The Fox, Red

104 - The Claim of The Fox, Royale

Shelves upon shelves of books. Many of them have no title. I pick one up and it already wants to speak to me. It craves my attention. I place it back on the shelf to come back to. Every single one of these wants to meet me. And I want to hear what they have to say. But first I need to find the one that will give me immediate answers.

I move towards the area where the shelves end and tables begin. I see on the wall the tapestry that gave me so much trouble. It's just as I remember it. There's the hamlet we encountered as we arrived. And on the center table is a black book. Its cover is closed with no dust on it. Unlike the other books, it's quiet. It's showing patience.

I sit down at the seat in front of it. I can sense that now it wants to speak with me. I opened it to the first page to see the handwriting that I had seen before. From the church, in the pile of journals that Phinnis had collected. There was one that gave me a vivid warning. It matches that writing. It's less scribbled and more organized. I take a deep breath before I utter the words, "Tell me your story."

The world around me goes white. The library vanishes as a figure appears before me. He looks... Plain. Like any other red fox I had seen before. He looks at me as I look back at him. I can see him smile as his voice reaches me. It tickles my ear as though he is only inches away, "I was hoping that you would find me. I have much to tell you."

"Who are you?"

"I am you but from a previous life. You know me as Royale."

The previous nine-tailed fox. He wrote this. "Listen to me Red, there is a lot you need to know and it will be tough. You need to understand that this was left behind for you. And I hope you understand by the time you are done reading this." His figure disappears into the emptiness as the world seems to change. I hear him talk to me once more, "Listen, and learn."

The world around me changes. I find myself in a family home that is dated. The family here appears to be struggling as a sign of the times. A family of red foxes is working hard to keep themselves afloat. This must have been near the great depression. The man of the house looks defeated, and his wife seems to be trying to help how she can. And their son is blissfully unaware. They are trying their damndest to make sure he is taken care of. That he is clothed and fed while they may struggle.

My life changed with the knock at the door.

Their evening is disturbed as a couple stands at the door. They are well dressed. They appear to be here with a purpose. They sit down with the couple. The young fox peers around the corner trying to listen in on what's going on. His mother is on the couch crying while his father tries to comfort her. What they say doesn't make sense to the boy now, but in time he will understand.

Their meeting ends with his mother giving him a large hug, kissing his face over and over while repeating that she loves him and that she will see him again. She reminds him that this is for his own good so he can have a better life. The next thing he knows, he's set into a car and riding away from the house he called home with these strangers.

They took me from my home. At first, I didn't understand but they promised to give me everything I needed and more.

They gave him nice clothes. They sent him to a school that taught him more than he could have ever learned where he was. As he grew older, he became accustomed to this life. Until the day came in his teenage years when they told him what he was. A creature of myth and legend. A being of unfathomable power. A nine-tailed fox. This family had dedicated their lives to serving the lineage of the nine-tailed fox. To ensure that their power was cultivated to the fullest.

They began to show him things that seemed impossible. They pulled fire from the air. They made things that were only possible in the imagination! He was aghast that this was something that he could do. He became excited at the prospect that he could do this too and swore that he would do what he needed to learn this power. They made sure that he understood that this would be a great undertaking. That it would require many hours of study as he had never done before.