Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction / Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Tale of the Animal Spirits ❯ Understanding the Fox ( Chapter 3 )

Tale of the Animal Spirits

`Chapter Three - Understanding the Fox`

Soft flame eyes closed, engulfed in darkness of dream and wake. However, this was not an ordinary dream for the young fox-child. More of painful memories and horrific nightmares…

~

A smile played on his lips as he tackled the small girl. "Gotcha, Cara!" He chuckled triumphantly. The brunet squirmed under him as she shouted out to be let go, tough all in play.

"Aw! James let go! Big brother!" She whined, wiggling out from beneath his now loosened grip. She soon countered, swinging around to pounce him instead.

"Cara! What a dirty trick to play!" He said simply, falling to his back upon the front lawn. Hands gripping her sides to lift her above into the dusk air. However, the look of this boy…It looked very different from the James 'Sleek' everyone knew. His hair was more of a chestnut brown than a dirty autumn. His flame colored eyes were a soft emerald. He very much resembled the little maiden he held up above him.

She smiled, her pale green eyes shining down to him. "I was just playing…" She mumbled, but kept a cheerful smile and a michevious glint in her eyes.

"I know." He said softly, resting her back on the earth and he sitting up. "So, what did you do all day?"

"Mommy bought me a new dress, and I was out with her most of the day. What about you?" She looked to him, awaiting an answer.

"I see. Not much, just hung around the house waiting for you to get home I suppose." He said to her, a hand resting up top her soft tresses. "But, what dress did you get, can you show me?"

"Yeah! Come on I'll try it on and everything!" She giggled, running up and skipping up the cabin stairs. The screen door creaked open and she happily ran inside to find her new garment. He caught the door before it shut and casually walked inside trailing after his energetic sister. "Mama, mama, where's my dress?" She shouted, running into another room leaving him.

He didn't mind, simply smiled at the young girl's energy. He paced over to where she was last, only to see something catch his eye. "What's this?" He mumbled thoughtfully, picking up the fire pendant. It was in the shape of…A fox?

"Oh! I found it I'll only be a second!" Her voice rang out.

"Yeah, alright." He yelled back, sitting upon the couch to examine the object more closely. 'Maybe it's Cara's?' He thought to himself, watching as the small gem glinted in the shallow light.

"Here, look!" She said, coming back into view from the kitchen. She twirled allowing the frills of her baby blue dress to twirl with her small frame. He smiled, averting his gaze to her, setting the object down for now. He nodded, she simply smiled brighter. "I'm glad you like it."

"Hey, Cara." He said softly.

"Yeah?" She said puzzled, slowly approaching the elder child.

"Is this yours?" He asked, picking up the flame pendant.

"Oh! Yeah, I guess I lost it. I think the ribbon broke, I was meaning to find a new one." She said reaching out for the fox-gem.

He nodded once more, tugging a piece of black fabric from his pocket and handing it to her. "Here, that's a good ribbon anyhow."

"Thank you!" She said, hugging him before piecing it back to her pendant. She strung it around her neck once more where it emitted its eerie hue.

He quirked a brow, noticing the weird color change but before he could ask he was cut off again, "James, would you please put your sister to bed?"

"Mom! It's only 7:00pm!" She whined, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting to the kitchen wall witch the woman was behind.

"Now no pouting!" She called back crossly making the child look to her brother for help.

"Come now, Cara, it's just bedtime, we'll have more fun in the morning." He reassured her, pushing her back slightly so she began to move up the stairs.

"You promise!" She said, looking to him with her stern yet playful eyes.

"I promise." He repeated, extending his pinky to her, witch she gladly took.

"Alright." She nodded, taking that as a true promise.

"I have a few more days before I go back to dad's house…So, we'll do whatever you want until then." He explained, picking her up and depositing her upon her bed.

She immediately snuggled into the onyx covers. "James, could you open the window for me?"

"Sure…" He said, going to unlatch the golden lock and swinging the windowpanes open. The soft nightly breeze coming though. "That better?" She nodded, and he smiled, sitting down upon a worn wooden stool under the window. "The stars are lovely tonight."

"Oh? I can't see…" She whimpered, covered smugly in her bed, a ways form the window.

"Don't worry, I'll describe them. There's so many you cant count them. The full moon is up to, almost giving them extra strength to glow." She gasped softly in wonder, how she wanted to reach forward to see, but knowing she couldn't. She would be up all night looking at them if that happened so she stayed put. Happy to listen to her brother's airy voice until she fell asleep. "There's a tiny star right out into the depths of the midnight blue sky, very close to the brightest one of all. You know what that is?" She yawned and shook her head, her half-closed eyes watching him. "It's a big brother star and a little sister star. And no matter if they seem far apart, they're always very close. Remember that, Cara." He mumbled, looking to the peaceful girl.

She nodded, yawning once more, "Brother, could you please light a candle for me to sleep by? Mama doesn't like when you leave the lights on all night." She explained.

"Sure…" James said softly, getting from his place to light the worn candle near her bed, the one upon her dresser. He swished out the match and watched the flames ignite before he turned to her again, her face taking on an angelic glow in the firelight. He listened to her even breathing before he left her room in peace, happy that she was fully asleep now. He went to his room, and decided to sleep as well, however he didn't expect what was happening elsewhere…

The soft trails of smoke drifted down the hall way and finally to his bedchamber. He blinked, wiping sleep from his eyes only to be greeted with flame and ash. He shielded his eyes, coughing from the lack of air. He blinked, rushing hurriedly from his room, trying to avoid all fire danger. He kicked the charred doors open and ran to his sister's room. How long was he sleeping? Why hadn't he noticed the smoke until now? Maybe because…It was confined in Cara's room. The door, once it broke down it was just flame and blackened smoke spews. "C-Cara!" He called, coughing though each letter. A mere squeak was his reply. "Cara!" He called again, kicking his way through the broken boards.

"B-Brother…" She hacked, she had been on the floor for sometime. Covered in her blanket, thinking it safety. Frightened eyes looked up at him in shock a pale hand reaching out to grab his own. He reached out, but retracted it as a flame spurt came from the oaken floor.

"It's gonna collapse, we…need to get out!" He coughed to her, trying once more. But, then the floorboards caved…

The small girl fell backwards as her floor fell through. The boy didn't fall; he had one hand clutched to the doorframe. He reached out more swiftly this time trying to catch any part of her to make her not fall. He grasped to something. "Brother!" She squeaked, what he had had broken.

"No!" He shouted meekly as the deafening crash issued throughout what was left of the cabin. He had retracted his palm, and in it were the shimmering fire fox and the worn piece of black ribbon. 'Cara…She might be alive!' He thought desperately heading for the stairs, leaping most of them as they were burned through. He covered his mouth and nose with a hand as he ran cautiously through his house to where the crash site had been. "Cara!" He tried again and was greeted by a gruesome sight…The mangled body of the girl was left on the floor of the cabin. Her eyes stared transfixed upward to where he and she had been. Her pale flesh scorched in flames and crimson blood. "C-Cara…" He coughed, choking back tears. She was dead…His little sister was dead…

"J-James…" A soft voice called through the smoke filled air.

"M-Mother?" He said back.

"G-Get out of…Here…There is nothing y-you can do…n-now…" She coughed, taking a final breath.

His eyes searched the area for the woman that had called to him. But where she was he couldn't place. He pulled his eyes from Cara and ran out the door, more of busting it through. He didn't care from the cuts and burns on his arms and legs, nor face. He wanted to get as far away as possible. Far away…Never come back, you failed her. He told himself over and over. It was your fault. The breeze, the candle flame, piece it together! Her room caught fire because of you! His mind hissed as she shook his head over and over, falling defeated upon the grass of the forest floor. "N-No…" He choked half of the smoke that still filled his lungs, half of sorrow and pain. He opened his charred palm to see what he had left of his dear sister. The fox pendant…All he had left. That was when the boy took shelter in the woods, and soon the cave his friends know now. He never returned, he never came back to civilization.

~

His eyes snapped open, a cold sweat streaming down his brow. He coughed, in realization of fresh air and reality. 'It was a dream…The same dream again.' He thought to him, looking to his palm where he indeed held the fox gem. 'Cara…' His mind whimpered, as a free hand brushed aside the over grown locks on his left. They covered a fully transformed fox-eye. What he wanted to conceal from everyone. Since the gem wasn't his, he was transforming faster. 'I wonder if I will even leave this journey with my life…' He thought to himself grimly. Looking out his only window. He saw the bright star and small star. 'No matter how far away.' He thought, a small smile pricking his lips. 'I don't care for this life, Cara, I'll be back with you. My little and only dear sister…No matter how far away we seem, we are very close in our hearts.' With that he leaned back against the cave wall. Night was approaching and fast. He would appear against, to confront the group…

A/N:

Sorry if this was confusing. But, I just wanted a chapter about Sleek. This is about his past and what happened. It shines light later on when you find out he is transforming faster than normal. Also, it shows why he's always staying near MistKitten - She reminds him of his sister he lost. As for ShadowKat's anger…You'll just have to wait and read. ^.~ Oh, if any of you were wondering their ages:

James/Sleek: 18

Rika/Ringtail (meet later): 14

Arctica/WindWolf: 15

Rufus/LoneHowl: 16

Cindy/MistKitten: 5

Cara (when she was alive in his dream): 8

Chiku/ShadowKat: 17

Tharis/FlameHawk: 18

???/Caw (meet later): 18

????(Meet her later): 30's

Souta/SmallPaw (Comes in next chapter): 10

Tara/StormGallop (Comes way later): 16