LittleVixen

Heeey, this story returns with a shorter chapter. Only 2k~ words. This chapter is a small preparation for the next one, which will be big again.

Small CW

Spoiler

A little bit dysphoria at the beginning

[collapse]

Also, I rly tried to make it fluffy; I hope it worked.

[I'm sorry, but something came up, so we can't come to your birthday. But I still hope you will have fun with the others!]

Not even a call, just a message. With this, everyone canceled. One day before my birthday. I looked out of the window into the night sky. My wish wasn't heard after all. I took a deep breath.

"It's fine, it's fine," I whispered, suppressing a sob. 

I went into the bathroom. After I was finished, I looked into the mirror. I had stubbles again. I grimaced. Of course, no one would come. Just look at me! Sunken, tired eyes, hair that looked like it would fall out any minute now, even if doctors said it was fine, skin that was—

I screamed at my mirror-self in rage, "Who would love someone like you anyway?! You are a clown! You could never be a real—"

I fell to my knees, crying, hot tears streaming down my face. It wasn't fair; it just wasn't...

"Meow?" 

I looked blurry at the doorstep and saw my cat worriedly looking at me. I held out my hand, and she came purring at me with little paw steps. Her purring calmed me down like nothing else in this world. 

"Yes, I have you. At least I have you in this world." 

-------

As the dark memory faded away, I lay in my bed, shocked. All I wanted was to look into the mirror before those THINGS came back into my mind. I wasn't ready to see it yet, too afraid that I would face something other than myself. 

"I miss you, Snowpaw," I whispered.

"Who is Snowpaw?" asked Elora, who brought the requested soup this time with her. 

Surprised that someone heard that, my face turned bright red. 

"What a cute reaction," giggled the elven girl in response. 

"'m not cute!" I protested. 

"Sure, sure," snickered Elora. "Here, I brought you the soup, but be careful; it's hot, and you are already in overdrive here. No reason to overheat you."

My mouth opened and closed several times before I turned my head away, not knowing how to react. Those kinds of things were new to me. 

"Hey, hey, it's fine," said Elora softly. "Sorry for teasing you. Your mom told me you are still relatively new to your situation."

She put the tray down before me. Hesitantly, I faced her again. 

"Here you go," she smiled and handed me a spoon. "I hope you like it. Soups are not my forte, but they are still damn good!" she boasted.

I giggled—I really liked my new voice. I took the utensil and took a spoonful of the soup. She wasn't joking when she said the soup was hot. I puffed until it was less steamy and ate it. 

"Oh, wow! It really IS good!" I confirmed. 

Elora grinned, "Told you so!" 

I took another spoon and another and another. The soup made me feel warm and welcomed. It was a pleasant feeling. Elora just stood there and waited patiently until I finished the soup. I felt kinda bad about that, but she didn't seem to care. 

"Is it alright if I sit down?" she asked me and gestured at the corner of the bed. I nodded. 

"Sooo," she began slowly, "I don't know if your mom told you already, but we plan to go into the town later, and I would be happy to show you around. Your mom...Tayra told me you had a rough couple of years, so I thought I could show you around. If you want, I mean."

Elora looked a bit worried. I think she expected I would refuse, but something told me that I shouldn't. 

"I would be happy," I finally responded. 

Elora jumped up in glee. "That's wonderful! Oh, you need clothes! Let me bring you some clothes!" 

Before I could even react to her whirlwind behavior, she had already stormed out of the room. I stifled a laugh. She was a good person.

-------

It took only a short time until she returned with a ton of dresses, blouses, skirts, and other outfits. With a big plomb, she dropped everything on my bed. I was barely able to pull the tray into safety. 

Grinning from ear to ear, she announced, "Chop Chop, time to stand up and prepare you for our little adventure!" 

"You are full of energy, huh?" I asked. 

She gave me a puzzled look as if I was talking in a different language. "Of course I am! It's not that often I can go out with a friend and even dress her up! I'm super excited! Especially if they are as beautiful as you!"

I looked at her wide-eyed but then shook my head, "Don't worry, you don't have to humor me." I felt my mood dampened, "I'm just happy to finally be me, beautiful or not. I'm just happy that I could—"

A finger on my mouth stopped me from rambling further. "I dunno what happened to you to react like this, but let me tell you one thing: You. Are. Beautiful. Heck, you're probably the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. I mean, I never left this city, but still. Don't treat yourself like this, please."

Her words radiated a warmth I only felt from Mother so far, but hers felt different, more sincere. It was a nice feeling. 

"Thank you," I whispered and smiled at her. 

She retracted her finger. "No biggie, cutie. Now, let you get out of these pajamas and find an outfit that will fit you!" 

Oh, right. I didn't even notice I was wearing those.

 "Then I should probably wash myself up and—"

Elora interuppted me, "Stop right there! No need for that. I practiced some new magic for when I felt lazy in the morning. It will clean and dry you basically at the same time without the hassle of going into the bathroom in the first place!"

I hesitated, "That sounds like a dream come true for everyone who doesn't have time for this mundane thing. I-Is it safe?"

Elora thought for a second, "I guess?"

"You guess? Didn't you even test it before?" 

"Maybeeee?" she said, acting cutesy. 

"Don't come at me with maybe!" I huffed. 

"I assure you it is safe. My plushies were all fine after that spell!" she bemoaned. 

"I'M NO PLUSHIE!" I yelled scandaliest. 

"That's too bad. You just look soo adorable and fluffy that one just wants to cuddle you up!" she protested. 

We looked into each other eyes before we both started to laugh uncontrollably. It was a heartful laugh that lasted several minutes. 

Once I'd wiped the tears from my eyes, I asked her: "If you really think it's safe, then I'd try it. 

"Yes, of course!" 

"Ready?" she asked, whereas I nodded, "Okay, this might tingle a bit, but no worries."

She closed her eyes and began to recite a spell. Some words sounded familiar and yet so eerily unknown. I assumed they were part of the memories I'd lost, but I didn't bother to think about it any further.

Instead, I focused on Elora. The way she gathered ambient magic was amazing. Normally, a mage would have a problem properly controlling the mana flow, or it became slow and unsteady without a focus, but she did it so easily that it was abnormal. It was like watching a sculptor skillfully create a chef-d'oeuvre or a tailor craft a truly divine robe.

I couldn't take my eyes off Elora; her skill in handling magic was simply too astonishing. Then, step by step, the spell was formed. I could tell she was extra careful to not make a mistake so she wouldn't endanger me. 

Then it happened; the spell formed and shaped around my body. At first, it felt like an extra layer of cloth that weighed nothing and yet protected your body. It made my tails especially tingly and somewhat uncomfortable. My eyes told me I could move them, but when I actually tried, they were stuck in the gel. It was really uncomfortable. But it didn't stop there; my ears felt plucked, and the sound dampened further and further. My heartbeat hastened. Breathing was no problem, yet it didn't help to overcome my quicking malaise.

Then the spell became so rapidly icy cold that I gasped from the sudden temperature drop. But as soon as the coldness was there, it went away and got swapped by warmth. The same warmth you would feel from a nice prolonged hug. Then the spell was gone. 

I looked at my tails and, "Wow! My tails look so fluffy, and... they also feel fluffier than before. Did the spell also comb them? That's amazing!"

Elora beamed, "Thank you! It took me some time to make the spell a bit more efficient and not just one huge mana absorber."

"You're joking! The spell wasn't just a little improved. Your use of mana, your movements. You're an artist, and your talent is breathtaking!" I replied honestly.

The elf's cheeks began to turn red, and she fumbled with her finger, "I-It's not that great of a spell. J-just a small side project I thought it c-could become in handy for the academy."

My ears perked up at that mention. "Oh, my mother also mentioned an academy; maybe it is the same? It would be fun to go there with someone I already know."

"Totally," replied Elora. "Maybe we could be roommates too?" she said sheepishly. 

"Yeah, that would be cool," I smiled.

------

After a few more awkward moments, everything happened rather quickly. From all the outfits she brought, I opted for a knee-length black skirt that looked like a mix of Victorian and Gothic styles and was also perfectly spun without revealing too much because of my tails. I decided on a red Victorian-styled camisole that went well with a blackish violet corset for my top. I smiled and hoped I would look good. It was my first time to have an outing, and I was hella excited. 

"Close your eyes for a second, Kaya," commanded Elora. 

I did as I was told. After a few breaths, I felt some mana swirling around. "Okay, you can open your eyes again."

I did as I was told and—

I froze. Before me towered a magic mirror; inside it stood a cute teenage girl. Her tails looked beautiful and made an excellent addition to the outfit, like her ears. But then I glanced at the face. I stepped closer, one hand reaching for the mirror. I touched it without noticing. The beautiful image began to have wet eyes. Why was she sad? Someone so beautiful shouldn't be sad. The warm tears slowly streamed down her face. Then I noticed that she was smiling. It was enticing and cute. This person w-was... me?

My smile grew even wider whilst the tears became hotter. I started to sob, but it wasn't a sad one. No, it was like a long, deep burden was lifted from me that I didn't even know existed.

I felt how arms engulfed me and pulled me slowly into a hug. She patted my head with even strokes, "Shh, it's all good. You're a beautiful girl; no one can take that away from you."  

I leaned even further into her hug and simply enjoyed the honest warmth of someone else. 

It took me a few minutes to calm down, and I slowly released the hug and peeked up to her. 

"Hey," she smiled.

"H-Hi," I whispered. 

"Ready for your first outing?" she asked warmly. 

I nodded.

Elora took my hand, "Then let's go!"

LittleVixen

Was the fluff good? Gosh, I really hope it was, I'm so bad at writing fluffy things