//------------------------------// // Chapter forty-seven, Neighpon Nitwits: Cuddly Kitsune. // Story: Airship Mauled // by Darkonshadows //------------------------------// -Neighpon late night, Canter Dojo, Moonlight Orphanage, Ryu- I looked over Blade’s written words and had to think about them, her reasoning for wanting to do this was bizarre. Her reasons for coming to ask me to aid in this endeavor were weak. She was not offering much except the fact that I may become a literal star in the sky to aid in the escape of a trapped princess. There wasn’t even a promise I’d ever come back from this either. “I will think on this.” The only thing that made me not deny this was simple, the sheer curiosity of it all. “Ryu-kun?” Silk looked at me with a bit of worry, I walked over to her and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. I did love Silk Tapestry, but I was usually too busy busting heads to really stop and appreciate her presence. It kind of puts a few things into perspective for me, but who would be insane enough to do something like this with no hope for a reward afterwards? Maybe I might be one of these three stars that Blade needs to break the prison, but would I do this and would it really help the world as a whole? If the world stopped existing because of one mare not being let free from her prison… well I know the importance of individuals as much as looking at the full picture. I did own most of the property in the Canter Dojo sector and was a rather important stallion, but the work I did on a daily basis was negligible compared to all the delegation that is keeping things together. The threat of my existence is what kept the peace here, what would happen if I were to wander away for too long without leaving someone to watch things in my stead? What… what would happen to Silk if I never came back? She’s lovely, but she tends to freak out just about anyone who doesn’t know her. She also gives people with arachnophobia heart attacks on sight alone. Still… Silk’s very tough and would probably do her best even if she no longer had my or the organization's support. “I do not know why you are so worried Blade, my brother can take care of himself and he will be completely fine for the night. We can ask around for him tomorrow, he is not very subtle and quiet.” The yak has a brother? I wonder if he’s anything like the kind of brother I have. -Neighpon Noodles, Morning- An armored figured with a large sword on their back noisily made their way into Neighpon Noodles and the vixen on staff just gave him a slightly flat look. “Would you like a table sir?” The orange furred three tailed vixen in question was courteous to all visitors, even the strangely gaudily armored one. “No, I am in great need of directions to an orphanage to slay a vile being!” The armored ponies words just made the vixen roll her eyes. “Father, we have one those types and Sweetcakes still hasn’t come back!” The vixen yelled and the red nine tailed fox stalked over. “Now please move out of the way and stop holding up the line.” The armored figure did go off to the side and was met with the nine tailed proprietor. “Yes, can I help you sir?” The red fox knew what his daughter meant the second he saw the large armored form. “I need the directions to the orphanage where there is said to be a monstrous spider creature, I intend to end its life and any of the unholy ilk it might have.” The armored form just received a calculating look. “Sure, I know exactly what you’re talking about.” The fox nodded after a moment. “So exit the restaurant turn right go straight until you see a large building…” Three minutes later… “So how long do you suppose it will take before he figures out that you’ve duped him father?” The vixen that greeted the incoming customers asked after coming back to her post from finding an available table. “Hopefully not before he makes an ass of himself, I don’t like mercenaries targeting Ryu or Silk Tapestry.” The restaurant was one Ryu frequented enough that the runner of the establishment was generally good friends with Ryu. “It’s bad for business, the kids they take care of are sweet and Ryu doesn’t invest in idiots. He’s the Blazing Hoof and is the dragon of Canter Dojo, whom of which I am glad to be good friends with.” “So where did you send him exactly?” The vixen watched as a grin started to expand across her father’s face. “Don’t worry about that… but if he happens to comes back then deal with him as we would anyone else who is looking to upset a good number of people.” The vixen nodded as the red fox turned away and stalked for the door with his nine tails shifting in an agitated manner. “Now excuse me, I have a wayward daughter to find and a Separate Cloth to maul. That armored mercenary had Separate’s smell on him and I don’t like it that the scum even thought of targeting children.” “Good hunting father.” The vixen said with a bow, then she turned a foxy smile to a well-dressed Diamond Dog that approached her. She knew this customer very well and it looked like he was hungry for some warm buns, hopefully hers as her younger sister Sweetcakes wasn’t around to make some. If anything actually happened to Ryu, then the Mad Mutt of Neighpon would rise up and tear apart whoever took Ryu down. Dodgy Gruff the Mad Mutt didn’t want anyone else to take Ryu down and wanted to win a fight against him, surprisingly Ryu and Mad Mutt were really good friends despite the intention of wanting to beat and or kill Ryu personally. The vixen sighed audibly as he was quite handsome for a Diamond Dog, he was generally polite, quite strong and had the curious ability to pull a baseball bat from out of nowhere without warning. He also had the tendency to do weird or crazy things. -Morning, Neighpon River, Flamberge- I opened my mouth and let out a yawn and then tried to get up. There were a few problems with this, I also felt a strange fluffy weight around my back and wings. Did someone cover me with a blanket while I slept? At least the kappa learned their lesson and really liked properly roasted cucumbers. The things I learned at The Hayburger are still endlessly useful and I had a nice pile of gold to sleep on. They said they wouldn’t bother me unless they wanted something finely roasted and they’d pay for my services in that regard, because I was really good at roasting and frying foods. So who would place a heavy blanket on top of me and didn’t see fit to slide a pillow under my head? My brother maybe, but I think he found some other place to stay last night and Skelly was with him so he’d be fine without his shield. I felt the blanket move on top of me, this kind of clued me into the fact that it wasn’t a blanket. Turning my head slightly I saw the softly snoozing face of a fox… specifically of a vixen variety like the ones me and Blur Step saw at Neighpon Noodles. “Hey, who are you and why are you sleeping me and my small pile of money!” The vixen snorted awake and her sleepy eyes barely opened. “My husband you are, you were very drunk last night, we had a good time.” I just gave the vixen a flat stare. “You saw me sleeping and decided to fall asleep on top of me didn’t you?!” I was not buying what this mischievous minx was selling. She frowned at me and then didn’t say anything at all. Yes, Flamberge three and the world five hundred and seventy six! Also, now that I look at her, her appearance was vaguely like what... “What are you doing with my daughter?!” Like what the now screaming red nine tailed fox told me one of his daughters looked like. I really couldn’t have avoided her as she came to me. “Hey, this is not what it looks like, she’s the one who decided to sleep with me!” The vixen nuzzled me affectionately after I said that and even licked my cheek, then I realized my mistake. “In the most innocent manner possible mind you!” “Sweet he is father. Can I please keep this nice guy? Many kits we’ll have.” She licked my cheeks again and wrapped her tails around me protectively. “You’re attempt at subterfuge is largely going to be ignored my little Sweetcakes.” The vixen pouted at large male fox. “Also I’m choosing to interpret his words correctly and not out of context because I don’t think it would seriously be that easy.” “How hurtful father, I actually slept with him, shouldn’t you be angry?” I just noticed that this vixen speaks oddly, I gave her father a helpless look. “I’d be angry if he actually did anything to you, your attempts to trick me are laughable and I’m ashamed that you can’t do any better than that Sweetcakes!” Oh thank goodness the guy wasn’t angry that I phrased things wrong, this thankfully wasn’t going to lead to one of those zany misunderstandings you hear about in romance novels. “I have a nose daughter, I would smell if something more intimate had happened between you two.” The vixen wrapped herself tighter around me and whined pitiably. “I wish to date him. He smells quite attractively nice. I would pay a price.” She smiled and cuddled up to me. “Do I get a say in this or is this me being railroaded?!” Foxes in general are cute creatures, but this was a bit much for me. “If she is willing to chase you, then you better get equal say or else that would be slavery on my daughter’s part. Relationships cannot be built on one way streets.” The fox glared at the smaller vixen and she hid her face behind my neck and her whiskers tickled my scales somewhat. “I’d disown her for forcing love, anybody who is a part of my family will not force entrapment on anyone.” “I would be quite fair, if he brushed my lovely fur, cherish him I would.” I could feel her grin digging into my neck. “Why does she talk like that?” My question as met with a grin. “This is my daughter Sweetcakes Crumble Tail, she speaks in haiku and she does it so well.” He chuckled. “As to why? Well she loves haiku and it’s kind of ingrained into her now. There are a few times where she fudges it, but she hardly ever breaks the five seven five rule unless the situation direly warrants it. I will allow my daughter to date you, but she has to get you to agree to it first. Also she offered a price and I already know what she’ll pay for this, she should be glad she said ‘a’ price instead of ‘any’ price.” “What’s the difference?” I asked clearly confused and was wondering why this guy would allow his daughter to date me when he seemed pretty much against the idea previously. “A price means there is haggling involved, any price would mean that I can set the terms as I high as I want them to be thereby making it impossible for her to pay it as she'd give me all the cards to play with.” The fox turned to the vixen. “My child is as bright as she is mischievous, she’s beautiful like her mother and I would protect the world from her.” “Don’t you mean you’d protect her from the world?!” For some reason I believed that the Neighpon Noodles proprietor had misspoken. “No, no, I am definitely protecting the world from her by not letting her out of my sight for too long!” The father insisted and the vixen cuddling me tightened her grip and growled slightly. “What do you offer daughter of mine? The one thing already on the table is that you won’t be causing trouble if you’re busy trying to win him over, he doesn’t seem too interested at this moment.” “I can hear you and I’m right here you know!” The large nine tailed fox ignored me completely as he stared at his daughter. “Can you at least make her let me go? While it would normally feel nice to be cuddled like this, this is getting rather uncomfortable for me and she’s started to latch her claws into my scales. Sure it doesn’t hurt, but I would like to get up and do things today.” “Daughter…” The red fox narrowed his eyes. The vixen eventually whined and finally released me, but one of her tails caressed my back before moving away. “My offer is this, I can’t receive any help, until marital bliss.” She said with a straight face. “You’ve given yourself quite the challenge there, but you still need to put one more thing on offer.” The fox muttered dryly. “Come Sweetcakes, make this much more interesting. Are you devious or not?” “I have an idea, half my power in an orb, to be held by you.” What Sweetcakes just said made no sense to me, but the large red fox reeled back in shock. He eventually calmed down and smiled. “That would do it, but are you sure you want to do that?” He asked and I felt a little out of the loop here about what was going on. She just nodded and smirked. “Well if you survive long enough to grow three more tails, you’ll become a nine tails like your dear old dad in full.” What did he mean by that and what was going on? I was a bit confused here. Focusing all six of her tails together, three of this Sweetcakes' tails started dissolving into energy and swirled into the shaped of a bright pearl. Said pearl fell into the older fox’s paw. “You kept fire, very traditional for a kitsune and makes complete sense with a dragon. Also your healing aspect will help with survival.” He muttered as he looked the orb and the now three tailed kitsune over. “Shape changing, that’s always a keeper. Have fun trying to get yourself a mate, you can still come back when you give up. To lose, all you have to do is ask for your power back before you are married.” “The dice has been cast, whether or not feelings last, family always.” She bowed her head and turned a feral grin to me, I should probably ditch the pile of coins and go find my brother. I should also be running, but some dragon instincts told me to protect the money I’ve earned. I didn’t know what to do here. -Dispel Grace- I busted down the door with a mighty crescent of holy power and charged in. “I will smite all you unholy monsters and your leader!” The various giants in the room just gave me a bored look and one brought a huge club with thick spikes that were twice the size of my body down on me. These ogres would be tough, but I would be victorious or I wasn’t Dispel Grace!