The Chanul Chills
Disclaimer: I do not own "Elena of Avalor", "Sofia the First", or any of the characters in either show, especially Zuzo. I had a little help from EnigmaticMind2016 (the OC character "Ovia" was her idea). This story was inspired by the Fairly Odd Parent's episode "The Fairy Flu" and several Danny Phantom mishaps, but otherwise I try to keep it as fit to the Elena of Avalor series as possible, as this is the first time I write something for this series. Enjoy! (And please do not flame, thank you.)
The battle between the Scepter of Light and the Scepter of Night is over… for now. Elena knew that even with Shuriki gone for good. someone else could endanger the kingdom of Avalor through dark magic at any time, so she thought she might as well be ready. Unfortunately, she only mastered level one magic on the Scepter of Light, and the sunbirds insisted that she should review what she already knows for a while before learning anything new. With her sister, Isabel, turning twelve soon, the crown princess figured she might as well take a break anyway, but a little practice here and there should be enough as a precaution, and with Mateo and Zuzo close by, she felt at ease with it, especially since they have the grand hall to themselves for now.
"So, you're saying that what you know is only level one?" asked Mateo, going through the Codex Maru as though he had missed something.
"That's what Quita Moz told me," said Elena, "he didn't say how many levels there were, but I get the feeling that I might need to learn as much as possible if I am to keep Avalor safe long enough to officially become queen, or at least ensure nothing goes wrong at Isa's birthday."
"Oh, please princess," Zuzo chuckled, keeping up his usual sense of humor despite a slight sense of odd discomfort in him, "you don't need magic to do that, all you have to do is be there for her." In that moment, his stripes started to flash, and he gave a rather annoyed look, "Excuse me for a moment." He then disappeared and reappeared, still smiling but his cyan aura glow wasn't as vibrant as usual, "Sibling rivalry… stuffed animal… gets them every time." He then winks… as a chanul with a duty as spirit guide, his job is to act as surrogate conscience for those who need a little extra help doing the right thing, and he is especially fond of doing it with children, even though it does mean repeat business on certain things. "Okay, then, the sooner we get today's review over with, the sooner we can get on with preparing for this fiesta… you might want to put the scepter down for a moment, Elena."
Elena nodded and put the Scepter of Light on the table. This has become routine for them by now: Zuzo comes up with situations which the scepter should be used, and Elena recites which trigger word to use in that situation, and then Mateo conjures a magical obstacle course for her to practice on for real.
"Imprisoned by an enemy—"
"Blaze!"
"—but, needing to sneak out, you find no place to hide between the cage and the exit and thus need to… disappear."
"Oh, right… that would be 'Vanish'."
"Need hidden information—"
"Illuminate!"
"—but you have to get it from several miles away when you're not supposed to leave the castle."
Elena rubbed her arm, looking embarrassed, "Well, in that case, I'd use 'Far-Sight'."
"Need to create a distraction—"
"Envision!"
"—but you have no idea what would interest the one you're distracting as there's literally a wall between you and him at the moment."
"Um, 'Reveal'?" winced Elena, "Zuzo, are you okay? Your ideas for when to use the scepter seem to get more paranoid every day."
"What? No! I'm fine," the spirit fox answered, "it's like you said… better safe than sorry. Besides, you're the one who keeps interrupting, so I think the main danger here is that you have trouble knowing when you have all the facts before springing into action. Bravado doesn't amount to much if you don't look before you leap… believe me, I'm talking from experience on this—" suddenly, a butterfly with purple wings flutters into the room through an open window, and the sight of it startled Zuzo into hiding behind Mateo. His breathing was abnormally rapid.
"Zuzo, calm down," said Mateo, "it was just a butterfly."
The spirit fox teleported himself back to Elena's side. "Oh, so it is…" Zuzo stated, taking a deep breath, "…I thought it was one of Orizaba's moths! Not that I'm scared of her coming back or anything, I mean really, Bobo and Cacahuate got rid of her for good, right?"
Elena nodded, recalling how that awful moth fairy tried to ransom the fox's life for his stripes… the very source of his powers and his one means of going back and forth between the real world and the spirit world… just to get revenge on her. Elena recalled how she got caught trying to save Zuzo, and that if the other chanuls they knew, a monkey named Bobo and a sloth named Cacahuate, hadn't worked together when they did, Orizaba would've sent both of them in a vortex to limbo—where they'd have been erased forever—instead of herself via a banana peel. As far as the crown princess was concerned, Zuzo was handling the ordeal better then she is considering how much longer he was dangled over that vortex, but Elena had no idea how wrong she was.
"Alright, Mateo," said Elena, "set up the obstacle course… it's time we do this for real."
Mateo nodded in understanding… knowing the right and wrong words to trigger the Scepter of Light wasn't enough, for overusing it causes whoever wields it to be drained of energy, unless practiced well enough to know and press the limits. On top of that, Elena has to concentrate to use it to its full potential, and thus needs to know how to handle herself when surrounded by distractions, but she didn't even get a chance to practice for, as soon as the obstacle course was set and she picked up the scepter, an explosion was heard across the castle that caused her to almost drop it as she and Mateo were knocked off their feet!
"Wow! That was impressive, princess!" said Zuzo, "You activated 'blaze' without saying anything!"
"Very funny, Zuzo," Elena responded as she stood up, straightened her tiara, and dusted off her dress, "but that wasn't me!" Concern in her eyes, she waved the scepter towards a blank wall, "Far-Sight!"
In that instant, the wall displayed the image of the soon-to-be-twelve year old princess Isabel working on something in her room… because of multiple inventions, that room was more cluttered then usual, and her dress was covered in soot from the explosion, but she seemed to be alright, saved for a troubled look on her face that didn't go unnoticed by the dowager royalty—hers and Elena's grandparents—who were right in that room with her in no time, or by Zuzo, who teleported himself into the very room of the castle to get an even closer look… Isabel wasn't even in his to-do list, but his curiousity and the sense that something was off got the better of the spirit fox, as he watched on in the center of the doorway, unseen to the room's occupants, he crossed his legs in an almost gentlemanly manner, leaning forward to watch the three other members of the royal family. He was familiar with Elena's grandparents, but he'd never had the chance to properly observe the little princess.
"Are you sure you're alright, mijita?" Luisa questioned, her green eyes shining with worry. "Yes, Abuela," Isabel responded patiently despite that being the fifth time she was asked in as many minute… if it had even been that many. "I'm sorry if I worried you, I guess I got a little ahead of myself with this one." Isabel's brown irises lowered to gaze at the scattered remains of her latest invention forlornly. "If you guys don't mind; I'd like to be by myself for a while." The elders exchanged a glance, before Luisa cautiously spoke up. "Actually, Isa, there's something we wanted to talk to you about."
"What's that?" Isabel asked, not sounding the slightest bit interested as she began to inspect the stray prices. "Well, your birthday is coming up in a few days," Luisa gave a momentary pause, looking questioningly at her husband as the girl continued to shift about the parts of her invention, muttering to herself all the while. "And we wanted to know how many of your friends would be attending?" To most, the slight tense and then immediate relaxation of her shoulder muscles would have gone unnoticed. It went unnoticed to her grandparents, who were standing right next to her, it went unnoticed to Elena, who continued to spy around the corner, but it did not go unnoticed to Zuzo.
"I… I don't know." Isabel said, almost with a sense of reluctance, "Tomiko is busy with a part-time job, Professor Ochoa has to work at the Avalor Science Academy, Antonio Agama is out treasure hunting, and I didn't even bother to tell Cristina or Amara when my birthday even is because Quique is throwing an 'I have lasted a whole month without detention' party on the same day. At the rate this is going, I might have to celebrate my birthday with just the family, but that is just fine by me…Ugh! I misplaced my screwdriver again."
Francisco found the screwdriver and gave it to his inventive granddaughter, "Nonsense," he said, "while it is still a while before your quinceañera, it is your twelfth birthday… the last real year of childhood before you are a teenager… and we want to make it count. That is why we sent invitations to the royal family of Enchancia in advance, asking them to bring guests of their own choosing along… it was the least we could do after Princess Sofia helped your sister free us from the enchanted painting."
"And I am sure Princess Caterina of Cariza would love to come." Louisa added.
"Um, yeah… sure, whatever." said Isabel, "Have either of you seen my socket wrench?" she paused in her work to look at her grandmother, "Please, don't invite Cat… I like her enough to consider her as a friend, but the last time we did something together we got into trouble. Uh-oh! I'm out of cotter pins."
Zuzo shook his head. He could tell Isabel was the eccentric yet reserved type, and she could use all the help she could get to loosen up for the party. He rushed back to Elena and Mateo, who saw everything through the far-sight spell, to offer a suggestion: "You got to summon me for the fiesta!"
"What?!" Mateo gasped in confusion. He never thought of summoning a spirit guide as a party favor… the very concept of it didn't seem appropriate, especially for a kid's party.
Elena, however, was able to see through Zuzo's crazy idea. "Zuzo, are you suggesting this this because something is bothering my sister," she asked, "or because you really, REALLY want to go."
"Hmm, a little bit of both," the spirit fox confessed, "mostly because I want to go. Seriously, though, something about the guest list is bothering her, and I thought a real party animal like me could liven things up a little!" He let out a playful laugh, when all of a sudden he started shivering, and the walls began to coat with frost. Zuzo's smile quickly faded away, "Uh oh! I must be catching it."
"Catching what?" Asked Elena, worried.
"The Chanul Chills!" Zuzo answered, "It's an ailment that only those from the spirit world get."
"Oh! I've read about that in one of my grandfather's journals," said Mateo, "it normally goes away after two or three days, but if left untreated, it could cause Zuzo to lose control of his ghostly powers."
"Anything could happen!" Zuzo gasped, pulling his ears in panic.
"Well, then, maybe you shouldn't come to my sister's party," sighed Elena, "there's no telling what kind of problems you'd cause Zuzo! Maybe you should go home and get some rest."
Zuzo hesitated, "Princess, normally that would be great advice, but… well… while it doesn't spread so much in the land of the living, it is highly contagious to other spirits; don't want to cause an epidemic. Oh no! It is better that I quarantine myself here until it runs its course! Besides, I don't even feel that sick."
No sooner did he say that, did the fox let out a sneeze, and the temperature in the hallway plummeted. Elena gasped at the sudden chill, the breath puffing out of her mouth in a wispy white cloud, as she brought her arms up in an attempt to lock in her warmth. "Elena, look!" Mateo hissed urgently trying not to be heard by Isa and the others. Elena's eyes followed the wizard's pointing finger to the window. The glass was frosting over with ice and snow. "Uh oh," Zuzo muttered teleporting to hover just behind Elena, looking at the window from over her shoulder. The glass began to fracture, tracing long complicated patterns across its surface, before shattering into a thousand tiny pieces and raining down on the floor.
The noise of that did not go unheard. "What's going on over there?" Chancellor Esteban's voice was heard to say from another part of the castle. He quickly stormed through the halls to investigate. "Honestly, if Isabel cannot work on her inventions without blowing something up, then—" he paused upon seeing Elena and Mateo near the ice shattered glass.
"Um, hi Esteban," Mateo said, smiling and waving nervously, "I was just… um… trying to perfect what Merlin would call a 'Wizard Blizzard '." A nervous chuckle escaped him.
"Hmm." said Esteban, clearly unconvinced. He had been working for Shuriki long enough to had seen several kinds of indoor blizzards before. In his 41 years of experience, this ice clearly wasn't made by nature or magic, and there is no way Isabel's science could have anything to do with it… her room was as warm and dry as ever. "I wouldn't blame yourself this time Mateo. There is only one force that could have caused this mess: there is a ghost in the castle!"
Zuzo was offended! "Hey! I'm not a ghost! I'm a chanul! A spirit guide!" he corrected, pulling a handkerchief for himself out of thin air so he could blow his nose, "There's a difference!"
Knowing that Zuzo's protest would go unheard to Esteban, Elena made up her mind to step in, "Well, whatever it is, cousin, I'm sure our unseen guest is friendly enough."
"Friendly or not, Elena, this spirit is clearly destructive!" Esteban stated, before glaring at Mateo, "You better do something to keep it from causing any more harm, or so help me, if this ghost causes anything to go wrong during Isabel's birthday party, I will have to hire an exorcist to get rid of it!" With that said, he stormed off.
Zuzo's eyes widened, "An exorcist?!" He groaned, "Sheesh! Talk about overreacting! If an exorcism was done on me: poof! No more Zuzo, physically or spirituality! Honestly, princess, I may have frozen the windows, but you cousin has real ice in his veins."
"But he does have a point Zuzo," Elena said as she turned to face the fox. "We can't have Windows exploding at Isa's party."
"That would be kind of a downer," Zuzo conceded, "that kid looks like she's having a bad enough time as it is. Alright, I know what we need, trouble is, I don't know where to find it."
"What is it?" Elena asked, "we can help look for it."
"It's a collar," Zuzo sneezed again, making a nearby bust levitate off of its perch, before crashing to the ground. "What was that?" Esteban's voice demanded from down the hall.
"Nothing!" The teenagers exclaimed together. "Oh, excuse me," Zuzo said wiping his nose again. "Anyway the collar will lock my spiritual abilities inside me by turning me into a mortal fox and then the cold will run its course naturally." Elena eyed the mess around them grimly, her cousin's threat still ringing in her ears.
"We've gotta find that collar."
"Although it would help a lot, Zuzo," said Mateo, "if we knew what this collar looked like."
Zuzo sighed, and momentarily conjured the likeness of a Mayan/Aztec piece of jewelry, "It's an old Maruvian design," he explained, "a piece of turquoise in the center of the tag, old inscriptions embroidered into the leather strap, you can't miss it." The ghostly model of the collar vanished as quickly as it appeared.
"Alright, I'm off to the temples then, I'll be back as soon as I can." Mateo said as he rushed down the hallway, careful to avoid the fallen glass. "I should let Cacahuate know about this as soon as I get to the jungle… if we can't find the collar, he'd at least be able to help me find some herbs for an incense compound that might do the trick in speeding the healing process."
Zuzo made a face. He knew what Mateo was talking about and hated the thought of having to take that kind of medicine. See, incense always made the fox spirit sleepy, and there is no way he's missing out on a party, Chanul Chills or not. Before he could voice a complaint, however, Mateo had already left.
"Well," said Elena, "I guess this means I should look everywhere else. Okay, Zuzo. Where would Alkazar have kept this collar?"
The spirit tapped his chin in thought. "Tough to say, I mean you don't exactly have a room for magic fox collars, do you?"
"Not for fox collars, but we do keep the hunting dogs' collars in the stables. Maybe he put it there?"
Zuzo shrugged, "anything's possible when it comes to Al and his secrets. Lead the way, princess!"
"Hey, Elena, going for a ride?" Gabe called out to her as she sprinted for the stable doors. Zuzo, unseen, was flying just behind her. "Nope, just forgot something in the barn!" she excused as she hauled the heavy door open. Once safely inside, with the door closed, she spoke to the fox. "Okay, Zuzo, you go check up on the loft, shout out if you find it."
"You got it, princess!" Zuzo said cheerily, disappearing in a flash of cyan light. Elena had to admit, searching around the stables for a missing collar was not as easy as it sounded. After she checked the tack room, where she had assumed it would be, she peered over into the stall of every horse, and even checked around the horse feed.
Nothing turned up.
"Zuzo, any luck?" She called up the stairs to the loft. The spirit appeared in a flash, looking worse for wear. "Sorry, princess, it's not up there." Zuzo's voice was stuffy and lacking its usual chipperness, and his bright blue fur had dulled several shades. "Oh," Elena said, feeling nothing but sympathy for the fox, "we've got to find that collar."
The next place they had thought of was Alcazar's workshop, hidden in the palace. They found a lot of curious things in there, but no collar. Elena was growing desperate, and soon enough she was digging around in the one place she could think to look: her parents' old wardrobe.
"Are you sure you mom might have confused the collar for one of her necklaces?" Zuzo sniffled, looking as though he's pass out at any moment, "I seriously doubt it would fit her."
"Maybe," sighed Elena, digging through the dusty piles of clothes, half surprised that moths didn't eat anything after forty one years of neglect, "but we might as well check, just in case."
"Elena?" The sound of her Grandma Louisa's voice startled the crown princess into hitting her head on one of the wardrobe shelves. She turned around fast, and saw both her grandparents looking at her.
"You seem to be rushing all over the place today," said her grandfather, Francisco, "Are you looking for something?"
"Abuelo! Abuela!" Elena yelped "Oh, no, I'm just-" Zuzo broke out into a harsh coughing fit, cutting her off. Pillows flew across the room, smacking the wall with a dull thump. "I was looking for one of Mami's old necklaces," she made a point not to look at Zuzo, despite the fact that he sounded like he was about to cough up a lung, and she refused to look at the pillows either. "I wanted to give it to Isa for her birthday."
Unlike Elena, the elderly couple stared at the pillows for a few moments, before looking back at their granddaughter. "Are you sure you're not a wizard, Elena?" Francisco asked. "That would certainly explain all of the strange things happening today." I suppose that makes sense. I as close to my grandparents as Elena is to hers, but my grandma is a bit more strict, and my grandpa is a bit more scatterbrained, so that could be why I have a hard time finding the right dialog for this part of the story. I could try anyway, though.
"That wasn't me, abuelo." said Elena, shaking her head. She knew that she might as well tell the truth, before Esteban shows up and turns the situation for the worst. "Promise that you won't freak out?"
Louisa and Francisco looked at Elena, then at each other, and then back at their granddaughter.
"Elena, the two of us had lived long enough to had seen and heard quite a lot," Louisa said, gently taking her granddaughter by the hand, "whatever it is you have to tell us, I am sure it won't be too surprising."
"I doubt that." Elena muttered under her breath, only for her ailing spirit fox friend to tap her on the shoulder.
"It's alright, you can tell them," said Zuzo, "they may not be able to see and hear me right now without a summoning, but they attended several of those to know about me... some less embarrassing then others... but just ask them, and you'll see what I mean. Maybe they could even help us out."
Elena nodded and took a deep breath, "Abuelo, Abuela... I could see ghosts, well, sort of. That ability seems to be at it's peek during Dias de los Muetos, but the rest of the year, it seems I could only see Alakazar's spirit animal guide, a certain fox you might know about?"
Luisa and Francisco were stunned for a moment, but they seemed to take the news rather well. In fact, they broke out into a good humored burst of laughter.
"Well, I'll be." said Luisa at laughed, "You ended up connected with Zuzo rather then finding a chanul of your own? I don't know what to make of it; I hadn't seen that rascal since the night after your parents got married."
Elena realized the laughter was more of hilarious memories of past summons then of sarcasm, for there was no other way they could have known the spirit fox's name. "Guys, this is no laughing matter!" she told her grandparents, "Zuzo needs our help for once. He came down with the Chanul Chills, his spiritual abilities are already out of control, and if I cannot find that collar Alakazar left for him, Isa's party would be a total disaster!"
"Oh, well why didn't you say so in the first place?" Fransisco said with a smile, as he reached into his pocket, "I happen to have it with me, see?" Sure enough, he pulled out the very collar that Elena and Zuzo were looking for.
Elena took the collar, eyes wide in astonishment. "Where did you find it?!" she gasped.
"I've been hanging onto it for forty one years," he explained, "In fact, it was just before Shiriki invaded that I noticed that Alakazar had dropped it right in the middle of the throne room. I was going to return it to him, but during that disaster, he explained that the enchanted painting would keep me, my wife, and Isabel safe."
"So you kept you mouth shut, thinking that keeping it in your pocket while we were in the painting would keep the collar safe as well," sighed Louisa, just as surprised as Elena, "Oh, Fransisco, what am I to do with you."
"Well, it worked, didn't it?" Francisco replied, giving his wife a wink, "anyhow, Elena, you better not waste your time finding Zuzo and putting that collar on him. It has been a while since he was last in a mortal body, but it would be much safer for him and everyone else if you had just got it over with."
"Um, he's in the room right now, abuelo," said Elena, noticing the spirit fox was hovering on the ceiling, right over the bed, "and don't worry, I'll put it on him right away... just as soon as I could reach him. Hey! Get down from there right now!"
"Not until you promise that you won't put it on so tight!" Zuzo yelled, freezing the ceiling as he sneezed, "I'm much more comfortable with any situation when I am able to breathe!"
"It reminds me of a story," Francisco said strumming a few bars on his guitar. "He's not going to tell the start I think he's going to tell is he?" Zuzo said still hovering close to the ceiling, bit unwittingly drifting down to better hear Fransico.
"Many years ago, when Alakazar was just appointed as an apprentice to the previous Royal wizard, he was asked to entertain a group of nobles invited to the palace to show off his skill."
"Oh he is!" Zuzo fretted slapping a paw to his forehead, ears folding back with his embarrassment. "C'mon Fransico," Zuzo said flashing to the elder's side, "any story but this one!" However, Elena was the only one to hear his plea and laughed quietly at his embaressment. And then she remembered the collar held loosely in her grip. This was the perfect time, while he was distracted!
"Alakazar thought that summoning his Chanul would be an excellent show of his skill and ability to seek higher knowledge when his own powers failed him, only Alkazar had never summoned his Chanul before. So he summoned me and your grandmother as audience while he practiced, it would be far easier for him to perform in front of more familiar faces...or so he thought."
"I can't believe you're doing this to me," Zuzo groaned, "I'm having flashbacks." He sneezed again and the mirror near the wardrobe shattered. "Oops!"
It was just a typical day in the spirit world, playing hide and seek with his classmates in Chanul School between studies, a young fox who had yet to earn his stripes hid in the fields of mazico… magic corn… knowing that they'd never find him there because the stalks were off limits to undergrads, but as he was hiding one ear of that corn got stuck in his tail, and he heard an oddly familiar yet strange voice do an incantation: "Illuminara Alakazar Wayhojel!" The resulting sensation of being pulled from the spirit world and into the living world by any power other than his own was quite the shock for the young spirit animal, but probably not nearly as shocking as actually seeing the events take place and being seen! The initial glow of light that signaled Alakazar had finally gotten his incantation right was a proud moment, until the fox tumbled out of the light with a startled cry and bounces off of the floor like a basketball. Luisa yelped in fright, green irises widening to the size of dinner plates, while both men looked on with dropped jaws and equally wide eyes. He was small for a fox, only a kit by the looks of it, and clearly startled out of his wits. "What trickery is this?" Zuzo yelped, "What sort of spirits are you?"
"I am not a spirit," the young wizard-in-training explained, "I'm a human, we all are."
"You mean real humans?" they young fox pondered, "Really real? Not just drawings in the books I have to study?"
"Si," said Alakazar, "and I am practicing my magic so I can summon my spirit guide and help the royal family."
"Well, you must've gotten the wrong chanul!" Zuzo explained, "I may be a chanul, but I hadn't earned my stripes yet… I'm still learning to be a spirit guide."
"That's okay," said Alakazar, "because I am still learning to be a wizard."
Zuzo thought for a moment, "Well, maybe after we both learned, we can work together… if my elders would allow it… I kind of like you."
"And I really like you… it's like we are already connected or something. My name is Alakazar."
"That's a nice name, though I might take me a while to get used to saying it. I'm Zuzo."
Before they could say anymore, however, one of the Chanul Elders found the little fox and dragged him back to the Spirit World by the ear… even though it was by accident, he was in trouble for "stealing" a mazico and had to scrub floors for a week before he could finish his studies, let alone have the privilege of being the spirit guide to Alakazar, who by then was a full-fledged wizard.
"It was humerous indeed," Francisco concluded, "it's sad I didn't see more of the spirit. I'm glad to know you have made a friend in him, Elena. Elena?" Fransico looked questioningly at his granddaughter who seemed to be trying to sneak up on him with the collar.
"Gotcha!" Elena cried as she used one arm to loop around the spirit's middle and the other to fit the collar around Zuzo's neck. "Hey!" Zuzo gasped, "I said not so tight!" It was then that collar took its effect.
Elena was unprepared to be carrying the weight of a fully grown fox in her arms and reflexively dropped her arms to her sides, dropping Zuzo in the process. The fox landed on his head with a pained Yelp, quickly followed up by a hasty "I'm okay!"
Everyone stared in shock at the animal on the floor, having expected, but not really believing what they were seeing. Zuzo slowly stood up on his paws, the action in and of itself a little foreign for him. As a result, he swayed when he finally stood, trying to figure out how to balance himself properly. With that done, he looked up at the princess, who was looking down at him.
"Are you alright, princess?"
Elena seemed not to have heard of him. She wasn't sure what to expect when you "de-spiritualized" a spirit animal, but it wasn't this. Zuzo stood at the hight and width of an average male fox, though his ears did retain that slight flop, and even though he no longer looked it, you could sense the otherworldliness about him. Or maybe that was just her. His fur had faded from its brilliant cyan color to fiery red and soft grey, accented with deep mahogany markings, except his legs, the fur there had turned black. His eyes though, his eyes hadn't changed a bit. They glowed up at her as vibrantly blue as they had ever been… though they might be just a little too bright to be considered natural.
"Zuzo," Fransisco spoke up on his granddaughter's behalf, "is that you old friend?" Zuzo grinned up at the elder, showing off pearly white teeth. "In the flesh," he enthused, "literally!" But just as suddenly, the fox sneezed and then flinched, waiting to see what might happen next and gave a cheer when the room remained the way it had been before the sneeze. "Alright, it worked!" The fox literally leapt for joy, temporarily forgetting he was now bound to the planet by gravity, and subsequently ended up falling flat on his face. Luisa laughed softly, doing her best to hide it behind her hand. "Oh, Zuzo, you haven't changed a bit."
Elena shook herself to her senses. "You okay, Zuzo?"
"Yeah," Zuzo nodded, as he struggled to get to his feet, "this happens every time… but you know more about that then anyone, don't you?"
Elena knew what the now mortal fox meant: while her sister and grandparents were frozen in time in the enchanted painting, and thus otherwise unaffected, she herself had been aware of everything while she was trapped in the Amulet of Avalor, but had eventually forgotten how to walk, and had to remind herself again once she was set free… maybe dispiriting a spirit animal was almost the same thing.
"Here," she told Zuzo, as she let him lean on her arm until he regained his balance, "let me help."
"Thanks, but I think I can figure this out." Zuzo smiled, coughing, "After all, it's been only, oh, 72 years give or take last time I got collared and grounded."
"Well," said Louisa, "I am sure you can figure out how to walk again on your way to bed, Zuzo. I'll have a basket and blankets ready for you soon enough."
"And I will inform the servants that we have an ailing fox in our temporary care," added Francisco, "just to make sure nobody tries to harm our unusual guest until he recovers."
Zuzo let out a heavy sigh. If there was one thing more embarrassing then the story of his first summoning, it's the fact he has to adapt to being a regular house pet until he recovers. Still, it was better then risking the odds of exorcism, so the fox did his best not to complain, even though his discomfort was obvious to the crown princess… she could see how much Zuzo struggled to mount the stairs, his legs feeling equally too weak to support him and too heavy to move with the ease he was used too.
"Are you sure you don't want me to just carry you to my room, Zuzo?" Elena offered kindly.
"Thanks, but no thanks, princess." Zuzo grinned up at her. "I got to get used to this mortal body somehow." He caught himself on a stumble, pulling a worried gasp out of Elena's throat, but he went on, completely unperturbed. "Besides, if you were able to master walking after forty-one years being bottled up in an amulet, then it should be easy for me."
"Well, okay, if you say so." Elena conceded.
All at once, Zuzo felt a rippling of magic through his fur, pulsing urgently through his system in a way that a mortal body was not used to experiencing. He cane to clumsy stop in the middle of the hallway as the vision took hold of him, projecting the image of a young boy of about seven creeping toward a plate a cookies while his brother's back was turned.
"Ugh!" The fox groaned. "Can't this kid give me a break?"
"Are you okay?" Elena asked, concerned both by the stress present on the fox's face, an alien sight on its own, and by his ever faltering stride.
"I'm fine." Zuzo sniffed, voice slightly stuffy. "It's just that I completely forgot to assign someone to take on my spirit guide duties while I recover."
A warm tingling of magic brushed through his fur, nearly making him sigh in contentment, giving away the presence of another spirit. He recognized the energy immediately and, smiling like a dope, began scanning the hallways for any sign of her.
"You mean like a substitute?" Elena inquired of him, heedless of his near amorous state, but it effectively snapped him out of it. "Spirit guides do that?"
"Of course!" Zuzo chirped, mood lifted by the magic still tingling along his spine. "Even Chanuls have their off days."
"So, how are you going to get someone to cover you? You're stuck in a mortal body, remember?"
Before Zuzo could speak, a sweet voice chimed down the hallway, "has anyone seen my blueprint journal? I can't find it."
Isabel came trotting down the hallway, curious eyes roaming for any signs of her lost book, a few servants pausing in their daily chores to assist, but that wasn't what made Elena's jaw unhinge.
Hovering over Isabel's shoulder was an irredescent cyan fox, Elena might've thought it was Zuzo, but this fox was smaller, and female.
"Is that...?"
"Isabel's spirit guide?" Zuzo filled in. "Sure is! Her names's Ovia, she's a recent graduate."
"What's she doing?" Elena asked, curious as the vixen kept tapping at her little sister's shoulder, projecting arrows above her head, pointing back down the hallway.
"Oh, that's how she communicates." Zuzo explained. "She's a little shy." He paused, "a lot shy, but she does good work, Isabel's lucky to have her."
"You seem fond of her." Elena grinned, a mischievous sparkle in her eye.
"Oh, I think I left it back here, somewhere." Isabel said, subconsciously getting her guide's message, much to Ovia's relief.
"We have a connection." Zuzo explained, "as mentor and student, of course—totally professional, and I actually need to speak with her about my replacement, I'll meet you in your room, okay, princess?"
"Sure, Zuzo." Elena agreed, grin never faltering as she walked away, calling back over her shoulder to him. "She seems nice, you should bring her around sometime!"
The temporarily mortal fox looked a bit embarrassed, but quickly brushed it aside to catch up to his fellow Chanul.
When he found her, Ovia was hovering outside of Isabel's door, seemingly caught in the same trance she'd put on him a few minutes prior. He smirked; glad to know he had the same effect on her, before promptly exchanging that approach for something more friendly.
"Hey… O." He called out to her, drawing her attention to him. She looked confused for a moment, before recognition dawned on her face, followed by a bright smile as she zoomed down to him.
"Wait!" Zuzo called, holding up a paw to ward off the oncoming embrace. Ovia looked hurt for a moment, but then caught sight of his collar. She projected an image of it, followed by a question mark.
"It's just temporary." He explained, and then whipped his head around to sneeze, causing a vase to topple over nearby. He shook his head, "It could be worse… without my collar on, that would've frosted over and broke!"
An exclamation point appeared over her head, showcasing her surprise, before her feature softened into gentle concern. An image of an uncomfortable looking Zuzo with a paw held to his forehead appeared, followed by another question mark.
"Yeah, I'm a little sick, but don't worry, a few days in this mortal body and I'll be good as new."
Confusion swept across her face again as she began projecting more images for him: the collar paired with a question mark, followed by the door to his den paired with an image of his bed, and another question mark.
"Staying in my mortal body is what's best, Ovia. I don't want to make anyone else sick." Zuzo explained firmly, but gently. But there was a panic in his eyes, a hauntedness, that didn't go unnoticed to Ovia.
An image of a frightful Zuzo, followed by a moth, and a sick Zuzo appeared above her head.
Surprise swept across Zuzo's features, "you know about Orizaba." It wasn't a question. "Who told you?"
She projected an image of Cacahuate, and the male fox sighed.
She projected another question mark.
"I'm fine." Zuzo said, voice a little harder than he'd intended. Hurt flashed across Ovia's features, her ears falling back, and tail tucking just slightly.
Realizing his error, Zuzo immediately tried to reassure her. "Hey, Hey." He cooed. "I didn't mean it like that. I just want to recover here, okay?"
Ovia nodded, looking a little less like a scolded kit.
"I actually have a favor to ask, if your up to it?"
The vixen's ears perked with interest. Zuzo wasn't the sort that often asked for help, he must've been really down.
At her nod, Zuzo plowed forward.
"I need you to take care of my humans, just until I get better!" Zuzo rushed to explain as the panic rook her again. "Please, Ovia. I don't want to risk going to the Spirit World like this."
Ovia's expression softened up again and she nodded. Zuzo always got the tough cases, much too tough for her she was sure, but she knew he wouldn't ask, if he didn't need her.
"I found it!" Isabel cried joyously, from behind Ovia, who whipped around to see the young girl holding her blueprint journal up proudly.
Realization came crashing down on her, Isa was her only day shift at the moment, and with her predisposed with Zuzo's kids, she'd need someone to guide the young princess in her absence.
Facing Zuzo again, she projected his face, followed by an eye, and a picture of Isabel.
"Oh!" Zuzo seemed surprised. "Sure, I can watch her for you."
Nodding, she held her paw out to him, and he took it, trying hard to ignore the warm tingling he felt when he did so.
Ovia spoke the incantation in a quiet tremoring voice, resulting in her stripes flashing and his fur raising.
Outwardly, there was no difference, but both foxes had just swapped their caseloads, one to the other, until further notice.
"Oh, I should mention," Zuzo grinned somewhat mischievously, "Gustavo is after his brother's cookies again."
An exclamation point appeared above her head, expression morphing into surprised indignation, before her stripes started flashing.
Expression flattening, severely unamused, Ovia projected another set of images: a four leaf clover, followed by a heart, and a an image of Zuzo.
The mortal fox was left with a slightly racing heart as Ovia proofed away.
He peered in on Isa, working in her journal, before making his way to Elena's room where a warm bed was waiting for him, with Ovia's parting message- good luck, I love you- imprinted on his mind… the image of the four-leaf clover and the heart repeating in his head like a meditative mantra, soothing him somehow, and yet his mind was buzzing as he replayed it over and over without paying attention to where he was.
Did she meant it? How did she mean it, exactly, they were close, but that didn't mean Ovia wanted them to be that close. Or did it?
Zuzo huffed, Shaking his head and successfully dislodging his thoughts, he'd need to talk to her soon.
"So, how did it go?" Elena asked playfully, startling the temporarily mortal fox. He hadn't realized he'd reached her room. "Did she agree to substitute?"
Zuzo coughed, chest aching with it, before he spoke. "Oh, sure, she agreed easily enough. I just have to watch your sister until..."
Blame it on the stuffy head, but the realization just hit him. "...I have to watch your sister..." Cyan eyes blew impossibly wide. "...while I'm sick..." Breathing was becoming a little difficult now, and it wasn't just because of the collar. "...A-And powerless!"
"You're a great spirit guide l, Zuzo, I'm sure you'll do fine." Elena soothed. "Besides, it's just temporary."
"Yeah, but I've never been so limited before." Zuzo fretted, the fur along his spine raising with his distress. "I can't channel my magic in this form, what help could I be trapped in this form?" He shuddered, but not from cold, feeling his nose sting with the desire to sneeze. "This is a disaster."
"Hey." Elena, perched on the edge of her bed, reached out and gently scratched his head. "You'll be fine, besides, Isa's a great kid. I'm sure she's not such a tough case."
Zuzo knew that wasn't true, he'd sat with Ovia many times while she fretted over the youngest royal's well-being, but, he wasn't going to tell Elena that. Not yet anyway.
"Maybe." Zuzo replied evasively, ear twitching in an uncharacteristically insecure manner.
"Glad you see it my way." Elena grinned. "Now get some sleep, you're going to need it."
Zuzo didn't object and moved over the blanket filled basket, curling up snuggly. Spirits didn't need sleep, not the way humans did anyway, but Zuzo was tired. He just hadn't realized how tired until he laid down, aching body finally relaxing as he curled his tail around his legs.
Eyelids weighing heavy, Zuzo rested his head. As he succumbed to sleep, the dreamscapes painted a picture of a beautiful, flower specked meadow.
Below him, two foxes were at play, scarlet fur shining brilliantly in the sunlight as they tumbled and lovingly rubbed noses, before springing up and beginning the chase anew
Zuzo couldn't help but think that the pair struck him as familiar, as if, he'd seen them, before. In fact...the male looked eerily like himself, and-and was that vixen supposed to be Ovia?
His heart hammered, but he wasn't given time to dwell on it as the scene began to change. Stripping away the playful foxes and presenting him with something much more ominous.
He gasped as he collided into something fine and silken, but imposzibly sticky.
Moths fluttered about, purple wings bright in the dark, but no comfort was found in them. Instead, dread pooled in his stomach, and he began to writhe.
"No, no, no!" He panted, struggling for his freedom. "Wake up, wake up, wake up!" How many nights had he had this nightmare? How many times had it invaded his mind as he meditated?
A scream permeated the air, stopping his heart, and filling his veins with ice. Momentarily, stopping his struggle, he looked, finding Elena caught up in the web.
"Princess!" He yelped, but she wasn't looking at him, didn't even seen to hear him, as she shook. Following her gaze, Zuzo paled at the sight of a spider, massive and long-legged, creeping its way toward the princsss. It's face twitched grotesquely as it reshaped itself, forming the cackling face of Orizaba! "Let her go!" Zuzonexclaimed, beginning his struggle anew. "Take me instead!"
"You're in no position to bargain!" Orizaba hissed, mouth parting to show off gleaming white fangs. "I'll get to you soon enough."
As Orizaba dove for the princess, fangs aimed at her neck, a blinding white light sparked into existance, washing away the horrible scene.
Free again, hovering in the faded light, Zuzo waited with trepidation for whatever his subconscious would make him face next.
"Do not let any troublesome thoughts disturb your rest, old friend"
The voice was aged and wisened, but spoke with warmth. It was a familiar voice to the fox, but one he hadn't heard in a long time.
"Al?" Zuzo inquired with an unusual amount of hesitance, but his thoughts were confirmed as the old wizard manifested himself. "Alakazar!"
Suddenly overcome, Zuzo rushed forward into Alakazar's arms, pressing right into his chest, as a frightened kit would it's parent. It was a bit unusual, given that the fox was usually the one offering comfort and advice, but Zuzo was just too unnerved to care.
"You look terrible, old man." Zuzo chuckled into the human's robes.
"You're not exactly a sight for sore eyes at the moment either, my furry friend." Alakazar said, earning a hum from the fox as he massaged Zuzo's scarp, and worked his way down until his fingers brush the fox's collar.
"Ovia sent word that you weren't well, and thought it might be worthwhile for me to pay you a visit." Alakazar explained. "I did not think it was so bad that you would succumb to fever dreams."
"Not just a dream." Zuzo said as he finally pulled himself out of Alakazar's hold. "Orizaba kidnapped me and held Elena and ransomed our lives for my spirit stripes." Cyan ears folded back, displaying the fox's dismay as he spoke. "I wasn't strong enough to protect Elena, and now, in this condition? There's no way I could...I-if it were to happen again, I..."
Zuzo let his sentence hang open. His doubt and worry wafting off of him in waves, it wasn't hard to guess his meaning.
"I was cornered, Al." Zuzo explained. "Completely out of moves. It was the worst Checkmate I've ever been faced with in my life."
"Surely you know better than anyone not to quit the game over one bad play." Alakazar spoke. "Losing a game should not discourage you from playing again, it's the only way you'll ever hope to win."
Zuzo's ears twitched hearing his own words used against him. "W-who said anything about quitting," he stated, "I'm still doing my job, I'm just not sure if I had been doing it… well." he sighed and shook his head, "I am not sure if I could do this, even though I want to help Isabel, but what use am I to her in this state?"
Alakazar grimaced, "Listen carefully to me, my friend," the wizard stated, "just because you have to do things differently than you are used to doesn't mean it cannot be done! No one said it would be easy, but I believe you and Isabel will both grow from the experience… you can relate to her on a mortal level now. You both have problems and you can help each other to solve them."
"Well… most of them," said Zuzo, "I still don't feel safe in my own house, not after what Orizaba put me through."
"Do not worry about that now, Zuzo… a council shall be held on the Ancestral Branch of the Spirit World Tree as soon as you recover. For now, I must return to my book… the secret Story Keeper's Library is powerless without me, and besides, I might be able to help find remedies for your condition."
"Do you have to go now?"
"Do not worry, my friend… I will not be too far out of reach. If you need me, meditate and we shall hear each other, but for now, you best get some rest, and remember what I had told you."
After that Alakazar disappeared a quickly as he had come, and Zuzo remained in a dreamless slumber for the rest of the night until- BOOM! -an explosion woke him up late the next morning. he took a moment to pull himself together, recalling why he was even here in mortal form, while Elena… used to these things… pulled a pillow over her head.
"Isa… why are you up so early?" the crown princess muttered, half asleep, "Not even abuela and the Royal cook gets up at this hour."
"Early?" said Zuzo, struggling as he hopped out of his own bed and into Elena's, "it's almost ten-o-clock! You better get up quickly, or your food is going to get cold." All the same, he began to wonder if Elena had a point… after what sleep here had, restless as it was, he felt a little bit better, but he could tell he was still sick; he really should be sleeping. Before he had a chance to return to his basket and lay down, however, his fur tingled and a vision overcame him:
Isabel was in her room flipping through pages of her journal… her skin, hair, and pajamas were covered in ashes, and she was emotionally shook up, but was otherwise okay. "Oh no! Not again!" he heard her mutter to herself, "I just don't know what went wrong, and I am running out of time. If I can't invent something that is both impressive and useful in time for my own birthday, I'll have to reinvent myself to amaze anyone at my own fiesta!"
"What?! That's not true!" Zuzo said as he snapped back to where he was in the here and now, and he wasted no time getting to Isabel's room for real. Alakazar was right: Chanul Chills or not… mortal body or no… he is still a spirit guide, and this little girl needs him! Besides, he didn't feel as shivery as he was yesterday. Maybe I'm over it, he thought, but I should test that out later, because right now, something else is going on.
And as fast as he could, he followed the noise to Isabel's room, but he wasn't the only one investigating... Esteban was already inside.
"What is all the racket in there?!" the grand councilor had asked, in a firm tone.
"Sorry about that, cousin," Isabel said, turning off her latest invention, "my artic wind simulator was supposed to provide a light breeze for the comfort of those visiting from much colder countries, but it's been making strange noises instead. I must have wired it improperly."
"Yes, about your inventions..." Esteban sighed, pulling up a foot stool (or at least it looked like one) and sitting down, "I was going to discuss this with your sister and the grand council before we have this talk, but I believe it is for the best that I say this to you now."
Isabel saw what her cousin was sitting on, and noticed the lever on it was accidently triggered when he bent his knees, and she began to look worried, "Um, Esteban..." she murmured.
"As glad as I am to see your creative ways again, and as certain as I am that your handiwork could improve Avalor at the very least, I must say that the malfunctions in your creations are causing quite an uproar in the castle, and at the rate you've been making things, you might soon run out of space in your own bedroom," Esteban continued, unaware that his own seat was glowing and getting warmer, "which is saying a lot because there is a lot of space in here."
"Esteban..."
"So, I think it is for the best that we move your inventions to a more appropriate area. I do not want to force the idea on you, but I think it's for the best that you at least consider my offer... and..." Esteban started sniffing the air as his rear end was starting to smoke, "Hey! What is Abuela cooking in the kitchen? It smells like roast pig."
"Esteban! That's not a foot stool!" Isabel finally blurted out, "Get up!"
Esteban looked at his own rear end just as his clothes started to catch on fire, and then he screamed, ran a bit, and then he stopped, dropped, and rolled on the ground until the fire was out. "What just happened?!" he gasped, once the danger was passed.
"I tried to tell you, cousin," explained Isabel, flipping the off lever on the accidental hot seat, "you were sitting on, and accidently turned on, yet another invention I created: a self-lighting, portable fireplace for royal camping trips. It just happens to look like a foot stool because that was the kind of frame I used on account of what is available."
Esteban took a deep breath. He might have gotten stuffy from Shiriki's reign, but he also became more patient, especially when it comes to his beloved family. "We she continue this discussion tomorrow, Isabel," he said on the way out, "after your birthday party, during the grand council meeting." With that said, he strutted out...humiliated, but still dignified.
"I'm so sorry, Esteban." Isabel sighed, before getting back to her work, only to be stopped in her tracks by the sound of someone laughing. She left her room and went into the halls to investigate, but all she saw was a strange red fox, rolling on the floor laughing himself silly over what he just saw.
"It served him right!" Zuzo said, pausing to catch his breath but still full of the giggles, "It served him right! Ha-ha-ha!" He would have gone on laughing for a really long time if he didn't quickly get stopped by a coughing fit. Isabel, looking worried, carried the strange yet funny fox into her room and, with a bit of a struggle with his weight, placed him on her bed. "Are you okay?" Isabel said, loosening the collar two notches (which might have been one notch too many) and stroking the fox's back until the coughing passed.
"I think so," Zuzo said with a relieved smile, finally able to breath properly, "thanks."
"You must be the fox my grandparents were talking to the staff about last night," stated Isabel, gently rubbing Zuzo between the ears, "They claimed my sister Elena found you in the barn, sick and injured, and she put the collar on you so some hunter would know not to make it worse before you recover completely..." she frowned at what she felt, "you seem to have a fever and a bump on the head, but I better give my medical inventions a test run on you to make sure. I'll be back as soon as I can with them, dear fox."
Zuzo frowned hearing that, he didn't like the fact he was still sick, but he recalled what Alakazar told him and decided to play along, "You can just call me Zuzo," he said, "and I assume you are the birthday princess I heard about. They said you are quite the inventor, but I didn't know you had medical skills too."
"Well, not really," said Isabel, bringing out a bag full of medical tools that might be a tad ahead of their time, "but I often aim to be a Jill of all trades to find inspiration for my inventions, especially if they are to make the world a better place." She pulled out a tiny light made of a crystal and a tube-like container filled with a strange liquid, and used it to take a better look at Zuzo's eyes, ears, nose and mouth. "Hmm. No sign of an earache, and your eyes are surprisingly bright for a sick fox, but Zuzo, your nose seems a tad stuffed up and your throat looks a sore shade of red." She paused upon hearing a growling noise, "When was the last time you had food and liquids?"
"Um, you could say it has been awhile." said Zuzo, and in a way, he meant it. As a spirit fox, he didn't actually need to eat or drink, but would and could do both anyway more out of luxury then necessity, like the last time Alakazar gave him an offering to thank him for his help, or when he raided the buffet after leading the conga line with other spirit animal guides at that Day of the Dead party he attended. Now that he was mortal, however, he couldn't stand to wait for a special occasion to feed, for now he NEEDED to eat and drink as much as he WANTED to.
"You better join in for breakfast today." Isabel insisted, "You can't have enough energy to heal yourself without nourishment! Come on."
"I'm right behind you, little princess," smiled Zuzo, as they both got up and headed through the halls to the staircase, "I hope whatever your grandma is really cooking hasn't gone cold yet."
Isabel smiled, "I have a name, you know. It's Isabel... but my sister calls me 'Isa' for short. You could to, if you want."
Zuzo smiled as he followed Isa out the door, sneezing on a nearby flowerpot on the way out… he didn't notice but, on the very spot he sneezed on, the flowerpot started to coat in frost.
I was aiming to make this a one shot, but there is so much to take in that I might have to break this story into chapters. Please read and review… even with a co-author, I am still open to suggestions.