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The next morning, I woke up to the sun smiling down on me. Then I remembered, it's my birthday today! I threw myself out of my bed and quickly dressed. I rushed downstairs to find the sweet sizzling smell of bacon and eggs.

"Happy birthday!!!" Both of my parents shouted in unison.

"EEEEKKK! Thank you!!"

"You can open one present, if you'd like." my dad said with a warm smile.

"Wow! Ok! Thanks!" I rushed to the fireplace, where all of my presents stood. I decided to pick out one of the big presents. I ripped the wrapping paper off, inside waiting for me was a dollhouse! I've always loved to own my very own dollhouse! I ran to hug my mom and dad.

"Oh thank you so so much!"

"No problem, sweetie!" My mom said.

I started to eat my bacon and eggs, after I finished my breakfast I went to go play with my dollhouse outside. I opened the door and found a nice slab of stone I could set my dollhouse on.

I started to play with it and make up some stories. While I was playing with the dolls, I heard a strange little purr. It sounded so faint you could almost mistake it for a shrew. I looked around, confused. 

Burrrr. There it was again! Where was it coming from? Grrrrrrrr RAWR! I screamed. Something started to wrap tightly around my waist. It was a horrifying sight, it seemed to be some sort of green snake?! But it had a head of a lynx, and it had...arms?! It feels so soft! It seemed to have some feather bristles on its tail! 

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I grimaced and tried to wriggle free. The thing didn't want to let go! Rrrrr rawr masterrrrs would be prrroud I wailed. This can talk too!? What world am I living in!? I was pretty far away from my parents' cabin, so I don't think they could've heard me! Oh I am most definitely going to die this time, on my birthday too!

Then, something slammed into the snake, I flinged into the bushes. Ouch! My head hit a tree, it started to pound. There fighting the snake was a fox! But.... there was something odd about it. It-it had nine tails with fiery tips at the top of the tail! HISSSsss, The snake started to attack and bite the fox with nine tails. 

The fox kicked the snake into a tree, he then spun his tail together and sent fireballs towards the snake thing. ERRGHGHH. The snake thing shriveled on the ground violently, this all lasted for a few seconds until....nothing. It stopped moving. I looked up to my saver, he stared at me.

"You are safe now, young one, please try to stay out of the woods more often."

I stared in awe. "Y-you can talk too... are all animals able to do that?"

"Mmm-not all but some... if you'd like them too. By the way, happy birthday!"

"Wow.... a-and thank you!" He started to wriggle a bit then, suddenly shifted into a human being.

I was startled. "Wow... You were a human this whole time?!"

There looking down on me was a young man with black hair and tan skin, he looked to be about 19 years old.

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"Indeed...I am Aidan, one of your trusty soldiers to fight with you against the Evil Spirits. Oh and I'm a shapeshifter, if you haven't guessed already." he smirked.

"Oh... wow, I never seen anything like it, uh- Hi Aidan nice to meet you, what is a shapeshifter anyways?"

He rolled his eyes. "Well...a shapeshifter is basically a magical person who changes into whatever animal they wish to be."

"Wow! Can I do that?" I asked. He grimaced.

"Welllllll...... no, but! You cannnn....." He stopped talking.

"Well what? What can I do, why'd you stop?" He composed himself and said. "Uh- nothing, you can do nothing. But oh me look at the time! Well you must be going now! To your birthday party!" He took a run to my house. 

Before I knew what was happening, I quickly stopped him in his tracks. "Wait! Um- you can't go in!" He stopped running.

"Why not?" He looked down at himself.

"Oh right!" he shifted back into his fox form.

"How about now?" I looked him up and down.

"Uh- better. But my mom and dad are going to wonder why I have a fox with nine tails, following me."

 He quickly changed into a regular fox. "Better now, missy?"

"Yes much better, now I can think of something to say to my parents."

We both started to walk towards my house, taking the dollhouse with me. Once we came in, my mom and dad gave me a questioning look. They looked down at the fox and my dad said, "Um- sweetheart, why is a random fox following you?" 

I smiled and said, "Welllll! I found it in the woods! It just sort of came up to me while I was playing with my dollhouse! It was hungry, so I fed it some...." 

I looked over at Aidan. He was busy licking his paws. "Ah-hem" I said looking at him, mouthing the words, what do you eat? He stopped licking his paw, looked up, and mouthed berries. "Berries! I gave him some berries!" I smiled nervously at them.

They looked at each other with puzzled looks.

"Oook, Elita but do you really think we can keep it?" Mom said. Uh-oh mom only uses my name when she's serious. "Oh come on mom, it's my birthday! I'm turning ten aren't I? I know I can be responsible with it. I'll feed it, I'll take care of it, I'll even bathe it if it gets too stinky!" 

Aidan made a face at me, and turned towards the wall. My dad started to talk quietly with my mom, then finally he said. "Oh alright, sweetheart. You are turning into a big girl. So, okay." 

He said smiling. "Yay!" I said, hugging them. "But if I see any poop around here that fox isn't staying!" Said my mom sternly. I laughed. "Ok mom! I promise there won't be any poop!"

My mom brought out the cake and placed a cake topper that said 10. I smiled brightly as the sun when I saw that 10 there. Then my mom and dad started singing. My smile grew wider, the more they sang. I looked at Aidan and he was just licking his chops, staring at my cake. 

 I gave him a look, and he stopped. A sudden thought popped into my head. I started to think about when I was turning 9 and when I first got that warning from a Pure Spirit. 

Then I remembered that it wasn't good for me to be turning 10. I frowned, something wasn't right. I could sense something bad that's going to happen....

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© evrenaissance, april 2022