Hello there, Dear readers! I hope that you're all enjoying the new year! Here's the newest chapter of The Fox's Path! I would like to thank everyone's words of encouragement and kindness for both of my stories, and please know that I will gladly keep writing them!

 

 

 

 

The Fox's Path (Chapter 10)

by

Elite Shade

 

 

 

 

 

 

"So girls, did you have a nice day at school?" Laura asked as Taylor and Lily got settled into the minivan, with Lily sitting up front while Taylor seated herself in the backseat.

"Uh, w-well, it was pretty interesting," Taylor said, a little evasively.

"Interesting how?" Laura pressed, looking back at the nervous vixen in the rearview mirror, giving her the same warm maternal smile.

"Well, the aptitude test was... weird, to say the least. And my chem--uh, alchemy class was actually kinda fun." Laura would continue to smile at Taylor warmly as she gently coaxed her to share about her day while she drove, keeping her eyes on the road of course.

Lily chimed in a few times with some questions of her own, mostly about Jeremy and his obvious instant crush, making Taylor blush.

"All of my teachers said that I should be caught up soon," Taylor said, attempting to get Lily off of the subject of boys, just as Laura pulled into a parking lot.

"Alright, we're here!" Laura said as she put the car in park, getting out. Lily followed, as did Taylor, who looked around. Taylor was still getting used to the sights of the big city, something she wasn't particularly used to back home. For the most part, the various buildings looked mostly the same from what she had seen back home. Though, in the distance, she could see a skyscraper, at the top of which was what looked like a large tree. As she watched it, every now and again sparks of electricity would arc from branch to branch in a brilliant display.

Just when I think that this place can't get any weirder, she thought, before she felt someone nudge her side.

"Hello? Anyone home?" Lily asked as she waved her paw in front of the vixen's face. "Still with us or are you just gonna keep spacing out?"

"I wasn't spacing out, Lily!" Taylor insisted. "I was just looking at that weird tree."

"What, the Zarga Tree? Wow, you certainly do have a lot to learn, Tay-Tay," Lily said, looping her arm through Taylor's, and steering her towards what looked, from what Taylor could see through the windows, to be a salon. Taylor dug her feet into the ground, intent on bringing this to a stop before it begins.

"I-I'm really not comfortable with going to a salon, Lily."

"Oh, come on! They're doing a special today on Stainz!"

"Stains?" Taylor looked at the paw-made sign Lily was pointing at, her glasses translating again.

Stainz, 2 for 1, All Day! It read, in black marker.

"Yeah! It's a special coloring done to your fur, like in designs or words or symbols, and it doesn't wash out!" Lily exclaimed excitedly.

Oh, like tattoos.

"Lilypad!" Laura began to scold, making Lily's tail tuck between her legs as her ears laid flat against her head. "I've told you numerous times, you are not getting a Stain!"

"But mooooooom," Lily whined.

"That's the end of the discussion, young lady," Laura said firmly. Lily huffed impatiently, but said nothing further.

"Besides, I think that we should see what Taylor wants to do first." Laura said, gently ruffling both Taylor and Lily's headfur. Taylor could feel her tail begin to wag. Taylor looked around at the many shops around, and noticed a bookstore nearby. Bannon Books, the sign above the door read.

"Can we go there?" Taylor asked, pointing to the shop.

"Ugh, a bookstore? Seriously?" Lily asked, rolling her eyes.

"I think that that's a wonderful idea, sweetie," Laura praised, as she started to lead the girls towards the bookstore. Lily, despite her obvious displeasure, continued to keep her and Taylor's arms looped as they walked. A bell jingled as Laura opened, and held open the door for Taylor and Lily. Upon entering, Taylor could smell the slight musty odor of old books, and smiled. Taylor had always loved bookstores, especially ones with a decent horror selection, which is where the vixen immediately started to drift towards, Lily letting go to head towards what appeared to be the romance novels, and Laura following bind her, while clearly still keeping an eye on Taylor.

Taylor blushed, not used to having someone fuss over her, especially not this much. Back on her home world, to say that Taylor's parents were emotionally distant, was a serious understatement. The only time they ever seemed to notice Taylor, was when they were laying into him, back when Taylor was still a him. The vixen let out a sigh, and started to browse through the various titles, intent on finding something else to occupy her mind. She looked for a few minutes, before spotting a thick black leather book, with gold writing on it, reaching up to pull it down.

The Spire of Madness, was what the title read. Taylor opened it, looking for a summary, and found it right before the dedication.

The complete collection of all the twisted and dark tales written by the late master of horror, Pippin Harold Ironhart! If you enjoy stories of insanity, of abominations lurking in the spaces between reality, monsters of shifting forms, and great tentacled entities, this is the book for you!

Kinda sounds like something by H. P. Lovecraft. Taylor grinned, a fan of all stories Lovecraftian in nature. She noticed the price sticker on the cover, and didn't think that it was too expensive, at least not compared to the prices she read when Lily took her shopping. She turned and started heading in the direction she believed that Laura had headed off in, turning a few corners, and immediately crashing into someone. Looking up, Taylor saw that it was the snow leopard she and Lily had met that very same shopping day.

"Oh... uh... hi... uhm, Duncan?" Taylor suddenly felt nervous.

"That's right! And you're Taylor, correct?" he asked, smiling.

"Y-Yes," Taylor stammered a bit, starting to blush.

"Woah, you're into Ironhart?" He asked, noticing the book Taylor was clutching to her breast. She could feel her face growing even hotter, just nodding.

"Me too!" Duncan said excitedly, his tail swishing back and forth.

"Gotta go!" Taylor blurted out, starting to move past him.

"Wait!" He called out, making Taylor stop and turn. "Uh..." Duncan then rubbed the back of his neck. "Uhm, so, I was wondering... if maybe you would like to... hang out sometime? I've heard that you're new to Risen City, and I thought that maybe I could show you around? If you want."

Taylor stayed silent, as what just happened sank in.

"Uh... w-well... uh... m-maybe, sometime," she said, feeling very hot all over, and very confused by some other feelings that Taylor didn't quite understand. Duncan's mood perked up even more at her response.

"Cool!" Duncan said as he pulled out a pen and a small notebook. "Can I get your phone number?"

"I-I-I don't actually have a phone," Taylor said, suddenly feeling like a dork, but Duncan didn't seem too phased or put off by that information, instead scribbling down something on a sheet of paper, before tearing it off and handing it to Taylor.

"Oh. Here ya go! It's my number," Duncan said excitedly, his tail swishing even more when Taylor took the paper from him.

"O-okay," Taylor said, her tail starting to wag a little, as she felt a fluttering sensation in her stomach.

"I won't hold you up anymore, I saw you enter with your mom and Lily," he said as he started to walk away.

Oh god... am I? No... I'm... I should find Laura, a flustered Taylor thought, still feeling very warm, as she started looking down the aisles, clutching the book and the piece of paper close, her tail still wagging a little. It took a little searching, but eventually she found Laura perusing an aisle of How-To-Do-It-Yourself manuals, the ones Laura was looking at specifically looking very...advanced, at least from what Taylor read in their titles.

How to Purge a Wraith Node, How to Repair a Ley Box, How to Locate a Wight Stone were the titles of the ones she had under her arm, as she was reading one titled How to Seal a Faevun.

"Uhm... Laura?" Taylor asked. Laura looked up and smiled, before noticing Taylor's intended purchase.

"My my, an Ironhart book? Are you sure, sweetie?" Taylor nodded.

"Alright then, I've found some useful books myself, let's go find Lilypad." It didn't take long for them to find Lily, carrying a large stack of what were marked as being young adult books, each one a part of some kind of fantasy romance series, the Evermere. Laura paid for their purchases, with Lily raising an eyebrow when she saw Taylor's choice, but choosing to say nothing, for now. Lily kept eyeing Taylor strangely after they left and headed back towards the minivan.

"Everything okay, Taylor?" She asked, in a serious voice. Laura looked back in the rearview mirror, as Taylor mumbled something about not feeling well.

"You know, Taylor, if you ever wanted to talk about anything, we're here for you," Laura said, turning in her seat to look Taylor right in the eye.

"I ran into Duncan... you know, from the other day?" Taylor looked to Lily, who nodded, "And he asked me if I wanted to hang out sometime, and gave me his phone number." Taylor pulled the folded piece of paper from the inside of her shirt pocket, Lily's eyes widening in surprise.

"Oh wow," was all the wolf girl could think to say.

"Hmm, and how are you feeling, Taylor?" Laura asked.

"Uhm... a little confused, actually, but not bad, I guess."

"Well, in that case, how does the idea of going and getting a treat sound?" Laura asked.

"Great, I guess," Taylor said, right before Lily leaned over and gave her a hug. Taylor was caught off guard, and didn't know what to say.

"You looked like you could use one," Lily said after letting go. Taylor smiled, as did Laura. The older wolf then pulled out of the parking lot, driving a few blocks away, and pulling up in front of a brightly colored, pink and white building. Wight Swirls was the name of the shop.

"Here we are! Now, I take it that you've never had frozen yogurt, have you Taylor?" Laura asked.

"Sure I have, it's great!" Taylor chimed in, tail wagging again, making Lily giggle.

"Really? Huh," Laura said, wondering. "Anyways, girls, you two head on inside and place your orders while I feed the meter."

"Okay mom!" Lily practically bounding out the door, tugging Taylor along by the paw. Laura chuckled at the sight, before attending to the meter, pondering over some things she had been taking into account ever since Taylor woke up, before heading inside as well. It was only a short time later, when all three exited with their orders. Lily had opted for a chocolate fro-yo, which was swirled into a waffle cone, with a caramel sauce drizzled over it. Taylor had selected her favorite ice cream flavor, strawberry, also in a waffle cone, chocolate sauce and sprinkles. Laura had decided on a small cup of a vanilla and chocolate swirled mix, with sprinkles, and a cherry on top.

"Now, girls, try not to make a mess in the car," Laura said sternly, as she unlocked the doors for them to get in.

"Mom, we're not little kids. We can handle a little fro-yo," Lily said, having already started licking hers. Taylor smiled, preferring to use the plastic pink spoon she had gotten from a dispenser inside. Overall, the frozen yogurt shop hadn't been too different than from what Taylor had experienced back home. Although, there was the matter of several small plants in the shop's display windows.

They resembled bonsai trees, except with bright blue leaves, and with small sparks of blue electricity, arcing from leaf to leaf, similar to the massive one she had seen earlier. Seeing Taylor eyeing the plants while they awaited their turn in line, Lily had explained that they were also Zarga trees, albeit much smaller ones. Lily had then gone on to explain that Zarga trees were a very popular source of energy, in that each one produced massive amounts of electricity in their long lifespans, and they were very environmentally friendly.

Lily then pointed out several small metal boxes, one attached to each Zarga tree's pot. Lily explained that they were basically batteries, although she couldn't remember the proper name for them. She did remember that the blinking green light would turn solid blue when it was full, and would flash red when it was almost empty. She also explained that each of those small boxes could hold enough energy to power the shop that they were in for about a week, and that was just for the small ones. The Zarga tree Taylor had been looking at earlier produced even more energy. Lily had then giggled at the wide-eyed look Taylor had then given the plants.

Taylor was then brought back to the present, by feeling a poking sensation in her left shoulder. She was not surprised to find that it was Lily, attempting to get her attention.

"Earth to Taylor, can you read me?"

"Yes, Lily?" Taylor sighed.

"Oh, don't give me that. So, now that you've practically inhaled your fro-yo."

"You finished yours way before I did!" Taylor defended, which Lily simply brushed off.

"Whatever, anyways, care to explain why, of all the books you could have chosen, you picked an Ironhart book?"

"The description inside made it seem like a similar author who's stories I really like."

"But I've read Ironhart's stuff before and it's soooooo stuffy! He uses seventy two words in a sentence that only needs, like, five words at the most!" Something about Lily's behavior made Taylor giggle.

"That sounds a lot like the author I was talking about, and I still enjoyed his works."

"Eugh. There's not even any romance or stuff like that in his stories, I know, they made us read some in school before." Lily huffed, making Taylor giggle even more. Lily smiled at how at ease Taylor seemed to be right now.

"Again, that sounds a lot like Lovecraft," Taylor said in between giggles.

"Lovecraft? Never heard of him," Lily stated simply. Laura smiled at the antics of the two girls as she drove. The three chatted back and forth on the drive home, with Taylor looking out the window to take in the sights. From time to time, among the city streets, she would spot some oddity or another that would catch her eye.

Looking up at the cloudless, bright blue sky, the vixen's gaze was suddenly transfixed on the sight of something that reminded her of some sort of steampunk-looking airship, hovering near where the wall to the badlands was. There was a large golden symbol emblazoned on the side, which Taylor's glasses were not translating, that was shimmering a bright gold colored circle, trisected by three short lines, with what looked like an eye at the very center. While unable to tell just how large it was, based off of the shadow it cast in the distance, which had almost completely swallowed up an entire mountain range, it must have been massive. It appeared to be made of an amber colored metal, with two large horizontal rings on the sides. On it's rear, it had three sets of what looked, to Taylor, like fins.

"What is that?" Taylor asked in awe, to no one in particular.

"Hmm?" Laura looked up from the red stoplight to look back at Taylor, and then in the direction Taylor was staring, before chuckling. "I take it that you've never seen an airship before, sweetie?"

"Just pictures," Taylor said, remembering seeing some drawings and paintings of steampunk style airships online back home.

"Sneaking away in the dead of night, desperate to learn of life outside the compound grounds. Our young heroine finds an old history textbook. Being illiterate, she cannot read it, but she can stare for hours in awe at--" Taylor tore her gaze away from the airship to look at Lily.

 

"Really?"

"Hehe, sorry, I couldn't resist, Tay-tay," Lily said, playfully ruffling Taylors headfur.

"Cut it out!" Taylor giggled.

Laura smiled at the two. "I take it that you like airships then, Taylor?" Laura asked, watching the light turn green.

"Yes. I've..."

"You've what?"

"I've always kinda wished that I could fly one," Taylor said.

"That sounds a lot like Molly," Laura said, her voice filled with pride. "She's studying to be an airship pilot herself. In fact, this semester, she's going to be doing her studying, while also working aboard one as it goes on its tour of duty!"

"I thought that you said she was away at college?"

"She is, Taylor. Molly enrolled in the Hanzolo Flight Academy, which trains engineers, pilots, and ground crew, for our country's airborne naval fleet."

"Oh... so she's in the military?" Laura nodded.

"Are there any privately owned airships?"

"Well, of course. Benjamin even has one, granted, it's much smaller than that one over there," Laura said, pointing in the direction of the ship Taylor was still staring at.

The rest of the drive home was uneventful, with Taylor barely participating in the conversation, still completely fascinated by the airship as it continued to hover over the wall. Taylor made her way straight to her room, with her book in hand, setting it down on the bed as she started to strip off her uniform, ensuring that the door was indeed locked this time. As she stood there in just her skirt and bra, she noticed a piece of paper fluttering to the ground. Picking it up, her tail started to wag back and forth as she realized that it was Duncan's phone number, feeling that same sense of excitement and warmth again. It was as she was remembering the encounter, thinking of the cute way his tail had swished back and forth, that she started to realize, that she was also thinking about what he looked like without his shirt on...and feeling... excited by the thought. Immediately, a pit formed in her stomach.

Oh god! But... I'm not gay! Taylor's breathing started to quicken, as she recalled being attracted to various girls back home, and never once feeling anything for any guys she had known or seen back then. But now, whenever a thought would stray to Duncan, she started to feel that same warmth and fluttery sensation.

NO! This is my dream, and I'm not gay, so I shouldn't... no... no... I'm not... I'm not really... this isn't...

"This is real," Taylor said aloud, tears forming in her eyes. "This isn't a dream..." Her voice cracked as she dropped onto the bed, curling up in a ball, hyperventilating as she cried. On some level, Taylor had known that this was all real, that somehow, despite the impossibility of it all, she had known that she was now in a new world, as a teen fox girl. But she had simply pushed that into the back of her mind, and simply told herself that this must be some kind of dream, and that when she awoke, all that she would remember would be bits and nonsensical pieces. But now...now her denial had finally given way to the truth. All of it seemed to weigh down on her, crushing her, as she continued to breathe heavily and sob.

What am I going to do?! was the only coherent thought she could form at the moment, as the rest of her mind was too preoccupied with the feeling of being completely lost and untethered to reality itself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Does this count as a cliffhanger? If so, I do apologize, but rest assured that I am working on the next chapter. Once more, I hope that you have all enjoyed what I have written, and I encourage you to feel free to leave a review!