This story is the same as Fred 3's story up to the point where both Fred and Astra (still apparent demifoxs) meet the were-bear Synizn. They give him the Crystallic for his to study so he can return them to normal....but soon find him murdered and the Crystallic gone! All attempts to track down the murderer fail and the Crystallic remains gone.....
Fred's and Astra's tails droop in dismay at the turn of events. Dismay
that a man
has been murdered. Dismay that this murder happened when they were in the
next room (why didn't they HEAR the struggle). Dismay at the FACT that
the
only man that they knew could cure them in the time alloted is PROFOUNDLY
dead on the floor with a silver axe in his skulll! Extremely DISMAYED at
the fact
that the only magical item that could cure them.....is gone!
The demi-foxes try, futilely to track down the killer....and the Crystallic.
One the
last night, the demi-foxes, crying, stare up at the rising moon. Somewhere
in
town, midnight is struck, and then a feirce JOY sweeps through the saddened
couple.
The demi-foxes howl in pleasure up at their Mistress and then, after petting
and
muzzling (and "other") each other, the foxes arise and look at each other.
Their
demeanor is a bit different than before. They dress and then....
"Let us go down to see our employee," murmurs Astra. "I have a bone I'd
like to
pick with him!"
"True," Fred says with a slight sneer in his voice. "While she's reputed
to alway
get her assignment done....I don't approve of her methods in this matter!"
The demi-foxes scamper down to a table where the meet is to take place,
and
soon a darkly cloaked figure walks in and sits across from the small people.
"I believe you have something for me?" the lady says in a husky voice.
She pushes forward a familiar....gawdy figurine.....
"Shakespear," sighs Astra as she pushes across jewel.....slightly less
than agreed
upon, and then plunks down the silver axe (cleaned.....of course) next
to the
jewel. "You were a little too loud with the last job."
"We never asked you to KILL the mage," Fred murmurs as the thief gathers
her
payment and her ax. "Not only was that well and beyond what was called
for.....it
raised awkward questions with the Guard!"
"Well," mutters the thief. "What possessed you to call the Guard in the
first place,
if you didn't want to talk with them?"
"It was the Frederigo D'Honaire and the Warrior Princess Astra," sneers
Fred.
"That guy was so anal about Honor and knightly virtue.....all because of
him not
wanting to be like his father! And he NEVER wanted to use a bit of stragetic
sneakiness when a frontal attack presented itself!"
"And Princess Astra," Astra says, rolling her eyes. "Little common sense
and she
was about as bad as that windbag. I'm glad that their gone!"<p.
"Well," smiles Shakespear. "That's why you hired me while the other 'people'
were asleep. You were only trying to protect yourself and your little kits
from
harm. I only did what I saw as necessary....for a fee, of course. Good
day."
The thief leaves, Fred and Astra smile. The thief wouldn't be in this line
of
business much longer because.....they smelled the taint of the Folk on
her and
they had smelled the stench of her blood back at the scene of the crime.
Shakespear would soon be joining the ranks of the werefolk out in the woods....
"So..... Mr. Freddy Vulpine," smiles the vixen. "What do you and your mate
want
to do now? Can not very well take up the old sword and shield occupation
now,
can we?"
"Freddy" smiles and......
Suggest taking up the roles of thieves. It was something that their new,
nimble bodies and hands were suited for.....
About three years ago in the Duchy of Suffex
A stern-looking man eyed his son and said, "Go with the gods, boy. The
Guard
D'Honaire shall stay with you until you reach the Centerstone, from there
keep on
the King's Way until you reach Caemlyn. Study well the ways of the Dragon
and
practice the sword as if it were your life, for one day it may well be."
Over one year ago in the Seat of Allaria
A king stood on a parapet and announced to a festive throng, "And so we
send
our most heroic warrior, Lord Fred, to vanquish the most terrible Dragon
of the
Southern Caves..."
Some ten months ago in Walants, a city within MalBoncton
A strange red-furred she-fox whispered to a red-skinned fox-man, "So...Mr.
Freddy Vulpine, what do you and your mate want to do now?"
Today, somewhere in MalBoncton
The woods erupted in laughter as three creatures with flames flying off
their tails
ran into the nearby stream. "Mother!" screamed the first one to leave the
cooling
waters. "Moe lit our tails on fire...again!"
From out of a patchwork cabin came a creature that seemed part fox, part
human, and all woman. Her snout sported reddish whiskers that twitched
in the
sunlight, her eyes were a deep auburn, her long, full tail was a light
brown with a
tinge of violet. Her children called her 'mother' while others had come
to hear of
her as 'the Vixen.' She looked about, smelling for her sons Moe, Sam, and
Godfrey. They were the love of her life...and the terror of their sisters.
Wherever
Moe was, the other two were sure to be as well. Kirsten, dripping from
her
submersion, went to her mother followed by her sisters Tess and Angie.
They
were a queer sight, the three small girl-children whose heads were part
fox, part
human, and whose colors ranged from black to orange. "Boys!" yelled out
the
Vixen. "If you don't come out now, I'll let your father nibble your toes!"
With such
a threat, three smallish boy-children scampered out from behind a large
boulder.
"Aw, mom," said the tallest one. "It was only for fun."
"Well, your sisters didn't think it was all too fun, now did they? No more
fire-play. You should be practicing the meditations. We are not of this
earth, we
are of the spirit. Never forget that."
Indeed. This was a family of Kitsune, shape-shifting spirits that inhabited
earthen
bodies. It has been said that the spirit-creatures exist in the 'inbetween'
and that
they survive within a complex hierarchy of stations and figures and ranks.
This
particular family of Kitsune took their existence from the forms of two
humans
who were now long dead.
The Vixen sniffed the air as her children returned to their more serious
play. She
smiled for she could smell her mate approaching upon the winds. The form
of a
man with red skin and a full beard came into view. He wore tan breeches
and a
blue shirt that flowed at the wrists.
"Well, if it isn't ole Freddy Vulpine!" said the she-creature with a wicked wink.
"And his curvaceous woodwife Vix," he replied with a beam in his eye.
They embraced with a long and deep kiss. They stood like statues for quite
a
time, for humans it would've been a bizarre act, but for the Kitsune it
was their
way. In their embrace, their touch, they sensed each other, knew each other.
They communicated in a way that no human or dwarf or other earthly creature
could fathom or hope for. When they disengaged, both knew how each other's
day had gone.
"That bad, huh?" said Vix.
"Yep," answered Freddy. "The Syndicate called in an Assassins Guild to
finish off
the lower rabble, which includes our most pliable clientele."
"First they 'cleansed' Rydar, then Greyton, and now Malevlant," sighed Vix.
"And they've got plans for Walants too."
"At least that's not our concern, too far away to bother us. Walants is
eight days
ride from here, but Malevlant is only one."
"Humans are a strange folk," said Freddy. "Let them kill each other, I
say, its
what they're good for. We'll continue to thieve in Malevlants as long as
we can,
and besides, picking the pocket of an assassin sounds fun!"
"It is a good life," murmured Vix as she led her mate into their cabin.
The Kitsune continue their thieving pursuits until the day the
'Blackrobes' arrive in Malevlant...
The Kitsune continue their thieving pursuits until the day the 'Blackrobes'
arrive in
Malevlant...
Now, you may think that these "Blackrobe" fellows belong to that Assasin's
guild
or some other sinister organization. Not so! Would any killer worth his
salt wear
something so obvious as to advertise to the world (and their potential
victims)
who they really are? Don't think so.
Rather, the "Blackrobes" are the Elders of the local Kitsune Clan!
They came out......
Came out of left field.....and changed everything!
Oh, it started seemingly innocently enough. Kitsunes can have a real sense
of
humor, even with their own kind! So when the Elders started to say something
about the now defunct mage..... it sounded like a real knee slapper!
Then, later on in that same week, their old keepsakes (the rings that acted
as
translators).....start to give off some unexpected noise! It sounds like
some type
of conversation is going on....and the Kitsune listen in.....fascinated.
Whoever set
this up..... Well, it's got to be some type of prank. Kitsune are known
for stuff
like that......
At least they'd stopped with the jokes about her body's former owner having
been a werewold....and then a sex-starved fox person!
Hey, it had been a one night fling with the now departed Frederigo D'Honaire.....
Or would have been if Irana hadn't stepped in and implanted Freddy Vulpine
into
the now defunct knight. It happened.......
Though, frankly, she felt that she and Freddy made better use with these
earthern
bodies than those stuffy old humans ever had now......
That aside....
They all listen in, rapt with attention (and finally awaiting the punch
line) when the
Vixen hears somebody who sounds like......that dead mage from so long ago?!
"Who is this?" the Vixen asks, perplexed, as she looks over at Freddy
Vulpine and her children, "Synizn is dead!"
Not through any fault of our own, she grumps, remembering, We only
hired
that woman to steal the Crystallic, not kill that werebear. (Re: 1728)
She and her mate had kept the magical translator jewelry they'd inherited
along
with their earthern bodies (the old human owners no longer needed them)
and
had kept them as keepsakes. Boy, it was surprising to hear those keepsakes
talking! That and the voices coming from those keepsakes.....sounded just
like
those now departed humans!
They'd paused and listened, spellbound, as this strange tale unfolded.
It was
fascinating! And as one may guess, fascinating things draw kitsunes interests
like a
moth to a flame!
That is why they remained silent until now!
The scene freezes before they get another word out.....
However, unlike the scene back in Synizn's home.....the family of kitsune
gasp
and fall to their knees and kneel, frightened nearly silly by a large gathering
of
golden furred nine tailed kitsunes....and one ten tail kitsune!
"Oh no," whispers Freddy Vulpine, a sinking feeling in his stomach.
I thought the rumbling by the Elder was nothing but hot air, the Vixen
thinks
fearfully to herself.
It was so rare, and the two parents had thought that the warnings of a
debt to that
now dead mage had been.....a joke! Something about a ghost hanging around,
moaning about dying before getting a chance at a release.......
"It has come to my attention that you have contributed a fellow spirit
not being
able to Pass on," the ten tailed kitsune purrs softly. "You know such is.....a
very
serious crime amongst the fox spirits.....even though this dragon spirit
isn't one of
our own...... Still very serious....."
Dragon? Freddy Vulpine and the others think to themselves, looking
at each
other in askance.
"The mage the thief you hired killed Synizn.....a dragon who'd been cursed
into
the form of a were-bear," one golden furred kitsune chimes in, seeing the
confusion. "You failed to see to even burying him. Shameful. And you ignored
our
subtle....and not so subtle hints."
Kitsune are not of this earth, they are of the spirit. One should never
forget that.
Kitsune are, shape-shifting spirits that inhabited earthen bodies. It has
been said
that the spirit-creatures exist in the 'inbetween' and that they survive
within a
complex hierarchy of stations and figures and ranks. This particular family
of
Kitsune took their existence from the forms of two humans who were now
long
dead. That was done well within rules of the kitsune, as it were. However,
the
pain they'd inadvertantly caused this mysterious Synizn character was dire.
This
hidden dragon had been hoping to finally be free of his lycanthropic curse.....really
had his heart set upon it (in addition to aiding the ones who'd come to
him)......
The thief had killed him before either could happen, leaving a task undone....a
desire unfulfilled that anchored the angry mage to the realm of the living....as
a
ghost.....suffering. As complex as the hierarchy and station of Kitsune
was, that
was as simple a crime.....a taboo punishable by the most terrible of punishment.
Punishment that this council and the very leader of kitsune was about to
met out.
No appeal would be listened to, despite how just it may seem to a human
being.
Kitsune are not humans. The punishment would be met out on the parents
(a
painful death...and never coming back to the mortal plains again) and the
children
swept into other households appointed by the council.....separating them
all....unless......some unlikely Higher spiritual forces come in....and
claims the
offenders for themselves.
"May we speak?" a plane sounding voice says, right before a Rule and Agent
appear. "I and my associate had made an offer that they are eligible for....."
Stunned, the other Kitsune allow it, disowning the family of Kitsune forevermore.
The Vixen and Freddy Vulpine were offered the chance to become
Champions....and took it up in a blink of an eye once they learned of all
the ins
and outs of what it entailed (no painful death, no boring eternity in the
realm
Kitsune dwelled between Earthly "visits", and the family stays together)!
Oh, it
meant that they would forevermore be stuck in their earthern bodies....but.....
"So....what do you wish of us?" Freddy Vulpine asks.
The Rule then begins to speak.....
But we must now turn back to those trying to get out of a Pyramid......