Your Shadow Is My Light

Chapter 18 - Girlfriends

Normal text
Thinking
Onomatopoeia

Ahri's POV
Helplessly watching the poor deer's fleeing back, I stifled a whimper and pressed my scorching-hot cheeks into the quilt. A sniffle. Then two more. A dewy teardrop soon splattered on top of my furry paws.

Damn this estrus period. What terrible timing!

If I knew I'm going to degrade into such an unsightly wreck, I'd have locked myself in a closet and suffered quietly. But the heat came knocking so suddenly. So unexpectedly. As in a few months early. It completely caught me off guard. No one's prepared for the ensuing shitstorm at all.

The second my eyes opened, searing heat waves straight up blasted me. Almost gushing my nervous system and cooking my brain cells. Freaking-rude. Must be because of how quick magic was accumulating in my body recently. It's ridiculously fast. Like a juvenile cub having access to powers which were supposed to be available to mature kumihos only-too much for my developing mana veins to bear. Just three more tails to regain my former glory... This accelerated progress came at the expense of a painful estrus period.

My body temperature spiked. Especially near my belly. It's practically boiling hot, lava incinerating my insides. Intense enough to melt the intestines of feeble humans-a telltale sign of breeding season. Usually by this age, most foxes would have already found a mate to relieve the debilitating symptoms... Except for me... And it's because a certain dense bloke was too innocent to become a wild savage in bed... Rae refused to touch me even after dropping so many hints and blatantly packaging myself as a nice present at her doorstep. What did she think I was offering to sleep with her for??? I'm not there just to be her body pillow every night! But after weeks of cuddles and kisses, she still showed no signs of otherworldly desires. No naughty gropings and touches... Her hands were obediently stuck to her side, not moving an inch.

Ah... shit. The woes of being bloody single.

I blinked away the psychological tears. Discomfort persistently ravaged the back of my eyeballs, burning the arteries red. Submerged in endless grievances, I stared longingly at the ajar door, trying to find the silhouette of my lover. But she's long gone. Aggrievedness and depression welled up, this time, much more vehement. My choppy mood was in a complete mess. I clearly understood why Rae would be this paranoid. But I just can't help but feel so wronged. Seeing her fearful expression, my fragile heart literally shattered into millions of pieces. The fever must have baked my brains to potato mush.

Everywhere hurt. As if I was hazed overnight. Muscles and joints ache like crazy. I'm in so much pain. And so hot... If only Rae could soothe me. Hug me in her cooling embrace. And whisper soft words of comfort... Like what she always did. I clearly saw it just now-her life essence. The wispy black aura flickering around her body. Those undulating curves... Death was calling out to me. But I wasn't afraid. Far from it. The evil-looking miasma was warm to the touch, laced with concern and anxiety. Without question, it was reaching out to me. Softly patting my head. Coaxing me. But if it's like this, why did its owner react so badly? Why did Rae say such heartless words to me?

I really don't get it...

I let out a tired chuckle of self-depreciation. Right... I must have lost my marbles. That little coward obviously wouldn't touch me with a ten-foot pole. No one would. Not unless she wants to be clawed in the face. Ultimately, nothing changed in this new life either...

My bleary consciousness was completely scalded by the blistering inferno. Sweat dripped down my forehead, clumping my moist fur. Made worse by Eve's grating scoffs (she just wouldn't shut up for a single second!).

"Why are you still protecting her??? Humans are all the same-scums. She isn't going to become a Virgin Mary anytime soon."

I shot her a glare. A face of utter disbelief greeted me. She cocked her eyebrows defiantly, wanting me to prove her wrong again. I COULD if it was any other day. But today... I don't have the means to argue with her. I... can't...