shower. After a few moments of getting the temperature just right, she stepped inside. She noticed only a half empty bottle of cherry blossom shampoo and nothing else. Figuring that since she was a species covered in fur, that this was best to use as a body wash. At first, Taylor blushed as she washed her new feminine form.

This is really me now,  she thought.

She finished her shower by scrubbing her tail. Looking at it, she experimented for a moment and started to make it move. She quickly learned that if she thought of happy thoughts, it would rapidly wag back and forth almost of its own volition. If she thought of something that made her sad, like the thought of possibly not returning to her home world, it tucked itself between her legs. Then she thought about Barry pulling her into his lap and almost dragging her who knows where, and even with the fur wet it started to bristle and poof out. Then she thought about Shaun saving her, and it started to wag faster than before.

She turned off the water, and dried herself as best she could before getting out. After a few more moments with the towel, and thinking to use the nearby brush on the sink to brush down her now fluffed out fur, which proved to be a little difficult for a first timer, she was more or less dry. She slid on her panties, then pulled the nightshirt over her head, and exited the bathroom. She closed the door, to see Lily excitedly putting her clothes away, now wearing a pair of red and black checkered pajamas.

"Lily? What're you doing?"

"Oh this is the surprise I was talking about a little while ago!" she said. "We're gonna get in some serious just-us-girls time in!"

Taylor stood there stunned. "What exactly do you mean?" she asked tentatively.

"Well, so far you've spent your whole life missing out on some pretty need to know stuff, so I'm gonna walk you through the basics on how to be a teen girl!"

Oh no! Taylor thought as she blushed.