Jelin woke up a few days later with all the other girls and everyone except Lady had trouble holding in their excitement throughout breakfast.  Lady was no idiot and could easily guess it was not just about her but likely about her finally joining the link.  Even though nobody would answer much when she asked, she seemed able to piece it together pretty easily.

Everyone expected that.  It was the specifics that were important, though, so everyone kept as quiet as possible about anything even related to it.  Once breakfast was over, Jelin asked Lady to get her sisters.  While Lady was getting the other foxes, everyone quickly ate two cores and grabbed a third for after they were done.  Then there was a quick rush to prepare everything and bring the humans over, too.

Jelin was standing at the archway and everyone else was seated and waiting when the foxes showed up.  Sapphire left the little fox with the children and moved to sit at the closest spot.  Jelin smiled a little and had Lady start under the archway with him instead of behind the tree like a normal naming ceremony.

"<I feel that after this everyone will be too excited so I'll give the announcements now.  All the rest of today and tomorrow will be free days.  We have honeyed meat ready for everyone so it won't spoil before it's eaten.  Now then, since that's done:

You came to us as a stranger.  Over time you became more and were welcomed as part of our family.  However, in our family everyone at or past a certain point is deserving of a name.  You come to join us already past that point.  So, in order to be one of us you must also have a name.

To receive a name is to receive recognition.  It means that you will no longer just be another member of your species, but someone independent and individual.  To give a name is to give a part of oneself.  It means that an unbreakable bond will be formed and that someone of some power or recognition has found you worthy and accepted you.>"

<Wait!>

Sapphire paused the proceedings and stepped up next to Jelin at the archway.

<Although she goes now to join your family, she was of mine first.  I reserve the right to ask if she would have a name from me first.

However, I must first clear something up.  My sister, are you sure that you want this?  Are you willing to bind yourself in a new way to a new family?  Would you even go so far as to lay claim to the family leader as your future mate?  I would hear your answer before I allow any more of this to continue.  Speak your answer proudly for all to know.>

<...yes.  Yes, I would bind myself to them!  I would even lay claim to him as my future mate.>

<Well said.  To be a mate is to be an equal, though.  Your name must reflect that you are above the rest of his family if you are to become such.  Would you accept your first name from me?>

<Yes.>

<I grant you your first name with the bonds as your sister and leader of the family you will never lose: Em!>

Jelin saw Sapphire look at her sister proudly before taking a small step back to allow Jelin to continue.

"<Would you accept a name from me next?>"

<Yes.>

"<Then with our bond I also declare my intentions for you to be my future mate to add to your new name and grant you the name: Emer!

With that you are now equal to myself alone in your name.  But to stand with me is to stand with our family.  Accept the link to us that we offer and the name that my family has for you as become one of us.>"

Jelin opened the link fully and sent out a link to the waiting fox.  She gasped a bit as she accepted and felt all of them through the fully opened link, finally realizing just how connected they all were.  Jelin let all of the girls do the work for the next part, since they had requested to do so, and only made the announcement while acting as the bridge through the link.

"<As you are accepted as one of us, my...no, our family has decided in their recognition of your new bond with us to add to your name and grant you the name: Emerald!>"

Jelin let the link fall back to normal levels as he grabbed Emerald and hugged her while dancing away and humming.  The girls added to the humming with their own voices as a few headed to pick up instruments while the others stood to dance.  The part that the other foxes and humans couldn't hear or know was what was happening in the link.

Feelings of joy, congratulations, and welcome were thrown from everyone while they sang into the link to match the quieter humming outside of it.  Emerald had telepathy and had felt empathy as her sister was a strong psychic but what the link did was more than that.  She couldn't just feel their feelings or hear their thoughts, she was a part of them and they were a part of her, now.  

As she began to get used to the feeling of the link, she nearly melted in Jelin's arms as she finally understood the comfort of just being close to another in the link.  It didn't even have to be her future mate, she would have willingly been in any of their arms now and still felt the most comfort possible.  Everyone in the link knew she felt all of that and thought that way because that was what the link was.

Emerald was passed around to dance with everyone in the family until she ended back up with Jelin who gave her one last dance before deciding to rest while everyone else partied.  He found himself at the usual place, with a game and Sapphire in front of him, and a newly joined Emerald being stroked in his lap.

Sapphire looked amused at the situation in front of her as she and Jelin set up for a game.

<I see my sister has adapted quickly.>

<Hmm.  Maybe.  I think right now she's just reveling in the comfort she isn't used to yet.  Give her a few days and she'll likely be able to act and seem like she did before.>

<I see.  I admit that I'm somewhat envious.  To become part of something like that and also become the second most powerful and prominent at the same time.  I am very proud of her achievements, though.>

<As you should be.  You raised her and helped her reach such a position.  There's no small amount of merit to be attributed to you.>

<Mm.  Perhaps.  I also see what you meant by having some spare cores being useful for such things.  If others know about such a thing, I was never told.  It's useful information, though.>

<Isn't it?  Who's turn is it to go first this time, by the way?>

<Mine, I believe.  I'm looking forward to what will happen with my youngest sister.  It seems you have directed her in a different way than Emerald.>

<Unfortunately, your youngest sister->

<Say no more.  I was not faulting you.  I was merely curious.>

<I see.  Well, she has potential and could be proof of concept for some of what I want to achieve in this place.  She has already begun to bond with the humans and several humans have come to me before to ask if I could turn them into monsters.>

<Truly?  I see.  If you aim for a new unification then perhaps you are well on the right path.>

<Not exactly unification.  I'm not so optimistic to believe true unification could actually work.  That's like asking for the world to be filled with peace or safety.  Impossible.  True balance, though?  That is something I feel is worth striving for.>

<Balance, huh?>

<Indeed.  With too much peace comes stagnation.  With too much safety comes weakness.  With too much unification, both of those are brought about.  The end result is always to either lead back to fighting and growing stronger or dying off.  The problem is that it becomes something that swings back and forth further each time.  With proper balance, there is enough of it all to survive and be joyful.>

<An interesting belief and way to think.  As your friend, and we could say even family in a way now, I would gladly support such a goal.  I feel that it may be harder to strive for than the things other tend towards, though.>

<Maybe.  It's dangerous, I'll admit.  Right now it requires a resource that most find themselves having too little of: time.  Without it I can't properly prepare my territory, strengthen myself and my family, or gain the necessary knowledge and other resources.  I hope for a minimum of five years but we already were almost discovered.  It's...distressing.>

<Ah.  I think even five years would be too little to prepare for your goals, though.>

<Probably.  At least in full.  In part, though?  It should be enough to become hard to simply remove.>

<Maybe I will take to travel again before long.  You would need more than a safe place to hide away and protect yourself.>

<Only if you wish.  I would not ask you to leave.>

They continued playing without anymore talking.