Mousey sat up on a mattress made of straw, with a blanket draped over his body. The room was dimly-lit by a single candle in the corner. When he looked down, he saw that he was clad in dark green robes that he’d never seen before.

He stood from the mattress, and the long sleeves fell over his paws.

“They have to be too big for now. You’re still growing, cutie.”

Vulpa?

The vixen walked into the room with a lantern in one paw. She set it down on the table, and beside it she set a dusty, leather-bound book, almost as small as Sopher in Mousey’s pocket.

“What did Dot say?” asked Vulpa as she climbed into a tall apes’ chair across the room.

“She said… I’m to learn Zoi’s secrets… but one day I am to replace her…”

Vulpa smiled and nodded her head. “Well, now, isn’t that nice.”

Mousey glanced back and forth and peered out the door. “Where is she? She said she was going to teach me.”

“She is here,” Vulpa said. “If you know where to look.”

Mousey gave her a frustrated grunt. “Oh, so helpful! Vulpa, my sister’s been turned to stone, can’t we be at least a little serious here for a second?”

Vulpa’s smile faded. “I had hoped you’d ask the right questions and figure it out by now, but I understand your need for haste.”

Mousey raised an eyebrow at her and tilted his head to one side.

Vulpa waved her paws, and in an instant Dot stood where she had been but a moment ago. Then, in a flash, Dot was gone, and Vulpa stood where Dot had been.

“Y-you?” Mousey squeaked. “The whole time?”

Vulpa nodded. “There were so many more things I needed to know about you before I was certain I could trust you with this.” She took the dusty, leather-bound book off the table and tossed it down to him.

Mousey caught it, and a cloud surrounded him. He coughed and sneezed.

Vulpa giggled. “Still adorable, but you have a lot to learn about the tricks your new enemies will pull. Does it not occur to you that I may not even truly be a fox?”

Mousey gasped as the thought hit him. Truly, with enough magic, this animal could be anything; a fox, a bear, a cat, a tall ape, a butterfly, or even...

A mouse?

Vulpa nodded to him as she saw his jaw fall open and his eyes widen. “Now,” she climbed out of the chair and opened the book in his paws. “Let’s find what you need to cure your sister.”

................................

“A fang from the mouth of Nakash?”

Mousey looked up at Vulpa with confusion. He had never even heard of Nakash, and now the trickster told him he needed its fang.

Vulpa nodded. “Yes. Nakash’s fangs will never stop producing venom, and that venom can be used to cure your sister’s petrification. It’s the only thing still left in this world with that kind of power.”

“What is Nakash, then?” Mousey asked. “A spider? A lizard?”

“He’s a cobra,” said Vulpa. Mousey shuddered. “Have you truly never heard the tale of Nakash?”

“I haven’t.” Mousey shook his head. “He wasn’t mentioned in any of the history books I’ve read.”

“Odd…” said Vulpa, stroking her chin with one paw. “Well,

Nakash is both a serpent and a powerful sorcerer in the grasslands out west. Centuries ago, he was the ruler of that land. His venom could bring both life and death. Those subjects who served him well would live long, healthy lives. Those who disobeyed him would die from his poison.”

Mousey groaned. “More tyrannical beasts… imposing their will over others…”

“He was not always a tyrant,” said Vulpa. “Don’t be too quick to judge him. There was a time when Nakash thought he was doing right. He healed the sick and the dying and ate only the worst criminals from among his subjects. But, as he grew, so did his appetite, and crimes previously considered minor became major offenses so that he could feed enough to survive. Eventually, his subjects rose against him. They drove off his hatchlings, destroyed his palace, and forced him into hiding.”

“They didn’t slay him?” Mousey asked.

“Not for lack of trying,” said Vulpa with a chuckle. “No, based on visions I’ve seen, Nakash lays in wait in a hole in a cave, and eats whoever comes to test their mettle against him.”

Mousey sighed, “And… in order to save my sister, I need to be the first beast to succeed where others have failed, and slay the serpent?”

Vulpa laughed. “Now, when did I ever say that? I just said you needed one of his fangs.”

Mousey couldn’t see how that was any different, but he decided not to argue with the trickster. “I… I was hoping I’d just learn a spell, then hurry back to heal my sister. Now you’re telling me I have so much more to do…” Truly, he’d hoped he’d be able to get back just as his mother discovered what had happened to Button, or possibly before, so she’d not have to deal with that grief. Now he realized what a mistake it was to leave his family behind without a word.

“Did you really expect healing petrification to be simple, darling?”

“I… suppose that’s fair,” Mousey wrung his paws. “Well, I guess I’d better get going on my journey, then.”

“You should get her to point out Nakash’s location on a map,” Sopher whispered.

“Good idea,” Mousey thought. He held out his paw, and the same map Sopher had produced for Mousey to find his mother appeared in that paw. He held it up to Vulpa and said, “Can you mark where I need to go?”

Vulpa touched her paw to a spot on the map, and a small, red X appeared in a location west of the ruins.

“Thank you,” said Mousey. He stared at the map for a moment, before rolling it up and slipping it in his pocket. “Thank you for everything, Vulpa.”

“No, thank you,” said Vulpa. “Just remember your promises.”

“I will.” Mousey nodded his head.