Chapter 341
Chapter 341
White Fox’s tails swish behind her, unleashing a powerful gust of wind that nearly sends me tumbling across the room. My hair whips into my face as I stagger to keep my footing.
“Oh my.” She quickly stills her tails. “I’m terribly sorry about that.”
I am beginning to understand why beings this large should remain very still.
“Then you must go to the temple and search for the child they call Liviana,” she continues. “Find who that child is amongst Selene’s children and you will receive the answers you seek.”
Scarlette groans.
“That isn’t going to be easy. The people there are incredibly rude and ridiculously racist. They’re obsessed with the idea that werewolves are Selene’s only beloved children.”
“That,” the White Fox says pleasantly, “is for you to figure out.”
Then she turns her attention to the Sun Fox.
“He shall give you a blessing.”
My curiosity immediately overrides my fear.
“A blessing?”
“You’ll find out eventually,” the Sun Fox replies.
It is probably the gentlest thing he can say.
Unfortunately, when a creature that sounds like distant thunder tries to speak softly, it still sounds like a thunderstorm making an effort to be polite.
One of his enormous golden tails stretches towards me, moving with surprising grace for something so large. Every instinct in my body urges me to step back, but I remain where I am, rooted to the spot as the tip of the tail comes to rest against my forehead.
The contact is impossibly gentle.
A powerful current immediately surges through me, drawing a sharp breath from my lungs. Warmth spreads from the point of contact and races through my entire body, flowing beneath my skin like liquid sunlight. It moves through every limb, every vein, every part of me, carrying neither pain nor discomfort. Instead, a strange weight settles deep within my head, somewhere behind my eyes. It feels foreign, powerful and terrifying, yet oddly comforting, as though something long absent has finally found where it belongs.
I don’t feel threatened.
I don’t feel harmed.
If anything, I feel safe.
The warmth continues to spread, wrapping around my consciousness like a soft blanket. My thoughts begin to slow, my eyelids growing heavier with every passing second. It feels less like a blessing being forced upon me and more like an invitation to rest, as though some ancient power is gently drawing me towards sleep.
My body starts to weaken beneath me. The vast chamber sways at the edges of my vision, the towering foxes becoming increasingly blurred and distant. Sounds grow muffled. The room fades.
I barely register myself falling before the darkness rises to meet me and everything slips away.
\---
“She’s always collapsing,” Scarlette says with a soft chuckle, glancing down at the girl resting across the Sun Fox’s tail. The tone is light, but her eyes are careful as she watches Sapphire breathe.
“It is understandable,” the Sun Fox replies, voice rolling like distant thunder held at bay. “Given her body… and the one who resides within her.”
The massive tail shifts, lifting slightly before lowering the unconscious girl into Scarlette’s reach.
Scarlette immediately steps forward and adjusts Sapphire’s position with gentle precision, tucking loose strands of hair behind her ear. A faint, almost protective smile crosses her face.
“Is Zinnia really that remarkable?” she asks quietly.
“That is a question you will understand soon enough,” the Red Fox answers.
The tail withdraws completely.
Scarlette slips her arms under Sapphire without hesitation, lifting her bridal style as though it is second nature. Her grip is firm but careful, protective rather than hurried.
“You are doing well in protecting her, young one,” the Sun Fox says. “But you must not forget yourself… or the child you carry. If you fall, or lose what is precious to you, this child gains nothing from your sacrifice.”
Scarlette pauses only briefly before stepping back from the space the tail once occupied.
“You should leave,” White Fox adds.
She dips her head in a respectful bow.
“Thank you for your help, great ones.”
“Do not thank us yet,” the Sun Fox replies, its tone sharpening slightly. “The child must be protected. Tell her mate this. He must stand with her. He must help her break the curse. If she fails, the consequences will not be limited to her death or this world alone. The balance of the universe itself will fracture in ways even the gods cannot contain.”
Scarlette understands immediately.
This is not an exaggeration.
It is a warning.
A hard truth about something far older and more dangerous than any of them had anticipated.
Her expression tightens as she adjusts Sapphire in her arms.
Liviana, she thinks. So that’s the name we’re chasing.
Without another word, she turns and exits the chamber, the weight of what she has just heard settling heavily behind her steps.
The moment the massive doors close, silence returns to the hall.
The Sun Fox exhales.
“She is doing better than expected,” it murmurs. “She is not drowning in grief.”
“Of course she isn’t,” the Red Fox replies. Its form begins to shrink, power folding inward like collapsing flame. “She is the ‘human’ for the one within her. That one would not allow her to break so easily.”
The Sun Fox shifts as well, its immense body gradually reducing in size. “It would have been better if she knew everything.”
“Law of causality, brothers,” the White Fox says calmly.
As she speaks, she shrinks faster than the others, her form transitioning smoothly into that of a woman clad in white, long white hair falling neatly around her shoulders. Her smile is bright, almost serene.
“She is still enduring,” she continues. “And she is not alone in that. Perhaps it would be wiser to send the child to her directly now. The fairy protector is no longer in play.”
The Red Fox tilts its head slightly.
“I am surprised the fairy survived at all. She was meant to die.”
He pauses, considering.
“And you may be right. Sending the child might be necessary. Or perhaps not. I suppose we will see.”