Hey, everyone! Ta-Ni here, with a very important chapter of Vulpix TF. When we last left poor Sol, he was not in a good situation. Let's see what comes out of that, shall we?

I slowly woke up, only to find the sun beginning to rise above the treeline; I had slept the night away, in the middle of the forest. Everything in my body hurt, but I think my injuries were healed; I was just really stiff. As I slowly crawled to my feet, I noticed an orange object just on the edge of my vision, sitting in the grass. I looked over, and then stopped to stare. Sitting on the grass, just out of reach, was a crystal which glowed with an inner flame, literally; I could see the flame dancing within its many edges.

I-is this what Nana described to me as a Fire Stone? I thought with wonder. Nana said I could evolve with one of these, but to find one in the wild is next to impossible. How…? Then, I remembered the trainer, the one who took Nana from me. He said he wanted to fight me for real; to become stronger. Is that why he left me this Fire Stone? Should I use it? How does it work?

Curious, I crept forward as fast as my body would let me and touched it with my nose. Nothing happened, but I could feel warmth radiating from it. Still uncertain if this was the right thing to do, I hesitated a moment longer. Then, I remembered where I was, and made up my mind. I reached forward and placed my paw upon the stone, causing a brilliant flash to blind me.

Immense power welled up inside of me as I drew the flame from the stone into my body, which glowed with a bright, white light. I could feel myself changing, growing larger and taller, but nothing compared to my inner flame, my Ember; it swelled to at least five times its original size, threatening to burn me from the inside out, and yet I knew I could control it. My six tails uncurled and lengthened, and three more grew out alongside them. Finally, a new, hidden power unlocked deep in my mind, and I realized I could now use the power of foxfire to make illusions. I had become a Ninetales.

As the light faded, I settled back into my new body, and my Ember became more manageable. Panting slightly from the effort of the evolution, I noticed all my stiffness had faded as well; I was back at full strength. Wow, I'm really a ninetales, aren't I? Wait until I show Nana- My thoughts cut off as I remembered she wasn't around anymore, the grief threatening to come back and overwhelm me. I shook it off for the moment; I needed to get somewhere safe first. Lifting my nose into the air, I tracked my old scent back to the berry bush I found, and from there back to the cave.

Even though the cave was relatively safe, it was also suffuse with Nana's and my scent, bringing back old memories, and this time the grief was too much. I lay down in her old sleeping spot and began crying again. Even though I was technically 'grown up', I still had my childish tendencies. Then, suddenly…

You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?

The psychic voice jolted me from my grief, and I rose to my feet, stepping from the cave entrance and looking for the source. Standing in the bushes not far away was a xatu, with one wing outstretched. Something about him made me nervous, my hackles rising. I turned to him and growled, in case he wanted a fight.

The xatu blinked once, saying, I do not wish to fight. I only came because your fate seemed… interesting.

I could sense no hostility in his mental voice, so I settled down, tilting my head in confusion. "What do you mean? Can't you leave me in my grief? I just lost the one Pokémon who cared for me; of course it's terrible."

The xatu shifted its wings and said, I do not mean the loss of your caretaker when I mentioned 'a terrible fate'. I speak of your current form; what you were before, and what you could be again.

Really confused, I replied, "I doubt it's possible to be a vulpix again; evolution is permanent."

The xatu closed its eyes for a moment and mentally sighed. It appears she has buried those memories too deep for you to recall. I speak of your life before you were 'born', and how you came to be in your current form.

Tired of riddles, I barked, "Just tell me, if you're so smart! I'm not in the mood for riddles and games."

I cannot tell you directly, the xatu replied. You must ask her yourself. The one you must seek lives far away, many a moon's journey from this forest, at the base of the mountain range in the far north. She is a ninetales, like yourself, but much older than you; in fact, she is nearing the end of her days, and if you do not hurry, any chance of learning your past will be lost.

At his words, a faint memory began to float up in my mind: a voice saying to seek it out, to 'see how much you have grown'. I shook my head to clear the thought from my mind, about to say something to the xatu, but he had vanished as quickly as he had appeared. What does he mean, 'my life before I was born'? I thought. No one can be alive before they are born, unless he meant my previous incarnation. As for the ninetales he mentioned, maybe that's Nana's friend, the one who found me right after I hatched. She could tell me who my real parents are, if she knows.

With these questions in my head, I finally had a purpose, a direction to go. I know Nana wouldn't want me wallowing in my grief over her, especially since I had evolved, and maybe that ninetales would have some answers. I picked myself up from the ground, gave myself a quick fire bath to make myself more presentable, and set out for the distant mountains. I looked back only once, to savor the memories I had of that place, as if knowing I would never return.

And there you have it. We have reached a turning point in his life, and from this point on, everything will be new.

By the way, did you spot the reference? Let me know in your reviews if you did.

Lastly, I have started a forum topic on this site called Eon Village, where we RP as Eevees and Eeveelutions in our own isolated society; I would love to see some of you join us.

As always, read and review. And may your Ember (or whatever elemental core you have) never fade.