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Mission No. 40

Cerinia
Altaira Valley

"Kaitaki"

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Later that morning, Fox and Krystal entered the Hall of the Matrons. The main atrium was already bustling with activity, but not as much as it would be by midday. Several of the elders were dispersed about the main floor, advising villagers with their troubles as they passed.

Krystal walked alongside Fox, clenching his hand in hers—this time to give him encouragement. His application to be a guardian of the village was her idea, after all, and he still had some withholdings about it, but her presence at his side made him stick out less among all the other Cerinians.

When they entered, the air was filled with the Cerinians' voices, laughing and talking with one another—but the moment they noticed Fox, the room fell into a hush that reached the far back in a wave, and every head turned to look his way.

Krystal squeezed Fox's hand, and he wasn't dissuaded. Ignoring all the attention, he walked with her down the center lane of the hall towards the raised stage where the Kaumatua sat.

Namah looked down to meet them, dressed in her flowing purple robes and seated at the center of the elders. "Well Fox, we have granted you an audience. Please speak your mind."

The young todd felt nearly a dozen Cerinian minds brush up against his own, waiting to hear and translate his response. He felt frozen and rooted to the ground—but Krystal pushed him forward, giving him a hopeful smile when he looked back in surprise.

Finding himself beneath the stern gazes of the village elders, he shifted awkwardly on his feet. It was easy facing so many people when they adored you; it was harder when they unanimously distrusted you.

Regaining his composure, Fox bowed, doing his best to hide his nervousness while outwardly exuding confidence. "Mother Namah, I… came with a request."

"And? What is it you ask of us?"

With a firm jaw, he stated, "I wish to be trained as a Kaitaki."

The elders had to stifle their laughs and conceal smiles to maintain a show of solemnity. Even though the Kaumatua were trained to hide their emotions, many of the women couldn't help but betray them. They hadn't even refused his request outright, but if this reaction was any indication…

Krystal's brow raised in confusion, not understanding why they were laughing at Fox—and not appreciating that he was the butt of their fun, either.

Unlike the other women, Namah's stoic expression did not change; at least she wasn't bent on humiliating him. "I'm sorry, but Lylatians are not permitted to learn the ways of the Curse—much less a young, impulsive boy like yourself."

"Why not?" Fox challenged.

"Because you simply do not have the Curse in the first place. Being a Kaitaki is not about cultivating magic powers; it's about restraining and taming what is already up here," she finished, tapping her head.

"But if my mother developed the Curse, isn't it possible that I could as well?"

Namah pursed her lips and refrained from answering for a moment. Finally she responded, "Even if you could contract the Curse on your own, why would we trust one like yourself with such power? You seem to forget the reason we permitted you into the valley in the first place."

"You trusted her," Fox stated. As he expected, knowing looks came across each of the Kaumatua's faces. "She was a stranger among you—an outsider like myself. Yet you accepted her into the village and trained her as a Kaitaki, didn't you?"

"We… did," Namah stuttered. No one had outright told Fox, but he'd expected as much given Vixy's strength.

"Then why not me, her son? I'm the child of one of this village's members, which means I belong to Altaira like the rest of you." He made eye contact with each of the elders, one-by-one. "I know not all of you are comfortable with me being here. But like it or not, this is my home now. I'm here to stay. I have just as much reason to protect this village as anyone else. And if you think I have no reason to like any of you, well… maybe you're right. Some of you have been kind to me. Others… a bit prejudiced. Maybe I wouldn't be protecting the village for your sake." He turned back and looked at Krystal, who watched him with interest. "But I'd protect it for hers. And—if my own mother sacrificed her life to protect this village—it must be worth fighting for."

Some of the elders were moved by Fox's speech; even the ones who still held deep-seated distrust of him. They saw his concern for Krystal was genuine; after all, he'd traveled this far with her already. But the revelation that Vixy was his mother seemed to strike an even deeper chord. Apparently, they were quite familiar with her.

"I know you have enemies here," he continued, "or you wouldn't be patrolling the wastelands and hiding in the mountains and mist. There are enemy Cerinians out there, and the Cornerians will return to look for Krystal. Let me help you fight them!"

"Dear Fox," Namah answered, shaking her head, "you do not seem to understand the purpose of the Kaitaki at all."

Fox crossed his arms. "Then enlighten me."

"No one here chooses who joins the guardians, Fox. It's not like my sisters and I meet to decide who the next initiate is. Everyone who shows exceptional levels of the Curse must become a Kaitaki. Their purpose isn't to protect us from outsiders…" Namah tapped a finger against her chest. "Their purpose is to protect us from themselves. If one of our daughters displays anything more dangerous than telepathy, we immediately begin training her as a future guardian. We teach the Kaitaki discipline, self-control, and right from wrong. We teach them how to keep their powers contained, and how to safely release them when needed. If we didn't, this village would have been torn stone-from-stone years ago. Perhaps it wouldn't have existed in the first place."

Fox glared at her. "Then, are you saying I'll have to develop powers on my own before you'll train me?"

Namah gazed at him with concern. "I'm saying you should pray you never do. Many of our healers spend their days looking for ways to get rid of the Curse, evolving us back to the way we were before. We would never intentionally expose anyone to the Curse to gain powers. But there is someone else who has already fallen victim…"

Fox followed Namah's eyes over his shoulder, and at the same time, he and Krystal realized who she meant.

"What!? You can't mean Krystal. She's… she's just a young girl! It's too dangerous for her!"

Namah switched to telepathy, concealing the rest of their conversation from Krystal.

'It is precisely because she is a young, confused girl that we must act now. For years, she has been little more than an experiment for Andross's scientists. They wanted to turn her into a weapon; they trained her to release her powers as much as she could. We must teach her to keep her powers in. I've seen much darkness in that girl already.'

Fox raised his eyebrows and stared at Namah in disbelief. 'Darkness? In Krystal? Pardon my rudeness, but how long have you even known her? She's the gentlest person I know.'

'And how long have you known her?' the abbess shot back. 'I've raised dozens of girls like her. Each one of them appears just as innocent, but they all harbored fears deep inside. Everyone lost something or someone after the Anomie destroyed our world. Krystal is no exception; she's faced tortures beyond description and hasn't known love for most of her life. Mark my words, Fox; deep within her lies a seething hatred of her torturers—a hatred that's waiting to boil over if anyone wrongs her again. You saw what she did to Sister Āni.'

'Which she did to save me! You also saw her back away when confronted a second time.'

The abbess nodded. 'Which is how we know she is not too far gone. Like you, Fox, I only want the best for her. But unlike you, I've seen stories like hers play out again and again—and not all of them had happy endings. I hope you will yield to my judgment in the matter.'

In the end, Fox clenched his fists, but said nothing. He looked down at the floor.

"Krystal," Namah instructed, "come here, my child."

The vixen reluctantly walked forward, her turquoise robes brushing against the floor. She stopped beside Fox, glancing at him in confusion before meeting Namah's eyes.

"Krystal, whether a blessing or a curse, fate has seen fit to give you extraordinary powers; more than you know what to do with. If you are not careful, you could end up hurting Sister Āni again, or another one of your sisters—even Fox."

At this revelation, Krystal looked back at the young todd, worry in her eyes.

"But, if you make an effort to learn our ways and control your impulses, you can protect everyone you love from yourself. So, will you train with us?"

The vixen's shoulders drooped. "It doesn't sound like I have a choice…"

Namah gave her a pitying look. "Unlike your former captors, we cannot force you to learn. It is up to you whether or not you accept our teachings and grow from them. We will never bring you pain, nor inflict punishment on you for failing. I swear this to you, Krystal. The only consequence if you do not learn is the destruction you may cause yourself."

The vixen set her chin, growing determined. "Well, alright. If it will keep me from hurting anyone as you say, I'll do it."

The elder Cerinian exhaled a breath and smiled warmly. "Thank you, Krystal. It's for everyone's good; yours most of all."

Then, to Fox's surprise, he felt Krystal take his hand in hers and squeeze it. He looked up from the floor at her, but she still had her head turned towards Namah. Instead, she spoke to him through her thoughts. 'I'm doing this for you, Fox. I can't bear the notion of hurting you.'

Fox squeezed her paw back. 'I don't believe for a second you ever could.' He turned his attention back to Namah. "Regardless, I still wish to become a Kaitaki: powers or no powers."

The abbess chuckled. "And how would you defend this village, young Fox, without the psychic abilities of the rest of our warriors?"

Fox clenched his fist, but he was beginning to feel defeated. At one time he was the most skilled pilot in Lylat, unmatched by any; now he found himself to be the most useless member of the village, completely out of his element and outclassed by everyone around him—even Krystal, who he used to think he was protecting the whole time.

Seeing his shoulders slump, and sensing his defeat, Krystal stepped between him and the elders, scowling at them.

"He is not weak!" she shouted. "He's the strongest person I know! Even without the Curse, he's smart and skillful and brave! He saved me time and time again, even bringing me back to life when I drowned—and that was without your dumb powers to help him! He tames and flies great metal beasts; he casts bolts of fire; and he takes on whole armies on his own! Why, he even fought a Cerinian with great powers, yet he protected me even when he knew he didn't stand a chance!"

Though the elders were insulted by Krystal's outburst, a few seemed to listen to her words. Even Fox was taken aback by how much she thought of him, every insult he endured at the Cerinians' hands outshone by that single tirade of compliments she paid him; it was all he needed to feel confident again.

Namah blinked in surprise, mouth opening for a second. "Well Fox, Krystal seems to think very highly of your abilities. She may be embellishing or misunderstanding some of the finer points, but I have seen what she said is true. Given this was once your sole occupation, I think you'd lose your mind if all you ever did was pick vegetables for that old man."

Another one of the Kaumatua spoke to Namah in Cerinian, looking at Fox with distaste. But the matron waved her off, telegraphing her response to all those present.

'I see no reason why we shouldn't train Fox in hand-to-hand combat. If he ever turned against us, we could easily overpower him with our minds.' She looked down at Fox again. 'You will never be counted as a Kaitaki… but I appreciate your willingness to defend our village all the same, and I will let you help in any way you can.'

Another Kaumatua cleared her throat. 'We appreciate your willingness,' she corrected Namah. Then, to Fox's surprise, a number of other elders likewise expressed their agreement—whether moved by Krystal's speech, Namah's decision, or that they saw a little of Vixy in his resilience.

"Very well," Namah concluded aloud. "We will educate Krystal in the ways of the Kaitaki, and you shall be trained to fight in more conventional styles. I am sure we can find a sister willing to spar with you and oversee a physical training routine. It shall be seen to."

Fox smiled and released his breath. He bowed. "Thank you, my matrons, for listening today and granting my request. I'm eager to help in any way I can." He turned to Krystal, finding her likewise smiling in relief, happy for him; today, both of them had found their place in Altaira Valley.

After Fox made his appeal in the Hall of the Matrons, the elder that expressed her support for him sought him out at Itoro's hut—which was no short walk from the village. She informed him they'd located a suitable trainer, and he was to meet her at once.

She led a slightly-anxious Fox back to the village, arriving at a smithy that sat immediately beneath the Matron's Hall. There she quietly brought him behind the building to its moss-covered backyard. Together, they found another Cerinian moving aside tools and half-finished projects that littered the yard, he guessed to make space for their upcoming activity.

Fox turned back to thank the kind elder, but she had already returned to the front of the forge. She smiled and bowed before gliding away, hardly having spoken a thought to him since Itoro's place.

The vulpine raised his hand and waved, quickly calling out, "Thank you!" while he still could.

His intended sparring partner approached him while dusting off her hands. If Fox had to guess, he'd say she was the blacksmith of the forge. She was taller than most Cerinians—even taller than Fox. Beneath her ponytail and wine-colored fur, she was well-muscled and fit, but not in an exaggerated, body-builder fashion. Like Fox, she wore a white shendyt, but instead of a full tunic she had a silken wrap around her chest, leaving her midriff bare; an outfit made for activity rather than the more modest, decorated robes the other Cerinians wore. All-in-all, she was quite the formidable opponent.

Well, Fox thought, noting her dark velvet-colored fur, at least if I bleed on her it won't be noticeable.

The blacksmith stopped in front of him, planting her feet and crossing her arms over her chest. Her stare was both harsh and curious. "Ahau kite! Koe ko te rāgata ahau ko i a'o?"

Fox frowned, once again realizing the language barrier. He tapped his skull and said, "Sorry, can't speak Cerinian. You'll have to do your little mind tricks instead."

"Eh?" she exclaimed, screwing up her face. The woman rubbed her chin thoughtfully, then took a tentative peek into his mind.

'…Hello?'

'Make yourself comfortable,' Fox telegraphed. 'We're going to be spending a lot of time in here.'

'I see you can't speak the common tongue,' the woman noted.

'Yeah, well, where I come from, it ain't the common tongue.'

It was like learning to talk with Krystal and Itoro all over again, but instead of a gentle girl or a frail old man, he was talking to someone who could quite possibly beat him to a pulp if he offended her with a stray thought. But until he learned Cerinian, he would have to make do.

'My apologies. I said, "so you are the foreigner I am to teach?"'

Rāgata, Fox repeated to himself. It was a word he'd heard all too often used to describe him, but regardless, he bowed. 'Pleased to meet you. My name is Fox," he finished aloud.

She nodded and answered with, "Kaia. I am a metal smith for the village.'

'Thank you for agreeing to train with me. The elder told me you were the only fighter who would volunteer.'

She shrugged her bare shoulders. 'I'm not surprised.'

'So… what? Were you like the only one who wasn't scared of me, or the only one willing to help a Lylatian?'

She looked him up and down, her blue eyes complimenting her darker red fur. 'I did not sense any danger. If you posed any serious threat, you would not have come to me to learn how to fight, would you?'

Fox's shoulders slumped. 'I guess that's one way of looking at it… but why help me?'

'I was… curious. Curious to see what a Lylatian looked like, in addition to a grown male.'

Fox spread his arms out. 'Well, I hope I don't disappoint.'

She looked at him with an unimpressed expression. 'You do. My friends imagined you'd have two heads, pincers for hands, and dagger-sharp teeth. Instead, I find a young fox with a flat chest. Your gold fur is interesting, as well as your alien language… but besides that, you are quite ordinary.'

'…Is that good, or bad?'

Kaia shrugged. 'It will make training you easier; I didn't exactly know the best sparring practices for pincers. But I will only train with you on one condition.'

'Shoot.'

The vixen grinned. 'I may tell my friends you actually have three heads, crab claws for hands, and can breathe fire in addition to your sharp teeth.'

'They'll be sorely disappointed when they see me in person, but you'll have to face the fallout, not me. It's a deal.'

Fox held out his paw for Kaia to shake, but she just stared at it awkwardly.

'It's… a hand,' he pointed out. 'You shake it. Like… when you make a deal with someone.'

'But… what does shaking your hand have to do with anything?'

'It's a Lylatian custom.'

'It's a funny custom.'

Fox quickly grew frustrated. 'Look, people would make fun of me for knowing trivia like this, but it's to show I don't have a weapon on hand.'

She looked down at his paw. 'But I can clearly see that from here.'

Fox shoved his paw towards her again. 'Just take my damn hand!'

Finally giving in, Kaia accepted his paw. Her grip was weak even though she easily could've pressed harder with her strength. But she suspiciously glanced at Fox's free paw. '…How am I supposed to know your other hand isn't carrying a weapon?'

Rather than argue the point, Fox pursed his lips and thrust his left hand at her as well, allowing her to shake it.

When Kaia had enough "handshaking," she let go and stepped back. 'Alright, take your tunic off,' she demanded.

'I'm not hiding any weapons there, if that's what you're—'

'Nah! Show me your physique: I want to see what I'm working with.' She snapped her fingers. "Tunic. Off."

Fox shrugged out of the shirt, balling it up and tossing it to the side. While the weather in Altaira Valley was a bit chilly, the atmosphere was quite muggy, and he felt more comfortable with it off; this would be the perfect weather to train in.

Kaia leaned in closely, inspecting his chest. 'Interesting… it's like they've sunken back in!'

He resisted the urge to cross his arms in front of himself.

The vixen circled around him, sizing him up. He felt a bit awkward through the process, but had nothing to be ashamed of. At least, not much…

When she completed her circuit and stood in front of him again, she halted. 'Well, you are already quite fit. At least, more so than the other women in the village,' she complimented. 'But you still have some places where you could bulk up, and muscles you could build.'

"Haha, I can explain that. I used to be a… warrior, you could say, but then I came back victorious and, well… took things easy for a while.'

'It shows,' Kaia said, jabbing his belly with a finger and making him flinch. '…T-Tell me, is it true what the older women say about men? That you all have the same weak point?'

Fox knew exactly what she meant, yet didn't quite understand herself. It wasn't something he wanted to explain anyway, both for the inevitable awkwardness and because he'd wasted enough time bantering with Kaia. So instead he answered, 'You wanna find out?'

She grinned condescendingly and lowered into a fighting stance. 'Alright. Let's see what you're made of, Lylatian. Better protect your weak point.'

Fox smiled as well, eager to get on with things. Having some training in the Academy—though it was three years ago at this point—he had some prior experience in hand-to-hand. He angled his hips sideways, staying loose on his feet while keeping his fists raised to protect his head and chest.

'You know,' he teased, 'I've never punched a girl before.' Then he remembered his brief but bloody fight against the rogue Cerinian in Venom's labs and faltered. 'At least, I think I haven't…'

But Kaia chose that moment to attack, surprising him. She swiped her foot towards his groin, proving to Fox the elders where right about the fabled male "weak point" of yore. Just in time however, he lowered his elbow and caught her shin against his forearm, though his bones still rattled from the blow.

'You're allowed to kick!?' he mentally exclaimed.

She returned a confused expression. 'Yes? It's… combat. Why wouldn't I be?'

Fox rotated his shoulders. 'Girls always kick…'

Kaia came at him again, this time jabbing one fist after another at his face.

Fox's eyes widened; he managed to deflect the first fist with his own, but almost wasn't ready for her immediate follow up. His second defense was clumsy, but enough to work. The lunge left her dangerously close to him and faltering after a failed attack. One of her feet was shakily planted between his own, and Fox sensed the perfect opportunity for a counter attack—

But instead of retreating away, Kaia pulled her other leg in for support and brought her closer knee straight up… right into Fox's unprotected groin.

"GAAAAH!"

The todd's eyes bulged and he fell to his knees, wincing at the concentrated bolt of pain. It was so great that he rolled onto his side, soaking up the dew-covered moss into his fur and clothes.

Kaia just stared down at him in awe, an equally-shocked expression covering her face. 'I'm sorry!' she exclaimed, 'I didn't know it would hurt that much!' Then, when Fox still didn't get up after a time passed, she started to look at him suspiciously. 'Alright, come on! You're just faking it.'

But Fox shook his head vehemently, clutching his wounded pride. 'No, trust me, I'm not exaggerating!'

'I didn't even hit you that hard!'

'It doesn't take much,' he insisted. 'You know how much it hurts when you hit your funny bone on something? Imagine that, but like, ten times worse.'

Kaia crossed her arms and shook her head in disbelief. 'Well, men really are weak after all.'

Suddenly growling, Fox ignored the pain and swept his foot underneath Kaia, kicking her legs out from under her. The Cerinian went down like a felled tree. Fox used her momentary fall to safely rise to his feet again, preparing his next attack.

Kaia sprawled across the ground, glaring up at him. 'Do all Lylatians play dirty like you?'

'I don't know about Cerinia, but in Lylatian culture, hitting below the belt is universally considered a dick move.'

'You're forgetting who the teacher is here,' Kaia growled before launching to her feet. She renewed her assault on Fox with a volley of punches and kicks, and it was all the pilot could do to keep up—but both were grinning the entire time.

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Far above in a room inside the Matron's Hall, Krystal watched the pair of vulpines fight. The left side of the room lacked a wall, instead opening to reveal a wide, scenic view of Altaira Valley. It overlooked the steep hillside upon which the Hall of the Matron's stood, and at the base of which sat Kaia's smithy. Though Mother Namah was currently giving Krystal some lesson in Cerinian history, the girl's attention was hopelessly fixated on the two sparring figures below.

Namah sat on a cushion opposite Krystal, legs folded beneath her. Two small sand boxes lay between them, full of pink, pearly grains likely gathered from the riverbank. Admittedly she was curious about their use, but so far Namah hadn't even acknowledged their existence yet, and she had lost interest.

When it became clear to Namah her student wasn't listening, the matron's ear twitched. "…Krystal?" she asked with practiced patience.

The vixen quickly snapped her head back around to face her. She felt her cheeks burn from embarrassment. 'Yes?' she responded sheepishly.

"Please pay attention! This lesson is important."

She dipped her head. 'I'm sorry, ma'am.'

Namah sighed. "As I was saying, leading up to the Anomie, all Cerinians developed psychic abilities similar to your own. Our species can connect on a spiritual level we could never reach in the physical realm alone. Together, we share a life force called mauri. In essence, it is the common soul of our race. This is why we are so different from Lylatian outsiders—like Fox, for instance. It is the invisible space through which we can share thoughts; the reason you and I can talk right now. We can share imagined pictures, memories—even our sensory experiences directly with one another. It is the purest form of communication: expression without medium. No words, no symbols, no representation. Just pure, shared existence.

"However, most Cerinians have not awakened to the extent we have. You and I and the rest of the Kaitaki are… different. While Māra and the normal villagers can overlap minds with one another, we can affect the physical world. You've demonstrated that power before; you've untied the rope that held Fox without even touching the knots. You've even knocked Sister Āni unconscious by disrupting the neurons in her brain from a dozen feet away. A power like ours is a very dangerous one to have. Using it, we can either create…"

The sand in the box suddenly rose up into a cylindrical tower shape, startling Krystal.

"…Or destroy."

The tower collapsed back into a formless heap.

"Above all else, we should learn proper restraint and keep our powers in check. Otherwise, we could lash out in a moment of rage and hurt those around us—especially those we love."

She paused, during which time Krystal noted her dour expression and downcast gaze.

"This is why we identify sisters in the village who have such capabilities. We train them as Kaitaki, teaching not only restraint, but also safe methods to vent their power. For instance, by protecting the village or helping others with tasks that require super-Cerinian strength. Above all else, Krystal, we should only use our full powers when absolutely necessary, and avoid using them in any amount of excess…"

Krystal began to tune the abbess out again. She felt intrigued by the tower Namah had built from sand. While she continued talking, Krystal reached out with her mind and felt the fine grains in the box before her. She took great pains not to move a muscle, sitting as still as a statue with her legs and arms folded to mimic Namah's posture. Once she could properly feel the sand, she imagined a set of invisible hands gathering the miniscule grains together in the center of the box. To her delight, a tower like Namah's began to form, though much less neat; it wobbled in place, and showed obvious imprints of where her imagined fingers shaped it.

Eventually Namah trailed off, following Krystal's gaze to the sandbox in front of her and the trembling pillar in the midst of it. "Krystal…"

The young vixen's eyes widened, and she hastily squashed the tower down—a little too hastily, in fact, as it sent a puff of residue into the air that rose in swirling eddies between them. To her dismay, Namah did not seem amused; she coughed as the cloud enveloped her.

'Sorry…'

The abbess shook her head, smiling. "I didn't come to play in the sand with you, child. You seem to have missed the entire point of this lecture. But since you can't sit still—"

'But I was still!' Krystal pouted.

"Since you… are so eager to learn," Namah corrected herself, "I will move on. Our first lesson will be on mandalas."

Namah began tracing her claw through the sand as she spoke, and Krystal watched with exaggerated attention.

"Never let your emotions get the better of you. Sometimes you may feel sad, or angry, or terrified, or even just confused when your life doesn't make sense. You may be tempted to lash out and break something, as if you could just destroy your problems outright. It might even give you a momentary sense of relief. But senseless destruction is never a solution. Instead, you must control your emotions with an iron grip. They are your emotions; do not let them own you."

As Krystal watched, Namah drew an increasingly-intricate circular pattern with her claw. The line began in the center of the sand, then endlessly spiraled outwards, twisting away from itself as she continued.

"This is a mandala; it's a simple exercise intended to help you meditate. Forget whatever is troubling you. Let go of your own emotions. Focus on this simple task of drawing the pattern. It doesn't have to be any particular shape; whatever comes to your mind will do. Breathe in and out, deeply, and gently continue the form. Never lift your finger when making the pattern; always continue the line and don't worry about where it leads you. It's more than just an exercise; it represents truths about the universe. For as the Cerinian race is made up of one common soul, so too is the mandala made from one unbroken line. The folds and twists are merely an illusion, just as our bodies and the space between them hides the fact that we are all one."

Namah's voice was soft and made Krystal feel at ease; as if it possessed a hypnotic quality.

"Forget about reaching out and influencing the world around you. Instead, embrace the fact that you are merely a part of it. Everyone and everything is one; what happens to one Cerinian will happen to the other, and what you do to someone else is also done to yourself. The only thing keeping someone's feelings separate from yours is your mistaken notion of identity. Clothes, fur, skin, muscle, neurons; they are all just a barrier that keeps us separate. Remove that barrier and there is nothing to say you are you and someone else is another. If you truly understand and feel how you are one with someone, you should have no reason to hurt them or cause them pain. For every wound you give them, you are really inflicting on yourself, and the mauri of the entire Cerinian race. You are just as much a part of it as they are. You have no more importance than they do in the grand scheme of things; it is merely an evolutionary lie for your own selfish preservation. It must be abandoned…"

Once again, Krystal's attention drifted down to the sparring figures below. She was worried to see Fox fighting one of the villagers no matter the circumstances; she flinched whenever the woman landed a painful-looking blow on him. Yet she still found the exchange… exciting. From her vantage point way up above, it looked like another kind of dance: just as much a form of art as the patterns the Cerinians wove into their clothing, or the arrays of flowers they grew in their gardens. The calculated motions, the timed attacks, the improvised parries and dodges; it was all beautiful… but for some reason she didn't understand, she didn't like watching someone other than herself doing it with Fox.

Inexplicably, she found herself drawn to the todd, though maybe it was because she secretly rooted for him to triumph. He fought with his shirt off, for once displaying his muscles when pushed to their limits, taught and flexing from exertion. After every exchange, he would retreat a couple paces, breathing tiredly with his chest expanding and contracting, before diving back into their match. Before long, sweat glistened on his back and shoulder fur, their sheen reflecting the gray, overcast light.

Namah sighed. "Krystal… we are done for the day."

The Cerinian stood from her pillow, prompting Krystal to shoot to her feet as well. "It is obvious you are distracted by something; perhaps I will reserve us a room without such a view next time."

The young vixen bowed her head. 'I'm sorry.'

"Well, before our next session, please practice your meditation. Whenever you can, seek out private places where you are alone, and let your troubles go. Rest and meditate, focus on breathing, and dwell on your shared existence with every Cerinian. Trace mandalas in the ground and remember not to lift your finger—"

'Mother Namah?' Krystal interrupted. 'I'm curious; did you mean what you said earlier today about sensing a… "darkness" in me?'

At first the abbess wanted to scold her for interrupting, only to realize the seriousness of her question. She looked at the girl with worry. "It is true, my daughter. Always underneath your surface thoughts, I sense shadowy depths lurking. I can't see for sure what they are, but I know you are hiding a painful past."

'You mean… you haven't read my mind and seen for yourself?'

Namah shook her head. "I have seen glimpses, but it is disrespectful and intrusive to dive deeper into someone's thoughts. The mind is your private sanctum. All of us house secret thoughts of hatred, sadness, and painful truths. It is our duty to protect one another from them by locking such thoughts inside and snuffing them out. Only then can you become a better person. Though we share one soul, some things are best kept to ourselves."

'Thank you,' Krystal responded. 'I'll… try to practice what you taught me today.'

The elder smiled and briefly cupped Krystal's cheek in her hand. Then she turned to lead her out of the meditation room. The vixen took one last longing look at Fox and his partner before following after her own teacher.

ㅤ⦲ㅤ

"Oof!"

With one final punch, Kaia knocked Fox flat on his back. All the wind shot from his lungs at once, and he had to gasp to regain his breath. He'd lost count of how many times she'd knocked him down that past hour, and he already had multiple bruises and welts as painful reminders. Each and every time he would struggle back to his feet, but now he felt the need to lie a bit longer, staring up at the clouded sky to rest.

Kaia's wine-colored head and ponytail suddenly poked into his vision, blocking a portion of the sky. She bent over him, panting equally as hard and offering him a hand up. Fox glanced at her open paw in surprise, then accepted it. Grunting, she helped him to his feet.

Though Kaia talked to him through her mind, she still paused between breaths, taking longer to formulate her thoughts. 'Well, I'll give you one thing, rāgata; you are stubborn and persistent, even when I beat you down. But you still have much to learn if you once considered yourself a "great warrior."'

Fox wiped the sweat from his brow. 'I have a confession; I haven't had much practice or even use for sparring. I'm much more skilled in the air.'

Kaia's eyebrows raised. 'Unless you're hiding a pair of wings, you'll have to explain that to me sometime. But come; we're done for the day. I think I've accurately gauged your current skill. When you next return, our lessons will begin in earnest.'

The vixen led Fox around to the front of her smithy, where they crowded together in front of a water bucket. There they took turns scooping the water out and drinking from a long wooden ladle. When Fox had his fill, he gathered a scoopful and upended the ladle above his head, causing rivulets to run down his hair and shoulders. The act brought instant relief, but he couldn't wait to take a full bath in the stream later.

Kaia had the same idea and tossed handfuls over her face and shoulders. Once finished, she hopped up onto the table and leaned back, breathing heavily. 'Well, you weren't completely helpless back there. You landed a good number of hits on me; some of them still smart!'

Fox didn't answer or look her way. Instead he sat on the table beside her and watched the Cerinian villagers as they passed her shop. The women didn't even spare the blacksmith a glance; they were all looking at him.

When the todd didn't respond, Kaia leaned in closer. 'Hey, rāgata—' she began.

"Fox," he corrected.

'Fox… why are you here? Why do you want to practice fighting this much?'

'I just want to do something useful—besides doing slave labor for old man Itoro. I want to help protect the village for Krystal, and this is the only way I can do that.'

'The only way?'

Fox looked down. 'Well, I don't have the Curse. I don't have any of your magic powers. I don't even think I can reach out to people with my mind unless they invite me in first. They told me there's no way they can just give me those powers, so I'll never be a Kaitaki. I guess I just have to make do without them.'

When Kaia brushed the hair from her eyes, Fox could see them staring intently at a pair of gray-cloaked warriors walking through the village.

'You know what? I wanted to be a Kaitaki too when I was younger. I used to spend hours trying to lift rocks and light fires with just my mind, but I never could. It frustrated me to no end. It even made me lose confidence in myself to the point where I thought… I wasn't worth anything.'

She paused, as if wondering if she had revealed too much to him.

'But eventually I realized I'd never be someone who could wish my problems away. If I couldn't change the world around me, I could at least change myself. I helped out around the village as much as I could. I learned from other blacksmiths how to fashion tools, and I grew stronger while doing it. Practiced fighting, too, just because I could. It's not exactly what I wanted, but… at least I can be of use somehow.'

Fox looked over at her. 'You sound disappointed you don't have the Curse.'

She sighed. 'Well, yes, I am.'

The vulpine laughed. 'I'm glad you admit it. If I'm honest, I'm a bit jealous that Krystal has it and not me. But I talked with the elders this morning. Namah said it was a horrible burden to have, and that everyone's looking for a way to get rid of it. I'd gladly take that burden from her if I could.'

Kaia snorted. 'Ever notice how the people that have it are the ones telling you you're better off without it? They're just trying to make you feel better. They want everyone to feel equal; it's how our village functions. That's why we're all considered sisters—besides the Mother, of course.'

Fox grunted. 'And it's why she has to cast aside people like me. I'm different: un-equal.'

The vixen glanced at him hesitantly, eyes darting away each time they drew near. 'For what it's worth… Fox… I don't believe the things they say about you. That people like you are to blame for the way the world is today. I think you have plenty of control and good will. You're determined. In fact, I… I don't think you're that much different from me.'

Finally she looked him in the eye. 'Neither of us can do "magic things", as you call it, so we just have to make do with what we've got.'

Together they watched as the pair of Kaitaki helped lift a wagon wheel that was stuck in the mud. They didn't even have to touch it or dirty their hands; it just floated right out of the ditch on their command. In a way it was disheartening, seeing what they were up against.

Fox frowned. 'You ever think training to fight is pointless? Seems like any Cerinian we came up against could instantly kill us with a single thought.'

She nodded. 'Sometimes I do. But,' she smirked at him, 'it's a lot harder to think with someone pummeling your brains out…'