Tale of Two Tails

Chapter 2

Levi watched as the fox, Eren, ate some more fruit, face held in an eternal bored/annoyed expression. He was curious about this fox. How could an animal understand human language? Did all animals actually understand it? And did they all have names such as Eren's?

Levi really hated to admit he was an animal lover, but even if they were filthy, something about them had always caught his attention. So these questions were ones he would like answers to.

"Eren?" The fox looked up, juice stained the fur on it's muzzle. "Are there other foxes like you? With two tails?" Eren just stared at him, but the golden eyes looked slightly worried and at war. The fox put one of his tails in the dirt to write.

I'm not sure if I can answer that question.

Levi furrowed his brows more. What did that mean? Levi just clicked his tongue as he picked up the bandages he had put down.

"May I touch you? So that I can bandage your wound?" Eren froze before looking up. The fox's tails twitched nervously, before he nodded. Levi sighed silently. He didn't want the fox to stay in pain, so having permission to treat it made Levi breath easy.

As he treated the wound, he noticed it had a strange healing pattern. It was mostly healed and didn't look like a wound that could have even had blood come from it, but Levi didn't want what wound was there to become infected.

"Is it alright if I give you a bath? You're filthy and the dirt could cause an infection." Eren nodded slowly, so Levi nodded back. "I'm going to ask for a bath to be drawn, hide under the porch, just in case one of the servants come in." Eren nodded and went back under the porch, but Levi slid the plate that still had some fruit under so that no one would come over to get it.

After Levi had the bath drawn, he found a way to sneak the small brown fox into the bathing room with him.

"I might as well bathe as well. Fucking ground is filthy." So as Levi stripped himself of his robes, the fox sniffed around the room, getting used to it's surroundings. "Hey Eren, are you male or female?" Levi wasn't sure why he asked, but he was curious. He didn't want to keep calling the fox an 'it'. Eren turned to him and cocked it's head. There was nothing for it to write in or with.

Eren walked over to Levi and nuzzled his leg. Levi sighed as he kneeled down and pet the fox.

"It doesn't matter right now. What matters is getting this fucking filth off us and getting you better." Eren yipped quietly, like a whispered 'thanks'. So Levi bathed himself and the small fox and once they returned to the prince's room, Levi bandaged Eren's wound.

"There, how does that feel?" Levi had asked after tying the bandage in place. Eren looked at the cloth and sniffed it before his tails slowly began to sway and the small fox yipped happily. "Good." Eren seemed to smile as he took his one tail and wrote in the dirt, making Levi roll his eyes since he had just bathed the fox.

To answer your question, I'm male. was what Eren had written.

"So you're a boy. Alright. Well then Eren, can you tell me what happened to you?" Eren wrapped his tails around himself and shook his head. Levi sighed as he sat on his porch and looked out to his garden. He still needed to finish cleaning up the petals. And he should probably deal with the blood that was still on the ground.

And as Levi got to work cleaning his garden, Eren watched from under the porch, head cocked. It was obvious that the fox didn't understand the point of cleaning nature. Though after long enough, he started to go around and pick petals up with his teeth and put them in the pile Levi was making.

There was a surprised sound that came from the porch and Eren froze as Levi turned to see Mikasa. She looked slightly shocked, maybe even amused, at the sight.

"You're making the poor thing clean." Mikasa said as she stepped down and out into the garden. Levi clicked his tongue.

"No, he started helping of his own accord." Levi said as he continued sweeping the petals. Mikasa nodded as she kneeled and held her hand out, offering it to Eren.

"So it's a boy?" Levi nodded. "I never thought you'd check." Mikasa teased lightly. Levi sneered.

"I didn't. He told me." Mikasa cocked an eyebrow. "Eren understands human language and can write with his tails. Don't ask me how, I don't fucking know." Levi said as Eren started to sniff Mikasa's hand.

"Eren?" Levi nodded.

"That's his name." Mikasa nodded as Eren backed away from her hand and hid behind Levi's legs. "Don't you trust her?" Eren shook his head. "Would you like her name?" Eren shook his head again. Levi bent down, not touching the ground as he looked at the small fox. "Why not?"

Eren didn't respond, but looked at Mikasa, a look of what may be be hostility across his features. Levi wondered if he could smell the demon blood that mixed in Mikasa's veins. It was possible. Animals were more in tune to things than humans were, so it was entirely possible that Eren could smell the demon inside Mikasa, and didn't trust her.

"She won't hurt you, Eren." Eren didn't move, but bared his teeth slightly, growling. Mikasa sighed as she stood.

"Well, we can't force him to like me. I will return with more food for him at dinner." Levi nodded as his sister left and then looked down to Eren.

"Can you smell the demon in her blood?" Eren nodded. "She's human too, you know." He nodded again. "Then why don't you want to trust her? She's my sister and has never shown evil intentions." Eren just looked up at Levi and had this determined glow in his golden eyes. Levi just sighed as he pet the fox's head.

"Fine, whatever. Now let's finish cleaning this shit up. I have training before long and don't want you caught out here." Eren leaned into his touch and yipped, soon going back to grabbing petals to add to the pile.