Yan the last Fire Fox

Chapter 2

The next day, Luna visited Yan again, as per usual. Although today was a bit different. Instead of the two of them joking about whatever subject crossed their mind, Yan was a bit tense. Of course, Luna noticed this and she felt the need to ask :

"What's wrong? You look grumpier than usual."

"Have you ever met your grandfather?" Yan asked her.

"Well, that was out of the blue..." She mumbled. "But to answer your question, no, I haven't met him. Though I did hear stuff about him."

"Did you hear about any alliances your kingdom might've had while he was in power?"

"Yes, of course, I did. I was forced to learn all about my kingdom's history. You know, since I'm going to be the queen someday. But why are you asking?"

"Did he make any alliances with the Fire or Shadow kingdom?"

"Yeah, he made an alliance with the Shadow Kingdom."

Yan's heart sank to his stomach. If the alliance didn't go well, then Luna's kingdom could be in grave danger. He hesitated for a bit, but eventually, he asked her :

"What happened to that alliance?"

"I don't know. I haven't studied that far yet. But why do you ask?"

He sighed. He didn't want to worry Luna, but at the same time, he felt like he had to tell her. After pondering over his decision for a while, he spoke :

"It's nothing."

"Oh come on. You didn't just ask me all of those questions for nothing."

"I told you, Luna. It's nothing." He lied through his teeth.

Suddenly, a thick purple fog surrounded him he was disoriented, not knowing which way was which.

"Luna, get rid of the fog." He said, a bit agitated.

"Not until you tell me why you asked me all of those questions." She responded.

Yan tried to walk out of the fog, but he bumped into a tree.

"Ugh, Luna, seriously?"

"I told you, I'm not getting rid of the fog until you tell me what's wrong." She said firmly.

Yan let out an exasperated sigh.

"Fine! I'll tell you!" He thought about how to word what he wanted to say to keep Luna from freaking out about a possible Shadow Kingdom invasion. "I heard an elder fox talking about an attempted Fire Kingdom genocide, many years before the actual one. He said he was a royal guard when it happened."

"Okay, go on." She said, her curiosity piqued.

"From what I remember, he said the Mist King ordered all of his troops to go and help the Fire Kingdom fend off the attackers, which were Shadow foxes. That technically means they broke off the alliance."

Luna was lost in thought. Eventually, she spoke again :

"Why are you telling me all of this?" She asked Yan.

"Well, you asked me to tell you what was wrong. And I think this information will be somewhat useful. You know, so you can be prepared for an invasion from the Shadow kingdom."

Lunna hummed in agreement. She thought about it for a bit longer.

"I'll have to talk with my father about what alliances our kingdom currently has. If there's none with the Shadow Kingdom, then we might be at risk of an invasion. Especially if the king holds a grudge. I'm confident we have an alliance with the Water Kingdom, but I'm not so sure about the other kingdoms. I'll make sure to ask my father tonight after the meeting."