The Fox, Red

036 - Reassurance

Madam Odette excuses herself. She's had enough of focusing on this problem. It's been made clear that I will be in charge of this one. It will ultimately be my decision on how to handle him. Hopefully, he'll understand and just walk away. Even though I hope, I can kind of tell that it probably won't be the case.

Finding him should be the easiest part of this whole ordeal. He's been creeping around constantly watching me since he arrived. I have no doubt he still probably has eyes on my cabin right now. The next thing he will probably ask about is why Madam Odette was there. That will give me the perfect opportunity to bring up that he's not really welcome here.

I'll give her some time after she leaves before I step out myself. I need to get my fire set up anyway. It's going to start getting cold at night. Some warm embers would be nice to keep the place toasty when I get up in the morning.

Focus! The main problem now, the minor problem later. There's no telling how Thomas is going to react. He's not known to be the most gentle of guy either. There have been a few holidays that the screaming match turned into someone getting punched. I give it a few minutes before I step outside. The breeze is carrying that autumn chill with it that cuts to the skin. Might be worth it to bring out a coat soon.

All the walking back and forth from the house has made a beaten path in the grass and dirt. It no longer grows along the way I and many others have taken time and time again. It might be worth asking to lay down a small brick path to prevent further damage to the lawn. I could see it with a dark red, maybe a few solar lamps along the way to light it up. Might make the trip a bit more homely and less of a drudge into the dark corner of the yard. More and more of these little things come to my attention which makes me wonder if I can do these projects. I don't want to take over but it might be nice to add some life.

Even with the sun starting to set over the treetops the ground has turned dark. There's a bit of a fog from the lake nearby that just hovers over the grass. With a shiver, I spark a small flame in my palm to try and provide myself with a little heat. At least my paws are warmer. I walk along the beaten path sending out a small ping now and again trying to find where Thomas is. I dread having this conversation with him but it's a must. The place is beginning to settle down for the evening. Most of the others are taking refuge in their warm cabins. I can see and smell the smoke of wood fires burning away. It gives the whole place a sense of warmth.

Until there's the chilling strike down my spine.

From the shadow of the house, I see him descend the stairs to the small stone landing before heading down my beaten path. The flame is a dead giveaway of where I am. He approaches with his usual smile which is still just as off-putting as it was when he arrived. As his mouth opens I can already feel the smug that's about to come out of it. "Look at you! Using that basic spell like a professional." My contempt is slowly going into a seething rage. I can tell as the flame flickers with a brighter blue core starting to form.

Fire is focused on the joints, strongest on the knees, elbows, and fingers which is why it is regarded as the element of anger. When you begin to feel angry you tense your muscles forming a fist exposing the joints in the fingers that one would use to inflict strikes and blows on someone. I miss Badger. He went into so much unnecessary detail about hurting people. Thinking about it now, it is kind of refreshing. Or maybe that's the thought of punching Thomas in the nose...

There's no sense in losing my head right away. He takes a few steps back to give a little bit of distance getting his paws up to the flame. "It is a bit brisk out here isn't it?"

"It's only going to get colder too."

"You all taken care of out here? You have suitable lodging right?"