Fox 24

"Levi, do you know them?" His father questioned, one eyebrow arched in suspicion.

"Nope! Never seen them before in my life." He replied as he reached past his father trying, in vain, to push Tommy out the door.

"That's not very nice..." Tommy laughed as his arms shot out to grab hold of the doorway as he dug his heels into the floor beneath him.

"Tommy stop teasing him." Jason held back a laugh as he stared at Levi and Tommy with amused eyes.

Levi's father grabbed him by the collar and hauled him back, causing him to lose his hold on Tommy. He shook his head in annoyance as he pulled him to his side before turning back around to address Mr. Corin.

"I'm so sorry about his behavior. He's usually more behaved than this.  At least that's how we raised him. I don't know what's gotten into him." He apologized before turning to the side to glare at his son.

"No need. It just so happens that Levi and his friends are some of our students at the Academy. I had no idea that you lived here though Levi." Mr. Corin spoke up.

"Well that's definitely a coincidence but I hope that won't change your mind about the plot of land. If the thought of living this close to one of your students is concerning to you please know that we can make sure he doesn't bother you.

However, we are very open with the kids here as they have seen the naked body since birth. It is a non sexual community and you have passed even our most extensive background checks. We don't think that there will be any type of trouble but if you feel as if a line needs to be drawn I completely understand."

"We are not in any way concerned about Levi's nudity. Unfortunately we've had to stop him on several occasions from scarring his fellow students during his gym lessons with Mr. Thomas here. He often forgets that not everyone is as comfortable with nudity in the showers as he is." Mr. Corin chuckled and I had to stifle my laughter as Levi face palmed.

"Wait until your mother hears about that. You'll never live that one down." His father laughed, a big booming laugh that just made you want to smile.

"And we like the idea of a plot of land to call our own. We'll certainly take it. If the papers could be drawn up as soon as possible we would like to get our contractors in as soon as possible to build."

"Well that's just great! I'm glad that this doesn't turn you off from the land. It's far enough away that you three will have your privacy but close enough that you can still be a part of the community." Levi's father explained.

"Is hunting allowed on these lands?" Jason questioned. "We have a pet or two and don't want any of them accidentally getting injured."

"No. We don't have a lot of huge animals out here to even hunt. We have seen a fox or two..." Everyone's eyes turned towards Levi, except his father's who didn't seem to catch on. "If you do see something though that worries you just let us know and we'll call animal control."

"No need for that, we're used to having animals about. We're not worried about any of the wild life." Mr. Corin smiled and I had to say that it was one that could disarm anyone.

"Great! I'll just get all the papers drawn up if you three would like to come in and wait a little bit." Levi's dad offered as he turned away from the door and headed upstairs to where I assumed he was keeping all the paper work he needed. As soon as he was far enough away Levi's tolerant face slipped as he spun around to face the trio.

The glare that he shot them for anyone else would have been deadly but Tommy couldn't help but taunt him by calling him a cute puppy. The words almost made me laugh but I held it in for Levi's sake.

"What the hell are you three doing here? It's definitely not a coincidence that you're here so what's going on?" He hissed.

"Well, we actually were looking for a place of our own with privacy and where best to do that at but in a nudist community? It just so happened that we overheard you talking about it with one of your classmates and we looked into it. We assumed that you would still be at Tae's home and we wouldn't have to sneak around." Mr. Corin explained.

"Speaking of..." Tommy began as the three of them walked further into the house, completely bypassing Levi. They walked into the dining room and sat down at the table with the three of us following behind them. "Why are you three already here?"

As soon as the question left his lips my tongue turned to lead as I struggled to find a suitable answer to his question. My eyes darted to the side as I looked at Alistair whose eyes were as wide as saucers staring ahead at the trio. Mr. Corin sat watching our every movement and I knew he suspected that we were hiding something.

"Well um..."Levi began but didn't know how to finish.

"What happened? Fox got your tongue?" Tommy teased, leaning forward resting his chin on his interlocked fingers.

My heart thudded in my ears as my mind went to the couple that was upstairs. My parents. I had just gotten them and there was no way that I was going to lose them again. My breathing picked up as I thought about them getting captured and then turned in and everything that would happen to them once the council got their hands on them.

My mind conjured up thoughts of them being separated and tortured. Feathers plucked, magic extracted, blood, and endless amounts of screaming. The feeling inside me intensified until I was lowly growling. I wouldn't allow anything to hurt them.

"Tae! Your eyes..." Levi whispered harshly as he turned back around to make sure no one was coming back into the room.

"What?" I growled out, annoyed at the prospect that anyone would take away my family.

"Your eyes are glowing. Cut it out before Levi's dad comes back." Jason hissed.

"I'm not doing it on purpose." I hissed as I tried to regulate my breathing.

I didn't think that I'd have this intense of a reaction to the thought of them being captured. With a huff I jumped out of my seat, the legs scratching loudly on the floor. My feet carried me from one end of the dining room to the next as I paced back and forth. I couldn't control my actions at this moment, I was running purely on instinct.

"What has you all in a tizzy pup?" Mr. Corin questioned.

"I can't tell you." I snapped. "You'll hurt them."

"We would never hurt Alistair and Levi!" Jason practically shouted, a look of sheer disgust at the very thought plastered on his face. I knew they wouldn't but I also knew that Levi and Alistair instantly knew exactly what was making me act this way. Levi took a step my in my direction but Mr. Corin held out his hand freezing Levi in his spot.

"Wha-What are you doing?" Levi questioned angrily as he struggled in his spot. His teeth were bared as he snarled at Mr. Corin who clearly trapped him. "I can't move!"

Mr. Corin ignored him, walking over to me, stopping me in my tracks in the middle of the dining room. My eyes were glued to him as he wrapped his fingers around the back of my neck, holding me in place. He pulled me forward, into his chest as his fingers flexed upwards gently massaging the nape of my neck.

"It's alright pup. We're not going to harm anyone. We're not here to cause any problems and we trust you to handle what ever it is you're handling. We simply want to help you stay out of trouble." He whispered, his voice taking on a calming effect.

His other arm wrapped around my shoulders pulling me tighter against him. My body began to relax in his hold as I breathed in his comforting scent. His fingers were constantly moving upwards, massaging and spreading his fingers through my hair.

I could feel my eyelids falling close as his constant reassuring words soothed me even more. His touch was, I had to admit, nice. I could feel myself actually burying my face further into his shirt than before, sighing heavily.

"He's pretty good at that." Alistair whispered, amazed.

"Too good." Levi glared.

"He's only trying to help you spoiled little-" Tommy began before Jason simply punched him in the arm to shut him up.

"Just trust us. We've helped you out before and we'll help you out again."

"Mr. Corin..." I huffed.

"Just call me Asher when we're not in school." He soothed in a calming voice.

"Asher, how can I be sure that you won't hurt them?" I questioned.

"We'll make a pact right now. We should be quick though because I can only stall Levi's father for so long." He laughed causing me to look up at him with wide eyes. "I've been shifting his papers around so that he can't find everything he's looking for. I hereby agree that I, nor Jason and Tommy will interfere or cause any harm to anyone that you are protecting." He spoke up as he released me from his hold and stretched out his hand.

Looking down I wondered if this was the pact. A simple handshake? How was that any different from just saying that he wouldn't harm them? His eyes widened as he looked down at his outstretched hand and then back up at my face.

"Um, just shake his hand." Tommy rolled his eyes.

"Well how would I know that?" I hissed out as I reached forward wrapping my own fingers around Asher's. A light buzz ran from his hand to my own and up my arm before it spread out through my entire body.

"Now that is a pact. It's magically charged and I am bound to abide by it. So tell me what's going on now?" Asher questioned.

Deep inside I could feel that he was bound by his words and that he wouldn't hurt my parents and that bought a slight relief to me. My lips parted as the anecdote was about to flow out as the sound of the stairs creaking caught our attention. Asher let Levi go and I rushed back to where Alistair was standing.

"Darn papers seemed to get away from me." Levi's father laughed as he looked up at us. We each had smiles on our faces except for Tommy who was naturally unamused with life.

"That's quite alright. We were just talking school with the kids." Asher just hummed.

"Well if you sign here, here and here we can get everything rolling. I can send in the paperwork and you can get started on building."

"Sounds good to me." Asher replied as he elegantly signed the paper.

"Great! I'll send this off today and you three can-" He stopped mid-sentence and his entire being froze in it's spot. The air around us seemed to still as well as the sound of footsteps once again echoed in the silent home. A shrill call sounded off the walls and instantly I knew who it was that was walking through the home.

Shit! What were they doing? Didn't they know that exposing them would put us in a difficult position? I actually liked the trio, we had become close since they personally took us on to teach us and now Merula and Cano were going to make me decide between the two.

"I was trying to be patient but this was taking far too long." Merula spoke up as she finally reached the bottom of the stairs. Her voice carried into the dining room before she stepped through the doorway. Cano rested, perched on her shoulder as she stared ahead at all of us.

"Merula!" I hissed out throwing up my hands in complete and utter frustration.

"What the heck?" Alistair called out in annoyance. "All this running for you to only expose yourself to the first group of people who show up? Hello? Are you insane?" He shouted at them.

"Well he's clearly found his voice." Merula smirked, speaking to Cano.

"Seriously mom..." I groaned.

"Cano! Did you hear him call me mom?" She squealed as she grabbed Cano in her hands and spun them both around. "Its so cute."

"Well that clearly explains everything Merula." Asher sighed. "I simply wished you would have told me sooner that you were this side of the portals and oh, I don't know, that you had a kid."

Wait. What.

"You know Merula and Cano?" Alistair voiced my own thoughts.

"Yes, they've been causing us trouble for years." Tommy sighed.

"How do you know them?" I questioned.

"Its a long story." Asher sighed.

"Why are you making pacts with my kids?" Merula questioned.

"Well he was worried that I would hurt either of you before we even knew it was you. He was getting worked up over a simple question that we asked and his kitsune started to manifest. You should know that he only recently received admission to Rhyeal and he's just learning how to control himself." He explained.

Merula nodded her head in understanding before she sent Cano off to shift. He came back mere seconds later, fully clothed and ready to interact with them. Tommy spotted him and instantly ran up to him, embracing him in a very many hug.

"What's up?" Tommy shouted as he patted Cano's back in a way that sounded completely and awfully painful.

"How have you been?"

"I've had better days. Especially since I've had to watch out for your boy this entire time." He sighed as if I had been such a huge job. If anything it was Levi who was the major thorn in Tommy's side. I had been practically an angel compared to my fellow familiar.

"I'm sure he hasn't been that bad Thomas." He chuckled and I had to admit that the sound made me happy. In the midst of all of this turmoil he still managed a smile and a laugh. Looking over to Alistair I wasn't shocked to see that he was still confused as to what was happening especially since he had Helion running around in his mind.

Was this one of the things that he was never told? Did Helion even know that my parents knew Asher and his familiars? If he did then why would he have told Alistair and make this all a bit easier on all of us? We would have known that there were people we could trust inside of Rhyeal.

Why was it so easy for everyone to hid secrets in this group? There were serious communication issues that we needed to work out. With a huff I crossed my arms over my chest in annoyance before Alistair's soft voice turned sharp as he called out in the midst of the commotion.

"Quiet!" He shouted. "I have questions and I seriously need answers right now or...or...I don't know what I'm going to do but none of you will like it."

"Oh dear, we've angered the small one." Cano mused.

"What's the questions little one?" Tommy questioned. It was weird how much nicer he was when it came to Alistair. It was almost as if he was a different person than when he was with Levi.

"How long have you guys known each other and when did this," He waved between the lot of them. "Been going on!"

"I think the last time we saw each other face to face was..." Merula began but stopped short when she started to think seriously about when they had last seen each other. "Oh! It was when Helion asked us to drop off Jason with you."

"Wait...What?" All three of our heads whipped around to where Jason stood with red cheeks. He looked away from us and back towards Asher who patted his head reassuringly.

"It's not possible." I mused.

"It's completely possible." Alistair hummed.

"But how." Levi questioned as he stared at Jason.

"You're Helion's final familiar. It was you! It was you who they used against Helion. It was you that he considered his son. You were the fox." Alistair practically shouted. "You were the fox..."

He was the fox. Jason, our teacher's familiar was originally the familiar of a famous black magic user that was sentenced to death for something he didn't deserve. He was powerful and could do countless untold things and he seemed so sweet and innocent. Who knows all the things that he's seen.

"Yes, I am that fox." Jason sighed. "I was once Helion's familiar and I was a part of his family. I haven't seen Cano and Merula since the night we escaped from the Council of Mages. They dropped me off at Asher's completely broken and unfixable and he fixed me. He made me whole again and I am forever grateful to him." He smiled up at Asher.

"We wanted to come back to visit with you three but the risk was high. It would have caused more harm than good. Now you're here with us and we can catch up and everything but first we should probably discuss what all has been going on with our son and your students." Merula replied.

"Can we maybe unfreeze my dad before we start this whole little conversation?" Levi questioned.

"Hmmm. That might be a good idea." She smiled before slipping back out the room and back towards the hallway with Cano following right behind her. In a matter of seconds she released Levi's father from his magical hold.

"...send your contractor down here whenever you want to get the building process under way." Levi's father smiled, completely oblivious to what had been happening around him. Asher, Tommy and Jason simply smiled and nodded their heads in understanding as the three of us just stood there completely confused and in need of more of an explanation.

Just as Levi opened his mouth to excuse all of us Merula and Cano strolled into the dining room as if they owned the place. Levi's father, who had yet to meet them, threw out his arm and stepped in front of Levi, Alistair, and I to shield us from the mysterious couple.

"Oh...um...These are my parents." I announced before he would do anything that might get him hurt.

"Oh. Well hello there." Levi's father stretched out his hand to which Merula took it firmly, shaking it up and down before releasing it.

"Sorry for the holiday intrusion but we wanted to meet the people that would be housing our Tae here for a few days. Then once we got here we fell in love with the community itself and decided to stay through the holiday. We sure hope that's alright with you. We won't be of much trouble at all." Her voice had changed from chilling and ominous to sweet and saccharine in all of three seconds.

I almost didn't recognize the voice that held so much cheer and such a carefree attitude. She smiled brightly at the large man and batted her eyelashes in an attempt to unarm him with her charms. It managed to work quite well as he broke down and flashed her a smile before agreeing that it would be lovely for them to stay here as well.

"Well if you don't mind we would love to see the surrounding town. Would it be a trouble if we asked Levi and the boys to show us around?" Asher questioned.

"Not at all. I think that's a great idea actually. Everyone can get a chance to see our wonderful community in action. Hopefully it'll help you guys to understand just what you've signed up for." It was obvious that Levi's dad was always this excited when someone wanted to immerse themselves more in their unique lifestyle.

His smile was contagious as we all grinned big, making our way to the exit. Levi was told that he could use the car but we all opted for walking since it was such a beautiful day out. Once the door was shut all pretense of being completely okay with everything fell as I turned to face my new found parents and my teachers.

"Someone needs to explain everything right now." I hissed as I glared them down. I wanted explanations and I wanted them fast.

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SOOOoooOOOOOoooOooOooO!!!! Big bomb dropped there...What do you think? Did anyone guess that it was going to be Jason? What do you think happened there? What's going on with Asher? Has he always been this touchy feely? What's up with this chapter? Has it always been this good? Find out all the answers (I don't actually guarantee that) in the next chapter of Le Renard!!

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