"Where am I?" said Danny.
It was morning and Danny found himself in someone's place tied to a table.
"You're Mr. Mahealani," said a voice.
"Who said that?" said Danny, trying to focus through his tired eyes. "Where am I? What's happening? Ethan, where are you? Ethan?"
"I need you to calm down," said the voice.
"Who are you?" said Danny, and as he opened his eyes the more he saw equipment used for animals nearby.
"My name is Deaton," he said. "This is my sister Marin. You are at my vet."
"The Guidance Counselor? Okay," said breathlessly.
"Is it okay if I call you Danny?" he asked. "Or would you prefer something else."
"Danny is fine, but why am I here?"
"…Danny, do you remember what happen in the last 13 hours? Can you recall any memory?"
"No. Everything felt like a dream. I was free. I was alive. I was so…wild."
"He needs to know," said Marin with her steady stare. "For if he seeks freedom again he might turn savage, and one knows a creature that doesn't need a pack will be more vicious than one that does."
"I'm confused," murmured Danny.
"You have no idea what you are, do you?" asked Deaton. "The White Nine-Tail Fox. The Inari spirit guardian. A Kitsune right before our eyes."
"You're rare," said Marin. "Kitsune are naturally women, but here you are—a boy with unknown potential probably practically limitlessly, and right under all our noises. Who would have thought such a creature would be here."
"What is a Kitsune?" asked Danny.
"It's what you're becoming," said Deaton. "A creature of great power. I think Scott needs to know about his friend."
Later that day, Scott, Stiles, and Ethan and Aiden surrounded Danny on the silver table.
"Why is he so weak?" said Ethan, whose face looked worried and concerned. "Will he be alright?"
Deaton nodded slowly.
"So this Kitsune," said Stiles. "What is it exactly?"
"Well, Danny's kin are more of guardian types; he must be the only one of his kind in Beacon Hills. He has great power. Power even stronger than an Alpha."
"Does he need a pack?" asked Stiles.
"No," said Marin, who saw Danny falling into slumber. "A Kitsune is not like an Alpha. They don't need packs to fight. They have tails for that. Each tail makes them stronger. A Kitsune can kill off many packs if it wanted to. A brutal wolf stands not a chance against an intelligent fox. Do not underestimate him. A Kitsune have certain abilities that none of you can even compare to."
"How did this happen to him?"
"He was born this way," said Deaton—
Danny's eyes opened wide and violet-crimson illuminated from his gaze; his shadow tails appeared and flourished around the room. Everyone took a step back as they observed.
"Ethan," Danny whispered, but he seemed to be calling his name as if it was a safe word. "Ethan, I'm scared. What's happening to me?"
Ethan said nothing.
"How did we not know this about Danny?" said Stiles. "I knew there was something weird with him when anyone who walks up to him they seem less of an ass."
"But why now?" said Scott. "Why is this creature resurfacing now?"
"He said something about a Trickster and a Black Fox," said Ethan. "He said she was coming after him."
"His ultimate foe," said Deaton. "The nogitsune is his rival; his opposing force."
"Ethan," Danny whispered again. "Eth—"
Danny's head jolted back onto the table. And weirdly Danny started saying, "No cage can contain the fox…I am free…I will ward away evil that dares threaten me…Zenko Kitsune, celestial benevolence, banish those who assail I. Shield those whose mind have been tampered by she. Break those who dare break me…"
The shadows pushed away everyone except Deaton and Marin.
"Hold him down, Allen," ordered Marin, who removed a syringe from behind a drawer.
"Nooo," whispered Danny, who somehow exploded the syringe with a small silver flame—
"Damn it," said she.
"Set me free," whispered Danny. "Ethan? Ethan, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm—I'm—AHHHH!"
Danny clutched at the table as his shadow cased him in a cocoon of dark energy.
"DANNY!" cried Ethan. "What happen to him?"
"I don't know," said Deaton. "It looks like he's protecting himself or he's sleeping to regain his strength."
"He looks peaceful now," said Ethan, "like everything didn't even happen."
"While he's asleep," said Marin, "come over here. I want to show you all of this."
"What is it?" asked Stiles, as they all surrounded her.
"It's an old Japanese tomb," she said. "Kitsune are associated with Inari, the Shinto deity of rice. This association has reinforced the fox's supernatural significance. Originally, Kitsune were Inari's messengers, but the line between the two is now blurred so that Inari itself may be depicted as a fox. Shrines were dedicated to Kitsune, where devotees can leave offerings to them. The Kitsune in particularly are powerful spirits with marvelous talents. There is speculation among folklorists as to whether another Inari fox deity existed before the 1700's. Foxes have long been worshipped as Kami. The Inari Kitsune are white, a color of good omen, good heart. They possess the power to ward off evil, and they sometimes serve as guardian spirits. In addition to protecting Inari shrines, they are petitioned to intervene on behalf of the locals and particularly to aid against troublesome nogitsune, those spirit foxes who do not serve Inari. Most black foxes are known as Tricksters. Both the white and the black nine-tailed foxes are likewise considered misleading omens. According to beliefs derived from fusui, the white fox is so powerful that a mere statue of a itself can dispel the evil spirits, or energy, that flows from the nine Points of Fate. Many Inari shrines, such as the famous Fushimi Inari shrine in Kyoto, feature such statues, sometimes large numbers of them. Kitsune are connected to the Buddhist religion through the Dakiniten, goddesses conflated with Inari's female aspect, and sometimes a rare male. Dakiniten is depicted as a female or a rarely as a male wielding a sword and riding a flying white fox."
"So my Danny is which one again?" asked Ethan.
"You can say the good one," said Deaton.
"Then why is the Kitsune hurting him?"
"It's not hurting him…it's warning him. By nature his instincts can feel the change in the air, so he must feel it too."
"But that's not all," said Marin. "Kitsune are often presented as tricksters, with motives that vary from mischief to malevolence. Stories tell of Kitsune playing tricks on overly proud samurai, greedy merchants, and boastful commoners, while the crueler ones abuse poor tradesmen and farmers or devout Buddhist monks. Their victims are usually men; women are possessed instead. For example, Kitsune are thought to employ their Kitsunebi to lead travelers astray in the manner of a will o' the wisp. Another tactic is for the Kitsune to confuse its target with illusions or visions. Other common goals of trickster Kitsune include seduction, theft of food, humiliation of the prideful, or vengeance for a perceived slight. A traditional game called Kitsune-ken (fox-fist) references the Kitsune's powers over human beings. The game is similar to rock, paper, scissors, but the three hand positions signify a fox, a hunter, and a village headman. The headman beats the hunter, whom he outranks; the hunter beats the fox, whom he shoots; the fox beats the headman, whom he bewitches."
"So he has to fight this…Trickster?" asked Aiden. "Well, that doesn't sound hard."
"For a more experienced one, maybe, but this boy is only fresh meat. He can't even keep his shadow in control, better yet his shape. The Trickster would kill him."
"I have to say you are not the type to give optimism are you?" said Stiles. "You're all 'there's no hope for any of us' type."
Marin gave a piercing stare that made him shut-up.
"How long will he be like that?" asked Scott.
"Probably until nightfall," said Deaton, and the Kitsune will be roaming again.
"But can't we contain it?" said Stiles.
"Danny is not an it!" growled Ethan. "Can we help him through this?"
"Maybe," said Deaton. "The Inari-Kitsune is just as strong as its mischievous cousin."
"Then I guess we wait and come back then," said Scott.
"You guys can go," said Ethan. "I'm staying here."
"Are you sure, Eth?" asked Aiden.
"He has been calling my name," Ethan said worriedly. "I have to stay. If he calls my name again I have to be here."
Scott nodded and respected his choice and so did his brother.
"Call if anything happens, eh," said Aiden.
Ethan nodded and pulled up a stool to spend the long hours next to his Kitsune boyfriend. Whoa that sounded weird, but he did it.
"I promise I'm not going to let anyone hurt you," he said. "If so, I'm gonna rip out their guts with my teeth and feed it to them." He looked at Danny. "If anything happens, I'm here. And so the Wolf fell in love with the Fox. You can't just keep me out of the clichés, can you?"
"You know it's a pair like yours that nature itself provides," said Deaton.
"I'm not following," he replied.
"This is mostly dealing with the Alpha wolf," explained Deaton. "Sometimes when the Alpha doesn't connect with one of its own, it unconsciously seeks another without knowing it's doing so. The Fox is a very smart, in the background, not always seen, but mostly always needed for certain things kind of animal. The wolf is attracted to this without being aware that it is. It doesn't even care that it's a fox. The Alpha would even rarely leave its own pack just so it could follow the fox to where ever; it's a romantic notion. It's interesting the animal nature. The fox would rely on one's self but will soon rely on the wolf, as for the wolf that relies on many would only rely only on the fox. It's a pair that works amazing together, but it is very rare to see. The reason for this is because the wolf found its true mate. The wolf was the seeker as the fox was the prize."
"That he is," said Ethan, looking over to Danny in a deep gaze, "and maybe more than that."
"So I think you should rephrase you words into: The Werewolf that fell in love with the Kitsune. Another rare pairing, but of the same nature as its smaller kin."
"You make it sound like we're destined," laughed Ethan.
"Aren't you?" Deaton said. "I'm aware that he was a target for you awhile back but I have to ask. Who came to who first? My sister told me Lydia went to Aiden, as you—"
"Went to Danny," Ethan finished. "The wolf was the seeker as the fox was the prize," Ethan repeated what Deaton said only a moment ago.
"Now your understanding. You see the Alpha will become the pack for the fox sake. Not because it feels like it has to, but because it wants to. Ethan, you have strength of your own that none can copy, and Danny is a part of that evolution. This is called when only a wolf follows a fox in close companionship; it's known as: An Alpha-Guardian: The Wolf of ten-packs in one. I know you feel it. It manifest every time you rebel against your brother's orders. That's the Guardian inside of you, and that is going to keep growing until you accept it."
"I'm going to rip the flesh off his face and eat it," Ethan remembered his brother threatening him about Danny. Which he rather protect Danny than listen to his brother's orders.
"Keep him safe," said Deaton. "Keep him grounded."
"Don't worry," murmured Ethan. "I will…."