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A Fox in the Snow I almost missed her. There was a rustle on the path, off to my right, a flash of orange. A whimper. The crisp white crumpled beneath my feet, a cacophony with each step as I wandered away from the path. It couldn't have been. They were too rare. But that orange, that color, that sound... you couldn't track them, they left no prints. No one understood exactly what they were, but they were beautiful and sweet and gentle - and had been creatures of myth until just a couple of years ago. The first one captured had made worldwide headlines - real, live fox girl. The kitsune, they called her. A few more had turned up after that, once the owner of the first girl shared some details about what they eat, where they live, what they like. But they were so rare - they left no trace, they left no track, they left no scent... I sighed, my breath a steaming cloud as I looked around - the path was no longer in sight, I had wandered well into the woods and the trees were so much thicker here. I shivered, bringing my fingers to my mouth as I breathed into my cupped hands. I didn't live too far from here, this was my "summer home"... I did it kind of backwards from most people though. I fled the warm weather of the summer to go someplace cold. I had built my own place not far from the Canadian border in northern Alaska and I liked it here. My nearest neighbor was three miles away and it was just me and nature. The perfect place to write. And that's all this chase was, most likely. Just a silly fantasy, wishing for a kitsune of my very own - as if I'd find one in the wilds of Alaska. Rubbing my hands together, I turned and began the trek back to the trail, to my cabin that I had designed and commissioned myself. I got the land for a song, no oil, no resources - just a chunk of tundra to hide from the blazing heat of south Texas where I wintered. My mind turned back toward my story, wondering where my characters would take me next... When I spotted her. Just the tip of her tail, a touch of orange and a tuft of white poking out from the brush. I'm not even sure HOW I spotted it, I had almost missed it... but there she was. I parted the branches of the shrub, my heart racing as I hoped against hope that it was real, that this was real life... And I saw her green eyes close as my own brown ones fell upon her. Her breathing was shallow. Her face was pained. My heart clenched as I leaned closer... and saw the blood, and the bone poking out from her shin. A compound fracture. Kitsune supposedly healed very quickly but without treatment, she would never run again - if she could even heal that break on her own. I pulled out my satphone and dialed the emergency line even as I crawled into the brush to crouch next to her. "Northway Dispatch, what's the emergency?" the voice asked on the other end. "Compound fracture of the tibia," I said matter-of-factly. "I need medical assistance." I rattled off what passed for the address of my cabin as the dispatcher promised that assistance would arrive soon. I bundled her up in my arms, wishing I could feel that soft down right now as I did - she was breathtakingly beautiful. Pale, creamy skin and long, red hair.. I averted my eyes from her mound, glimpsing the fiery patch there unintentionally. Other than being bare ass naked in the tundra, there was little that would reveal her as non-human... except for those ears and that tail. A perfect match in color for with her hair, her tail was bushy and looked incredibly soft, and fox ears poked up from the top of her head, white tipped and twitching. She cried out, the softest, smallest cry as I lifted her from the brush. "Shh," I soothed. "You're hurt. I just want to help you." They couldn't talk, of course - not at first. The oh-so-cleverly-named Vixen, the first kitsune, had learned some words eventually but initially they were little more than wild animals. She would likely bite me if she could, but the heat radiated from her body - she was feverish, not even for her kind. I could feel her warmth through my own layers as I carried her, my feet breaking through the rough packed snow as I trudged back to the cabin. We didn't have to wait long for the Doc. I put a kettle on and fetched as many towels as I could muster. I laid the kitsune on my bed, managing to lose only a bare few moments to staring at her breathtaking, haunting beauty. Those green eyes had caught me - they were impossibly deep. Emeralds in the snow of her flesh. Her lips were an equally deep red, parted with her ragged breaths. They were sentient, kitsune, but animalistic. Feral. Untamed. But there was no intelligence in her eyes now. Only pain. The fever, the aches, must have been agony, and I found myself stroking her hair, running my fingers along the impossibly soft tufts of her ears, even as I laid the cool, damp cloth across her forehead. I wanted nothing more in the entire world than to kiss this girl - not girl... kitsune. It hit me like a truck when I realized that there was a real, actual kitsune in my bed. My hand trembled, my own lips quivering as my heart hurt for the beautiful creature. I was saved by a knock at the door. Doc Murphy was young, dashing - living the life of the frontier medic, dreaming of a wilder time when the world itself wasn't so tame. Days long, long before cellphone towers sprouted across the landscape and supplies could be ordered from Amazon in Anchorage. The wilds out here might have been secluded, but they weren't the frontier days gone by. "Liv," he called as he opened my door. I was unreasonably shocked at the intrusion and it took a moment for me to realize he probably thought I was laid up with a broken leg. "Doc," I responded, stepping out of the bedroom and into the living area where he was knocking the snow off his boots, a heavy black medical bag in one hand. "She's in here." "She?" Doc echoed - I knew his name, Justin Murphy, but he was always Doc to me. "Who's visitin.. " His voice trailed off as he rounded the corner of my room, witnessing my kitsune in all her glory, crumpled on my bed and panting softly. I didn't miss the sudden point in the front of his trousers, either. Kitsune had that effect on many - I certainly wasn't immune, my thoughts still turned toward kissing the creature. "I found her near Moose Creek," I offered, pulling back the cooling towel I had soaked with hot water and laid over her wound. Doc, to his credit, didn't even draw a sharp breath through his teeth the way I had expected - but the protruding bone broke the kitsune's lure on him, and he set to work. It was a tough evening - the cries of the kitsune were horrible as he worked the bone back inside her, as he manipulated her flesh until the inside parts were back inside. She screamed and cried and I had to lash her to the bedposts with belts and blankets so he could work. I sat by her, stroking her cheek, petting her soft ears and promising that it would be over soon, that we didn't want to hurt her even as Doc did just that. I hoped she was intelligent enough to see that we had her best interests at heart. Even with the morphine he had given her, the pain must have been incredible to draw out those animal wails - her metabolism burned through the medicine too quickly, he had pondered aloud. He told me he was afraid of giving her too much - he was no expert on kitsune. But who was? She survived. By the end, my bed was covered in blood and piss and my poor kitsune was passed out - from the pain or the drugs, I'd never know, but she slept while he wrapped her leg in the cast. I'd have to take her to the city at some point, but that was a ways off. I needed to get her stable - fed, cleaned, healed some - before we made that seven hour drive. And I had to figure out what I needed to do to legally claim her before I did that. Taking a real, live kitsune into town without some proof that she was mine was asking for her to be snatched right from under me and there was no guarantee the local lawmen would have her best interests at heart at all. They'd probably sell her off to some rich oil asshole before I could blink. I had some research to do. * * * It had been two days since Doc Murphy had left. He had sworn himself to secrecy while I figured everything out - he was a good guy, a good friend. I was lucky to know him. I did my best to get water and medicine - antibiotics and painkillers - into her but Kit... and yes, I realized what an impossibly stupid name I had given her but it was how I thought of her already, so it stuck... didn't make it easy. She wasn't awake for long and when she was it was whimpers, whines, and cries. The supplies I needed had come in and while it wasn't easy to thread an unconscious fox-girl's tail through a small hole in the back of a diaper, I managed. There was something sexy about the puffy plastic-covered underwear on the girl... I couldn't quite put my finger on it, though. Maybe it was just because that was what they always wore on TV. The only other thing she wore was a solid steel collar - seamless - with a single, round, dangling tag. Kit Olivia Lewis Northway 726-555-8762 The tag wouldn't come off easily, and neither would the collar. It wasn't enough to make a legal claim, but it would certainly help. I was still working on that part. In fact, I was still working on that very conundrum when I heard her rustling around in the bedroom. I rose from my seat and tried my best not to rush to her, walking calmly through my cabin to my bedroom. I had made her a bedroll on the floor after I had cleaned up my bedding - but the pillows and blankets were everywhere when I entered the room. It was impossible that she had made such a mess without making a noise... but quiet came naturally to them. She was sitting on the floor, her red tail whipping back and forth wildly as she tugged fiercely on the leash that kept her tied to the leg of the bed. She whimpered with effort, a wince coming to her face as she shifted wrong and her leg hurt her. She was trying with everything she had to pull free, but I had chosen the reinforced leash I had for a reason. "Hey there, Kit," I called softly from the doorway. Her head whipped around, leveling those breathtaking eyes upon me as her brows arched together. She scooted away, her back pressed against the nightstand as she whimpered. She looked so human, but at the same time... not. There was a fire in her eyes, an inner light that shone around that slit pupil - no human had eyes like that, not naturally. She looked like she had eyeliner on, but I knew that was just part of her natural coloring. I stepped cautiously toward her, moving slowly and holding my hands up, palms up, in what I hoped would be a nonthreatening gesture. After three steps, she tried to dart away, dropping low until her breasts were almost touching the floor and attempting to crawl away with what I was sure would have been incredible speed... but the leash held fast. She turned and tugged again, grunting in frustration as she looked at me and whined. "I can't let you go," I explained, as though she could understand me. "Your leg is hurt... " And you're mine now. I couldn't seem to voice that last thought even though I knew in my heart that I would never release her. She would never be wild again, she would be mine forever... "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. I want to help you." Reaching the foot of the bed, I pulled a small container of jerky from the bag of supplies, drawing out a piece and holding it up so she could see it. "Here you go, Kit," I said soothingly, holding out the fragrant meat. Her back was against the nightstand again, the leash pulled taut as she still tried to escape. I set the jerky down between us and backed away, kneeling and waiting. "Go on," I nodded at the food. "You must be hungry. You haven't eaten in two days." The plastic of her diaper rustled as she leaned forward gracefully, snatching the jerky from the floor with shocking swiftness and holding it to her mouth, sniffing it before biting into it with her sharp teeth. So human... and yet so very not. I took another piece from the bag, setting it a little closer to me before I sat down on the ground and waited. She stared it it, and me, for many long moments, motionless. I wouldn't believe she was real if I hadn't carried her here myself. She was surprisingly light - I wondered how tall she stood at her full height. I wasn't exactly big and I had carried her back to the cabin - quite a hike - easily. She stared but didn't move for the longest, but from everything I had read, patience was the key with kitsune. I watched passively, not pushing the jerky closer, not calling her, not enticing her... just waiting. I had time, she wasn't going anywhere. And eventually, she scooted forward slightly and snatched the small piece and stuffed it into her mouth, drawing a soft laugh from me which sent her scrambling backward and cowering. I cursed myself silently as I set out another small piece, just very slightly closer to me, and waited. It took no fewer than twenty-six small tidbits of jerky, but eventually... I got her to take one from my hand. "Liv," I said softly as I pointed to myself. She wasn't retreating all the way back to the nightstand now, she hadn't for the past several pieces. I offered a much larger piece, one that would take her a while to gnaw, as I pointed to her and said, "Kit." She reached for the larger piece tentatively, carefully, and I ran my fingers along hers as she took the jerky - she was soft. Very soft. Impossibly soft. My fingertips tingled ever so slightly where I had caressed her hands. The energy between us was electric... and she was crawling toward me. Her eyes looked different now, hungry in a new way, those deep green jewels staring deep into my own eyes... I jolted at her touch, finding myself rearing back as her face came so close to mine. And she sniffed me! Her nostrils flaring as she apparently took in my scent. Just before she snapped at me, those sharp teeth snapping closed uncomfortably close to my face, her neck and shoulders straining at the end of the leash. Without even thinking, before the shock of how bad that almost was kicked in, I reached up and smacked my hand in a downward motion, right across her nose. The kitsune yelped and collapsed to the floor, covering her nose with her very human hands - but those quite inhuman teeth had almost taken a chunk of my face. "Bad girl," I scolded, my hand shaking with adrenaline as I reached forward, threatening. I had worked with dogs enough to know not to cower in front of one - I had let myself forget that she was a wild animal. No matter how much like a beautiful girl she appeared to be, she was a feral creature, wounded and trapped in a place that was not her habitat. She whined and scooted away from me, her diapered rear in the air, her tail drooping between her legs as she tried to make herself seem smaller. It was only then that the gravity of the near miss caught up with me. I stood quickly and left the room without a backwards glance - that would be showing weakness. Once I got to the kitchen, I unsteadily moved through the motions of making myself a coffee. She almost bit me, my mind reeled. She could have taken off my nose with one bite! That wasn't a thing they ever showed on the shows - kitsune were always shown as docile, obedient, loving... but the creatures paraded on the talk shows were owned, broken in. Would Kit ever reach that point? Should I keep her? I wanted to. She was gorgeous - and kitsune supposedly made amazing companions. I was beyond lucky at having found her - and she was lucky I had been the one to do so. I wanted to keep her out of a desire to help her heal, to love her, for her to be my companion. Another person might have wanted her to sell her, to study her, to dissect her. I barely knew her but I knew that I wanted to love her, and earn her love. I was startled from my reverie by a ripping sound, the sound of tapes... "Oh hell," I grumbled, heading back into the bedroom. Sure enough, Kit had torn off the diaper and thrown it across the room. "Kit!" I cried, grabbing a fresh one from the pack. "Bad girl!" My heart broke as she withered, shrinking away from me and whimpering. She curled up on the floor, her ears flat back against her hair, that bushy tail wrapped around her knees as she shook. I leaned down cautiously - ready to jerk my hand back and away from those teeth - and stroked her nose gently, sliding my fingertips smoothly along her skin. She winced and tensed at first, but relaxed quickly. I set the diaper on the bed and reached for another piece of jerky, a big one, and guided her up onto the bed, grazing my fingers along her taut stomach. I held up the treat for her, which was quickly taken - and I praised her while I began the task of rediapering her. "Good girl Kit," I cooed as I slid the unfolded diaper underneath her, lifting her hips and guiding them. "Good girl," I soothed as she whimpered, gnawing on the large piece of dried meat. I carefully guided her tail through the hole and powdered her once again as I drew it closed and taped it shut. And not a moment too soon. Not more than a few seconds later, a soft hiss came from the diaper, which grew swollen and yellowed as she went. She had taken off the diaper to avoid this... I was really glad I had caught it in time. Grabbing another piece of jerky, I handed it to her, stroking her stomach for a moment before sliding my hand to the front of her diaper. Positive reinforcement was important at this stage, and associating a wet diaper with pleasant feelings, food, and soothing sounds would keep her from wanting to take it off next time. It was surprising that she had reacted to a verbal scolding so quickly, so thoroughly - but I wasn't going to complain either. Hitting her, even a gentle strike on the nose the way I had, was not something I enjoyed. The jerky gone, she sat up slowly, looking sadly down at her leg in the cast. She scratched at it, her nails scraping along the hardened shell, a soft whimper coming from her throat. It probably hurt. "I know," I agreed with her unspoken complaint, carefully and tenderly stroking her fiery hair. It was softer than I had expected. She flinched at first, but relaxed as I continued. "I know it hurts, and I'm sorry. It's healing. Hopefully Doc got it in time and the bone will set right. You're not exactly well understood, you know? But I don't think you were going to make it out there in the snow with that leg the way it was. I am sorry." I was - Doc had implied that if it wasn't perfect, she might walk with a limp forever, and that was generally a bad thing for a wild animal. I was keeping her, but a lame leg would soothe my conscience. It was a terrible thing to hope for, I felt bad thinking it. The purr she let out caught me by surprise. The meat was gone and her eyes were closed, her hands resting on her stomach, her chin tilted up in the air, her throat bared, her chest heaving... and her hips grinding into my hand. I blushed fiercely as I realized what she was doing - but I didn't pull away, I didn't scold her. She was bonding with me... not quite the way I had intended, but she was being vulnerable in a way I hadn't expected. Her tail thrashed back and forth as she rocked, a low moan coming from her throat. The tip of that fluffy tail brushed against my arm over and over as she bucked, panting against me. I pressed my hand in harder, dragging my nails gently across her side, across her stomach as she moaned a very human-like moan. She shuddered, her tongue lolling as she arched, her moans a crescendo that matched her body. "Good girl," I told her, rubbing the diaper between her legs, encouraging her to savor that afterglow... if a kitsune had such a thing. "Good girl. Kit is a good girl." I wouldn't want her humping my hand all the time, but this was vastly preferable to her trying to bite me, for sure. As she slipped off to sleep, I slipped from the room, blinking with disbelief at the events that had just occurred. There was a kitsune in my bed. And she was mine. In ways I hadn't expected.