The smell of fire, ash tingled in his nose. The Dirt floating around made sight difficult and the air hard to breathe. Asil watched her, the small one. She stumbled over her own feet, but she didn't fall. Instead, she valiantly continued piggybacking her brother.

It was then River marched down their way. Almost a silhouette in the vertices of the battlefield. "Asil..." River wanted to say something but closed his mouth to see who accompanied Asil. He stilled, silently staring up and down at the scrawny little foxling girl and the other dead one she carried.

"This is....?" He looked at the girl, who stubbornly raised her chin in defiance.

"Tallu." She answered. "My Name is Tallu, and this is Kian. He is injured, so he cannot talk." There was such confidence in her voice that River, like Asil, didn't dare tell her the boy was dead.

"I see. Nice to meet you, Tallu." River held his hand to the foxling girl, and she shook her head, stepping back slightly. Distrustful of River and Asil couldn't blame her; he considered it a miracle she came with him. Carefully he unraveled one of his Tails and put it around her, gently and subtly announcing that she was his, or rather under his protection now. River nodded curtly at him, his ears doing a flick backward, revealing quite properly that he saw something he didn't like. Baring his teeth. 

Asil felt Tallu stiffen next to him, and she let out a whimper. Asil didn't care about propriety anymore and wrapped her fully into his white Tail, turning around.

Behind him was a fully transformed fox; it was a giant. Easily as tall as a house, with a lot of muscle, very much unlike the scrawny ones he had seen here until now. It growled at Asil when suddenly, he saw a flash of silver pass him and River transforming himself and rising to full glory. His snow-white fur was marred by dirt, almost grey; he was petite, at the size of a large breed dog, but the force of his Magic drove the other back with little effort as intimidation as he let out a growl, wipping ten of his tails displayed back and forth.

Asil knew he had the entirety of twelve to his name, which placed River among the highest of Foxes. Displaying so many as a threat told Asil that River was taking this battle very seriously. He gave a look to the little girl when something unexpected happened. The dead boy on her back opened his eyes. 

"Tally, leave me." The boy's voice said robotically. "I am no longer; only my magic is doing this."

The girl let out a slow, sad jip. Her look was full of despair, tears running down her cheeks as if it wasn't the first time she had heard it.

"I leave you with my tail."

"NO! NO! NO!" She vehemently protested. Asil saw her Magic picking up to her emotion, acting virulently. He kneeled down and grabbed her arms to stop her.

"Contain your magic." He pleaded to them, and she looked at him with crazed amber eyes, dirty tear steaks on her face. There was no helping her now. He hugged her tightly and lifted her and the dead boy up. Wrapping his magic around them to minimize damage to herself and the surroundings. She was grabbing at him like he was a lifeline, her nails digging into his skin, bloody marks. He absorbed the Magic she clearly lost every control of and felt a tingle run down his back. 

His eyes widened; no way. "Stop." He said and stared at the girl as she let out a wail. The battle might be over but this....this. He felt the power pushing inside him was enormous, the tingle on his back spread, and he covered the small girl inside his Tail, trying to contain what the leftover magic of the dead boy and her craze were causing as the skirmish next to them continued. She didn't need to see this. No more bloodshed for her. He felt a piece of wood driving into his shoulder, the pain for a mere split second interrupting his concentration.

"Calm little girl." He whispered. "Calm." He closed his eyes and let the magic wash over him, no longer bothering to stop it.

She didn't react, but the Magic subsided slowly. His Tail twitched, and he was caught in shock. One of them was new.

Take care of Tally. 

A voice inside his head whispered with vicious intent, a new tail coming with it, this one grey, not like his usual winter fox white but grey. Steely grey like the little girl's coloring was.

A gifted Tail. A Tail for duty, a request. 

Until now, he had thought that story about gifting away magic power and tails for a single Task, a will, a fairy tale, a legend told by the old whose minds had long gone elsewhere.

He stilled and hugged her little girl, wrapping her up into his tail. The Magic subsided, and he opened his shield of protection. Two Amber orbs looking up at him. "He is gone." She muttered. "He is gone."

That was true.

"He is, "Asil said, and she buried her head into him and now crying bitterly. Tears rolled down her cheek as she wailed off her sorrow.