The Dark Mage

Chapter 15: Families

     It was a beautiful evening as the golden sunlight shimmered over the waters. And across the waters could be seen a snowcapped island that was the home of Vixie Reddington and the other ethnically arctic fox Kitsunes. But from the coastal view, Buck and Natalia began to see the chianti grape vineyard that surrounded Katherine Ringtail's villa. And upon seeing the house, the stone that made up the walls was held together with mortar as the tile roof was like that of a Spanish mission. And around the villa and it's entering courtyard were a variety of trees ranging from walnut, lemon, olive, and magnolias.

     And in the center of the courtyard was a fountain making the sound of a gentle stream of water. And over the courtyard were strings of incandescent lights giving a warm glow to the inviting atmosphere. And although Buck remembered the many times he had spent summers in his mother's villa and thought nothing of it, Natalia felt as if she stepped back in time to the Spanish conquistadors. But despite the Tanukis having never been conquistadors, Katherine Ringtail still kept stuffed fox heads of every species hung on the walls of the grand dining room along with the heads of moose, deer, and jackalope. But what disturbed Natalia a little bit was that unlike the other wall-mounted animal head, the red fox head, instead of saying "red fox" said "Inari".

     But apart from the animal heads in the dining room, there was a ceiling-high glass cabinet filled with wines from all over the world and an ornate ash tray that was clean because Katherine didn't smoke. And in her kitchen were only the most professional grade appliances with the most expensive of porcelain plates and dishes. Natalia then silently questioned within herself, "How could you have given up such a good life?" while remembering her own childhood. And even though her father was a successful entrepreneur founding Bootleg Brewery, he never indulged himself or his family in luxury even though he could afford it. And instead, Natalia's father Julius Whitetail would reinvest the money into his community, employees, and the church following the custom for anyone of high class in Tanuki society. For unlike the Kitsune clan which saw the lower class as means to give the upper-class face, the Tanuki's saw each other as each other's servant and that he who is of high standing shall not horde wealth lest he dishonor the God who gave him and gave him everything he has. For such was life in the Tanuki clan and still is.

     And amongst Katherine's living space was a large brick fireplace with all manner of family portraits going all the way back to the 1600s when the Ringtail family began to gain its prominence. Katherine then invited Natalia to sit down with her in the living room when one of the maids brought out some cannoli and coffee. And not to be rude, Natalia took a bite of her cannoli and a sip of her coffee even if she tried not to show her disdain for coffee. Katherine then asked as the fireplace crackled with an oak log burning, "So, you're an American girl. That explains why you're dressed the way you are. But now I'd like to know more about you, because my son seems to like you a little more than a friend. Because as any woman of significant age knows, when you marry someone, you don't just marry the person but their whole family. So, tell me. What is your family like?"

     Natalia then noticed the genuine curiosity and concern for her son in Katherine's expression and answered, "My father is a person who's always been a good part of my life. Sure, we had our disagreements from time to time, but we were always able to have honest dialog and work these things out. And although he could afford to give me and my little brothers a life of immense luxury with the profits he earned from his business, he didn't want us to grow up that way because he believed we should learn to value each other and honest work. I also remember he would say things like, 'If you horde your wealth, you're stealing someone else's money' and he would actually live it in using the profits he earned for both our family and many people within my community. He isn't the type of greedy executive that rewards successful employees with pizza parties while he hordes the profits for himself but actually rewards his employees in a share of increased company profits."