In the great Emerahl Wood, by a deep pool, sits a flaming fox grooming himself carefully.

It's a warm summer's day. The trees sway merrily in the wind, enjoying the warmth while it lasts.

The fox is so absorbed in his grooming he doesn't notice an owl swoop down and land amongst the branches above the pool.

It stares down curiously from its perch.

"Odd, you haven't groomed yourself in a long time."

To which the fox jumped in a flash of fire, shocked.

It scampers in a circle huffing,

"Oh it's you Esna, you frightened me."

and returns to grooming itself, very carefully.

The owl appears on the charred ground in a flash of blue,

"Hmm, it must be the gathering of the foxes then. You'll have to run all the way north east after grooming you know."

Esna said, knowingly.

"Yes yes I know that Esna," Cú paused his grooming just long enough to frown.

"You'll miss Ness today, she's going to show me a trick or two about flying,"

the owl hooted, marching in a line with its chest puffed forward.

Cú chuckled a little at the sight,

"Well I can't fly anyway, although it is annoying missing Ness. But I bet I shall see her soon after the gathering,"

Cú sounded certain, "she'll want to see my new tricks after all," he added.

Then stood and ran a cricle, admiring his clean fur.

"Mhm, you look a true fox now Cú, I wonder who it is you're trying to impress. You've never told me."

The fox nodded at the compliment and ignored the second half of her sentence, turned and began running shouting,

"I'll see you tomorrow, I better run!"

And flashed forward in fiery bursts of light.

Far to the north east of the pool the wood turned a curious red. All of the trees here were a shade of red, and the air occasionally shimmered from heat. Firefoxes can be seen streaming in from all directions, heading toward the center of this red tinted forest.

At the center lies a huge statue of a nine-tailed Firefox. It's body a beautiful white, with white flame burning from it. It's tails flare out from behind it, each tip holding a different coloured flame. There's a crimson red,goldenrod gold, emerald green, sky blue, royal purple, bubblegum pink, a ghostly grey, a brilliant white - just like the body - and finally black.

Each fox that passed the statue would flick their tails and launch a respective firebubble, that would pop into colour. The statue was resplendant in colour with so many foxes around paying respects.

Cú eventually made it to the gathering. Thousands of foxes milled around the area, many different colours with suiting flames painted a colourful scene in the red wood. Air shimmered with the heat. Some foxes had only one tail like Cú, mostly quite small and young, but some foxes had as many as nine tails and were many many times bigger than Cú, the largest as big as an elephant in size.

Cú looked about in awe, the majesty of the gathering never failing to amaze him. Shortly after he arrived he sat at a place of his own and heard a voice boom out and a comforting heat wash over him,

"Today is the summer gathering of the Firefoxes, I welcome you all and hope your flames burn strong."

A cacophony of noise ensued with flames bursting out everywhere, aside from where Cú had sat.

In the din an emerald green one-tailed fox slinks towards Cú.

"I see you're not participating as always," the fox comments, wisps of green floating into the air.

"Emer," Cú nods in greeting, a wisp of golden-red floating from his tail, "I don't belong."

"Nobody has ever said you don't belong Cú," Emer shakes her head as she sits by Cú, eyeing his fur.

"I still don't belong." The fox sighs and stares hard at the green fox, entranced. Then looks down.

"Mark my words, one day you'll feel like you belong here," Emer stands, eyes glinting. "I'll find a way."

The great nine-tailed fox that spoke at first stands again, after the colourful fires in the sky have died down.

"It's summer, the season of the foxes so I have little to say; however the winter comes and with it comes the dastardly cold so take mind of the young. May your fires burn bright and may you enjoy the gathering." It roared and shot a great ball of blue fire, the colour of its coat. It soared high into the sky and lingered, like a second sun.

The sky shimmered with the heat, casting a blue tint over the world. Then the other nine-tailed foxes joined it and launched great balls of fire of their own.

The world beneath was awash with colour as the foxes began to jump about, playing and talking.

As the gathering truly begins Cú turns to Emer cooing sadly,

"I very much doubt that, nor would I care to belong."

He stands and his flames burn bright and then dashes off, fur flashing extra brightly with beautiful golden-red flames.

"What brings you to the gathering then?" Emer asks empty space, confused and then promptly joins in the merriment, green fur and flames flaring and quieting with the other foxes.

For a time a corner of the great Emerahl Wood is awash with fiery lights, great balls of fire hang in the air and slowly die, casting a serene glow over the forest.