Welcome to Gaia! ::

Off work, class cancelled.

Danny was sure that there was something about that last part that should annoy her. After all, she had to scrape and earn every dime she spent on her college classes; when the professor decided to take an impromptu vacation to see some grandkid compete in some tournament- as important as family supposedly was- it was a kick in the a** for all the students that had to work eight-hour days at minimum wage for the right to have a seat in their lectures.

But right now, "off work, class cancelled" was one of the most beautiful phrases she could imagine.

The Von Helson Memorial Park was one of the newer and more pretty places in the city, established right next to where the renowned sisters had once lorded over Durem's upper class. No doubt, had they still been around, the park would have been closed off for the enjoyment of more exclusive clientele. However, that not being the case... its gates were open for the enjoyment of anyone who cared to take a stroll through.

And that was exactly what Danny, sack lunch in her backpack and the tip of the wand (with attached green ghostling) clearly visible from one of its pockets, intended to do. It wasn't any great mystery that her wisp enjoyed the nature settings- I mean, given the design of its wand, you'd have to be blind and dumb not to puzzle that little bit out!-, and Danny wasn't adverse to spending an afternoon away from the usual buzz and fuss of the surrounding city, either. So, it was the perfect excuse for the both of them to have a nice, quiet day to themselves.

No doubt, had they still been around, people like Patrick and his two sons would've been kicked out as quickly as they tried to move inside.

The dark man had agreed to take Akilah and Yashima out that day - Akilah wanted to play in the grass, with his new miniature soccer ball and Yashi simple enjoyed being outside in the serenity of nature. The little fox-thing was a outdoorsy sort, honestly preferring to toddle about with his geisha doll and his wand outside then to just sit in the house and let himself rot away.

For the special occasion, though, his doll had been brushed and prettied up and was being clutched to the little foxes body as tight as the plush toy would allow. Akilah, being a nut of a meerkat, darted around his fathers legs and towards the lush green grass. Small claws that were his feet dug into the ground, arms around the soccer ball.

he was off in his own little world. Spectacular.

Patrick sighed, shaking his head while somehow managing to keep a grip on yashima AND the picnic basket. "Hun, can't you walk? You're a big boy, now."

Yashima frowned at his father, small, stubborn head shaking, "Obutai~" He pouted before a little....wisp caught his eye. His head swiveled, clawing and crawling over his sires shoulder to squeal at the woman and the wisp. "Watage~"

Trying to select a good spot in the grass to settle down for some much-deserved lunch, Danny was just settling onto a pretty little spot beneath a icy green-leafed weeping willow, the branches of which were all neatly trimmed so as to fall just above the top of the head for anyone walking beneath it. Slinging her backpack and carefully setting it onto the ground, she pulled the wand out of its pocket and planted the bottom tip carefully in the ground, sticking straight up so that the green wisp was floating well above the manicured grass.

Before she sat down alongside the wand, though, Danny caught a few errand sounds. Kids at play, was her automatic assumption, but that didn't prevent her from taking a glance in the direction of the noise.

And see the strangest kid that she could have ever imagined.

The human girl couldn't do much more than stare wonderously at the ears and tail of the little fox-boy; Gaia might have magical creatures aplenty, but Durem at least wasn't a place where you saw too many non-humans. And Danny had seen a couple, of course, but... there was something a bit different about seeing some black cat lady that you had to be polite to because you were on the job, and finding some tailed toddler when you were just trying to have a nice day off. Especially when that kid seemed just as fascinated about something over in your direction as he was fascinating to you.

Of course, it took Danny only a few seconds to realize how rude she was being. Cheeks flushing red with embarrassment, she managed a sheepish smile and a small wave in the boy's direction, not entirely sure what he was so interested in looking at.

At least she hadn't seen the meerkat anthro streaking by with his soccer ball. He was currently climbing up the tree anyway, fluffy tail waving down below the greenary.

Yashima stared right back, ears erect on his little head, thick lashes blinking quickly. Patrick didn't notice anything, as he was busy trying to pry his son off of his shoulders and head, laughing and shaking his head. "Yashima! Stop! What are you doing!?"

"WATAGE!" The little boy insisted, tail fluffing up and waving all the more. he gave a little squeak as his father turned to face the other human (he was humanOID himself), blinking a few times. He was rather odd to look at as well, with piercings all over his face and...well, he was wearing a large shirt. No need to go into the 'beer belly' under it. Just a wee bit disturbing to even him, thanks. "Tousan, watage!"

"Yes, yes, another wand thing." Patricks voice was a murmur, eyes narrowing curiously at her. One hand, the one with the basket at teh crook of his elbow, rose up to wave back when his son couldn't. "What's that?"

He called the last part out to danny, jerking his chin slightly over to the wand on the ground next to her.

What's that? A bit dumbly so, Danny following the imaginary line between Patrick's eyes and the green wisp who, despite the interesting situation developing around it, was doing nothing more than floating its usual lazy circles around the tip of its wand. Returning her gaze back to the man with a very "you mean that?" sort of inquisition to her eyes, she didn't immediately answer as she got her full measure of the situation. Finally figuring that, yes, he was probably looking for an answer to his question, she quickly cobbled together some semblence of an answer.

"Oh... uh, that's... that's Green." Her voice was stammering a bit, but that wasn't really so surprising given her general insecurity with matters involved her child-to-be. After a heartbeat, she must have decided some elaboration was in order, because she continued on to say, "It's, uh, my stick-thing."

So very eloquent, this one was.

Poor Danny. Poor, poor Danny. Without much of a thought of anything else, Patrick made his way over, sitting just outside of her blanket. He wouldn't bother someone elses lunch or time but..Yashi was insistant.

The fox kit scrambled from his fathers shoulder to the ground, clutching his little geisha plushie closer. Toddling footsteps prepared himself to face Danny, head curiously peeking at her. "Watage." He nodded seriously, pointing at the wand-thing. "Shoujo? Watage. Yashi-kitsune~" The toddler pointed to himself, only to be ruffled by his father.

He pouted.

Patrick sighed. "Sorry. I don't mean to invade but.. yashi is an insistant little brat. Sorry. That's a Ghost-kid?"

Somewhat thrown off by trying to make English sense of Japanese words, it was a bit of a challenge for the woman to keep her eyes from locking curiously on the strange-looking toddler. Danny was a polite girl, however, and even if she wasn't always the most well-mannered, she wasn't going to ignore the person who she could actually understand and converse with in favor of ogling the looks of some kid.

"Oh- yeah! Yeah, it is," she hastily confirmed. After a moment of thought, she amended- "The stick, I mean, not your, uh... Yashi, you called him?"

Wow. I'm tripping over my own tongue, here....

"How did you know?" Her voice a bit more confident as she tried to get a controlling hand in the conversation, she affixed her gaze with a bit of an awkward sort of determination on Patrick, trying not to let her eyes slip back down to stare at the fox child.

"Yashi!" The kitsune boy pronounced proudly, pointing to himself with a giggle. "Yah-shee." He said the word slowly, as if to prove he knew what it was to actually speak understandably to a woman who spoke English.

"He was a stick thing, once." Patrick grinned, trying to tug his son back but Yashima... well, he squirmed free. The boy toddled past Danny, straight to the wand, and plopped his little butt down. Fingertips moved to the twisted wood, petting at it gently.

"He turned into a baby and now he can walk and talk."

"Dawdie!" This was another voice from the trees, the anthro child peeking his head out. "Dawdie, the tree is hiiiiiiigh! Keela's gonna climb to the toooop!" Giggling more, he disappeared back into the trees. Patrick winced.

Danny's eyes went wide. "You mean, you got him from that--" don't say crazy lady, don't say crazy lady "-- crazy lady down at the book shop place, too?"

Whoops.

"T-that is, that lady. Uhm. Ianna, right?" Trying to backpedal over a mistake that big wasn't easy, but damn if Danny wasn't going to try. Was it her fault if her mental image of the lady was still as some crazy cult leader that had locked her in the shop because she didn't want to take the wand? "She, uh... seemed nice."

Danny didn't lie so well, in case there was any doubt. She seemed well aware of that fact, too, rubbing the back of her neck uncomfortably right up until the point that a fortunate distraction appeared in the treetops.

"... Is, uh... that one yours, too, then?"

"Yep! I got him from the crazy lady at the wand shop. Ianna. She's a friend of mine." His grin was warm, if crooked, watching as his son crawled around and ******** things up for people. Another shrug and he glanced up to where Akilah had disappeared to.

".....yep. Got him from a shop too." Patrick sounded rather sheepish, glancing up at the disappeared boy. "And he's a meerkat - named Akilah. Sorry. We're not... really normal. Welcome to Gaia?"

Yashima beamed, petting at teh wand and peering to the girl. His face twisted into a frown when finally recognizing her, and she shrugged himself back. "Nn. Shoujo."

Danny chuckled once or twice, trying to stop acting so stiff and a bit more friendly. Patrick certainly seemed to be a nice enough person- if a bit odd, of course- and there was no reason that she ought to be acting so... unsettled around him.

"... It's kind of funny." Danny seemed exasperated and amused all at the same time. "When I was a kid, my momma always told me that babies came from the stork. Then, I grow up and find out that's a stupid joke, all that biology stuff, yeah. But now, it seems like babies all get bought at supermarkets. Strange times."

Glancing back down at Yashima, Danny tilted her head in confusion. "Soujo? What the heck is a soujo?" She seemed to be asking Patrick more than the kit-boy; after all, the fox hadn't spoken a word of English yet, it wasn't shaping up to seem like he knew it.

"I don't have a damned clue." He blinked right back at the girl, nose wirnkling up slightly. "Kids come from storks, shops, objects... Whatever you want. My mother told me babies came from people but she never said...like...like this."

His hand waved dismissively and paused as Yashima studied the wand once more. Then he sighed, and stroked it. "Onna." The poor boy seemed resigned. At least this wasn't an ultra-active little feeling of femininity he felt from her, not like Kay...he only liked Kay because she snuggled him anyway.

"What's your name, anyway? I'm Patrick White."

"Oh... Danny! Danny Kingston," she introduced herself, offering out a customary handshake. "And that's, uh... Green." A pause as she glanced down at the wand, who Yashima seemed to be getting a little bit, uh... intimate, with? "... I'm gonna give it a better name once I know what the heck it is, I swear."

Green, for its part, had barely changed its activities for Yashi's presence. It seemed very content to just wisp around in slow circles, enjoying the park for all its nature and plants. It might have just been Danny's imagination, though, but it seemed like Green was doing a little bit of a wiggle that it didn't usually do. Maybe that was just how it tended to greet people... or, more likely, she was just reading too much into things.

"So... Yashi was the same as Green, at some point?"

"Not a problem with the name.. Yashi didn't have a name until I figured out what gender he was." He laughed, head shaking, "And that took until he turned into a baby! No one could tell what he really was."

Patrick grinned a little, shoulders rising into a shrug. "He's a Ghost baby. He used to be a fox messanger for a god and he went from wisp," The dark man nodded towards the girls wand, "To something bigger - more tangible and then to a baby. They're cute little ******** waved back! With two fingers anyway.

"He was?" Hearing Yashima's origins brought a look of incredulity to Danny's face, even more so then even Patrick's thoughtless swearing in front of his own children. Looking down at the kit, Danny seemed wonderous as she watched him and her little wand-ghost interact. "... How did you find out? Did he know about it, or...?"

Perhaps encouraged by the returned communication, Green stopped its circling at last in order to draw itself upright, stretching up as tall as it coud reach to try and get Yashima face-to-, uh, wisp-face.

"Ianna told me he was a messanger of Inari. Inari happens to be a favorite god of mine." He grinned a little bit at that, shoulders rising into a shrug. "He doesn't know anything about it, as far as I know... He's like any other little kid, really."

Yashima giggled and leaned down a little. He was careful not to inhale the little thing, tail curling around his legs softly. "Tousan, fukafuka."

"Right, Yashi." He had no clue what he son was saying. "Ianna said they all died tragically or horribly or something... I don't think I WANT him to know."

After ringing the doorbell, Youko stood there for a few minutes, staring down at the wisped wand as he moved from one foot to the other. He'd tried going to the shop... but hadn't found anyone there. The only other person he knew who MIGHT have been able to shed some light on this was Patrick... and the little kitsune in his care. That's what brought him here now, and he anxiously waited at the door, hoping that someone was home.

WHo answered the door wasn't Patrick, however. It was a small boy, slight of build and only looking about ten in age. His hair was orange, red and gold, sticking up in all different directions and there were a pair of black and white wings flaring from his back.

Red eyes narrowed dangerously once he saw it was a fox-thing outside and his low, slightly nasal voice was harsh. "Yashima is ours. Go away." And slammed the door shut in Youkos face.

Distantly, deep in the house, one could hear Patrick calling out an inquiry over the guest.

"Well, that was unexpected," he said, half to the wand and half to the door that was in front of him... and now shut again. Reaching, he hit the doorbell again, ready to interrupt and hopefully NOT nearly wind up with a flattened nose again.

What could one say in defense? Iamel was possesive over his siblings. The door was yanked open, the gaurdian of death about to belt out loud obscenities he learned from his best friend when he heard Patrick call out to the odd man.

Iamel froze. "Shiniee! I thought this was--"

"Another wand Gaurdian," Patrick interrupted his son, moving into view with a three-eyed, ebony colored baby clinging to his neck and back. One reptilian tail could be seen wrapped around his upper arm and Yashima was clinging to his leg... He was good with kids. Lots of infants. "Iamel, this is Youko. Youko, this is my oldest, Iamel. I hope he wasn't too rude."

"I just thought he was gonna try to take Yashi away." The bird gave Youko a shrewd look before hopping back, lower lip pushing out into a pout. "S'all."

"He reminds me of my daughter when she was younger," Youko said, chuckling. "I had my 'I'm not here to take him' speech all ready too." He smiled to Iamel and bowed politely to him. "It's good to meet you, Iamel," he said, then turned to Patrick with an almost helpless expression. "Can I come in? I'm having a bit of a revelation about this wand and I want to make sure I'm not going crazy." He held up the wand then, the tiny wisp hovering there, just above the gemstone.

"Hey, it wisped!" Patricks voice was rather pleased at that, pushing the door further open to let Youko come in. "Don't mind the mess.. We're trying to expand it a little bit, but it's still a little cramped."

The child on his shoulder burrowed against his fathers throat, growling in the depths of his own. Yashi, however, detatched himself from Patricks ankle to wave shyly up at Youko as the wand and it's father moved inside.

"And...the kids run amuck here. So if you see a random satyr or bird or something.. uh. Well. They belong here, I guess."

"No worries, you should have seen our place when we moved. It was a disaster for WEEKS." Youko grinned, toeing off his shoes at the door out of habit and smiled down at Yashima. "Ohayo..." he said, crouching down so that he was eye height with the boy and leaned forward to nuzzle his ears gently. "How are you doing today, Yashi?"

At the mention of the wand, Youko nodded then, looking a bit more troubled. "I'm beginning to think that your assessment of Yashi's discomfort with this thing wasn't too far off. I've been doing a bit of research on what I believe this wand represents."

"Mordread's trying to get me to move again, but I refuse. We came here right after we got Lahela - it's too soon to move again and too many kids to keep track of." He shook his head lightly, grinning a bit.

Yashi squealed happily at the attention, leaning in to wind his arms around Youkos neck, nosing against his cheek. His small tail fluffed and wound around the older things arm. "Kee," He blurbled out in his limited English skills - he was trying! See?

"Which assesment? That it might be both? What do you think it is, th--OW, Kian! No biting!" Dark hands took his clutching son from his own neck, wincing a little. "What kind of being?"

Standing up again, Youko wrapped his arm under Yashi's rump and lifted the boy into one arm as he held the wand with his other hand. "Yeah... that it might be both. You see, Ianna told me that this one was a goddess of Mercy... and that her wand was found in the South China Sea." As he spoke, Youko sidestepped a running toddler and moved to find a seat in a vacant area. "Well, it wasn't too hard to find out what that meant... most Asian cultures follow Buddhism or Shinto. In Japan and China... as well as parts of India, the gods are all the same, they just have different variations on the name depending on where they're from."

He lay the wand down then, staring at it with his ears back slightly. "The Goddess of Mercy is Kuan Yin, in China... Kannon in Japan. She's also known as Kanzeon Bosatsu." He glanced up to Patrick, worried. "She's also not entirely a 'she', and she's not quite as 'merciful' as some people think. At least not in the SENSE that most people think of mercy."

The fox squeaked just a little bit, head tilting to peer at his father along with clutching to the right-smelling adult who was holding him. At the comment of religions, though, his ears perked a little, small frame giving only the briefests of shifts.

Patrick put Kian on the floor, letting the child crawl off on his own while the other kids ran rampant. The worry in his guests voice made the dark man glance up, head cocking to the side. "So she's kind of a he and she has the justice that only a few can comprehende as such?" Pierced eyebrows arched at that. "Well.... I mean, this is their second chance at life, right? Maybe she won't be running around with a katana or..whatever," His hand waved, "Killing people. Maybe she'll like poetry. Some Poe here and there."

That brought a laugh from Youko. "No, no, nothing like that... she wasn't violent at all. She just had... well, a strange sense of humour and a rather wierd concept of what gods should and shouldn't do." He glanced to Yashi then, one hand reaching to ruffle the boy's ears slightly. "She WAS merciful... but generally caused quite a bit of chaos on her own. Then would sit back and watch how people dealt with said chaos."

He looked up to Patrick, one ear pricked up while the other sort of lopped to the side. "I think I'm going to be in for an amusing time with this kid."

"Well, the world can't move without chaos, eh?" He grinned, watching the two kitsunes snuggle and the such. Yashima was always a cuddly creature, but he almost poofed up twice his size when the older being was there.

"s**t. I've been a horrendous host. Want anything to eat or drink? We have everything from steak to veggies to bugs. We're a ...diverse household."

"STOP IT AKILAH!" Just as warned, a satyr girl streaked past, green hair flying, with her meerkat brother on her heels, firing at her with nerf balls. The meerkat was cackling.

Patrick simply rubbed his temples, head shaking slightly. "....yeah. Would you like anything to eat or drink?"

Waving one hand, Youko scooted his feet out of the way so that the girl and the chasing meerkat didn't trip over him. "I'm good on eats, actually... but if you had some iced tea, I wouldn't object?" He smiled then, nuzzling Yashi's hair and enjoying the closeness of the other kitsune. "Oh! I remembered my promise too... I brought something that might help you with Yashi."

He fished around in his pocket then, bringing up a small glass vial and handing it to Patrick. "Open it and sniff."

The contents of the bottle seemed to be some kind of oil, a light wafting of cinnamon and musk coming up from it when it was opened. "That's the closest I could come to what our 'scent' is like. And while it's not exact, it might just help with how you two interact."

"Iced tea? Gotcha." He stretched a little bit, moving to stand a bit straighter with a sigh. It huuuurt to stand sometime, especially since he'd gotten used to sitting at a computer for so long.

That's when he got told to 'sniff' something. Usuall, when someone offered him a forgein substance and ordered to sniff, he backed off and refused to... but Youko gave him a reason WHY he would. The male took the vial, popping it open to sniff at the open vial.

Yashimas nose wrinkled up before sniff, sniff, sniffling at the air, leaning away from Youko and towards the bottle his father was holding in his hands. What was that? "Nani?" One hand detatched from Youko, making grabbing motions towards the vial.

"Might not want to let him get hold of it or he'll likely wind up covered in it," Youko chuckled, shifting Yashi slightly so that he couldn't reach the vial. "That," he said, bumping his nose against Yashi's, "is for your to-san." He turned back to Patrick, smiling. "It's an oil, so that should last you a good long while. Just get a drop of it on your finger and rub it on either side of your throat, and on your wrists. The scent isn't overwhelming, and you'll likely not smell it at all after a few minutes. But HE will. Our sense of smell is pretty keen."

Yashima whined softly, nose wriggling against Youkos own. His hand moved from grabbing at the vial to winding in Youkos hair and once more chewing at the strands. If the big thing said no, then it was no. Right?

Right.

"Allright.." The vial was capped and the humanoid smiled at the older kitsune, head giving a little bow. "Thanks, Youko. It...really means something. I. Uh." Patrick was NOT good with gratitude. "...lemme get you that tea."

He scurried off.

The fox-kit giggled softly, "Tousan sih-hee."

"Yep, to-san's silly," Youko said, grinning and curling up a bit on the couch with his tail wrapped around Yashima. At least he knew now that the boy DID understand English, even if he barely spoke it. So he made up his mind to do what he'd done with Nozomi at this age. Immerse the kid in English, so that he'd learn both languages. "Did you see the wisp?" he asked, pointing to the wand that was resting on the couch beside him. It seemed to be watching them, and one could almost see it blinking in curiosity.

"I have it over there because I don't know if you'll still be upset by it or not. But now I think I know why you didn't like it." He tried to explain then, smiling. "It's a boy AND a girl," he said. "Not twins... it's one person, but both boy and girl."

Yashi floofed up his tail even further as he cuddled against the older fox and those fluffy fluffy tails! Such fluffity comfort! Fingers flexed in the fur, purring down in his throat.

The wisp, however, was on the recieving end of a suspicious glare. It wasn't a BOY so it was automatically on his s**t-list. Only Lee and Neveah had been approved on sight.

"Hai," He finally grumbled, pulling up Youkos tail to his nose as if to hide from the wisp. "....mou?" He didn't get THAT part. Two little fingers poked out from the fluff, wriggling independantly before curling together (or as much as chubby toddler fingers could be). "Hai?"

"Hai," Youko answered, nodding softly. He held up two fingers then. "Two things..." and then he wound them around each other, like Yashi was doing. "One person."

He hoped he was being clear in this... at least clear enough for a toddler to understand. Maybe if the boy knew Japanese... and knew it instinctively enough to speak it despite not being around the language... maybe other cultural memories would have remained as well. "Kannon," he said, pointing to the wisp that hovered in the air, waving back and forth idly. "Kanzeon."

Both names, both known in Japanese culture. It was a luck shot, he knew, but it was worth a try.

Kanzeon? It struck a chord in him - a woman in power, something fearful, something so very very very strong.

All the furr on Yashis body stood up straight, like a cats, and his ears moved to lay flat on his skull. The small boy hissed roughly, small frame twisted, moving away from Youko in the wand. It wasn't like he could do more then run..he wasn't strong and...and...and...

That's when the toddler started to wail.

Hoo boy.

Youko's ears pinned back then and he moved to scoop up Yashima. "Oh hells... I'm sorry, kitling..." He nuzzled against Yashi then, bringing a rumbling purr to his throat as he tucked the boy's head under his chin protectively. "Guess you understood that..."

Youko just hoped that Patrick didn't beat his a** when he came back in, for making his kid cry. He wrapped himself around the boy, much as he'd done the last time Yashima had gotten upset. "I promise... I won't bring the wand around anymore, okay?"

"I-iyaaaaaa..." His voice was a hiccup and a wail, clutching onto Youko, face burrowing into his chest. Anything else he might've said was muffled, as Youkos clothing was in the way.

Patrick came back into the room with a pitcher of iced tea and two glasses...along with a little sippie cup for Yashi. "Is he okay? Yashi? What happened?"

Yashi just hiccuped, curling closer to Youko.

Youko looked up at Patrick with his ears folded back and a look of "OMG I'm sorry" on his face as he pointed one finger towards the wand. He mouthed the word 'sorry', his tail still wrapped tightly around Yashi as he purred to try and soothe the boy.

He would explain fully later... preferably when Yashi wasn't in the room to get upset by his words.

"What is he doing NOW?" Iamel fumed, stomping back into the living room, past his father and heading straight to Youko. Patrick jumped slightly at the bird storming past, moving to put the pitcher and glass on the table.

"Iamel, don't be mean. Yashi just started crying again, like with you and Akilah." Patricks voice was soothing, moving to scoop up Yashi when Iamel held out his arms.

"Let ME take him." The boy frowned still, staring up at Youko. Patrick really didn't have the heart to tell his son to STFU and go away. "I won't make him cry. He doesn't LIKE something in here."

"There are a lot of things kids don't like," Youko answered, barely giving the boy a second glance as he moved to scoop up the vial he'd given to Patrick earlier. He got a bit of the oil on his finger and motioned Patrick to lift his chin as he put a bit of it on the man's skin. Hopefully it would help to soothe Yashi. "And your aggitation isn't helping matters any, Iamel."

Youko's voice shifted slightly in that moment, going from 'soothing' for Yashi's sake... to 'parent' as he spoke to the bird-like boy.

Iamel sputtered in his anger at the other older man ordering him around - he wasn't Shiniee or Catbitch! That meant he wasn't a parental figure and HE DIDN'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO HIM.

Except Patrick WAS. Red eyes narrowed and the little bird growled, wings flaring out a little in that aggitation that really wasn't helping the tearful little fox-baby.

Patrick tilted his chin upwards a little, nose wrinkling a wee bit at the feel of the slick moisture and the odd smell he wasn't quite used to. It wasn't bad just... different.

"Iamel, I've told you not to be rude to guests." His voice was soft when speaking to the child and Iamel fell silent. "Yashi gets upset sometimes. So does everyone else. We aren't beating him and Youko isn't being mean to him. Yashi adores him. Deal with it."

Youko's fingers moved through Yashi's hair, brushing against his ears gently. "I'm not hurting him, Iamel... I said something that upset him, and I'm sorry for that. I didn't intend it that way." He started to purr softly, even though he wasn't holding Yashi anymore and moved to scoop up the wand. "I'm going to set this up here for now," he said, placing wisp and wand on a bookshelf that was up out of Yashi's sight.

Sighing helplessly, Youko looked to Patrick. "I hope they get along better once the baby's here... I'd kinda hate to not be able to see you guys anymore." He'd grown attached to the little kitsune boy... and his father by proxy. Irate siblings aside, not much scared or startled Youko anymore.

Yashi was slowly but surely calming down, hiccuping and nuzzling into his father...Sniff sniff sniff. What? He blinked a few times, fingers flexing in the older, dark mans shirt with a little curious churr and an experimental head nudge to the chin.

Decorated fingers stroked through the little kits hair as well, giving Youko a faint smile. "Don't worry... I think he'll be better once the kid's here. He just gets confused sometimes over the fact that just because someone IS something - like a girl, for instance - doesn't mean they're bad. He'll deal with it.."

"What did you say?" Iamel finally huffed out, tone grudgingly curious. He HAD to know..

Sitting down again on the couch, Youko put himself at eye level with Iamel. "I'm not going to repeat it, because I don't want to upset him again. But what I told him was the name of the spirit in that wand I have up there." He pointed to the wand he'd just placed on the bookshelf. "I think it triggered a memory in him. He's Japanese, like I am, and he recognised the name. I don't really think it scared him... but toddlers sometimes can't get out what they're feeling in words, because they just don't know the words to say." He smiled faintly then, betting that Iamel did the same when he was little. "When they don't know how to say what they need to, it frustrates them... and they do the only thing they know how to do. They cry."

Iamel just glared back at Youko, arms folding roughly over his skinny chest as the older man spoke. "It's probably what killed him." His voice was blunt, jaw setting just a bit. "He doesn't like girls. It was probably the girl that killed him."

"Iamel!" Patricks tone was firm and almost icey. While he hadn't risen his voice much while the two were talking, it made his son pause his little tantrum. "Don't."

The boy hesitated before hopping back, lips pursing tightly over his teeth. But he listened, running a hand through his fluffy sun-colored hair.

Shaking his head, Youko kept his gaze on Iamel. "But see... the wand isn't a girl," he said. It was the truth, after all. He seemed to have infinite patience with children, at least when they weren't being rude to him. "Now... I don't think you should be talking like that," he said, glancing to Yashima. "Unless you want him to get upset again. And I'd really rather not see that happen. We're trying to calm him down... why are you trying so hard to scare him?"

Iamel was silent for a long second and even Patrick was quiet, eyes on his son, letting him respond for himself... He was curious!

The birds cheeks puffed up momentarily before he burst out with what, exactly, was on his mind, "You are NOT taking my Shiniee! I already had to deal with Catbitch and I don't need YOU coming in here and taking him too! He's MINE! He's MORDREADS! You leave him ALONE!"

With that, the child turned on his heels and high-tailed it out, leaving a dumbfounded father and sniffling brother in his wake.

"...did he just insuiate... Does he think...? What?!"

Youko blinked for a moment, staring after the boy... then just started laughing as he sagged back against the couch. He couldn't BREATHE for a few minutes, and finally just looked up at Patrick in amusement as he tried to catch his breath. "I think... your son thinks I'm trying to steal you," he said, grinning from ear to pointed ear.

"Maybe after I leave you could tell him that I'm already very happily mated, and don't intend to cheat on my beloved. That, and I doubt you're one to dabble on the side, either." Youko was still laughing, despite his efforts to keep a straight face as he watched Patrick for his reaction.

"I think my son is crazy!" He managed to sputter out, sinking down to the carpeted floor, cuddling Yashima close to him. The fox-kit had managed to calm down a great deal once the oil was dabbed on, clinging to his biggest teddy bear to date - his fathers.

"Yeaaaah... I'll be sure to tell him... I mean, I haven't even LOOKED at someone since I met Mordread... He's.." His head shakes a little, nose wrinkling up. "Yeah. I'll tell him. He'll probably apologize later of his own free will."

Yashi peeked out from over his dads shoulder back at the other fox, blinking a little. Confusion!

One hand waved dismissively. "He's a kid," Youko said, smiling softly. "They speak without thinking at times, and he just said what was on his mind. Can't fault him for that... it's better than him stewing about it." The fox got up then, stretching and moving to ruffle Yashima's ears lightly. "I think I should go for now. Thank you for listening to me rant," he said, offering an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry I upset Yashima."

"He's a craaaaayze kid, but.." He shrugs a little, smiling faintly, "But he's mine. Y'know? A little blunt - and I am SO sorry for that - but he was my first. I can't just..be snarky at him."

Yashima churred, tail fluffing and leaning into the others hand, nibbling at his fingers. "Kee~" One hand moved to clutch at Youkos fingers before drawing back, beaming at the other kitsunes.

"It's been nice seeing you again, Youko... Hopefully, we can do this again, without either children screaming. Sound good?" He grinned crookedly, head tilting to the side. "Don't worry about it. Weird things set him off."

"Yeah, you can be snarky," Youko said, winking at him and reaching for the wand. "Otherwise it'll be worse when he gets older. Trust me on this one..." He held the wand in his hands, sighing faintly. "This one's going to be my youngest. All the rest are grown and a couple are leaving. It'll be good to have another little one in the house, no matter what happens."

He looked to Patrick then, smiling. "And we'll definitely do this again. Next time, come to my place if you want. It's pretty quiet now that the kids are older. If you'd come when the twins were younger, you'd have thought World War III was happening under my roof."

He moved to the door then, slipping his shoes back on and making sure the wisp was still attached to the wand. "I'll make dinner or something. My mother taught me how to cook when I was little and I'll bet Yashima would like some REAL Japanese food." He leaned in to nuzzle the boy's ears again quickly, a purr coming from his throat. "And he can run around in the backyard. I've got a koi pond out there that seems to fascinate children."

"He's usually just hyper.." He grinned at the other and shrugged, stroking at Yashis white and golden hair. The fox kit purred, nuzzling at his father and then - was that another nuzzle?! - leaned quickly into Youko before the adult moved away.

Yashi gave a delighted little squeal, bouncing a little before snuggling back to his father, nose pressed right against the small bit where the first application of that vial-oil had been placed. Mmm. Good smell.

"That sounds like fun, Youko. I bet he'll be absolutely tickled to be there. A place saturated with fox smell! He'll never want to leave." Patrick laughed, head tilting back a little. "And don't worry about the wisp too much..just don't vacuum it. It's easier to take care of when it gets bigger."

Snickering, Youko nodded. "There's a family of foxes that live in the woods near my house. They come into the yard all the time because I feed them." He settled the wand into the crook of his arm, glancing down to it. "From what Ianna told me, the next stage won't make me so paranoid. I keep thinking that if I sneeze near it, it'll be gone."

He poked at the wisp, which seemed to enjoy the contact, despite the fact that Youko couldn't feel any response from it.

"You two are welcome anytime. And I do mean anytime. If you ever need someone to watch him, I'm there too. My oldest will love him... the only other kitsune she's ever been around besides me was her brother. And I think Yashi's MUCH better behaved than Kendall was at this age." He bowed to them then, grinning at Yashi before heading out the door. "Thanks for dealing with my neuroses today."

"Baby ghost is easier then both the wisp and the baby stage." he grinned, shrugging and watching him, fingers raising to wave slightly. "Not an issue! Everyone's paranoid. Hell, I'm STILL paranoid and he's been here since January."

"An-oo-ry!" Yashi agreed cheerfully, bobbing his head with a little giggle. "Mata na!"

"Mata na, kitling," Youko said, smiling as he slipped out the door. He gave a final wave to them as he headed down the walk towards his car. It was a good visit, even if he HAD made Yashi cry.

For a second time.

As he got in the car, he sighed down at the wand. "I really hope you guys DO get along..."

After that adorable little snugglefest between the two children, it was only natural for them to meet up again! Right? Right. ...well, not really. But Patrick had agreed to take some of the children to a science muesam and Yashima was a part of the deal - the meusam had spiders so... Well, he recieved Neveahs phonenumber once in the past, and so that was dialed before he set off in the discovery of knowledge.

The Butterfly found herself rudely awakened.

"...'Amel..." Neveah said once, a word of warning to her otherwise tired sounding voice.

"...'Amel...!" Neveah repeated again, putting emphasis on the warning tone.

"Zasalamel..." Now, his full first name was used.

Oh, he was in trouble now.

"...Zasalamel Surugata! Will you cut that out!? BAD BABY!!" Neveah cried out one final time. Unlike the other times, she was obeyed. A few seconds later, the small infant started to whimper, withdrawing into himself and his bulky robe...but one hand still remained outstretched, his black fingers holding a rather large chunk of two-toned hair hostage. Wincing, Neveah untangled her arms from the Drow baby and set to free her poor hair. "Mommy's hair is not a tug toy, and Baby's fingers don't belong up her nose!"


By this time, the infant was crying...loudly. Amist the wailing though, came the sound of the alarm clock. Wonderful, she'd have to get up then anyway. Thus, after a rude awakening, the butterfly set off to start the day...from feeding, clothing and changing (twice) Zasalamel, to managing a shower herself, and then the eventual shuttle out of the house with a crying shadow-dweller and a bus ride to the science museum.


Once she arrived there, she quit her search for Patrick for only a moment. "Zasalamel! If you keep trying to get Mommy's hair you're only going to cry more!"

"Zawsaw!" Came the triumphant toddler voice from behind Neveah. There stood Yashi, once she turned around to see who was squalling at her so. His face was nothing short of a beam and his hair was tied up into two pigtails on the side of his head. The outfit for the day? A litle outfit much like his blue one, the one he 'changed' into, but a dark purple with a large, golden stitching of a fox on the back. "Aoi chou zawsaaaaw~"

His babblings STILL made no sense to anyone. At least, not as far as Patrick knew.

The dark man, still rather morbidly pregnant, waddled up to his little rouge toddler and gave his head a pat. "Yashi, how many times have I told you to STOP walking away? I mean- oh! Hey, Neveah! Glad to see you two made it!"

Behind Patrick and Yashi were a little hoarde of...random children. HIS random children, as it were. There was a boy with white bird wings and bright red/gold/orange hair. A meerkat boy. A girl with horse hooves, a little bird-anthro girl on a baby leash, an angry ebony child with red nails...a pregnant black man...Ooooh, this was going to be fun.

Zawsaw? There was only one being who drawled like that...and a quick spin around confirmed her suspicions. Even she couldn't help the adoring beam that flit onto her face at the sight of him. "Oh, Yashima! You're looking adorable as ever I see!" She giggled...and resisted the urge to hug the fox boy. Instead, she gave the huggle to her little Drow, who decided to go quiet now that he'd heard something familiar. In fact, the Drow was trying to peer over the edge of his hood to see...which of course led to a pained shriek every single time. Eventually she got the hint and sat down on the probably dirty floor, to let Zah see the fox. It obviously worked, since he keened happily for the first time since they left the house.

"Patrick! Nice to see you! You're looking well, all things considered..." Neveah trailed off with a thin giggle. She'd read up on pregnancy...and she could only imagine how hard it would be for a male! "Well...we barely made it. I'm fairly sure the bus driver was going to kick me off because of the little shrieker here..." A tilt of her head towards the now giggling Zah only confirmed everything. "He's got quite the lungs on him~" She groaned, then looked past Patrick to the little mob behind him. "Wow, they're all yours..?" She queried with awe, her aqua eyes wide. Then she noticed the meerkat, and her wings fluttered with objection. "...I recognize you."

Yashi continued to beam up at the butterfly, extending his hands towards the wrapped bundle of Drow. "Zaw saw!" He nearly demanded. Well, who are we kidding here? He DID demand to see his friend but with that cute face and bubbly voice, who could resist? Really, now. Fingers flexed and once that bundle was on the floor, the little fox droppe dto his knees and crawled over to the blanket-fied little fiend, peking under it curiously. "Zawsaw? Zaaaawasaaaw?" Fingers wriggled and he managed to get his way under the blanket an dto latch onto his friend, chewing happily at that white hair.

"Considered I'm fatter then a hippo? Yeah..thanks. The doctor says it's STILL to damned early. I'm about to tear someones throat out." The dark man grumbled head shaking a little. "They all have a set of lungs on them. I was thanking the gods for Yashi when he came into exhistance... He was the only silent one." Despite his grumbling, though, the mortal was smiling, glancing back at the little hoarde of sprogglets.

"All mine? Yeah. All of them. Iamel, Akuti, Akilah, Kian, Lahela...more, I think, but my head hurts too much to think about them."

Akilah caught hold of her little Look and the flutterings, soft dark ears flicking up towards her. He had a soccer ball clenched in one hand and was wearing clothing - finally. "What? What's the look for?"

For once, Zah was careful of what he was doing...so instead of throwing his arms around his friend and hurting after, he grabbed at the fox's clothing once it was inside his little refuge, and gummed on Yashi's shoulder, since he could. "...Buha~!" He decided happily. He couldn't see because of his blindfold, but everything else told him who this soft thing was.

"Could be worse...and please don't kill us." Whether or not she was serious...well. "Ah, I've been to restaurants...but most infants don't sound like they're being murdered when they're in the sun." Or even touched by any of it, anyway. After, she turned to the other kids. "Oh...nice to meet you all! I'm Neveah...and that poor thing being eaten by Yashima is Zah." Her aqua gaze then turned to Akilah. "Its nothing, nevermind." She giggled...sounds like her wings remembered the little boy!

"Anyway...lets get inside before Zah starts screaming again..." Accidents were bound to happen, and with Yashi wiggling into that blanket-robe, anything was possible. "Want me to carry you too, Yashima?" She offered, carefully trying to detach the infant from toddler.

"Buha," The little fox agreed with him wholeheartedly. He snuggled closer to the smaler being, nosing against him with a soft squeal. His tails fluffed up and wrapped around the duo, leaaaaning further into the stable drow. Even though Zasalamel was a baby compared to yashi being a toddler, they were almost the same size, being nearly the same age. When Neveah tried to pry them apart, however, Yashi whined, curling closer to the drow. "Zaaaawsaw~ Iya iya iyaaaaa~"

Nooo leaving the warm snugglies of the Drow baby! How dare you!

The kids replies to her introduction were as varied as their appearance, going from a glower to a cheerful little wave to a beak snapping shut. Patrick just shook his head blithly, lips quirkin ginto a smile. "Zah is Yashis friends, kiddlets. No making fun of him, teasing him, trying to EAT HIM, KIAN-" The child in question hissed from his position on the floor, clutching a building block to his chest, "Or ripping of fhis blindfold. Neveah will attack you and I WILL spank you."

"And I'll beat you up for making Yashi cry," Informed the tallest, oldest child. Iamel, the winged one.

Naturally, Neveah gave up trying to pry Yashima and Zah appart...especially since the Drow started to whine in protest as well. Sighing, she sat back and thought about how to correct this...but her thoughts were distracted by the various responses from the kids...and then the warnings.

...What kind of kid was that...? Eating infants...? Neveah didn't want to know and suddenly...she wanted to take Zah and go home. However, the situation seemed handled, but the butterfly decided to leave the second she felt something was going to go wrong. "Right...Hurt my Baby and I'll hurt you." She growled out...a tone that even surprised her! Really, a butterfly growling...how strange.

"...Oh!" She gasped suddenly, as if stricken by a wonderful idea. "Watch Zah for me, would you? I'll be right back!" Leaping to her feet, the butterfly jumped to her feet and ran off, disappearing into the building. When she returned, she was carting two museum wagons behind her, designed specifically for children. Stopping one beside the fox and drow, she picked them up and hoisted them into the same wagon. "There, now we can move and you can snuggle." Oh yay, she was smart! "Want the other wagon, Patrick? I brought two just incase..."

That kid was a pitch-black refuge from another planet that Patrick took in out of curiousity. The normal-colored, elf-eared little brat trying to steal away the black boys block was another one. Yashima purred under his breath once the female backed off, nuzzling further into the dark baby and clinging for his precious little life.

Patricks children, however, wre just barely moved by her tone. They lived together. In a hosue. They knew punishment and hurting a baby (even one as annoying as Rothe or as ugly as Kian) was offlimits to them. It was sad, but true. Akilah just grinned at her before darting off, supposedly to kick aroun dhis ball. Patrick didn't bother chasing or asking, merely tugging at Lahelas baby leash once or twice to keep her close.

"Oh?" He murmured with her, watching as the girl darted off. "s**t. If I have to raise Zah, I'm going to -- ooooh." His eyes widened appreciatively, grinning as Yashi didn't protest the moving, but curled closer to his friend. "Yes. Please. Lahela can walk but Rothe and Kian.." The two aliens were scooped up an dput in the wagon, casting Neveah a grin. "Thank you. That was genius."

"I can push it for you, Shiniee." Iamel, rather worried about his 'Shiniees' bulging tummy, pushed Patrick gently out of the way and took hold of Kian and Rothes handlebars. "See?"

Neveah obviously didn't hear the comment about Patrick raising Zah, pity.

"Here, then~" She pushed the second wagon towards Patrick, just light enough to have it stop infront of him. The butterfly's shining black and blue wings fluttered proudly. "You're welcome! Because this folklorist has nothing better to do than figure out how to cart around stubborn babies." She giggled, making light of everything. Her aqua gaze then went towards the taller boy. "Oh, he's a thoughtful one, Patrick~!" The butterfly purred out, without realizing. How nice of him!

Grabbing onto the other wagon's handlebars, she started towards the science museum. "Let go...learn!" Neveah started, then paused for a moment. "...Or pretend to, at least." She laughed out.

Zah didn't quite understand where they were or what he was in, but really...who cared? What he did care about though, was the soft thing that was attached to him! This soft thing was a good thing, and the good soft thing would help him! A couple of times, a shine off of a surrounding object would flash over his skin, and each time that happened the boy shrieked as if lashed, followed very shortly by a tighter grasp on his older friend. "Mmmuaaaah~!" He cried out in distress, practically burrowing into the warm soft friend thing.

"Iamel just doesn't want me to pop my stomach out all over everyone, do you, Iamel?" His voice is teasing but earns himself a glare from his oldest child. The woodpeck er - for Iamel wker at heart - puffed up at Neveahs words and stuck his tongue out at his father.

"See? I'm THOUGHTFUL. So shut the ******** up, Shiniee, and let's go inside. I want to see things blow up!" Enthusiasm littered his voice before turning to his younger siblings. "Penny, you stay by me. Akilah - AKILAH! No kicking things! Everyone stays together cause if shiniee has to run you down, I will smother you in the night." His voice was very near waspish but it was so common that Patrick didn't bat an eyelash.

Instead, he beamed at the butterfly girl. "And he used to hate the thought of siblings. He's just happy to rule with an iron fist." Patrick started ushering them in, with Neveah and Iamels help, laughing quietly. "Well....he's a drow, right? They have a spider exhibit going on..it's supposedly in a dark hallway, so he can at least see that. AND there's an explosion..thing going on, that Iamel and Penny want to see...so... we WILL be learning. I hope."

Yashima finally realized, after the second squeal, that this new/old friend of his did NOT like shiny things like so many of his siblings did. A frown decorated the toddlers lips before he rolled and puffed out his tail, wrapping his tail around th little boys face and arms and whatever else he could reach. It wasn't much but it wouldn't smother the boy nor would it let light through. "Zawsaw kay?"

Journal entry HERE, yo. About Youko, baby Zah and sheeit.

Growth Quest
Part Two of Six

There was laughter. The black fox tensed up visibly at the noise, his hands tightening into small balls of fury. it was only laughter - he knew it was only laughter, but it was aimed at him.

Yashima stood, confused, in ta huddle of this new foxes brian. Where was he? Who were these people? There was him - another? He was young too, but not as young as Yashi and not as happy either. There were a whole lot of other people around, who looked like Yashi and much older - as old as his dad even!

But this fox..he was in his head. sort of? He saw him, outside, but he could feel him too. Yashi whined softly, grabbing his tail and stuffing the furry appendage into his mouth. There wasn't anything a small thing like him could do, was there? Better to just watch. Better to not say anything.

He watched as the smaller, black fox remained tense, his hands clenched, and he saw the thoughts rolling through his mind. He was supposed to be beautiful and noble as any of the lighter (he kept calling them silver) foxes, as strong and lovely as them, despite his ebony fur. The darkness was supposed to be special, a symbol of an influential kit.

But he wasn't. The fox was supposed to be but no one, even Yashi, could mistae the short, burly and ugly fox for one of Inaris more graceful of messangers. He was ugly in the way that others considered the opposite of beautiful. There was nothing WRONG with his features...they were simply what wasn't preferred.

Delicate features, long hair. height. Slender frame. He was the reflection of all of that, being dark and short, features something more masculine then most other of the foxes. There was nothing delicate about the fox.

He was named 'Kumo' by Inaris wife in a fit of her irritation, something to fit the anger and the agression, to fit the unsightlyness of his frame. When the laughter continued, his shoulders hunched tightly together. A growl was bubbling in his throat and there was that urge to tell them to SHUT UP but --

"Now, what are you hens cackling about?" From the distance came a low, grindingly masculine voice of one of the more important serants. Bear twisted around to see the interaction - Sakura was as graceful and stoic as ever, moving to stand amidst the formerly chatting group. Despite the calm exterior though, both Yashi and Kumo could see that those narrowed eyes were brimming with thinly veiled hostility and rightout anger. He was dangerous.

To Kumo, he was a light shining within the damning darkness that was made of the others in their clan. The silver foxes fingers twtched and his lips pressed into a harsh line.

The others didn't reply. Kumo - and Yashi - simply watched.

"Was there something funny going on?" The taller being continued to inquire, one thin eyebrow arching high on his forehead. "Or maybe something amusing in the past that was being retold?" When no one spoke up for another long moment, Sakuras face clouded over, head tilting up in an arrogant, aristocratic manner. "Or prehaps - and catch me if I'm wrong - you were harassing another of our brethren."

Silence reigned. The uncomfortable side-glances towards Bear and his invisible child counterpart gave way to their guilt. Sakuras voice changed when he next spoke, taking on a heavy, harsh tone usually reserved for rebellious kits doing something horribly wrong.

"How dare you speak of another of our kind that way." Sakura spat out in a fit of uncharacteristic anger and vehmance. "We are messangers - servants, the lot of us - to the god of prosperity! Lowering yourself to making your own kind feel bad about himself while shirking your duties and gossiping like a group of old women! Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

The group fidgeted, moving as a whole. It was hard, yashi supposed, to face up to someone that wonderfully angry. Sakura was almost ranting and one hand had flown expressively into the air, bracelets jingling together. All eyes were on him - stares were coming from all over the courtyard.

"He's just so small, "One of the group broke in, smoothing down his summer dress. His face was flushed but there was an edge to his voice, "He's so small and--"

The fox managed to break himself off. It was a good thing he did so at the time as Sakuras eyes narrowed into near-slits and they seemed to glow under the pale eyelids.

Suddenly, Sakuras face smoothed over into one of a mask, a placidd smile on his face, eyes wide and almost innocent. "Yes. Yes, Kumo IS small. That's unfortunate seeing as how you're so very vertically gifted yourself, Shinji. Is that a reason for harassment? Just because someone wasn't kind to you as a child, you have to harass a kit?"

The silvers voice lowered, leaning into that offending fox almost roughly. "You listen to me, Shinji. Kumo is stronger then you. Smarter. Better luck, to boot. While you stand around and gossip and try to hurt him, he sits there practicing self control because I know many others would NOT be so patiant with you and your ilks chattering and cruelty. You watch your mouth before it gets cut off by the masters wife."

Shinji glared at his better in anger, shoulders thrusting foreward as if he meant to tackle the taller fox. Breathes were held and Yashi found his teeth digging harder into his fluff, eyes wide on the scene. But the younger kitsune backed down, furr smoothing and he stalked away without anymore of a word.

Kumo continued to stare at Sakura, eyes appreciative, awed...something else in there. Yashi had only seen his daddy stare at mordread like that. It was weird.

And things were going furry again, twirling and twisting and moving him out of the world...

Growth Quest
Part Four of Six

The den was dark with nightfall and bleeding stars. His siblings an dame were in a pile on the floor and he, the runt, the ebony one - the good luck charm - was restless. It wasn't like him, to be awake so late at night and want to run around like one of the younger litters did.

He was older now! Almost full grown, almost able to leave his clan and start his own or...well, no, probably not. The few chosen from the clan would go off with Inari and the leftovers - the rejects, as his mother had been - would form together in a seperate band apart from the main one and become it's own little clique.

From inside, he could hear the whine of his mother from inside the den, the warmth seeping out with the noise. His ears lied flat against his skull, whining and giving a yip in return.

He was restless.

The fox-kits body fluffed and he was about to prance right back inside before something caught his attention. His ears pricked up a bit, a sparkle of light catching his attention rom the very corner of his eyes.

What was this?

He whined, softly, fur fluffing and body withdrawing back into the harsh black of his own body. Another yip, sharper then before, higher pitched in his concern, was voiced, tail flaring out behind him.

There was a brightness and a soft laugh, throaty and not quite human...it didn't sound like the mortals the fox-clan had often seen wandering near their home.

"And who is this?" The voice was soft, a purr in the depths of a throat not known by the fox, not yet. "The spoken of little black kit, now arent you?"

The fox wriggled a little bit in the palm of his god, dark eyes wide as he stared. The immortal was beautiful, pale and slender and everything he was meant to be. Rice jewlery dangled from his ears and hair ornaments...and there was that mask, partially covering his face.

Inari..

Growth Quest
Fin

The world sudden;y stopped turning. Everything went flat and dull once again, jolting the fox out of his unconcious state. The crib was cramped, walls pressing in on him even though he was on his side, and his tail was pressed tightly through one of the slits of plastic.

Outside of his room there was commotion going on - his 'tousan was belting out words and the others were responding and NONE of them sounded happy and...it was just not a happy-like thing.

Yashima whined quietly. The sound bubbled in his throat, sounding louder and more...not him...then anything he had heard before. The fox wriggled in his tight cage, lashing out and trying to kick the walls down.

Someone was screaming for his tousan. Memories flashed in his mindd as his feet kicked at the crib surrounding him. The voice kept screaming out for his 'tousan, shoving and - was that him?

That thought didn't stop the child from thrashing around his crib, though. Even when the door flew open and he felt fingers trying to pry him free from the plastic and wood cage, the fox continued to cry out and wriggle as harshly as possible.

"Yashi!" The voice broke through, finally. It was his 'tousans voice, harsh and upset and Yashima went limp in relief. He still whined but due to the lack of thrashing, it made it easier for his father to pull him up. Soft words moved over him, comforting and gentle, fingers moving through the foxes hair. "Yashi, Yashi, baby, it's okay... It's okay, Daddy's here, don't keep screaming, okay..."

Yashima continued to wriggle lightly, despite being soothed, and that voice spoke again. It was a voice that wasn't old or Iamels, nothing he'd heard before. "S-Scary and it was...I don't...dreams and but.."

Oh, gods. It really WAS him. Yashimas eyes flashed open in shock, focusing in on the equally stunned, dark face of his father. "...Yashi." His voice was breathless, eyebrows furrowed together. "You're..."

"Lemmedown!" His words slurred in his panic, shoving at Patricks arms. The muscles tightened briefly before Patrick lost grip of his childs body slightly. It was enough to make Yashi scramble to the ground, in nothing but his old (too small) diaper and a shirt that had been torn to blue shreds. The geisha doll was discarded on the floor as the boy dashed to the bathroom.

His movements were jerky and unpracticed, almost cruel to Yashima as he fell into the bathroom door. Fingertips, gawky in this new body, grappled at the doorknob and he managed to work himself in.

"Yashi!"

His tousan was calling behind him but that didn't stop Yashi from seeing himself. He was taller. Thinner. His hair was longer and the marks were darker on his face and he wasn't a baby anymore and--

"Yashi! Are you okay?!" Patrick flung himsef into the doorway, fingertips gripping the doorframe tightly.

Yashima hiccuped, sucking in his lower lip. Ears laid flat against his skull and he finally glanced to his father. "T-Tousan..." Another hiccup. "I...I need some p-pants."

"T-Tousan.." Yashimas voice was a harsh hiccup as he burst into his home, sandles flying off at the oorway in a most improper manner. Patricks head jerked up from his computer (******** little peep girl almost FRIED it again) and Kian, who'd been sitting on his fathers lap, scrambled off quickly when he heard the child barreling towards them.

The dark boy hid behind the chair when Yashi flew inside, almost dive-tackling their rather large father, arms wrapped tightly around him and face buried against his chest. "He YELLED at me, and called you rude, and called ME rude and made Iamel mad and--"

A nasal, grumbling voice broke through. "YOU were yelling at him as well, Yashi. It's not just his fault." It was Iamel, moving through the door and rubbing his shoulder. "We met some people outside that had a wand-thing too and.."

"And he called me RUDE." The fox child was almost bawling, bum wriggling to try and get closer to the dark man. Poor Patrick looked rather lost, giving Yashima a hug and petting his hair slowly, now wrinkling up a little.

"He called you rude? Why?"

"He called Mordread cat-b***h. But the guy kinda looked like Mordie and he freaked out." Iamel paused, shrugging blithly. "I think. I was messing around with his kid. I just heard some of it."

Patrick blinked, glancing down at the stricken face of his son and he sighed. "********." Voice a mutter, although it drew a curious glance from Kian. "Iamel, go get Kian some food. And get Yashi something to drink."

The bird wavered a bit, wings flickering before he dipped down and scooped up the alien toddler, moving into the kitchen with him. Yashima wriggled in confusion, stilling only when he felt Patricks hand in his hair.

"Catbitch isn't a nice thing to call MOrdread, Yashi." His tone was soft but the words hit the child hard. Ears flattened and his body went slack in worry - or panic. "It's something mean that Iamel started calling him, but to Iamel it's become something of a nickname. An affectionate nickname. But 'b***h' is a very bad word."

The fox sunk into his fathers as the words burrowed into his brain, ears still flat against his head, tailfur slick against the flesh.

"...oh." Voice small, "I didn't know that."

His father sighed, stroking at his sons ears softly in an attempt to elicit a purr. It did't work. "I know you didn't. It's something I should explain to all of you but Mordie doesn't seem to mind it.. just call him Dad or something, alright? Not catbitch."

The little fox nodded, curling as best as he could around his fathers lap in a picture suited for misery. "I didn't know."

"He knows, darling. Forget about the mean guy, ok?"

Another nod and Yashi pulled himself up, hand moving to the wand at his waist. "Okay." The fox turned, scampering off into his bedroom as quickly as possible.