A/N: Now things are starting to become clearer. Now the story is coming
closer to its end. Fox still needs to set things straight with Krystal, but
first he wants to learn more about Shane. Speaking of Shane, he's on his
way home now. Anyway, something in this story has to be good if you've made
it this far (thanks for sticking with me by the way.). I'm glad for that.
But I've yapped on long enough. It's time for the next chapter. Oh and
again, this chapter has a very important flashback. Want to see it? Well,
let's get started then.
Chapter 20-Into the Fox's Eyes
Katt and Fox went venturing through the woods to find the abandoned cabin that Katt had mentioned. They traveled the northeastern path. It was a neck of the woods that not even Fox had traveled before. It was still early on in the morning, but Fox was a little anxious to get back to Krystal, and talk to her. Katt had assured Fox that this wouldn't take long.
When they reached the cabin, it hadn't looked that much different to Katt than it had eight years ago. She lead Fox inside of the cabin. To her surprise, many of Mia's potions and such were still there. They were settled on the shelves untouched and undisturbed. The shelves were dusty and so were the bottles in which the potions were sealed in. "It's been so long." Katt said under her breath. Yet the old cabin had remained unchanged. In fact, Katt hadn't been back here since Mia turned her into a shape shifter.
"Wait here while I go get Mia." Katt said to Fox. "It won't be long, I promise. You'll be back in Corneria by noon." With that she was out the door and already morphing.
"Why anyone would want to be a human I'll never know." Fox huffed. It was strange knowing that Katt was like that now. Still, he didn't feel any discomfort. In fact, it made him a little bit more accepting of the human race. He walked around the small one-room cabin. There were many papers on the floor, books on the shelves and at least one bed. There was a table in the middle where a book lay open.
Fox looked through the pages and saw many different spells. Most were quite intriguing, while others were just disturbing. You could turn anyone into anything it seemed. "Why would any fur want to know what its like to be a human?" Fox asked himself out loud. He finally closed the book and let the room fill with silence. The only thing he could really do was wait for Katt.
***
When Jon came to wake in the morning, Katt was nowhere to be found. He got up out of bed and got dressed into some more casual clothes. His bag was on the chair, his notebook on the desk.
Jon stumbled over to the desk and put his notebook away in his bag. He walked into Mia's living room where she lay slumped on the couch. Pepper was gone. Probably back to the pub serving up drinks.
Jon passed by the slumbering Mia in hopes that he could get some breakfast. The pub had everything after all. As soon as he opened the door however, Katt was standing in the doorway. "Where were you?" Jon asked with concern.
She was panting, but not heavily. Had she jogged back? "Wake Mia up. There's someone she has to see. I don't have much time to explain." She stepped inside and saw Mia asleep on the couch. "She must've been up late again last night." Mia was usually up before now.
Katt shook the couch until Mia finally woke up. She grunted and looked up at Katt with piercing eyes. She was usually cranky in the morning. This probably wasn't much of an exception. "What is it?" She asked. Well, more like demanded. She sat up and yawned, realizing that the door was open and she was in her fur form. "Jon, please shut the door." Jon did as he was told.
Mia morphed into her human form, Katt forming the words to speak. "In the abandoned cabin that you took me to, there's someone waiting for you." Katt spoke, ready to leave already.
"Who is it?" Mia questioned.
"Come with me, you'll see who it is." Katt said. She'd always been like that to Mia. "But please, he's asking me a few questions that only you can answer for him."
Mia knew that she could trust Katt. They'd been together for eight years now, and there trust only grew. She nodded and agreed to go. "Come with us Jon. I believe you wanted answers too."
Jon nodded and didn't ask any questions. "I'm just curious about this Shane character."
"That'll be answered, but we need to actually go there first." Katt said. "I promised he'd get back home by noon."
Mia smirked. "Then what's the rush? It's not even nine yet." She grabbed her crystal ball. "But we must leave now. Take me to him."
Katt smiled, knowing that she could usually talk Mia into anything if she really tried. She'd been doing that since she was fourteen after all. They quickly left for the abandoned cabin.
***
Fox was waiting patiently. The only worry on his mind was if this meeting was going to take long. He really wanted to see Krystal today. It was her birthday today, and he didn't want to miss out on it. By now the other furs would be wondering where he was. It wasn't like Fox to be away from the village in daybreak. He had to be there to protect all the furs. Now he wasn't living up to his duty. It was now pretty obvious that he didn't get out that much anymore.
He waited and waited for what seemed like hours, but had only been about half the hour. He wiped a finger on the dusted shelf with the books. The place was in terrible condition. There was still complete and utter silence.
The silence was broken when Katt walked back in, but in her fur form. "OK Fox, I've got Mia with me."
To this, and old woman stepped in, and a bearded man. When Fox looked at Jon, he instantly looked familiar. His eyes grew a little red. "You didn't say that you'd bring one of your human friends along.
"Well, my young McCloud, I see you haven't changed at all." Mia shape shifted back to her original platinum vixen form. To Fox, she looked the same as she always did. In Fox's eyes she hadn't changed over the past ten years.
"You look great!" Fox complimented Mia.
Mia's fur was still of the same beauty it had been back then. It actually looked even better than it had before.
Fox's eyes darted to Jon. He didn't say anything, but seeing him again brought back memories of when Jon had visited. It had been about a few weeks before Shane had come into his life and messed everything up.
Jon looked to Katt. "You didn't say I'd have to deal with HIM again." He pointed to Fox, remembering the scar on his arm. "I don't know I should really be here right now."
"Fox won't harm you if he knows what's good for him." Mia said. She looked at Fox, who looked a little disappointed. "What? Sad that Katt and I are 'different?'" She chuckled. "We're not any 'different' than you."
Fox was silent. Then he remembered the reason why he was here in the first place. "Tell me about Shane. How did he come to be how he is now? What happened to him? And why did he have to come and ruin my life?"
Mia hadn't met Krystal really. When Krystal came to Corneria, Mia was gone by then. She had also never returned. Katt had come to her. She always remembered that day. She'd so far lived up to her promise. She hadn't left Katt. "What makes you say that Shane has ruined your life?"
"The one vixen, and ONLY vixen to ever come to Corneria has been taken from me. By a fox that isn't even really a fox. By a fox she just meant. Now she thinks she can just kick me out of her life." He was getting angry again.
Mia had no idea it had that big of impact on Fox. "I can't promise everything will turn out fine in the end Fox, but I will answer your question."
"Well, start talking." Fox tried to hurry the little meeting along. He was getting desperate to get back to Krystal, and fast.
"Why tell you when I can show you." Mia placed her crystal ball on a small alter on the table. "Watch and listen carefully my young Fox, and maybe this will answer your questions.
***4 Years Ago
It was a dark and stormy night. It was at the point in her life when she took many strolls through the woods. She'd left Katt alone that night. She assured Katt that she only needed a walk. Inside her coat she had a bottle with her. It would change her back to a fur forever, and the shape-shifting spell couldn't remedy this one. No one had any idea that she didn't plan on coming back that night. Who know that instead it would be with Shane?
The rain was tapping hard and each drop that landed on Mia's head felt heavier than the last. The rain was indeed hard. She felt lost in the woods, and not only that, but there wasn't much light for her to be guided home.
She wasn't scared though, but getting home in this rain was going to be harder than it was worth. When she felt like she was getting somewhere in the forest, there was suddenly a light. She peaked out of the forest. The north end. There was the most beautiful mansion. A lantern had been lit, and the wind was blowing hard. Though from her experience in the human village, the wealthiest of people had been the rudest. They were also snottier than your average human being. She didn't have much to lose; she looked like a poor old woman. But maybe this one would have a heart.
She walked up the stairs, thank goodness she had a walking staff with her, or else she'd have probably lost her balance. It was a nice looking home. She knocked on the door holding onto her rags. The wind was strong, making the atmosphere around her colder. At least next to the doors and the lantern it was a little warmer.
The door crept open and with a quick motion it was slammed in her face. "Well that didn't go to well." She sighed and knocked again. She continued to knock until she could gain entry into the mansion.
When the door finally flew open the last time Shane stood in all his glory. The first thing Mia noticed about him was his crystal blue eyes, with maybe just a hint of cerulean. They made everything look better. He huffed in her face and shouted a bit. "What the hell do you want!?"
"Please sir, its cold out here, and I'm looking for a place to stay until the rain dies down." Mia responded. Shane sounded a little frightening, but it wasn't enough to scare Mia away.
"Well go away." Shane said and before he could close the door Mia put her foot in the way only to have the door slam at her shoe. She didn't even flinch.
"You'd deny an old woman like me a place to stay? I'm too weak to get through this storm." Shane gave Mia strange look. This was very ironic considering he'd slammed the door as hard as he could and she didn't even flinch.
Feeling that she wouldn't leave until he had given in, he opened the door slowly. "ONLY until the rain dies down. After that you better be gone!" He let Mia in.
Mia stepped inside to see the mural painted on top of the mansion. It was of a village that was in flames. She slowly shook her head. "You don't go to your human friends much do you?" Mia asked.
"I would never find myself with any of THEM!" Shane exclaimed and began to walk off to his den. He was just leaving Mia there.
'What a rude little asshole.' Mia thought, but didn't say it out loud. She didn't like to swear, but from what she'd seen, Shane was in for a beating at some point in his life.
She thought back to one of her spells. A spell that had been running through her mind ever since she got to the village of the humans. She told herself that if she ever found a fur hater, she'd make them see first hand what it would be like. Once Shane went into the den, Mia remembered that she had a few spices with her. The spell could easily be continued off what she had. She remembered what broke that spell too. You had to show love for someone of the same species. What joy that would be. The real suffering would come out after that. Mia thought about it for a while. First, she wanted to know more about Shane. She added the few spices, which was simply lemon pepper and black pepper.
She walked into the den. As soon as she stepped foot inside she looked at the walls in disgust. There were trophies mounted on the wall. "What is this?" She asked looking at the walls.
"Oh, did I forget to mention that I'm a hunter of many different animals?" He smirked and pulled out a book entitled 'The Legend of Zelda'.
"Is this something that you and friends do for sport?" Mia asked in fear that one day she'd be on that wall.
"Friends?" Shane perked up. "Who needs friends? I didn't do this with friends, I did it by myself. And for sport? Sure I guess you could say that." He slammed the book closed. "I don't have any 'friends' really. I only know people like you!" He screamed. "People who use MY home to be warm. People who only want something from others."
Mia gasped. "What kind of person are you? You don't have any friends. Don't you ever feel lonely?"
Shane shook his head. "Of course not. I can always go hunting. Have you ever had deer? It's quite good if you ask me." He got up and was about to make his way to the kitchen, but Mia stopped him.
"Why would you do this? Animals have just as much feeling as we do." Trying not to let onto the fact that she was an animal. Not only that, but she didn't like being referred to as an "animal" she much preferred being referred to as a "fur".
"Animals have no feelings." Shane protested to what Mia had said. "They don't know feeling. They have no idea!" He shook his head. "The only thing they're good for is to provide good food."
Mia's eyes burned a crimson red when Shane had said that. "What makes you such an expert on animals!?" She retorted. "You know nothing about animals!"
Shane sighed. 'Great,' he thought. 'Another woman who thinks animals have feelings.' Apparently Shane HAD had contact with other humans, but not enough to really know his own race. "You want to know the truth? I just hate animals okay? The world would be a lot better off without them." He said.
Now Mia was angered more. He walked up to Shane and slapped him. HARD. "You really do know nothing. No wonder you have no friends!"
Shane got up and pushed Mia down to the ground. He hovered over her. "I think you've outstayed your welcome. I think its time for you to go." He pointed to the doors. "This is why I don't ever talk to anybody. You're all just wasting my damn time. I want to be alone."
Mia came to a stance and pulled out her potion right in front of Shane's eyes. "Well." she paused. She tried to think for a moment. He'd just seen her pull it out. 'What would any 'normal' human do right now?' Mia thought. "At least let me give you this as a token of my gratitude." She said and handed him the potion. Thank goodness it was black.
"What is this?" Shane took the bottle. It was fizzing a bit.
'What am I supposed to tell him? That its coffee? No, that won't work.' Mia thought to herself. Then she finally got it. What the kids drank so much. "It's a soda." She said and shifted her eyes. The crimson had gone from her eyes, but she wasn't so sure that Shane would take it.
"I see." said Shane. He removed the cork. He thought to himself, 'If I don't drink it in front of her she'll probably think I'm not grateful.' and he began to drink. He gagged a little. 'What kind of Soda is this!?' he thought. He managed to smile and gulp down the rest anyway. Then he handed her the bottle back.
Mia only smirked. She didn't think it would be that easy. "Now be gone with you! You old ugly bat! Get out of my home before I--" He was interrupted when he felt a strange feeling in his body. He began to shake violently as his eyes widened. His voice trembled a bit as he saw Mia's smirk. "W-w- what.have you done to me." He collapsed to the ground. He grabbed his sides. They had such antagonizing pain. Then he looked at his arms. There was hair growing out of his arm. Not just any hair.fur. He screamed loudly looking at the black fur that was suddenly appearing al over his body. He also sprung a tail, and when he looked to his backside it had a white tip. Before long he took his shirt off, to see his chest had fur all over it as well. "What did you do to me?"
Mia knelt down next to the once human Shane. She smiled and was surrounded by a white glow. She then morphed into her vixen form.
Now before Shane stood the most beautiful vixen he'd ever seen. He felt all over his body. He was suddenly weak. He felt around his face and felt his muzzle. It was white. "NO!" He screamed and then pinned Mia to the ground. To his surprise claws had unsheathed themselves. That was new to him.
Mia only laughed with glee. "Now that you're 'one of us' you have feelings NOW don't you."
Realizing that nothing was going to work now, Shane got off of Mia. He looked at himself. The floor was tarnished and he could see his reflection. "What a hideous sight!" He exclaimed. His eyes were still blue at least, but he was a bit shorter now by a couple of inches. "This shouldn't be.why?"
Mia came to a stance. Seeing that Shane had turned into a Fox was surprising. She'd expected something like a mouse. No, a rat. That would've suited Shane better. At least he was a black fox. "You want to be human again?"
Shane looked at Mia and nodded. All the power he had now was lost to him. "Change me back! Change me back now!"
Mia smirked. "I can't change you back. The only way that you'll ever be a human again is if you can show love for another vixen. It MUST be a vixen. Not a tigress, not a lioness, not a mouse. A vixen!" She said with a smile.
Shane was silent for the longest time. "I.can't."
"Why? Because you hate animals?" She knelt down beside him. "You're an animal now. But please, don't think of yourself as an animal. Think of yourself as a furry. In time, you'll grow to get used to yourself like this. Maybe you'll even like it." Mia said.
"Like it?" Shane stood up. "What's to like about being a hideous black fox?"
Mia noticed that now Shane was vulnerable. He wasn't the same rude person that he was before. Now he was just a baby without a bottle. "I promise to you Shane, that you can break this spell. You can't wait for love to find you, you have to find it." She said. "And get rid of that stuff in your den. And I mean GET RID of it! If any fur were to step place in here they'd be scared to death."
Shane nodded. He didn't have a choice but to do so. "I guess." He mumbled. He certainly didn't want any fur to come in and kill him just because he was once human. He didn't want this anymore. He'd only been a fox for a ten minutes and he already disliked it.
Mia looked Shane in the eye. Then she unsheathed one claw and slashed it across his chest, leaving a scar. "That's my gift to you." she said. She was hoping she'd never have to use her claws again, but this couldn't be helped. "Every time you look at yourself in the mirror, and every time you see that scar, I want you to remember who did this to you."
"What's your name?" Shane asked. It came out of nowhere. "So that I'll remember the name of the one who did this to me. The one who just now ruined my life."
"Mia is my name. Don't you forget it." She laughed.
Shane wasn't laughing. "Well, my name is Shane, and I want you to remember that once I'm human again, I'm going to find you."
Mia would remember that for a good long while. She morphed into her old woman form and opened the doors. "Well then, I'll see you later Shane. Don't worry, when the time is right, I'll be back." She cackled as she walked out into the light rain. The storm had died down at least.
Shane looked down at his scar and uttered her name. "Mia.."
***
About a month after Shane had been a fox, there was another knock at his door. Shane didn't feel like answering it at all. It was daybreak and he didn't want anyone to see him like this. He now started to wear black all the time, to blend in with his fur. The knocking continued. "Just go away." Shane wanted to call out, but walked into the main hall and answered the door anyway. A cat stood before him. She was dressed in a nice hot pink outfit.
"Hi, you must be Shane." She said. "My name is Katt Monroe, I'm an alias of Mia. She told me to give you this." She handed him a book. 'Being a Furry.' It was titled. The author's name: Mia.
'Do I invite her in?' Shane thought. 'No, I won't! Because of her friend I'm like this now.' "Why give me a book about this?" Shane asked.
Katt was busy observing Shane. "You're kind of cute." She smiled. "You should come out sometime, let yourself be seen. There's a village just south of the woods. Lot's of furs live there. There's even a vixen."
Shane thought for a moment. 'A vixen huh?' Then he stepped back inside. "Come inside Miss. Monroe."
That took Katt by surprise. She stepped inside and as Mia did, she looked up. The mural wasn't that of a village on fire, but was of a platinum vixen. This mural was only halfway done. In the main hall they stood, Shane kept the book with him.
"I can't stay long," Katt said. "and please, don't call me 'Miss' I hate formal presentations. Just call me Katt." She extended her paw.
'What's this?' Shane thought. Believe it or not, he'd never before in his life seen this kind of formal gesture. Not knowing what to do, he extended his paw. Katt took it in hers and shook. Shane almost smiled. He tried to find words to say to her. "Nice to meet you.Katt." He tried to smirk but it didn't happen. 'Now get out!' He wanted to say, but he had to learn how to be a friendly fur. Not the "Hello, I hate you, goodbye." type fur.
"You know, you can let go." Katt said. Shane took his paw back. Then he actually smiled. He still thought that he was hideous, but at least Katt found him attractive. Too bad she wasn't a vixen. Katt smiled back to him and was about to take her leave. She opened the door and looked back at Shane. "Remember, there's a village to the south of the forest. Go out there sometime. And if not the village, then at least take a walk through the forest sometime." She smiled and closed the door.
Shane took this into account. Not only that, but ever since then, Shane walked through the woods once every week, twice if things were going well. But it was usually still a worry whether he'd ever open his mansion doors again.
***Present
Fox almost felt sorry for Shane. Almost like he should've had some salvation. But the fact that Shane had taken someone so important to him still existed.
"Does that help you out a little Fox?" Mia asked. The explanation had taken longer than expected, but it did answer a few questions.
"Sure it did. At least now I know a few things about Shane." Fox said. The only other question he had now was why did it have to be Krystal? Why couldn't he have just found some other vixen?
"I've got to get back to Corneria now." Fox said. "Krystal is waiting for me. Thanks Mia."
Mia stopped Fox before he could leave. "Throughout the course of time, Shane changed so much. He's actually got feelings Fox. They're no different from yours. He has sorrow and pain just as you do. I want you to remember that."
Fox nodded and walked out the door, on his way back to Corneria. On his way he thought about Shane. "He has sorrow and pain just as you do." Mia's words repeated in his head. "Sorrow and pain sure," Fox huffed. "but just as I do? No." And with that he pressed on towards Corneria.
______________________________________________________________________
A/N: I liked most of this chapter. Now I'm happy that I was able to answer a few things about Shane. Oh, did I say that would be the last flashback? Sorry, there's one more, and this one has do with Krystal. Anyway, R+R, I hope you all liked this one.
Chapter 20-Into the Fox's Eyes
Katt and Fox went venturing through the woods to find the abandoned cabin that Katt had mentioned. They traveled the northeastern path. It was a neck of the woods that not even Fox had traveled before. It was still early on in the morning, but Fox was a little anxious to get back to Krystal, and talk to her. Katt had assured Fox that this wouldn't take long.
When they reached the cabin, it hadn't looked that much different to Katt than it had eight years ago. She lead Fox inside of the cabin. To her surprise, many of Mia's potions and such were still there. They were settled on the shelves untouched and undisturbed. The shelves were dusty and so were the bottles in which the potions were sealed in. "It's been so long." Katt said under her breath. Yet the old cabin had remained unchanged. In fact, Katt hadn't been back here since Mia turned her into a shape shifter.
"Wait here while I go get Mia." Katt said to Fox. "It won't be long, I promise. You'll be back in Corneria by noon." With that she was out the door and already morphing.
"Why anyone would want to be a human I'll never know." Fox huffed. It was strange knowing that Katt was like that now. Still, he didn't feel any discomfort. In fact, it made him a little bit more accepting of the human race. He walked around the small one-room cabin. There were many papers on the floor, books on the shelves and at least one bed. There was a table in the middle where a book lay open.
Fox looked through the pages and saw many different spells. Most were quite intriguing, while others were just disturbing. You could turn anyone into anything it seemed. "Why would any fur want to know what its like to be a human?" Fox asked himself out loud. He finally closed the book and let the room fill with silence. The only thing he could really do was wait for Katt.
***
When Jon came to wake in the morning, Katt was nowhere to be found. He got up out of bed and got dressed into some more casual clothes. His bag was on the chair, his notebook on the desk.
Jon stumbled over to the desk and put his notebook away in his bag. He walked into Mia's living room where she lay slumped on the couch. Pepper was gone. Probably back to the pub serving up drinks.
Jon passed by the slumbering Mia in hopes that he could get some breakfast. The pub had everything after all. As soon as he opened the door however, Katt was standing in the doorway. "Where were you?" Jon asked with concern.
She was panting, but not heavily. Had she jogged back? "Wake Mia up. There's someone she has to see. I don't have much time to explain." She stepped inside and saw Mia asleep on the couch. "She must've been up late again last night." Mia was usually up before now.
Katt shook the couch until Mia finally woke up. She grunted and looked up at Katt with piercing eyes. She was usually cranky in the morning. This probably wasn't much of an exception. "What is it?" She asked. Well, more like demanded. She sat up and yawned, realizing that the door was open and she was in her fur form. "Jon, please shut the door." Jon did as he was told.
Mia morphed into her human form, Katt forming the words to speak. "In the abandoned cabin that you took me to, there's someone waiting for you." Katt spoke, ready to leave already.
"Who is it?" Mia questioned.
"Come with me, you'll see who it is." Katt said. She'd always been like that to Mia. "But please, he's asking me a few questions that only you can answer for him."
Mia knew that she could trust Katt. They'd been together for eight years now, and there trust only grew. She nodded and agreed to go. "Come with us Jon. I believe you wanted answers too."
Jon nodded and didn't ask any questions. "I'm just curious about this Shane character."
"That'll be answered, but we need to actually go there first." Katt said. "I promised he'd get back home by noon."
Mia smirked. "Then what's the rush? It's not even nine yet." She grabbed her crystal ball. "But we must leave now. Take me to him."
Katt smiled, knowing that she could usually talk Mia into anything if she really tried. She'd been doing that since she was fourteen after all. They quickly left for the abandoned cabin.
***
Fox was waiting patiently. The only worry on his mind was if this meeting was going to take long. He really wanted to see Krystal today. It was her birthday today, and he didn't want to miss out on it. By now the other furs would be wondering where he was. It wasn't like Fox to be away from the village in daybreak. He had to be there to protect all the furs. Now he wasn't living up to his duty. It was now pretty obvious that he didn't get out that much anymore.
He waited and waited for what seemed like hours, but had only been about half the hour. He wiped a finger on the dusted shelf with the books. The place was in terrible condition. There was still complete and utter silence.
The silence was broken when Katt walked back in, but in her fur form. "OK Fox, I've got Mia with me."
To this, and old woman stepped in, and a bearded man. When Fox looked at Jon, he instantly looked familiar. His eyes grew a little red. "You didn't say that you'd bring one of your human friends along.
"Well, my young McCloud, I see you haven't changed at all." Mia shape shifted back to her original platinum vixen form. To Fox, she looked the same as she always did. In Fox's eyes she hadn't changed over the past ten years.
"You look great!" Fox complimented Mia.
Mia's fur was still of the same beauty it had been back then. It actually looked even better than it had before.
Fox's eyes darted to Jon. He didn't say anything, but seeing him again brought back memories of when Jon had visited. It had been about a few weeks before Shane had come into his life and messed everything up.
Jon looked to Katt. "You didn't say I'd have to deal with HIM again." He pointed to Fox, remembering the scar on his arm. "I don't know I should really be here right now."
"Fox won't harm you if he knows what's good for him." Mia said. She looked at Fox, who looked a little disappointed. "What? Sad that Katt and I are 'different?'" She chuckled. "We're not any 'different' than you."
Fox was silent. Then he remembered the reason why he was here in the first place. "Tell me about Shane. How did he come to be how he is now? What happened to him? And why did he have to come and ruin my life?"
Mia hadn't met Krystal really. When Krystal came to Corneria, Mia was gone by then. She had also never returned. Katt had come to her. She always remembered that day. She'd so far lived up to her promise. She hadn't left Katt. "What makes you say that Shane has ruined your life?"
"The one vixen, and ONLY vixen to ever come to Corneria has been taken from me. By a fox that isn't even really a fox. By a fox she just meant. Now she thinks she can just kick me out of her life." He was getting angry again.
Mia had no idea it had that big of impact on Fox. "I can't promise everything will turn out fine in the end Fox, but I will answer your question."
"Well, start talking." Fox tried to hurry the little meeting along. He was getting desperate to get back to Krystal, and fast.
"Why tell you when I can show you." Mia placed her crystal ball on a small alter on the table. "Watch and listen carefully my young Fox, and maybe this will answer your questions.
***4 Years Ago
It was a dark and stormy night. It was at the point in her life when she took many strolls through the woods. She'd left Katt alone that night. She assured Katt that she only needed a walk. Inside her coat she had a bottle with her. It would change her back to a fur forever, and the shape-shifting spell couldn't remedy this one. No one had any idea that she didn't plan on coming back that night. Who know that instead it would be with Shane?
The rain was tapping hard and each drop that landed on Mia's head felt heavier than the last. The rain was indeed hard. She felt lost in the woods, and not only that, but there wasn't much light for her to be guided home.
She wasn't scared though, but getting home in this rain was going to be harder than it was worth. When she felt like she was getting somewhere in the forest, there was suddenly a light. She peaked out of the forest. The north end. There was the most beautiful mansion. A lantern had been lit, and the wind was blowing hard. Though from her experience in the human village, the wealthiest of people had been the rudest. They were also snottier than your average human being. She didn't have much to lose; she looked like a poor old woman. But maybe this one would have a heart.
She walked up the stairs, thank goodness she had a walking staff with her, or else she'd have probably lost her balance. It was a nice looking home. She knocked on the door holding onto her rags. The wind was strong, making the atmosphere around her colder. At least next to the doors and the lantern it was a little warmer.
The door crept open and with a quick motion it was slammed in her face. "Well that didn't go to well." She sighed and knocked again. She continued to knock until she could gain entry into the mansion.
When the door finally flew open the last time Shane stood in all his glory. The first thing Mia noticed about him was his crystal blue eyes, with maybe just a hint of cerulean. They made everything look better. He huffed in her face and shouted a bit. "What the hell do you want!?"
"Please sir, its cold out here, and I'm looking for a place to stay until the rain dies down." Mia responded. Shane sounded a little frightening, but it wasn't enough to scare Mia away.
"Well go away." Shane said and before he could close the door Mia put her foot in the way only to have the door slam at her shoe. She didn't even flinch.
"You'd deny an old woman like me a place to stay? I'm too weak to get through this storm." Shane gave Mia strange look. This was very ironic considering he'd slammed the door as hard as he could and she didn't even flinch.
Feeling that she wouldn't leave until he had given in, he opened the door slowly. "ONLY until the rain dies down. After that you better be gone!" He let Mia in.
Mia stepped inside to see the mural painted on top of the mansion. It was of a village that was in flames. She slowly shook her head. "You don't go to your human friends much do you?" Mia asked.
"I would never find myself with any of THEM!" Shane exclaimed and began to walk off to his den. He was just leaving Mia there.
'What a rude little asshole.' Mia thought, but didn't say it out loud. She didn't like to swear, but from what she'd seen, Shane was in for a beating at some point in his life.
She thought back to one of her spells. A spell that had been running through her mind ever since she got to the village of the humans. She told herself that if she ever found a fur hater, she'd make them see first hand what it would be like. Once Shane went into the den, Mia remembered that she had a few spices with her. The spell could easily be continued off what she had. She remembered what broke that spell too. You had to show love for someone of the same species. What joy that would be. The real suffering would come out after that. Mia thought about it for a while. First, she wanted to know more about Shane. She added the few spices, which was simply lemon pepper and black pepper.
She walked into the den. As soon as she stepped foot inside she looked at the walls in disgust. There were trophies mounted on the wall. "What is this?" She asked looking at the walls.
"Oh, did I forget to mention that I'm a hunter of many different animals?" He smirked and pulled out a book entitled 'The Legend of Zelda'.
"Is this something that you and friends do for sport?" Mia asked in fear that one day she'd be on that wall.
"Friends?" Shane perked up. "Who needs friends? I didn't do this with friends, I did it by myself. And for sport? Sure I guess you could say that." He slammed the book closed. "I don't have any 'friends' really. I only know people like you!" He screamed. "People who use MY home to be warm. People who only want something from others."
Mia gasped. "What kind of person are you? You don't have any friends. Don't you ever feel lonely?"
Shane shook his head. "Of course not. I can always go hunting. Have you ever had deer? It's quite good if you ask me." He got up and was about to make his way to the kitchen, but Mia stopped him.
"Why would you do this? Animals have just as much feeling as we do." Trying not to let onto the fact that she was an animal. Not only that, but she didn't like being referred to as an "animal" she much preferred being referred to as a "fur".
"Animals have no feelings." Shane protested to what Mia had said. "They don't know feeling. They have no idea!" He shook his head. "The only thing they're good for is to provide good food."
Mia's eyes burned a crimson red when Shane had said that. "What makes you such an expert on animals!?" She retorted. "You know nothing about animals!"
Shane sighed. 'Great,' he thought. 'Another woman who thinks animals have feelings.' Apparently Shane HAD had contact with other humans, but not enough to really know his own race. "You want to know the truth? I just hate animals okay? The world would be a lot better off without them." He said.
Now Mia was angered more. He walked up to Shane and slapped him. HARD. "You really do know nothing. No wonder you have no friends!"
Shane got up and pushed Mia down to the ground. He hovered over her. "I think you've outstayed your welcome. I think its time for you to go." He pointed to the doors. "This is why I don't ever talk to anybody. You're all just wasting my damn time. I want to be alone."
Mia came to a stance and pulled out her potion right in front of Shane's eyes. "Well." she paused. She tried to think for a moment. He'd just seen her pull it out. 'What would any 'normal' human do right now?' Mia thought. "At least let me give you this as a token of my gratitude." She said and handed him the potion. Thank goodness it was black.
"What is this?" Shane took the bottle. It was fizzing a bit.
'What am I supposed to tell him? That its coffee? No, that won't work.' Mia thought to herself. Then she finally got it. What the kids drank so much. "It's a soda." She said and shifted her eyes. The crimson had gone from her eyes, but she wasn't so sure that Shane would take it.
"I see." said Shane. He removed the cork. He thought to himself, 'If I don't drink it in front of her she'll probably think I'm not grateful.' and he began to drink. He gagged a little. 'What kind of Soda is this!?' he thought. He managed to smile and gulp down the rest anyway. Then he handed her the bottle back.
Mia only smirked. She didn't think it would be that easy. "Now be gone with you! You old ugly bat! Get out of my home before I--" He was interrupted when he felt a strange feeling in his body. He began to shake violently as his eyes widened. His voice trembled a bit as he saw Mia's smirk. "W-w- what.have you done to me." He collapsed to the ground. He grabbed his sides. They had such antagonizing pain. Then he looked at his arms. There was hair growing out of his arm. Not just any hair.fur. He screamed loudly looking at the black fur that was suddenly appearing al over his body. He also sprung a tail, and when he looked to his backside it had a white tip. Before long he took his shirt off, to see his chest had fur all over it as well. "What did you do to me?"
Mia knelt down next to the once human Shane. She smiled and was surrounded by a white glow. She then morphed into her vixen form.
Now before Shane stood the most beautiful vixen he'd ever seen. He felt all over his body. He was suddenly weak. He felt around his face and felt his muzzle. It was white. "NO!" He screamed and then pinned Mia to the ground. To his surprise claws had unsheathed themselves. That was new to him.
Mia only laughed with glee. "Now that you're 'one of us' you have feelings NOW don't you."
Realizing that nothing was going to work now, Shane got off of Mia. He looked at himself. The floor was tarnished and he could see his reflection. "What a hideous sight!" He exclaimed. His eyes were still blue at least, but he was a bit shorter now by a couple of inches. "This shouldn't be.why?"
Mia came to a stance. Seeing that Shane had turned into a Fox was surprising. She'd expected something like a mouse. No, a rat. That would've suited Shane better. At least he was a black fox. "You want to be human again?"
Shane looked at Mia and nodded. All the power he had now was lost to him. "Change me back! Change me back now!"
Mia smirked. "I can't change you back. The only way that you'll ever be a human again is if you can show love for another vixen. It MUST be a vixen. Not a tigress, not a lioness, not a mouse. A vixen!" She said with a smile.
Shane was silent for the longest time. "I.can't."
"Why? Because you hate animals?" She knelt down beside him. "You're an animal now. But please, don't think of yourself as an animal. Think of yourself as a furry. In time, you'll grow to get used to yourself like this. Maybe you'll even like it." Mia said.
"Like it?" Shane stood up. "What's to like about being a hideous black fox?"
Mia noticed that now Shane was vulnerable. He wasn't the same rude person that he was before. Now he was just a baby without a bottle. "I promise to you Shane, that you can break this spell. You can't wait for love to find you, you have to find it." She said. "And get rid of that stuff in your den. And I mean GET RID of it! If any fur were to step place in here they'd be scared to death."
Shane nodded. He didn't have a choice but to do so. "I guess." He mumbled. He certainly didn't want any fur to come in and kill him just because he was once human. He didn't want this anymore. He'd only been a fox for a ten minutes and he already disliked it.
Mia looked Shane in the eye. Then she unsheathed one claw and slashed it across his chest, leaving a scar. "That's my gift to you." she said. She was hoping she'd never have to use her claws again, but this couldn't be helped. "Every time you look at yourself in the mirror, and every time you see that scar, I want you to remember who did this to you."
"What's your name?" Shane asked. It came out of nowhere. "So that I'll remember the name of the one who did this to me. The one who just now ruined my life."
"Mia is my name. Don't you forget it." She laughed.
Shane wasn't laughing. "Well, my name is Shane, and I want you to remember that once I'm human again, I'm going to find you."
Mia would remember that for a good long while. She morphed into her old woman form and opened the doors. "Well then, I'll see you later Shane. Don't worry, when the time is right, I'll be back." She cackled as she walked out into the light rain. The storm had died down at least.
Shane looked down at his scar and uttered her name. "Mia.."
***
About a month after Shane had been a fox, there was another knock at his door. Shane didn't feel like answering it at all. It was daybreak and he didn't want anyone to see him like this. He now started to wear black all the time, to blend in with his fur. The knocking continued. "Just go away." Shane wanted to call out, but walked into the main hall and answered the door anyway. A cat stood before him. She was dressed in a nice hot pink outfit.
"Hi, you must be Shane." She said. "My name is Katt Monroe, I'm an alias of Mia. She told me to give you this." She handed him a book. 'Being a Furry.' It was titled. The author's name: Mia.
'Do I invite her in?' Shane thought. 'No, I won't! Because of her friend I'm like this now.' "Why give me a book about this?" Shane asked.
Katt was busy observing Shane. "You're kind of cute." She smiled. "You should come out sometime, let yourself be seen. There's a village just south of the woods. Lot's of furs live there. There's even a vixen."
Shane thought for a moment. 'A vixen huh?' Then he stepped back inside. "Come inside Miss. Monroe."
That took Katt by surprise. She stepped inside and as Mia did, she looked up. The mural wasn't that of a village on fire, but was of a platinum vixen. This mural was only halfway done. In the main hall they stood, Shane kept the book with him.
"I can't stay long," Katt said. "and please, don't call me 'Miss' I hate formal presentations. Just call me Katt." She extended her paw.
'What's this?' Shane thought. Believe it or not, he'd never before in his life seen this kind of formal gesture. Not knowing what to do, he extended his paw. Katt took it in hers and shook. Shane almost smiled. He tried to find words to say to her. "Nice to meet you.Katt." He tried to smirk but it didn't happen. 'Now get out!' He wanted to say, but he had to learn how to be a friendly fur. Not the "Hello, I hate you, goodbye." type fur.
"You know, you can let go." Katt said. Shane took his paw back. Then he actually smiled. He still thought that he was hideous, but at least Katt found him attractive. Too bad she wasn't a vixen. Katt smiled back to him and was about to take her leave. She opened the door and looked back at Shane. "Remember, there's a village to the south of the forest. Go out there sometime. And if not the village, then at least take a walk through the forest sometime." She smiled and closed the door.
Shane took this into account. Not only that, but ever since then, Shane walked through the woods once every week, twice if things were going well. But it was usually still a worry whether he'd ever open his mansion doors again.
***Present
Fox almost felt sorry for Shane. Almost like he should've had some salvation. But the fact that Shane had taken someone so important to him still existed.
"Does that help you out a little Fox?" Mia asked. The explanation had taken longer than expected, but it did answer a few questions.
"Sure it did. At least now I know a few things about Shane." Fox said. The only other question he had now was why did it have to be Krystal? Why couldn't he have just found some other vixen?
"I've got to get back to Corneria now." Fox said. "Krystal is waiting for me. Thanks Mia."
Mia stopped Fox before he could leave. "Throughout the course of time, Shane changed so much. He's actually got feelings Fox. They're no different from yours. He has sorrow and pain just as you do. I want you to remember that."
Fox nodded and walked out the door, on his way back to Corneria. On his way he thought about Shane. "He has sorrow and pain just as you do." Mia's words repeated in his head. "Sorrow and pain sure," Fox huffed. "but just as I do? No." And with that he pressed on towards Corneria.
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A/N: I liked most of this chapter. Now I'm happy that I was able to answer a few things about Shane. Oh, did I say that would be the last flashback? Sorry, there's one more, and this one has do with Krystal. Anyway, R+R, I hope you all liked this one.
