Little Fox - Part 1
"Little boy, come here."
Nino looked behind him when a voice called him. He was playing in front of his house alone because he had no brothers or sisters. His status as the heir of the Yellowfox clan made it difficult for other villagers to befriend him.
When he turned around, he was greeted by three men that he never saw before. He flinched when he saw them, causing him to freeze at his position. Even though the men beckoned him to come closer, he refused to move. He was bewildered with their appearance. They looked hideous and inhuman, he didn't even know how to describe them. First of all, their skin. It wasn't smooth. It was scaly. All of them were bald and their eyes were red. They didn't have a nose. Instead, there was a pair of slits replacing the nose. As he looked at them carefully, he realized what they resembled. They looked like a humanoid snake.
"Little boy, is your father home?" One of the men asked. Instead of talking, it seemed like the guy was hissing. He nodded his head, eyeing them curiously.
"Can we see him?" The same man asked again. Instead of answering, the heir ran inside. He ran not because he wanted to call his parents. He ran because he was afraid. Afraid of the humanoid snake in front of his house.
Because he knew what they were. They were members of Blacksnake, a faery clan that mysteriously vanished hundreds of years ago.
Nino was confused. He had been confused since the arrival of the Blacksnake clan to his village. Every villager had been treating them nicely as if they didn't realize the strangers were from Blacksnake. As if they didn't remember how badly their ancestors were treated when Blacksnake was in power.
Nino was fairly young. He wasn't born yet when Yellowfox was hunted by Blacksnake. In fact, he wasn't even born yet when the clan went missing. But, the story and terror caused by Blacksnake had been told from generations to generations. So, everyone knew the story of the vicious and brutal clan named Blacksnake.
There were three faery clans. Being the weakest, Yellowfox had been hunted by Blacksnake, the strongest clan, for entertainment. The hunt for Yellowfox was their favourite sports and once caught, the victim would be tortured, sexually and physically, before they released them to be hunted again. None of the members of Yellowfox clan dared to defy the Blacksnake because they're too weak. They don't even have the courage to ask for help from another clan, the mysterious Bluewolf.
However, the news reached Bluewolf. The clan came and rescued Yellowfox from Blacksnake. They tried to negotiate first, to make Blacksnake stop the hunting on Yellowfox. But, Blacksnake was too stubborn to agree. So, Bluewolf had no choice but to fight, which resulted in the death of the leader of Blacksnake and several of its famous warriors. Since then, Blacksnake had been hiding in the black forest, far from the other clan. They were assumed to be missing because other clans had never seen them anymore, not even in the black forest.
And the battle had severed the ties between Yellowfox and Bluewolf. It was the last time Bluewolf had helped Yellowfox. There was an agreement between the two clans on which territory they were allowed to dwell. Members of Bluewolf were not allowed to enter Yellowfox's territory and vice versa. As for the reason for disagreement, the heir had no idea.
He focused once again on Blacksnake, thinking of why Blacksnake came back. Is it because of revenge? The heir of Yellowfox kept on wondering about that.
Ten years later...
The leader of Blacksnake watched the heir of Yellowfox with concentration. The heir was practising his shifting alone in the woods. Just like the rest of his clan, the heir should have the ability to shift into a fox. However, as far as the leader knew, he hadn't shifted yet, even though he was almost eighteen years old. Most faeries will be able to shift into their animal form as early as fifteen years old. As the heir, he must be anxious for his inability to shift and that's why he practised in secret. However, it was proven to be futile.
The leader of Blacksnake smiled seeing how beautiful the heir was. He remembered their first meeting. The heir was still a small boy. He was only ten years old. But, he had been captivated by the little boy since that day. Each passing day, the heir had grown prettier. It was probably an insult to call a male beautiful, but he wasn't lying. The heir was too beautiful to be a man with his smooth skin, something that had been the source of jealousy for the women in the Yellowfox clan.
When they met, the heir flinched to see his appearance. His reaction caused the leader to believe that the magic that he and two of his people did to conceal their true appearance and identity was a failure. However, it seemed like the heir was the only person who could see their true self as the others seemed unaffected with their look. They had treated him and his people just like what they had expected. The heir, on the other hand, would flinch whenever he tried to approach him. However, the heir never told anyone, not even his parents, about who he truly was.
He gave one last look at the heir before deciding it was time for him to leave. He smiled to himself. No matter what, he will make the heir his mate.
The heir of Bluewolf walked aimlessly in the woods. He was accompanied by one of his guards. Just like him, the guard enjoyed the beauty of the woods. He smiled in satisfaction, glad that he had made the right choice. If he chose another guard, he might not be able to enjoy his walk. Most of the guards will forbid him from entering the woods. The guard that he brought, on the other hand, was free-spirited and had no objection against exploring new territory, even if it's forbidden.
He stopped walking when he spotted someone sleeping by the tree a few feet from him. He signalled to the guard to stop as well. As quietly as possible, he approached the person. He inspected the person carefully. A girl, he concluded, noticing the curves of her body. Her long, golden hair was braided to her left side. Her skin was too fair with no hint of a flaw, tempting him to touch her. It must be smooth. She has a cute button nose and thin lips with a mole on the chin, making her look adorable. Her eyelashes were long and the heir hoped that she will wake up soon because he wanted to look at her eyes. He believed that the girl's eyes must be beautiful.
As if on cue, the girl stirred in her sleep before she opened her eyes. The heir was lucky he was close enough to see the eyes, which were light brown. Indeed, they were beautiful, just like he expected. Both of them stared at each other for a while as the young master felt a surge of emotion. His eyes widened as he realized what the surge actually meant. The girl was his soulmate.
The girl blinked a few times, her mouth opened slightly and the heir knew she also realized they were soulmates. Looking frightened, she pushed him away.
"Go away!" She shouted, quickly standing up. But, instead of sounding feminine, she sounded like a guy and that's when the heir noticed Adam's apple in his throat that wasn't apparent before. Once again, his eyes widened as he realized his soulmate wasn't a girl. His soulmate was a guy. A beautiful guy. His soulmate was more beautiful than any girls he had ever seen.
"I thought you're a girl." He voiced out without thinking. His soulmate flared up, evidently furious with what he had just said.
"I'm not a girl!" His soulmate shouted at the top of his lungs. Seemed like it wasn't the first time he was mistaken for a girl. The scene looked comical, causing both the heir and his guard to laugh. It made his soulmate angry, though. He glared at both of them.
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to laugh." He quickly apologized. He didn't want things to be worse between him and his soulmate. "You're very beautiful." He added dreamily, admiring the beauty in front of him.
His soulmate’s cheeks grew pink because of the compliment. He looked away from the heir.
“What’s your name?” He asked his soulmate, wanting to know more about his other half.
“I will not tell you.” His soulmate answered rudely.
“Why? We’re soulmates. We’re destined to be together. Is it wrong for me to know your name?”
His soulmate rolled his eyes. He was looking at him as if he was insane.
“Soulmates?” His soulmate said in annoyance. “Impossible. We don’t even belong to the same clan.”
What he said caught the heir by surprise. Ah, no wonder he looked different. The heir and the guard had blue eyes, a proof that they were from Bluewolf. His soulmate, on the other hand, had brown eyes. As for the hair, both are long but the colour was different. Both of them had black hair, unlike his soulmate’s golden hair, which shone in the sunlight. He laughed at himself for failing to notice that his soulmate wasn’t a Bluewolf. Instead, his soulmate was from Yellowfox.
Oh, so this was why he wasn’t allowed to enter the woods. Clearly, the wood wasn’t Bluewolf’s territory. It belonged to the Yellowfox. He never met a Yellowfox before. His clan wasn’t allowed to interact with Yellowfox. He wondered why.
“Young master.” The heir turned to the guard when he called him. He looked around, startled to see his soulmate was nowhere to be seen.
“He has left when you’re daydreaming.” The guard informed him.
“Why don’t you stop him?” He scolded the guard. The guard simply scratched his head, unaffected with the scolding.
“Let’s go.” He decided. It’s almost dark and if he didn’t get back sooner, his parents will know about his trip to the woods. He will be forbidden from going for a walk with his favourite guard and it might ruin the chance for him to meet his little fox again.
Little Fox. He smiled to himself, thinking of his beautiful soulmate. As his soulmate didn’t let him know his name, he had decided to call his soulmate Little Fox.
“Don’t tell anyone about what happened today. Don’t mention my Little Fox to anyone.” He warned the guard before both of them started heading back to their town.
The heir of Yellowfox sighed for the umpteenth time. It didn't work. No matter how focused he was, he cannot shift into a fox. And this was troublesome for him, considering his status as the heir of the clan. One day he will be the leader of Yellowfox. No one will respect him if he cannot shift into his animal form.
What should he do? He had too many flaws, it’s impossible for the clan to accept him as their leader once the day arrived. He cannot shift into his animal form. His magic hadn’t manifested yet. And on top of it all, he hated his face. Yes, it didn’t seem relevant to be a cause for his distress but most of the villagers often ridicule him for being too beautiful. Considering their bloody history with Blacksnake, of course, they wanted someone manly to lead them, not a pretty boy like him.
He became alert when he sensed another presence with him in the woods. At first, he thought it was Ebisawa, the leader of the Blacksnake that had been a part of his clan for eight years now. It seemed like no one realized the truth so the heir decided to keep his mouth shut as they didn’t cause any harm.
However, he cannot deny that he was uncomfortable with the way Ebisawa had been looking at him since he was a boy. He was looking at him with lust. He didn’t mean to sound conceited but he knew Ebisawa desire him. He wanted to mate with him. His age was the only thing that stopped Ebisawa from asking for permission to marry him. However, he was going to turn eighteen in three months and he wished that time will move slower. He wanted to stay seventeen to keep Ebisawa from him.
It was dangerous for him to be alone in the woods. He knew Ebisawa often watched him practice his shifting in the woods. A part of him thought that Ebisawa might be the reason for his inability to shift during his practice. It was harder for him to focus whenever he sensed Ebisawa around. He was afraid. Afraid that Ebisawa will do something to him.
However, the presence felt different. It wasn’t Ebisawa. Ebisawa wouldn’t dare to approach him. Hearing the footsteps getting nearer, he turned around and his eyes widened to see the intruder.
Samii, he mumbled to himself as he once again found himself to be face to face with his so-called soulmate. It was the name he decided to call the guy as he didn’t know his name. He didn’t expect to see Samii again. It had been three months since the first time they met. A part of him had hoped that he will not see the man again, thanks to being in a different clan, but he couldn’t deny how his heart fluttered to see Samii.
“Hello.” Samii greeted him. He wasn’t alone. The cheerful idiot was with him again.
The heir pretended to ignore him even though he truly wanted to hug him. Samii had claimed that he was his soulmate but he didn’t believe him. He wasn’t a fan of nonsensical things like soulmates. But, if they weren’t soulmates, why did he keep thinking of Samii since their first meeting?
“I miss you,” Samii told him. It was enough to get butterflies in his stomach. However, he glared in response, trying to hide how he truly felt. “I’m glad you’re in the woods today.”
He stayed silent. But, he had no intention of leaving. Having Samii in the woods comforted and troubling him at the same time. He wouldn’t be alone so he didn’t have to be afraid of Ebisawa. But, what will Ebisawa do if he saw Samii who wasn’t a Yellowfox? Samii was a Bluewolf, the clan that had humiliated Blacksnake and causing them to retreat to the black forest. That made them enemies.
"What's..." Samii began but suddenly went still. The cheerful idiot had started to look around. Nino tried to remain calm, knowing the reason for them to act this way. They weren't alone in the woods. He could sense Ebisawa in the woods.
"You better go now." He told Samii and the idiot. From the scent, Ebisawa seemed to be quite close but if both of them ran away now, they won't have to confront Ebisawa.
Samii seemed reluctant to go but thankfully, the idiot was more sensible. He dragged Samii away. Even though Samii tried to put up a fight, the idiot was stronger than him so he was easily dragged away before Ebisawa appeared shortly after they left.
“Are you alone, Little Boy?” Ebisawa asked him. He looked around the woods. Nino nodded his head, trying to be calm.
“Strange,” Ebisawa said, still looked unconvinced. “I feel like there is someone else.”
Nino shrugged his shoulder, ready to walk away. Enough practice for today, he decided. However, before he could walk away, Ebisawa suddenly grabbed his hand. He turned around, glared at Ebisawa for touching him. Ebisawa seemed to sense his discomfort and reluctantly let go of his hand.
“I’m sorry.” Ebisawa apologized. “I just want to tell you something.”
“What?” He asked, almost growling. Ebisawa didn’t seem to be offended by his reaction.
“I want you to be my partner for the festival this year.”
It wasn’t a request. It was an order. But, Nino wouldn’t comply easily.
“No,” He shook his head. He heard footsteps approaching them. Jun, one of his servants, approached them. The heir tried to hide how relieved he was to see Jun.
“Young master,” Jun called him. “Chief is looking for you.”
He nodded his head without saying anything as he followed Jun. From the corner of his eyes, he watched how Ebisawa looked at him with dissatisfaction. He had to be careful after this. Maybe he cannot practice alone in the woods anymore. He should bring Jun or Sho with him. Or maybe both of them.
A/N: I thought of working on Once Again... I'm in Love with you today. But, I found this instead. It was supposed to be a plot for Once Again... I'm in Love with you but I changed it to the current one. When I read this again today, I think I want to continue with this idea in a different story. Hope it wasn't too weird. I got this idea while reading Throne of Glass. I was into Faery when I read the book.
As for How Dare You, I will start writing the next part after I closed the poll on Tuesday. I've already started planning in my head, based on the poll results so far.
Anyway, let me know what you think of this story, okay? Thank u so much for reading :)