Hello there readers! I'm happy to bring to you chapter 11 of The Fox's Path! As always, feel free to leave me a review, as I do appreciate your feedback! I must warn you all first, though, there are some serious feels in this chapter! I would like to especially thank those of you, who know who you are, that took the time to talk to me about character development, and its finer points. You were a big help, and I do appreciate your continued input and support!

 

I hope that you enjoy the new chapter!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Fox's Path (Chapter 11)

by

Elite Shade

 

 

 

 

 

 

Laura hummed to herself as she made her way up the steps, feeling content. The girls had seemed to have a good time on their little outing, and Shaun had called, explaining that he was going to be getting home a little later than normal, but that he would be arriving with exciting news. And Ben and Abe were in Abe's workshop in the garage, their animated conversations an indication of their good mood at discovering something with one of Ben's newest artifacts. So it struck Laura as being quite odd to hear the muffled sound of sobs coming from Taylor's room. Her instincts as a mother taking over, Laura tried the doorknob first, finding it locked.

"Taylor?" She gently called out, knocking lightly. There was the sound of shuffling, and the sobs stopped immediately. A few moments later, Taylor unlocked and opened the door, now wearing a bright yellow t-shirt, clearly put on in a haste.

"Oh, I'm fine, Laura. Just had a bit of a sneezing fit," Taylor said, feigning a smile. If her slightly quivering lip and hoarse voice had not been an indicator to Laura that the vixen before her was upset, the red rimmed eyes were a dead giveaway. The mature wolf said nothing as she pulled Taylor into a hug. Taylor opened her muzzle to insist that she was really alright, but instead, she just broke down sobbing again. Laura guided Taylor back over to the bed, continuing to hug and console Taylor as they sat down.

"Let it all out, sweetie," Laura soothed as she continued to hold Taylor close. Taylor obliged as tears flowed freely, and she took shuddering breath after shuddering breath. After what had seemed like a while, but in reality was only around a few minutes, Taylor finally calmed down.

"I'm sorry, Laura, for that..." Taylor sniffed.

"Honey, you have nothing to apologize for. Now, may I ask you something?"

"O-Of course." Taylor hiccupped.

"You're not really from one of those Lescht groups, are you?"

Taylor paused before answering. "N-no," She croaked, afraid of how Laura was going to react at not telling the truth for so long. Laura, just smiled and hugged the vixen closer.

"Lily, in addition to getting into mischief from time to time, has a knack for jumping to conclusions. I noticed that you tried to correct her a few times, not to mention a few things that you've said and done now for the past few days." Laura broke their hug and turned Taylor so that she was looking her right in the eye, still smiling. "Now, I don't want you thinking that you have to tell me everything, or else you'll be in trouble. I just want you to know, that no matter what, I will listen."

Taylor couldn't hold back anymore. "I'm not a fox!" she blurted out. Laura kept looking at her, patiently and silently awaiting the rest, which Taylor began to explain. Taylor told her everything, about her home world, her species, her original gender, the tear, all that she could recall of that fateful day.

"And then I woke up here, in this room..." Taylor finally trailed off, feeling as though a great burden had been lifted from her shoulders, before she started to tense up, expecting Laura to begin saying that she was crazy. Instead, she was pulled into another hug, with Laura gently stroking her headfur.

"Oh, sweetheart! I'm so sorry that you went through all of that," Laura said, confusing Taylor.

"You believe me?" Taylor asked, making Laura pull back to look her in the eye again.

"Of course I do! Remember when I used the Heartstone on you?" Taylor nodded. "Well, while not showing me your past or your previous form, it did show me who you are, in here," Laura said, pointing at Taylor's heart. "It showed me that you are a kind and brave person, who is in no way, shape or form crazy or a liar."

"But... I just told you that I came from another world?"

"And? Sweetie, what you described to me sounds an awful lot like a very rare event known as a Reality Tear."

"This is something that's happened before?"

"Yep! As I said, it's quite rare, but people from other worlds and universes sometimes get sucked into our world once every few hundred years or so, in most cases their forms changing drastically in the process. It's actually very well documented."

"Does that mean that there's a way for me to go back?" Taylor asked, hopeful. Laura looked down, remorsefully.

"I'm afraid not, sweetie. While this event has been studied extensively, by many people over the centuries, no one has been able to learn any more than what you experienced first-paw."

"... Oh," Taylor said, dejected. Laura rubbed the vixen's shoulder as she pulled her close to her again.

"I'm sorry Taylor. I know that this won't make up for any of it at all, but, we're still here for you sweetie."

"Thank you Laura," Taylor croaked as she hugged her, fresh tears forming in her eyes. They stayed, embracing on the bed for another few minutes, before they ended the hug. Laura stood up, pulling Taylor to her feet.

"So, how are you feeling now?"

"Better... still a little scared though..."

"That's perfectly understandable."

"Are you going to tell everybody else?"

"This is not my secret to reveal, honey. That's for you to decide when you feel most comfortable doing so. Until then, I promise to keep my muzzle shut. Now then," Laura said, thinking to shift the topic to one a little less serious, "how about you pick what we have for dinner tonight?"

Taylor smiled. "I get to pick?"

"Of course."

"Uhm... can we have pizza?" Taylor found her headfur being ruffled once more that day.

"Pizza sounds wonderful. What do you like on yours?"

"Pepperoni and black olives," Taylor said, a slight giggle escaping her muzzle.

"I'll go call it in, and call you down to dinner when it's here and all ready, okay?"

"Thank you Laura... for everything." Taylor was brought in for one more hug.

"It's not a problem at all, sweetie." Laura gave Taylor a very motherly kiss on the cheek before departing down the stairs. Taylor sat back down on her bed, her head swimming with thoughts and emotions, but feeling much more positive than she had before. Then, a glint of gold caught her eye, and she smiled as she pulled that black leather book with the golden writing on it up to look at it. Leaning back onto the bed, she opened it, delving into the twisted world of Ironhart.

The tale I am about to speak of is one of many impossibilities, and the logical mind will dismiss it as the ravings of one who's own sanity need be called into serious question. I pray, though, that you will suspend your disbelief, long enough for my tale to conclude, before passing judgment on it and, subsequently, myself. It begins three months prior, in my study, as I opened a sealed letter addressed to me from a distant uncle whom I had been recently informed of being dead...

 

Almost half an hour later...

 

"Dinnertime!" Laura called out. As per usual, Lily came bounding down the steps, just as Shaun was shrugging his backpack off near the coatrack by the front door, a wide grin on his face. Taylor, after using a scrap of paper to mark her place in her book, soon joined Lily at the table. Laura was just about to open the door to the garage and inform Abe and Ben of dinner being served, when there was a loud BANG, right before the door flew open, and the two men hurried through, laughing and coughing in a light haze of blue smoke. Abe reached inside, and hit the garage door switch, to vent it out as they shut the door in the kitchen.

"Okay, I will admit that I was not expecting that to happen," Ben said, before he and Abe roared with laughter together.

"I see that you two have been enjoying your research," Laura said, rolling her eyes as she smiled. The tiger and bear took a few moments to compose themselves, getting their laughter under control.

"That tends to happen, big sister, when two adventurous minds work together to uncover the secrets of the ancient past," Ben replied, attempting to sound serious.

"And what, pray tell, did you two adventurous minds uncover this time?" Laura asked, rolling her eyes.

"Well... specifically speaking... we discovered what not to do with an ancient scroll, hidden inside of an equally ancient statue. At least along the lines of whether or not we should check before paw to see if maybe the statue is made of any substances that might have a volatile reaction to certain alchemical mixtures, before applying them to it," he said as Abe continued to snicker, along with the twins. Taylor smiled as Lara shook her head.

"Well, anyway, dinner is served." Laura gestured to the pizzas atop the table. They all sat around the table, cheerfully chatting away, with Taylor deciding against revealing her true past to the rest of the family just yet.

"So, Shaun, what's this good news of yours?" Abe asked.

"I've been selected to be part of the expedition into the Badlands," he said, his tail a blur of excitement, in complete contrast to the sudden quiet.

"WHAT?!" Laura and Lily simultaneously yelled, both shooting up into a standing position.

"At school, I was chosen to be part of a group of students, led by several members of the faculty and some mages from the guild, for the annual expedition into the Badlands, to the ancient ruins, for study!" Shaun's tail was still wagging as he misread Laura and Lily's reaction as excitement at the prospect.

"You can't go into the Badlands! It's... uh... well... it's the Badlands!" Lily turned to Laura, a pleading look in her eyes. "Mom! You have to tell him that he can't go!" She faced Shaun again. "You're not going! Mom, quick, tell him that he's not going," Lily said, frantic. Shaun was looking at her quizzically, and turned to Laura, who now had him transfixed with her maternally stern look.

"Shaun, you're not going! I can't believe that you even remotely agreed to do something so dangerous!" Laura chastened, as Shaun's ears started to lay back against his head and his tail tuck itself between his legs.

"Well, like I said, I was chosen--" he started to say before Laura cut him off.

"Chosen by who, Shaun?! Who, in their right mind, would think that continuing the trip, during a time when the creatures from the badlands are attacking people within the cities?!" Laura asked as Abe stood up and pulled his arms around her.

"Honey, please, try and calm yourself, and let Shaun explain himself."

"Thanks, dad," Shaun said, before sighing. "It was Magus Gaval. She's the one who makes the selections each year." Taylor noticed that everyone seemed to be holding their breath at this latest revelation, taking notice of Laura visibly paling.

"B-but... she can't just..."

"Laura, just try to relax, I'm going to be one of the Mages chaperoning the trip," Ben said in a calm voice.

"You new that my son, your nephew, along with several other inexperienced children, were going into the Badlands, and you didn't even think to tell me?!" Ben held his paws up defensively.

"Easy Laura, I had no idea about any of that! I just knew that I, Gaval, and some others Mages were making a trip to the ruins. I honestly had no idea about students coming along. But, like I said, I'm going to be chaperoning, as will Gaval herself, and Rodolfo, Nichols, Pewter, and Addams!" Ben attempted to placate, and Laura slowly regained her composure.

"But still... with all of the attacks in the city... why wouldn't they just cancel, or maybe postpone it?"

"You've met Gaval yourself, Laura, you know how she... well... how stubborn she is. For some reason, an expedition to the ruins has to take place at the exact same time of the year. I just figured that this year, they were going to go without any students is all."

"... There has to be a way for Shaun to get out of this..."

"NO!" Shaun yelled, surprising everyone, most of all himself it seemed. "I... I really want to go, mom!"

"But, Shaun," Lily started, tears in her eyes.

"That's enough," Abe said. He didn't raise his voice, nor did he need to, as his voice rumbled like thunder. "We may not like it, but those selected for the journey must go. Besides, Shaun is not a pup anymore, Laura, he is nearing the age to where he will get to decide more and more of his life on his own terms. I think that it's best to remember that the Guild has been having this expedition each year, for the past five centuries, all without any harm befalling the students." Abe nodded to Shaun as Laura sank back down into her seat wordlessly, with Shaun smiling back at him, before Lily, tears in her eyes, stormed out of the kitchen, running up stairs to her room, slamming the door loudly behind her.

 

One Quiet and Subdued Dinner Later...

 

Taylor made her way up the steps to her room, thinking about what had happened at dinner. As she started to pass Lily's door, she saw that it was cracked open, and couldn't help herself as she peeked inside. There was Lily, sitting at her desk, sullenly mixing potions in her cauldron over the hotplate, Humphrey now gently draped over her shoulders. The small sea creature made a grunting noise, and Lily looked back to see Taylor looking in on her.

"H-hey..." The vixen said.

"Hey," Lily said back, sniffing a little.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure. Maybe I can give you some more training on how to be a girly girl," Lily said in an attempt at a joke to lighten the mood. Taylor smiled and entered, quietly shutting the door behind her.

"So..." Taylor trailed off, not sure what to do.

"So..." Lily said, before quickly getting up and pulling Taylor into a hug, fresh tears streaming down her muzzle. "I'm scared, Tay-Tay." Lily sniffed. "I know I mess with him all the time, but he's my brother... I don't know what I would ever do if he..." She couldn't bring herself to finish her train of thought.

"Remember Ben at the mall?" Taylor asked as she gently returned the hug.

"Yeah?"

"He took care of that thing all by himself. And on this trip, he won't be the only one there to protect Shaun, or the others," Taylor explained, hoping to help calm Lily down. Seeing Lily act as anything other than a prankster came as a shock to Taylor, not that she couldn't sympathize with her being frightened for someone she loves.

"That's true, I guess..." Lily said, looking away, and taking some deep breaths before giving Taylor another squeeze, and ending their hug. "So I guess that, aside from some homework, you're also going to need another lesson tonight, baby sister," Lily said, a mischievous grin on her face as she tried to sweep the awkwardness aside.

"W-well, now that you mention it, I do remember that I had some reading I needed to do in my textbooks so--"

"So you can do that after you show me how well you can paint your nails, and after we then move on to the finer points of lip gloss. You looked very cute today, so tomorrow, we're going to have to step your game up!"

Why did I have to try and comfort her?! Taylor wondered to herself as Humphrey flicked his tail in the air twice, which Taylor learned from Lily, was an indication that he wanted to go back into his tank, which the wolf happily obliged, before turning her attentions back onto Taylor.

"Now, where were we?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hehehehe, some more character development yes! But I have to stick to some core aspects as well! I genuinely hope that you all enjoyed this newest installment as much as I did writing it! Feel free to leave me a review, as I do appreciate any and all advice and constructive criticism!