#Foxfire Story

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Fox (short story)

He was a murderer. He was a murderer with a body count of two cats, yet he had never felt such intense, dizzying fury as he did today. His entire body burned so hard that he trembled, stomping to and fro, unable to still. 

“I’m glad you are-uh-okay with being with toms, now,” he had told his mate as they rested beneath glowing mushrooms together. “I don’t know if I ever said it, but I’m glad you’re comfortable with me now.” They had been mates for moons--no, years now. He had suspected from the beginning that his love may not be into males, and was pleasantly surprised when they became a poly with their older mates.

He had never wanted to say anything, worried it would make things weird or awkward. Now, he finally felt comfortable enough to say it in passing. He didn’t mean to say it, even then, but he saw the blue light reflecting in his mate’s amber ones and it broke from him.

His mate’s fur had stiffened. Then, “It…it wasn’t because you’re a tom. I mean–yes, realizing I had feelings for you was new, but….it was something else.”

“What?” he had asked, heart sinking.

He had been seeing red ever since.

At last, he was able to think clearly. Coming to a decision, he padded through the trees, searching for the landmarks that others have mentioned. He gathered the fish, then followed different landmarks until, at last, the twins’ scent caught his nose. They were always together, that was no surprise. Scabdrip was purring as Blightrain groomed her fur.

“Eh-em.” He pushed down the fear that pricked in his paws. There were more important things to worry about.

Scabdrip blinked open an eye. “Oh, a visitor! Did you stop by to chat, or do you have a vendetta?”

He dropped the minnows onto the ground. 

“Does he have enough?” Scabdrip asked, eyes closing again. 

His heart began to pound. The price was two minnows, one for the both of them, and he had caught an extra to be on the safe side. Would it still be enough?

Blightrain paused her grooming. “He brought three.”

“Perfect! Enough for Willow’s cough.” To him, she explained, “she’s been feeling unwell. The extra fish will do her good.” She rose to her paws and moved it aside, then picked up the second and swallowed it down. Blightrain took her time with hers, even if it was incredibly small, licking her lips when she was done.

His fur began to prick impatiently  by the time Scabdrip finally asked. “Now who will have the honour of joining us, Foxfire?”

Foxfire met her eyes, returning rage too powerful to allow him to flinch at the icy pupils. “Foxbreeze.”

=============================

@starfalcon555

--No real need to keep his name hidden until the end, but fun anyway. 

--Scab and Blight do care about their family! Look at them, getting food for their niece

[camelspit]

sorry but i think the funniest thing shannon could do is have keefe not actually be responsible for the great gulon incident. like what if the short story came out and it was like "fitz actually did it but everyone assumed it was keefe so he covered for him"

[episims]

Jamie "He must be a proud father."

Shay "Atty's never seen this many dogs before, at once... and these look like him, too. He's a little confused, I think."

Jamie "Oh, I understand completely. I was a little confused too when Will got pregnant."

Felix "You know, since they're Atty's... if you'd want to adopt one of them-"

Shay "Oh, uh. I kind of smuggled Atty to Cedric's house, back when I moved here. He took it well, but I probably shouldn't push my luck more... sorry."

Felix "Yeah, I get it. Just thought to offer."

Hugo "-Emil is coming to see them tomorrow, actually! He said your parents might join, too."

Sara "Damn, just when I have my first shift. I bet my moms will love them!! I'll message Emil that if he finds any of my old plushies, he can bring them along-"

William "How about you, Luke? Now that you live alone, maybe a dog would be a welcome companion?"

Luke "I... I admit they're weirdly cute—but you know my concert schedule is full, Will. I can't sacrifice the little time I have left for creating for dog walks and, uh... you could even try to remember that I'm allergic!!"

[storyboos]

retired ...

[akuaya-stories-tl]

Foxfire Returns In Solemn Night, Chapter 6

Vanis: Adder… You saved me there…

I'm glad you came…

Adder: …!

[Vanis falls onto the ground]

Adder: Get up. Don't kneel on a battlefield.

Vanis: … Sorry… Thanks, I'd never thought there would come a day when I’d need your support.

Adder: Hmph. If you have time cracking a joke like that, you have nothing to worry about. I'll take care of the rest, you stay back.

Vanis: … Alright.

Adder: — Hey, that human over there. Watch this guy until I come back to collect him.

Town man: Y-Yes…!

Vanis: ……

Town man: Are you alright, sir? Please hold on tight. Thank you for protecting us…

Town woman: Oh no… You got hurt all because of me. Thank you, I can't express my gratitude enough…

Vanis: It's fine, I don't need that…

Townsfolk: Thank you…!

Thank you so much——...!

Vanis: Oh…

— Yeah.

Adder: ……

[a white fox appears]

Adder: … Alright. I don't care if you're really a fox or entirely something else, are you satisfied now?

That guy is my pet freeloader. I won't allow anyone to use him as they please without my permission.

If you break that—...

Rings

[the white fox disappears]

Adder: … Hmph.

Vanis: ... Mm, ugh...

Owowow… I think I forced myself too much yesterday.

… Huh? The fox’s presence is gone…?

Townsfolk: Thank you…!

Thank you so much——...!

Vanis: (... I see, so that's it.)

(You want to protect them like you did a long time ago, and to hear them say those words again…)

(The words “thank you”—)

… Oh, I have an idea.

Vanis: I knew it. The shrine is still in shambles.

No choice then—

[sounds of cleaning and splashing]

Vanis: … Sigh, I guess this is enough.

??? (Adder): What? Are you possessed by a cleaning maid this time?

Vanis: Adder? What are you doing here?

Adder: … Wasn't it you who said to “look at you only from tomorrow onwards”?

Vanis: T-That’s…

Adder: Hmph, it was merely a jest.

Still, just when I think you got injured after protecting a human, now you're cleaning a shrine.

Sacrificing your mana and body for others… So selfless you almost bring tears to my eyes. Is this because of your roots as a former Angel?

Vanis: I wonder too.

Anyway, thanks for helping me yesterday. You really seem like a true hero back then, Adder.

Adder: What a joke.

Vanis: Haha. But I'm glad to know that I'm cherished more than I thought.

Adder: … Are you still being possessed by the fox?

Vanis: Hate to break it to you, but it's what I really felt.

Adder: … Hah. If that's true, then you're high on your horses. I didn't help for your sake in particular.

I just can't stand a bunch of lowlife running around doing whatever they want.

Vanis: I see.

By the way, did you procure the wine you were looking for?

Adder: Yeah, I've already negotiated the purchase. Apparently, it's a type of rice sake that was once used as an offering to a fox deity that protected the village.

Shall I offer you some?

Vanis: I'll pass… Oh, but I'll have a cup.

I just want to have something to offer to the shrine—

[Fin]

[free-air-for-fish]

[18] Chapter 16 Review Syndicate: The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Women

I mentioned before that Chapter 16 introduces me to a lot of interesting books that I wouldn’t be able to get around to on my own time, and the Foxfire series is one of them. The Foxfire series is a product of hard work and passion from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, where faculty and students have been interviewing people in the community for decades to help preserve the…

[foxfireink]

A short story from the past of Rewet Belvaris Haldane, a character from our WIP Outcasts. I write Rewet and the Jepta, a telepathic snow leopard who protects the Haldane family. Crookedwriter writes the Fox (she prefers Vixen), who would probably find the dramatic tone of this piece hilarious.

-Inkwell

Text under cut.

Autumn War

Rewet stood and aimed through the trees, felt the kick of his musket, felt Dag and Lees on either side of him, standing shoulder to shoulder. They knelt to reload, trusting the line ahead of them to field the next shot. Shoot, kneel, reload. Infantry made the difference. Rewet hoped it did; that was all they could get up the mountain. The Navy’s job was to round the coast and hit Eladel’s beaches to the south with what cavalry their country of miners and herdsmen could pull together. This was a new kind of warfare, straight from the Continent’s War. The sword at his hip and the years of practice it represented wouldn’t be employed unless something went very, very wrong. It wasn’t long before things did. First came the bear. Rewet watched it barrel up to his right, watched every gun go off with the deafening sound of panic, watched the bear take out six men before someone managed to fell it. He clamped down on his fear and dropped to the wet ground to reload. The air smelled of gunpowder and wet leaves. He couldn’t react strongly, had to breathe, had to reload. He was either a strength or he was a liability. He was the youngest Haldane here at war in Eladel, and the Jepta was needed elsewhere. Adaned had explained it to him, and he had promised. Some of the Delics rode deer into battle, springing into the gap the bear had formed. They turned the terrain to their advantage and cleared the way for the infantry the Delics were fast learning to form into organized ranks. Rewet shot, knelt, reloaded, watching the devastation out of the corner of his eye because not knowing was worse, frightened him, and he had promised. A cry came up from behind him and wavered through the ranks; some kind of animal had turned up back there— Dag jerked and dropped. So did the man beyond him and the woman at Lees’ shoulder. The line in front of them rose in time to take the next shots, and for a moment there was nothing to watch out of the corner of his eye, but there were Delics advancing in front of him, right at him. “She’s here! To the prince!” The space disappeared in a rush of shoulders and guns. Rewet turned away and pressed his arm against his skull, trying to force calm. His friends were doing their job. He had to do his. The Jepta had to stay where it was, further down the mountain, cutting off a Delic supply line. He could feel it listening inside his head. /I’m alright, house cat,/ he thought to it. /We’re fine up here./ He smelled smoke. /Open your eyes./ The words snarled through his mind. Rewet straightened. “We’re cut off behind. We’ve got to push south!” Lees shouted in his ear, shoving him. Rewet staggered, following the shoulders and guns ahead of him. The smoke came from his left now, where the rear of their division had been. Flame, feeding on a century of leaves and debris. Rewet pushed south. He didn’t see the Fox until she leaped down from a tree, dropping a soldier and springing gracefully to the side as the Imadans scrambled to shoot and reload. Rewet copied them, fumbling, not wanting to look away. As a result he loaded in a small gap between volleys, and raised his gun to the red fox among the leaves in a moment that filled and expanded in his mind. My lands are fire, as yours are snow. He leveled a musket at the Fox of Eladel, the symbol of the Delic resistance, and the only thing he could do was listen to that snatch of old song.

[malcolmschmitz]

Heya, Tumblr! I wrote a short story for FoxFire Fiction's campaign setting, Talmenor. This is another fable-- a wandering princess, wings made of wax, and the wisest woman in the world.

[purgatory-jar]

Foxfire - a pinefest fic

fic by: kilvmaim (@scatterbugged here on tumblr!)

art by: purgatory-jar

Summary: Castiel is just some guy he met at Chili's, except for the fact that he's not just some guy, really.

*

Edit: link to the fic has been added!

I'm so glad I'm finally able to share the art I did for Hannah's Pinefest fic! It was a pleasure working on this story and I couldn't have asked for a better author!

I think I'm the first one posting, so the link to the fic might be up a lil later today, I'll add it to this post and I'll reblog the pinefest masterpost as soon as they're up! In the meantime, you can find the promo post here: x

[chocolate-mallowmelt]

i just spent like twenty minutes explaining the plot of the first kotlc book to my mom at a restaurant (i didn’t even get to sophie going to foxfire ����💀) when the server came over to take our bill and i fell silent and the server just looked at me and said “you can keep telling your story, it sounds interesting” and i nearly died

also like two seconds in my plot summary my mom said “are these books why you’re so weird?” 💀💀💀

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

First Word (short story)

It should have been a happy moment.

It was the moment all parents look forward to and never forget. 

Harekit was the first. She was the first of her litter to do everything, to wobble, to open her eyes, to babble, and now, to talk. It had been unexpected, but first words tend to be. Birchflight was resting on her side, purring while the kits tussled clumsily at her belly. Foxfire had been laying, half-asleep with his chin on her shoulder, while Gorseheart groomed Emberdawn’s head-fur. 

Harekit then broke apart from her brothers, wobbling clumsily over to Gorseheart and Emberdawn, who smiled warmly down on her. Harekit looked like she wanted to communicate, and they had all expected babble. 

Gorseheart’s heart froze.

“Da.”

She had said “Da.”

Everyone cooed, cheering as loud as they could without frightening the kits. Foxfire jerked his head up, ears perked and smiling widely. Birchflight’s pupils dilated, and Emberdawn lowered her chin to the floor to level with Harekit. Harekit was blinking expectantly at Gorseheart, completely unaware that she had done anything worthwhile at all. She only wanted his attention.

Gorseheart loved her, he loved her with all of his heart. But in all the preparation for new kits, he hadn’t been ready for how this moment would make him feel. Without a word, he hurried away, ducking through the tunnel and bounding a couple tail-lengths across the ground before stopping abruptly. 

Immediately, he regretted leaving. Harekit must be so confused. He wondered if she was crying now because he had ignored her and left, yet he couldn’t bring himself to go back. Not yet. He needed a little time. 

“What was that?” a gentle voice asked. Foxfire padded over to join him. 

“I’m sorry,” Gorseheart’s own voice shook. “Is she okay?”

“Perfectly.” His eyes lit up, likely thinking about Harekit’s first word. “You don’t seem to be. They may be small as mice, but you don’t need to be scared when they talk!”

Gorseheart wiped his paw over his nose. “It just reminded me of something, is all.”

Foxfire frowned. “Must be something pretty bad. I’ve never seen someone run away when their kit says their first word. Oh yeah, Webstripe!” He grinned, trying to lighten the mood.

Gorseheart huffed a laugh, appreciating him for it. But he was still unsteady, needing to dig his claws into the ground to keep himself up.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Foxfire offered, laying his tail over Gorseheart’s. Gorseheart thought about it, then shook his head. The time would come to tell Foxfire and Birchflight about Jaykit, but now didn’t feel like the time. He didn’t want to spill his feelings right now, especially not without Emberdawn wanting to talk about it too. He just wanted to suppress it, at least for now, and go back to the kits. Harekit had said a word for the first time. Now was the time to celebrate.

“Come on,” He said, picking a soft, wilting daisy from the ground. “Harekit should get a gift.”

He led the way back into the den, grateful to see Harekit sleeping in Emberdawn’s paws with her brothers, and not crying as he had been expecting, in spite of Foxfire’s reassurances.

“Is everything okay?” Birchflight asked in a mixture of confusion and concern, curled in a ball against Emberdawn’s belly. Emberdawn’s eyes met Gorseheart’s, much more knowing. 

“Yeah, just a scare,” Gorseheart told them. Curling between them all, he was grateful when they didn’t say anything more, moving the conversation instead to what they thought Adderkit’s and Larkkit’s first words would be. Gorseheart resolved to react better when that time came, and hoped that he would be better prepared.

===================================

--Reminder that Jaykit died shortly after saying his first word, which was ‘da.’

--Emberdawn is still pregnant at this point, probably close to giving birth.

@starfalcon555​

[bookwyrminspiration]

hi there! working on something and i was wondering — do you by any chance have access to a list of all of kotlc’s unresolved plotlines? if not dw 🫶🫶 there are a lot lol

Hi! I'm not sure a list like that has been compiled before (and there's room for disagreement/interpretation) but I can try my hand at getting us started.

For the purpose of this list I'm thinking of them as yet unanswered questions. I'm not approaching this as unresolved plotlines as in the type of plot hole, since as I touched on here, the story isn't done so we can't truly have any. Anyway, they're listed in no particular order:

Elysian: What is it? Who is it?

Stellarlune: What is Lady Gisela's vision (and how does conjuring relate to it)? What exactly are Keefe's new powers? How is step 3 completed? What is Criterion?

Related, the Wrights: What, specifically, did Ethan study astrophysically? What did Gisela want from him? Where is Eleanor now?

Why/how did Prentice know to call swan song?

Secret identities: Mr. Forkle's, Blur's, Wraith's. Ruy, Umber, Trix.

Who/what are the Black Swan's Proxies?

What happened to Caprise Redek?

Pyrokinesis: Will the ban be lifted?

Talentless: Will their status be made equal?

What happened to Ro? This is connected to questions about Cadfael and the ogres' hierarchy/society, which Forkle thought were being targeted

Who is Sophie's biological father?

Does Sophie have any more abilities?

Trolls: How deep is their connection to Lady Gisela? Will they make another treaty? Will/how will they call on Sophie? What did Luzia do she regretted (might just be the troll experiments, might be more)?

Ruy: How is he after Tam's shadowflux attack? Why was he sent to Exillium?

What was Umber's backstory? What was Trix's?

What will become of Rayni? Will she join the crew? Fuck off?

Why is Tinker afraid of goblins and heat?

What is Livvy's ability?

What is Brant's last name?

How were Vika and Timkin officially matched? How did Timkin return to Foxfire?

Will the Song family reconcile?

Alden: Why was he denied a spyball? What memories/projects did he lose during his break? What other "unsanctioned investigations" has he conducted? What did Della inform on Alden to the council about?

This list is by no means exhaustive, so anyone is more than welcome to add onto it. I think I hit most of the big things though? At least I tried to.

Hope that helps!

[episims]

Household: Root

I kinda want to have informative summaries but I realized that I rarely share my thoughts of what's going on (apart from occasional blabbering in the tags) and eh. Who cares about that, even. But I have a feeling that not many care that much about who got a promotion and whatnot during the last round, either.

So I'll try this kind of commentary thing out.

During the last round, Judi and Ally broke up after Judi got pregnant. She wanted to keep the baby, Ally really truly did not. What they had in common was a total inability to understand each other's views.

Tbh I wasn't a huge fan of their dynamics to start with. Ally likes to be the center of attention, which frankly is impossible to do when Judi's in the same room. And Judi needs someone who sees through her facade, which I don't think Ally ever wanted to do.

So I wasn't sure what to do with them, but I sure didn't plan for Judi to get pregnant either! That was about the messiest possible way for them to part ways, sigh. But what's done is done, and now Judi is in this alone, which... might not be a completely bad thing?

[bebemoon]

look for the name: EVEY

@resurrectionfern

{top images} selkie "fête des fleurs 'love story'" organdy empire-waisted dress w/ petticoat and adjustable bustle

{hair} ancient future golden, silver and dangling shell trinkets pendants strung into model's scarf-warpped curls

alkemia "foxfire" perfume

gucci black leather multi-strap heeled boots w/ pearl strand detailing

[akuaya-stories-tl]

Foxfire Returns In Solemn Night, Chapter 5

Eric & Vanis: Huff, huff…

Eric: We managed to stop it somehow… Thank goodness.

Vanis: Ugh, yeah… Sigh… I hope that fox will be satisfied with this and leave…

[CRASH!]

Eric & Vanis: !?

Eric: That sound just now…

Vanis: ! Eric, look at the town!

Eric: The sky is red!? There is smoke too…!

Vanis: … This is bad, let's go back!

People running away: AAAAAAAH! HELP!

Horned Devil: Don't let a single one get away! Block all the exits!

Female Devil: Got it ⁠♪ Hey, where are you guys going? Weren't you all having fun in the festival? It's our turn to have fun now.

Town woman: N-No…! Let me go!

Eric: No way… Devils…!?

Vanis: It's possible those Ma-beasts are caused by them too. Logically speaking, it's impossible to amass a great amount of those creatures naturally.

Eric: Guh, wretched Devils! Let them go—!

Vanis: Wait, Eric! You're vastly outnumbered, don't charge in so recklessly…!

[Eric shoots the Devil with big stature, but it didn't work]

Devil with big stature: Huh? So the little military dog is back already? Those beasts weren't enough for him?

Female Devil: No. Seems like that freeloader from Belladonna lent him a hand. As expected from a half-assed guy like him.

Vanis: How rude, I'm just being neutral.

Female Devil: You said some big words… Say, why don't we join hands?

You look like you're running low on Mana. And I was about to take Mana from the humans of this town, what about you?

Vanis: Oh my, that's a tempting offering.

Eric: Sir Vanis!?

Vanis: I'll have to decline however. I'm not one to force myself on others.

Female Devil: Huh, that's so. Then stay still and watch—!

Town woman: !!

[attacks the town woman with her magic]

Vanis: !? Watch out—!

[Vanis shields her with his own body]

Vanis: GURGH…!

Eric: Sir Vanis!!

Devil with big stature: Uh-oh, don't move. You wouldn't like to know what'd happen to this kid if you do.

Child: WAAAAH, lemme go!

Eric: … Damn it, how low could you be to use a hostage.

Horned Devil: Now's the time. Do it.

People running away: AAAAAAAH!!

Vanis: Oh no… Everyone, run over here…!

Horned Devil: You bastard, still wanna get in our way?

[attacks Vanish with his magic]

Vanis: Gurgh…!

(Guh, damn it… I'm out of mana…)

Adder: — That's it.

Vanis: …!

Adder: What a pain. Who allows these third-rates to do as they please here?

Horned Devil: ! You're from Belladonna…!

Adder: — Know your place.

[attacks them all with his magic]

Devils: UWAAAH!

Horned Devil: Shit… This guy as our opponent is too much…

Vanis: Adder… You saved me there…

I'm glad you came…

Adder: …!

[To Be Continued...]

[teecupangel]

What about a kitsune Desmond, a white fox appears shortly after Altaïr's birth white as snow with one black leg and golden eyes it follows Altaïr for his entire life seemingly never aging and smarter than any animal should be. Years after Altaïr's death Des feels a pull and shows up at the birth of Ezio and gains a second tail, the same trend continues with the Frye twins, the Kenways and the other two post Altaïr protagonists whose names escape me right now which if my math is correct leaves him able to get his ninth tail as he steals his infant self from the farm

I'd imagine he'd get more powers from each tail he grows maybe foxfire with his second (fire that burns as bright as the sun) and gaining a human form around 4 or 5

I’m going to be honest with you, nonny, I know a bit about kitsunes, specifically fox spirits, because one of my favorite characters during my childhood is Daji (specifically Dakki from the og Houshin Engi anime) and I never stopped loving her in all her malicious tyrannical glory.

While fox spirits/kitsunes can be benevolent or malicious, a lot of fox spirits are shown to be trickster.

… and seducers.

Like, being able to shapeshift into beautiful women and men who ‘bewitches’ or seduces humans are signs of how old a fox spirit is XD

But I kinda like the idea that Desmond remains as a fox the entire time, never changing in size or weight.

His tails can easily be ‘disguised’ into one tail by making sure they all move as one so it just looks like he has one big bushy tail (which is strange but not ‘mythical’ strange).

Now, we want Desmond to have 9 tails so the list of people would be:

his initial tail

Altaïr’s

Ezio’s

Edward’s

Ratonhnhaké:ton’s

Arno’s

Evie’s

Jacob’s

The ninth tail would be his own infant self.

My suggestion for his powers are, depending on how many tails he has, he unlocks:

Immortality and eternal youth (default)

Foxfire (kitsunebi) – the number he can summons grows with the number of tails he has

Dream sharing with his current connection (Ezio, Ratonhnhaké:ton, etc) – he always appears as Desmond Miles in their dreams

Shapeshifts to Desmond Miles

Shapeshifts to any human he is familiar with (having genetic connections with them makes it faster to shift to their form)

Shapeshifts to anything that is not human

Possession (having a genetic connection with Desmond Miles makes it easier to possess that person)

Ability to cast illusions that are almost impossible to distinguish from reality

Omniscience due to a direct connection with the Calculations

(These are all powers that are more or less seen in kitsune stories. If you think there’s too many shapeshifting powers, kitsunes are also known for being able to turn invisible, can fly, bend time and space or make people crazy)

Oh and making Desmond a white kitsune is *chef’s kiss*. In folklore, a white kitsune has reaches the top of its powers and is called celestial/heavenly which is a good foreshadowing on how powerful Desmond could become.

If I may suggest, whenever Desmond uses his foxfire, his tails is engulfed in white flames like this (but white and gold and without the ‘seal’: