The True Confessions of a Nine-Tailed Fox

Chapter 67: The Salvation of the Claymouth Barony

"King Den! King Den, King Den! Teacher Flori! You're back!"

Although excited shouts rang out in all directions, Taila reached the procession first. She'd been "helping" Mistress Jek weed, i.e. collecting any flowering weeds her mother pulled out of the ground and replanting them. But at the sight of Den and Floridiana, she charged out of the vegetable patch and down Persimmon Tree Lane as fast as her legs would carry her.

"Jek Taila! You get back here right this instant!"

The harassed mother dropped her trowel and raced after her daughter.

"King Den!" Taila remembered my training just long enough to bob a bow. Then she launched herself at the dragon. "You greeeeew!"

That was when I realized that the little dragon had gotten bigger. It wasn't obvious at a glance because he was dwarfed by that monstrous wild boar spirit, but he was nearly as tall as Floridiana now. Where once he'd been at eye level with Taila when he rose onto his hind legs and stretched to full height, now her arms only went around his waist. (Granted, he was a dragon, so it was a very long waist.)

"Yep, I certainly grew! I can shrink too. See?" Den announced, sounding as cheery and inane as he did during parties.

With a pop, he was back to his original size. Taila's arms encircled empty air. She, too, had grown in the nine months that he'd been away.

After a moment, he returned to his new normal size.

"Heeee is still tinyyyy," pronounced the wild boar. His voice rumbled through the ground and rattled the bamboo.

Never one to be intimidated by, well, anything, Taila tilted her head all the way back so she could stare up into his face. "No, Mr. Pig, you're huge!"

Everyone sucked in a breath, from Den and Floridiana, to the rock macaque soldiers within earshot, to Stripey, Bobo, and me at the top of the bamboo stand. Any second now, that wild boar was going to snap Taila up and toss her down his gullet and murder her before my very eyes and I couldn't do a single thing to stop him –

In a burst of speed, Mistress Jek knocked her daughter out of the way. The mother landed with a thud at the wild boar's front hooves. Taila went flying off to the side of the road, where she struck a patch of wild grasses, rolled to a stop, and started to cry.

At the same time, Floridiana was opening her mouth while Den was waving his arms in that universal "No, no, please wait!" gesture. Then –

"I haaaave never been called a piiiig before."

"Please forgive my daughter! Please forgive my daughter!" cried Mistress Jek, genuflecting and banging her forehead against the ground. "She's too young to know better! She's only seen pigs before! Never anyone as – as – mighty as you!"

The wild boar turned his head to survey the countryside. "I should liiiike to see these 'piiiigs' of which you speak. I, toooo, have never seeeen a pig."

Probably for the best. I wasn't sure he would appreciate the comparison.

Now that the crisis was over, Floridiana sighed, walked over to Taila, bent down, and started simultaneously scolding the girl for her ill manners and coaxing her to calm down. It worked about as well as you'd expect.

"Of course! Of course!" cried Mistress Jek. "We'd be honored if you'd come see our pig, my lord spirit!"

Showing more courage than I was used to seeing out of him, Den inserted himself between her and the wild boar. "While I am sure that Lord Magnissimus would very much appreciate a tour of the farm, first we must pay our respects to the Emissary from Heaven." He stressed the last words, reminding both the wild boar and the rock macaque leader of their duties.