Prologue

The young fox was running with all her might. If she didn't make it in time…well, she just couldn't let that happen. She was, in a word, different. Not only did she have odd gray-and-red fur and three tails, but also, in truth, she was a 2,010-year-old Kitsune fox, created by scientists and put into hibernation for 2 millennia. When she awoke, she knew nothing, and was put into the care of a lone wolf, Lupin, who acted as her Foster-Father. They lived in a hidden area, properly named the Hidden Lands, as it seemed to be a safe place for her to live. Everyone called her by her nickname, Apple, as even she didn't know her real name. While growing up, her best friend was an orphaned male coyote named Cyle. She had a pretty happy life.

At least it was, until the Plague hit the Hidden Lands. She was simply out in the garden, staring at the moon, when Cyle rushed to her, and told her that Lupin was gravely ill. Upon hearing this, she ran straight home.

Lupin was indeed gravely ill. Before the illness claimed his life however he gave Apple an odd package.

"What do you think it is?" asked Cyle, about an hour later.

"We're about to find out," replied Apple, untying the string. The package opened to reveal nothing more than a letter and something wrapped up in brown paper. "Let's see what the letter says."

The letter was written in a half-script-half-cursive font:

Dear Lupin,

I heard you are the adoptive father of a young fox. I have reason to believe that this fox is the prophesized Guardian of the Emeralds. Please give her the item in the package when she is ready. She'll understand.

Yours truly,
Merlin Prower

Apple didn't understand, not yet, and she had no clue who Merlin Prower was. Even so, she took the object and unwrapped it. It was an enormous purple gem. She looked at it, not with greed or want, but with curiosity. Suddenly, she saw something, something she would later learn to be a vision.

She saw more of these gems, twenty-one, to be exact, and one HUGE gem. While the smaller ones were each a different color, the bigger one was a bright green. They were assembled on some kind of giant shrine, with the big gem on the top. Standing on top of the big gem was a fox, older than her, with fur changing different colors, and she was smiling. There was something very familiar about her…

"APPLE!"

"Huh?" Apple was brought back to reality.

"I said, what do you think it is?" asked Cyle. "And, who the heck is this Merlin Prower character? Do you know anything about some Guardian of the Emeralds?"

"I don't know anyone named Merlin," replied Apple. "But I think that this gem is called an Emerald. And according to this letter, I'm the Guardian of the Emeralds. Though, why this needs guarded, I can't say. It's just a big gem."

"I don't know if we can trust someone we never even heard of," said Cyle. Since Apple had nothing more to say, the conversation on the Emerald was done, but Cyle still had something to say. "Why don't you come over to my place for a few minutes? There's something I want to show you."

When they got there, Cyle reached under his bed, produced a long, slim bundle, and unwrapped it. It was a beautiful sword.

"It was my father's," said Cyle, with a hint of sadness in his voice. "He died using it to defend me."

"I'm sorry, Cyle," Apple replied. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because we both have something special from our fathers now- adoptive or not," answered Cyle. Apple smiled slightly.

Hours later, Apple was in bed, asleep, when–THWOMP—a loud noise awoke her. She ran outside and saw a horrible sight in front of her. Cyle's home was completely destroyed. She looked up and saw a robotic figure flying off. Her heart skipped a beat. No! It was flying off with a golden-brown, furry bundle–Cyle!

Without thinking, Apple ran and leaped at it. The robot hit her on the head, sending her down, saying, "You have yet to control your Chaos Powers, fool!" Apple looked up at the night sky. They were gone! She ran at the rubble that was once her best friend's house. She found Cyle's sword among the ruins, and picked it up. It was my father's; he died using it to defend me. She could feel tears in her eyes as she remembered what had taken place only hours ago.

"I'll find you one day," She said, anger rising in her voice, half-hoping the robot could still hear her. "DO YOU HEAR ME? I'LL FIND YOU! AND WHEN I DO, I'LL KILL YOU!"