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A sense of panic had overwhelmed her. The fear for her own survival, and for the survival of her companion. Who that companion was, she had no idea. A name managed to work its way into the back of her mind, but she could not comprehend it. The name seemed to hold great importance to her, although she had no memory as to why. Somehow, she recognized her location, despite being well aware of the fact that she had never been there before. The grass that she trailed through seemed to be unbearably tall by comparison to her. Each individual blade of green stood proudly over her head as she darted towards it, only to be flattened for a few seconds after having her weight forced upon it. The only sound that could meet her ears was that of the greenery being trampled as she ran. Sticks would snap from time to time, creating a somewhat more audible noise.

A separate set of sounds appeared to harass her ears before long, although she found herself surprisingly relieved to hear it. Her eyes began to roam the area around her, despite her being aware that the surprisingly tall grass would remain there to block her view. After a short time, a second figure entered her lane of vision. The being was something that she had long since learned to recognize, even though she had little understanding as to who they were. The ever familiar image of the silver fox met her eyes, awakening a sense of joy in which she could find no origin. At times, her mind would play an odd trick on her. The sight of the fox's silver would alter for a few seconds, making the animal appear to be a deep black color. Even so, their eyes remained the same. The color of the silver fox's honey-brown eyes never shifted, allowing her to remain sure of who it was that she was looking at. Said fox took to sprinting alongside her, allowing her to remain sure of the fact that this unknown creature was her ally.

She could not determine why it was that she felt such trust towards the animal, but she did. Only when she accepted that truth, did the sound of their enemy reach her ears. The frantic bellow of crazed barking became known to her, reawakening her sense of dread. Now she was capable of understanding why her body was so insistent on running. Her mind could agree with the decision now that she was aware of the imminent danger. The fear only continued to seep into her being as the rampaging cabins drew closer. The sound of their bellowing grew louder with every passing moment, making it clear that her chances of escape were little more than slim. Ever nearer the hounds drew, the barrage of noise they creating proving to gradually break her will to run. She became all to aware of the fact that it was pointless for she - and for the fox - to continue with their attempt at escape. Her mouth and throat had grown dry from the strenuous activity that was her sprinting.

Her limbs ached from their nonstop use. Her chest stung as a result of the cooler air meeting the superheated confines of her lungs. She had little idea as to what her unusual, but surprisingly loyal companion might be thinking of the situation. She could sense their fear. There was no doubt in her mind that the overly sized fox was capable of understanding how dire their situation had become. However, she was unsure as to whether or not they were capable of finding any sense of hope? Did they have the means of keeping their fighting spirit alight as they darted through the grass? The hounds were upon them long before she could contemplate the possible answers to her mental inquiry's. The agonizing ordeal began with the simple sting of teeth being driven into her heel. The voice that escape her was far from her own, but still known to her.

That single bite was the start of a cruel and painful death. She and her fox companion were overtaken by the savage canines. Bite after bite, they tore into her body. Large and heavy feet pressed against her to keep her held down as she was ripped to pieces. The pained wails of the silver fox rang in her ears throughout every moment of the blood soaked chaos. Images of their beautifully colored fur being ripped to shreds would meet her vision from time to time, but only for split second intervals. The majority of what she witnessed as she was reduced to little more than a bloody pile of hair and bone, were the faces of snarling dogs. The pain faded long before life left her, though the fear did not. Surprisingly, the terror she felt was not directed towards herself. She feared what would become of the fox - although she knew that they would share the same fate as her.

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

When Amber woke after experiencing her second nightmare of the day, she found herself startled by two dramatic changes. The first being that for once, she felt no pain upon entering the world of consciousness. Her back did not ache. Her arms and legs were not sore. Instead, she was well rested, and somewhat eager to greet the world. The second truth that she had become aware of, was that for once, she could remember the full details of her dream. The fox, the rampaging dogs, they way that she had been torn limb. Every minor detail was remembered in near perfect detail. What was more, when she rummaged through her memories, she did not suffer from any form of headache. All was crystal clear and free to her thoughts without fear of painful repercussions.

At first, she could do little aside from believe that her odd but traumatic hallucination had somehow freed her of terror that had plagued her for the past three years. However, those thoughts were quickly changed upon finding that her hallucination had not yet ended. There were no mirrors at hand for her to use as a means of inspecting her reflection. However, the being that currently sat at her feet was proof enough that her mind had not yet settled. The golden fur which bore mock bloodstains. The ghostly blue eyes that seemed to harbour the intense glow of the sun. The fiery purple wisp of a tail. All of the details that she had witness prior had remained the same. The mysterious, unnatural fox that had triggered her fainting spill had remained with her until she could wake. They had somehow gone unnoticed even as she was found and taken to the nurse's office.

Recognizing her surroundings seemed to be enough to remind her of how dangerous a situation she had fallen into. She had fainted in the school bathroom, and without a doubt missed at least one of her classes. Someone had found her lying unconscious on the concrete floor, and had immediately taken her to the nurse's office. Among the number of other things that the situation implied, one of them was certain. Her parents had undoubtedly been contacted. Of course this meant that she was going to be given some sort of punishment as a result. Neither of her foster parents' were fond of having to deal with her school affairs. She had learned to go out of her way to ensure that they never learned of a parent teacher conference. She had gone so far as to learn to forge their signatures to keep them from having to sign anything. In blunt terms, she was up a Sewage Creek without a paddle.

She was not looking forward to going home. She never did, but now it was because she was certain that she was going to suffer more than usual. As the unavoidable sense of dread began to creep into her system, the unnatural fox that sat beside her feet stood and began to make its way towards hr face. She wheezed when the surprisingly heavy animal came to sit atop her chest, finding that the sensation was enough to draw her mind from the issue that would otherwise be plaguing her mind. Having immediately grown uncomfortable thanks to the weight that had been added to her chest, Amber rolled onto her side in order to knock the strange animal off of her. Upon doing so, she watched as the unusual fox struggled to find balance and fell off of the bed as a result. After doing so, she found herself feeling somewhat perplexed. The bluntly unnatural appearance of this animal aside, there was something else odd about it. Not a single sound was made when she pushed it off of the bed. She did not hear it hit the floor - nor did she hear the bedding rustle when it jumped back on top of the mattress.

'That was very impolite.'

An unfamiliar voice rang in her ears, causing Amber to look around curiously. At first, she had assumed that someone had seen her knock the fox off of her bed. Albeit, a split second after thinking that, she realized the stupidity of that assumption. If anyone had seen the animal, then they would be commenting on its odd appearance or questioning where it had come from. Or both, depending on the person and how they reacted to the sight of the creature. There was also the fact that she was fairly certain that the animal was in fact, an illusion created by her tormented mind. A figment of her imagination - which was why she could see it and feel it as it stepped on her or rubbed against her. Her mind was registering the creature was a real life entity, which was the exact reason that it was capable of harassing her at all. That being heavy on her mind, she was perfectly capable of determining where the voice had come from. Hence, she locked her eyes on her imaginary "friend" and made a bit of a face.

"You were standing on my chest..." Amber murmured, temporarily remaining blissfully unaware of the fact that she had verbally addressed a figment of her imagination. At this, the flame tailed fox took a seat next to her legs, and flattened their ears in what seemed to be an irritated manner. One side note - she was capable of recognizing the voice as that of a female. Lack of any visible male anatomy on the fox's body only further supported the idea of them being a girl. Unless she had magically dreampt up a transgender fox, then she was sure of the notion that it was a little kitsune lady.

'You could have asked me to step off of you. I do not enjoy being pushed onto the floor.'

The fox's voice met the woman's ears again, although there was no facial movement which implied that the animal was talking. At this, Amber sighed and proceeded to pull the sheet over her head. Given that she was convinced that she was conversing with a figment of thought, she was far calmer than she had been earlier. However, that did little to put her at ease. For one, she had resorted to physically speaking to an object of her imagination. Another issue revolved around how utterly realistic the situation seemed. In more blunt terms, she had come to the belief that the trauma brought on by her upbringing had rendered her mentally ill. She could guess that the current situation would simply be the start of a wild and dangerous downward spiral into madness. She could only go on to assume that she, or someone else, was likely to get seriously hurt in the process. Seeing that their statement had been ignored, the fox began to paw at the sheet in order to gain some of the young woman's attention.

When this tactic did not work, the fox went on to making attempts at pulling the cover off of the female. This naturally irritated Amber, who curled into a ball to prevent anyone from taking the sheet away from her. She did this knowing that an onlooker would come to the conclusion that she was ill if they were to find her in that position. Surprisingly enough, she cared very little about that truth. As it were, she had slowly grown very convinced that she needed to be put in a mental hospital. Pity that she lacked the emotional capability of reaching out for help. She could thank her foster parents for that when it came down to it. Eventually giving up on prying the sheet out of Amber's hold, the fox stepped away in order to patiently sit and wait fo r the female to reveal her face.

'I see that you are reluctant to converse with me... Very well. Seeing as you currently refuse to talk, I will take the initiative by introducing myself, and explaining our current situation to you.'

The she-fox commented, her tone and overall manner of speech implying a fairly high level of intelligence. Amber mentally punched herself for daring to create an animal that was smarter and more elegant than she was capable of being. Weren't creations supposed to represent their creators? Apparently not in this situation, it would seem.

'My name is Yoake. I am a fox deity of flame hailing from an Asian landscape... Three hundred and twenty-seven years ago, my mate, Kirameki, and I, were slain by humans. Kirameki, my mate, is the fox deity of frost... Before our deaths, we held the responsibility of keeping nature in balance by enforcing the Cycle of Rejuvenation. The cycle revolves around three point. Life, death, and rebirth - or rejuvenation, as I prefer to call it... To enforce this cycle, we would closely monitor the population and food ratios of all life within the land that we roamed. When there were more predators than prey, and starvation was immanent, we would destroy a high number of predators to restore balance. That, however, is a simple example of what Kirameki and I would do. There were many things for us to keep track of, and we would make our decisions according to the needs of each location...'

The fox, Yoake as she called herself, began to explain their life story to the young woman, who remained reluctant to listen. However, Amber gradually found herself growing more interested in all that the being stated. She, for one, was surprised at just how creative she had managed to be without intending on doing so. The fox was a figment of her thoughts, and yet they were perfectly capable of creating a story that could hold the attention of virtually any age group. Insanity was definitely a strange thing to experience. She began to question whether or not her situation would result in a negative experience.

'To perform our duties, Kirameki and I often had do destroy things so that the natural healing abilities of nature would take over... His task would be to freeze the location and all that was held within it. All trapped within his frost would be put into a deep slumber, where I believe that they were capable of having pleasant dreams. Once the land was frozen, my task was to step in and set the area alight with my fire. The ice would melt, and all that had been housed within it would be burned to ash. When my fire was gone, Kirameki would lay a frail sheet of ice across the destruction. When the ice melted on its own accord and dampened the ash, we would leave and trust that life would begin a new in that location... Such were our tasks when we were able to freely roam the world.'

Yoake explained, shifting awkwardly in her place as she stared at the young woman who lay hidden under the sheet. In earnest, Amber had began to contemplate looking at the fictitious fox. Hearing the story resulted in the woman developing the desire to ask questions. The story itself was highly interesting. She would enjoy learning more about the life that the fox had lived. Even though she was aware that anything she was told was a simple result of her own, subconscious thoughts.

'Naturally, Kirameki and I were slain because humans have evolved to the point where they have developed the belif that they are superior to nature... They came to despise us for keeping their population in check, and hence, they sought to destroy us... They took advantage of our duties in hopes of ensuring that they could get away with their actions. After venturing into a populated area to determine whether or not our interference was needed, Kirameki was captured by a group of humans who sought to destroy us. They chained him to a metal pole, from which he could not escape. He froze the land but did not freeze any living being, in hopes of scaring them to the point that they would restore his freedom. His strategy proved to hold no victory, and shortly after, the humans began to torture him. They struck him so as to hurt him, not to kill him, for they needed to acquire my attention... He called out to me for aide, and I set out to rescue him. When I entered the town and found all structures had been frozen, I sent out my flame in order to thaw the ice. A hoard of angry men confronted me when I drew near my mates location, and they began to attack me as I made my move to rescue him. Before I could reach my beloved Kirameki, one of my assailants drove their weapon through my body. I managed to pry myself free of the weapon's hold, but succumbed to my injuries and died before I could free my mate of the chains that confined him.'

Yoake continued to utter her tale, coaxing Amber into uncovering her head in the process. The young woman had found herself fixated on every syllable that escaped the fox. Rather than comment on this, the being pretended to be oblivious to it. She had yet to finish her story.

'After we died, Kirameki and I - our spirits I mean - we fled to the stars. The energy of the cosmos kept us alive and prevented us from being reborn as lesser beings while we patiently awaited a time in which we could be properly reborn... We needed to wait. Not because there were not enough foxes being burn, but because we had reached the point in our timelines in which a human host would be required. A fox cannot properly withstand the assault of a man, nor are we capable of dealing with that contraptions that can be used to confine us... To adapt, we required human bodies... In the long run, it has become apparent that we were incapable of putting our souls in place of those of you and your brother... The bodies are yours to use and command. For us to become real in this world and resume our duties, then you must be willing to accept us as your familiars.'

Yoake stated, giving away some extra information which only proved to draw Amber's complete attention. Brother? Had the figment of her imagination just stated that she had a sibling? Call her insane, but she had gradually come to believe that this unusual fox was far from a being of her thoughts. The story was to unique to be something of her subconsciousness. Surely there was reason to suspect truth in all that she had been told. She despised her foster family so much. The very idea of having a brother was enough to rekindle her hope to thrive in life. A hope to find happiness, and a reason to live. In the long run, she had no means or proving or disproving any of this.

The fox was likely a falsehood created by her troubled mind. Her blood relatives likely did not want her, if they were in act alive. She probably did not have a sibling. Despite knowing and understanding all of this, she was unwilling to believe it. The slightest chance of her having anything akin to a loving realative. The possibility of happiness. They were all worth whatever risk there might be in delving deeper into her delusions. Although, she no longer viewed the fox as anything but a hidden reality.

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

Two years had passed since Yinko began to converse with the illusionary fox deity that was Yoake. All evidence pointed to the unusual fox being little more than a figment of her imagination. None aside from she were capable of seeing the creature. No one else could hear her, or feel her presence. No one else seemed to be aware of the changes that had gradually overtaken Yinko's now adult body. Her brunette hair had turned blonde. Her brown eyes had become blue. She had the ears and tail of a fox, and very easily became accustomed to having them. She had even learned of her original name. The name that her biological parents had given her the day that she was born.

No longer was she willing to be called by the name that her false parents assigned her. She was Yinko. Daughter of a Japanese-American father, and an American mother. The second born of the twins that her mother bore. Younger sister to Yango, her twin brother - the man who evidentially harboured Yoake's mate, Kirameki. She had learned a lot about her true self in the past two years. The nightmares that she had been experiencing, were in fact, her being able to see parts of the past through Yoake's eyes. The pains had been the aftermath of their spirits being half joined. All of these things began to take place when she hit puberty because that was when the deity had collected enough of her strength to make he presence known. Now that she was known, the two of them were intent on bringing their bond to the highest level.

She would accept Yoake's powers and the responsibilities that came with doing so. She would fully unite their souls, and free herself from the shackles of mortality that prevented her from genuinely thriving in the world. Yinko was done with simply trying to play it safe in order to get by. She was going to become a god among mortals, or she would destroy herself while trying. Tonight, would be the final day of her life in this reality. She would either die and become nothing, or be reborn as nothing more. Yoake had given her careful instructions. She knew exactly what needed to be done, and after over a year of careful planning, she had become mentally capable of carrying out the task. She had already gone through with the first step, which was to provide the Kitsune a temporary body that they could house.

She had learned how to sew in order to make a small fox plush. She had designed it to look like the deity. The interior had been filled with rice, and a red thread had been wound around its throat. After spitting some saltwater on the surface of the toy, Yoake's spirit had successfully fused to it. They had temporarily separated their souls so that they could later unite them completely. The second step would be where there would be no turning back, given what it was. Regardless, she had been willing to go through with it. Once her foster parents had fallen into slumber, she crept out of her room so that she could retrieve a knife from the kitchen. She also took the time to unlock the back gate. As much as she had disliked the dogs, she was unwilling to have them endure a terrible fate.

They would undoubtedly suffer if they wound up incapable of escaping the yard. Freeing the dogs was not part of the instructions that she had been given, though there was no reason for them to perish. The dogs did not need to die for the transformation to take place, and so she would not have them die. Besides, Shila was in no way her enemy. If the dog stuck around, then maybe the two of them could become traveling companions. After ensuring that the dogs could escape, Yinko ventured back into the kitchen to retrieve a bowl. She had nearly forgotten that she would need one. With knife and bowl at hand, she stepped back upstairs and snuck into her foster parents' room, where she made quick work of them. She found herself oddly content with the action. She drove the blade against their throats without hesitation, dealing them a fast and painless death.

Her foster mother did not even wake, and so she experienced no panic when her life was seeped out of her. After slitting their throats, Yinko filled the bowl with their blood, and abandoned the knife prior to making her way downstairs. She then soaked the possessed toy in the blood, and used what remained to paint a very important symbol. She marked the floor with the Japanese symbol for fire, and did the same with her skin. She painted the mark on her arms, legs, and forehead. The next step of her plan was where she was highly likely to die. Fire played an important roll in this ritual. She used the stove to light a white candle, then used that candle to set all of the curtains on the bottom floor ablaze. She made her way back to the bloody symbol and knelt upon it before it had the chance to dry. She held the blood soaked fox plush to her breast, and anxious awaited the approach of the flamed.

A trial by fire was needed in order to complete the transformation. Yinko's soul would either fuse with that of the deity, or they would both ascend to the cosmos. Before long, the flames had approached to lap at her skin. That was when fear began to try and claim her. The pain was near unbearable, but necessary. Her skin blistered and shriveled at the hands of the heat. Her hair burned away, creating a foul smell that she was incapable of avoiding. Her very tears burns her skin, for they had grown so hot thanks to the surrounding flames. She suffered massive and agonizing injuries at the hands of the fire, but in the end, she was not destroyed. She had passed the test, and in doing so, was allowed to become one with the deity.

The blood soaked toy took on a deep red glow, and sucked all of the surrounding fire into it. Unable to keep hold of the flaming object, Yinko dropped it - allowing the now living mass of flames to step away and loom over her. The fire took the shape of an enormous fox. The sight alone was enough to cause her to freeze in a state of awe. Unable to react to anything that was done with her, the woman might have seemed helpless as the living mass of flame lunged at her. However, instead of destroying her, the fire enveloped her. The heat fused with her very frame, unifying Yinko and Yoake's souls for all of time. When the chaos cleared, two beings remained. One a beautiful woman with golden hair, and the Additions of a fox. The other, a small Kitsune with a flickering white hot flame for a tail.

The two of them fled long before onlookers could arrive to investigate the scene. Their unification had been successful. Yinko had accepted the power and responsibility of the fire deity, and intended on bringing the Cyle of Rejuvenation back into play. However, to do so, she was in need of her frozen counterpart. Her intentions were to find her brother, and convince him to join her in the plain of higher living that she had happily entered. If she succeeded, then she would be able to carry on with her duties as the deity of flame. Regardless of what the future may hold, Yinko had found her happiness. She was free to live as she willed. No one else could control her, and as a plus, Shila had indeed stayed long enough to greet her. Through all of it, she would have a genuine companion.

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A sense of panic had overwhelmed her. The fear for her own survival, and for the survival of her companion. Who that companion was, she had no idea. A name managed to work its way into the back of her mind, but she could not comprehend it. The name seemed to hold great importance to her, although she had no memory as to why. Somehow, she recognized her location, despite being well aware of the fact that she had never been there before. The grass that she trailed through seemed to be unbearably tall by comparison to her. Each individual blade of green stood proudly over her head as she darted towards it, only to be flattened for a few seconds after having her weight forced upon it. The only sound that could meet her ears was that of the greenery being trampled as she ran. Sticks would snap from time to time, creating a somewhat more audible noise.

A separate set of sounds appeared to harass her ears before long, although she found herself surprisingly relieved to hear it. Her eyes began to roam the area around her, despite her being aware that the surprisingly tall grass would remain there to block her view. After a short time, a second figure entered her lane of vision. The being was something that she had long since learned to recognize, even though she had little understanding as to who they were. The ever familiar image of the silver fox met her eyes, awakening a sense of joy in which she could find no origin. At times, her mind would play an odd trick on her. The sight of the fox's silver would alter for a few seconds, making the animal appear to be a deep black color. Even so, their eyes remained the same. The color of the silver fox's honey-brown eyes never shifted, allowing her to remain sure of who it was that she was looking at. Said fox took to sprinting alongside her, allowing her to remain sure of the fact that this unknown creature was her ally.

She could not determine why it was that she felt such trust towards the animal, but she did. Only when she accepted that truth, did the sound of their enemy reach her ears. The frantic bellow of crazed barking became known to her, reawakening her sense of dread. Now she was capable of understanding why her body was so insistent on running. Her mind could agree with the decision now that she was aware of the imminent danger. The fear only continued to seep into her being as the rampaging cabins drew closer. The sound of their bellowing grew louder with every passing moment, making it clear that her chances of escape were little more than slim. Ever nearer the hounds drew, the barrage of noise they creating proving to gradually break her will to run. She became all to aware of the fact that it was pointless for she - and for the fox - to continue with their attempt at escape. Her mouth and throat had grown dry from the strenuous activity that was her sprinting.

Her limbs ached from their nonstop use. Her chest stung as a result of the cooler air meeting the superheated confines of her lungs. She had little idea as to what her unusual, but surprisingly loyal companion might be thinking of the situation. She could sense their fear. There was no doubt in her mind that the overly sized fox was capable of understanding how dire their situation had become. However, she was unsure as to whether or not they were capable of finding any sense of hope? Did they have the means of keeping their fighting spirit alight as they darted through the grass? The hounds were upon them long before she could contemplate the possible answers to her mental inquiry's. The agonizing ordeal began with the simple sting of teeth being driven into her heel. The voice that escape her was far from her own, but still known to her.

That single bite was the start of a cruel and painful death. She and her fox companion were overtaken by the savage canines. Bite after bite, they tore into her body. Large and heavy feet pressed against her to keep her held down as she was ripped to pieces. The pained wails of the silver fox rang in her ears throughout every moment of the blood soaked chaos. Images of their beautifully colored fur being ripped to shreds would meet her vision from time to time, but only for split second intervals. The majority of what she witnessed as she was reduced to little more than a bloody pile of hair and bone, were the faces of snarling dogs. The pain faded long before life left her, though the fear did not. Surprisingly, the terror she felt was not directed towards herself. She feared what would become of the fox - although she knew that they would share the same fate as her.

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

When Amber woke after experiencing her second nightmare of the day, she found herself startled by two dramatic changes. The first being that for once, she felt no pain upon entering the world of consciousness. Her back did not ache. Her arms and legs were not sore. Instead, she was well rested, and somewhat eager to greet the world. The second truth that she had become aware of, was that for once, she could remember the full details of her dream. The fox, the rampaging dogs, they way that she had been torn limb. Every minor detail was remembered in near perfect detail. What was more, when she rummaged through her memories, she did not suffer from any form of headache. All was crystal clear and free to her thoughts without fear of painful repercussions.

At first, she could do little aside from believe that her odd but traumatic hallucination had somehow freed her of terror that had plagued her for the past three years. However, those thoughts were quickly changed upon finding that her hallucination had not yet ended. There were no mirrors at hand for her to use as a means of inspecting her reflection. However, the being that currently sat at her feet was proof enough that her mind had not yet settled. The golden fur which bore mock bloodstains. The ghostly blue eyes that seemed to harbour the intense glow of the sun. The fiery purple wisp of a tail. All of the details that she had witness prior had remained the same. The mysterious, unnatural fox that had triggered her fainting spill had remained with her until she could wake. They had somehow gone unnoticed even as she was found and taken to the nurse's office.

Recognizing her surroundings seemed to be enough to remind her of how dangerous a situation she had fallen into. She had fainted in the school bathroom, and without a doubt missed at least one of her classes. Someone had found her lying unconscious on the concrete floor, and had immediately taken her to the nurse's office. Among the number of other things that the situation implied, one of them was certain. Her parents had undoubtedly been contacted. Of course this meant that she was going to be given some sort of punishment as a result. Neither of her foster parents' were fond of having to deal with her school affairs. She had learned to go out of her way to ensure that they never learned of a parent teacher conference. She had gone so far as to learn to forge their signatures to keep them from having to sign anything. In blunt terms, she was up a Sewage Creek without a paddle.

She was not looking forward to going home. She never did, but now it was because she was certain that she was going to suffer more than usual. As the unavoidable sense of dread began to creep into her system, the unnatural fox that sat beside her feet stood and began to make its way towards hr face. She wheezed when the surprisingly heavy animal came to sit atop her chest, finding that the sensation was enough to draw her mind from the issue that would otherwise be plaguing her mind. Having immediately grown uncomfortable thanks to the weight that had been added to her chest, Amber rolled onto her side in order to knock the strange animal off of her. Upon doing so, she watched as the unusual fox struggled to find balance and fell off of the bed as a result. After doing so, she found herself feeling somewhat perplexed. The bluntly unnatural appearance of this animal aside, there was something else odd about it. Not a single sound was made when she pushed it off of the bed. She did not hear it hit the floor - nor did she hear the bedding rustle when it jumped back on top of the mattress.

'That was very impolite.'

An unfamiliar voice rang in her ears, causing Amber to look around curiously. At first, she had assumed that someone had seen her knock the fox off of her bed. Albeit, a split second after thinking that, she realized the stupidity of that assumption. If anyone had seen the animal, then they would be commenting on its odd appearance or questioning where it had come from. Or both, depending on the person and how they reacted to the sight of the creature. There was also the fact that she was fairly certain that the animal was in fact, an illusion created by her tormented mind. A figment of her imagination - which was why she could see it and feel it as it stepped on her or rubbed against her. Her mind was registering the creature was a real life entity, which was the exact reason that it was capable of harassing her at all. That being heavy on her mind, she was perfectly capable of determining where the voice had come from. Hence, she locked her eyes on her imaginary "friend" and made a bit of a face.

"You were standing on my chest..." Amber murmured, temporarily remaining blissfully unaware of the fact that she had verbally addressed a figment of her imagination. At this, the flame tailed fox took a seat next to her legs, and flattened their ears in what seemed to be an irritated manner. One side note - she was capable of recognizing the voice as that of a female. Lack of any visible male anatomy on the fox's body only further supported the idea of them being a girl. Unless she had magically dreampt up a transgender fox, then she was sure of the notion that it was a little kitsune lady.

'You could have asked me to step off of you. I do not enjoy being pushed onto the floor.'

The fox's voice met the woman's ears again, although there was no facial movement which implied that the animal was talking. At this, Amber sighed and proceeded to pull the sheet over her head. Given that she was convinced that she was conversing with a figment of thought, she was far calmer than she had been earlier. However, that did little to put her at ease. For one, she had resorted to physically speaking to an object of her imagination. Another issue revolved around how utterly realistic the situation seemed. In more blunt terms, she had come to the belief that the trauma brought on by her upbringing had rendered her mentally ill. She could guess that the current situation would simply be the start of a wild and dangerous downward spiral into madness. She could only go on to assume that she, or someone else, was likely to get seriously hurt in the process. Seeing that their statement had been ignored, the fox began to paw at the sheet in order to gain some of the young woman's attention.

When this tactic did not work, the fox went on to making attempts at pulling the cover off of the female. This naturally irritated Amber, who curled into a ball to prevent anyone from taking the sheet away from her. She did this knowing that an onlooker would come to the conclusion that she was ill if they were to find her in that position. Surprisingly enough, she cared very little about that truth. As it were, she had slowly grown very convinced that she needed to be put in a mental hospital. Pity that she lacked the emotional capability of reaching out for help. She could thank her foster parents for that when it came down to it. Eventually giving up on prying the sheet out of Amber's hold, the fox stepped away in order to patiently sit and wait fo r the female to reveal her face.

'I see that you are reluctant to converse with me... Very well. Seeing as you currently refuse to talk, I will take the initiative by introducing myself, and explaining our current situation to you.'

The she-fox commented, her tone and overall manner of speech implying a fairly high level of intelligence. Amber mentally punched herself for daring to create an animal that was smarter and more elegant than she was capable of being. Weren't creations supposed to represent their creators? Apparently not in this situation, it would seem.

'My name is Yoake. I am a fox deity of flame hailing from an Asian landscape... Three hundred and twenty-seven years ago, my mate, Kirameki, and I, were slain by humans. Kirameki, my mate, is the fox deity of frost... Before our deaths, we held the responsibility of keeping nature in balance by enforcing the Cycle of Rejuvenation. The cycle revolves around three point. Life, death, and rebirth - or rejuvenation, as I prefer to call it... To enforce this cycle, we would closely monitor the population and food ratios of all life within the land that we roamed. When there were more predators than prey, and starvation was immanent, we would destroy a high number of predators to restore balance. That, however, is a simple example of what Kirameki and I would do. There were many things for us to keep track of, and we would make our decisions according to the needs of each location...'

The fox, Yoake as she called herself, began to explain their life story to the young woman, who remained reluctant to listen. However, Amber gradually found herself growing more interested in all that the being stated. She, for one, was surprised at just how creative she had managed to be without intending on doing so. The fox was a figment of her thoughts, and yet they were perfectly capable of creating a story that could hold the attention of virtually any age group. Insanity was definitely a strange thing to experience. She began to question whether or not her situation would result in a negative experience.

'To perform our duties, Kirameki and I often had do destroy things so that the natural healing abilities of nature would take over... His task would be to freeze the location and all that was held within it. All trapped within his frost would be put into a deep slumber, where I believe that they were capable of having pleasant dreams. Once the land was frozen, my task was to step in and set the area alight with my fire. The ice would melt, and all that had been housed within it would be burned to ash. When my fire was gone, Kirameki would lay a frail sheet of ice across the destruction. When the ice melted on its own accord and dampened the ash, we would leave and trust that life would begin a new in that location... Such were our tasks when we were able to freely roam the world.'

Yoake explained, shifting awkwardly in her place as she stared at the young woman who lay hidden under the sheet. In earnest, Amber had began to contemplate looking at the fictitious fox. Hearing the story resulted in the woman developing the desire to ask questions. The story itself was highly interesting. She would enjoy learning more about the life that the fox had lived. Even though she was aware that anything she was told was a simple result of her own, subconscious thoughts.

'Naturally, Kirameki and I were slain because humans have evolved to the point where they have developed the belif that they are superior to nature... They came to despise us for keeping their population in check, and hence, they sought to destroy us... They took advantage of our duties in hopes of ensuring that they could get away with their actions. After venturing into a populated area to determine whether or not our interference was needed, Kirameki was captured by a group of humans who sought to destroy us. They chained him to a metal pole, from which he could not escape. He froze the land but did not freeze any living being, in hopes of scaring them to the point that they would restore his freedom. His strategy proved to hold no victory, and shortly after, the humans began to torture him. They struck him so as to hurt him, not to kill him, for they needed to acquire my attention... He called out to me for aide, and I set out to rescue him. When I entered the town and found all structures had been frozen, I sent out my flame in order to thaw the ice. A hoard of angry men confronted me when I drew near my mates location, and they began to attack me as I made my move to rescue him. Before I could reach my beloved Kirameki, one of my assailants drove their weapon through my body. I managed to pry myself free of the weapon's hold, but succumbed to my injuries and died before I could free my mate of the chains that confined him.'

Yoake continued to utter her tale, coaxing Amber into uncovering her head in the process. The young woman had found herself fixated on every syllable that escaped the fox. Rather than comment on this, the being pretended to be oblivious to it. She had yet to finish her story.

'After we died, Kirameki and I - our spirits I mean - we fled to the stars. The energy of the cosmos kept us alive and prevented us from being reborn as lesser beings while we patiently awaited a time in which we could be properly reborn... We needed to wait. Not because there were not enough foxes being burn, but because we had reached the point in our timelines in which a human host would be required. A fox cannot properly withstand the assault of a man, nor are we capable of dealing with that contraptions that can be used to confine us... To adapt, we required human bodies... In the long run, it has become apparent that we were incapable of putting our souls in place of those of you and your brother... The bodies are yours to use and command. For us to become real in this world and resume our duties, then you must be willing to accept us as your familiars.'

Yoake stated, giving away some extra information which only proved to draw Amber's complete attention. Brother? Had the figment of her imagination just stated that she had a sibling? Call her insane, but she had gradually come to believe that this unusual fox was far from a being of her thoughts. The story was to unique to be something of her subconsciousness. Surely there was reason to suspect truth in all that she had been told. She despised her foster family so much. The very idea of having a brother was enough to rekindle her hope to thrive in life. A hope to find happiness, and a reason to live. In the long run, she had no means or proving or disproving any of this.

The fox was likely a falsehood created by her troubled mind. Her blood relatives likely did not want her, if they were in act alive. She probably did not have a sibling. Despite knowing and understanding all of this, she was unwilling to believe it. The slightest chance of her having anything akin to a loving realative. The possibility of happiness. They were all worth whatever risk there might be in delving deeper into her delusions. Although, she no longer viewed the fox as anything but a hidden reality.

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

Two years had passed since Yinko began to converse with the illusionary fox deity that was Yoake. All evidence pointed to the unusual fox being little more than a figment of her imagination. None aside from she were capable of seeing the creature. No one else could hear her, or feel her presence. No one else seemed to be aware of the changes that had gradually overtaken Yinko's now adult body. Her brunette hair had turned blonde. Her brown eyes had become blue. She had the ears and tail of a fox, and very easily became accustomed to having them. She had even learned of her original name. The name that her biological parents had given her the day that she was born.

No longer was she willing to be called by the name that her false parents assigned her. She was Yinko. Daughter of a Japanese-American father, and an American mother. The second born of the twins that her mother bore. Younger sister to Yango, her twin brother - the man who evidentially harboured Yoake's mate, Kirameki. She had learned a lot about her true self in the past two years. The nightmares that she had been experiencing, were in fact, her being able to see parts of the past through Yoake's eyes. The pains had been the aftermath of their spirits being half joined. All of these things began to take place when she hit puberty because that was when the deity had collected enough of her strength to make he presence known. Now that she was known, the two of them were intent on bringing their bond to the highest level.

She would accept Yoake's powers and the responsibilities that came with doing so. She would fully unite their souls, and free herself from the shackles of mortality that prevented her from genuinely thriving in the world. Yinko was done with simply trying to play it safe in order to get by. She was going to become a god among mortals, or she would destroy herself while trying. Tonight, would be the final day of her life in this reality. She would either die and become nothing, or be reborn as nothing more. Yoake had given her careful instructions. She knew exactly what needed to be done, and after over a year of careful planning, she had become mentally capable of carrying out the task. She had already gone through with the first step, which was to provide the Kitsune a temporary body that they could house.

She had learned how to sew in order to make a small fox plush. She had designed it to look like the deity. The interior had been filled with rice, and a red thread had been wound around its throat. After spitting some saltwater on the surface of the toy, Yoake's spirit had successfully fused to it. They had temporarily separated their souls so that they could later unite them completely. The second step would be where there would be no turning back, given what it was. Regardless, she had been willing to go through with it. Once her foster parents had fallen into slumber, she crept out of her room so that she could retrieve a knife from the kitchen. She also took the time to unlock the back gate. As much as she had disliked the dogs, she was unwilling to have them endure a terrible fate.

They would undoubtedly suffer if they wound up incapable of escaping the yard. Freeing the dogs was not part of the instructions that she had been given, though there was no reason for them to perish. The dogs did not need to die for the transformation to take place, and so she would not have them die. Besides, Shila was in no way her enemy. If the dog stuck around, then maybe the two of them could become traveling companions. After ensuring that the dogs could escape, Yinko ventured back into the kitchen to retrieve a bowl. She had nearly forgotten that she would need one. With knife and bowl at hand, she stepped back upstairs and snuck into her foster parents' room, where she made quick work of them. She found herself oddly content with the action. She drove the blade against their throats without hesitation, dealing them a fast and painless death.

Her foster mother did not even wake, and so she experienced no panic when her life was seeped out of her. After slitting their throats, Yinko filled the bowl with their blood, and abandoned the knife prior to making her way downstairs. She then soaked the possessed toy in the blood, and used what remained to paint a very important symbol. She marked the floor with the Japanese symbol for fire, and did the same with her skin. She painted the mark on her arms, legs, and forehead. The next step of her plan was where she was highly likely to die. Fire played an important roll in this ritual. She used the stove to light a white candle, then used that candle to set all of the curtains on the bottom floor ablaze. She made her way back to the bloody symbol and knelt upon it before it had the chance to dry. She held the blood soaked fox plush to her breast, and anxious awaited the approach of the flamed.

A trial by fire was needed in order to complete the transformation. Yinko's soul would either fuse with that of the deity, or they would both ascend to the cosmos. Before long, the flames had approached to lap at her skin. That was when fear began to try and claim her. The pain was near unbearable, but necessary. Her skin blistered and shriveled at the hands of the heat. Her hair burned away, creating a foul smell that she was incapable of avoiding. Her very tears burns her skin, for they had grown so hot thanks to the surrounding flames. She suffered massive and agonizing injuries at the hands of the fire, but in the end, she was not destroyed. She had passed the test, and in doing so, was allowed to become one with the deity.

The blood soaked toy took on a deep red glow, and sucked all of the surrounding fire into it. Unable to keep hold of the flaming object, Yinko dropped it - allowing the now living mass of flames to step away and loom over her. The fire took the shape of an enormous fox. The sight alone was enough to cause her to freeze in a state of awe. Unable to react to anything that was done with her, the woman might have seemed helpless as the living mass of flame lunged at her. However, instead of destroying her, the fire enveloped her. The heat fused with her very frame, unifying Yinko and Yoake's souls for all of time. When the chaos cleared, two beings remained. One a beautiful woman with golden hair, and the Additions of a fox. The other, a small Kitsune with a flickering white hot flame for a tail.

The two of them fled long before onlookers could arrive to investigate the scene. Their unification had been successful. Yinko had accepted the power and responsibility of the fire deity, and intended on bringing the Cyle of Rejuvenation back into play. However, to do so, she was in need of her frozen counterpart. Her intentions were to find her brother, and convince him to join her in the plain of higher living that she had happily entered. If she succeeded, then she would be able to carry on with her duties as the deity of flame. Regardless of what the future may hold, Yinko had found her happiness. She was free to live as she willed. No one else could control her, and as a plus, Shila had indeed stayed long enough to greet her. Through all of it, she would have a genuine companion.