The cramped little shed that lay in a corner of the Louise's backyard was the last place I expected to see my Master since the night she kicked me. But it was where Horny had said to meet them the morning following our return from the Son mission.

Lady Louise was still sound asleep as I made my way quietly through the dark and abandoned rooms. Not a big surprise, since the sun wasn't even set to rise for another hour or so.

I, of course, asked what, exactly, the old familiar and his Master's daughter were doing together in a shed first thing in the morning, but he only told me to come see for myself. In his words, it was the best chance for me to try and have a conversation with my Master, as she will be too worn out to have the energy required to avoid me.

All in all, I was really not looking forward to seeing what horrors lay within that shed.

Using no small amount of force, I pushed open the screen door that led to the Louise's humble back yard. The small patch of grass was still slick from the heavy rainfall that had come out of nowhere late last night. While the rain still persisted, it had turned into nothing more than a cold sprinkle which helped to wake me up a bit more as I trudged through the damp ground.

I stopped about halfway to the shed when the building literally shook from the impact of something inside being slammed against it's walls. The grunt of pain that followed it was definitely feminine, and definitely young.

I debated pretending I did not see or hear anything and returning to my comfy little dog bed that seemed so warm and inviting now. But, before I could take another step, the image of my Master—of a pale little girl slumped up against the wall—wormed it's way inside my mind. A towering figure approached her fallen form. The little girl whispered two words that I heard all too clearly.

"Help me."

It took less than a fraction of a second for me to reach the shed. The doors were open a tiny amount, just enough for me to squirm my way inside. I wasn't entirely sure what I would do against my Master's assailant, but if I could handle two of Son's thugs, I could figure something out.

"Allow me to assist you, Miss Rosetta."

"I can do it myself."

Well, this was something.

The dark, looming figure was none other than Hornroot who was currently kneeling down and offering a hand to my Master. My Master, in turn, was trying to pull herself up from the floor, bracing her back against the wall of the shed as she did.

Both were wearing white, loose-fitting clothes which allowed me to see the well developed muscles in both the wizened man and the young girl, something that surprised me due to the lean frames possessed by the two of them.

"Come at me... again," my Master said once she had gotten to her shaking legs. She put up her fists in a way I had never seen someone do before. Both were brought up to protect her face, though the right fist was pointed out a little further than the other.

Hornroot had gotten to his feet as well, though his arms remained at his side. "Do you not wish to return to the center of the room? I will have the advantage with your back against the wall."

"In real life..." My Master tried to catch her breath. "In real life, my opponent won't give me the chance for a better shot. You already ruined it by giving me time to stand. Let me have this."

She brought one foot forward. Without responding, Hornroot spun in place and threw a kick into her exposed side that looked strong enough to shatter every rib in her body. The cry that came out of my Master's mouth only helped to hammer in that nail of certainty.

Before I knew what exactly to do, I was running into the shed. I did not stop until I was between Hornroot and the little girl who still had not gotten up from the ground.

"What the hell are you doing?!" I shot at the familiar, baring my teeth.

"Ah. Good morning, Flametail," Hornroot replied. "Glad you could join us this morning."

I gritted my teeth. He was being nonchalant on purpose. He was messing with me because he knew something I didn't.

I knew all of that, but it still pissed me off.

"So, you get your kicks out of beating defenseless children, Horny?" I hissed inside his head. Whatever was going on here, I wasn't going to let him get the upper-hand.

"Your Master and I are training, as we have done for several years now." Hornroot walked around me, letting me follow him with my eyes until he was standing by Rosetta. I had to to a double take.

My Master was back on her feet and giving me quite possibly the worst glare I had ever seen. Easily rivaling Kat's cold eyes or Gust's fierce stares. Not quite as bad as Son's. Maybe.

"What's he doing here?" she asked, turning her head away from me when our eyes met.

Hornroot attempted to place a stilling hand on her shoulder, to which she immediately brushed aside. "I asked Flametail to come. Forgive my abruptness, Miss Rosetta, but it is past time for you to form a connection with your familiar."

My Master and I were both at a loss for what to say for a moment. Hornroot did not mince words, but this wasn't the plan at all.

"Hey, Horny," I said, making sure my voice was laced with as much irritation as I could muster. "I thought we were going to take this slow?"

"No time. If Son's familiar's information is accurate, you need to prove your worth to my Lady sooner rather than—"

"He isn't my familiar," Rosetta spoke up, unknowingly interrupting Hornroot's voice inside my head. I hoped it would be the last time I would feel grateful to her. "I don't want him here."

Well that makes two of us you whiny little—

"I am aware my Lady and Wildwood both skirted the rules when it came to your specifications, Miss Rosetta. But, for now, you must play the hand you have been dealt. As such, I will not be training you any further until you at least attempt to speak with your familiar."

No more getting tossed around like a rag doll? That sounded like more of an award than a punishment. At least, that's what I assumed until I moved my attention to my Master and saw her open mouthed, wide-eyed expression. "You cannot be serious."

Hmm, a familiar response.

"I'm afraid that I am," old Horny said, folding his arms to help further prove his resignation.

Rosetta clenched her small hands so hard they started to tremble. When her bright blue eyes shifted to me, I found myself rooted to the spot. I could almost feel the anger and frustration exuding from her.

A single tear escaped from her eyes before she let out a huff. "Whatever!" my Master said as she stomped her way out of the shed. "I don't need you anymore. I can train on my own!"

She slammed the door of the shed so hard it bounced back open, allowing Hornroot and I to watch as the young girl huffed and puffed her way back inside the house.

"Niiice one, Horny. I think Rosetta and I really made some progress there."

Hornroot did not respond. He kept his arms folded and continued to stare out at the screen door that had been slammed closed with enough force to match my Master's previous exit.

"No, really, I think I felt a connection when she glared at me with those 'I hate you more than anything else' eyes."

I knew I should take the hint and drop it. But when would I ever get the chance to mock his failure again?

Sure enough, Hornroot shifted his brilliant yellow eyes to me with the aforementioned 'I hate you more than anything' look. "Are you done?"

I wanted to shrug, but it was one of the many motions a fox body was unable to perform. So, instead, I sat myself on the ground and tried to appear nonchalant as I was able. "I've got a few more, but I think you get the idea. That did not turn out so great."

"Do not be so quick to draw conclusions," Hornroot said, unfolding his arms and losing the killer look all in the span of seconds. "I believe this encounter was a step in a positive direction."

"Oh, you do, do you? Care to enlighten me?"

"I think not."

"Say what?"

Hornroot smirked then. I saw him do it, but I still could not believe it. I had been convinced that his mouth was unable to do such complicated maneuvers.

Either way, it left me speechless as the older familiar turned away from me and proceeded to leave the shed. "Just continue to act on your instincts, Flametail. I fear you will prove me wrong about your worthiness, sooner rather than later."

And then he was gone, and while it was with less passion and violence than my Master's exit, it still left an impact deep within me.

...

Lady Louise did not have much for me to do for the foreseeable future. Of course, Hornroot was back on the job the next day. 'Tracking down more potential allies' was all he could give me in regards to the details. That, and I was needed at the house to protect my Master and her daughter while he was out.

I knew it was less about my protecting abilities(which, as a fox, were next to none) and more about my inability to keep up with a flying owl unless he was carrying me the whole way. Something that Hornroot had made clear to me was not going to turn into a regular thing.

It wasn't so bad, being left behind. Spending all day lazing around the house was boring as hell, but not having to listen to Horny's grating voice every hour of every day was a nice change of pace.

There were no more 'positive encounters' between my Master and I. She would only come down from her room for food or to use the shed for her solo training sessions. Though I could still not understand the words that came from Lady Louise's mouth, I could tell from their few interactions that she was trying to convince her daughter to lighten up a bit. While I was still not looking forward to having an actual conversation with my tormentor, even I had to admit talking to her was looking better than this eternity of the cold shoulder.

But nothing seemed to sway her. No amount of talking, and no amount of the passing of time appeared to cool her burning hatred for me.

In the absence of everything else, the Lady was the only thing that made things slightly better. While, at first, she mirrored her daughter's avoidance of me, the more my Master fought with her mother, the more Lady Louise seemed to take pity on me.

It started innocently enough. After another week, I was starting to build up a layer of filth that even I couldn't ignore. Without using words, Lady Louise politely informed me of how my stink was making everyone miserable, and how she was more than willing to amend the affliction.

Not going to lie, fox or not, it was probably the most uncomfortable experience of my life having someone else bathe me. While the Lady made sure to be gentle with her hands, I doubted there was little she could do about the atmosphere. Whatever she thought of me, she had to have known that there was a healthy, young man somewhere inside.

But there were no words she could say to relieve the tension, and music would probably only make the situation worse. So, for minutes that felt like an eternity, there was just the noise of running water.

At least, until she started to sing.

Of course, I could not understand exactly what she was singing about. But the way she spoke the words was soft and almost instantaneously calming. Her words easily filled the tiny space of the bathroom.

For a while, I forgot about the witch who reduced the Stalwart to an emotional mess. Instead, I was reminded of Kat and hearing her sing for the first time while I was battered and bruised. I almost thought of Maple, and hearing her sing for the first time as she burned her mother alive.

I did not want to admit that I was both excited and anxious to see Kat again. She had been alone with Maple for far too long. The things that could have happened to her...that could still be happening...were too painful for words.

But my cowardice had no excuse. I had buried the Dream Sand in a safe location. Stallion had told me where Kat was. The only thing holding me back was my own weakness.

I did not realize the bath was over until Lady Louise had stopped singing. She was careful about lifting me out of the tub. She tried not to be too rough when drying me off with a towel. And, when she was done, she waved me off with a tired smile.

It wasn't until Lady Louise started interacting with me again that I wondered if she feared me. Everything about the day I was changed is little more than a blur. Everything but the the change itself, and the moment when I bit her arm and tasted her blood on my tongue.

I did not want to admit what I would have tried to do if Hornroot had not stopped me that night.

...

*Author's Note*

Well, would you look at that. Foxy seems to be making some progress. It might be painful, it might be awkward, but that's just what it takes to get closer to someone! Let down those inhibitions!

Or Foxy could be doing this all wrong and it'll all end in an awkward, painful mess. Sometimes you gotta roll the dice.

Do you think Foxy is making any progress with the Louise family? What do you think are his best options here, if any at all? Whatever your thoughts, I'd love to hear them!