White grinned while watching the look of concentration on Emilia’s face as she tried her hardest to push through the block she’d experienced the day before; the cute eleven-year-old Founder’s eight tails were stiff as a board, utterly focused on the magic she was attempting to weave.

“You’re doing good; keep it up.”

“Mmgm … Shhh! I … I think I’m getting it!”

“Hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm.”

They stood beside a field the girl had prepared by her own hand over the week, testing her magic and cultivating the materials she’d need for her big plan. It had been a fun experience, helping her gain more confidence in her magic, which was her primary problem when they’d first started.

Emilia was making fantastic progress. Unfortunately, a problem was arising he hadn’t anticipated; White’s fingers tightened on his hip as he felt Tola’s gaze slide to him, a soft smile on her lips.

The woman sat nearby, hands folded in her lap and tails making patterns she was utterly oblivious to, yet he’d be blind to miss them, which made it all the worse. It was clear to see the blue-eyed girl was interested in getting to know him better, and it couldn’t be more obvious that Sora, Kari, and Aiden were taking an interest in listening to her reports for that very reason.

She rested on an invisible platform of magic she’d created thirty minutes previously and adjusted the white dress Emilia had woven together in her practice earlier today.

Tola had never seen a male Vulpes stronger than her, which was natural, given her environment, and he knew that was at least a part of her fascination in him—he had to be careful with the opposite sex, especially Vulpes—considering the natural allure he produced.

Of course, he wasn’t the only one to blame, but at least he recognized his unintentional influence; he hadn’t come here to develop sparks. Her unconscious, heated pressure told him about the deviant thoughts running through her mind, even if he wasn’t trying to search for them.

Tola was pure, which was more than a little shocking for a woman of her age, yet environment had played a role; the scent she gave off put a shiver through his bones that he tried hard to resist—she had yet to be deflowered—Tola was practically an aphrodisiac to male Vulpes, and she had no clue.

The woman was the real deal, and he knew by the Realm’s records. Loyal, stalwart, caring, and self-sacrificing, she met every requirement to pass Inari’s tests, yet Tola’s heart was never invested in power for herself, only for those she was in her service of, those weaker than her.

As rare as White was among their race, he saw Tola as being even more unique, which was precisely why she didn’t need someone like him. A broken, lost cause that didn’t do what he was told, a constant screw-up—someone unable to give her the love she deserves.

White had had more than one lover over his fifty-thousand years under Inari’s service, and he hadn’t been kind in his youth to those women that were drawn to him; he was nothing but a drug that was cursed to never find the connection he desired.

Female Vulpes' spiritual and physical anatomy craved the opposite force—the process of the two contrasting powers bonding produced divine sensations unavailable any other way; it was nature. Then again, nature could be terrifying and toxic as much as it could be beautiful and celestial.

Few understood the torture romance was to male Vulpes; Lady Mia, one of the few female Vulpes who could resist his natural charms, could sympathize with his pain. It had been a source of relief when Inari made him the communication line to her sister to act as a buffer; the two had a rocky history.

He wanted to sigh but restrained himself from showing any agitation at being in Tola’s presence; she was so innocent to her own seductive pull, which made him want to laugh at just the thought, considering the gravity she created.

Little did she know, even among all of Inari’s countless worlds he’d visited, she was something precious, and White couldn’t help but suspect Mia knew exactly what she was doing when recommending him to her recently revived sister. All of the Great Vulpes Ladies were likely snickering behind their veils at his internal struggle.

Still, Emilia was who he was here for, and he couldn’t let himself become distracted by the attractive tidal wave attempting to pull him in.

His pulse rose, tails slowing a tad as the woman’s scent hooked his nose, carried along the breeze with the gentle beating of her spiritual lure, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw her head tilt to the left, fingernails sliding through her unbound locks to manage it in the short gusts.

Tola’s cleavage was more on display than the conservative robe she’d worn before with Emilia’s design, and the knee-length dress showed an unfair amount of smooth skin from her crossed legs; the girl had taken inspiration from some of her mother’s memories to fashion tonight’s outfit, and the girl’s exposed neck only enhanced the magnetic forces she radiated.

The most alarming part was the threads of time weaving around them and drawing a future picture as Tola’s existence continued to wrap around him, loop by loop. Is it instinct or purity … I can’t tell, but I can’t get distracted.

Her focus went to him, trying to be discreet, yet when he looked over, she swiftly averted her gaze to study Emilia; she was trying not to blush after focusing on his tails, likely dealing with similar emotions.

White’s smile pulled in a tad as he studied the innocent eleven-year-old. Is it her instincts as a Vulpes Founder … Subconsciously sensing the woman’s interest in me and trying to bring us closer … Weaving flowers into crowns, asking us to trade with each other … having Tola show off different outfits with her magical studies…

His smile became a tad forced, rubbing the back of his neck; it was like the whole universe, and the beings beyond it were pushing them together. A low chuckle shook his chest as the soft breeze brought the woman’s scent again—the flowers around them couldn’t compare—even the wind was against him.

Pulling off the flowers Tola had given him on Emilia’s trade request as the woman did the same, he breathed the fragrance in and shook his head ruefully. It’s only been a week, and she’s already breaking down my walls … It’s too much, hehe, and she’s totally clueless.

White replaced the circlet around his ears, vision rising to the heavens, unable to escape her strings of spiritual thread from touching him. Lady Inari, help me … I’m supposed to last another twenty-five weeks … It really is too much. What is this future I see that you’ve wrapped me in, Lady Mia … You wicked woman.

* * *

A big grin lifted Emilia’s lips as her careful weave finally looped. “I’m doing it, White! I’m doing it!” she cheered, jumping up and down as the tree sprouted, roots fanning out while her magic fed it to make a complete cocoa tree.

“Congratulations, Lady Emilia,” Tola clapped. “It looks like you surpassed White’s expectations yet again; you’ll still have a bit of time before your mother returns to gather everything.”

“I know! Thank you, White! Thank you, Tola!” Emilia cried, tears coming to her eyes as she ran to her mentor and hugged him. “I can finally make cookies with my mom!”

White’s comforting hand rubbed against her ears, folding them down as he chuckled. “You’re the sharpest Vulpes I’ve ever seen, Little Princess; if I’m not careful, you’ll surpass me by the time our training ends!”

Emilia’s lips widened, drooling at the prospect. “Really! You really think so?! I could even protect my mom and fight the bad guys?!”

“Hehehe, let’s not get carried away,” White mused, pushing lightly on her head to prompt her back before kneeling to her level and showing a big grin. “Your mother’s working hard to get stronger to protect you; you gotta give her some wins, too. Right?”

“Ooh, mhm! Mhm! I get to make her goodies, and she keeps me safe!”

Tola joined them, hands held at the base of her wavy tails while smiling and showing rosy cheeks. “I’m so proud of you, Lady Emilia; you’ve been working so hard.”

“Nuh-uh! You should see how tired Mom is when she gets home—I gotta work harder. Oh, do you think she’d like the flower crowns we made?”

“She’ll love them,” White assured, pointing at the one she was currently wearing. “You wanted to make some with her and trade them like Tola and I traded. Right?”

“Mhm! I have everything planned; Rayla and Luna, too—they’re coming, Ms. Tola?”

“They are. Do you still want to help them decorate the house I gave them to stay in after tomorrow?”

“Yeah! After school, I had this big plan for doing some art projects—like the canvas kind that was really cool in my mom’s old home—uh, heh, but not the weird ones that were all squiggly.”

“I’m sure they’ll love it,” White laughed. “So, you ready to start the extraction process to make this chocolate stuff? I’ve looked at the process humans used in your mother’s previous world, quite fascinating.”

Emilia’s smile grew. “White, have you not had chocolate either?”

“I haven’t. I’m looking forward to the experience.”

Turquoise irises sparkling, her focus darted between the two adults. “Oh! Oh! What if we have a little baking trade, too! I love it! White, you and Tola can make some for each other! Mom will make some with me, and we can trade, and then we can watch a movie—oh, you got the one I asked for, White?”

White held up his hand, looking somewhat curious at the box art. “I must say, I never thought about turning a human movie into an illusion, but your magic filling in the gaps with your imagination is more than doable—Brave, huh?”

“Yes! Thank you, White!” Emilia squealed, hugging him again. “Oh, okay, now I gotta do the popcorn tree—wait, no, it’s corn; yeah, corn—let’s do it!”

White looked up at the bright sky before scanning the field of products Emilia had grown; they’d only been at it for a few hours so far. “Alright. You ready for the gathering part—do you want to learn how to use natural magic?”

“Ohh, instead of my own—how do I do that? Yeah! Show me! Show me!”

For the next hour, Emilia went through the refining and gathering process of harvesting everything she’d been working on over the week. After that, it was time for afternoon classes with the twins to learn a little about Vulpes history, different forms of math, and studying how to convert languages, using Emilia’s natural tie to the Vulpes Realm’s Core as a reference.

She didn’t understand all the steps, but White broke them down into tiny pieces over the week to draw into a bigger picture to help her grasp the more complex weaves, and Tola helped refine a few points.

Finally, it neared 8 P.M., and Emilia could already feel the panic settling into her chest. “W-What if I mess up, White!?” she cried, using magic to carry the baskets of product into the big house Tola had given them in the city and taking them to the kitchen.

“Have you messed up today?” he asked, smiling down at Rayla and Luna, trying to help them with their own unsteady magic.

“Uh—yesterday, but not today…”

Rayla grinned, tail stiff as a board while trying to maintain the spiritual weave around the basket she held. “You’re super strong, Emi; look, you can do five at once!”

“Mhm! Mhm!” Luna urged, a little more proficient than her big sister with her own concentration. “Mmh, I can’t wait to try the chocolate—you make it sound so good!”

“It is!”

Tola snickered, moving on their opposite side. “How do you know if you’ve never tried it, Lady Emilia?”

Luna’s eyes widened. “I haven’t thought about that! How do you know, Emi? Is it the super Vulpes Founder secret stuff?”

“I want to know super-secret Founder stuff!” Rayla cried. “How do I know what things taste like without trying them?!”

“No! No, I don’t know how to do anything like that! I have some of my mom’s memories, and she loves it—uh, she always wanted to make cookies with her dad, but he was never home on Valentine's Day … I want to do something for my mom like that, too!”

“Valentine’s Day?” Luna, Rayla, and Tola questioned, and all heads turned to White’s pensive face.

“Eh-hehehe, it’s a day spaced across many multiverses that humans, and sometimes other races, decided to mark as a day for couples to give gifts to one another or to focus their courage to ask those they cared for to enter into a courtship—basically, centered around love.”

“Love?!” Luna’s eyes widened.

Her sister nodded, ears and tail bristling at the word. “What’s love?”

“It is a somewhat unfamiliar word for me, as well,” Tola hummed, making Emilia puff up her chest in pride at knowing something the others didn’t, including the pretty blue-furred adult.

“Hmm-hmm-hmm! I know what love is!”

“Really?” Luna smiled, setting down her basket with everyone else as they entered the kitchen. “What is it—it sounds tasty?”

Emilia’s eight tails spread apart as she spun away dramatically. “It’s something magical—where you feel butterflies in your belly, and you get all flustered, and your face turns red, too—oh, but you’re not crying—well sometimes…”

“Butterflies?”

“In your belly?”

The twins looked at each other in bewilderment before looking to White.

“Eh-heh, it’s an expression, girls.”

Emilia nodded. “Yeah, hehe, not real butterflies! It’s like a swirly feeling in your belly—I think … It’s how they say it in the movies. Oh, and lovers dance in movies, a-and kiss!” she blushed, thinking back to the movies her mother had seen. “It makes you feel super important to each other.”

“Kiss?” Tola hummed, blue eyes drifting to the male Vulpes. “What is that, and how does it connect to this love feeling?”

White puffed out a long sigh, leaning against the counter and focusing on Emilia as everyone else looked at him; she wanted to see how he’d answer.

“Ugh … Love isn’t best defined by the actions passing between individuals. Yes, touching lips can bring a couple closer, but it is the bond both parties share that stimulates the spiritual spark, not the action itself.”

“Huh?” Emilia’s eyebrows pulled together. “S-Stimulate … spiritual spark? I don’t have any memories like that from my mom … What’s that?”

“Yeah, tell us!” Rayla urged, her sister following.

“Please!”

“Hehe, you girls are impossible,” White sighed, head falling forward a tad. “I would say it’s something best explained by your mother, Emilia, but no one else will explain it to the others … You’re right, though, Emilia.”

An unusual look crossed her instructor’s face as his yellow irises drifted to Tola. “Real love comes in many fashions, but it's not built on contact or what humans call ‘love at first sight’ … Real love is a solemn, fulfilling heartbeat; it’s living—an action—and requires a stalwart passage through the tempering fires of pain and sadness—it’s enduring.”

A little lost but feeling unusual at his tone, Emilia’s ears folded down as he reached out to put a hand on her head. “One such word is familial love—the feelings that have driven you to push so hard to get things ready for your mother … Love is what you call it when two spirits intertwine—both are independent, yet complete when together.

“When your mother holds you at night, and you feel safe and whole in her arms … Love is the absolute embodiment of pain and joy … The perfect state of being complete, and it is for that purpose, when it breaks, there is nothing that can equal its devastation.”

Emilia tried to swallow, her mouth somewhat dry. “Isn’t love supposed to be beautiful, though?”

“Beyond anything one could experience; opposition in all things, my Little Princess.”

White waved and gave her a smile before moving to the other room, removing his hand. “I’ll be back in a bit. Don’t hold back on my account!” He vanished in light.

Emilia felt like crying, but it wasn’t for herself. “Why did he sound so sad?”

Tola’s hand pressed against her breast, looking after his exit. “He was hurt … Perhaps he had that love at one point, and as he said, nothing can equal its devastation once broken.”

Luna sniffed, looking over at her. “How do we cheer him up? I-I don’t like seeing White sad.”

Emilia hugged her sides, shivering a little; she couldn’t feel White’s warm spiritual presence for a little bit—he’d hidden it. “I don’t like seeing White sad, too … I don’t know what to do, though. Umm … I’ll ask my mom.”

Tola rubbed her arm, nine tails falling to the floor. “Perhaps we shouldn’t have brought up the topic … I will ask Lady Loral about it. Mmh … But we should apologize to him when he returns.”

Taking a deep breath, Emilia nodded. “I don’t think love is bad—my mom really likes love movies, hehe, lovey-dovey, she calls them … All of them turn out really nice and good, even if there are troubles…”

Lost with what to do, Emilia couldn’t do anything but move on, her heart feeling a little heavy as she prepared her chocolate, and after several minutes, White returned, a smile on his face and bringing delicious berries from Inari’s fields to add unique flavors to some batches.

“I thought these might be appropriate, considering what humans put in theirs.”

Tola was the first to clear her voice and draw his attention. “We did not intend to bring up painful memories by our questions. I apologize for our insensitive questions.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry, too, White!” Luna said.

Rayla sniffed. “Me too! Does it still hurt?”

Emilia walked forward to hug him, her eight tails twisting around each other. “I’m sorry to make you hurt, White…”

“Girls…” The man puffed out a long stream of air, his big hand covering her head and gently pulling her back to kneel down and smile at her. “It’s not any of you … This is a topic left for another time. Isn’t this your special day with your mother?”

“Mhm…”

“Isn’t that great? Let’s be happy, not sad! So, are you ready—didn’t your mother say she was coming back with a surprise?”

“Umm … Yeah—yeah, she told me I’d be surprised when she came back … Are you sure you’re okay, White?”

White’s glowing yellow eyes were soft as they drifted to Tola and returned to her. “It’s an adult thing, Emilia—you shouldn’t have to worry about it for a long time, and hehe, I’ll be just fine … I have a talented pupil to make me happy. I can’t wait to see the look on your mother’s face.”

“Yeah … Okay. We’re here if you need a hug!” Emilia said, pushing forward to embrace him again. “We’ll chase away your sadness. Okay?”

“Hehe, okay…” he chuckled as Luna and Rayla jumped in to join her, Tola wearing a gentle smile while watching them.

“Emi!”

“Mom?!” All thoughts vanished in her mind, sudden panic gripping her chest as she hissed, “Oh, n-now? We’re not ready!”

“We just got back!” Aidan laughed. “You wouldn’t believe how hard Kari can hit—I swear, you broke my arm.”

“Bah! You’ll heal.”

“Wait, really—where?” Liz questioned, walking in with the others; she had Aiden’s arm in her hands, pulling back his long sleeve shirt to examine it.

“He-he—no, Liz, it’s healed—you know how fast I heal!”

“No, but I could have healed it,” she mumbled in disappointment.

Emilia’s mother laughed, putting her wrists on her hips and grinning down at her daughter’s stunned expression. “Well, what do you think—does it fit me?”

“Pretty … Mom, your hair and tails … They’re not silver anymore?”

“Yeah, it’s all coppery fire now! I thought it might help remind you of how I used to look—I’m still working on my eyes, but—oh, do you like the new dress—I went with the twist-midi style in cobalt since it goes well with my skin. Oh, I can make an apron, too! Check it!”

Emilia rushed forward to jump into her arms as White straightened. “Mom! Mom, I love your red hair—it’s like mine—you made it look like mine again! We look alike, and you’re so pretty!”

“Yeah! Oooh, did you make all this stuff?”

“For real?” Kari lifted an eyebrow. “Is that cocoa powder?”

“Nice!” Aiden gave her a thumbs up. “So, you got everything ready for cookies, huh? You’ll love them, Liz.”

“You’ll show me how?”

“Pfft, I don’t have a clue—Emilia’s the captain of this ship tonight.”

“Yeah! I’m the captain!” she cheered as her mother set her down, and she raced back to the counter. “Oh, and we have a flower crown-making thing after, and then a movie and popcorn! See! See! I made the corn White got me to grow, and I did all of it myself—all by myself—White and Ms. Tola didn’t help once! Right?”

Tola giggled and nodded. “Yes, Lady Emilia has been very productive and fiercely independent this week.”

“That’s the way, Girl!” Kari laughed, holding out her fist for Emilia to bump.

“Yeah! Oh, and I’m going to be doing the movie—uh, I may need a little help from Rayla and Luna, though—we’ve been practicing linked magic!”

“I’m pretty good,” Rayla boasted, puffing up her chest.

“I’m a little better,” Luna giggled.

“That doesn’t mean I’m not good!”

“Yeah, we’re all good!” Emilia jumped in. “I provide the magic, and they help me stabilize it!”

“I can’t wait. So, how was your first week with White; you seem to be enjoying it—should he stay? I’ve heard good things from Tola.”

“Hmm?” Kari and Aiden mused, eyes drifting between the two adults.

Emilia instantly nodded. “Mhm! I love the stuff White teaches me, and he gets me stuff from your old world, too, Mom!”

“Huh—wait, really?”

White chuckled and held up the DVD that appeared in his hand. “Little things she wants to do with you; she’s been quite diligent. So, does this mean I will be seeing to your daughter’s tutelage without a chaperone?”

Emilia’s tails and ears went on end. “Huh, wait—without Ms. Tola? No! No! No! No! I love having Tola around—I get to have dress-up games where we see who can make cuter clothes, and she does my hair and teaches me new fashion stuff! I need her to stay, Mom!”

“Lady Emilia…” Tola forced a chuckle. “I have my own duties I must oversee.”

She swiftly shook her head, determined to have the woman stay with her. “No!”

“Eh-heh, Emi…” Sora whispered, but she trailed off as Emilia took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling.

“Ms. Qebhet! Ms. Qebhet! I need you!”

A small smile moved White’s face as he sighed, “As I feared.”

Everyone's gaze shot to the bright green light that brightened the room, the Realm’s overseer answering Emilia’s plea. “You called, Lady Emilia?”

“Can Ms. Tola stay to help guide me? Please, Ms. Qebhet—I need White and Ms. Tola—I need both of them! White can’t help me with girl stuff!”

She was a little confused by the amused smirk that lifted the small snake girl’s lips as her serpent irises drifted to the wistful man. “Lady Emilia does make an excellent point, and six months is a perfectly acceptable time of leave for everything Tola has accomplished on her own over her long years of service. You will not have any complaints from me.”

“Yay!” Emilia jumped for joy with Rayla and Luna. “We get to stay together, Ms. Tola!”

“Emi,” her mother whispered, making Emilia settle down a little as Sora gave the blue-furred woman a strained smile, “it is Tola’s decision to make.”

“B-But … Won’t you, Ms. Tola?”

“Look at those big eyes,” Kari snickered to Aiden, making him laugh.

“Yeah, look at her; she’s already breaking down—we all saw the signs.”

Tola took a deep breath and smiled. “If I will not be a burden, I would be honored to support you, Lady Emilia.”

“Wooh! Thank you, Ms. Tola—I want to play more!”

The woman’s arms bent down to lift her up and hug her as Emilia ran to her. “Hehe, I look forward to it … White, is it okay with you?”

Emilia’s big eyes moved to him.

“Mmh-hehehe … Oh, my Little Princess … How can I say no? Qebhet, I have one question, though…”

The floating little snake girl giggled, giving him a wink. “I think you know the answer!”

“I suppose I do … The future isn’t set.”

“Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better—sorry, girls, gotta go!” the little girl laughed; she waved and vanished before Emilia could ask her to stay.

Kari, Sora, and Aiden gave each other looks Emilia didn’t quite grasp, and by Liz, Tola, and the twins’ expressions, neither did they.

Wanting to move past everything, just in case someone decided to change their minds, Emilia cleared her throat and pointed at the baskets. “Everyone ready? I’ll show you what to do—I memorized the recipe yesterday!”

“I did too!” Rayla added. “Luna and I did during studies!”

“Oh?” Sora questioned, moving forward to examine the work. “Please, teach us.”

“Hmm-hmm-hmm!” Emilia laughed. “I’m the teacher tonight! Here, let me start—oh, and we’re exchanging chocolates like Valentine's Day! Luna and Rayla, White and Ms. Tola, uh—uh-oh … Liz and Uncle Aiden, but what about Aunt Kari?”

“He-he-he! I get mine all to myself! I get a bigger portion, too! Fenris Wolves have big appetites!”

“Tell me about it,” Sora giggled. “I think you ate five cows worth of beef before we left.”

“Naa, six!” Aiden mused.

Kari clicked her tongue in disappointment. “You’re both wrong! I had enough beef to easily hit ten; you were too busy stuffing your own faces to notice!”

Liz’s expression became forced as everyone laughed. “Really, she’s not exaggerating—I had no clue anyone could eat so much … Especially Aiden.”

“Yo, I work up an appetite when Kari keeps pounding my face in—you still gotta learn how to suck spiritual energy from food.”

“I’m getting there … slowly.”

“She’s been making progress, for sure,” Sora commented, comforting hand closing around Emilia’s back to pull her close. “Okay, my Little Genius—take the wheel!”

Bubbling with excitement, Emilia began the baking fest. Everything turned out amazing—not one person burnt their chocolate—well, that’s not entirely true, Liz had to make a second batch, to her embarrassment, but Aiden ate them despite her protests, claiming they were perfect.

Tola and White’s exchange was met with smiles, and to finish off the session, Emilia got to trade with her mother; she put white chocolate and a few berries that simulated strawberries in hers while, to Emilia’s delight, Sora added nuts and cherries to hers.

The flower crown ceremony she’d planned went off without a hitch, and she had the pleasure of teaching her mother how to craft it; Kari had to ask for help because the wolf was hopeless without Emilia’s assistance, and to finish off the night, they gathered around to watch Brave, Emilia, Luna, and Rayla spinning their magic perfectly to show the holographic display in its full glory—popcorn for everyone.

When bedtime came, Emilia surprised her mother by turning into her fox form; she’d been practicing, and to her shock, her mother did the same, cuddling next to her—it seemed they’d both been practicing hard for their first week—and tomorrow, she’d have her mother the whole day!

Wrapped in her mother’s warm, three burning copper tails, Emilia drifted into blissful slumber, cuddling into her fuzzy side on their big bed; everything had worked out in the end, and this was perfect—finally, she had her mother.