Unstable

Chapter 9

--- Fox's POV ---

"Do you really know me..?"

Aither nodded, seeming certain. But I shook my head.

"No. You don't know me at all. So don't assume you do. Don't underestimate me. And do not turn your back on me."

It was a warning. It was a threat. It was a promise.

I was upset. To others, it may have seemed trivial. A matter not to get so upset over. Not to me.

You don't know me.

You don't know what I can do.

I shifted my balance ever so slightly. They didn't notice. I blinked away the tears. My sight needs to be clear.

Aither was the one crying now. His chin trembled, and his eyes were flooding. I felt a small disruption in my sea of emotionless thoughts, but the guilt was quickly swept away, before I could even feel it.

There's no going back now.

I lifted a steady hand. Pointing directly at Raiden, I flicked my fingers, as though I was trying to get rid of water on my hands.

A second passed. Blood pounded loudly in my ears. Then, I shape shifted.

--- Aither's POV ---

Fox flicked their fingers at Raiden and I saw my boyfriend flinch slightly, out of the corner of my eye.

Then, a change came over Fox's still form. I stumbled back, shocked.

Their black eyes were still unexpressive, like a plane of obsidian. But, that wasn't my focus.

Small, pointed ears popped from the top of their head. Nine silky tails unfurled from the small of their back, almost brushing the ground. I gaped, as the glow faded and they stood before us.

I'm not even sure if it's still Fox.

Their hair was longer, having slipped out of its unruly bun during the chase. It reached down past their shoulder blades, and was now a silvery lavender. Triangular, black ears poked through their hair, the white tips glowing eerily in the dusk light. Their matching tails waved hypnotically.

We were silent, as Fox lowered their hand.

Then, they turned around, and sprinted off toward a forest on the other side of the parking lot. I gasped in surprise at how fast they were going.

They were almost at the forest when it finally dawned on me to chase after them. When they turned back to see us still following them, they kept going, but at a slower pace.

Do they want us to follow?

I looked over at Raiden. He was frowning tightly, and seemed to be thinking about something. He still had enough focus to know where he was going, so I left him alone.

Looking at Xander, I winced at his bewildered expression. Yeah, he has no idea what's going on right now.

If it wasn't for Raiden being my boyfriend and a merman, I probably wouldn't have known mythical creatures even existed. But I had no idea Fox isn't human. Well, if this creature even is Fox.

We weaved around trees, going at a slower pace now that there were obstacles. Raiden and I weren't tired yet, as we're both very athletic. Xander didn't seem to be worn out either, so we kept following Fox.

Their tails flashed in and out of view, but they didn't allow us to lose sight of them. We ran until we reached a clearing, by then we were breathing hard.

Fox was standing with their back to us at the other side of the glade. Their ears twitched at the sound of our footsteps, and I was mesmerized by the way their tails still waved in graceful synchrony.

--- Fox's POV ---

Standing still, I felt a gentle breeze whisper over my me.

I loved the feeling. I felt so relaxed, being in my true form. Well, not my true form exactly, but it's close. I wanted to roll around in the green grass, but I didn't have time for that.

I waited until Aither, Raiden, and Xander were all in the clearing, before teleporting them.

I sat down in the grass, not caring about getting stains on my jeans. A ladybug decided that climbing over me was extremely important, and resolutely began crawling up my leg.

I thought about what had just happened. I thought about how my friends hadn't believed in me. How I felt, and why I felt that way.

It was quite calming, really. You should try it.

After a couple of minutes passed, I entertained the thought of lying on my back in the cool grass, but dismissed it after considering the chance of squishing my tails.

Having nine tails may seem cool, but I'm telling you, it can get pretty troublesome. Which is why, back home, I hid my tails whenever I didn't need them for looks or social events. I hid my ears as well, because one with without the other looked pretty weird.

The difference between having my ears and tails hidden and having a human body is, that I'm technically a different species, and my natural healing rate is a lot faster. There are other things too, like better magic control and higher stamina, but healing rate is a big difference.

Yes, I could just cast an easy spell, but then humans would get suspicious. So, I gave myself a human form, which was outwardly no different from my normal form. Except for, you know, the ears and tail. And longer, different colored hair.

I had waited after teleporting my friends, because I wanted to give them time to think. I needed time to think as well. Because I had blown my cover, after I helped Raiden save his sister, I would have to go home. Back to the underworld. Or, hell, whichever name you prefer.

I felt a little better, more like my usual self, so after digesting all of this, I sighed and stood up. I brushed grass off of my pants and shook dirt off my tails. Clasping my hands behind my back, I teleported.

I had sent my friends to an abandoned cabin, which was in relatively good condition.

Relatively.

When I teleported in front of the cabin, I didn't see them. I nervously fidgeted, scuffing my shoes on the ground. I waited for a bit, before using telepathy to try and pick up their thoughts.

There's a cockroach!

Panicked screams came from inside the cabin.

I quickly avoided listening, I didn't want them to dislike me for being an eavesdropper. Plus, other people's heads are pretty weird. Not that I can talk.

I don't want then to hate me.

I took a deep breath and knocked on the cabin door. I scurried back, I didn't want to be too close, depending on their mood. My tails thrashed anxiously, and I swatted at them in a futile attempt to calm them down.

Yes, I control them. But they're nine extra limbs, when I can barely control four. Most of the time I can't even tell my hands apart.

The door to the cabin squealed open, and I froze, in the middle of chomping down on one of my tails. I looked up slowly, and made eye contact with Xander.