The Madrigal Fox

Snooping

"Oliver!" The said boy sighed at the sound of his cousin calling for him.

She was at the entrance of his room, she wouldn't step any farther. No one did. He had destroyed the entrance to stop people from coming in uninvited. A week after he did so he found different members of his family lost in the forest after deciding to come in. They all got lost at least once and decided to never step too far away from the door again.

"Oliver!"

Mirabel yelped loudly as the fox boy dropped down in front of her. He stared, waiting for her to tell him why she was here.

"You missed eating with the family." His tail flicked once before going limp.

"I always do." Mirabel rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I wasn't the only one worried about the magic. Louisa said she was feeling weak. She also said that Bruno had a vision before he left." The fox boy's expression tensed, his eyes narrowing at the girl.

His father was a sensitive topic, one he actively avoided. He loved his father and still did, he would be lying if he said he wasn't upset about his father leaving without saying goodbye, yet he didn't hold it against him for leaving. What made the topic so sensitive was how the family often spoke of him. Most of the comments were negative, he often even caught Pepa blaming him for small things happening, using his father's name as though it only brought bad luck. The younger children even picked up on this at one point and also had a fairly negative outlook on Bruno. The family actively avoided talking about his father in front of him, especially after he got so angry about it that he accidentally set the kitchen on fire, he was 11 at the time.

"So?" Mirabel looked the boy over, taking note of his tense posture.

"I need to know what that vision was." He stared at her for a moment before sighing.

"One time. Stay here, I'll be back in a few minutes."

Mirabel smiled as she watched her cousin disappear into the trees. It hurt her to say it, but if she didn't need his help then he wouldn't have come.

Oliver had put a lock on his father's door, with Casita's help and permission. He was the only one who had a key. Alma had protested when she had found out what her grandson had done, demanding to have a key to the room. Oliver refused, telling her that the lock would be removed after his father returned. Alma had told him not long after that his father wouldn't come back and that he should stop acting like a child, he was 9 at the time and his true resentment for his grandmother grew.

Oliver jumped from one tree to another for a few minutes before coming across a clearing. The clearing wasn't large, but the far side had what seemed to be a shrine, though the inside had become more of a house.

This is where Oliver felt the most comfortable, where he felt the most welcomed and safe. Finding the key he so "expertly" hid under a chair cushion.

It didn't take him long to return to the girl who had taken a seat on a rock. He paused in the tree, staring at her while fiddling with the key in his hand. It was a silver skeleton key with a clock at the end, softly ticking away. It never seemed to die. He pondered over his choices before hopping down.

Mirabel smiled and held out her hand for the key. He shook his head and walked past her, ignoring the look of shock that crossed the girl's face. He wouldn't hand over the key, not even to his favourite family member.

They walked to his father's room in silence. It was awkward and tense.

"Casita will lock the door once you leave."

Mirabel paused at the now open door before looking at her older cousin.

"Casita can open the door?"

"Casita can do anything on these grounds. I just asked it not to. Casita likes me just as much as it does you, maybe even more since it won't give you access to the room."

With that, the fox boy wandered off, knocking twice on the wooden post as he passed and dodging the cracks and lines on the floor. He ignored Alma as the older woman passed, though she didn't spare him a glance either.

His ears twitched as he walked down another hall, the sound of crying could be heard. He turned a corner and there was his older cousin crying.

He briefly thought about jumping up onto the roof or hiding under a table to avoid the girl, not being the best at comforting people much less someone he has never seen even get angry since they were children.

"Um... Louisa..." The older of the two quickly rubbed her eyes, sniffling before turning to look at the shorter male. He didn't have any problems with Louisa, they were never close, not even when they were young.

"What do you need?" She forced a smile on her face yet it quivered.

"Are..." He sighed, shifting a bit to show his discomfort. "Are you okay?"

Louisa's smile fell immediately. While not close, the children of the family always found it easy to talk to Oliver about his problems, even if he didn't know what to do with what they told him.

He knew it all. He knew Isabela hated how "perfect" her life had become, he knew how Camilo feared forgetting his own identity, how Dolores hated having to hear everything and sometimes wished she was deaf, he knew how stressed Louisa was constantly, how she believed she had to carry it all. He didn't tell anyone, especially not Alma who would have grown angry and upset if she found out about any of it.

They trusted the fox boy not to say anything, just to listen and maybe show them something to calm them down.

"I'm losing my gift..." She whispered, twisting her body as if to shield herself from any negative comments.

"Oh?" He already had a vague understanding of this. Mirabel had told him already that their cousin felt weak.

"I was trying to pick up the donkeys but... but..." She sniffled loudly. "They were heavy!" She cried, throwing her arms up.

Oliver stared at her before slowly patting her shoulder. He didn't understand why she would be upset about losing her gift, not after he spent years begging for his to go away. He couldn't understand why his family loved their gifts so much when they caused them hidden harm.

"You should take a break." He muttered, flicking his tail.

Louisa nodded, looking off to the side. She glanced at him a few times before twiddling her fingers.

He sighed, nine tails appearing behind him and swaying softly.

"What would you like to see?" He already knew what she wanted to see, she asked for the same thing every time they had these short yet meaningful conversations.

She smiled, her eyes darting to the small purple flames on the tips of his tails.

"A unicorn, please." Oliver gave her a small smile before holding out his hands, a unicorn appearing in his hands, hovering.

He waited for her to hold out her hands and when she did the unicorn seemingly hoped over into her hands. She smiled, happy and calm.

They all always choose the same kinds of illusions when they become upset. Louisa chose unicorns, Isabela chose swaying cactus's, Mirabel chose visual stories, Dolores chose people dancing, Camilo chose large amounts of butterflies that changed colours and Antonio chose a different animal every time. He assumed that the things they chose simply brought them comfort so he was always there to try and make them feel better, even if they didn't know he was the one doing it. He helped them with nightmares often, sneaking into their rooms at least once a night to check on them. He believed it was weird, but it let them sleep easier.

"Go take a nap, Louisa. You need it." She nodded, her smile faltering as the unicorn faded away. She walked off leaving the boy to stand in the hallway alone with his thoughts.