ATM Rewrite: B2 — 20. And Then There Were Four (Patreon)

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1. Sora Moore (Our Mom Trusting Fox Girl!)

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Sora looked down at her sister, now a somewhat thin white book devoid of any defining characteristic; there was no way this was supposed to happen.  “Okay, umm, Mom!  Mom!”

“I’m here…”

“Sora, is everything okay?”

The door opened, revealing her parents, Eyia curiously peeking in between her mom’s tails and ears.  “No, not you, Dad!” she hastily protested, recalling the state Wendy had been in when she’d turned into a fox.  “Just Mom and Eyia.”

“Understood!”  He backed away as her tight-mouthed mother entered, Eyia slipping in behind her and closing the door to stare curiously at the book.  “Uh, should I have some food brought up?”  their father asked through the wall.

Wendy jerked up before falling back down.  “Yes, please!  Yes!  I feel like I could eat a whole horse, ugh…  My stomach hurts.  What’s happening to me, Sora?”

“Right,” her dad mumbled, his Irish accent thickening while playing with his phone.  “I’ll order a big breakfast for you girls…  Aye, uh, it’s Jarlath.  How’s the kitchen stock lookin’…”

Sora’s attention diverted to her mom, throwing up her hands and asking for answers as her eyes went wide.  “What happened?!  Why is Wendy a book?  A freaking book?!”

Pages flying open, Wendy groaned.  “Sora… I’m all for figuring this out, but…  Why do I feel so icky…”

Eyia knelt on the foot of the bed to look closer.  “Hmm.  Are you a daughter of Níðhöggr, Wendy?  Perhaps you need some corpses to munch on?”

“A what—corpses?!”  Wendy mumbled.  “What is a neofogger?  Sora?!”

The blonde giggled.  “I do not know what a neofogger is, but Níðhöggr is the destroyer of Yggdrasil… I do not recall much from that time, but I remember this sensation of hunger that pulsed through every fiber of my being.”

Sora’s mind went wild as she stared at her tight-eyed mother, still studying Wendy’s condition.  “Hold up…  Is Dad this Níðhöggr person?!  Mom!”

Her mother breathed out a heavy sigh and tried to show a reassuring smile as she shook her head, but her aura screamed anxiety.  “No, Sora.  I know at least that much to be certain.  She is not Níðhöggr or a corpse eater.  Unfortunately, with Wendy obtaining a piece of your spark, this was… always a possibility.  Just bear with me for a second, girls.  Wendy, can you describe to me what you’re experiencing—smells, flavors—is it overwhelming?”

“Yes!  Yes!  So many smells and flavors!”  she cried, flipping to a new blank page.  “It’s all so good, but… too much!  Mmgm…  Help!  Please!”

“Mom!”

“Wendy,” her mother quietly prompted, carefully sitting down and picking up one of the pillows, “I want you to focus on the pressure I’m about to put on you, pull it in, and bite down.  Okay?”

Sora’s mouth dropped open as her mom pushed the fluffy item into the open pages of the book, and it vanished as if never there to begin with.  “W-What happened?  Where did it go?”

“I felt something… strange?  What happened to the… pillow?  It was a pillow, right?”  Eyia said, a frown now touching her mouth.  “What happened?”

Eyes defocusing, Sora’s gut knotted as the lady in black thorns came to mind.  Eyia did forget, but it certainly did have a similar vibe as whatever the yellow-eyed woman did.

Her mother’s confused eyebrows softened, and she smiled.  “I see.  So, it must have worked.  Do you feel a little better, Wendy?  I know it all smells and tastes good, but I want you to close your mouth and plug your nose.”

“Mmm.  Wait!”  A spark of relief filled Wendy’s voice as she slammed shut.  “I can block it all out…  It all looks so bright, though…  Huh.  Umm.  It’s… better, I guess.  I’m still starving.  Sora, what did you do to me?!  Are you secretly a book?”

“Don’t look at me!  Mom?  What went wrong?!”

Her mother held up a finger.  “Let’s be patient, keep focused, and first center on helping Wendy.  You should be able to take on a human form; remember back to when you last felt ‘normal.’  Can you do that for me?”

Sora edged away as Wendy’s naked body returned, only now, her super-puffy tail was pulled around her front, and her hair wasn’t quite as long or thick.  Her sister’s now blue-green eyes showed an agitated glare at her, cheeks flushed as her fox ears pulled back.

“Clothes, Sora!”  A swift desire categorized Wendy’s drawer and brought out the best thing that came to Sora’s mind: a big white sweater and garments, which seamlessly phased onto the embarrassed girl’s body.  “Really?  Ugh.  I still don’t feel… right.  It’s like I’m not fully real, or something like that?”

“What do you want from me?!”  Sora huffed, throwing up her hands.  “I’m freaking out, too!  It’s a nightgown sweater that’s easy to throw on.  Should I have given you stockings, too?  Give me a break!”

Eyia’s ponytail bundled on the blankets as her head tilted to the side.  “Haha.  You two are funny.  It is a fairly impractical outfit, Sister, and the tail is quite over-exaggerated.  Is it supposed to be that big?  Why is the sweater so large and baggy?”

“Mmgm.  Because it’s meant to sleep in,” the brunette sighed, pressing her forehead against her fur to run her fingers over her scalp.  “Yes, tails are supposed to be cuddle material.  And thank you, Sora…  Alright, I’m calm!  Haaa-haha.  I’m calm.  I think.”

Thoroughly confused, Sora looked her fox sister up and down.  “So… are you a fox girl, a book girl… or a squirrel girl by the size of that thing?  I’m so confused.  And when did you get so… emotional—no, aggressive?  I get you’re a book, and that’s crazy, but you’re usually the chill, quiet, shy one when insane stuff happens.”

All of them turned to her ruby-haired mother for answers, currently fidgeting with her long sleeves as she studied the brunette.  Nine red tails bunching to rest on the bed, the woman watched Wendy scoot to the headboard to get a better look at the Founder.

After a few seconds, Mia folded her fingers and smiled.  “Are you two ready to listen?”

Sora held up a hand for her to continue.

“Wonderful.  The energies used to create you, Sora, are very volatile, and much of it is beyond my understanding.  However…”  she interjected before they could groan, “this does have to do with your father’s side.  Sadly, I only gave myself vague information regarding your father, although it is enough to work through this.  I promise this isn’t bad.  Wendy, welcome to the family.”

Cheeks darkening further, Wendy’s gaze fell to the poofy tail tucked between her thighs and held against her chest.  “Thank you.  I’m still trying to process all of this…  What does this mean?  Do I have Desire Magic like you and Sora?  Why is it hard to keep myself from turning back into a book?”

Sora instantly piped up at that, drawing closer to hug her.  “It means that we’re officially real sisters!  You should have powers, too…  Right, Mom?”

The blonde crawled forward on her knees with a big smile, opening her eyes to hug them both to join in the fun, but the red fox woman swiftly blocked her path.

“Keep your distance, Eyia.  And not… exactly, Wendy.”

“Did I do something wrong?”  the Valkyrie asked, looking puzzled.

“No,” Mia whispered, also staying a decent distance away from the brunette.  “You do not have Desire Magic, Wendy.  Instead, the power you’ve manifested is quite dangerous in this early stage.  Let me explain…”

“I’m okay to touch her, though?”  Sora asked, settling next to Wendy to be shoulder-to-shoulder.  “My clothes aren’t vanishing.”

“Lucky you,” Wendy mumbled.  “How can I save these clothes—tips, anyone?”

Sora sighed.  “None here.  Is it because I have this kind of power, too, Mom?  Because I’m having a hard time even sensing Wendy; it’s like she’s… a hole in space or something.”

The brunette’s mouth became a line, hugging herself tighter.  “Well, that’s comforting.”

“You needn’t worry, Wendy, and it is due to your physiology, Sora,” her mother confirmed, hands tightening in her lap.  “I told you that this would come with its challenges and that we would need to be here for Wendy.  Unlike you, Wendy didn’t have a stabilizer who made the final adjustments before the transformation began, which is why your process was accomplished over a set period of time and was far more stable.”

Sora grimaced, recalling the trouble she’d had throughout the nine-day change.  “Speak for yourself; it was a nightmare at the start.”

Her mom directed them to the brunette’s folded-down ears, eyes, and tail.  “Wendy has to process a lot of information at once, and, again, unlike you, Sora… in the teeter-totter of balancing powers that could have manifested during the metamorphosis, Wendy’s was not supervised.  It means she has accessed a part of you that you cannot tap into yet… your father’s part.”

A small smile lifted Sora’s lips as her gut squirmed.  “Woah!  Woah!  Woah!  Wait, so… is Dad a book?  There’s no way!  What?  C’mon, Mom.”

Wendy huffed, nudging her a little.  “Hey, it’s not that bad.  I do like having a fleshy body a lot better, though; at least, it feels like one.  I have powers now, right?  Oh!  Can I, like… incorporate that into the cosmic magic Zen was teaching me?!”  She gasped, eyes going wide as something struck her.  “I’m totally a fox princess now, too!  Aren’t I?”

“Hehehe.”  Sora nudged back.  “Someone’s taking this a lot better than me.  How’s your stomach?”

“Better…  Still starving, but never mind that!  What kind of powers do I have?”

Interested in the topic herself, Sora’s ears perked up, tail wagging as she waited to learn more about her mysterious, ‘not-totally-human’ dad.  “Yeah, what powers?”

“Patience,” her mother chided, reaching over to rub Eyia’s shoulder.  “Would you mind going downstairs and helping Jarlath order more… much more?  We’ll want the full dining room table packed with food; Wendy needs to eat to stabilize herself.”

“Yes, Queen Mia!”

Sora wanted to laugh inside at the short puff of air that blew through her mother’s nose at the new title she’d gained from the blonde; Eyia was nothing but respectful.  The Valkyrie turned into mist, rushing out of the room.

Her mom’s soft red eyes appraised them.  “First, I must disappoint you both by saying I honestly do not know much about your father’s powers.  It is not something I gave this limited, mortal mind.”

“Booo!”  Sora jeered, letting herself roll with the gut punch while throwing a fist in the air.  “Refund!”

Wendy giggled and found her hand to squeeze it.  “It’s okay.  Big question.  I won’t randomly eat my clothes or spontaneously turn into a book after I fill my stomach, will I?  This is a temporary thing… right?”

Mia brushed back her bangs and glanced away, smile becoming forced.  “Umm.  It depends.  And I believe it will be very rare that you will feel full from now on, Wendy.  Your powers come at the price of consumption.  In fact, you could eat the very air, space… and even time itself, not that you’ll want to.  Unaccustomed foods will upset your stomach for a while, which means sticking to a very big, but normal diet.”

“No way,” Wendy whispered, glancing at random things Sora couldn’t see in the room.  “I can eat time itself!?  Is that what all these tiny threads everywhere are…  It’s hard to focus on them.”

Cheeks bunching up, Sora put on a false pout.  “What kind of OP haxx is that?  Why can’t I use these time-eating powers yet?”

A strained smile crossed her mother’s eyes.  “Because my powers, which you use, Sora, and the type your sister has, are like ice and fire.  The reason she is having trouble keeping a human form is because it is not her default state, the book is; inside her body right now, it is struggling to return to its base form, and soon will.  There may be a workaround, though.”

“I’m listening,” Wendy mumbled, looking down at her hand as it began to take on a pure white glow.  “It’s like I’m a black hole or those white hole things we heard about in science class…  I’m pulling in and pushing out everything—it’s so weird.  What do I need to do?”

Getting up, her mom opened the closet door and pulled out the body-length mirror for them to look at their reflections.  Wendy was instantly enthralled, crawling forward to sweep her bangs away and examine her new figure that had changed in some fairly drastic ways while remaining the same in others.

“Woah!”

“You should be able to transfer your consciousness into an artificial body, generated from the energies you’ve assimilated; so long as you keep your true body—the book—connected to this artificial body, then, in theory, it should remain stable… so long as you have the fuel to keep it active.”

Wendy’s mouth dropped open as she pulled her locks away to scrutinize the side of her head.  “My ears are gone.  Wow.  I’m… so much prettier…  I have blue-green eyes?!  Aaah!  I’ve always wanted this color…  My ear fluff is so cute, too!  Wow, and so tough…  I thought it would be softer.  Cool…  Right, umm, what do I need to do again, Ms. Moore?”

Sora wanted to slap her new sister’s arm and correct her, but her conversation with her father about the topic stayed her hand.  It was amazing to see Wendy suddenly so positive about herself.  Maybe she would see the fox as more of a mom in time.

Mia chuckled, holding her hands at her front while standing next to the mirror.  “Yes, you are very pretty, Wendy, before and after.  We can save that study for when you can keep this image active.  You’ll want to return to your normal book body and imagine creating this new body for your mind to inhabit.  You need to keep the book on your person at all times, or it will most likely collapse.”

Wendy’s brow set as she closed her eyes.  “Alright!  Let’s practice and experiment.  And hey, maybe it won’t be the worst thing beating up that anime-wannabe yandere to a pulp to rescue my moon prince now!  I’m feeling… almost invincible!”

“That’s the spirit, Ms. Bookworm!”  Sora chimed.

The brunette’s vision snapped open to give her a dirty glare.  “That is so not my name.”

“Work in progress, then!  Hehe.  Let’s see what you can do!”

Minutes passed as Wendy flickered from her human, book, and dual forms, attempting to get the feel of what it was like.  Her issue seemed to be the barrage of sensations and the concentration required to keep the swarm of distractions at bay.  Apparently, the whole room was practically screaming at her.  Yet, by the eleventh minute, she’d finally found her stride.

Sora rubbed her chin as Wendy spun in a circle inside the closet, a veil of Desire Magic solid light blocking her sister’s nakedness.  Unfortunately, Wendy had gobbled up the sweater and garments she’d worn, so this was the best option without more sacrifices from the brunette’s limited wardrobe.

“Well, how do you look?  No tentacles in undesirable places?”

“Shut your face!”  Wendy huffed, “Your mom’s here!”

“Oh, c’mon!”  Sora snickered in return, bumping into her mother, who emitted a strained laugh.  “I’m sure our millions upon millions of years old mom has seen it all.”

Her mother cleared her throat.  “Actually, my mind is fairly innocent in this mortal body…  I filled it with only things that could support our family.  So, I have no clue what you mean by tentacles in ‘undesirable places,’ but tentacles, in general, do not sound desirable…  Slippery and slimy… gross.  We have fluffy, warm tails, so why would you want tentacles?  If you did have one, I would very much be concerned.”

Sora gave her mother a dubious, side-long stare, recalling the insinuation her father had made before about tail pulling.  “I don’t believe that innocence for a second, Mom.  No, wait, put a cap on that!”  she hastily redirected, not wanting to go down this route with her foxy mother.  “Everything good, Bookie?”

“Other than the nickname… perfect, drooler!  What now?”

“Oh, c’mon!  You’re the drooler.”

“Nu-uh.”

“Uh-huh!”  Running her fingers through her copper locks, Sora snickered.  “Meh.  Nicknames are a work in progress.  So… time for a fashion show!” she sang.  “We doing dresses today, Big Sis?”

Wendy turned to the closet selection and plucked out a vertical-stripped, shin-length, shoulderless pink summer dress with pouf sleeves.  “Not as fancy as all your designer crap, but I bought this with my own money.  What do you think?  Can you add a hidden sleeve in the back for my tail like yours has?”

“Consider it done, and I can do a floral one that matches it!  Well, mostly, mine has a light front cut-out under the bust and is a midi dress, an off-shoulder design, and by Kathi Jennifer.  Not that yours doesn’t look cute; it totally does!”

“Oh, get outta here, show off,” Wendy sniffed.  “Haha.  Maybe Eyia can match us, huh?  What are we even doing today?”

Sora looked right to her mother with a grin.  “I thought about it last night.  Mom, I’m totally lost.  I want to save everyone.  I don’t think I can with how extremely inexperienced we are—well, with the exception of Eyia, but I don’t want to put everything on her shoulders, so…”

She sent a desire pulse to pull her chosen outfits out of her closet next door.  “Let’s dress, eat, and have Mom tell us what we need to do to prepare for this rescue mission!  Kari and us sisters, Wendy; Eyia, you, and me!”

She punched the air.  “Four girls versus the HAREM slave army and shady organizations trying to use us!  We’re kind of over our heads, so yeah…”  Flashing her teeth and trying to put on the cutest, most helpless, ear-pulled-back, foxy-vulpes-look she could, Sora let her tail tighten around her mom’s with a pleading look.  “Mom, help!”

Her mother’s chest shook as she moved closer to pull her in.  “Of course, I’ll—oof…”  A pair of high-rise sandals smacked the back of her mom’s head.   “Sora…”

“Oops!  Eh-hehe.  My bad!  Can I kiss it better?”

After a few playful minutes, Sora kissed the back of her mom’s head and fixed Wendy’s dress, taking note of the thin white book attached to her back, just above the base of her ultra-poofy tail.

Sitting on the foot of Wendy’s bed, she held up a sandal with a heroic stare at the top corner of the room as her mom and sister stood in the doorway, waiting for her with small smiles.

“On that day, Sora achieved total victory, dispelling all tension in the War of the Sandal with the promise of peace with the Mother Armada.  Symbolized by the triumphant kiss of bed-head, the charismatic and charmingly devious vulpes princess doused the fires of the smelly mom’s—”

“Sora!”  Wendy interrupted, snickering while still getting used to her giant tail’s positioning.  “I’m starving.  Let’s go eat, Sandal Hero.”

“Seconded,” her mom chimed, “and was it necessary to point out I actually do have to take showers now?  You have no idea how much you sweat with fur like mine when you don’t have magic.  So privileged.  Haaa.”

Sora giggled, slipping her shoe on and skipping to meet her mom, bumping hips in passing as she flipped around.  “Got the door, Wendy?”

“Oh, sure…”

Weaving a private message to her mom while also providing a passive cleansing spell, she secretly whispered, “Two rabbit meals says she slams her tail in the door.”

“Yeah, I’m not taking that b—oof.”

“Ack!  Woops…”

“Wendy!”  Sora gasped as part of the door vanished when closing to pinch it.  “Don’t get the wall!”

“Nope!  I’m good…  Yikes, this thing really is scary.”

Her mom held a positive note but skirted away nonetheless.  “You’ll get it, Sweetie!”

“Hopefully… I don’t know if the hotel can take it if I don’t figure this out—uh, help.”

Sora rolled her eyes as Wendy tried to dislodge her tail from the door, but it was now stuck in the small hole.  The wood momentarily became ethereal with a desire, allowing her to escape.

Maybe it was better I got Mom’s powers first, Sora couldn’t help but think.

Arriving downstairs, Sora was impressed to see Kari already up and sitting on a couch, waiting for the carts of food to come as Eyia and her dad prepped the dining room.  Passively swiping up on her phone, she grunted when they floated down on the gravity lift.

“Exciting morning, huh?  I see there’s trouble in paradise.”  Amber eyes rose smugly to appraise them, the wolf chuckled, tail wagging between her legs.  “Have you considered reading the manual, Wendy?”

The brunette’s cheeks colored, tail smacking the concrete wall and sending powder falling to the floor from the small crater she made.  “Funny, asshole.  Dammit!  Ugh.  I can’t with you!”  Wendy stormed off to join Eyia and her dad.  “Bite your own tail.”

“Not even once,” Kari muttered, dull gaze returning to her phone, “but it sounds like you have experience.”

“Shove off!”  Wendy snapped.

“Enjoy those big ears; Sora’s pretty loud in the mornings.  I swear, with how often she screams…  Anyway, go, girl power!  Wooh.  The power of overcompensating fluffy tails.”

“Well, you’re in a chipper mood, and does that apply to your own hair and tail?”  Sora laughed, plopping into an armchair across from her mother as Wendy ignored the wolf.  “What are you reading?”

Twisting to her stomach, Kari adjusted her tank top and gym shorts before flipping her absurdly thick, high ponytail in a way to block Sora from her vision.  “A book Heather got me into a few months back.  I have the time, and it gets my mind off things.”

Surprised at the blunt answer, Sora hummed with curiosity.  “What book?”

“It’s called The Oscillation; it’s about a moon hare girl who’s a badass, asks lots of questions, and brings misfortune… like someone else I know, minus the badass part.”

Sora rolled her eyes.  “Wow, thanks.  I do have a badass tail, so screw you!”

“Humph.  How about it, moonlighting as a bunny now, Princess?  Maybe the little moon journal has competition for her prince charming.  Speaking of…”  Kari’s focus snapped to the smiling fox mom.  “You seem to be the one with the answers.  Where are we going after this big breakfast?”

Sora’s attention went to her mother as she crossed her legs and folded her tails against her lap.  Wendy came to the hallway with her dad, leaning against the marble.  She could hear the doubt and stress underneath the wolf’s fake boredom; Kari was more than likely twisted into a pretzel inside, without a clue what to do.

All eyes on the ruby-haired goddess in mortal form, Sora’s own chest tightened when her mom’s typically unsure voice and cadence took on the air of confidence that reminded Sora of who her mother was; unlike motherhood, this was an arena she knew better than almost anyone.

Flaming irises on the wolf, a low rumble shook in Mia’s throat.  “If you want to win, Kari, tell me why you are afraid.  Not the shallow answer or sarcasm you hide behind.  Be honest with yourself by saying it out loud…  Eyia, HAREM… your brother.  If you cannot confront this now, in front of everyone here, then you will never have the courage you dream to obtain.”

Wow, Sora internally whispered, glancing between Kari and the strong presence her mother suddenly brought by her mere tone, intensity totally without any of her fathomless powers.  Mom woke up and chose violence!

Not expecting such intense pressure cast upon the wolf, Sora’s ears pulled back with Wendy’s as Eyia entered the room, shimmering blue eyes leering down at the hesitant wolf.

Phone dropping from her fingers, Kari’s tail bunched against her leg as she pushed herself up, feet knotting and arms crossing tightly against her belly.  She couldn’t make eye contact with the blazing intensity the fox mother gave the wolf.

“It’s…  I know I’m w-weak,” she stammered, bringing Sora back to when she was making fun of her for it.  Lips pulling in, she gulped and shivered, fur bristling under everyone’s oppressive stares.  “I’m scared of Eric…  I’m scared of Eyia… and that she’ll kill Eric.”

“What?”  Sora’s fingernails dug into her thighs.  “You… don’t still care about your brother—after everything he did to you?  No way!”

Her mother held up her hand as Kari pulled in more.  “Sora, let Kari speak her own feelings.  It is important that everyone speaks their own heart…  All of you.  Go on, Kari.”

The wolf bit her bottom lip, drawing blood and showing how vulnerable the wolf was when her shell was cracked, and somehow, her mother had smashed it right open.  “I envy Sora for having you… having a mother here…  I sometimes wonder if my mom did love me, and that s-scares me,” she mumbled, nose turning red and trying to fight back her tears.

“I hate Eric… but I know he wants me to be stronger—I hate he hid everything from me—about our uncles and what they want to do to me…”

It was hard to breathe as the wolf continued, watery amber eyes now glaring at her.  “I’m afraid of being alone…  I don’t want to be alone, and I hate myself for that… that weakness.  I miss my family.  I hate this warm family—family shit…  It’s suffocating—Sora always trying to tug on my tail… flaunting her family.  It’s not fair—nothing’s fair…”

Sniffing down the lump in her throat, Kari’s teeth ground together, claws sinking into her sides.  “I hate that I’m needy…  I hate that Sora gets everything.  Lori, Heather, Kayla, Amanda, Kris—everyone forgot and left me…  I don’t have anything.  Aiden’s probably manipulating me.  Eric is…  You just want to rub your perfect little life in my nose, Sora!”

“Perfect?”  Sora hissed, finding her voice and clearing her throat.  “I get it, Kari; I really get how helpless it can feel to have almost nothing…  I know you’re in pain, but so was I—every day, I was forced to go to that hellish school, where I had no one on my side!  But you were the one that set me free.  Did you know that?”

Kari’s stomach drew in, eyes darting to the carpet in confusion.  “I didn’t do anything.  You changed and had your powers to thank.  I’m just a worthless hunk of muscle that’s defective.”

“You!”  Sora breathed, face red and trying to control herself.  “You’re so blinded by your self-hate and fear that you can’t let yourself see anything good around or inside you, I swear!  Dammit, wake the hell up, Kari!  You told me yourself that you got no pleasure out of anything you did.  You stood up to Lori and Jenny for me, and I hate to admit that, but now I can’t deny it!”

“You’re the stupid one,” Kari shot back, nose twisted and glistening eyes wide.  “I did it because they were challenging me.  I didn’t do it for you!”

“Who the hell cares!  You did it.  And then you actually cheered me on the next time I saw you…  What the hell kind of wolf are you, huh?  Were you trying to rub my face in it?  No!  You wanted someone to stand up to Eric, and you could have hated me for doing it, but you don’t, do you?!  That’s why you’re hating so much on yourself, stupid!  Why does the thought of us being friends horrify you so much, huh?”

Emotion shaking Kari’s body, she sniffed and yellowed, “Because they always die!  My mom, my l-little sister, Jenny—everyone I think is my f-friend or gets close to me either hates me, leaves me, or stabs me in the chest!”

Bottom lip quivering and body burning up, Sora got to her feet as Kari tucked into a ball on the couch, turning away to cry into a pillow.

“It hurts too much…”  Rubbing her red eyes, Sora moved to hug Kari from behind, the wolf’s quakes transferring through her whole body.  “I can’t be vulnerable.  It’s too much…”

Sniffling, Sora choked.  “I so, sooo wish I could punch you in the face r-right now… without breaking my wrist because you’re so, so stupid!  I’m stupid…  I’m sorry, Kari.  I’m sorry.”

Her mother’s soft voice made her eyes fly up as she addressed Wendy.

“And what do you feel, Wendy?”

Blinking to see her brown-tailed sister, holding her elbow at her front, she saw her cheeks stained a little.  “I hated Kari…  I didn’t get why Sora was so hell-bent on bringing her into our lives again…  I didn’t see it like she did, but I guess I can see why Sora relates to her.  I kind of hate myself, too… for abandoning her when we were supposed to be best friends.

“She… gave me everything, and I envied Sora for having all these awesome powers, which… is stupid.  I never thought like that growing up—not about money or anything else, but… but then when you came here, Mia, I… I started to have these…”  She coughed.  “I had these feelings—like, why did Sora have a mom that would… give up—risk everything to be with her, when… my mom sold me away…”

She rubbed her cheeks with a weak chuckle.  “Eh-haha.  I’m not… proud of that.  I want to slap myself to death, but… I just wanted my mom to love me…  Is that so much to ask?”  she shrugged with a choked laugh.  “I’m ashamed…  You’ve done sooo much for me, Sora.  I’m sorry.  I know you don’t want me to say I’m sorry… but I have to.”

“Wendy…”  Using her magic to tug the weeping brown-haired fox over, she locked tails with her since her arms were full with Kari.  “You know I’m always here for you… no matter what.”

“I know…  I know.  And that’s why it hurts so much.  I’m sorry…”

Her mother’s focus slid to the blonde.  “Eyia?”

“No, Mom,” Sora whimpered, chest already bleeding and wrung dry.  “Mom…”

Eyia’s cold chill had evaporated as she simply walked over to give her a firm, thankful squeeze on the shoulder; a rush of cool relief flowed into her at the touch, similar to Stephanie’s black rose.

“You have welcomed me in as a sister without question, despite Jin’s threats, and stood by my side even when I broke the peace treaty between Primordials and Founders.  You have provided, sheltered, and taught me… comforting my pained heart when my first friend revealed her betrayal.”

Drawing back, she looked at Kari, now hiccuping in Sora’s arms.  “You have broadened my view of how things are, and made me realize that each person is their own, and I must judge them based on their own actions instead of their people.  I must return the kindness and hospitality to you tenfold, Sister.  I may not like the wolf, nor the hurtful things she says, but I will keep my mind and heart open.”

“Eyia…”

Her father’s soft and deep chuckles made her ears twitch as she shifted to sit beside Kari to rub her shoulder, Wendy joining her side with Eyia standing nearby.  “I’m glad to see you surrounded by such good friends, Sora.  It’s good to clear the air and cleanse the heart.  Do you feel like ya can trust them with your tail?”

Taking in a shuddering breath, Sora let out all the stress in a laugh as Kari’s shakes slowly started dying down for the sniffles to take their place.  “I do.”

“Good,” he said, walking over to hold out his hand to Eyia.  She took it without hesitation, gripping his wrist as her father did the same.  “Then I’ll put my trust in them when I’m not there.  Eyia, thank you for taking care of my daughter.  I’m glad you’re by her side.”

Eyia looked right into her dad’s hard eyes without hesitation and nodded, practically the same height as one another.

Next, he turned to Wendy, pulling her up to give the shocked book girl a hug.

“W-Wait!  Oh, huh… you’re okay.”

“Haha!  Why wouldn’t I be?  No, I saw that bludgeoning thick tail you’ve grown,” he snickered, tilting his head to the wall.  “It’ll be useful ta club the fools trying to jump you girls.  You’re a good one, Wendy.  Don’t think otherwise.”

“Mhm!  Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, Mr. Moore.”

“You bet…  And, you, wolf girl.”

Kari’s ears rose as she sniffed and looked up at him, trying to hold back her quivering lip.  Her dad simply held up his fist to nudge it against her shoulder.

“Aye, I get ya had a hard life.  It’s hard to trust.  But I think ya owe my daughter.  So, woman up and pull up your shorts.  Ya got business to handle, right?”

Sora wanted to punch her dad, but Kari seemed to find strength in his words as she cleared her tears with the front of her tank top and pushed herself up.

“What’s next, Mia?  How can we possibly win when Eric’s on her side?”

Eyia snorted.  “I’ve trained all my life to kill your kind.  Just because Ylva was currently out of my spear’s reach means nothing compared to your worthless brother.”

Her mother’s strong voice followed, sitting tall, hands resting on her knee.  “You may be ready for combat, Eyia, but not for what is to come, despite your very real power and experience.  As Jin said, you cannot release the seals that keep you hidden from other Founders.”

The comment drew a frown from the Valkyrie, yet her mother wasn’t finished as she prompted them all to rise with her.  “There is a place where you can gain that experience, and rapidly since he has skin in this game.  Your next destination is the recovering Moon Base, where you can guide this team to victory, Eyia.  Sora…”

She gulped at the look in her mother’s fiery gaze.  “You will need to do things that you shouldn’t have to, but you chose this path, and I cannot walk it for you.  You must prepare for war because, by the end of this war, you will essentially be fighting demigods.”

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