Fer.al Series #2 - The Blood Tundra

Chapter 6: Paradigm Shift

"Someone's watching us," Arc said out of nowhere.

"W-what?" Lillie jumped. Was it a Wingwatcher? Or a Nekomata Agent perhaps? Hopefully a Nekomata agent. The Kitsune looked freaked out, and Robin put a paw over their head to make them stay quiet.

"Over here," Arc slinked away and Lillie followed. Treading through the white snow, the two sniffed around for a wisp of scent from a living creature. But all Lillie felt was the striking yet beautiful scent of the meadow flowers. "There's nothing," she spat. "No," Arc whispered, then suddenly pounced into a patch of snow. "Don't hide, I got you!"

A flurry of green, grey and white fur tumbled into the snow. Arc snapped at the Kitsune whose white wings were wrapped around her and shook him off. The Winged Kitsune stood up, and smiled at Robin, Lillie, Arc and the other Kitsune, who were frozen, but mostly at Arc.

"It is time that I reveal myself to you all," he bowed and spread his wings.

"Whoa, who are you?" Lillie stepped forward and asked.

"Well, who are you?" The Kitsune wagged his tail mischeviously. "Hello, Lillie. Seems like you're still wondering who in the name of Sapnap are me. But yeah, you might wanna go ask Robin and Arc. Good luck."

Lillie was petrified. He knew everything about her, while she knew nothing about him. But she toughened up. "That's exactly what Arc said when we first met in the Shattered Bay," she crossed her paws, "Pretending to be a know-it-all. Someone must've told you. Tell me who it was."

"Stumped, huh?"

"No, not at all." Lillie faked a smile. "Tell me who you are."

"I'm Maxwell," the Kitsune relaxed and spread his wings. Arc, Robin and the Kitsune came forward. "And you're?" he asked the unnamed Kitsune, who shrugged. "I don't have a name."

"Uhm, Maxwell," Lillie approached the green Kitsune, her mind spinning through all the things he did. Using my private swear. Stalking us for who knows how long. Knowing everything about us. But still, she would ask him the question. "Maxwell...do you know Aref?"

Maxwell laughed, to Lillie's surprise. "Of course I know Aref!"

"Then what about the things Aref did in the legends? Destroying lands for fun? Being banished into the Blood Tundra by Fera? Turning dragons into those evil shadowy black thingys that are the Wingwatchers?" she made a sneering face as Maxwell burst into laughter.

"Fera banishing Aref to the Blood Tundra! What silliness! No, no, Fera and Aref go together like emeralds and rubies! There's no way they would fight!"

"Wait, like...what?" Lillie suddenly tensed. She could feel the fire inside her rising, even in the cold snow. "Fera and Aref...the sisters...aren't they enemies?"

"Sisters? Yeah! But enemies, definitely not!" Maxwell tucked his wings back and spread each one as he said "sisters" and "enemies". "They're like Queen Aradia and Queen Deliah. They created the world together, and fought on one side. They never fight each other. And no, Aref didn't create the Wingwatchers either."

Suddenly, Lillie's world was flipped.

Pug's legend didn't go that way. She remembered the images of Fera, blue Fera, luminescent and graceful Fera, her paws smashing into a red flaming Kitsune Spirit, Aref, her sadistic sister who wanted fun, into the red and bloody oblivion that is the blood ocean in the Blood Tundra. Chains were looped over Aref as she struggled to break free. Colorful dragons gathered around their master, and with the last flick of Aref's paw, withered away into black Wingwatchers.

Then, that scene shattered, leaving Lillie staring into the blankness of time.

She tried to fill up the empty space with Fera and Aref cuddling with each other under the great mountains and valleys, just like her and Robin in Fera Fashions. Or Aref and Fera fighting hoards of black dragons, just like the Battle of the Rat Wall. But it didn't seem right. Nothing seemed right.

But what about the Wingwatchers? Who created the Wingwatchers, if Aref and Fera were maintaining peace together? And what about the Blood Tundra?

"You'll need to catch up on Fer.al history," Maxwell face-pawed, then lept forward into the snow, his tail flicking the way. "Follow me."