Hey, everybody! I'm here with another chapter of Vulpix TF, just in time for the new year. What will happen next?
As I awoke, the first thing I noticed is that night had fallen. However, I was hanging in midair; my paws are far off the ground and the trees are flying past in the shadows! I panicked and started squirming, a whimper rising in my throat. My mind was screaming Predator! Help! Suddenly, the moving stopped, and I felt myself being put down. As soon as my paws touched the earth, I spun around, landing on my tail with a painful whine. I looked up to see Nana standing over me; she was the one carrying me.
"I see you're up, little one," she said, a smile on her muzzle. "Sorry for the scare; I was carrying you back to my den. The middle of the forest is no place for a newborn, not with the threat of predators and two-legs, and especially not at night." I looked down at my paws sheepishly, and mumbled, "Sorry, Nana." She shook her head. "It wasn't your fault; you reacted properly on instinct. Keep that in mind for later."
I picked myself up, finding my legs were strong enough to hold me up finally. However, when I tried to walk forward, I tripped and fell down again. My feet felt over-large, clumsy; almost as if they weren't my own. I heard Nan sigh, then felt teeth gripping the scruff of fur behind my neck. I was once more in the air, but since I knew it was Nana this time, the fear never came. Instead, I hung limp on instinct, letting her carry me without much effort.
I tried to look around without moving my head, watching trees blur by in the shadows. To my surprise, I could see somewhat well in the gloom; for some reason, I felt like this was new somehow. Nothing looked distinct, so I focused on the various scents speeding past my nose. Pine needles, damp soil, and other forest smells travelled by, riding the chill wind that whipped around me.
After some time, I felt Nana begin to slow down, and looked up into what looked like a large cave carved into the hillside. As she slowed to a walk, she ducked her head in order to clear the opening, causing my paws and tails to brush the ground for a moment. However, the cave beyond was much larger; in fact it was so big the sheer size was lost in the gloom. Nana set me down near the middle of the cave, so I tried to look around; however, the darkness was too deep to see much.
Suddenly, a burst of fire shot out of Nana's mouth, striking a pile of sticks right next to me and setting them alight! A wash of heat swept over me, banishing the lingering cold from the run; I shivered in gratefulness. Curious, I stumbled a little closer to the crackling flames, as if drawn toward its light and heat, and tried waving a paw through the fire. I'm not sure why I expected otherwise, but the fire didn't hurt me; being a creature of fire like Nana, it wouldn't harm me.
I felt Nana lay down again, so I stumbled back to her, managing a couple of steps before falling this time. I could see her smile slightly at the progress as I curled up next to her. She gave my head curl a couple of strokes to untangle it, then asked, "By the way, little one, do you have a name? You deserve a proper name, rather than a pet name like 'little one'." I thought for a moment, tilting my head slightly; deep in the back of my mind, I could tell I DID have a name, but whatever it was, I couldn't remember. I shook my head, and she replied, "Well, how about I call you Sol? I overheard one of the two-legs mention that it meant 'sun' in their language, and I've come to see you as a bright light in my life, like a little sun." I smiled; I like it! "Thank you, Nana Firedancer!" I replied with a yip, snuggling deeper into her fur and drifting off into sleep once more.
And there you have it. Now, he has a new name, and I don't have to worry about trying to not spoil it! Anyway, what's next in Sol's new life? Find out next time!
Read, Review, and May your Ember never fade!
