Hey, everybody! Ta-Ni here. Here's the next chapter in my life, a quite monumental one in fact.
Over the next year or so, I experimented with my new form, as well as stopping in between human and Ninetales, which I call my hybrid form. For some odd reason, no one can see me as other than human while I was changing, only while fully human or Pokémon; I couldn't even see me change in the mirror. With some sort of 'auto-illusion' covering me whenever I changed, I couldn't prove to anyone I really was part Ninetales; I'm not too inclined to become a Pokémon in public. However, why didn't it occur while I was learning how to be a Ninetales? I asked Nicole, and she said before she became a Pokémon, she didn't actually see me change; only when I was fully a Pokémon would she see my true form. However, she had no problem seeing me change AFTER she became a Pokémon, which she thinks is because I'm more than comfortable when she's the only one around.
Then, as a spring breeze blew through, I messed up. You see, in addition to gaining a Ninetales body, I also have their instincts. Most of the time, the spirit in my stone suppresses those instincts, allowing me to think rationally as a human being, while still a Pokémon. However, there are times when those impulses get too strong, and I lose myself for a while. Usually, it's only for a few minutes, but this spring, they got the better of me.
One of the biggest changes that come with spring is mating season. The last time it came around, both Nicole and I were still getting used to our new bodies, so we were too distracted. However, this year would be different. It started out as an innocent encounter, until our hormones flared. All rational thought flew out of my mind; in fact, I have absolutely no recollection of what happened exactly. All I know is about a week later, I 'woke up' in a large den nestled among the roots of a tree, Nicole next to me, and a half-eaten rabbit near the entrance. Given how intimate we were, I immediately concluded we had to have mated. Nicole concurred: she was pregnant with kits, and they were mine.
Over the next few months, I had to make more frequent trips to the forest, as Nicole couldn't move much once the kits began to grow. Even worse, I had to keep it a secret from everybody, which made work very difficult. In the end, as their due date drew near, I had to ask for another 'vacation' in order to devote all my attention to raising the kits once they were born. Thankfully, my boss was very accommodating about all this.
Finally, as the April sun was peeking over the horizon, I noticed Nicole beginning to go into labor. It was a long and painful process, but after about an hour of pushing, five newborn kits lay beside her, shivering against her white fur. Four of them were Eevee-sized, while one looked like a miniature Vulpix, only with one tail. They were all furless at first, but after about a day, it grew in, and we were surprised by the results. One of the Eevee kits had silver fur instead of brown, denoting it as a shiny Eevee, and another had a slight reddish tint to his brown fur. Also, the Vulpix had snow-white fur from nose to tail.
I looked at the newborns in awe and pride. I never knew what being a father would be like, in either of my forms. Surprising it would happen as a Pokémon long before I would as a human. Still, I wasn't completely clueless; I had followed Ash's experience in The Honeymoon's Over. I just hoped things wouldn't turn out like he had it. Just in case, I made a vow upon my nine tails that I would do anything within my power to protect them from danger. Also, I realized that as a side effect of our mating, I was actually falling in love with Nicole!
There you have it! I'm now a father! Can I raise a family of Pokemon in a world of humans? Find out next time! Read and Review, and may your Ember never fade!