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Like a battered child reacting to a warm and friendly hero, the looped, twisted and knotted strings of the dreamcatcher began to glow a faint, pulsing blue while the cheery leather skeleton inched upwards, slowly, in temperature; it would be quite impossible for Shauna to let go of her "shield", whether she wanted to or not. In the dark and lonely bedroom, the dreamcatcher's twine glowed brighter and brighter until, finally, it was white-hot and blinding and filling the entire room with its lovely light and a low, soothing hum that only Shauna could hear.

And as abruptly as it had all begun, the bright light and low humming swallowed its own existence. When the light faded, Shauna was nowhere to be found. Only the dreamcatcher, smoking like it had just been pulled from a fire, sat in the dip of sheets where she had been only moments before.

---

With no preamble, nothing signaling the change in scenery, the moments bleeding together as usual, Shauna would find herself standing in the middle of a vast desert. There was no wind to stir the loose dunes, no rocks to lean against for a brief rest. The moon hung low in the sky, pregnant, bone-white and as smooth as a sheet of glass. If she had been given the fortunate physical trait of wings, Shauna probably would have taken to the skies to better assess her environment; there, with a bird's eye view of the desert, it would be easier to notice faint but visible tracks cut into the sand which seemed to mimic the familiar knitted design of a dreamcatcher.

Time was not an issue in the desert; it warped and bowed and twisted and twitched and jolted forward and came to a complete stop whenever it wanted to. As such, Shauna's journey down one of the faint paths of sand was immeasurable: it could have last ten seconds, ten hours, or ten years.

The moon, just as full and just as smooth as before, seemed to watch the young foxgirl, its own body doubling as a massive, pupil-less eye. The rays it cast were cold and silvery and bright, almost brighter than sunlight, and bathed the entirety of the desert in a sharp glow. Several steps ahead of Shauna would be a patch of moonlight, circular like a spotlight and bright enough to be seen inside the already illuminating moonlight. Equally kooky beside the spotlight of the moon was where it was positioned: directly underneath the moon's hovering body. It seemed to beckon to Shauna, begging her to step inside its cool light, offering something.

At the very moment Shauna let herlf relax on the soft bed of sand, the sensation began.

At first, it was a gentle tingling that started at the base of her feet, crawling up her legs, over her stomach, across her arms, and inside her head, until her entire body was vibrating. Next, a peculiar numbness would overtake her hands and feet, making it quite impossible to move. Finally, the corners of her world would begin to dim as unconscienceness fought to take over. It wouldn't be long before Shauna was asleep.

When she would awake, a strange sight would greet her.

Unfortuately, it was happening: Shauna had walked out of her own body in the form of a fox spirit, and there was no apparent way of getting back in. Shauna's body lay motionless in the cool sand, eyes closed and a peaceful smile on her face; if it weren't for the fact that she was entirely, completely still, it would look like she was sleeping.

Presently, a tiny giggle erupted from above Shauna. If she were to look up, an even stranger sight than before would be staring down at her: the moon, no longer smooth and plain, smiling quizzically. The moon had apparently sprouted a face, with a broad, flat forehead, narrow nose, silvery eyes and a small, sneaky mouth.

Hello, it greeted, although it did not move its; it would seem Shauna would be able to hear the moon's light and airy voice in her head.

A light laugh, as sweet and innocent as a child's lullaby, floated about in Shauna's head. I am up here! the Moon purred, turning its silvery eyes upwards in jovial glee, thoroughly amused by the silly fox spirit's antics.

How did you get into my house? The question was simple enough, but the fact that the Moon, in all of its childish and light-hearted glory, had referred to the desert as its 'house' was strange.

The Moon seemed to sympathize with his new friend. A light frown formed carefully across his smooth features, while twin strips of light placed over his eyes arced down at the corners to mimic pity. That is very sad, it murmured at the end of Shauna's explination. A silence passed between the two before the Moon's face abruptly shifted: from sadness and pity it morphed into worry; its eyes would not sit still, instead quickly jumping from spot to spot across the desert.

You must be careful! My Father is not home, but if he catches you here he will be upset! He does not like it when unknowns are in his house! As if Shauna didn't have enough to worry about!

The Moon said nothing for a while while it watched its new friend relaying it woes to what the Moon hoped was her new friend. Ohh, this was so exciting! The Moon was going to play with this wily fox spirit forever and ever now! Of course, there would be the issue of where the fox spirit would hide when its father returned, but for the time being, the Moon was content with--

Wait a second. Did the fox spirit say it wanted to go home? That same musical jingle smeared itself inside Shauna's head, although a tone of anger and desperation lurked below. Why would you want to leave? We are friends now! We can play now! You are going to stay here forever! Seemingly at random, the Moon's playful silver face erupted into fury, throwing blood red shadows over its clear body and darkening its once bright eyes.

You may not leave.