Fox in the Wolf Den

Chapter One

Some worlds were never meant to collide. The dark side of the moon never to meet the earth's gaze. The birds never to see the bottom of the sea. A shadow never to be touched by the light.

Genetic engineering, a marvel of humanity. Though expensive, it allows for an offspring to be imbued with the genetic material to improve and extend the limits of the human body. The result of common requests is a hybrid between human and beast. One such request came from an upstanding family in the gated community of Sunny Hills.

Deep behind the guarded walls of the hill's border, past the rows of chiseled marble lay a U shaped mansion fit for a family of fifteen. Home to a family of four. Every room is perfectly dusted, polished and cleaned. On the third floor in the right wing stood a larger heavy door with wooden furnishings, carvings and figures. Spiraled flowers and a carved river ran from corner to corner in the dark oak.

However behind the delicate markings lay a room ladened with fuzzy carpet and strewn blankets. An unused bed placed in the corner, stripped of its soft skin so only a mattress and a sheet were fastened to it neatly. From the door on the left side of the room was a grand window facing outside towards the city. The sun setting towards the horizon, a beautiful young woman with her arms on the windowsill, her face highlighted by the sun's gleam.

Her face was a light pale as if she hadn't seen sunlight often, her hair a yellowish orange, the ends painted a whimsical yellow that hung near the base of her back, the colors complimenting her whitish pink sweater. On the top of her head sat a pair of fox ears, replacing what would be the human ears on the side of her head which remained nonexistent. Her ears occasionally twitching or moving at the slightest sound. At the base of her sweater a series of tails, nine in total. The light orange fur matched by white ends, each one perfectly groomed and brushed.

The small tone of a bell echoed through the halls, causing her ears to turn. She turned her attention away from the window and immediately bounded towards the door, throwing it open and switching from running on both legs to scrambling on all fours from her clumsy footwork. With steps light as a feather and all the grace of a pigeon she ran down the stairs, through the decadent halls of the esteemed mansion. She pushed open a door into a dining room where a series of butlers and maids stood around a table, occupying the chairs were a well dressed husband and wife, somewhere in their mid forties in a classy suit and dress. To the left of them was a small daughter no older than eight fidgeting with a fork and spoon, her blonde curled hair bobbing as she lightly shook her head and kicked her legs. At the end of the table was an old man, a thin pair of reading glasses perched on his nose two centimeters too low. The stomach area of his suit unbuttoned revealing a white dress shirt rounded from his belly.

The wife held up a bell in her right hand, a distinct silver handle with a lovely flower end decoration. She made a small motion with her left hand towards the girl, who proceeded to bound over and sit on the floor next to the wife, laying her head in her lap softly. The wife gently stroked her hair, letting her ear go between her fingers. The old man grumbled under his breath before sitting up semi-straight.

"What good is that.. Thing?" He muttered. The wife looked over to him, her hand remaining on the girl's head.

"Whatever do you mean, father?" she asked solemnly.

"Why waste all the good money on some girl with ears and tails when you could have just gotten a regular fox? Far cheaper, surely more well behaved than a toy of science." The old man grumbled. He lit a cigar before bringing it to his cracked and worn lips, his movements shaky from age. "You only bought them to fuel your little fantasy."

The wife stopped petting the girl, instead placing her elbows on the table.

"I'll have you know Akino is extremely well behaved. You're just jealous you could never have such a beauty." The wife smiled in a snarky tone.