The shop suddenly began to shake -- a light tremble at first, but then a violent quaking. Suddenly, a large creature appeared with an ornate mask. Neither Sly nor Tanael knew what was going on. All they could do was remain frozen in place as the large creature loomed over them in the tiny shop.
"Stop this nonsense at once!" The man -- if he could even be called that -- grabbed the fox boy's hand and pulled him over, "This kitsune belongs to no one!"
Tanael's eyes go wide as he watches the whimpering fox boy get pulled away. He had only just met the little guy, but he already felt bad. Especially as Sly kept his eyes locked with Tanael, never once wavering, seeming to plead for help. The little guy sure was intent on this wolf being his Master.
"Who are you?!" Tanael's throat starts to growl, looking up at the intruder, "What right do you have to do this?!"
The man laughs, "I am Inari! God of Harvest!"
Tanael continues to growl, lifting up a hand. As he does so, his fingernails grow sharp, and shift to a deep onyx, "In that case, Mr. Inari, I respectfully ask you to let my pet go." He holds up his license.
The large God seems to shift to a deep red in anger, his mask frowning deeply, "Do not test the patience of Inari! You have a license for nothing!" Suddenly, he thrusts his large hand forward, an orange flame quickly engulfing the license.
The masked God laughed as he watched. But as the fire dissipated, the eyes on the mask grew large. Instead of a pile of ashes, the license remained held in the increasingly-scruffy wolf paw, "Impossible!" He boomed.
Tanael grins, his teeth having grown into an impressive set of canines, "Not impossible. Sly is my pet."
"No!! Kitsunes are not pets, they are free, immortal creatures! No one has the right to make a slave out of anything, let alone the majestic, magical foxes!"
Sly had remained quiet up until this point, but he couldn't help but look up at the one who thought was protecting him, "Yip, um, excuse me sir?"
Inari looks down at the fox boy, "Yes, my little kitsune?"
"Um, yip, excuse me for saying so, sir, but I'm not a kitsune. I think you may have the wrong creature."
"Never! I am a God, I do not make mistakes!"
"But sir, I only have one tail. It is true that my family suspects I may have kitsune heritage, but I am not part of the magical breed."
Inari simply stared at Sly, "Perhaps. But regardless, do you not wish to be free?"
"Yip! I am free!" Sly breaks loose of Inari's grip and makes his way back over to Tanael, nuzzling up against the wolf's silver fur, "Master is a very loving, caring owner."
"But you are nothing more than his slave! You cannot truly be free!" The God's voice made the little shop shake again, violently.
Sly whimpers as he huddles behind his Master. Tanael grins, his mouth already starting to push out into a muzzle, "Arf! Sly is able to do what he wants. Being a pet simply means that he is my loyal companion. He assists me and in return I assist him. That is hardly being a slave, as you claim."
Inari becomes all the more frustrated, growing larger in size -- especially his mask, "Nonsense! This is all a lie, fashioned by that evil paper! You two weren't even aware of the existence of the other until ten minutes ago!"
A moment of realization hits John the foxish human, and Jonah the cursed werewolf. They look to each other, briefly able to grasp the concept of what just happened. Was it Inari's power that caused this? Looks of surprise gradually give way to a mutual respect that linked the two canines -- once again the God's efforts had been foiled.
"It doesn't matter, sir," Sly yips, looking to Inari, "I am perfectly happy to be by Tanael's side."
Inari screams in pain and frustration, too blind from his pre-conceived notions of pets being the same as slaves to realize just how much the wolf and fox boy enjoyed each other's company.
Tanael grins and picks up Sly, holding him close to his fur, "Arf, you heard the fox. Now be gone! RUFF!"
Sly whimpers softly, nuzzling to his Master's chest as the God screams in defeat. His red complexion seems to practically boil and deplete until all that remains is the large, strange-looking mask.
Everything in the store was quiet, having returned to the way it was before. Tanael smiles, his new muzzle sniffing at his pet gently, "Arf, do you really like being my pet, little one?"
"Yip!" Sly nods, "Of course, Master! I can't wait until we arrive home so we can start on dinner!"
Tanael grins and nods, setting the little fox boy down, "Same here, boy," he rubs Sly's fox ear affectionately, "I love every moment we spend together. Now come, I don't want you wandering into any other Gods on the way home," he arfs a chuckle, looking to the large mask.
"Yip, do you think we should tidy up the mask, sir?"
"No, it's all right, I'm sure it will be fine," Tanael barks softly as he heads towards the shop's front door, "Arf, that type of mask has a name, doesn't it?"
"Yip! Yes sir! My grandparents mentioned them in their many legends. It's a... a... Tango mask or something."
"Tango?!" Tanael laughs as the two step out into the beautiful evening air, "No wonder he was such a weak God. Everyone knows it takes two to Tango."