"Well now that we have that option out of the way," Tabra began, "Who wants
to take options-"
"Wait!" Erica interrupted.
Everyone looked at her.
"I-I, I volunteer! For option three! You want me! You got me!"
Keiko looked at Erica in shock.
"I did give you that option." Tabra said simply. She wouldn't ask if there was
anyone else, she'd wait until after Erica had joined her and Luna. "Are you
sure Erica?"
"More than sure."
"Are you scared?"
"Out of my wits."
"Smart young lady."
Erica actually let out a laugh. "Heh, I remember, before Karther changed me, I
was middle aged. So I'm not exactly young."
"Honest too. You ready?"
"Can't be if I don't know what it is."
"Then find out." 'I'll handle this one Janice, you've done enough for this part.'
Then Tabra got surprised again.
'No. I can handle it. Let me help. It's easier with two of us right?'
'Yes, it is.'
To her credit, Erica stayed as rigid as stone as the senior angelic fox put her
hands on her knowing from Luna to expect pain the likes of which she
couldn't imagine. She was right.
What amazed over half of the remaining vixens, was that after seeing Luna's
change, that -anyone- would be willing to go through that themselves,
regardless of their reasons or the possible rewards, and knowing that they'd
be going now to fight against things that wanted them again as will less
slaves or simply dead.
For Erica the change was unlike anything she had ever felt, or wanted to feel,
she felt the pain of course, and she screamed. Some vixen's ears still sore
from Luna's change felt anew as Erica underwent the same transformation.
For Janice, she realized it felt easier this time, yes it left her weaker, like after
a giving blood, but, she felt better for it, and she felt her strength rising up all
the faster to compensate. Like somehow giving up part of this power, actually
made her even stronger! It was illogical, totally, but then again, then again,
Tabra did say this was based on emotion, and emotions were hardly logical.
She could undo her own lock more quickly, and undid Erica's with more skill,
and with less help from Tabra. Rather odd when she thought how hopeless
he had been in retrofitting their body armor to their new shape.
And after the angelic essence had finished being absorbed by Erica's spirit,
Janice closed the doors and locked them perfectly. She actually, well, felt
good about herself. Though she did feel like she had just run a mile.
'How many more times can we do this?'
'Not sure, not a ton, that's for sure.'
'What if all my sisters chose to stay?' Janice thought hopefully.
'Then we -will- be back at zero power like we were when we teleported away
from Karther if not more. Though it'll take it less time than before to recharge
since we've really just given the power to another rather than used it up.'
Erica meanwhile, looked at the world around her with new eyes. She rubbed
her forehead and felt an amethyst upward oval shaped gem. She knew what
color it was by sheer instinct, as she knew her eyes were no violet. Looking at
her fur, she quickly saw she was silver, a silver fox. Out of tradition rather than
any sense of modest she folded her wings around herself, only then realizing
she had them. She loved with very much the same grace and beauty as Luna,
but at the same time... different. If Luna was the moon, then Erica was the
moonshine.
She breathed in deep and told Janice.
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me for anything." The angel fox said. "You're going into a battle,
and even afterwards, you'll never -ever- be able to go back to your old life or a
normal one for that matter."
Erica just nodded. "I understood that already." She said formally.
Lisa chose to speak up, tripping over her own voice for a second, "I, I'd like to
hold on deciding until the very end."
"Same." Viki spoke. This surprised Janice and the other vixens, Viki was
normally the decisive one, it was unlike her to be hesitant in her choices,
maybe she was just thinking this decision required a lot of thought.
Tabra wished more people were like that.
"Excuse." Keiko spoke out, "What you said before, about, well, leaving it all
behind, becoming well, what did you call them? Village deities? I think, I'd like
to take on that role."
Janice blinked, she didn't think for a second that anyone would want to take
on -that- role, it just seemed so much like, giving up to her, even more so than
going back to their loved ones, at least then they were still facing life. She
always knew Keiko was a bite on the quiet side, maybe due to the japanese
cultural idea that women were somehow supposed to be submissive. But
didn't figure her for a quitter.
'She was pulled into this, she didn't ask for this, she has every right to walk
away and go the direction she choses.' Tabra told Janice.
Anna put an arm surprisingly around Keiko's shoulder which surprised the
japanese vixen. "I'd like to join her on that!"
Everyone looked at her. Anna waved her other arm. "Now, don't go thinking
I'm doing this out of sympathy for you Keiko, or I think you need watching after.
But while I wasn't too happy about having my self being taken away, it was
still, well, -fun- being with Karther, and now that I'm well, me again, I don't
think I want to return working at a video store and being a weekend warrior."
Tabra didn't want her thinking this was a game, "You'll have responsibilities
no matter where you go in life, that's the way of things."
"Yeah I know, but hey, I figure that -these- responsibilities might make my life
more interesting."
Keiko said, "There is a curse about living in interesting times."
"That's a curse I don't think I'll mind Keiko."
Tabra said, "I won't ask what your reason is Keiko, since it's only my business
that you aren't doing this whim."
"Sorry," Anna said, "But for me, I'm just going with the one that sounds the
most interesting, and.. sorry guys, but I think I'm just a coward. I don't want to
face those monsters again."
"You're smarter than you look then." Tabra commented. "But you won't be able
to return this to the store like you would a video game you've maxed out. Is
this really what you want?"
"Closest thing to it." Anna said simply. She then touched her breast feeling it
up. "Besides, I've already lost what made me a guy and a human being, might
as well go all the way."
"Keiko? Are you -sure-?" Janice asked, not wanting any of her sisters to leave.
Keiko just silently nodded.
'I'll do Keiko while you do Anna if you wish.' Tabra offered.
'Alright.' Janice agreed.
"I'd say this is going to hurt, a lot, but I'd be lying through my teeth, you'll barely
feel anything unpleasant at all." She looked intently at them. "Anna, let go of
Keiko, both of you, please sit on the ground."
Both vixens complied.
'What now?' Janice asked.
'Listen to my thoughts and memories. We bring the kitesune Karther put in
them to the surface.'
'And inside us?'
'Not really, my angelic essence fused with the magic in the clone of Tammia's
body she had made mine into, your soul got pulled out of hers into mine like
skin from a badly removed bandage while your lifeforce remained in her
body, basically eaten by it.'
'So we really are one body with two souls rather than two persons in one
body.'
'Actually person and soul are the same thing, but that's besides the point here.
And right now... we need to do as Keiko and Anna wish us to do.'
'Do I have to?'
'I can do it all by myself while you just watch, but it might make it harder for us
later on.'
'You're playing me...'
'Actually I'm being honest. Playing people is what Opposite Number does.'
Keiko looked scared but firm, while Anna looked expectantly, both of them at
her.
'Okay.'
Tabra put her right hand on Keiko's forehead, while Janice put her left hand
on Anna's.
'Push your hand further, not physically, don't picture it, merely will your spirit to
move in deeper into theirs, there you'll find it, feel it, virtues, sins, memories,
feelings, instincts, conscience, all those things that make up a soul and bind it
to a body. There, there that it's it! That's the one. The glowing sphere with a fox
head and glowing tails, yes, it is familiar, it's what your body looked like just
before Tammia devoured you. No, don't break your concentration. Relax.
Relax. Calm. Gentle. Careful. Careful. Don't rip it out. Guide it out so it'll come
out on it's own. Yes those pieces of sand around it are cracking, breaking up,
dissolving into nothing, there, that's done. Now guide that part of them
upwards, closer to the surface, don't break anything, don't damage anything,
Don't try to force it past anything that it doesn't want to go through, steer it
around it, gentle now! Like a living glass ball with tongues, yes Janice, yes
that's perfect!'
'Now don't hurry, almost there. Yes it's closer to the surface now, you're
almost done, don't worry, just relax, keep your spirit on what you're guiding,
don't let it get lost. You're it's light in the darkness, you're what's lighting the
path for it, don't stray too far ahead now. Yes, good Janice, very good, you've
just about done it. It's right below the surface, now let it get there the rest of the
way. Now let it get settled in, let everything else find it's new niche. It's settling
in, back out slowly, don't strike anything on your way out, now good, good!
Just about, -done-.'
'Well done Janice.'
Janice started a bit. 'What just happened?'
'You were able to tap into my memories without forcing it, -very- good. It's like
a dad teaching his son how to ride a bicycle, I just needed to get you focused
enough, the rest was all you.'
Janice looked down at the True Kitesune that now lay in front of her, that had
been, still -were- her sisters.
Keiko and Anna had both felt someone kindly and politely enter their souls,
properly greeting themselves first and walking in rather than barging. Then
they had felt he presence have a nice look around, avoiding looking at
anything that was mark private, and kindly asking for directions around the
place. Then the presence had gone into the basement, and had come out
holding a glowing white ball with a fox head and a bunch of little cute tails and
had handed it to them.
Keiko felt herself giggle it felt fuzzy, funny, warm, kinda happy too, rather like a
child. She felt like a great weight had just been lifted off her. Her spirits felt so
much lighter.
Keiko didn't think she needed any lessons in her native language, but the
slight variants, and nuances, of different regions poured into her mind and
found their place alongside her other memories.
Anna received a full fledge language course of all three main variants of the
japanese language, child, adult, and formal, along with the different kanji and
figures of speech, it became as natural to her as english, even more so as
English suddenly felt more like her second language.
Both girls felt rituals, their meanings, purpose, and styles fill them. Of what
people feared about kitesune, what they hoped of them, and what, (they both
giggled at this) what they didn't have a clue about! Both girls also realized
they wouldn't mind some saki while they were at it. Of course Keiko was
thinking of enjoy it, while Anna was thinking of downing it and enjoying the
after effects.
Keiko thought of the nice things she could do for people when their heads
were turned, while Anna thought of the games she could get kids to play with
her and on each other.
But while both knew the mystique a minor deity needed, both knew they
wouldn't be content to sit in some shrine as humans came to bargain with
them for favor, they, would walk among them whenever possible, in disguise
or otherwise.
Keiko felt a feather tickle the inside of her chest, she giggled again, doubts
and fears melted from her mind, and for a moment, she forgot fear. Anna
pictured woods, mist, no DVD players, no video games, no TV, no cell phones
signals, no internet, and... and... she... she realized she didn't mind.
The four remaining vixens were expecting a light show like with Erica and
Luna, instead, Keiko and Anna glowed ever so slowly, almost goldenly.
Before their eyes, more tails grew from their hips, their breasts pulled inwards
as extra nipples formed on their chests. Their heads became more sleek, their
sand armor just, vanished, along with their weapons. Their hands became
like their paws, and their tails grew larger even as their bodies lost mass.
When it was over, what they saw weren't just foxes with extra tails. these were
majestic creatures, with a shine to their fur no mundane animal could have,
their fur and tails moved with an invisible breeze. Their golden and amber
eyes opened and they showed an intelligence and intent complex and
inscrutable. One wore a slight smirk and the other a slightly mischievous grin.
When they moved, it reminded the vixens of a leaf on a breeze. They both
bore no less than five tails.
"Heh... heheheh." The kitesune who was Anna giggled. "I finally get it."
No one asked what it was she finally got.
The kitesune who was Keiko stood on all fours and looked up at the senior
vixen. "I'm not scared anymore. I'm... excited."
"'Bout time!" Anna shot back at her.
"I was half expecting them to come out barking." Charlene thought out loud.
Anna turned and swayed closer to Charlene. "I wouldn't be much of a magic
mythical fox if I couldn't spout out cryptic obscure words of mystery now would
I?" She raised an eye brow.
"I didn't think they'd become four legged foxes." Barbera said her eyes a little
wide.
"What?" The senior fox angel said in a slightly stern tone. "Did you think that
kitesune really looked like the fox women on all the yiff sites?"
"Yes." Said Anna with a perfectly straight face with no hint of malice or anger
or agitation.
"Not really." Replied Keiko formally, the two kitesune looked at each other.