A/N: Time for Fox to meet the Princess of Zoness. Remember, for the moment
our focus is Fox. Mainly Fox. Falco and Shane are there to help him out at
least. There IS a point in the fic where we see what rule under Scales is
like (and that's when we jump ten years into the future sometime). Like I
said, it's too soon to say what rule under Scales is like now.
Disclaimer: Nothing has changed since the last disclaimer ________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 8-Lovely Zoness
"Stand up! Give respect to the Princess of Zoness when she comes." Falco said.
"She won't care really, she's really nice. I think she can help you get back on your feet." Shane said. "Just be yourself."
The Princess of Zoness walked up to them and she looked divine. A little young, probably about fifteen years old. "Falco! Shane!" She said and hugged them both. She always bought them food and this time she did the same. "You didn't tell me you'd have someone with you."
"Sorry Katt. We just found him. We were wondering if you could help him out a little bit. Look at him, he's in rags pretty much." Shane said.
Katt brought bread with her and gave a half a loaf to Shane, and the other half to Falco. She also had butter with her. Katt turned to face Fox after she gave Shane and Falco some bread. "You look terrible."
Fox sighed. "I'm just sad right now."
"Why?"
"He was just exiled from his Kingdom so he's here." Shane said. He broke off a piece of bread and offered it to Fox. Fox declined the offer and sighed.
"Why don't you come back to Zoness with me?" Katt asked. "I can get you some clothes, and you look like you haven't eaten in days. You need food, and I mean more than just this bread."
Fox looked up at Katt and had a tear in his eye. He didn't know how long he'd been in the desert, but he was extremely hungry. "I don't think I want to."
"Nonsense, come back with me." Katt said and pulled Fox along.
"Don't worry, Shane snoops the kingdom a lot, if you feel uncomfortable you can always look for him." Falco said as Fox was being dragged off.
***
The town of Zoness was a lovely waterbed city. It was beautiful really. Lots of green grass grew on the buildings. The houses were made of stone and wood. The Kingdom of Zoness was obviously richer than Corneria. Fox had never seen such a beautiful sight. The trees were fresh and there was a small creek that flowed through the Kingdom. Water falls too.
Katt led Fox to the Palace of Zoness. When the doors opened the guards didn't question where she was and they let her right in. "You don't have servants follow you around?" Fox asked.
"Of course not! I have my own personal life outside the kingdom." Katt said. "When I was younger they'd follow me everywhere. That was when I was about your age though."
They pressed towards the throne. "Mother, Father, I found him in the jungle. He hasn't eaten for days and he needs new clothes. Please, allow him to stay. It'll only be for a couple of days."
The King and Queen of Zoness looked at each other. Then back at their daughter. "He's not as suspicious as that Shane character, but he does look terrible. Take him to the guests room and we'll send him some clothes." The King said.
Katt nodded, but just before she could leave a messenger walked in, and that usually meant that Katt had to stay to hear the message.
The messenger was a short pudgy hound and he didn't look too happy with his message. "Your majesty. It seems that the King of Corneria has been murdered, and so has the Prince. Now who are we to trade with?"
The King's eyes went wide. "Who would want to kill James? Everyone in that kingdom seemed happy. More importantly, who would want to kill the prince?" No one outside of Corneria had ever seen Fox before, nor did they really know his name. They'd have to identify him by the crest.
"Terrible news in deed." The Queen spoke. "Please, send Vixy our sorrow. When is the funeral?"
"The new King ordered it today. Vixy sent me. It's too bad that you won't be able to attend."
"Yes..." said King Monroe.
"Lady, is there any message you wish for me to return?"
Lady Monroe looked down at the messenger. "Nothing that I can think of. Give Vixy my sorrow and take her a bottle of wine."
The messenger nodded and was gone. Katt then lead Fox to the guest's room.
***
'Everyone thinks I'm dead?' Fox thought to himself. 'Why?' Then he pieced it together. 'The only one who knows I killed my dad is Wolf. Maybe he told them I was dead or something.' He stopped thinking when Katt handed him some clothes about his size.
"They might be a little big at first, but within time you'll grow into them." Katt said. "You might want to go change."
Fox walked over to the mirror and looked at himself. His clothes were terrible! They were sweaty and bloody. Surprisingly enough, Katt didn't ask about the blood. Fox took that as a good sign. He completely spaced out as he took off his shirt to reveal the royal crest on his chest. He'd completely forgotten about that, and he was standing in the mirror.
Katt noticed the crest right away. "Wait! I know that crest." She said. "It's the same crest that was on the message the messenger had. Every royal heir of Corneria has a crest on his or her chest. You, you're the Prince of Corneria. Why are you here?"
Fox covered the chest quickly by putting on the red shirt and light white vest that Katt gave him. "I..." He had no idea what to say.
"You weren't exiled were you?" Katt asked. "Judging by what your attire looks like, I'd say you ran away from home. Why did you run away?" She still never said anything about the blood on his other clothes.
"I ran away because my dad was murdered." Fox replied. 'By me.' He could've added, but he didn't say that.
"You're afraid the murderer is going to come after you next? That's okay, I know what its like to be the kit of a King and Queen. Keep your crest covered and don't tell anyone your real name."
"But my name is Fox and--"
"Listen to what I say." Katt cut him off. "From now on your name is Arland. You came here from the kingdom of Titania."
"But why?" Fox asked.
"Some furs actually do know that the Prince of Corneria is named Fox. Some went to your birth ceremony. You don't remember that, you were too young. If they find you here, especially judging by how your clothes looked, they'll think you ran away because you killed your father. No one is going to believe that you were exiled." Katt turned to walk out, "Do we have an understanding Arland?"
Fox...or should I say "Arland" nodded. "Okay. From now on my name is Arland and I came from Titanica."
"Not Titanica. T-I-T-A-N-I-A. Say it with me, Titania." Katt corrected him.
"Titania." Fox repeated.
"Now get dressed Arland. Dinner is shortly, and I want you to look your best. Remember, my parents think you're a slob, and I want to show I don't always bring back slobs." Katt said. "Now hurry up. You're a Prince; you're supposed to be very punctual. You'll understand when you're older."
Fox didn't object. What choice did he have?
***
At the dinner Fox noticed that they ate differently than those in Corneria. Where as in Corneria all the Kings advisors, the Vice King, and all the Kings servants ate, in Zoness, only the King, Queen and Princess ate together. And whoever their "Guest of honor" was did not sit next to the King. There were no guests of honor. The table also only sat six furs. Fox sat down next to Katt.
"So, young one. What is your name?"
Fox looked at them remembering with Katt had said. "My name is Arland. I came from Titania."
"Well what were you doing in the desert? Why were your clothes soaked in blood?"
Fox looked uneasy, but didn't let it show. It was then Katt stepped up for him "He told me that he doesn't wish to talk about it. That's why he's so silent."
Fox only nodded and gave a sad look.
"Well, stay as long as you like Arland." Lady Monroe offered. "We have plenty of rooms and plenty of servants who can attend your every need."
"So tell us about yourself Arland. You come from Titania. I've heard it's quite nice."
Fox smiled. He could easily lie his way out of this one. "It's nice but it's unbearably hot there. It's like your baking in an oven." Fox said. He actually got a laugh out of the two.
"So, why did you leave Titania?" The King asked.
Fox hadn't been prepared for that. "Well, my family is very poor you see. So I decided that I wanted to help my family. I was on my way to Corneria to ask the King for food but then I passed out in the desert. When I woke up I was in the jungle."
"What a sad story. We could possibly help you." The Queen offered.
"That's okay. I can do it on my own." Fox replied quickly.
"But we insists." said the King and ordered a messenger into the dinner hall. "Send a basket of bread and meat to the parents of Arland." He said and the messenger nodded.
'EEP!' Fox thought. At least if there really WAS an Arland in Titania then they'd be a lucky family.
"Well, it's a long way to Titania. You may want to stay here to recuperate for a while. Don't worry; Katt can take care of you. You can sleep in her room."
Katt looked up at her mom and smiled. "What if he's for years to come?"
"Then he can sleep in your room until he's thirteen. I don't want a cox running around the kingdom and freaking furs out." A "cox" was a cat/fox hybrid. Their species were VERY rare and you mostly found them in Macbeth and Earth.
It wasn't too long before dinner was over and so Fox and Katt went back to her room.
***
Once in the room, Katt closed the door. "Okay, all the servants and royalties are going to bed now. You can use your real name."
"Okay." Fox nodded. Then he sat down on the floor. "So I guess I sleep here tonight?"
Katt looked at Fox and gave him a look. "Of course not!" She went to her closet and pulled out a sleeping bag. "I'll sleep on the floor and you can have my bed. Its fair that way. You're a guest here, so I must treat you like one."
Fox actually managed a smile. "Could you tell me a story before the nights done?"
Katt looked at Fox. The young vulpine had just come to rest on the bed. "And could you tuck me in?"
Katt smiled. She remembered the days when she asked her mom to do stuff like that. She walked up to the side of the bed and pulled the covers over Fox. Nice and snug was how she did it. The problem was that Katt wasn't good at telling stories. But how could she say no to such a sweet fox? "Your mom used to tell you stories?"
"Yes, all the time."
"You probably miss your mom...well. I guess I could tell you a story." Katt said.
Fox snuggled in, ready to listen. Katt gave a small, yet soft, sigh. "Once upon a time there was a fox with two tails. This fox walked around on all fours, unlike us today." She said. "This fox was a beautiful fox. But in his day, humans ruled him. We were not referred to as 'furs' but as 'animals'. One day, this fox studied the humans and soon learned their language. Then he learned to walk on two legs on his own. This amazed the humans. This fox started a school, where humans could take their pets to learn how to speak, and learn how to walk on two legs. He then taught them how to use their paws as hands."
"However, there were some humans who didn't like this. Some thought that this fox was a Great Fox. This is how he earned his name. Because there were humans who didn't like what he was doing, Great Fox took the furs and formed a Kingdom called Corneria. Some furs didn't like being isolated, so Great Fox let them go. That was when the Kingdoms of Zoness, Titania, and Katina were formed. Some humans helped furs form their independence. The Kingdom that humans and furs worked together to form was Macbeth. Some humans still didn't like that, and that was the very first war that the world had ever seen. In the end, the Great Fox gave his life to save all of anthro kind. That's why when we send our prayers and our thanks, they go to Great Fox." Katt said. She looked at Fox who was nearly asleep.
Fox yawned and said softly, "My mom used to tell me that same story."
Katt had no idea of that. "I'm sorry...you probably--"
"It's my favorite story." Fox said. "You remind me of my mom."
Katt smiled and kissed Fox on the forehead. "Goodnight Fox."
Fox yawned and replied. "Goodnight...mom."
________________________________________________________________________
A/N: This is one of my favorite chapters. The small story I told is entire mine and if it relates to anyone else's or any relation to any religion it is entirely coincidental. Anyway, I thought it would be more interesting that since this is basically Fox's new home it would be better if he called Katt "Mom".
Disclaimer: Nothing has changed since the last disclaimer ________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 8-Lovely Zoness
"Stand up! Give respect to the Princess of Zoness when she comes." Falco said.
"She won't care really, she's really nice. I think she can help you get back on your feet." Shane said. "Just be yourself."
The Princess of Zoness walked up to them and she looked divine. A little young, probably about fifteen years old. "Falco! Shane!" She said and hugged them both. She always bought them food and this time she did the same. "You didn't tell me you'd have someone with you."
"Sorry Katt. We just found him. We were wondering if you could help him out a little bit. Look at him, he's in rags pretty much." Shane said.
Katt brought bread with her and gave a half a loaf to Shane, and the other half to Falco. She also had butter with her. Katt turned to face Fox after she gave Shane and Falco some bread. "You look terrible."
Fox sighed. "I'm just sad right now."
"Why?"
"He was just exiled from his Kingdom so he's here." Shane said. He broke off a piece of bread and offered it to Fox. Fox declined the offer and sighed.
"Why don't you come back to Zoness with me?" Katt asked. "I can get you some clothes, and you look like you haven't eaten in days. You need food, and I mean more than just this bread."
Fox looked up at Katt and had a tear in his eye. He didn't know how long he'd been in the desert, but he was extremely hungry. "I don't think I want to."
"Nonsense, come back with me." Katt said and pulled Fox along.
"Don't worry, Shane snoops the kingdom a lot, if you feel uncomfortable you can always look for him." Falco said as Fox was being dragged off.
***
The town of Zoness was a lovely waterbed city. It was beautiful really. Lots of green grass grew on the buildings. The houses were made of stone and wood. The Kingdom of Zoness was obviously richer than Corneria. Fox had never seen such a beautiful sight. The trees were fresh and there was a small creek that flowed through the Kingdom. Water falls too.
Katt led Fox to the Palace of Zoness. When the doors opened the guards didn't question where she was and they let her right in. "You don't have servants follow you around?" Fox asked.
"Of course not! I have my own personal life outside the kingdom." Katt said. "When I was younger they'd follow me everywhere. That was when I was about your age though."
They pressed towards the throne. "Mother, Father, I found him in the jungle. He hasn't eaten for days and he needs new clothes. Please, allow him to stay. It'll only be for a couple of days."
The King and Queen of Zoness looked at each other. Then back at their daughter. "He's not as suspicious as that Shane character, but he does look terrible. Take him to the guests room and we'll send him some clothes." The King said.
Katt nodded, but just before she could leave a messenger walked in, and that usually meant that Katt had to stay to hear the message.
The messenger was a short pudgy hound and he didn't look too happy with his message. "Your majesty. It seems that the King of Corneria has been murdered, and so has the Prince. Now who are we to trade with?"
The King's eyes went wide. "Who would want to kill James? Everyone in that kingdom seemed happy. More importantly, who would want to kill the prince?" No one outside of Corneria had ever seen Fox before, nor did they really know his name. They'd have to identify him by the crest.
"Terrible news in deed." The Queen spoke. "Please, send Vixy our sorrow. When is the funeral?"
"The new King ordered it today. Vixy sent me. It's too bad that you won't be able to attend."
"Yes..." said King Monroe.
"Lady, is there any message you wish for me to return?"
Lady Monroe looked down at the messenger. "Nothing that I can think of. Give Vixy my sorrow and take her a bottle of wine."
The messenger nodded and was gone. Katt then lead Fox to the guest's room.
***
'Everyone thinks I'm dead?' Fox thought to himself. 'Why?' Then he pieced it together. 'The only one who knows I killed my dad is Wolf. Maybe he told them I was dead or something.' He stopped thinking when Katt handed him some clothes about his size.
"They might be a little big at first, but within time you'll grow into them." Katt said. "You might want to go change."
Fox walked over to the mirror and looked at himself. His clothes were terrible! They were sweaty and bloody. Surprisingly enough, Katt didn't ask about the blood. Fox took that as a good sign. He completely spaced out as he took off his shirt to reveal the royal crest on his chest. He'd completely forgotten about that, and he was standing in the mirror.
Katt noticed the crest right away. "Wait! I know that crest." She said. "It's the same crest that was on the message the messenger had. Every royal heir of Corneria has a crest on his or her chest. You, you're the Prince of Corneria. Why are you here?"
Fox covered the chest quickly by putting on the red shirt and light white vest that Katt gave him. "I..." He had no idea what to say.
"You weren't exiled were you?" Katt asked. "Judging by what your attire looks like, I'd say you ran away from home. Why did you run away?" She still never said anything about the blood on his other clothes.
"I ran away because my dad was murdered." Fox replied. 'By me.' He could've added, but he didn't say that.
"You're afraid the murderer is going to come after you next? That's okay, I know what its like to be the kit of a King and Queen. Keep your crest covered and don't tell anyone your real name."
"But my name is Fox and--"
"Listen to what I say." Katt cut him off. "From now on your name is Arland. You came here from the kingdom of Titania."
"But why?" Fox asked.
"Some furs actually do know that the Prince of Corneria is named Fox. Some went to your birth ceremony. You don't remember that, you were too young. If they find you here, especially judging by how your clothes looked, they'll think you ran away because you killed your father. No one is going to believe that you were exiled." Katt turned to walk out, "Do we have an understanding Arland?"
Fox...or should I say "Arland" nodded. "Okay. From now on my name is Arland and I came from Titanica."
"Not Titanica. T-I-T-A-N-I-A. Say it with me, Titania." Katt corrected him.
"Titania." Fox repeated.
"Now get dressed Arland. Dinner is shortly, and I want you to look your best. Remember, my parents think you're a slob, and I want to show I don't always bring back slobs." Katt said. "Now hurry up. You're a Prince; you're supposed to be very punctual. You'll understand when you're older."
Fox didn't object. What choice did he have?
***
At the dinner Fox noticed that they ate differently than those in Corneria. Where as in Corneria all the Kings advisors, the Vice King, and all the Kings servants ate, in Zoness, only the King, Queen and Princess ate together. And whoever their "Guest of honor" was did not sit next to the King. There were no guests of honor. The table also only sat six furs. Fox sat down next to Katt.
"So, young one. What is your name?"
Fox looked at them remembering with Katt had said. "My name is Arland. I came from Titania."
"Well what were you doing in the desert? Why were your clothes soaked in blood?"
Fox looked uneasy, but didn't let it show. It was then Katt stepped up for him "He told me that he doesn't wish to talk about it. That's why he's so silent."
Fox only nodded and gave a sad look.
"Well, stay as long as you like Arland." Lady Monroe offered. "We have plenty of rooms and plenty of servants who can attend your every need."
"So tell us about yourself Arland. You come from Titania. I've heard it's quite nice."
Fox smiled. He could easily lie his way out of this one. "It's nice but it's unbearably hot there. It's like your baking in an oven." Fox said. He actually got a laugh out of the two.
"So, why did you leave Titania?" The King asked.
Fox hadn't been prepared for that. "Well, my family is very poor you see. So I decided that I wanted to help my family. I was on my way to Corneria to ask the King for food but then I passed out in the desert. When I woke up I was in the jungle."
"What a sad story. We could possibly help you." The Queen offered.
"That's okay. I can do it on my own." Fox replied quickly.
"But we insists." said the King and ordered a messenger into the dinner hall. "Send a basket of bread and meat to the parents of Arland." He said and the messenger nodded.
'EEP!' Fox thought. At least if there really WAS an Arland in Titania then they'd be a lucky family.
"Well, it's a long way to Titania. You may want to stay here to recuperate for a while. Don't worry; Katt can take care of you. You can sleep in her room."
Katt looked up at her mom and smiled. "What if he's for years to come?"
"Then he can sleep in your room until he's thirteen. I don't want a cox running around the kingdom and freaking furs out." A "cox" was a cat/fox hybrid. Their species were VERY rare and you mostly found them in Macbeth and Earth.
It wasn't too long before dinner was over and so Fox and Katt went back to her room.
***
Once in the room, Katt closed the door. "Okay, all the servants and royalties are going to bed now. You can use your real name."
"Okay." Fox nodded. Then he sat down on the floor. "So I guess I sleep here tonight?"
Katt looked at Fox and gave him a look. "Of course not!" She went to her closet and pulled out a sleeping bag. "I'll sleep on the floor and you can have my bed. Its fair that way. You're a guest here, so I must treat you like one."
Fox actually managed a smile. "Could you tell me a story before the nights done?"
Katt looked at Fox. The young vulpine had just come to rest on the bed. "And could you tuck me in?"
Katt smiled. She remembered the days when she asked her mom to do stuff like that. She walked up to the side of the bed and pulled the covers over Fox. Nice and snug was how she did it. The problem was that Katt wasn't good at telling stories. But how could she say no to such a sweet fox? "Your mom used to tell you stories?"
"Yes, all the time."
"You probably miss your mom...well. I guess I could tell you a story." Katt said.
Fox snuggled in, ready to listen. Katt gave a small, yet soft, sigh. "Once upon a time there was a fox with two tails. This fox walked around on all fours, unlike us today." She said. "This fox was a beautiful fox. But in his day, humans ruled him. We were not referred to as 'furs' but as 'animals'. One day, this fox studied the humans and soon learned their language. Then he learned to walk on two legs on his own. This amazed the humans. This fox started a school, where humans could take their pets to learn how to speak, and learn how to walk on two legs. He then taught them how to use their paws as hands."
"However, there were some humans who didn't like this. Some thought that this fox was a Great Fox. This is how he earned his name. Because there were humans who didn't like what he was doing, Great Fox took the furs and formed a Kingdom called Corneria. Some furs didn't like being isolated, so Great Fox let them go. That was when the Kingdoms of Zoness, Titania, and Katina were formed. Some humans helped furs form their independence. The Kingdom that humans and furs worked together to form was Macbeth. Some humans still didn't like that, and that was the very first war that the world had ever seen. In the end, the Great Fox gave his life to save all of anthro kind. That's why when we send our prayers and our thanks, they go to Great Fox." Katt said. She looked at Fox who was nearly asleep.
Fox yawned and said softly, "My mom used to tell me that same story."
Katt had no idea of that. "I'm sorry...you probably--"
"It's my favorite story." Fox said. "You remind me of my mom."
Katt smiled and kissed Fox on the forehead. "Goodnight Fox."
Fox yawned and replied. "Goodnight...mom."
________________________________________________________________________
A/N: This is one of my favorite chapters. The small story I told is entire mine and if it relates to anyone else's or any relation to any religion it is entirely coincidental. Anyway, I thought it would be more interesting that since this is basically Fox's new home it would be better if he called Katt "Mom".