Things went back to normal eventually. It was a hectic night when the Hunters’ Guild returned with nearly every child from the noble houses. The elves had wanted them all, a final gift from the treacherous teacher. No more.

Mao woke up in his bed, his mother passed out next to it after having kept watch over him for the rest of the night. The fox mask lay on his chest. It no longer felt so useless. He knew what it could do now. It was almost enough good news to make Mao get out of bed. Almost. He could afford to sleep in for one day after all that he’d gone through.

Jul celebrations were late that year, just by a day. The people of Redlog were rocked by the news about the elves. Many still grieved. The ones already lost wouldn’t be returning, but they could breathe a little easier now knowing that no more would suffer the same fate. It was a heavy victory, but a victory nonetheless.

Once the celebrations did start the city went all out. Usually the yearly festival would only last for a day, possibly two, but this time it held for almost a week. It was as if the city tried to make up for the grief with twice as much joy. It was bitter for some, but the children themselves were mostly happy to be alive. they needed the distraction, something cheerful to remind them that life wasn’t all dark and grim. It was easy to forget that during times of grief. It was easy to forget that you could have both without disrespecting the other. So Redlog celebrated Jul.

It was mostly calm after that, rest and recovery. Time to grieve properly, to be grateful that even the worst of things come to an end eventually, and that things will be better afterwards.

Mao’s discovery on how to use the fox mask lead to him realizing the joy of running on all fours, skin covered by black fur, and a tail filled with magic that did not smell like mold, swishing behind him as he raced across the red rooftops. It wasn’t the kind of magic the elves used, no rot here. It was the wild sort, the kind that set your heart to fluttering, that filled your chest like the warmth of summer, as fresh as the air of a winter morning.

He spent many days just running, enjoying the feeling of his powerful paws, and the way the world turned so much brighter to his senses when he truly let loose. Josei didn’t mind, much. Oh, she was still worried and she had to write an entire new list of dangers a child and a fox might encounter if they weren’t careful enough.

It was a good thing that Katja and Tobby had much advice to give, though they didn’t quite tell Josei how they knew some of the things they did. Katja just had a way of knowing things you know? Katja had much good advice, like ‘don’t eat too much mice or you’ll get worms’, ‘chasing cats may seem fun at first, but they’ll claw your eyebrows off if you keep at it for too long’, and ‘if it rained, wait for your fur to dry before shifting back or you’ll smell like wet fur for the rest of the day.’

She was less certain what advice to give when Mao started saying he wanted to join the Hunters’ Guild, but that is a tale for another time. It wasn’t like the Guild accepted children into their ranks anyways, so Mao probably had to spend a few years growing before he gave that a go.

Plenty of time to learn how to be a fox.