Well to be honest I have never actually written anything in my life (apart from when made to under threat of death by my school teachers) so I hold a lot of skeptalism on the quality of what I shall write. I hope for the best of course but I have never been really skilled in writing an interesting story.

Any spelling mistakes or errors that anyone can see in any of my posts I would be extremelly grateful if you could point them out to me so I can correct them with post haste.

Also on the point of the PG-13 rating, I was raised with "different" parental guidelines meaning I had absolutely no guidelines whatsoever and therfore I may overstep slightly now and again as I have difficulty discerning what is suitable for specific age ratings. If this does happen please point it out as I would like to keep this as approvable as possible. Of course I will try my best and I definatly wont put in anything even remotely extreme but anything that does overstep just point it out.

So I should probably go ahead now and finish writing the first chapter now. Many thanks.

If you ever are not sure if something goes over the PG13 rating, just send it to someone (probably Copper) in a PM and see.
That way you know before it gets posted.

Amen to that. The mods are here for exactly that sort of thing, and it's nice to have any potential issues sorted out privately beforehand-- I know this from personal experience.

Best of luck with your writing endeavors, Wolfy.
GunRacer

As long as theres not a lot of blood (or swearing) and you dont bring up any controversial subjects, you should be fine

Please do write a fanfic. I am sure it will be enjoyable. As for the rating, try for PG, and you should never get passed PG-13. I'll be around to point out if you go over.

As for mistakes, well, in your first post.....


Skeptalism should be skepticism

The "with is unnecessary. I will correct them post haste is acceptable and is more often used.

Also, you missed a lot of commas, but thast's it. You are doing great!

Well here goes, and please critisism would be appreciated as I am attempting to improve my story making abilities so anything wrong even the trivial matters would go a long way to help. Many thanks!


Housepets fanfiction. Living with change.PG 13.

Chapter 1. Rules are there for a reason.

Every single being on Earth has got their own opinion on who runs the planet. Every great or indeed bad leader has their own little scrap of land that they preside over. But these are only individual countries. The big question is who runs the planet as a whole? While everyone likes to think they are a major part of life they all unanimously fail to understand the bigger picture, who or indeed what is it that controls everyone at once? Choice is seen as a freedom. People believe that their choices can influence things from simply waking up a little later or to huge decisions that can affect millions. This is only partly true. While people are allowed choices what they do not realise is how limited these choices are…or that sometimes it is not even their own choice to begin with. Which brings us to the question of who makes all the choices for these people. There are only a few select individuals on the planet that know the truth, these individuals are called avatars. Outside of them only their most trusted friends know.

Everyone or everything ever made has a purpose. They don’t realise but every decision they make of their own “free will” is actually all part of a delicate plan. This plan is nothing more than a game to those that play it, and those that play it toy with everyone’s lives like a child would a doll. They manipulate people and events for their own purposes simply to make things a little more interesting, but all for the purposes of a single end. Winning. Every individual (a more fitting word would be entity) who plays this game has their own plan for what happens to the world when they win. Every time line contains a different outcome, as even the same players will have different goals in another time line. Unfortunately being an entity of a higher power doesn’t automatically mean they actually care about the welfare of the lives they manipulate and so many worlds in many different time lines have already come to the conclusion of their game. Some versions of the Earth have been spared, with a generally pleasant entity having won the game whereas others have simply been eradicated. Billions of lives lost in a flash all due to one genocidal decision.

In most time lines the action is centred on one location, Babylon gardens. No one knows why but the high level of spiritual activity that occurs here allows a certain randomness to occur that even these game players cannot foresee, thereby making this area the most interesting place to center their game. Events may occur outside of this little community but the majority of the most important “pawns” reside here, and everyone that will ever find themselves mixed up as a major piece will at some point have some sort of direct or even indirect action on the community, be it good or otherwise. And in every time line the rules and the game itself remain the same, it is a game similar to what the mortals call dungeons and dragons but on a universal scale. In one time line the game itself and all those it affects have been put in danger by those who play.

Somewhere in the universe, a sort of nether region which exists only for the purposes of holding the game. (And for hiding in when your mother grounds you for accidentally blowing up a cosmos or two)

This area can be described as a sort of Tardis. Its entire surface area measure little more than a speck of dust if that, and yet inside there is enough space for everything that ever was, is, could, or will be to fit inside at once. Inside is a table upon which lies a curiously designed board. What is so curious is how the board looks like a town and even has moving characters as if they were real. Also occupying the table is a random assortment of confectioneries all of which could easily dwarf a sun. Three chairs face the table, two more standard ones facing each other whereas the third, a more luxurious one sits at the head. In this seat sits what could only be described as a Kitsune. His fur was the whitest white you will ever see and his very being radiated immense power. His posture was upright and spoke volumes of his importance…well it would if he were not face planted onto the table due to sheer exasperation. The reason for this so undignified position, a blue Griffin and a green Dragon who occupied the other two chairs and had been squabbling with each other for the past twelve hours.
'It’s not as if they are even shouting about all the thousands of rules each other has broken any more, oh no now they just have just started calling each other names and other petty insults. Don't they even realise that to break the rules is more or less a automatic forfeit. Lucky I am so patient and forgiving. However I may need to take action to stop them from breaking any more.' The kitsune thought to himself.
Too late however as a particularly snarky remark from the dragon caused the griffin to launch himself forwards sending the table flying. They rolled around for a few seconds before a flash of brilliant white light engulfed the scene. When it faded they found themselves suspended in mid-air staring into the furious eyes of the Great Kitsune.
“She starte-” began the griffin before being cut off.
“Shut up” snarled the Kitsune. “How dare you two act this way. You are both old enough to have the responsibility of playing this game and yet you act like squabbling children throwing insults and even fighting. You two have just broken one of the most sacred rules of the game 'respect the other players' You have now both broken pretty much the entire booklet of rules with little heed for what could happen in the game itself as a result. Do you have any idea how many anomalies now exist?”

“I’m sorry great Kitsune but what do you mean by anomalies?” The dragon asked, a look of puzzlement clearly etched on her face. “Every time a rule is broken a sort of temporal shift occurs. Choices are made wrongly which could drastically alter the outcome of the game. Events are now occurring which should never occur. The wrong choices are now as I speak being made which could lead to the possible collapse of the game itself. Events in the past may even have changed which could and probably have altered the world now. For both your sakes this had better not have happened. Now do you have anything to say for yourselves?”
“I am truly sorry great Kitsune I…I didn’t know how serious the consequences were. But I am ready to do everything I can to solve this problem.” Murmured the Dragon sheepishly.
“Tch. Oh come on Madame 'do what’s right' it's hardly our fault there are pretty much a bazillion rules so what if we accidentally break one, or two. Or a few thousand.”
“I said shut up Pete” The great Kitsune replied coldly. Then with a tired sigh he turned to Dragon “These problems can’t be solved by spiritual entities like us. Only a mortal can help and not one from Babylon gardens either. That place is the centre of all this and even your avatars will be powerless to do much, I don't fully know why but heaven wont allow mortals who are already involved in our game to make any huge changes in a situation like this. They can help of course but can have no part bigger part than the sidekicks that heroes have on TV. In the meantime I am putting the game on standby. Nothing occurs here until everything has returned to normal, am I clear?” A gasp came from the other players. Players had been expelled temporarily and even indefinitely but never had the game itself been stopped. The seriousness of the situation finally becoming apparent (even to Pete) and so both players nodded solemnly. “We must do all that we can to keep the time line from collapsing but I will have to find someone to fix everything. With a little luck the problems may not be so severe but even so I shall require that individual to monitor both of your every progress within the game when I decide to restart it. And no complaints! If either of you break any more rules then you are out...forever.” And with another blinding white flash everything within the Tardis speck had vanished each, entity rushing off to their appointed task with as much haste that could be mustered.

Babylon gardens. Approximately 1:30am give or take a few minutes depending on whose clock you go by. Tarot’s house

“Are you sure about how serious the situation is?” asked the golden coloured Pomeranian, sipping a cup of herbal tea.
“We are currently unsure of what has changed but we do know that it has the potential to be catastrophic. We only hope that the changes are few and far enough to be righted with ease”
“Hmm, I am also curious as to whom this outsider is. You say he or she will attempt to help us?” Tarot asked sceptically.
“It is not like the great Kitsune to lie so yes but as I said earlier Pete and I are unsure about all this.. Though he or she will need yours and Sabrina’s help. You may need to give more than a little help to King if he is to understand what is fully going on, you know as well as I do how much of a jerk Pete is so I doubt he will tell King much especially now that the two of them are being timed out. My time is up so I must leave now, just remember the game is temporarily suspended so we wont be able to offer much support if any. Do your best I know you can, just please be careful with whom you trust.” And with a flash of green light the dragon disappeared leaving behind a sense of unease. “OK so pretty much we are on our own. Let us hope the minor spirits can still be of use to us” Tarot said turning to the black cat sitting next to her.
Sabrina looked at Tarot and swished her tail anxiously. “She chose well. I only hope we are strong enough for this.” The pair of females got up from the padded chairs they were sitting in and headed for the kitchen. Tonight was to be a long night filled with spell casting in preparation for the events that may take place. The task made harder by the sheer weight of responsibility on the two girl’s shoulders. But first things first some more tea is always a welcoming prospect.

The same time, a few streets away. Inside Babylon gardens park.

“Okay King you need to do your best to be helpful to whoever the Kitsune picks. I know how pretty useless you will be when it comes to the spiritual events but at least try to make him or her feel welcome.”
“Wow Pete you surely do know how to complement someone don’t you” The small Welsh Corgi called King replied sarcastically. “You almost sounded sincere. Why do you even care? I thought mischief and destruction was your forte”
“Because you insolent little mutt if the game collapses then the resounding ripple could not only destroy this time line but it could knock out every single parallel universe ever made. There would be no sweet victory as there will be nothing. Even I will be gone, do you understand now? And once we are done with this little time out session and you are back to being my avatar I assure you I will achieve my victory.”
The blue Griffin known as Pete did not sound too bothered about the destruction of the world as he was with the idea of himself dying but King decided not to test his patience. One learnt that sort of skill when dealing with all powerful entities. Instead he simply replied “Fine I will do my best to be the sweet little friend but it had better be worth it, I am not gonna babysit some snivelling child. I assume it will be a pet though wont it?” A shrug from Pete did little to calm his nerves though.
“I will say one thing though and both Dragon and myself agree on this so try to understand the depth of what I am trying to tell you...if you can (which I highly doubt). Rules have been broken before, however a situation such as this has never arose. Therefore this may be a hoax and Kitsune's intent is simply to lower our guard about his guest. This guest may even be simply an obstacle in our path to winning the game. Like a really hard boss battle that is meant to catch you out on one of your tiresome little video games. So stay alert and talk to Tarot. Heaven knows she might actually help you understand a few things.”“Yeah I will try to be best friends with the person I can't trust. Coz you make things so easy don't you?”
“Before I depart from your lovely little community here may I ask why you are outside?. It's hardly warm”
“The wolf cubs used me as a tackle bag, this is the only safe place” Heavy laughter was all that could be heard before a blue flash of light appeared and Pete disappeared, King's ears lowered and he sighed.

Somewhere within the infinite expanse of space

The great Kitsune not sat, more floated in a sitting position in deep thought. OK so he may have over exaggerated a bit especially about the whole collapsing universe bit but at least he could finally start to make plans for the game without having all that squabbling. Plus having someone to monitor the entities is a nice idea. He really was sick and tired of them breaking the rules. As game master he could enforce the rules but as dungeon master he wasn't allowed to directly interfere with the players. 'So find a mortal perhaps give said mortal enough powers to do a tidy job of any problems created by breaking the rules' and there would be problems, he had not lied about that. And he had not lied about there being possible serious consequences for changes in the pre designed choices. Even in Babylon gardens, the choices made could be predicted...to an extent. But now there is no telling what could happen. 'And as an added bonus I can use whoever it is as means of stopping both players and winning the game itself. I am allowed a little fun and it is my job to stop them from winning. Plus it is always nice to see players struggle against my obstacles. Picking is going to be hard though. I need someone strong of spirit. But I am not allowed to steal people away from families. I need their permission. Hmm sometimes these rules really are a pain in the- hello, what have we here?'.In his head the great Kitsune could hear the voices of everyone who was an eligible candidate. But one voice in particular caught his attention. The level of desperation in that voice and the simple sentence that it repeated combined with the willpower to make itself heard was immense even though the voice itself was in a completely different time line. 'Yes you will do nicely'. In a flash he was gone the pleading words whispering over and over, like a record player that had gotten stuck.
“Help us. Please somebody help us.”

This is.....wow, i've never seen someone go so far into the three nerds, let alone an entire chapter based around their personalities and thoughts, i can't wait to see what comes next

A very interesting story so far. I can't wait to see where you take it. So Kitsune wants to win as well, eh?

So in this timeline, King is still Pete's avatar. Poor King...

A few little mistakes.


The word you are looking for is Preside, not precede.



This is awkward and incorrect grammatically. It could be changed in a couple ways.


You missed the period at the end of that sentence, the tense was not quite uniform, and you missed a comma.

There were a few more, but nothing too bad, and most of the remaining mistakes looked like it was just because you did not go back and look closely at everything.

This looks to be interesting. I look forward to it.

I always seem to miss out the most obvious things. I think my English teacher wanted to rip her hair out

I am also not sure about the last paragraph where the Kitsune is thinking to himself. I may have flooded it with full stops a bit too much.



Thanks. I wanted to delve deeper into how the game actually affects the world, we all know they want to win but I was never sure exactly what the results of their victory would actually be. The planet itself is, in a way, a giant D&D board game for them so I thought that maybe the GM would be able to have the sort of control over the planet as someone would in a normal game.

Chapter 2. From bad to worse.

Travelling between dimensions is not an easy task so to speak. You are crossing barriers that were never meant to be disturbed. The barriers form a defence capable of either stopping or destroying all those who try to cross, unless they knew exactly what they were doing of course.

None of this even entered the great Kitsune's mind as he broke through layer after layer in his intent to reach his target. So great is his power that he could navigate his way through with his eyes closed. 'But miss the chance to see that spectacular view? Never!' He thought to himself. He may not look like one who was thoroughly interested in the wonders of the universe but he couldn't deny what a spectacular sight the zone beyond the final barrier was. Imagine a fine painting or better yet every painting ever created. Now put all of them into the same room together, this room still paled in comparison to what lay in-between the boundaries of time, It was a multitude of patterns and colours, each one symbolizing an entrance to a different time line and each one containing layer upon layer of protection. Crossing was meant to be a last ditch effort in a time of great peril and anybody who made the attempt without consent either perished along the journey or was destroyed as punishment upon their return. The view was probably what made it most dangerous, one single glance is all that is required to completely captivate a lesser beings attention, and once captivated the lucky ones find themselves crushed against the boundaries by the sheer forces that are applied to their bodies, the unlucky ones are trapped forever in a never ending spiral in an ageless zone. None of this of course entered his mind and the great Kitsune smiled in anticipation as he reached the final barrier of this time zone.

A resounding boom echoed through space as he crossed, causing a ripple effect to occur and spread across the planet.

Tarot's house.

“Why is he crossing the barrier? Wouldn't someone from this time zone be a lot more convenient?”
“Convenient, maybe my dear Sabrina but suitability is everything. You know this better than most do.”
“Well he could of at the very least had the courtesy to warn us about when he would cross, this was a priceless china set!” Huffed Sabrina as she swept up what remained of the tea mugs. She passed the cloth hanging from the radiator to Tarot so that she could soak up the spilt tea.
“Well I can pretty much guarantee he didn't tell us on purpose...and timed it exactly.” The Pomeranian replied. “And besides as long as he gets it done fast I am not too worried about having to make small home repairs.”
“Yeah I hear you. I guess I'm just worried, what happens if Fido gets affected by all this?”
Tarot dropped the cloth she was using and grabbed Sabrina's shoulders. She took on a serious expression as she looked her straight in the eyes. “Listen to me, as your friend I can assure you that any changes will not be permanent. Everyone affected by this has forgotten a choice they have made somewhere in their life, but if we solve it quickly the new memories wont have time to take hold, their old memories are locked away but not forgotten. Do you understand? They CAN remember and if anything has happened to Fido then I promise you we will get him back. You two have already struggled through enough to be together!”
“Thank you Tarot.” Sabrina whispered as she embraced her friend. “If he is all right then I'll see if I can get Fido to take care of whoever is coming here and help the poor kid get used to the change in life, I know I can rely on him for these things.” She winced at the sudden sound of a crash from upstairs. “Oh please don't say that was the mirror.” Tarot could only smile at the perplexed look on the black cat's face as she ran upstairs, a smile that was quickly cut short as an uneasy thought entered her mind.
'Crossing over is only allowed when the danger is too great for one time zone to handle. I don't think Dragon realises how serious the situation is! I just hope Kitsune does.'

Arbelt household.

Thud is the sound an orange cat falling out of bed makes when he is woken up in the middle of the night by a strange booming noise. 'Thud'
“ARRG!” was the only response Marvin could make as his body crashed onto the floor. He looked around his room with confusion as he searched for the mysterious sound that had so rudely interrupted one of his many sacred catnaps.

The fruitless search was cut short by his overwhelming need to sleep, he did have an important day planned for later after all.
'Wait since when did I have something planned today? Oh yes now I remember, I am spending the day with...but we never hang out...do we? Yes of course we do, how could I forget all the days we spent together. And besides we have been planning today for... why can't I remember? We were talking about this all day yesterday, trying to get everything organised...for what? I still can't remember...actually come to think about it, what did I spend all day doing yesterday? I know, I will talk about it tomorrow to...to who am I talking to it about? Oh yes I remember, but we never talk...do we? Arrg I'm so confused. Okay I will just go back to bed and sort everything out in the morning when I can think properly.'

And with an irritated flick of his tail Marvin climbed back into his bed, the strange noise already forgotten as more pressing matters filled his thoughts.

Byron household

The door to the spare room opened as a shadowy figure crept inside. Careful not to make too much noise on the creaky floor the figure crept towards the corner next to the window. The figure reached for the light switch and flicked it on. Light filled the room to reveal Fido standing with a confused expression. Everything felt normal, at least he thought it did 'So why do I feel uneasy?' He walked to the spare wardrobe but hesitated before opening it. Something felt wrong but he couldn't work out what it was.
'Wait why am I scared to open a wardrobe in my own house? I have been trained to deal with far worse. Wait, trained where?'
He couldn't stand the tension any longer and pulled open the wardrobe. There was nothing exceptionally special in there, just some clothes that wouldn't fit in the upstairs wardrobe. Fido reached in and pulled out a K9 jacket.
'Why does Ryan have a K9 jacket? He isn't thinking of sending me to the academy is he? Maybe Sargent Ralph can tell me what is going on...who is Sargent Ralph?

Unknown.

All it felt was hunger. All it knew was hunger. While its origin is unknown, its intent was clear. To consume. It was content to lie there in stasis and feed off the released energy the mortals gave off. The ones that the spiritual entities were unknowingly feeding to it.
Somehow the energy flow has stopped. It is getting hungry again. Slowly but surely it is awakening.

Through the barrier.

'Oops! This definitely wont go unnoticed.' No matter what the time of day it is the sound of every car alarm going off in your immediate vicinity is bound to draw attention. It seemed about late evening in this time zone, though he couldn't establish what country he had arrived in. Already there were people emerging from their houses. 'I had better find my target ASAP. I would rather be back as soon as I can.' Easier said than done however, finding one specific voice in a metaphorical sea of voices is not an easy task. It takes a certain degree of patience and experience, both of which the great Kitsune had in spades. Minutes ticked past as below him the residents of their homes searched about for the disturbance which had set off all their car alarms.

'Got you'. he said grinning triumphantly. Looking down, he noticed the milling citizens 'Phh, as if you could ever find me'. He shot off towards the source of the calling voice, a simple snatch and grab was out of the question. He would need to find a way to convince his target to come with him, he was not willing to degrade himself to the standards of Pete after all. 'And speaking of Pete, I really must get this whole situation between him and King sorted out. His avatar may have been moving along at a great pace but all these little spats are really starting to hinder their progress. Hmm, maybe I can get my little helper to solve it. Definitely would be worth a try! And of course if Pete refuses to cooperate I can always tell Cerberus to have a few “words” with him.'
He grinned at the idea of them two meeting again. Last time didn't go too well for poor Pete, he tried to deny it of course but most of heaven saw them at it. The current speculation is she broke one of his wings, and that was because he tried to steal from heaven and (perhaps the most important part) he forgot how many years they were married for. This time around he would be refusing to carry out an order from the GM himself and the GM's orders came from heaven. So technically he would be refusing an order from heaven itself. 'I think I may actually enjoy seeing that!' he thought smiling widely. It wasn't often he was allowed a bit of fun after all.

Location: England. County: classified by order of heaven, article 18, subsection 3.

As far as houses go the one the great Kitsune was heading towards was not shabby and didn't suffer from mass deprivation. By normal house standards it was fairly decent maybe even bordering on quite well off. Of course there were a few problems but that could be boiled down to a lack of funds instead of lack of care. There was a single car parked just outside the driveway with a caravan attached to the back. The tire marks on the driveway suggest another car usually occupied the space. Its absence was questionable especially considering how late into the evening it was getting. Inside the car and the caravan were most of a households worth of furniture and commodities. The house itself was almost bare, a few things were scattered around but the majority had been removed.

Inside the caravan were two figures sitting on opposite sides of a sofa, their attention mostly fixed to the scene playing on their individual DS consoles.
“I don't care what you think, I am bringing her out and I will pown you with her!” The girl remarked. She was only fourteen years old, barely a teenager but was tall enough to almost look eye to eye with the boy despite the four year age difference.
“I am telling you she wont do anything, you can't win with her. Why don't you bring something stronger along next time?” Though competing against each other he was still offering his help and support, despite the girl being completely stubborn about what she wanted to do. This simple act spoke volumes about the connection these two had with each other.
“No! Kitty beats all and that's final.” She clicked the throw button and summoned her last ditch attempt to win. A cat appeared on screen emitting a mewing sound. As if on cue the girl squealed.
A sigh was all that the boy responded with as they both attacked. Being faster the cat got its hit in first...and had little effect, much to the girl's dismay. The boy however hit with overwhelming force, instantly KO'ing her cat.
“See told you, Cobalion beats Liepard. You do realize scratch, being normal, has no effect as I am a steel type? If you are going to get better at Pokemon you need to learn type advantages properly. And not go for the weak ones simply because they make you squeal.”
“A: Shut up. B: Shut up and C: Liepard beats all since she is megacuteness!”
The boy's response was cut short by a knock at the caravans door. The two exchanged a glance. Mum couldn't be finished already, she was having a last bath before they set out. But what if he had come ba- no it was too early and he had made it clear he was staying out for a long time. Possibly even a few days. So if it wasn't either of them then who was it?
The boy crept towards the door signalling the girl as he went. She nodded and picked up a knife from the kitchen. All playfulness completely gone, as if it were never there in the first place. Her gaze became an emotionless mask of stone as she got to the other side of the door. The boy looked at her proudly, all those years he had spent protecting and training her for the future were showing. With a final nod at the girl he twisted the door handle and opened it, hoping she was hidden from the view of this late intruder.

The door opened, revealing something the boy did not expect in the slightest. There was no thug looking for an easy target nor a homeless man wanting some change. Instead the person standing at the door was completely out of the ordinary. Like a object that somehow didn't fit in a room even if it were surrounded by other completely identical objects. The individual was dressed entirely in white, from a smart, white pair of trousers to a white blazer and even a dazzling white top hat. He smiled warmly at the surprised boy.
“Ah I have been looking for you for quite a distance now. May I come in? You can tell your little sister to put away the knife I don't intend to cause any harm. I have a bit of a proposition for one of you and I am positive you will want to hear it.” And with that he smiled. It was a strange smile, seemed not wolf like but close, almost fox like. Their was something strangely intriguing about this well dressed character. The boy nodded warily and stepped aside motioning for the girl to stand down. She complied but read his intent perfectly and kept herself poised ready to spring to action at the first sign of trouble.

Universal plane: specific location: unknown

The Blue griffin's ears perked up. He smiled and turned to the green dragon.
"Well dragon I believe first contact has been made.”
"Ppph, please, remember that last premonition you had, the one which turned out to just be gas?”
A cold stare was his only reply.

Authors note

I originally intended this chapter to be longer but I am waiting for a final decision from my sister. Hopefully she will decide soon.

Hmm... so Kitsune is about to find his mark, eh? I hope it is the girl.

So Pete has premonitions... or has an irritable bowel. Not sure which.

So Fido has no idea. This could mean trouble.

Housepets: living with change. Chapter 3
The beginning of change.

England. Inside a caravan. Outside the targets house.

“So what do you think, yes or no?”
“Hmm, you want to know what I think do you? I think you should leave our property right this second.”
It took Kitsune a second to comprehend that sentence. Never had anyone dared to speak to him like that before. He was an all powerful being! He could atomise this mortal with a click of his fingers! This was...was... quite refreshing. He had never come across such a child before. Pity he was unnecessary. It was the girl he wanted. Though it seems like they both have the same spiritual strength it felt as though the boy was...scared to use it? 'He is no use to me if he doesn't even want to use his spirit. Though he is stronger I doubt he would be able to put those nerds into their place. The girl it will have to be.'
The boy continued his sentence, not giving Kitsune a chance to respond.
“Are you some sort of comedian? Because if you are you are packing some pathetic jokes.”
'Okay too far.' “I'm sorry, what part of my proposal did you fail to understand?”
“The bit where you opened your mouth to speak.”
“Just because you don't have the intellect to understand what I am saying!”

The girl watched this soon to be shouting match with growing interest. She knew that when it came down to protecting both of them her brother would take on anything. He was reluctant to act but when he did...well she knew it was best to stay out of his way, he had proved that in the past. She still remembered what he had done to that bully who stole her headphones. She never knew someone’s arm could twist all the way round that far.
To tell the truth, the smartly dressed weirdo's proposal did sound rather intriguing. Of course she barely paid attention even if it was directed at her. (she never could be bothered with listening to people) but what little she had heard was enough to spike her interest. 'I think he must be drunk or something. Oh but what if it were true? What if there really was another place, a better place...a safer place? But no it just seems too unrealistic, and besides that would mean us all splitting up and neither of us would abandon each other or mum even if the proposal sounded as good as this. Hmm I had better stop them, they look really mad.'

“ENOUGH!” Both boy and disguised entity looked at her with surprise if suddenly remembering her presence.
“What my brother wants to say is, we are intrigued by your offer but as it sounds totally unrealistic and you can't offer up any evidence it cannot be accepted. Plus neither of us will abandon the other so either we go as a family or no one goes. End of story, good bye and have a nice day.”

The great Kitsune was surprised to find himself dismissed by a child. He would probably be mad if he didn't find the idea of it so amusing.
Before the door had even slammed shut behind him he had begun to scheme up a plan.
'I suppose I could go all mystical on them give them a light show, show them my true form and other such wonders. I have no doubt THAT would convince them I am telling the truth...hmm but I only need one of them. Their bond is stupidly strong, in fact I haven’t seen a stronger bond in all my existence. I can readily bet that they would willingly go as far as sacrificing themselves to save the other. How quaint. ARRG The pair of them would be unstoppable, such a pity I am only allowed one, the other would just be excess baggage for the journey and I would get reprimanded for doing so. Hmm, my orders from heaven were clear but maybe just maybe I can convince the court to allow me one small favour.'

With a click of his fingers the great Kitsune vanished and reappeared in this time line's spiritual plane. He was a long way away from his usual spot but he could still send and receive messages, it would just take a while. He could only hope it was all sorted out in time. He was starting to get a really bad feeling. Like something was approaching, he just wasn't sure what.


The great Kitsune was correct. Something WAS approaching, he just would never had guessed what it was in a million years.

It had followed him to this universe. Not fully, its energy force was still located in its original position, but with just a slight flick of its mind part of it had followed into the burst stream Kitsune had created when he crossed time zones. Though only a small piece had travelled it was more than enough to accomplish its goal. It had followed him all the way to a caravan parked outside a house and had witnessed the conversation. Fortunately the great Kitsune was wise enough to shield the important information so that prying ears couldn't hear it. When Kitsune had left, it remained. Studying the two humans with great care, learning all it could about them. Their joys and strengths but more importantly their fears and weaknesses. Those precautions he took must mean that one of the two was his choice. Which one of the two the Kitsune had chosen it couldn't determine. But what it did know was that either one of the two were potentially its enemy. Action was required to make sure none of them could become a threat to it and the only way to solve the problem was to dispose of them. They were leaving soon, it could tell. Perfect. It had already formulated a strategy and calculated all the variables. By the end of tonight neither would be alive and then no-one would be able to stand in its way.
It withdrew suddenly. Kitsune was sending a message. It couldn't listen in on the message but there was time before its plan could begin. For now hiding was the best strategy, lest Kitsune should accidentally discover its presence.

Spiritual plane.

“Pete, I think something is wrong!”
“Are you worrying again my dear? A bit apprehensive on what may happen while the game is suspended perhaps?”
“No seriously, I really think something is wrong, didn't you feel that weird energy spike just after Kitsune crossed? It was really powerful. Do you think something followed him?”
“Hmm weird feeling eh... are you sure you just don't have gas my dear?” A chuckle escaped Pete's beak.
“Oh ha-ha Mr clever feathers. You don't have to be such a jerk all the time you know.”
“You started it if I remember correctly.”
This time it was spirit dragon's turn to stare coldly.


England.

“Yes mum we are all set, no we haven’t forgotten anything. And yes I do have all my school notes packed as well, unfortunately.”
“Hey mum, can we ride in the caravan on the way. It is a long journey and we will be wanting to mess around and be noisy and I am pretty sure you wont want that noise in your ear while you drive...please?”
The mother looked at her daughters pleading face, she pretended to think it over.
“Hmm well, okay then.”
“YAY!” was the overwhelmingly loud reply.
“Just don't start cooking anything, I don't want to risk the caravan catching fire!” she chuckled as her children closed the door. 'Those two act way too young for their age'

She climbed into the drivers seat of her car and started the engine, adjusting her rear-view mirror she caught her two children smiling and waving at her out the caravan window...and pulling faces. She snorted, 'Well at least they are happy.' Pulling the car into first gear she started driving away. She took one final look back at the house and let out an explosive sigh. She looked ahead of her onto the road and steeled herself for the journey ahead. For better or for worse they will have to be living with a lot of change.

Inside the caravan.

“You may not have gathered but that is not an entirely safe thing to do in a moving vehicle.” The boy remarked dryly as his sister jumped across the furniture.
“No your not safe in a vehicle.”
“That makes no sense.”
“No you make no sense.”
“...right whatever.”
They had been on this journey for a couple of hours now. The rain had started only lightly but had begun to pelt it down within the last half an hour.
“Ugh.” The boy groaned, putting his head in his hands. “I wish mum could get us there faster, I am starving. I haven’t eaten since lunch time.”
“No you haven't eaten since lunch time.”
“I will destroy you if you keep this up.”
“No you'll-”
“I WILL EAT YOUR SOUL!”
An outburst of laughter was all that followed as her response.

The rain had been easy to make, a slight nudge in the overhead pressure systems was all that was required. Phase one was complete, now phase two could begin. It pressed forwards eagerly. This was the moment, now a bit of luck coupled with some flawless calculations and the job should be done. 'There!' It was coming, now just a small poke and a slight course correction was all that was required.

The great Kitsune swore venomously. He had gotten his desired answer, it had taken a while to receive the message but the answer was more than he could of hoped for. But now his target had begun to move, the kids and their mother had already started their journey hours ago, and according to heaven spirit dragon thought something bad had followed him. 'That must have been that uneasy feeling I had earlier.' He knew the kids were its target, he just hoped he could get there in time to rescue them all. But he just couldn’t shake off that feeling that he was too late.

'Stupid rain, those weather forecasters promised a clear night. Lying little pieces of- calm stay calm, remember everything is going to be different now we can finally-'
“WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!”
The mother jumped at the sound of a large bang that originated from further ahead outside. She couldn't see through this stupid rain. She squinted in an attempt to make anything out. Then suddenly it appeared, smashing through the darkness, a massive lorry heading full speed directly at her, its wheels popped making a course correction impossible.
She swore and span the wheel in a futile attempt to get out of the way but it was too late. She screamed as the lorry came crashing towards her, her last thoughts were an apology to her kids for thinking she could give them better lives. The lorry smashed straight into the front of her car, her world ended.

“Watching you leapfrog is boring, I might just go watch a DVD, you interested?”
“Yeah, just let me finish another few bounces.”
“Fine just hurry up, I think we should finish off watchi-”
His answer was cut short by a loud bang from somewhere ahead of them. He didn't know what was transpiring but he felt like something bad was happening.
“GET DOWN FROM THE-”
Once again cut short, but this time by the lorry that obliterated their car. The caravan bucked upwards throwing the two siblings towards the front, the boy grabbed his sister in his arms protectively as they flew towards the wall. His last view was the sight of the furniture being thrown upwards before he smashed against the side of the cabinet. Everything went dark both in his head and in the caravan as the power failed. Outside the rain continued to patter heavily.

It was done. Retreating triumphantly, it prepared to follow Kitsune when he crossed back after seeing what was left of his precious targets.

Tarot's house.

She hadn't meant to fall asleep but spirit summoning was extremely tiresome. However even in sleep she found no rest. Her dreams were plagued with visions. She saw a car with a caravan driving in the rain, but then THERE, something shifted, subtle but undoubtedly there. The lorry on the other side of the road lost control as its tires popped, 'over flat unblemished ground.' Sabrina thought. The lorry careened into the front of the car absolutely destroying it. The caravan was thrown upwards by the force. It landed on its top and slid for a while before falling onto its side. She felt the life forces diminish exponentially and was hit by a wave of pure hopelessness.
She woke up screaming into the waiting arms of Tarot.
“Shh it's okay, it's okay. Your here with me, your safe.”
“Tarot it was horrible, I had a dream but something went wrong, but I don't know what. I never felt so full of hopelessness.” She sobbed uncontrollably.
“I know dear, I had the same vision.”
“So it was real? But what does it mean?”
“It means dragon may have been right, this problem may be bigger than we originally anticipated. And it is now much worse.”
Sabrina continued sobbing into Tarot's fur. Tarot looked into the distance as if she could see the crash. Hoping was futile but it was all she could do. She had never felt so hopeless.

--------------
That last bit was hard to write as I modelled the mother from someone I actually know.

Interesting turn of events. Wonder where you'll go with it all. Nice bit of writing.

Thank you muchly
I hope I am making less mistakes now. I had to listen to a ten minute rant session about how to make a sentence more interesting and how to make it flow more efficiently. All from someone far younger than me, so needless to say it had quite an effect.

Housepets: Living with change. Chapter 4
A light in the dark

Darkness.

It was quite hard to make out whatever the thing in the distance was. It was important, that much was obvious. Why it was important wasn't clear. It was more of a shadow than a physical object, this fact was one of the reasons why it was so hard to see. Another possibility was that for some reason the image was distorted. It was unmistakably there and yet at the same time it wasn't there. Someone who was partial to caring would maybe give some thought to the issue, perhaps voice a few ideas. They would wonder if maybe this was an image of things yet to come, the distortion was because it would happen but not yet. The girl however was more interested in the large crystals pointing out of the floor in a circle. They were all the same shape and size but of different colours. Pretty and yet in an ominous way. She finally turned her attention to the shadow, it too had an ominous feel to it. She noticed the thing was pulsing, and so were the crystals. 'Why?' Suddenly interested she noticed what she had missed. A glowing light in the distance, illuminating two figures. They seemed to be only waist height. 'Pretty small for people' she thought. She sensed the shadow 'creature?' turn its attention to the two figures. She was smashed by a wave of hatred from the shadow. Her vision dimmed as the two figures came closer, no not people, too far away for distinctive features but the obvious was...well obvious. They looked like animals. 'Those are some pretty huge animals.'

One was obviously a cat, the tail gave it away, and the other slightly taller one must be a dog. She still couldn't see any markings though. 'Why is my vision fading? Where am I anyway? I need to go back, the caravan it was...MUM!' She started struggling with all her might, whatever the reason she needed to see this was shunted to second place, she needed to wake up NOW! The figures had reached the shadow and the circle of crystals. They both touched the nearest crystal and the creature let out a scream of anger. It hit the girl straight on. Her vision clouded fully. She fell. Tumbling over and over until she slammed into solid ground.

She woke up with a start. Everything was dark. Too dark. She remembered being thrown towards the wall, and then her brother had grabbed her, taken the brunt of the impact. But where was he? She couldn't feel her brother around anywhere. Panicking she pulled out her phone, the light from the menu screen was insufficient at best but at least she wasn't totally blind, for once she actually envied her brother's phone. It was a brick but it had a good torch. She squinted in the torchlight desperately looking for some sign of- 'THERE!' By the cupboard, an arm underneath all the debris. She launched herself forwards and grabbed hold of her brothers arm, pulling with all her strength. He slid free, she put her head against his chest...yes she could feel her head rising, 'He is alive, but why wont he wake up?'
“Wake up! You idiot wake up!” There was nothing she could do, she looked around looking for the door. She eventually found it...right above her head.
“Well that explains the position of the cupboards” she remarked dryly. “So then that means the window must be right...here.”

She gripped the edges and hoisted herself over. She was positive that if she wasn't wearing shoes her feet would have been cut to ribbons by all the broken glass.. She hoped her brother didn't wake up and try to climb out. His feet would be cut to ribbons. He was wearing a red pair of dragon slippers. Comfy but not really adequate footwear when walking across broken glass.

She landed outside the caravan. 'That’s funny, the rain has stopped. How long was I out for? Can't be too long, someone would have seen this by now.' The caravan had become disconnected from the car which was sitting a good distance away, she took tentative steps towards the car. Part of her wanted the front to come into view but another part didn't, scared of what she may see. She took a deep breath as she rounded the side of the car, the breath she took turned into a shocked gape and then into a wordless scream.

It was dark. He couldn't see anything, but he could feel. Pain! Unending waves of pain coursing through his body. He curled up, but it wouldn't stop. He didn't know how long he was there for, time didn't leave much of an impression in this state. But then he felt something touching his chin, lifting his head. He looked forward and found he was standing, no longer curled up. In front of him stood a glowing white...fox?
'Why am I dreaming about a fox? Especially as...multiple tails? What is going on?'
“You are unconscious, that is what is going on.”
'AAH! Can it read my mind?'
“Yes and that is he, not it thank you very much.”
“Ok, who are you and what do you want?”
“You will find out who I am shortly but for now I want you to wake up.”
“How do I do that?”
The fox grinned mischievously “Why, that's the easy part.” He leaned in towards the boy's ear and screamed. The scream jolted him awake.
“Ow right in my ear you little-”
He stopped. The scream was still going. He recognized the voice. 'It must be coming from outside, I had better see what is going on!'
He groped around, it was dark and what made matters worse was that he couldn't find the glasses he wore. 'Oh crud, please don't say they are broken.' He fished out his mobile. His phone had a torch on it, small but useful in these situations. He shone the torch around eventually locating the door.
'What? All right so then that means the caravan is on its side, which means the front window must be right about here. Now to climb out of-' He stopped. He felt something slice into his foot, through his favourite slippers. He tried to put pressure on it but his foot kept giving way.
'Strange, shouldn't that hurt? Actually come to think of it my arm feels kinda funny, and I can't breath deeply. But if there was something wrong then it should hurt right?'
He didn't have time to ponder though, the screams had dissolved into crying. He needed to get out there fast. He looked around, the furniture made a good ramp. He climbed up the back of the chair. Difficult considering he could only use one arm. He dropped the phone into the pouch he always wore. It was where he kept some of his favourite items. Adjusting the strap around his shoulder he climbed towards the window.

The landing on the other side was very undignified. He flopped out and landed on the ground. He noticed two things. The lack of pain and the absence of rain. He struggled up and hobbled towards the car. He saw his sister kneeling on the floor in the middle of a puddle crying hysterically. He soon saw why, the entire front portion of the car was completely destroyed. There was a pool of oil collecting underneath where the drivers seat originally was. He looked closer, that wasn't oil that was...'Oh my god.'

He spun around and grabbed onto his sister.
“It's okay, I'm here don’t worry. Elly look at me, don't look at the car, look at my face. I am here.”
“But she is gone! Look at the car, SHE IS DEAD!” She screamed the last part burying her head into her brothers chest.
“I know but I am here, I will take care of you.”
“Ah so Elly is your name is it? You never told me.”
They froze and turned to see the newcomer. It was that man from before, the one with the crazy proposal.
“What do you want?” The boy growled.
“I am here to apologise, if I had been quicker then I may have been able to save all of you.”
“What do you mean all of us? Did you know this was going to happen?” His voice was dangerously quite all of a sudden.
“No, I knew of the intent but not of the action. What I am doing for you now is about the limits of what I can achieve in your world.”
“What are you doing for us now?”
“Doesn't your arm hurt, or your foot maybe? I am temporarily blocking your nerve receptors, I don't even think you would be conscious right now if I wasn’t. You know if you hadn't of grabbed your sister at the last minute she wouldn't have made it. You are to be congratulated.”
“Stuff it!” The boy snarled. “If you are here to try to take her away again then you can go and-”
“Chris.”
He stopped as she placed her hand on his arm.
“It's okay, if he wants to help then that’s fine. If I stay then social services would take us away from each other anyway. There is no way they would let us stay together, at least this way I wont be a burden on you, and you wont have to worry about me.”
“You know I will always worry about you.” He replied gently embracing her.
'Cough.' “Um, sorry for interrupting this touching moment but Chris is it? I just thought you should know I have a slight change in plans. I have been given permission to allow you to accompany us.” He finished with that grin he had when they first met.

The seconds ticked past, stretching out into an uncomfortable silence.
“Um, did I say something wrong? I thought this would make you guys happy, tut, people these days.”
“Thank you Mr...um?”
“You may call me Kitsune.” He replied to the boy. “Now come the both of you. This journey will take a long time. So for now just sleep.”
And at his words they drifted off into slumber. Hoisting the two over each shoulder he entered the spiritual plane and began to cross the barrier leading back home.
'Whatever was after these kids must have originated from my universe. If it knew they were meant to righten all the little paradoxes then there may be more to this trouble than I originally thought. And just to add to more problems the arrival of two human children is not going to go unnoticed as far as the law is concerned. But maybe, just maybe I can work around that. Ha! Thank you Pete, you just gave me a splendid idea!'

This time there was no evil shadow plaguing her dreams. The darkness was all that occupied it now, and a book. The title of the book simply said U&U. There was some small text underneath but too small to decipher. Suddenly she heard someone clear their throat from behind her.
'Cough.'
She turned around to see a little white fox with multiple tails sitting down on the ground. But that wasn't what held her attention. The most astonishing thing was that it spoke to her.
“Hi, there friend how would you like to do some RP'ing with me?”
“Oh my, you are absolutely adorable!” She squealed gathering the fox up into a tight hug. "I don't care how you can talk, this is awesome. Yes I would love to RP with you. How did you know I liked doing that?”
“Well this IS all happening inside your head isn't it?” The fox grinned. “Right now what I want you to do is close your eyes and visualize a character. Lets give you a bit of direction. In this game you must view what you would look like if you were anthropomorphic, can you do that for me?”
“Aww but I prefer animé.” 'sigh' “Fine. How about this? I think I would probably look like this.”
“Well I think that is a fantastic choice.”
“So when do we start?”
“My dear the game begins very soon, all you have to do is wake up. So just be a bit patient for now. Here is a thought, while you wait you can start to try to think of a name for yourse- Um I mean your character!” The fox hastily corrected himself. Then smiled that mischievous grin, the same one that the strange man in white usually sported to be precise.
“And to make this even more fun I have invited your brother to play along with us! But watch out, it looks like he has already chosen his name. You had better hurry up or you will start to lag behind.”
“Oh please, if I know him then I can probably guess his character and his name, so if I can guess then of course he will be ahead of me. Oh and I have already chosen a name so can you help me wake up now please?”
'Already?! But we still got a bit of journey ahead!' The fox pondered his options.
“Hmm how old are you and your brother?”
“Well I'm fourteen and he is eighteen, but what does that have to do with anything?”
“Ah that’s much too old. How about we lower that down just a smidgen okay.” It wasn't a question. “Now sleep it is time for you to play my little game.” Another grin. His image distorted and spiralled as she finally slipped into a sleep without any weird visions.

Unknown.

It was furious. All that careful planning and those brats had escaped with their lives. How had they managed to survive that crash? And to make matters worse that annoying Kitsune had crossed back over with them. Kitsune was much stronger in this universe so a new set of tactics are required. A direct strike was out of the question. Kitsune would no doubt give them adequate shielding. He was soppy like that. Maybe it is time to accelerate the original plan. That was already showing results. Those pathetic pets had already started forgetting their past. Small things, but important enough for the course of history to change. Already some of the major threats to its plans were starting to forget their history. Making past decisions that alter their current state of affairs. It is a pity a couple of them were protected by those annoying entities. No matter, when the final stages came into play there wont be enough of them to stand in its way. For now it shall accept defeat, focusing on more important details.

Babylon gardens: Tarot's house. Early morning.

Tarot was keeping herself quite busy preparing for the arrival of Kitsune and his guests. Bringing both of them was quite unorthodox but dragon said he was given special permission. Kitsune said he had an idea on how to introduce the two to the neighbourhood, given the fact that he stated they both needed to go to the hospital she was quite worried what he had planned for them. He was more mischievous than that troublesome Maxwell was but he wasn't cruel. She doubted he would hurt them. 'But his methods are quite irregular.' She thought sceptically. He frequently forgot some of the finer points about this world. 'Dragon never let him forget that incident with the train and all the people- but that was in the past and hopefully he had learnt his lesson.' So why didn't she feel reassured?
“Something bothering you Tarot?”
“AAH!” Tarot yelped, spinning around. “Kitsune! Don't you dare do that again. You could have at least told me you had arrived... and how dare you enter MY house without my permission. Who do you think you are?”
“Sorry about the hasty arrival, you know full well there is something after these kids. I am trying not to alert their presence to it.” He spoke in a grim tone indicating the sleeping forms across his shoulders.
“Ah yes about those. I have to admit I am worried about what you are planning for them.”
“Oh just a little recreation but with a twist of course. You just alert the authorities and send them to this specific location. I will take care of the rest.”


Police station.

Officer Carol Rawley was just coming to the end of her shift. It had been an extremely uneventful night to say the least and she was looking forward to snuggling up in her bed at home. The golden retriever stretched her aching muscles. 'Next time boss wants someone to cover a night shift I am not gonna volunteer. I hate sitting at a desk, sooo boring. I could have been racking up some hours on the flight simulator but no I had to be the good little cop.' She turned to her colleague to utter yet another smart mouth remark about their duties when her headset rang. 'Ooh finally someone actually wants to phone up.'
“This is the police how can I help you?”
“My name is Tarot and I would like to report a car crash just outside Babylon gardens south entrance. It seems like the drivers have bolted but I believe there were two passengers in one car who haven’t surfaced yet.”
“Okay miss, we are sending a squad car along pronto. I will notify the hospital and get them to send an ambulance out.”
“That wont be necessary I have already contacted them.” The phone went dead as she hung up.
'Yes finally something happened. Oh I am so going to tell mum about this.' She turned to the man who had just walked through the door.
“Ah Bill glad you arrived, there has been a car crash by Babylon gardens southern entrance, I know you have only just got in but can you be a dear and take Ralph and Kevin and drive down? Apparently the drivers have both tried to do a runner.”
Officer Bill hitched up his eyebrows as he noticed the excitement in her voice.
“Night shift too boring for you eh Carol? Go on home we can handle this.” He chuckled as the dog leapt off her chair and headed for the exit. 'Maybe when she gets older she will learn to appreciate a quiet and boring night.'
He headed off to the Gym. If there was any place he would find the two dogs he was searching for it would be there.

---------------------
Author's note.
Okay here is something to do. The character Carol Rawley is a character from a book I have read. If anyone can correctly guess the book she is from then they may create a character to use in this stoy if they wish. Her occupation in the book is hinted by her want to use a flight simulator. Have fun

Oh that Kistune, always making a theatrical entrance.

Well, ay least both kids survived. Let's hope they keep doing it...

I wander which pets have forgotten things, other than Fido.

Housepets: Living with change. Chapter 5.

An unorthodox entrance and a better understanding.

Babylon gardens southern entrance.

A man and two dogs could be seen leaning against the side of a standard issue police car. Though the human was more at home behind the handlebars of a motorcycle he could still handle a car with unparalleled skill. And yet he looked upon the site before them with a hint of amusement.
“How do they always get here first?” He asked the German shepherd leaning next to him.
The shepherd crossed his arms and shrugged, never taking his eyes off of the team of reporters who had somehow managed to arrive before they did.
“No idea. They always seem to get the information first hand. It is going to lead them into a lot of trouble one day.”
“Ah Ralph what a glorious day that will be. I can imagine it now. Us rolling up to a crime scene making arrests left and right, and no blooming reporters trying to shove a camera half way up your-”
“Yes Bill I can imagine it too.” Ralph interrupted hastily before Bill started getting graphic. The last time he did that resulted in the criminals emptying the contents of their stomachs for the next five minutes. And they were hardened criminals who didn't even flinch away from the activities of Kevin.
Officer Kevin was a Doberman and was also the only one out of the three not relaxing against the side of the car. Instead he was fully alert staring straight at the news team. Anyone who didn't know that this was his full happy playful mode would probably run in the other direction screaming...actually considering his habits anyone who DID know him would probably run off even faster...and never return.
“Ralph?”
“Yes Kevin?”
“Can I tackle them please? It would teach them not to get in our way again.”
'Tempting, very tempting.' Ralph thought to himself. “No Kevin we need to stick to protocol. And we don't want to be almost sued again like last time. We were lucky Joel vanished from prison otherwise the guy could have filed a law suit against you!”
“Aww but it's fun.” His head drooped an inch.
'And therein lies the problem. Kevin is just too playful all the time. And I really am getting annoyed with telling him not to tackle everything that moves. I swear that someone else usually made sure Kevin refrained from tackling. Hmm, why can't I remember who?'
“All-right boys.” said Officer Bill suddenly standing up straight. “I think they have had enough fun for today. And Kevin you can use tackle ONLY if they get disagreeable. Just as long as you par it down to minor spinal discomfort.”
“YAY!”

News reporter Rochelle Aytes was over the moon. An amazing story of heroism had finally arrived and on her shift to boot! She was speaking into her microphone staring straight into the camera and only just managing to stop herself squealing with excitement, She was a professional after all.
“And here we have the heroic man himself who despite the dangers, risked his own life to save two pets from the remains of a collision. Sir may I ask why did you do it?”
She pointed the microphone to a smartly dressed man in white.
“Well I heard the sound of the crash and came running over to see what had happened. I saw two figures running off into the distance but as I got closer I could see the two pets inside one of the cars. I had no idea what condition they may have been in but I wanted to get them out of there. They could have suffocated and died in there. All life is precious and should not be squandered especially if you are squandering others lives instead of your own.”
A flicker of movement to he side drew Rochelle’s attention to the three police officers walking towards her. A quick look at their stern expressions was all that was required for her to decide now was a good time to wrap up her story.
“Well unfortunately that is all we got time for but I hope we see you again, maybe at the hospital where the pets have been taken.” She indicated the retreating ambulance. “This is Rochelle Aytes with the news. Back to you Tom.”
“And you are off.” The cameraman was about to congratulate her on another fine piece before he too noticed the approaching officers.
“Why hello officer Bill, we were just finishing up. The scene is all yours now.” She quickly walked towards the news van, making sure to keep a watchful eye on that Doberman. She knew what he was like.
“Yes Rochelle I am sure you were.” Bill watched them drive away hastily before turning to the crime scene. “Okay boys lets see what we can find.”
And though he was gone, no one had noticed the smartly dressed hero leave.

Sandwich house.

“GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPE!”
“Oh my god Peanut are you trying to give me a heart attack?” The purple cat known as Grape snapped at the brown mutt in front of her. Cat naps were a sacred ritual after all and most who dared disturbed it found themselves on the receiving end of a very angry cat with very large claws. Not Peanut though. Though he woke her up in the most annoying, unorthodox and possibly health wise the most dangerous way imaginable she could never willingly bring herself to hurt him. They had been close friends for too long for her to even consider the act and she knew deep down he would never willing cause her distress. He was only a puppy after all, unaware of what his actions would earn him were he literally anyone else. He cowered slightly, his tail drooping down and showing those big stupidly hard to stay angry at puppy eyes.
“I'm sorry Grape but there is some awesome news report on the TV. There was a crash and there was this guy and he ran to the crash and he rescued these two pets from the crash and then he was interviewed and it was soooo cool!” He stood there panting from that big mouthful of words, his tail back on its helicopter blade setting.
“And though I could see this on the news later you woke me up because...?”
“Umm because you asked me to. Remember you said you have a date today.”
“Well I suppose that is a good enough reason to...date? Oh crud I forgot. Oh no I look terrible I haven’t cleaned myself, look at my fur it is sticking up. Arg what am I going to do? I have so little time...he is going to be here any minute now!”
Peanut started tapping his fingers together. A habit he always did when he was nervous. Or scared. “I wouldn't care how badly you looked if we went out. I would still love you all the same.” Of course he muttered this under his breath. There was no way he could ever pluck up the courage to tell Grape his feelings.
“Did you say something Peanut?” Grape asked behind a mouthful of fur as she desperately tried to stop it from sticking up.
'EEEP!' “Oh no I just said if Max loved you he wouldn't care how you looked.”
“Max? Why would I be going out with Max? I have a date with Marvin remember.”
'What! Since when has she been with Marvin instead of Max?'
“Umm no actually. Are you sure you are all-right, do you want me to fetch mom to see if you have a fever?”
“Silly.” The doorbell rang “Oh that's him! Quickly Peanut how do I look?”
“Beautiful.” he admitted
“Well I was looking for amazing but thanks anyway. Bye.”
And with that she was gone. Peanut quickly ran to the window...She was right. There was Marvin walking down their front garden with her. He collapsed onto the floor confused. 'Marvin? But what about Max? When did she started seeing Marvin...was it while she was going out with Max? No she would never. But she spoke as if she had never been dating Max. But she always has been so...Ow my head hurts. Too much confusion. Okay maybe Tarot will know what's going on. Maybe some evil spirit has claimed Grape's body. Oooh and I can fight it off like a knight and then save the beautiful princess and we can ride off into the sunset on my noble steed.'
By this time he was already deep into fantasy land. Running around the living room with an imaginary sword fighting off evil foes all the while humming the theme tune to one of his favourite games.

It watched Peanut play out his imaginary game. It assessed the situation. The cat was definitely a easier target, the excursions with the orange cat should help to destabilise her. She would be kept out of the way along with that police dog and the others. This dog however had too much mental strength, somehow he could not be turned away. Frustrating. However this dog shouldn't prove too much of a threat. Why he was immune to its powers was a mystery to it but it would soon discover why. And then he would fall just like the others, it is only a matter of time.

Byron house.

'I still don't know! I thought a good nights sleep would clear my head but if anything it is worse. Actually the longer I leave it the harder it gets to concentrate on it. Right that is it, first chance I get I am going straight to Tarot's house. She is a extremely scary with all her spirit mumbo jumbo but if there is anyone that can help me then it is her and that cat Sabrina. Strange. I get that same feeling about the name of that cat as I did when I saw the jacket. I can ask about that too I suppose.'
Fido sighed and put his head in his paws. He felt like something was missing. He scratched his head. It felt empty for some reason. 'Do I usually wear a hat?'
He looked quizzically at the pint sized bed and covers set up near his own bed. He stared long and hard but could not quite fathom what it was doing there. He shrugged and stood up. Tarot's house was a few minutes walk away. The cold morning air might help clear things up.

Milton Wolves house.

Something incredibly unnatural was going on inside the wolves house. Something that was nothing short of a miracle for a little Welsh Corgi. It was quiet. For once in their entire time of living here all of the wolves were silent. He didn't care for the reasons behind the silence. All King knew was that he was tired and for once he wasn't being forcefully ejected out of his bed by a trio of overly playful cubs. In fact he was going to stay in bed as long as physically possible. 'Oh so warm and snuggly. Much better than anything Pete had to offer. I might actually not bother going back unless he decides to shape up and start treating me like a-'
'KING!'
“AAAH!” King yelled fully expecting to see the cubs leaping towards him. Looking around however he saw nothing. 'What? Where are the...wait I know that voice. Pete?'
'Indeed I am. Glad to see you are awake I have a little task for you.'
'I was happily enjoying my bed until you barged in on my thoughts thank you very much. And you can take your task and shove it. I am not your avatar any more remember.'
'Details details, remember that is temporary and besides my task will greatly benefit you in the long run.'
'You had better not be lying.'
'No I am not. Do you remember our earlier conversation? If you go make friends with the pets Kitsune brought back then they may be of some help to us in the game. Remember they are supposed to be moderators. What if the moderators were more lenient on us? It may give us a better chance of winning and if you recall there are prizes for the winner.'
'No I am pretty sure that he chose them because they wont give special consideration to friends. And besides I don't want more friends. I don't even want to be here so why should I open up my heart to some stupid simpering pets just so you can win your nerdy little game?'
'You will become their friend or I will want to know why!' Pete hissed angrily. 'Remember I can make your life VERY difficult if I wanted. And believe me you don't want that.'
Though sceptical about Kitsune actually allowing Pete to carry out what he said he would do to him King decided he wouldn't try to find out.
'Fine I will go make friends with the little nerds if it makes you happy. But I wont cheat just for your benefit okay?'
'We shall see.'
And with that he left, but not before sending out a mental prod towards the sleeping cubs minds. Their thunderous charge was all the warning King had before his door burst open and he became the foundations of a furry pile up.
“I HATE YOU PETE!”

Spiritual plane. U&U Destiny board location.

“A car crash! What were you thinking? How did you think you would get away with simulating a car crash?” Tarot shouted at a surprised Kitsune. Though in this realm she was little more than a pinprick compared to him she did not let the size difference stop her from giving him a piece of her mind.
“And how else was I supposed to simulate them in that condition huh? Oh I know let us just say they were playing twister! That would definitely explain the glass wouldn't it? Listen Tarot I can keep the cops befuddled and end it up with a case suspension. No need to worry.”
“No need to- Kitsune you cannot just go around creating unconformities within a mortal realm. First of all it is in blatant violation of your stupid little rule book which you cling to and second of all you have no idea how it could affect the planet.”
“Oh please, and you can tell dragon this too as I know she is the one who put you up to this. I made sure this wouldn't have any resoundingly negative effects on the planet okay, I am not malicious towards the mortals like Pete is. Dragon knows I wouldn't cause them any harm.”
“I know you mean well but a car crash, really? Oh and until you find them a proper family you will have to look after them. This is not their universe they wont have a clue how things work. You make sure they are safe or...”
“Or what my little Pomeranian?” He raised one of his eyebrows. “I can assure you that the powers Dragon has granted you as her avatar will not par up to mine in a duel.”
“I'll tell your mother.” A smirk crossed her lips. She folded her arms and leant against a nearby prop on the board set.”
“I calculate a 99% chance you wont but that is still a risk I am not willing to take.” ” He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Okay agreed I will look after them.”
“Some sense at last then.”
“Yes I will look after them. However as the game master I have the ability to grant certain, shall we say perks, to my employees.”
Suddenly suspicious Tarot stood up straight. A slight hint of alarm crossing her face.
“What do you mean perks? And stop it with that little grin. I know you are up to some sort of mischief. I know too well what Maxwell gets up to when he smiles like that.”
“Oh nothing little Tarot nothing at all. It just means in times of oh shall we say importance I can give a bit of a helping hand in matters. Make no mistake I will not bottle feed them. I want them to be as independent as possible. I just want to make sure my goods are delivered safely, so to speak.”
“Okay I get that you don't want to tell me but would you please stop it with all that mystical 'could mean this' stuff? Now I see why I give Grape a headache all the time.”
“Ah yes speaking of the mortal world. I believe there are a couple of confused souls that require some guidance. I suggest you make haste back there for now. If you want we can pick up this thread a little later. Perhaps when the world is not unravelling in front of our eyes perhaps?”
Tarot stared at Kitsune intensely. “Don’t think this is over!” She said pointing her finger at him. And much to Kitsune's relief she shifted back to the mortal plane.
'For some reason angry girls are really scary!'
He thought to himself whilst failing to suppress a shudder. He could probably vaporise her into dust with the level of power he had but there was something about angry woman that could make even the toughest of souls cower with fear.

Mercy hospital.

Senior nurse Susan Long stood in front of her team of nurses. They had all been briefed about the incoming patients and were all waiting anxiously for the ambulance to come screaming in. She decided a small pep talk would help to boost their confidence .
“Ok team listen up. Now you all heard the call and you know how serious this sounded. I know how nervous all of you are going to be. These are the first pet patients we will have since the hospital expanded but you have all been training for this moment for long enough. Remember we act exactly like we would act if it were a human patient. Keep your concentration and we may be able to help the little guys pull through.”
She gave a firm nod to her team. They returned it. No need for chit chat, they were the best the hospital had to offer and they knew it. If anyone was going to survive it would be because they were treated during their shift.
There! The unmistakable wail of sirens followed by the screeching of tires. Moments later the double doors hissed open and two crash carts came rushing in. The medics from the ambulance halted in front of the nurses. The head medic stepped forward and quickly filled Sue in.
“The girl seems to be fine. No external or internal injuries that we can detect. She isn't reacting to the basic pain tests so I assume she is simply suffering from an extreme case of shock. Her vitals seem stable so keep her in green ward. Keep a bed empty in yellow ward just in case something serious develops.”
“Okay Lizzy you take Catherine and head on down to green ward with the girl. Ann you go to reception and get a room in yellow ward on reserve just in case then go on to green ward and help them out. What about the boy?”
The medic shook his head and indicated the boy's alarmingly erratic vital signs.
“Immediate purple room entry. He has shown a severe reaction to having his right arm moved, there are some pretty deep glass cuts in his feet and he is having trouble breathing. Might be a broken rib or two maybe a lung collapse, either way he is probably suffering from internal bleeding.”
“Okay, everyone else come with me to purple ward, I want an X-ray hooked up to his bed by the time we arrive there, I want to be looking at him through it as soon as we can. And make sure one of the orange ward doctors is free just in case a lung has collapsed. Okay people on the double lets move!”
The nurses ran with the crash carts to the different wards. There was no way they were going to lose a patient on their watch.

Good old dogs club.

For once all those assembled were actually interested in the speech their leader was about to give. Normally his speeches were composed of trivial bits of information that was either already known or didn't need to be discussed. This however was a special day. There was news that an accident had occurred and two pets were in serious danger. Of course this information had been subjected to the usual game of Chinese whispers so the quality of the information was to be taken with a grain of salt. The more radical stories could easily be dismissed, such as the alleged shoot-out against mobsters. Especially when the mobsters were changed into zombies. Courtesy of Sasha. A hushed silence descended on everyone as Bino took to the podium. He nodded to himself with satisfaction and took a deep breath.
“Okay boys and girls listen up. Reports speak of an accident that occurred down by the south entrance. In case you are wondering no that is not the one with the sweet shop. Now I know the quality of information has gotten a bit out of hand but I can assure you it is nothing more than a simple car crash. A brutal one if that but that is just it. No mobsters no guns and no zombies.”
His eyes focused on Sasha for a moment who shrugged non-committally. He sighed and continued. “According to the news team there were two pet survivors and they have been admitted to Mercy hospital. Their current condition is unknown but I do have confirmation that one of them is a dog. This means we may be getting a new member. Once he or she is out of hospital we can organize a welcoming committee to formerly introduce him or her to our club and to the neighbourhood. And a welcome party is allowed so remember to help gather up food and drink especially soda for the occasion. That is all. This meeting is now adjourned.”
Bino smiled as he stepped down from the podium.. He couldn't wait to show Fido what he had done today. He had been helping the club to become stronger while his brother had been seen trudging down the street towards that Pomeranian's house. At that thought he stopped in his tracks, the smile disappearing from his muzzle. 'Actually come to think about it isn't Fido on a morning shift today? So why is he walking towards Tarot's house instead of being at the...the... Hmm I am sure he is supposed to be somewhere. Strange, I haven’t had any soda lately.'
He shrugged to himself and headed home. If it were important he would probably remember and besides he had more important things to do like get today’s records filed away, sort out the next session, organize the welcome committee plus party, spend time with Sasha and maybe if he had free time acknowledge Max's existence. All in that order.

Forest entrance.

She hurried away quickly and quietly, heading towards the town. Any indication that she had company and she would hide in the shadows. Only when she was certain she was in the clear would she move on. Speed was of the essence but a stealthy approach held even greater importance. If anyone were to discover exactly what she was up to...chaos. Everything could fall apart. She just hoped it couldn't find her here. For years they had known and been planning for its release. And now it was finally time to act. Slowly at first so as not to draw unwanted attention. But as soon as they discovered its exact goals, plans and strength would they be able to determine a correct course of action.

The journey was long but she eventually arrived at her destination. Looking around to check the coast was clear she pulled a set of keys from her collar. She opened the inconspicuous metal door with one of the keys and walked through. Making sure to lock the door behind her she descended down the dark concrete staircase. The stairs led to a long corridor with a large red door at the end. She stood still until the door completed the iris scan. She stepped to the side and opened the comm device to speak the password. She could never forget it. The comm beeped in acknowledgement and the door slid open revealing a male ginger tabby. He invited her in and, making sure no one else was behind her, closed the door. He turned to look at her.
“Welcome back Daisy. I trust you have acquired reliable Intel on the shadow.”

This is getting interesting. The Shadow, eh? So we have a name.

So Grape is no longer with Max.... Durnit, Peanut just cannot catch a break, can he!?

Hmm, so Daisy is an intel officer. Nice.

Housepets:Living with change.

Chapter 6. An uncertain future.

“Elly. Elly. Time to wake up Elly.”
“No mum five more minutes...wait... mum is that you?”
“Yes sweety who else would I be?”
A tangled mess of bed sheets writhed around for a few seconds before being flung to the side. Elly emerged from underneath them and leapt off her bed onto the floor. She didn't even use the ladder to climb down instead simply vaulting over the side. She landed and ran outside straight into the living room. Why the living was was directly outside her bedroom she failed to notice. Looking around she spotted who she was looking for and grabbed her in an embrace.
“Oh mum thank god your here. I had a horrible dream that we were leaving and there was a car crash and you died!” She broke down crying half from the memory and half from pure relief.
“Oh don't worry silly. And it is good you are up, Chris was looking for you, said something about his xbox.”
“Okay I'll go see what he wants...but mum can we watch a dvd later or something? I am still a bit scared and I wanna spend some time with you.”
“Of course but first you need to be a big brave girl and do me one favour. I want you to wake up.”
“Huh? But I just woke up. What do you mean mum? Mum? MUM!” The woman in front of her dissolved into nothing. She looked around hopelessly. “Mum where are you?”

The living room twisted around itself. Everything crumbled into dust being replaced by an ominous blackness. Soon the room was gone. The young teenager curled up on the floor. “No it was just a dream, just a dream. She can't be dead. She just can't she wouldn't leave me alone like that!”
Through the anguish a piercing voice echoed through her head. The voice brought back a memory. This was the memory she always kept in her heart. It was the time when she needed someone there for her most of all and her brother turned up at that exact moment to help her. It always cheered her up after a bad day. She remembered his words. These words were what made her completely trust him. He had made the badness go away then hugged her and said. “No matter what happens I will do everything I can to keep you safe. While I am around I will make sure you don't have anything to fear.” He made good with his promise several times as they aged. Especially after she found out what happened to the cats. The day he made the promise had been one of the worst days of her life but the result was the complete and unwavering trust she now felt for Chris.
This memory gave her strength. Whatever happened from now on as long as she was with him she knew she would be safe.

Another voice came whispering towards her. Actually a number of voices. All saying really complex things. The intent was clear though. They seemed worried about something. About her. “Hmm, they are calling my name. Wonder what they want?”
“They are worried about you.”
This new voice was warm and comforting. Just hearing it made her feel better. Not good just better. It also sounded closer than the other voices more physical like it was actually there. She uncurled and turned towards the source of the voice. Anything she was about to say was interrupted by the sight in front of her. A golden coloured dog of a breed she couldn't identify stood before her. The weirdest part was that she (as it was obviously female) was standing on two legs which was impossible seeing as she was a dog. Dogs stand on four legs not two. The voice she heard came out from the dog's muzzle.
“You must have a lot of questions but time is short so for now just listen. Everything you have ever known about the world so far is now redundant. Where you come from originally is a completely different place from where you are now. I know you are sceptical but remember two things, A) trust the man in white. He is tasked with keeping you safe, and B) be extremely wary of anything that doesn't feel right. There is something after you and your brother, it was what caused the crash and as a result is the cause of the loss of your mother.”
“You know what killed my mum? Tell me right now, I am going to eviscerate the thing while it is still alive!”
The dog shook her head. “I don't know what it is but I will tell you this, whatever it was had the power to cross the dimensional plane and still manage to manipulate the forces in your own world. If you want to live I advise you to stay away from it at all costs.”
“Oh great, so I can't even take revenge on it. What did you mean by completely different by the way?”
The dog indicated herself. “This is the norm for animals around here. I am sorry I can't go into any more detail but time is very short. Right now you are one of the most valuable things in all of creation. And don't give me that look. When you get up you need to find your brother he is close by, the man in white you met earlier should be there too. Once you are both recovered you need to find me. My name is Tarot. Just ask the man in white, he will take you both to see me. Now go, wake up and find your brother but just remember don't be afraid of what you see. You will need to learn to accept what you are.”
“What I am? That doesn't make sense. Tarot what do you mean? Tarot wait don't go!”
Elly ran towards Tarot's ever shrinking body. She was so focused she didn't notice the drop, until it was too late. She fell screaming towards the ground. A hospital bed was there growing rapidly larger by the second. She heard the voices again, they were much louder this time and growing in volume by the second. She plummeted faster and faster until the bed was millimetres away from her face, then everything went black again.

“She seems to be coming around. Catherine get the equipment ready, she may be in pain. Lizzy watch that monitor, if so much as a hiccup occurs in her vitals I want to know about it.”
'Vitals? Am I in hospital?'
“Wha...?”
A soft hand clasped her own and a friendly voice drifted to her ears.
“Hey there sweety. Welcome back to the real world, you were making us worry for a while there.
“Where...where am I?”
“Your safe now sweety. Your in hospital, ambulance picked you up and brought you here. From what I heard you are lucky to be alive.”
“Where is my brother?”
“The boy you were brought in with? In another ward. I don't know how he is doing but I am positive he is fine. Now you just rest, we are going to run a few tests and then you can see your visitors. Would you like that?”
“Yes please.” 'Who wants to visit me? God I am so tired.'
“Okay you just hang in there now and you will be fine. I don't know how you haven’t got any injuries. You are one lucky cat!”
'What! Lucky cat! What does that mean? Does it have anything to do with what Tarot was talking about? Uhh too tired to think.'
She promptly fell back to sleep. Whatever it meant she could probably ask Tarot about it later, or maybe the man in white.

Ann looked at the figure lying on the bed. She was asleep again but at least they knew she wasn't in a coma now. What puzzled her was that she had been living in Babylon gardens now for well over forty years. She was an avid traveller and was proud to say that she had visited every part of the town at frequent intervals, and yet not once had she ever seen this particular cat. Being a strong supporter of animal rights she had gotten to know every single pet and most ferals in the entire town. 'But this cat is definitely not a feral, even without a collar she is too clean too...new. As scruffy as a feral was but too well taken care of to be one. The receptionist had said they were found just outside Babylon gardens. So perhaps they had been driven here before they crashed.' An idea came to her head.
“Catherine I want you to get a DNA sample of this cat and send it down to Dr Ashford. Get him to cross reference it with data from as many veterinary facilities as possible. I want this girl and her owners identified now! Lizzy, once the boy is stable I want you to do the same with him. Lets see if we can find out who these little guys are.”

Babylon gardens police station. Forensics lab.

Aran Dolan was the head of the Babylon gardens forensics department. Though extremely young he had never the less managed to ascertain top grades in the best university available and had even surpassed the knowledge of all the members on his new team. Though miffed at being led by what they considered a child he was safe in the knowledge that his team trusted and respected his abilities. Every case he had personally supervised had been met with outstanding success, which is why he was so confused now. The police team sent to gather any evidence on the recent crash had returned in a bewildered state. Somehow there were no footprints found, no scent from any of the missing drivers and most bizarrely of all the engines were cool and there was no fuel in the tanks. 'So how had the cars managed to get to their current position? It wasn't as if there was some sort of spiritual entity or something that had magically made the cars appear in that state.'
He snorted, amused at the very thought. The police team had taken as much evidence in from the scene as possible, even swab samples from the steering wheels and yet he couldn't find any trace of DNA anywhere! 'For such a supposedly random incident it seems to have all been collaborated rather meticulously.' He sighed explosively as yet another sample came up negative. Hopefully the second team would be able to bring the cars in to the garage. That way he could examine every part of it and then he would be able to find at least a small trace of DNA.


Tarot's house.

The clock on the wall ticked loudly as the seconds passed by. Fido had arrived at Tarot's house hoping to find an answer to his confusion. Apart from a brief nod and being instructed to sit down and wait nothing had been said. 'Come to think about it all Tarot and Sabrina have done so far is stare at me...like they are evaluating me or something.' The thought made him wary whereas at the same time he felt a small tingle run down his spine at just the thought of that black cat. 'There it is again! Why do I get that strange feeling every time I think of her?' He was desperate to find out but those creepy piercing eyes of Tarot's kept him in check. Especially as they looked like they had a slight greeny tinge to them. 'Creepy.' He refrained from shuddering...barely.

After what felt like years the green seemed to fade away and Tarot's eyes seemed to soften. Sabrina's however retained the same look she had been given him all the time so far. A sort of wary distrust and perhaps...fear? He didn't have time to work it out however as Tarot finally spoke.
“So.” She began. “The spirits tell me you are in a bit of a dilemma. There are parts of your past you cannot remember properly. Things are present and yet have no explanation as to why they are there and something feels missing. Correct?”
“Umm yes actually, how did you know?” 'Note to self keep away from the weird psychic lady. Oh crud she can't hear my thoughts can she? Tarot? Yoohoo Tarot? No response, well at least my thoughts are safe!'
Tarot gave a sideways glance to Sabrina. 'Your boyfriend is really childish did you know that?'
'Just hurry up and find out what is wrong with him...please.' The desperation in her thoughts was evident so Tarot cut to the chase.
“Never mind how I know what is important is what you know. I want you to tell me everything about you and your life so far. Leave no detail out be it small or otherwise unimportant. If there is anything amiss I will know. Sabrina could you prepare some tea for us before we begin? I believe we may be here for a while.”
Upon Sabrina's return Tarot produced a notebook and pen, adopting her best “psychiatrist” persona she nodded to Fido so that he could begin. He cast his memory back as far as he could and with a deep breath he began.


Spiritual plane.

Kitsune examined the board in front of him. It focused their powers in such a way that whenever they used it they couldn't physically harm the mortals during the game. It was like using google images with safe search on strict, you could do with it what you planned to do but with the bonus of having no unwanted side effects. Which was the confusing part. They had the power to manipulate the mortals but that was about the limit of it. They couldn't do something which could alter history or start wars or anything like that. They had learnt their mistake after the first few hundred games. 'So why is history changing?' The old boards (the ones with full matter manipulation) had all been hunted down and destroyed. There would of course be one or two illegal ones but once activated they were found and destroyed as soon as possible. And this board was most definitely a standard issue board. No malignant dark powers lurking within. 'So if it isn't the board then what could it be?' His eyes flickered over to the rule book. 'It couldn't have anything to do with the book could it?' He dismissed the idea entirely. It was just a book. Again standard issue. It had very little powers, just enough to enforce the rules. Actually its powers were more focused on affecting the entities themselves than the mortals so it couldn't be the book.

A cough from behind interrupted his train of thought. He turned around to see none other than Pete.
'Oh great one of the nerds is here. I can't have a single moment of peace can I? I bet all he wants to talk about is his precious duel. Oh Kitsune please continue the game I need to beat Dragon. Why did I agree to this job?'
“What do you want now Pete can't you see I am busy?”
“Indeed you are, I only came here looking for an update on the situation and to offer a reminder.”
“The situation is getting worse as you obviously know and what are you blathering on about a reminder?”
“Remember the rule on game suspension? You can't keep it locked forever. You will have to open it up and soon.”
“Yes I know the rule I am the Game master for this pathetic little spat you two have going on. There isn't a single rule I don't know. And I will tell you now I am not reopening the game until my new moderators are up and running. And that is final! Now go away and find something to occupy yourself with maybe redo your base up, when King is recommissioned you will have to start treating him like an avatar and not like the digested remains of your lunch.”
Pete turned his head away just enough so that Kitsune didn't see the flash of anger course across his face. He quickly regained his composure and turned his head back. He smiled widely.
“I hear you, just a friendly reminder is all. I'll leave you in peace now.” He started walking away and once again the anger returned.

Kitsune sighed with relief. 'Now where was I?' [/i]
Once again he studied the board. It was physically impossible for the board to cause the problems that were occurring down on the mortal realm. Changing ones memories was easy enough, pretty much child’s play but this was something more. There memories hadn't been changed the entire course of history had been changed. The sheer level of energy it took to change the course of history was phenomenal. Only high level entities had the power to do that and only the strongest of the strong were allowed to do it. And even then only in the most desperate of times. And combining these with the events that occurred in the other dimension made everything seem like it was much more than a simple error. Something had attacked those kids. Something strong and undeniably evil. And it was here too. The only problem was why had it appeared now? No one had sensed its presence before now. Again it was too much of a coincidence that it showed up at the same time as the problems began. If the two were connected the only questions is why are they connected and how? He continued to ponder it. Once the kids had fully recovered he would delve into the great library. Try to find any mention of this in some ancient manuscript. Or failing that go listen to a story from one of the elders. They may know about it.


Mercy Hospital.

The nurses from purple ward could all be found slumped against the side of a wall or collapsed onto a chair inside the break room. They had been fighting for at least half of the day so far trying desperately to stabilise the patient. The injuries were not life threatening. A large number of stitches were required for the feet, and thankfully his rib had not pierced the lung.. That was the most crucial part. Had his lung been punctured by his broken rib then there may have been no way of saving him. He had a pretty nasty concussion and there was a minor hairline fracture across his wrist. The arm in question was dislocated but had been properly popped back in place. Kid is going to hurt like never before when he wakes up but if we dose him up he shouldn't feel a thing.
Sue looked at the file she had written and nodded with satisfaction. A quick recheck and then she filed it away. Utterly exhausted after what could be counted as one of the most hectic days of her career all she could think about was heading home. [i]'Mmm a nice cup of coffee would be absolutely fantastic right now. At least my shift is over I can go home. I think I'll check up on the boy first and make sure he is okay then quickly whip down to the girl. I can probably sign the release forms seeing as she is absolutely fine.' On her way she passed the rest of her team, “Come on everyone shifts over time to head home. And Jan if you see Martha tell her I need those files as soon as I can. Have a nice day everyone and well done.”


Coordinates unknown. Location: Deep underground. Council chamber.

Every member of the council was seated in a semi circle facing a podium. Behind and a few meters above the podium was a wide window pane which offered viewers a view of the entire room. The head councillor addressed the figure standing at the podium.
“So you call us all here out of the blue with what you say is a matter of great importance. What do you have to say that could be of such importance?”
“Why are we even here? She is a dog for goodness sake. What could be so important that our duties are interrupted by a pet?”
“I agree, I have better things to do than waste my time here.”
“QUIET!” The head councillor glared at the others. “We shall let her speak. Any objections will be withheld until after she is done. You may not care for what she has to say but at least give her the courtesy of listening.” He indicated towards the podium. “I am truly sorry. Please begin.”
Daisy clasped her paws behind her back and with a deep breath she began her story. “I am sure you all know the children's fairytale about the great war. Well we have recently unearthed and begun translating some ancient texts that say that it is no fairytale. The manuscripts that were discovered underneath site zero clearly depict the events of what we believe is the first ever dimension wide war. The translations are a little hazy but the information we believe we have deciphered states that whatever started it eventually lost and was sealed away for all eternity. Whoever wrote the manuscripts appeared to believe that whatever it was would eventually escape and return stronger than before. It then started some little riddle. I don't know what it says specifically but its intent was clear and that was the reason why it was buried here in our universe. Apparently something within our dimension holds the key to victory though our best experts can't tell exactly what it is.” She looked each and every member straight in the eye before carrying on. “I come before you with this information because I believe it has escaped. Its coming was foretold to happen during a duel between two members of a higher plane of being. The exact day was not specified but the month and year was. I stand before you to warn you that this month is the exact one spoken of within the scripts and that the duel takes place as I speak.”
Her revelation was greeted by a stunned silence. Finally a voice spoke out.
“If for one second we believed all this prophecy were true how do you know about the duel going on?”
“Because I was ordered to monitor its progress that’s why. And don't bother asking by whom. I am not authorised to answer that question and you wouldn't believe me if I did.”
She left it at that and refused to answer any more questions.
The head councillor noted that she would speak no more of the matter and took it as a sign to dismiss the others.
“Thank you Daisy I am sure everyone will think very carefully about you information. You will be debriefed by Alex but after that you are free. This meeting is adjourned.” At his words the other members holograms faded out leaving no trace of anyone else being there. He sighed deeply and rubbed his head. 'If Daisy's report is accurate then we are all in big trouble. I had better order for an increase in security, tell the police to keep an eye out for abnormal happenings. But first I think a promotion is in order. Hmm yes I believe she has earned it.'

“Hey Daisy wait up!” She turned around to see the orange tabby from the entrance running towards her.
“Hey Alex, councillor Sampson wants you to debrief me then does he?”
“Yup and uh Daisy, Don't worry about what the council members said about you okay. If they don't want to listen to you then that's their loss okay?
“How did you know they...oh yeah the window. Well thanks Alex you're a good friend.” She gave him a quick kiss on his forehead. Not a big one but large enough to send him straight into BSOD mode.
“Abeflabablurg?”
“Yes indeed, now how about something from the canteen before I tell you my report?”
He still couldn't give a coherent reply so she just chuckled and pulled him along.


Mercy hospital.

“Oh the two pets, oh yes they are doing fine. It is probably all down to you that they are alive so they will be very happy to see you. All right here we go, the girl is here in green ward. The boy is here in purple ward. If you get lost don't be afraid to ask for directions okay.”
The receptionist watched the man head towards the lift. 'If only there were more people like him around.' She glanced at her computer, she was still awaiting the email from Doctor Ashford about the DNA test. She would let Ann know the results right away. Her computer beeped. 'Ah there we go, about time too. OK lets see umm blah blah blah careful consideration blah blah blah unusual circumstances blah blah...wait what? No match in over three hundred different sources! How is that even possible?' She threw a worried glance at the elevator doors. 'These pets DNA aren't just not registered in this country, they aren't registered in the entire world...but that's not physically possible.' The phone rang shocking her out of her thoughts. “Hello this is mercy hospital how can I help? Oh yes we do. Yes they are both fine...really why? Ok well if it helps your investigation then go right ahead.” 'What would the police want with them?' She put the phone down now more worried than ever.

Hmm, very interesting indeed. it seems Kitsune underestimated the lowly mortals.

Housepets: Living with change. Chapter 7.
Hopeless denial and a change of face.

Mercy Hospital Green ward.

“So how are you doing?”
“Well the nurses say I'm fine and I don't physically hurt in anyway.”
“C'mon you know what I mean.”
Sigh “Pretty crap to be honest.”
“I thought as much. But hey cheer up at least it is not everyday you survive a high speed collision with something that far exceeds your own tonnage.”
“You know if my brother said that to me he would probably add an example like an elephant surviving a crash with me.”
“What kind of thing is that to say to someone?”
“Well to be fair it is kinda funny. And besides you haven't heard how we greet each other.”
“How do you usually greet each other?”
“Well the first person, usually me, says hi and the second, usually him, replies with...**** you you fat ****.”
Kitsune moved back a couple of centimetres genuinely shocked by this use of language from such a young child. “What kind of greeting is that?”
“A fun yet incredibly mild one by our standards. Of course we don't say it spitefully that would just be mean, its all in the spirit of fun. Of course I can just reply by saying why don't you go drown yourself in your own...”
“Okay okay I get the picture. You know you are nowhere near old enough to even know that sort of language let alone use it.”
“I'm fourteen that is plenty old enough. And besides if you think that is bad you should hear him, he is extremely inventive.”
A few seconds pause. “I'll pass. Okay listen up. It is my job to look after you now, make sure you settle in to your new home. However there WILL be rules just like any other household. I will give the both of you a rundown of everything once we are there but I will say this. No excessive swearing. You are too young and besides that sort of language is disgusting.”
“But what if it just slips out accidentally? I am used to swearing whenever and it just feels natural.”
“We will tackle that problem when it arises. Just to let you now however if you refuse to stop then I will make you stop.”
“You and who's army?”
“Meaning?”
“How do you expect us to just conform to your will. In case you hadn't noticed humans actually have rights so you can't do squat.”
He gave a short chuckle. “Oh dear I thought you would have clicked by now.”
Suddenly filled with a feeling of foreboding she asked him suspiciously. “What do you mean clicked?”
“Don't tell me you have forgotten the dream you had with that rather handsome looking fox if I do say so myself.”
“You think Ninetails is handsome?”
“What the...Ninetails?”
He quickly accessed the file cache of the two kids the elders had given him earlier. “No not the stupid pokemon. Just the fox you saw.”
“Yes Ninetails.”
“That wasn't Ninetails!”
“Uh white fox, many tails, my brain. Yeah I say that is Ninetails.”
“IT ISN'T NINETAILS!”
“It is my dream and I say IT IS NINETAILS!” She knew she shouldn't wind a stranger up like this but somehow she felt an overwhelming sense of achievement from making this particular person angry.
“IT IS NOT NINETAILS IT WAS ME OKAY! IT WAS A DREAM MANIFISATION OF ME, HAPPY NOW?”
“Ooh you can enter people's dreams and make yourself look like whatever you want? Actually that sounds really weird. Why are you stalking my dreams? And why did you choose some obvious rip-off of a Pokemon to stalk me?”
'Oh for the love of...what have I gotten myself into?' He thought back to when he presented his case to the council after dropping them off at the accident site. The council asked him if he was ready to accept responsibility of mortals and like the naïve idiot he was he said yes. 'Why didn't I listen to them? I have watched mortals from afar for countless millennia in infinite dimensions and yet not once had I ever come across such a stubborn mortal. Well actually there was that one that tried to stand in our way and stop the games. Pph mortals and their moral highgrounds. But that's what I like about them, all that bravery packed into something so small. Hmm this girl is one of the smartest and yet most infuriatingly hard to crack mortals I have ever studied. Yes I think I made the right decision when I chose her. I only hope her brother is a strong...only please let him be less stubborn. I like a challenge but this is ridiculous.'
He took a deep breath. “The fox ix me. It was the dream representation of my true form. You like animals so I though it would be easier for you to communicate this way.”
“Well yeah but you still haven't explained what you meant by clicked And what do you mean true form?”
'Patience. Patience. When all the legal documentations have been filed you can get their attitude sorted out. For now just be calm. Don't let yourself be beaten by a kid. Just think of what Dragon would say...or Pete for that matter.' He shuddered as he thought of the laughs and jeers that would surely beset him if this scene ever got out.”
“Do you remember the details of the dream? I said to you if you liked to Rp. You said you did. I asked you to think of how you would look if your body was anthropomorphic, you did. Ringing any bells?”
“Yes but didn't you ask me to think of a name too. What did that have to do with it?”
“A character has to have a name don't they? But we will get to that later. What is most important is that you make the connection between the facts. Do I look taller? Does this bed look bigger than it should be?
She paused to think for a moment. She hadn't really been paying attention to her surroundings. To be honest she was much more focused on the strange guy who thinks he is a fox and stalks children in their dreams. But looking around she had to agree everything looked bigger than it should. If she had to estimate she would say they were about twice their original size. Curiosity overwhelmed her. For once she was unable to perfumey poultine the situation and come up with a feasible explanation. And the man's facial expression gave nothing away. Usually she was able to read someone like a book to a surprisingly accurate level but for some reason his face eluded her ability. 'It is almost as if his face isn't truly his. Arrg how can I explain this one. Okay I am willing to let others tell me the answer just this once.' She sat up straighter and looked him dead in the eye.
“Okay I'll bite. For now. What is going on? Or more importantly if I have guessed right what have YOU done?”
“Your answers in your dream state have taken a more realistic avenue than just simple imagination. What you said was the start of what you are now. Or more importantly WHO you are now. You may have to brace yourself for this, it might be a bit of a shock to you.”
Kitsune pulled a large mirror out from behind his back. It is unknown how he managed to produce it seeing as it was too wide for him to carry while simultaneously keeping it hidden. Especially as he wasn't holding his hands behind his back when he walked in to the room. He raised the mirror up until she could see herself fully. In the mirror reflected right back at her was a cat. A rather big cat compared to the ones she was used to but unmistakably a cat nonetheless. She gasped at the image staring straight back at her. She lay there staring for a full three minutes taking in every detail and then slowly raised her right hand and the reflected image raised its left hand...no paw. She looked away from the mirror to check her hand...no it was definitely a paw. She assessed it with an open mouth taking in every single detail of the fur. It was just a shade darker than light blue. Not classified as light or dark just somewhere in between the two on the spectrum. She pulled the covers back and looked over the rest of her body. The hair...fur on her chest was almost pure white save for a slight blueish tinge. A small part of her brain recovered from the shock to notice that it was all exactly how she had imagined. 'But this can't be real.'
“What have you done to me?”
“Well apart from potentially saved your life, offered you a new beginning, gave you a form that allowed you to fit in as smoothly as possible, gave you my word I would look after you...”
“Woah woah woah back up. What did you just say?”
“Gave you my word I...”
“Oh for, no before that.”
“Offered you a new...”
“I'll hit you!”
“Oh right gave you a form that would allow you to fit in as smoothly as possible.”
“As smoothly as possible? I'm a fricking cat how the hell am I supposed to live with changes like that?”
“Adjustment?”
“Your unbelievable. What kind of response is that?”
“Look I really don't want to explain this twice okay so lets just go find your brother get through you lovey dovey hug session and then I will explain everything okay?.”
“Everything?”
“Everything...to the best of my abilities of course. And for the record...I'm sorry it was the only way.”
She hesitated for a moment before leaning in to hug him.
“I know I believe you. And uh its not really such a bad form to be honest. I really do like cats.”
“Don't mention it, now c'mon hop out of bed we are going to go get you your answers.”
“Ooh I bet I can already guess what he will look like, ooh and can we stop off afterwards and get something to eat I'm so hungry I could eat a...OH MY GOD I HAVE A FREAKING TAIL! THAT IS SO COOL!”
The nurses on shift that day stopped what they were doing and raised their heads in confusion to this seemingly completely random revelation.

Babylon gardens park.

Only one bench was occupied at the moment seeing as most pets were either sleeping (Mostly the cats as they had all pulled an all nighter to witness what they considered the most important thing in the universe. It is not every night that they were showing all the current pridelands movies on Tv followed by commentaries with all the actual actors. And those that stayed up the latest were treated with a special event. A sneak peek preview of the newest upcoming movie with producer commentary.) or forming a welcoming party for the eventual arrival of the two newcomers. Or one newcomer as far as Bino was concerned. The two occupants of the bench were conversing about those final couple of points.
“I am telling you I couldn't care less about some newcomers and I care even less now that Bino has taken an interest. He will either indoctrinate or ostracize the poor kid. And don't say he wont because he has done it to Peanut.”
The Husky sighed and looked at his little friend. What the corgi lacked in height he more than made up with in temper and attitude. 'Though in all fairness he does have a right to hate Bino. Merry Christmas and all.' He thought back to that dark moment when King opened Bino's present. The resulting explosion resulted in a nasty whiff followed by an angry outbreak of pent up feelings. 'Though on the bright side at least Bino's bodily condition afterwards was sufficient to put a smile back on King's face.'
“Okay King calm down, I am not saying you should go to the party I know that is not your thing. I was merely suggesting we take a leisurely stroll and if we happen to meet the kid before Bino does then perhaps we can save him from your stated points. Just a hypothetical of course, we may accidentally warn the kid of Bino's intentions and steer him away from a future as a mindless slave.”
The last comment finally managed to soften up King's mood and to the husky's surprise actually brought a smile across his muzzle.
“You know what Fox that is probably the best idea I have heard in a while now. We should probably get going the fuhrer has a bit of a head start on us.”
If he has already left then he will get there first. The hospital is miles away. Best we can do is hope that the little pup can resist him until we arrive. What do you say?”
“I say last one there is a rotten egg.”
And with that statement King lept off the bench and took off. Fox calmly stayed where he was and hummed quietly to himself until the panting corgi eventually returned.
“Problem?” Fox asked with a merry grin playing across his muzzle.
“Okay fine I have no idea where the hospital is.”
“I will show you if you admit defeat and surrender.”
“Hey that's not fair! Technically we never started.”
Fox shrugged non-committally. Well maybe that will teach you not to set challenges you can't win. Think of it as a life lesson.”
“Okay fine you win, just shut up with the life lessons okay?”
“Gladly. Oh and for the record you weren't even going in the right direction.”
“Shut it and start walking.”

Tarot's house.

“And you say you can't figure out what is missing?”
“No it is as if a great big chunk of my mind has been torn away.”
“Try locked away.”
“Huh.”
“Fido I believe you are suffering from a sort of temporary amnesia. Your memories are there you just can't access them. What is worrying is that you are not alone in this matter. Others in Babylon gardens and possibly around the world are suffering from this.”
“How can others be suffering from it too Tarot?” Fido became more than slightly worried. Whenever Tarot became worried it was usually because of some supposed supernatural event. 'Please don't drag me into some supernatural quest, please don't!'
“Oh I wont force you. If you want your memories back it will have to be your choice.”
“ACK! How did you know what I was thinking?” 'Oh no she can't actually read my mind can she? She didn't show any indication of being able to before.'
Tarot merely tapped the side of her nose
“I thought you didn't want to become involved in this spiritual nonsense, so why are you asking?”
Fido waved her question away
“Forget it. I want to know how I can have a choice in the matter.”
“Well you can simply ignore the gaps, live your life as you did today moping in you room doing nothing constructive and let it get worse. If I am correct with what this is then it will probably get worse. But then if you do you will lose those you hold dear to you, the ones that hold special places in your heart. Can you live with the knowledge that you abandoned them?”
Fido stood up abruptly.
“I don't care what you say I will never abandon or forget my brothers. Tarot, Sabrina...'stupid tingle'....I bid you good day. He walked out of the house and headed straight home.
A long silence occupied the house. Tarot watched Sabrina carefully, She could physically feel the emotional stress emanating out from the normally passive cat even though her face remained as if it were carved from stone. The cat's body was noticeably trembling. Soon she would explode either into a crying fit or a destructive rage session.
“Sabrina?”
“He...he doesn't remember any of it...of me. Why?”
Her voice was dangerously quite. Punctuated only slightly when her voice wavered as she fought to keep back an emotional outburst.
“Well when did you two first umm...hook up?”
“A while ago. He came back from a late night shift at work. Managed to thwart a high profile theft. Fan girls swooning left right and center but he was too tired to feign interest that night. I had been following him for a couple of years so I knew his route, when he went into a zone I made sure was completely secluded I just appeared before him. I wont go into detail that is personal but you know the result.”
“You said it was after a work shift?”
“Yes.”
“And he had never seen you before that night?”
“Correct.”
“Then there is your problem. Fido cannot seem to recall any memory of his time spent in the academy and the police force. If you two only got together when he came back from the force then he would never had met you if he forgot ever going.”
“How the hell can you forget something like that? He has spent most of his sodding life in the force. How is it even possible to forget a length of time of that size?”
“Calm down. Now I don't fully know what is going on but it is pretty safe to assume it is not natural. What I do know is that it all started at about the same time Kitsune went to fetch those children. Now do you remember that dream you had?”
“The one with the crash yes.”
“That's the one, Kitsune said he felt as if there was something there which caused it. He said whatever it was was far more powerful than anything he has ever seen or heard of. You know this was the first time I have ever actually seen him scared. Kinda refreshing to be honest knowing that even those types have something to be afraid of. Though if they are afraid of it then we will probably be destroyed if we come anywhere near it.”
“Your getting off topic.”
“Was I? Oh yes well if those events happened then I believe Fido's memory loss may be a direct result of that thing. One unknown fact is how it will affect us in the long run.”
“What do you mean Tarot?”
“This force is obviously some type of supernatural being. You know them better than anyone they don't do anything like this unless they are seeking to cause harm. And if it is seeking to harm us all then this may be more than just a simple memory loss.”
“I can feel...disturbances surrounding people. I felt it around Fido. Tarot you promised me you wouldn't let anything happen to us. Please tell me what will happen to us.”
“I don't know...yet. I will need more information but for now we have to wait.
“How can you expect me to wait?”
“I don't but you must. We need Kitsune to bring the two kids round. When they are all here we can try to understand what is going on but until then we need to wait. If you want something to do why don't you try contacting the spirits and see if they have any info about what is going on?”
Sabrina stood up and started heading for her room.
“You know what that is a good idea. Oh and if I find out it has anything to do with that stupid little game those entities play then they are going to get a piece of my mind. Messing with my boyfriend is grounds for violence.”
“But you're a pacifist what would you do?”
“Grant Grape temporal magic immunity then give her a broom.”
“Remind me never to upset you.”

A random wall on a random street.

“.....”
“.....”
“.....”
“.....”
'Oh this is just getting ridiculous why can't I think of something to say? Okay just try something simple.' Grape looked up at the sky trying to think of something, anything, to say. She looked up at the sky. Clear and blue as it usually is. 'Well if it works for the English people on TV then it should work for me.'
“So...” She began hesitantly. “...how about that weather we have been having?” 'Crud I didn't think it would sound that bad. Stupid English people!'
The orange cat sitting next to her seemed relieved that at least something had been said. Even if it was as cringe worthy as it could get.
“Yeah it's very umm...nice.” 'Nice? What kind of response was that you moron. What did we talk about before today? My memory is so foggy. Oh wait something is coming back...No. Oh god please no!'
“Umm Grape...wasn't the pridelands movie marathon on last night? If it was we missed it by going to bed early.”
“Yeah it was, I was devestated at the thought of missing it but Peanut said he would record it for me. If he remembers, though he probably watched it so he could narrate everything to me word by word if he didn't record it.”
“Peanut likes pridelands?”
“Oh yeah he loves the story aspect. He doesn't really care about cat/dog boundaries especially if they get in the way of something good. I think he started simply because I liked it and he wanted to share my interests. He is always doing his best to be close to me. Kinda sweet to be honest.”
'Doing anything to be close to her...wait wasn't Peanut supposed to be a cat lover? There was that fiasco with the picture after all...does he...like Grape?' “Umm Grape?”
“Yes Marvin?”
“Actually never mind it is stupid. 'Or is it?' “All of that makes it sound like he really does like you.”
“That he does. He is always there to cheer me up when I am down. He knows exactly what to say and what to do to cheer me up in the worst times. Though nowadays there are times when he thinks I am not looking and he will let his guard down and for a split second he just looks so...so destroyed. Have you ever noticed it?”
“I haven't really spent time with Peanut before. Do you know when he started doing it?”
'Well it was after I saw him crying when I left on a date with Max I mean Marvin once. I knew he had a huge crush on me but was he really that serious about it? No he can't be he is too much like a child to know about love plus he has Tarot to keep him occupied...but then again that look of despair in his face...'
“Nope, No idea. Hey wanna go see if he recorded Pridelands?”
“Oh my god yes I would love to!”
Even without the outburst it was easy for Grape to see Marvin's excitement by the sudden perk in his tail. They jumped off the wall and headed back to the sandwich house unaware their entire conversation had been monitored.

Their conversation had been very interesting indeed. The purple cat's thoughts gave away more information than she herself knew about. The dog with the mental shielding had a crush on her did he? The information would likely become a golden asset in his defeat if or when he tried to intervene with the plan. Monitoring her thoughts would prove to be a useful action. More information that could be used against the dog was very welcome indeed. It split off a chunk of its being and kept it tagging along behind her. If only the others were this easy. The golden dog and the black cat seemed to have an impenetrably strong shield. Even it could not see into their heads. However with the now ex-police dog losing the events of his life the black cat should destabilise mentally and then she would be easy pickings. And if the purple cat loses the events of her life then the mutt dog should lose his shielding from grief leaving him vulnerable and as a result the golden dog should become vulnerable too. And if she is corrupted than that dragon would become its. Oh yes it knew about the little game that was being played in this dimension. In fact it knew more about the game itself than the three entities playing it did. It was just a matter of time. It had already waited countless millennia, it could stand to wait a little longer.


--------------------------
Well it has been quite a while since I was last able to write and now the summer holidays have started I shouldn't be bothered by school for a while.
A great big thank you goes to copper for some interesting and very thoroughly though out theories he came up with. They have helped me quite a lot.

Hmm, very interesting indeed. Seems this entity has a certain view of mortals... let us see if he is right or wrong.

Oops I was too forgetful. I had this for a bit but never had the time to post.

Housepets: Living with change.
Chapter 8. A happy reunion and a shocking twist of fate.

Mercy hospital.

Together they counted the rooms as they walked past them in the corridor. Side by side the cat and the man. Not a single person who passed by them had any idea what set these two individuals aside from the rest of the world. Nor could they know. They lived in a world where the general consensus was that seeing was believing and so they learnt to accept what they saw even if it wasn’t the truth.
“How long will it take to get used to this new body?” She was leaning on the man’s arm to stop herself from falling over for what felt like the hundredth time since she left the ward.
“How should I know, it is your body now not mine. I don’t have any experience walking around in it.” Kitsune replied. Then with a slight smile he added “And besides you have two legs still, it can’t be that much different from your normal body.”
“Hahaha how funny you aren’t. Just in case you haven’t noticed I have some massive tail coming out my butt and believe it or not that WASN’T there before. Plus it is my weight. I feel lighter than normal. Not just actual weight either it is my walking. Every step seems like I put less weight on than I should. I feel as if I am constantly about to fall over, makes me stumble all the time.”
“Aren’t cats supposed to be light on their feet? That is how they manage to sneak around so quietly all the time.”
“I suppose. Still feels weird though. And I am not too happy about walking around naked either. It makes me feel uncomfortable.”
“You’re a cat, cats don’t wear clothes ergo you will have to learn to live with it.”
“Screw that I’m getting clothes the first chance I get.”
“As you wish. You should be aware however that everyone will look at you strangely.”
“Look as far as I am aware you are a guy so I wouldn’t expect you to understand what being clothed means to a girl. For your benefit it means protection. Keeps the freaks from leering at you.”
“I can assure you I am most certainly a guy. Look if you feel this uncomfortable then we shall get you some clothes. But for the meantime we need to find-”
“Hey look number 148. Isn’t that the room you said he was in?”
“If the receptionist got her data right then yes he should be in there. After you.”
“Oh I am so excited. And worried. Oh god I hope he is okay, he didn’t look too good after the…the crash.”
“He’ll be fine. His injuries weren’t life threatening. I think.”
“Wait what do you mean think?”
“I’m not a doctor.”
“So what? You managed to change the complete structure of my body and yet you can’t do a simple diagnostic scan?”
“I’m not a doctor. Now will you open the door so we can get this over with?”
“Fine but I promise you there will be some serious questioning going on later. And I expect answers.”
She took a hold of the door handle and gently started to turn it. The handle clicked and the door opened with barely a creak. The room inside was more or less completely symmetrical to the one she woke up in save for the medical equipment. There was by far a lot more, and it looked more complex too. A lot of letters and data that she couldn’t even begin to understand. The sunlight from the window seemed to illuminate the single bed that lay within. She crept up to the bed leaning against the wall for support until she was able to make out the sleeping figure. She analyzed the face. He was definitely a dog there was no doubt about that, however there was no way she could know what breed he was simply by studying his face. She wasn’t used to the appearances of animals in this place, plus she was never too bothered about learning all the different dog breeds. She did however know exactly what he was from her own memory of him. He always said border collies were his favorite. And the closer she looked the more sure she was that this was definitely her brother. Her heart just knew that it was him even though he looked completely different. She turned to Kitsune who had silently entered the room behind her.
“Is it okay to wake him?”
“I don’t see why not. Just be gentle. Trans dimensional jumps can take really take it out of someone and he wasn’t in the most ideal condition in the first place.”
She nodded and turned back towards her sleeping brother. Putting her lips to his ears, ‘Ha dog ears.’ she giggled quietly to herself, she gently whispered his name.
“Chris.”

“Why wont you explain it properly?”
“Because it is not the time for it.”
“Oh yeah so you are more than happy to boss me around but you don’t even have the good grace to actually tell me why this is all happening. Yeah I see how it is, you know you are exactly like everyone I knew in my life. Everyone always wanted to boss me around but no one thought I was smart enough or even worth their time to have anything explained to. Well why should I listen to you or that weirdo man if you refuse to tell me why I have to listen to you?”
Tarot sighed. Talking to this kid was becoming a chore. ‘Why kitsune of all the billions of people across all the dimensions did you have to choose this stubborn child?’
“If you do as you are told then you will get your answers.”
“But why wont you tell me now?”
“Because put simply I know very few of the answers to your questions.”
“Then why don’t you just answer the ones you do know and then we can bypass all this hassle?”
Sigh “ I already explained that my physical appearance is the norm for animals around here so I would have thought you would have guessed you were somewhere else.”
“I got that bit. I want to know how. The weird guy with the proposal said he would take us somewhere else. How did he do this?”
“I can’t say much about him. You wouldn’t believe me so I suggest you ask him yourself. I will tell you this though. He is not what he seems to be.”
“So he isn’t human then?”
“You worked that out pretty quick. But do you believe it?”
“Look I have been told I am in a different world and that the one who brought me here isn’t who he seems even though he seems human. Oh and all this is said from the mouth of a bipedal talking dog. Yeah I am pretty sure I can believe it.”
Tarot didn’t really have a response to this. She looked him up and down trying to figure out just what it was that Kitsune was so interested in. He was sharp witted and always had a quick response so he was obviously smart. Annoyed by peoples misconceptions of his intelligence and possibly him as a whole, this makes him eager to prove himself to others. Though lacking the will or the want to try and doing so only when there is no other choice. ‘Does he resent contact with others or as a possibility does he fear contact with others? But in either case the question is why?’ Kitsune was searching for someone special to help him fix…whatever it was he and the rest of those annoying entities messed up but instead of one he returned with two. Highly unorthodox. The fact that the spirit council allowed him to steal one child in the first place was unbelievable but taking two of them, that was too much. Though given the circumstances it seemed he was forced by the council to take the children in. ‘Especially if that dream was true.’ The thought of Kitsune of all things having the role of a parent to these two kids was just too much. 'He isn’t a bad guy like Pete but he is completely unaware of mortal feelings. He means well but he is too inexperienced to handle the role of a parent.’ This was put to the front by the fact that in the world of the entities Kitsune was nothing more than a simple teenager himself. Put side by side with these kids the boy was pretty much the same age as Kitsune. Give or take a year or two. A millennium of immortality doesn’t automatically grant maturity. A blessing in disguise perhaps. Kitsune could learn a few things from extended contact with the kids. ‘If Kitsune isn’t ready for this then I shall look after them. I wont be their mother they would resent that but they need someone who they can talk to who would understand their feelings and make sure they are fully adjusted to this world.’
She refocused her gaze back onto him. Throughout her thought processing he had been standing there with his arms crossed just staring. He hadn’t even moved, just watched her carefully. Analyzing her? If he was trying to work her out then he would be in for a surprise. She wasn’t like regular mortals. But then if Kitsune has his eyes on this kid then neither is he. ‘This should prove interesting as long as Sabrina doesn’t curse him.’ The poor kid already has been cursed in a way though. A dog represented his physical body but underneath she could clearly sense a human spirit. He himself could not see himself as a dog. He didn’t know it yet but he will when he wakes up. ‘Just another thing Kitsune had better have a good answer for.’ She thought to herself scornfully.
“Okay here is the deal. The guy’s name is Kitsune. I will say now he will be completely useless when it comes to looking after you and your sister so if you need anything ANYTHING at all you come find me and I will help you okay? Any questions any problems and I will help. Do not rely on him for support as he is the sentient equivalent of a turnip in these matters.”
The initial surprise from this sudden outburst of information and blunt generosity was soon taken over by mirth. ‘I thought this dog was a bit of a stiff but seems she knows how to make a funny. She is okay then I guess.’
“Okay I will keep that in mind…thanks.”
“Don’t mention it. Now go your sister is calling you.” Tarot started to fade away as his dream state began to give way to his wakened state. “Just remember to keep an open mind and be ready to accept a lot of changes. And good luck.”
She disappeared entirely. Now he could hear his sister’s voice calling his name.
“Chris. Chris. Wake up.”
His body felt heavy, clear evidence that he was finally awake. He opened his eyes and immediately thought he was still dreaming. A blue cat filled his vision. Anthropomorphic like the dog was. He remembered what she said to him. This is the norm for animals around here. ‘If that was true then I must be awake. But why is there a cat in my face and where is Elly? She was calling my name so she must be here.’ He was about to ask the blue cat if it had seen his sister when it opened its mouth and her voice came out.
“Well look who finally decided to wake up. You sure took your sweet time.”
“Wha…Elly is that you?” he asked stunned.
“As far as I am aware. I know it isn’t what you were expecting but I can prove it is definitely me. Just ask me any questions.”
“Okay then. What do we call a cup of tea?”
“We call it a slice of tea and for fun we reverse bread and call it a cup of bread.”
“Good. Umm oh here is another. Origins of the phrase Scrum num num.”
“Borderlands. You were the soldier I was the girl. Outside Firestone we got out the buggy and it looked like I ate the pile of weapons on the floor and I said Scrum num num while doing it.”
“Good so far but here’s the final question. What am I?”
“A ****.”
“It is you! But how?”
“Any questions I suggest you ask Mr. likes to makes promise over there. He has a lot to answer for.” She indicated the doorway where Kitsune was standing. He gave the two of them a cheery wave that was not returned. “But before you do I have to show you something. I will say now brace yourself, as this was a bit of a shock to me too.”
She indicated to Kitsune who hurried over and pulled out as mirror. He held it up in front of the boy.
“I can’t see that far away without my glasses you doofus.” He said scornfully.
“Oh right. One pair of glasses coming right up.” Kitsune waved his hand and a pair of glasses materialised on his face. He had somehow managed to get the exact lens magnification specifics that his eyes required. “Ah you may need a pair that fit better. Don’t worry these will do for now.”
He moved his head slightly so he could see into the mirror. Why his glasses would not fit soon became apparent. The mirror reflected not the teenager he expected to see but instead showed a dog. More specifically a Border collie. Most of the fur covering him was pure black save for the occasional white areas. His chest fur was solely white. He looked closely at the mirror at his eyes. They were a deep purple. At least he thought they were. Colour was never one of his strong points. He looked back at his sister who was eying him carefully
“And what do you think you are looking at?” He asked pointedly.
“Oh nothing, I was just thinking at least you aren’t completely ugly any more. Now you actually may have a chance of having a relationship with someone.”
“That is always a bonus. However I am sorry to say the same doesn’t apply to you. You are still as ugly as you ever were.”
“That still means I am much better looking than you.”
“It seems you and the rest of the world have widely different opinions then.”
They stared at each other for a few seconds and then burst out laughing. She jumped onto his bed and gave him a hug.
“I can’t believe you are okay. You looked terrible when you climbed out the caravan I thought you wouldn’t make it.”
“Pph please it takes more than that to take me out. Big brothers are tough remember.”
“Yeah I guess. But don’t you ever make me worry about you like that again you hear me?”
“Me! You’re the family idiot and besides I am older. I am the one who has to worry about you.”
“Details details. I can take care of myself I’m a cat now see, And I am fluffy so that makes me awesome.”
“Oh really well I’m a dog and I am fluffier than you so I am more awesome.”
“No I’m fluffier than you.”
“No you aren’t.”
“Yes I am.”
“Are not.”
“Are too.”
Kitsune watched the two of them. He had expected the hug but not this…whatever it was they were doing. It sounded like an argument but they were both smiling as they did it, which was unlike any argument he had ever witnessed or taken part in. He decided that the best course of action would be to just let it play out. And if he ended up with greater knowledge on their behavior his job would become a lot easier.
In fact he was so pre-occupied with studying them that he failed to notice the individual who had been standing in the doorway turn and storm out.

Bino was filled with anger. All he could think about was the horrific scene he had just witnessed. He stormed down the hospital corridor heading for the lift. ‘It isn’t fair! We have the possibility of having another outstanding member of the GODC but what do we get? A traitor to our species that is what we get. How dare that miserable traitor hug a cat! I know I will spread the word. No one is to have any contact with the traitor. All invitations to meetings and parties will be withheld and ANYONE caught doing otherwise will be branded a traitor too and expelled from the club.’

Bino entered the elevator and clicked the button for the ground floor. ‘This is getting out of hand. First there was Tiger with his pathetic cat name, then Peanut turned out to be a cat lover, King turned up and tried to usurp my leadership, Fox has allowed himself to be hypnotized by the little creep and now we get a cat sympathizer. This town is falling apart and without proper action we will lose all our dog given orderliness and all become feral. I guess it is up to me. I will hold a meeting to discuss action against the traitors. With luck I can save Fox before it is too late.’
He left the elevator and was so deep in his scheming he walked right past both King and Fox without noticing their presence. He began the long walk home using the free time to think of ways to clean the town up before it was too late.

“That was definitely Bino right and I am not going insane?”
“Yes King that was definitely him.”
“What was with that sour look on his face? And why didn’t he notice us?”
“Well he was obviously deep in thought about something. The face may mean something went wrong with the indoctrination process.”
“You mean there is still a chance we can save the kid?”
“Why King it almost sounds as if you care.”
“I don’t. I just want to see Bino suffer is all. And depriving him of people to bore is the best way of doing so.”
“You know you two could be great friends if you ever made up.”
“Don’t start that again Fox. I told you I wont ever be friends with that evil Jerk. And I don’t see how you could either. You seem to spend most your time either away from him or putting him in hospital.”
“He has a good heart underneath that tough outer shell. Much like you. All I’m saying is maybe one day you two could help each other show your hearts.”
“Yeah I’d rather die.”
Fox let out an explosive sigh and sat down on one of the visiting chairs in the reception area.
“Well we have a while before they come out. Why don’t you think of something else to talk about since being a normal dog is a touchy subject for you.”
“Oh hahaha.”

“Say that one more time.”
“I don’t see why I need to. I have explained this to both you and your brother enough times already.”
“Well then you must be getting good at it. I want to try to remember every detail of this ok and I don’t have a notepad.”
“Fine if you insist upon it.”
“From the top.”
“Yes from the top. The mortal plane in which we are currently abiding within is not the only plane of existence. There is another more ethereal one crudely dubbed the spiritual plane by mortals such as yourself. I am a member of this so-called spiritual plane. The white fox you both saw in your dreams is more or less what my real form looks like. My name is both who I am and what I am and my name is…”
“Kitsune.” The boy interjected.
“Yes and you still haven’t told me who told you that. Was it Tarot?” The boy merely shrugged so he continued. “Yes well my name is Kitsune which is the name for a multi-tailed fox and not this Ninetails you prefer to call me.”
“Yes but Kitsunes are also creatures of trickery so why should we trust you?”
“My your knowledge of your so-called mythology is impressive little girl. I gave you my word I would answer you honestly. If I give my word then I am always honest. I came to find you because put simply I need your help. A game went horribly wrong and has caused some unfortunate side effects.”
“Now this is the point I don’t get. When Elly and I mess up a game we just revert to last checkpoint. What kind of side effects could you be talking about?”
“This is not one of your childish video games I am talking about. We play something a lot more advanced. It is our version of your dungeons and dragons game but on a tier six scale.”
“You play dungeons and dragons? What kind of nerd are you? You call my games childish yet you are the one playing D&D.”
“I like dungeons and dragons.” The girl interjected.
“That’s because you are sad. And a nerd.”
“Excuse me you are the one who-”
“THE POINT IS that my game is an advanced version called U&U. We have real life characters. We pick and choose a mortal and use them to win the game. What happened was that the players broke pretty much every single rule in the rulebook. In our version to stop that the rulebook initiates a lockdown procedure which ends the game for an unspecified period of time. Pretty much until the players learn their lesson. Something however has gone horribly wrong. I think our rulebook may have malfunctioned. To cut a long story short it has been effecting the lives of the people on this plane. Some of them are suffering from a sort of amnesiac effect that is steadily growing worse. I set out to find a special individual. Someone whose spirit was so strong that they could be infused with my powers and help sort it out. I found you two.”
He paused to let them process the information. They started whispering to each other. Too softly for him to hear. After a minute they stopped and turned to him. The girl took a deep breath and asked…
“Why pick us for the job? You make yourself sound so high and mighty so why don’t you sort it out yourself?”
“Oh believe me I have tried. But the power at play here has been using everyone who has had contact with this town. In fact it has got roots in every one in this entire dimension. I needed to find someone not of this dimension who was extremely strong of spirit. You two.”
“Why both me and her? You said someone. Someone is not a plural term.”
“Oh individually you are still two of the strongest people I have ever seen but for some reason together your power reaches limits even greater than perhaps my own. Once you have been properly juiced up that is.”
“Power what power? And what do you mean by strong spirit?”
“To understand this you must leave behind the thinking of the physical body. The body does not represent true power. People with strong spirits have great resistance to magic and all its side effects. This means that whatever is going on has the least effect on you two. I need the two of you to stop this.”
“You mean Chris and I have a resistance to magic? Does that mean we can use it?”
“You may use it to protect yourself from magic.”
“Yeah yeah I got that bit but I want to know can we use it?”
“You mean like casting magic and summoning fire and all that crap?”
“Yes that’s it. Can we?”
“What the…No! Good god no.”
“Well why the hell not?”
“Because I would literally be in such a deep pile of crap if I let you two have that sort of power. Control of the basic elements and more is strictly forbidden to mortals. I am already out on a limb here so you get what your given and be happy about it okay?”
“Wow dude that is pretty useless.”
“Yeah talk about a bum deal.”
“Look you use it to complete your objective and when you have I will give you the pleasant task of monitoring the two players to make sure they don’t break any more rules.”
“Monitor? That sounds really boring.”
“Well technically you will be bullying them into behaving. And they have to listen as because of your moderator status you have full authority to grant repercussions for any rule violations. Plus you will be completely immune to their magic so you wont have anything to fear.”
“That does sound fun.” Elly replied with an interested look on her face
“The monitoring job does sound a bit fun. Do we get paid?”
“Let’s get the nitty gritty parts sorted out when we reach that stage shall we?” Kitsune responded with as much haste as he could manage.
“Ok but how about this. Dog’s only live fourteen years and Chris is eighteen so what’s happening with that?”
“Yeah I better not be living for a stupidly small amount of time.”
“Ah that’s the beauty of this dimension, as a cat and a dog your life spans are still shorter than humans but they are far greater than the ones you are used to.”
“How much greater?” Elly asked.
“You live say about roughly forty years ish.”
“Ok that is longer but I’m still eighteen. That is nearly half my life gone then. That is not fair!”
“Ah but you don’t see the beauty of it your age is half a humans so the age of your body is currently nine. Plenty more time left for the both of you.”
“Oh so that means I am umm…”
“Seven you moron.”
“I knew that, my head hurts is all.”
“Yeah sure. So technically I will still be eighteen in spirit. Can I still play eighteen rated games?”
“Yeah sure knock yourself out kiddo.”
“Score!” He pumped his fist into the air then stopped as he remembered more about the earlier conversation. “Hey you also said that you would tweak our ages. What did you mean?”
“You are right when you say your life span is short so I was thinking of giving you a little extra time by lowering the age of your body by a smidgen.”
“How much?”
“Oh I don’t know just a year or two maybe.”
“How is that even physically possible?”
“I just turned you into cat and your brother into a dog, how can you be questioning this?”
“Oh well excuse me for being curious. You do realise that these aren’t everyday events for us.”
“Okay okay fine. Any way any thoughts about the ages?”
“Ask us later. I want to sleep on it. And don’t ask her yet either, she is prone to quick decisions that she later regrets.”
“I’ll let that one slide since it is true.”
“Sure just remember the more people see you now the more questions will be asked if you suddenly look younger.”
“Ok you have been truthful so far. But tell me this.” Chris rested his chin upon his clasped hands and looked Kitsune straight in the eye. “What exactly happened that night you came for us. And don’t you dare hold any information back.”
“Truthfully, and this is hand on my heart the honest truth, I don’t know. When I arrived in your dimension I felt the very same power or presence or whatever it is that had caused the initial problems which started messing up my dimension. That leaves me open to two assumptions. Either it followed me here or it was already here. Both of which are equally bad in their own way. But either way what is clear is that the two of you were its target.”
“So something has it in for us, and what about mum?”
“I’m sorry to say she did not share your power. If she had her reflexives may have been greater and so her life may have been spared. Unfortunately it seems she was just an innocent bystander who just happened to be in the way.”
“But how? I’m eighteen and I studied Geography so I know a thing or two about weather patterns. That storm came from nowhere. There was no warning no nothing. Clear skies one second then boom suddenly cloud cover was a solid eight oktas. With the wrong pressure system too. The air was too dense to form clouds.”
“How do you know it didn’t change all of a sudden? The weather is unpredictable.”
Chris shook his head.
“Impossible. A change that big I would have felt it. I get these beast nosebleeds whenever the pressure changes suddenly and that huge a change I would have bled for sure.”
“He isn’t lying I have seen it happen. Quite disgusting really.”
“Noses can’t do that.”
“Mine can. Don’t ask me how it happens because honestly I don’t know. The point stands though that storm was not natural.”
“I’ll agree there. Whatever targeted you two most likely conjured the storm. That is worrying considering the level of power it requires to control the weather.”
“Oh great so we got an all powerful thing that wants us dead.”
“I can see why it would want you dead.”
“Oh another attempt at humour. See what you don’t understand is that when you-”
“Do you two always do this?” Kitsune asked rubbing his temple.
“Uh yes actually. You got a problem then shove off but this is how our conversations go.”
“Yeah we can’t stand being boring like other families so we spice things up. What’s wrong with trading insults? It’s fun.” Elly crossed her arms and stared pointedly into Kitsune’s face almost like she was daring him to challenge her on it.
“It’s exhausting. Listen the sooner we get you out of here the quicker I can help prepare you to ward this…thing off. I already tricked the shift leader to sign both your release forms. We can go now if you want.”
Elly grabbed her brother’s arm.
“Go where?” she asked suspiciously.
“To your new home of course.”
“Okay but we have one last question.”
“She says last but I’ll add now that we will have more depending on the nature of your answer.”
“Just get it over with.” Kitsune sighed and flopped down onto the edge of the bed.
“When you were stalking our dreams you said to pick names for our characters. Now that we look like them what is happening about that?”
“It isn’t stalking. The names you currently use to identify yourselves are one of the last remnants of your old human life. Who and what you were is gone now forever. You have to learn to leave behind everything you were and learn to live as what you are now. I wont lie this will take a while to get used to. Very few individuals have to live with changes like this.”
“So why can’t we just be the new us with our old names?”
“Because for all intents and purposes you are dead.”
“WHAT! I’M DEAD?” Elly stared at Kitsune with an open mouth not daring to believe what he had just uttered.
“I can physically feel myself through all the black and white fur so how can we be dead?”
“Organic matter transportation through dimensions is iffy. You get through but at the same time you don’t. Think of it as being reborn.”
“What so you are seriously saying that we are dead?”
“The old you is yes. The tissue that made up the bodies you used to inhabit is lost. Even if I made you look like you once did it would still not be your original tissue. But your very essence, your souls, your spirits, whatever you want to call it, is still alive. So though you died at the same time you are still alive.. That is why I asked for your new names. You must leave behind what you once were and start anew here.”
“I’m fourteen and he is eighteen. That is a bit long to just start associating ourselves with these new names. I won’t be able to call him anything else. Unless it is rude of course.”
“All I ever call you is rude so I’m set there.”
“I can help you with that. If you want I can enter your mind and change your receptors to recognize your new names instead of your old ones.”
“What about when we actually say the names?”
“That too.”
They contemplated that for a moment. Chris looked up at Kitsune and frowned.
“There really isn’t anyway of going back?”
“No and if there was would you?”
“No not really. Not now anyway.”
“Yeah me neither.”
“Alright. Names?”
“Sammy.”
“Ha I knew it.”
“Do you want a medal or something?”
“No just pleased with my guesswork.”
“Whatever.” He replied rolling his eyes. “You gonna tell him yours or what?”
“Kura.”
“What?” Chris spluttered. “Where the hell did you get that fro-…oh really?”
“Ah you got it.”
“Yeah and you are sad.”
“What is so sad about the name Kura?” Kitsune asked curiously.
“Well for starters it is just half the name of her favorite anime character and second of all it is half of a boy’s last name.”
“Oh.” Kitsune turned his attention to her. “Are you sure about this choice?”
“Yes.”
“Remember you can’t-“
“I said yes just fricking do it already. Jeez!”
“Oh this is going to hurt like crap isn’t it?”
Kitsune merely shrugged. He leaned forward, placed his hands on each of their foreheads and closed his eyes. A full minute passed before Kitsune drew backwards with a gasp of breath.
“I knew your spirits were strong but that was ridiculous. Never ask me to go in your heads like that again okay?”
“S’fine with me. I prefer privacy. Did you do it?”
“I believe so.”
“Hey dream stalker…Kitsune whenever I think of my name…my old name I still recognize it.”
“Hey yeah me too.”
“Really? Hmm strange.”
“Hey say our names. Old and new.”
“Elly. Kura. Chris. Sammy.”
“See I still recognize my old name and I know it was my name but I don’t feel as if I have to respond to it.”
The girl nodded. “Same and the new one has a stronger sort of feel to it.”
“Hmm now that is interesting. Try saying each others names.”
“Okay. Sammy.”
“Kura. See I said Kura even though I was trying to say Kura. I mean Kura. Arg you know what I mean.”
“I do. You two can still say the names Chris and Elly but not I believe if you are associating those names with yourselves. Just don’t think to hard into this stuff. It gives most people a headache.” He stood up from the bed. “C’mon I want to show you your new house. Preferably while it is still light.”
Kura climbed off of the bed and walked over to the door. She turned to her brother who had yet to get up. “Coming?”
“Yeah just give me a sec my body is still really sore. Couldn’t you have I dunno healed me or something?”
“I’m not a doctor.”
“And yet you managed to completely change the struc-”
“Oh don’t bother. I said the same thing but no dice.”
“Ok. Oh umm you didn’t have to bring any clothes with you did you?”
“No. What is with you two? She asked the same thing.”
“Well it is kinda embarrassing.”
“Not for a dog.”
“Yeah screw that I’m getting clothes the first chance I get.”
“HA! That’s exactly what I said.”

“The rules are simple what don’t you understand?”
“Oh I understand the rules all right. It is the game itself I don’t get.”
“How so?”
“What is the point?”
“Fun!”
“What fun?”
“Try it and you’ll see.”
“I still don’t see how it could possibly be fun.”
“Just try it some day. It isn’t hard. One person throws it the other catches it. Then repeat but vice versa. Simple yet fun.”
“Listen Fox it doesn’t matter how much you embellish it the fact remains that a frisbee is just a piece of plastic.”
“Mine squeaks.”
“…why did you not mention this before?”
“Because I wanted to try to…hey look over by the elevator, two pets and a man. I haven’t seen the pets before but isn’t that the guy from the TV?”
“Yeah looks like him.” ‘Does that mean these are the two Pete wants me to be friends with? And if so does that mean that that man is Kitsune?’
‘Indeed it is I little King. Why don’t you come say hello?’
‘Because I really can’t be bothered with meeting two sniveling little pets.’
‘Such a pity and here I was planning on using them to keep Pete in line. Oh well I guess you want to go back to what it was like before.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘There is a reason why I specifically chose them my little Corgi. Do you want the benefits?’
‘Oh fine.’ “Hey Fox c’mon lets go see the newbies.”
“Remember not to sound too enthusiastic. Don’t want people to think you care now do we.”
But King was already trotting off towards them. Fox shook his head. Though he was pleased that King was actually going to the effort of trying to make friends he was still curious as to why King was doing it all of a sudden. He shrugged and quickly caught up with the group. At first glance they looked like your normal everyday pets but then again there was something about them which didn’t feel right. ‘It’s their eyes.’ Fox decided. ‘Their eyes just seem so empty so lifeless. Like a bottomless chasm of darkness. Whatever it was they had seen or experienced it couldn’t have been pleasant. These are not the eyes of happy pets. What exactly did they lose in that crash?’ Answers would come later for now it would be best if he showed them that Babylon gardens could help bring joy into the lives of everyone who lived there.

Fun update. Love how the two little rascals are keeping immortals in line no problem.

Moderators do have fun, I must say!

Oooo, fluffy!!! Collies are so awesome.

Housepets: Living with change.

Chapter 9. Trust takes time.

Babylon gardens


“I’m sure he is around somewhere. It is not like him to travel too far.”
“I hope your right. We need an answer.”
“Hmm he isn’t downstairs. Right you check the garden I’m gonna go upstairs and look in his room. If he isn’t there then he isn’t in at all.”
“Will do.”
If he wasn’t upstairs then it was probable that he wasn’t even in the house at all. Where he would have gone was a complete mystery if that were the case. The normally squeaky floorboards didn’t so much as make a single creak as his room came into view. The door handle twisted and the door opened showing the contents of the room. Everything was in the same place as it always was, more or less. At first glance it seemed the room was uninhabited. The bed was undisturbed and the chair was tucked away. It took a few seconds to notice that indeed he was present in the room. He was sitting on the inside windowsill of the open window staring down the street. What exactly he was staring at was unfathomable. ‘Probably just daydreaming’
“Peanut?”
He turned suddenly and visibly relaxed when he saw who it was.
“Oh hey Grape. Anything I can do for you?”
“Yeah but first what’s with the window gazing?”
“Window gazing? Oh nothing, I just umm had this feeling is all.”
“Feeling? Like bad food feeling?”
“No.”
“No food feeling?”
“No.”
“First trip to vet feeling?”
“No…wait yes…but no. Yes it is like that but no it is stronger a lot stronger.”
“How so?”
“Like first vet feeling mixed with…something has gone very wrong feeling.”
“So you feel anxious and scared. Worry? Despair? Peanut are you feeling okay?”
He waved his paw dismissively “Yeah yeah I said it’s just a feeling after all…just a feeling. No need to worry.” He turned back and stared at the exact same spot in the distance. He whispered so that Grape even with her sensitive cat ears could barely hear him “Just a feeling.”
Now starting to feel generally worried for her friend and housemate she placed her hand on his shoulder gently.
“Have you spoken to Tarot about this?”
“Tarot? No actually I was going to go see her after you left this morning but then you know I uhh…”
“Got this feeling yeah okay. Well I want you to go see her when you feel able to tear yourself away from the window okay?”
“Yeah yeah sure. I will…in a bit.”
“Okay now I have one very important question. And bear in mind your answer will determine whether you live past this conversation or not. Did you record last night’s pridelands?”
“Oh yeah of course I did.”
“Good boy. Now I know you’ve seen it but please just give me a few hours so I can watch it before you start going on abou-“
“I didn’t watch it.”
Whatever she was going to say next was completely shocked out from her mind. Her eyes widened as her mouth dropped open in surprise. Now completely sure that there was something wrong with Peanut Grape turned him around and looked straight into his eyes.
“Why didn’t you watch it?”
“I was busy and I was going to but as I said I was busy.”
“Did you really just want to wait and watch it with me?”
“…yeah.” He blushed deeply.
A smile spread across Grape’s face as she sighed with relief. She pulled him in for a hug.
“You had me worried for a minute there silly. Not wanting to watch pridelands is something I don’t think I could ever imagine you saying. ”
“Oh as if I could ever stop liking it.”
“That’s why I know something would be very wrong if you ever do. Just promise me you will go see Tarot okay?”
“Yes yes I already said I would.”
“I know you did but I just wanted to check if you were paying attention. You have developed a fascination with window gazing all of a sudden.”
Peanut closed his eyes ‘She can’t feel it. I wonder why, though I can’t say I expected anything else. She has been acting strange all day especially with all this business about Marvin. Tarot should be able to explain it, she just has to look into her crystaly wotsit thingy. Or maybe she will read tealeaves this time…oh no I hope not. Her tea isn’t that good. Nowhere near as good as mom makes it anyway.’
He opened his eyes again at the sound of Grape clearing her throat.
“Ah-hem.” She stared pointedly at him with one eyebrow raised.
“Sorry sorry just thinking. How about if you get it set up I’ll go raid the kitchen for snacks?”
“Deal. Just bring enough for three, Marvin will be joining us.”
This time it was Peanut’s turn to raise an eyebrow.
“Uh-huh.” ‘Great now she is inviting him to watch pridelands. I thought Max was bad but at least she had feelings for him. Marvin…I just don’t know what she is doing with him. Sigh Grin and bear it. That’s the key just grin and bear it.’ “Okay will do.”
With a final glance out the window, which did not go unnoticed by Grape, he turned and followed her down the stairs. If they were lucky they could finish and clean up the inevitable mess before their parents returned home.


Tarot’s house.


“I just saw Peanut staring out the window of his house. Do you think he is aware that things are changing?”
“Sabrina I would be extremely worried if he did not know. Surely you have felt the same aura surrounding Grape that surrounds Fido?”
Sabrina stiffened as Tarot mentioned her boyfriend. “No actually I haven’t read her yet. I’m still in training remember? You can’t expect me to keep up with everything even on a normal day.”
“True but now more than ever does the world need our talent.”
“So did Kitsune actually tell you what was happening?”
“Hmm not yet. After his little trip to the other dimension he has, quite shamefully I might add, decided that things may be more complex and/or more dangerous than he initially imagined. I said before that I was worried because if it worries someone like him then we are to put it simply royally screwed. What aggravates me however is that he is still reluctant to take it all seriously. He thinks that running off to another dimension, causing the death of these kid’s mother and stealing them will solve everything for him.”
“So…he didn’t actually need the kids?”
“Probably not.” Tarot settled down into a cushy armchair and let out an explosive sigh. “And instead of stopping this…thing I will be having to look after them because lets face it Kitsune is a complete turnip.”
Sabrina chuckled. “Ah yes I heard that part when you were speaking in the boy’s dreams. Very good comparison.”
“I know I liked it too. He means well of course but there is a huge difference between the want to help and the ability to help. And if I am correct these two will not want any of his help. I don’t know who is more stubborn. Them or him.”
“So it was definitely his fault their mother died?”
“He said whatever caused her death was not from that dimension and is more than likely related to everything happening now. Therefore Kitsune brought it there and so his focus on the kids subsequently made them a target.”
“Do you think he feels guilty about it? Obviously he knows it is his fault, he isn’t stupid, but do you think his kind feels that sort of thing?”
“Why else would he offer to take the two of them with him?”
“He offered? I thought the spirit council forced him to take them.”
“On the contrary all that supposed waffle about him actually liking mortals and having that policy of intrinsic benevolence is actually all true. He truly felt sorry for them and spent quite a deal of time pleading his case to look after them.”
The seconds ticked by as Sabrina attempted to process this information.
“But…but I thought…”
“That’s what I thought at first but I have spoken with dragon. She was present at the council meeting on account of being related to why this all occurred. She said they were to let him have one but he wouldn’t leave until he could look after the pair of them.”
“Wait I thought Kitsune said the council forced him to take them both”
“Of course he did. He is a guy, he can’t be seen to have emotions in front of anyone or it will ruin his credibility in front of the other guys.”
“He is an inter-dimensional spiritual being is he really that shallow about these things?”
Tarot responded with a shrug. “Apparently so. Though why a high order being would give two s-” She stopped mid sentence and sat up straight. “It’s Kitsune.” She said to the unasked question. “They are both awake and are close to leaving the hospital…heh looks like Fox and King have popped over to say hi.”
“How nice now is there anything he actually wants or is he just posting a status update?”
“He wants to know if the ferrets still have that house for sale…you’d better ask.”
Sabrina picked up the phone and dialled in the Milton residence. “How did he manage to organise a house for sale anyway?”
“Oh time is subjective for them.”
“Uh-huh. Ah yes hello this is Sabrina I am calling on account of a possible house for sale. Mmm hmm I want to know if it is still available…yes I know. I am doing it for his behalf. No she is busy. Because it is rude that’s why. Look if you wanted me to read your mind I would do it at an inconvenient moment for you okay. Now is that a yes or a no? See that wasn’t to hard was it?” She put the phone down. “Tell him it is a yes.”
“Okay they will be there shortly.”
“You seem a bit off. Something Kitsune said?”
“Yes actually. He said King came to greet the kids. You know how reluctant and anti-social he is so under the small percent chance that Fox managed to convince him to come don’t you think it is still a bit of a coincidence that he is there with these two specific kids AND Kitsune?”
“You don’t think…Pete? No King isn’t his avatar anymore, Pete can’t have set it up.”
“King may not currently be his avatar but he is on more of a standby. If Kitsune decrees it then King shall once again be with Pete.”
“So he could be manipulating him then. Maybe trying to learn a few things about why these kids are so important?”
“That is what I was thinking. Pete is desperate to continue the game and Kitsune has stopped it to take care of the kids. So being Pete there is the possibility he may do something drastic.”
“Was that what that power surge earlier was?”
“No that was most definitely Kitsune.”
Sabrina frowned at Tarot. “How can you be so sure?”
“The power of the spirit which mortals have crudely dubbed as ‘magic’ is much like a person’s voice. Never the same, unique. You can always tell who is doing it if you know their signature.”
“So what exactly did he do?”
“That I can’t tell you. I asked but he was rather guarded in his response. He simply replied that he did what they asked him to do. Nothing more nothing less. Of course knowing him he will have big plans for them. An entity can’t resist messing around in a mortal’s life. So if you feel any more power surges I want you to try to get a feel for them so that you can distinguish who it is. Then we can attempt to find out what was done. Hard but by no means impossible.”
“Well if that was definitely Kitsune’s then I know his now. I know yours off by heart. The one from when King first became who he is now was obviously Pete. But dragon has been suspiciously quiet with her powers…so far.”
“I agree with you there. I may be her avatar but I don’t trust her completely. I would like to continue this conversion over some tea if you agree. But I’ll say this now and I encourage you to heed my words for they ring true for all. Do not presume to know anyone no matter how long you have known them for. Many have aspects of their personality they keep hidden. It is why I don’t trust dragon. Her motives seem pure but they may be but a smoke screen. It is easier for you and I when it comes to mortals, we can simply read their minds to learn of their intentions. But never give your trust to an entity, they usually do not hold worldy concepts like morals.”
“I’ll remember to heed your words. Especially around Pete.” One more question rose to the forefront of her mind as they strode towards the kitchen. “Tarot?”
“Yes Sabrina?”
“Which dimension did those kids come from that makes them more special than any other mortal?”
“I know the answer but I cannot tell you. It has driven many insane over the vast millennia that these dimensions have been around for. You need more training and a far more open mind to even come to terms with the concept.”
“…Oh.” Was the only reply she could think of to Tarot’s answer.


Taking full advantage of the fact that his canine housemate was out Maxwell decided to take up the entire sofa and have a long well needed sleep. Though cats always make every sleep as long as possible this time he was generally exhausted. He had been woken up in the middle of the night by not so much a physical sound but more of a…in fact it was so weird he couldn’t think of anything to describe it. ‘Some sort of mental projection or some such nonsense.’
Was his conclusion. Of course even after briefly dating Sabrina he didn’t believe in any of the mystical force power nonsense that she and Tarot were always prattling on about. When faced with such an incident like last night he would simply wave it away with the explanation of a trivial nightmare…or a need to raid the fridge. However something felt different this time. It was as if you had believed something to be true with all your heart and then suddenly finding out it wasn’t true. As if you had just woken up from the world’s most convincing dream. He was reluctant to go see Tarot for a few reasons. First off her very way of speaking was creepy. So calm and yet when she looked at you it felt like she was peering into your very soul. Then there was Sabrina. He was still unwilling to spend too much time near her, especially seeing as how their relationship ended. And lastly…well to tell the truth he was absolutely terrified at the thought of Tarot confirming his memories as little more than a dream. So his big plan was to fall back to sleep and find his memories of his beloved confirmed upon his reawakening. Seeing Grape today with Marvin just devastated him. And half of him said it wasn’t right whereas the other half told him it was and…'Calm Max calm. Just fall asleep and everything shall be back to normal you’ll see.’ And with that he drifted off into slumber.



Mercy hospital.

“Hi there my name is Fox and this is my buddy King.” Fox extended a paw towards the dog and the cat. Knowing her brother would be too busy summing them up to greet them immediately Kura decided to take the initiative. She grasped his paw and gave him a firm handshake.
“Hi there Fox.” She turned and shook King’s paw too. “Hello King. My name’s Kura. Nice to meet you both.”
“Hey I like your accent. Where are you from?”
“Well England actually.”
“Wow overseas cool. What’s it like over there?”
“Umm I don’t really have a comparison so I’ll go for meh.”
“Well I’m sure you’ll love it over here!”
‘What does he mean over here? Where the heck are we?’
‘Oh didn’t I say? Oh my bad, this is America.’
‘AMERICA? You and I are having another talk after this.’
Kitsune decided to remain silent. He hadn’t thought it was important. Minor details like a country shift are nothing. It wasn’t as if they had been moved to a completely different dimension and country at the same time…‘Oh wait. No this one is actually my fault this time. Ah she’ll get over it I’m sure.’
“I hope so. I’ve never been to America before.”
“Well then you must be very curious. If you want we can show you and your…friend around if you would like?”
“Oh thank you that would be lovely.” She pointed towards Kitsune. “You’ll have to negotiate with him though. He wanted to show us our new home first.”
“Oh ok.” Fox shifted his gaze towards Kitsune. “Hi there would it be…hey wait a minute! Aren’t you the guy from the TV? Yes it is you you’re the one that saved these two from the crash. King look it is him!” Fox grabbed Kitsune’s hand and shook it with excitedly. “What are you doing over here?”
“Well Fox I have decided, with their consent, to become the new owner of these two pets. And yes before you ask you can show them around but once they have settled into their new home first if it isn’t too much trouble.”
“No not at all. I’m sure I’ll see you lot around. And don’t worry the neighborhood is very friendly. And remember, if you are having any difficulties finding anyone just go to the park, everyone goes there at some point.”
“We will thanks.”
“Ok see you soon. C’mon King let’s go.”

King wasn’t paying too much attention to the conversation at play. His focus was divided onto two different matters. First of all he was trying to work out what the dog was staring at them like that for. He hadn’t spoken a single word while the cat had introduced herself. Nor had he taken his eyes off of both Fox and himself. It was really eerie. Like he was summing them up or something. He was already regretting coming to greet them. Honestly he didn’t even know why he had decided to come. Pete had wanted him to do it so he would win but King had promised himself he would never let him win. He knew he would have to go back to being the old bird’s avatar eventually. Kitsune had made it quite clear that night of the GODC Fourth of July cookout that the rules are not always about what he wanted. ‘Though to be honest so far it hasn’t even once been about what I want.’ So he knew he would eventually have to go back. But he would do his best to inconvenience Pete at every single point. But that part about the reward for winning had interested him. Though he didn’t know why. On one paw he wanted to go back to who he once was, but on the other paw he had to admit that going back might not be the best option for him. First off he had grown to like his new friends. Fox was the greatest person someone could ever hope to meet, and then there was Bailey. He was still a bit iffy on the whole having a relationship with a dog thing but he had to admit he did love her with all the strength his little Corgi heart could muster. And of course his reverse transformation meant the return of the inevitable prison sentence. And having literally vanished into thin air the sentence would only lengthen, as he would also be charged with… ‘I dunno resisting arrest or some crap like that. Ooh you ran away from prison. Umm no a mystical giant blue Griffin turned me into a dog and took me away. That would make for a heck of a compelling defence…actually if I play on that I may just be sent to a mental hospital for a while. Where I would say that I no longer believe that story and be let off scot-free.’
‘You know that would never work. And you can’t say that even you don’t think it is a lame plan.'
‘AH Kitsune! Hey I thought you lot weren’t able to read our minds. When did that change?’
‘Oh poor naive little Kingy. Under the rules of the game we are unable to read the minds of anyone in the game. It is a self-enforcing rule to stop cheating from occurring and cannot be broken. We are currently not playing the game and so are not held back by it.’
‘Wait does that include that rule of umm intranstic benevolance?’
‘You mean intrinsic benevolence. Please learn the technicalities. And yes it does include it.’
‘But that means Pete can-'
‘No.’
‘What about-’
‘No’.
‘But what if he-’
‘No it still doesn’t. Pete may be a jerk but he wont come at you with harmful intent. You are safe. And I suggest that if you are planning on making Pete’s life a misery then you become good friends with these two. I told you I was planning on using them to keep Pete in line. I suggest you use that information. But you didn’t hear that from me okay?’
‘Are you allowed to give out hints like that?’
‘Technically I am currently not playing. And who said anything about a hint. I was merely speculating on what may occur later. From a spectators point of view of course.’

“Well then you must be very curious. If you want we can show you and your…friend around if you would like?”

‘There you go King. Fox has now given you an opportunity to become friends with them. I suggest you do not waste it.’
King mentally rolled his eyes. He could make friends with them whenever he wanted to thank you very much. But Kitsune was right, the opportunity was now open. Funnily enough once again thanks to Fox. Maybe if everything went well these pets could help Fox understand who he was. And prevent him from exploding into a fit of rage and strangling him to death of course. Of course there must be something not right about these two if Kitsune had targeted them. ‘Hmm maybe they are psychopaths or something. Whatever I don’t care for their little sob stories anyway. If they have a problem then they can sort it out themselves.’

Throughout King’s mental conversation with Kitsune Sammy continued to watch the little Corgi. The dog that had introduced himself as Fox was busy exchanging pleasantries with Kura so he knew his sister would have sufficient data on him. That had left him with the job of figuring out the dog known as King. It didn’t take long. While he wouldn’t get any in depth details about the little dog he was usually quite proficient at judging people by their exterior. ‘Whoever said don’t judge a book by its cover was a moron.’ Satisfied by his scan he decided to shift his gaze to Fox. While he trusted his sister’s judgement she had on occasion been known to place too much trust into strangers. He needed a bit more information so he decided to ask Kitsune. Luckily getting the attention of a being like Kitsune was relatively easy. A quick mental cough and the man/fox/not actually quite sure what he was still, was inside his head.
‘More questions little one?’
Sammy knew he was only calling him that to annoy him but he wasn’t someone to let anything slide. ‘Don’t call me that, name-calling isn’t effective if you’re the one who caused it. It just makes you sad, as you had to make a fault to poke at someone since you are not intelligent enough to think of something that is naturally wrong…and yes I have a question. How did these two get here?’
‘Yeah but I like it. Feels like a good pet name. And here…well when a mommy dog and a daddy dog love each other very much…you sure you don’t know this story?’Even though it was only a mental connection Sammy could feel that irritating smirk just emanating from Kitsune.
‘You keep it up and I will commit a murder. The pet crap and the patronising, condescending attitude you like to use.’
‘Aww you’re cute when you are angry. I like having a bit of fun. You’ll have to get used to it just the same as I will have to get used to your behavior.’
‘Yes well we’ll sort those things out later. I meant how did they get here as in right here in this hospital?’
‘They traveled.’
He was already close to losing his temper. The fact that Kitsune was doing it deliberately made it worse.
‘SPECIFICALLY!’
‘Oh they walked.’
‘…How far?’
‘A walkable distance.’
‘I swear to god you must have some sort of death wish.’
‘Listen it wont matter as you don’t know their stride length so for them it will be further than it used to be for you. But time wise…it took close to an hour.’
‘Well seeing as they are about half the height I used to stand at I would say that is about a mile maybe a bit more. Why would anyone want to walk all this way just to greet some new people?’
Sammy took Kitsune’s next words seriously as he could literally feel the change in his tone.
‘Listen kid and listen well as this is something you will have to learn. There are some people in this world, an example being Fox here, which are actually decent and will do their utmost best to help others. Even if it is something trivial as walking for an hour just to make sure some new arrivals are greeted by a friendly face.’
‘Wow that makes a change from where I used to live. Back there nobody actually cared for anyone else, well of course you get your over the top happy nutjobs…and your family but that’s it.’
‘You’d better get used to it kid. This world is a heck of a lot better than the one you are from.’
Sammy shifted his gaze towards his sister, watching how she chatted to Fox seemingly without care. He had to admit she did seem happier than she had been in a long time. He wouldn’t be surprised if she wasn’t taking notes at all…he didn’t really care to be honest. As long as she was happy he could sleep easy. ‘Okay fox-man I’ll hold you to your word. My one and only concern is keeping her safe and happy so if this new world is as good as you hype it up to be then maybe just maybe I will forgive you for everything that has happened.’
‘You still blame me for the crash?’
‘Yu-huh.’
‘I gather that means yes. All right then, you just wait and see. This dimension is one of the best this universe has to offer.’


“No not at all. I’m sure I’ll see you lot around. And don’t worry the neighborhood is very friendly. And remember, if you are having any difficulties finding anyone just go to the park, everyone goes there at some point.”
“We will thanks.”
“Ok see you soon. C’mon King let’s go.

Kura watched them leave. Something about seeing those dogs made her feel happy. It was a weird feeling. She hadn’t felt that in a long time, it was almost as if she belonged here. She turned to see Kitsune and her brother both staring at her.
“What?”
Sammy was the first to answer. ‘Oh nothing it’s just you really seemed to be enjoying yourself. Heh you’re even smiling again.”
She turned and looked into one of the hospital windows. Sure enough there was a little grin playing across her lips. She hadn’t even felt it happen.
“Yeah well…shut up you.”
“He is right though you did seem to be enjoying yourself.”
“Not too much to not give him a quick study though.”
“That’s my Kura. So what do you think of him?”
“Hmm well he seems really nice, most people you would feel a sort of falseness about them but he seemed genuinely pleasant. Makes a change from where we used to live.”
‘See.’
‘It had better keep up.’
“I did get a weird vibe from him though. He is hiding something. I’m feeling nosy, I am going to find out what he is hiding.”
“I can shed some light on that actually.” Kitsune interjected. “Normally Fox would not talk to you. He is not one to like cats. He is generally pleasant but I’m guessing he was nice to you because of his friend King.”
“Which is where I come in. Now Kura I’ll agree on your evaluation. Fox seemed nice but at the same time too nice. Now King however is a tough one. He didn’t talk throughout this little greeting so that could mean a number of things. He stood more behind Fox than next to him so he could have been using him as a sort of shield but the wariness in his eyes rules out general shyness. He was looking at you too Kitsune, almost as if he knew you. Therefore I will hazard a guess saying you did something or were part of something responsible to what happened to him. He was staring warily at us and not at any of the passing humans so he distrusts animals but humans. Putting that with your involvement I would say he used to be human like us.”
“How…the heck…did you…do that?”
“Am I right?”
“Pretty much on the ball there. Kid you have a talent. How did you even…it’s just not possible. Only a few individuals can do that sort of evaluation and they have all had heavy contact with the spiritual plane and even then rarely with that degree of accuracy
“Yeah he’s always been pretty good at that. It got him excluded once actually. Accused a teacher of doing something I shall not mention, as it is too illegal for my tastes. Three weeks and a police investigation later and it turns out he was right.”
“Maybe you should work for the police. You would make a good interrogator.”
“Nah police can only go on solid evidence. They don’t work on hunches.”
“They do if it is an extremely trustworthy source. And I believe Tarot will have some work for you regarding an ex-police dog. If you help him then who knows you may land yourself with a job.”
“You should do it. It would make a change from you being such a lazy bones.”
“You’re one to talk about laziness, who is it that wont get out of bed until one in the afternoon? Not me for sure.”
“All I’m saying is you’re no spring chicken. Not saying you’re fat just you’re a bit heavier than most people your age.”
“That’s called muscle you flange. Not that I’d expect you to know anything about that. You can’t even do a single press-up.”
“It isn’t always about strength.”
“No but it helps if you can hold your own in a fight.”
“What so having dumbbells in my room is the done thing now is it?”
“No not being a complete weakling is the done thing.”
“I’m not actually going to bother responding. You’re just being pedantic. ”
“You don’t even know what that words means.”
“…No I don’t. But it is a big word and I heard it in a similar sentence so I’m going with it…what does it mean?”
“It means buy a dictionary.”
“Oh that’s mature well maybe-”
“So who wants to see their new house?” It was a vain attempt by Kitsune to get them to shut up and he knew it. Luckily however much to his surprise and deep gratitude it worked…this time.”
“Yeah alright.”
“Sure I’m game.”
‘Oh sweet mercy thank heaven.’ He mentally sighed with relief. “Alright you guys I’m guessing you’re not too keen on transport at the moment are you?”
“No not really.”
“What he said.”
“Thought so. In that case I was thinking a short astral jump. Nothing too fancy mind you just the usual tear through space and hope the hole doesn’t widen and kill everyone.”
“Not sure if you are telling the truth or just failing to be funny.”
‘Tch kids these days just don’t appreciate humor anymore.' “Anyway we’ll just hide behind the building out of sight to do it. Don’t want the locals freaking out.”
“Sounds good enough to me. There aren’t any side effects that we don’t know about right?”
“No that I know of. Don’t worry about it, you and your sister will be fine.”

“See King that was good wasn’t it? And you didn’t run away! I’m proud of you.”
“Yeah hahaha.” ‘Oh my friend if only you knew what you were getting yourself into by talking to them.'
“I’m just thinking the greeting is fine and all but we should still be wary. Not everyone is a nice person. You of all people know that. Why don’t you play it low for a bit while I check them out, see what they are really like you know?”
“King you should learn to trust people more. I trust you don’t I?”
“Yeah you do.” ‘But would you if you knew?’
“King. King. Earth to King. You blanked out for a second there. Look they have just walked out. They are going round the side to the car park. Why don’t you give them a wave at least.”
A small flash of light occurred from round the corner that the newcomers had just disappeared behind. The two pets cautiously investigated to see what could have made it. Upon their arrival there was no sign of the man or either of the two pets they had met in the hospital. There was a small circle of what looked like ash on the floor but it was already being blown away, as if the wind itself wanted to hide all evidence of the strange phenomenon.
“W-Well…they are fast runners then.” Fox stuttered as he tried to think of an explanation. As the two turned to leave they noticed a sign swinging on the side of the hospital pointing towards the car park…towards the other side of the hospital.

“And you have got these things wired up all around the base?”
“Yup! Best security money can buy. Cameras, blast doors you name it. You haven’t even seen our armoury yet. Best place to go if you want to have a weapon. You should get one. Your line of work usually ends in trouble.”
Daisy raised her eyebrow at the orange tabby slouching on the sofa in front of her.
“Alex I’m a local field op. Think how much trouble we would all be in if I was caught skipping around up top with a gun. You know what Bill is like.”
“Oh yeah. Shame really. There is a nice shooting range down on level three. If you want we can go practice just in case you need to use one someday.”
“I prefer hand to hand to be honest.”
“Well then how about this you do me one favour and I’ll show you where the sparring room is. Get some practice done together.”
“What’s the favour?”
“Rosa has been texting me, said there have been some high energy readings. One by the hospital and the most recent seems to be more local. About a block eastwards from here. You feel like investigating?”
“Sure and whoever loses the first round buys the winner a drink.”
“Deal. Now you had better get a move on.”
“See ya!”
Upon reaching the surface Daisy took a deep breath. She once again adopted her cheery persona that she used whenever she ventured outside. Necessary as it was meant to distract attention away from her but a bit wearing non-the-less. Not that she was complaining, she enjoyed the company of the friends she had made in the organisation. As she walked east Bino stormed pass her. She contemplated greeting him but decided against it. ‘He will just shout. Not exactly laying low.’ She watched as he stomped away obviously in some sort of mood…again. It wasn’t too long afterwards that she reached the area and saw three people standing outside of a house. Obviously having some sort of argument amongst themselves. ‘Two pets, a dog and a cat, and one man dressed in white. Haven’t seen them before so this could be it.’ And judging by what they were saying she was positive they were her targets. It isn’t everyday you hear people arguing about the pros and cons of astral jumps. She grinned and settled into a nearby bush. She was good at getting information and these three seemed to have lots to tell.

Interesting. So they keep going forward in their mission no problem.

King is a good reader, but that guy is psychic, heh.

Ouch, England to America. Skipping across the pond must be jarring.

Housepets: Living with change.

Chapter 10. A new home.

Babylon Gardens.


“And here we are you two your new house. What do you think?”
“I d…I don’t…feel so-”
Kitsune turned just in time to see the two of them vomit onto the pavement.
“Ugh what was that for? You didn’t tell me the two of you get travel sickness. That’s nasty, I don’t want to go with you in a car now.”
“Cars we are fine with…believe it or not I’ve never done this…before.”
“Actually you have. How do you think you got here in the first place? And that one was a much rougher trip than this one was so stop complaining.”
“I’ll complain all I want you-”
“Don’t even bother Sammy. If he isn’t doing it on purpose then he is a moron.”
“Moron? Do you think a moron can manage an astral jump without getting lost?”
“You injured my stomach.”
“Your stomach is negligible the point is it is a perfectly safe method of transport and you two are just whining.”
Kura raised her eyebrow at him. “Oh you do not want to see whining mister. I will whine so much you will wish you had never met me.”
“Don’t tempt her, she could make you commit suicide with her whining. And how is that…thingy…ummm astral jump even remotely safe, you just ripped a hole in…in…I don’t even know what the heck you did but there is no way that it was safe.”
“It didn’t cause any adverse effects, therefore it is safe.”
“Firing a gun may not cause any adverse effects the first time but mistakes and unforeseen consequences always arise.”
“Ooh feeling philosophical today are we? Forget about it kid some things are just out of your range of comprehension.”
“Try me.”
Kitsune rolled his eyes, he was half tempted not to bother answering but he knew he would be hounded until he told the truth. ‘Or a reasonably sounding lie that I can back up with enough fake evidence that they will believe me…or run away. That sounds fun actually. Note to self think up good sounding lies for all even vaguely important and touchy subjects and if all else fails teleport away.’ He mentally smiled ‘Better tell them the truth for now. Until I learn how to properly suppress their advances that is.’ It was then he noticed something he hadn’t seen, either through his own ignorance or due to it being the first time it happened. The girl now known as Kura was clutching her stomach, an obvious reaction to vomiting but the boy was clutching his chest not his stomach. What worried Kitsune was the look of pain on his face. Something wasn’t right but he couldn’t quite figure it out. The hospital report that he may or may not have had permission to read said he was fit for release. ‘Someone couldn’t have tampered with it…could they?’ He suddenly became more concerned about that force that had been after the kids earlier. ‘If it isn’t directly attacking them then maybe indirectly. Which means they will never be safe. I’ll ask Bahamut about getting some protection on the house. At least try to slow this thing down…whatever it is. If need be then I may have to contact…her. I would rather not given her unpredictable nature but if the need arises…’ What he couldn’t understand was what he was in pain about. His arm wasn’t broken and his foot wasn’t cut up anymore. Something else was at play on this planet something far bigger than a simple cosmic game of U&U. Something had chosen to heal the obvious injuries but had left him with something else. Kitsune tried to sneak into Sammy’s mind to see what the pain was but he couldn’t gain access. ‘Fool child won’t let me in. And I doubt he knows what is wrong anyway. Mortals are just so unbelievably oblivious. Fine I’ll just watch him…on second thoughts I should alert Tarot. See if she knows any healers.’

Tarot stopped mid-sentence with Sabrina. She knew Kitsune wouldn’t disturb her if it weren’t incredibly important. This was actually one of the few rare occasions that he did speak with her anyway. It is usually against the rules for him to contact someone involved in the game. ‘Today is a strange day indeed if I am getting multiple house calls from him.’ She thought about all the events that had transpired so far. ‘A strange day indeed.’
Sabrina watched her carefully. She was only in training and so wasn’t privy to the mental connections the entities favored. She could tell by Tarot’s expression that it was definitely serious. She knew it would be important anyway. They only bothered Tarot if it was absolutely necessary. Her suspicions were confirmed when Tarot turned to her and asked.
“Sabrina I need you to help me find a spirit that has even a mediocre level of healing.”
“Something gone wrong? How bad?”
“Possibly. Maybe seriously.”
“Well what about Dragon. Wouldn’t she know someone?”
Tarot frowned. “I can’t seem to get a link with her. She is obviously doing something and would prefer to remain uninterrupted.” She rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue.
“What’s the face for?”
“Just thinking of that expression. The whole someone is always there unless you actually need them scenario. But regardless of what she is doing Kitsune says it is pretty urgent. He wants us to find a healing spirit or something and get it to go to their house.”
“What about those old vials dragon gave you?”
“No she explicitly said to keep them safe and that they were to only be used for the finale.”
“Finale?”
“The end of the game I assume. That is when things are going to get a bit dicey between the avatars and the assorted followers/nutjobs.”
“Alright I’ll go set up the ouija board and see what I can rustle up. Just don’t set your hopes on it, you know what the spirits are like. Without the time to set up a proper pentagram I may summon something bad. ”
“Let’s just see what we can do.” She looked out the window and said in a whisper. “For better or for worse let’s just see what we can do.”

Satisfied Tarot had received his message Kitsune returned his attention to the kids. Sammy was quite adept at hiding pain. He was standing almost fully upright with his breathing only slightly ragged. ‘Kid’s made of strong stuff.’ He noted to himself. ‘May be useful in the future.’ With a deep breath he answered the question and hoped it would be one of the last.
“Because I would not be legally allowed to perform the action if there is any chance of causing any harmful side affects. And neither would I dare to chance such a thing if it did. So therefore it is safe.”
“Who sets a legal system on something like you?” Kura questioned. Her unfazed tone suggesting she had yet to notice her brother’s pain.
“That is a story for a later time. Someday you may even meet them depending on how far this goes. But first let us step inside.”


Daisy punched the ground as the three entered the house. She had certainly gained some interesting information out of them but she was certain they were on the cusp of something truly interesting. The talk about the astral jump and the words How do you think you got here? Answered some questions but also paved the way for the emergence of far more. She was certain that the high energy being was the man. ‘If it really is a man.’ However disturbing that revelation was she was more intrigued about the comment made about being legally allowed to do things. It would be strange for a bad guy to make a comment like that. He may be lying but for some reason Daisy felt that he really wasn’t out to cause trouble. She was concerned with two things however. The comment depending on how far this goes and the look of sheer pain on the dog’s face. She was angry that they hadn’t talked more. She felt that she was excruciatingly close to hearing something very valuable indeed. Regardless of what she wanted Daisy was more than satisfied with what she had gained. She flipped out her personal data transmitter and called up HQ. They would be very interested to know what had just transpired.

The tour of the house was relatively uninteresting. They had both fully expected to be greeted by some horrific sight that Kitsune would consider normal. What they were greeted with came as a complete surprise to both of them. It was (so far) completely and utterly normal. Exactly what you would expect in a house. This fact however was drifting further and further away from Sammy’s mind as the pain increased more and more as every second ticked past.
“…not far off making it…do say so myself…one of two which…suits your needs quite well…”
Try as he might Sammy just couldn’t seem to fully concentrate on what Kitsune was saying. As soon as they arrived in front of the house he had become aware of the deep pain in his chest. In the hospital it was merely a strong pressure but now it was starting to hurt. When Kitsune led his sister into one of the rooms he took the chance to lean against the wall to try to catch his breath. Throwing up earlier had made it much harder for him to breathe and remain mobile at the same time. It was taking most of his strength just to keep upright so he decided to sit down. ‘There we are that’s a lot easier. Now I can actually think about this. Now lets see if I can remember. The caravan…my arm and my foot hurt but they are better now. Well actually they feel fine no pain at all. No modern medicine I know can do that. So something had a hand there. But Kitsune said he couldn’t heal people. So something stopped the pain and gave me a new one or simply missed it, maybe because I didn’t know about it. The latter seems more believable.’ That brought a chuckle to his lips. ‘Ha believable. Would never have thought something like that could ever become more believable than pretty much anything else. I have to remember to share this with Kura. She’ll see the funny side too. Kura. Stupid name. I still prefer Kura to Kura no matter what she thinks…wait a minute, crap I still can’t say it.’ He sighed with frustration then immediately wished he hadn’t as it sent new waves of pain coursing through his body. He tried calling out but couldn’t manage to raise his voice higher than a low whisper. He reached for his satchel to grab his phone but found himself groping at air instead. ‘Hey where the heck is my stuff? Oh it must be still at the caravan. Hmm that would be a road trip and a half to get back. Ah man now I’m going to have to get new stuff.’ A second sigh escaped his lips only to turn into a choking cough. ‘I need a holiday.’


“You got one Sabrina?” Tarot asked her friend.
“That is a…yes! We have one. And we are in luck this one is more reliable than most. Okay and forget the raised eyebrow missy I know they aren’t fully reliable. This one is just more so than most.”
“Do you trust this one to accomplish the task Kitsune wants done.”
“No but it is the best I can do.”
“Perfect answer. Okay give it a heading and some instructions, don’t forget the failsafe if it starts to rampage and then we cross our fingers and wait. I’ll tell him we have one and we see what the result is.”
“For better or for worse?” Sabrina asked with a wry smile that Tarot returned.
“You learn quickly. Yes for better or for worse.”
A few seconds of uncomfortable silence followed.
“So did you buy any tea apart from the herbal crap Tarot?”
Tarot grinned like a puppy to the black cat. “Nope.”
“Great.”

“…one of two which means you wont have to queue up all the time. I think the number suits your needs quite well so you will be happy about that.”
Throughout Kitsune’s tour of the new house Kura had done her best to split her attention between listening, remembering and staring around like she was a young girl again. Or like a kitten would be more correct now.
“Yeah I think two is good. In my old house, well the one before the one we just left when you came to us, we only had one toilet. There were a total of five of us back then. The queues were horrible. It was always made worse when the person before you opened their Bombay doors and nuked the little town of lavatory.”
“Thank you for those informative words.” Kitsune said grimacing at the image now plaguing his mind. She saw his expression and burst out laughing.
“Oh dear you should have seen your face, oh but count yourself lucky you were never in that situation. Urrg just thinking of the smell makes me feel like throwing up again. What about you Sammy do you remember the smell? Sammy?” She turned around but her brother wasn’t there. “Oh great he has wandered off again. SAMMY!”
“Is wandering off a regular thing for him?”
“If he wants to wander off then he will. Depends on his mood really. So yes. SAMMY WHERE ARE YOU!”
“He could have the decency to…” ‘Oh I was supposed to be watching him. Crap.’
Kura rolled her eyes and let out an explosive sigh. “Guess I better go find the fool.”
She walked out into the hallway muttering many obscene remarks about her brother’s habits. It wasn’t long till she found him sitting down leaning against the wall.
“There you are. God you are such a clam. Why are you out here?”
“Why are you? And besides how the heck am I a clam? Why did you even think that? Just no Kura.”
“I came looking for you. And if you really want me to insult you I could just call you what you are. A stupid **** who sucks at doing what he is asked and has the attention span of a ******* goldfish. ****.”
“Fox-boy tells me I saved your life and that is how you repay me. I’m honoured you think so highly of me.”
“Well it is why I called you a clam. See we could have skipped this entire conversation. Imagine how bored people would get if they had to listen to us do that all the time.”
“It does get boring and rather tedious to be honest.”
“Quite fox-boy she wasn’t talking to you.”
“Yeah shut up.”
Now getting told to shut up by a mortal wasn’t on Kitsune’s list of things he had ever experienced. But rather than feel even slightly miffed he instead smiled. He had enough experience with how the two of them interacted with each other to know that they really didn’t mean it in an insulting way. It was refreshing to see a bond so strong that those involved could openly insult one another without hurting any feelings. ‘Hmm I wonder if they…maybe but it will take time.’ He had a plan but first he had to make sure the boy survived the day. He couldn’t just enter the boy’s mind and see what the problem was. Two reasons stopped him. First of all, and though he did it in the hospital he knew he shouldn’t have, he wasn’t allowed to forcefully enter a mortals mind. He only did it to talk to King not take over his mind. You can do it with their permission but it is generally frowned upon. ‘Of course Pete didn’t think twice about it when he entered King’s mind without his permission. Lucky I blocked his ability to do that otherwise it would have ruined the game. Well earlier than it has been anyway. Idiots.’ And second of the boy’s mind was a sort of fortress. Wild and untamed but still nigh on impenetrable. With a bit of training the two of them could become the perfect moderators. ‘I don’t think I could have found anyone better.’ So instead of feeling angry he was content to let them express their feelings. They would have to be trained and taught better manners eventually but that was an overtime progress.
It was then that he received the message from Tarot.
‘Got one. It should arrive momentarily.’
‘Ah thanks girls. Is it any good?’
‘Sabrina says it is the best she could rustle up. You will have to see if it is any good but you won’t find better.’
‘Okay I see what it can do then.’
‘Oh and can you tell us when you think they are ready for a visit? We want to help them get settled into the neighbourhood.’
‘I will don’t you worry. Hey can I smell herbal tea?’
‘Yes. Sabrina’s a bit moody as there wasn’t anything else to have.’
‘If she wanted something else she could go buy it herself.’
‘THANK YOU! I am tired of explaining it to her. But anyway you had better go, your task is more important than my grocery list.’

Zach Arbelt was walking down the street to his house when he felt a wave of cold hit him. It was gone less than a second after it hit him. He stopped in his tracks and looked around. There was nothing in sight. To make it even weirder the sun was out and it was a warm day. He resumed his walk but at a noticeably faster pace. Feeling quite keen on getting home all of a sudden even if Tiger was there. At least Tiger couldn’t counteract the temperature. He hoped.


“Why can’t you stand up?”
“Because my chest hurts too much.”
“Well how the heck did you do that?”
Sammy suppressed the urge to rage at his sister. “How should I know. I have had a lot of weird crap happen recently okay most of which is extremely hard to explain and even harder to understand. What is so difficult about accepting the fact that I DON’T KNOW WHAT IS WRONG? All I know is that it hurts to talk and breath so leave me alone.”
“Due to the spot and the feeling of pain and pressure you described at that spot I believe that you may have a broken rib which has subsequently pierced your lung. It was probably done in the caravan.”
“Well why was it not healed with my arm and my foot?” Sammy then realised what he said and added. “Wait a minute how the hell did they get healed anyway?”
It was a rare moment when Kitsune couldn’t find an answer for an event. It happened just not very often.
“I don’t rightfully know. If something healed you then it either missed it or it somehow happened after the other two were healed. If it missed it then either it was working on your own knowledge of the injuries or…” He trailed off and grimaced at the next thought. Sammy saw his expression and winced.
“Its bad isn’t it?”
“Yes if it was working by the nurses records then something may have tampered with them prior to the healing. Which is also what would have caused the release forms to be signed.”
Kura looked from her brother to Kitsune and frowned. “By something you mean the thing back at the caravan right?”
“I do indeed.”
The two kids sat in silence for a moment.
“Look we can discuss this later okay. In the meantime two friends by the names of Tarot and Sabrina have come up with a solution to help you. If it goes well you should be fine. You just stay here and rest while it helps you. Kura I want you to come into the living room with me. Leave your brother here.”
“But I-”
“No buts, he will be fine. I promise.”
They got up to leave. Kura hesitated and looked back at her brother.
"You had better be alright mister."
Sammy raised his hand and gave a half-hearted wave. It wasn’t long before a wave of cold surrounded him and he blacked out.

“See it was a fun to meet new people wasn’t it King? You should try it again sometime.”
The little Corgi rolled his eyes at his Husky friend.
“Oh please, we walked for an ungodly length of time to greet a couple of pets that we could have simply talked to when they settled in here.”
“But King there was no guarantee they would have settled here. Recovering from a hospital doesn’t automatically mean you start living in that city. What do you think this is some random teenager’s fantasy world or something? Forget it King this is real life not a story. Our actions today may have convinced these pets to live here.”
‘No I’m pretty sure Kitsune would have made his base here regardless of what we just did. I had better talk to Miles, maybe he can get info from Keene about new houses being bought in the area.’
“Yeah I guess you are right about that then Fox.” King gave a short laugh that Fox somehow didn’t recognize as fake. “Still I had a feeling we would see them around here. A nice neighborhood deserves some more nice people. And that cat seemed nice. Did Fox make a new friend? Hmm?”
“Don’t even joke about that King! I don’t want a cat for a friend, I was only doing it to uphold the neighborhoods good name.” Surprised by the sudden dark tone coming from his usually upbeat friend King took a few seconds to form a response.
“Fox I-I uh- I knew dogs and cats were rivals but seriously that just sounded like you were being intentionally mean.”
“Don’t mix with cats King, they are a bad influence.”
“So you are just going to judge them without getting to know them are you? And what happens if you became best friends with one before then finding out they weren’t what you thought they were? What then Fox?”
“I’d be hurt that my friends would have lied and deceived me of course.”
‘This is still going to be a hard one for me then. Got to remember to play it cool though. If he even begins to suspect then I am a dead dog.’
“Fox I think you shouldn’t judge anyone on who or what they are. Not even on what they do, not until you learn the reasons behind it and get to know them personally.”
“I don’t King. Cats just shouldn’t be treated as friends though. They are inheritably mischievous and deceiving.”
‘Oh Fox you are just so set in your ways aren’t you. I won’t have a chance until you can at least learn to like cats. If that new cat is as nice as she seemed then there is still hope for me. Huh listen to me talking about animals this way. A while ago I was convinced they were all lying deceiving hurtful beasts. I would say this new body was a good thing for me but I won’t give Pete the satisfaction of me being grateful for anything he does.’
“Maybe Fox but still you shouldn’t hate them until you know them.”
“So you don’t want me to hate them as a species then? Fine but I won’t stop hating some though. Sometimes there are those that only deserve hatred.”
‘Well it is a step up at least.’
“Well as long as you get to know the individual fully before you hate them then that’s fine. Some people have reasons. They don’t deserve to be hated and yet are. Simply because people would rather hate than get to know someone.”
“Not like you to be all deep about matters King. What is really on your mind?”
“Nothing! Nothing!” He replied hastily. “I just hate it when people are wrongly hated and convicted of things. That’s all.”
“Hmm.” Was Fox’s only reply. Already aware that he had been tiptoeing on ice King decided to stop before he let out anything incriminating.
“Ah I just remembered Lucretia wanted to talk to me about getting the fireplace working for wintertime. She still hasn’t mastered it yet. See ya!”
Fox watched as his little friend scurried away on his tiny legs. ‘What he said makes sense I guess.’ He thought grudgingly. Something didn’t add up though. King had never cared that much about others before so this out of the blue conversation was suspicious to say the least. Fox cast his thoughts back to the watch that King said belong to him. ‘Did he know Joel? If he did does he truly believe he was innocent? Joel where are you now? Why did you do it?’
The spiritual voice Fox expected to hear didn’t come. As he said to King this was real life not some kid’s fantasy world. No he had to find answers on his own.

The clock ticked by as Kura and Kitsune sat in the living room. It had been close to half an hour already. The most worrying part was the complete lack of sound coming from the hall. The silence unnerved Kura. At least with sound she could know how her brother was doing.
“So umm. What is it?”
“It? Oh it isn’t of this world so you wont understand.”
“Not of this world like me or like you?”
“Neither.”
“Okay. Ghost, spirit, phantom, poltergeist, specter, a form of energy or all of the above?”
“I’ll go for possibly any or all of the above.”
“So you don’t know?”
“No.”
“Oh okay.” A minute passed before she clicked her tongue in annoyance. “And you are just trusting this thing with my brothers life?”
He shook his head. “Not it. I am trusting Tarot and Sabrina with your brother’s life. And they trust it.”
“Not good enough. I want a guarantee or I am raising seven different types of hell mister.”
Before Kitsune could even begin to think of a successful counter-argument (If such a thing is possible with these kids) The voice of the spirit echoed in his head.
‘I’m done.’
‘Is he okay? Did he survive?’
‘He will be fine. Trust me.’
‘Thank you. Umm no one noticed you come here did they?’
‘Maybe a rabbit but he definitely didn’t see me.’
‘That’s fine.’
The voice faltered for a moment as it struggled to find the words to express what it wanted to say.
‘There was…something else.’
‘Something else?’
‘Yes it was if there was something covering the rib, not physical but definitely there. It didn’t feel like a spirit though so I’m not entirely sure what it was. The nature of its presence was more than clear however. It was acting as a barrier that stopped you from actually sensing the wound.’
‘Did it feel evil?’
‘Most certainly. I had to force it out. Though it was small it was incredibly powerful. Keep an eye on that boy. I have a feeling whatever it was will come back.’

The voice in his mind vanished as whatever it was went back to wherever it came from.
Now Kitsune was positive that it was the thing from the other world. The same thing which had first appeared when the magic binding the game failed. And it was clear it wasn’t going to leave the kids alone.
‘Did we cause this? Is it really our fault? I must talk further with Dragon and Pete. We may be able to seek an audience with the council and grant additional protection.’ He returned to the conversation with Kura.
“Well there is good news and bad news.”
“Ah good, when you blanked out for a minute there I thought you had fallen asleep or something.”
“Not quite. I am sleepy though, done a lot of magical crap recently. Anyway the bad news will be told in a bit but the good news is that your brother is going be okay.”
“Really?”
“Really really.”
Kura clicked her tongue. She wasn’t any good with being thankful. There was little she had to be grateful for in her life so it wasn’t something she was skilled in. To make it worse she was thanking the one who had ripped what little world she had left upside down. ‘Okay the whole cat thing and the anthro style is kinda cool but still…’
Sensing her internal struggle Kitsune decided to help her out. “Listen don’t mention it. I told you I was here to look after you two and I meant it. Lets just go wake up grumpy over there.”
She giggled and nodded her appreciation. Things were finally starting to look up for her. There were some things she would need answers for but apart from that things really were starting to brighten.

???.

It screamed with anger. No not anger, pure unfiltered hatred. Everything it had thrown at those little brats had been countered. Everything they had been subjected to they had managed to weasel their way out of. A direct weather manipulation, truck control, forgery of medical notes and now a temporal field around a life-threatening wound, everything had failed. It looked like other methods were going to have to be considered. Using only its power to stop them wasn't going to work. There was still a chance to make them switch sides however. Having such spiritually powerful beings would do wonders to swell the ranks of its forces. It was a pity Kitsune was so intent on his plan for them. If he succeeded it would almost certainly make the whole situation a lot more difficult. Not impossible just unnecessarily difficult. If its intuitions were correct Kitsune would be planning on using the kids to first sort out the memory loss situation it caused in their precious little Babylon gardens. Thinking about that repulsive little community brought wishes of pain and suffering to its mind. It reached out into the databanks of the world. Soon it had enough information on all those that would be willing to or would unknowingly be suitable enough to help the plan along. Now it only had to make contact with them.

Spiritual plane: Unknown co-ordinates.

“Listen I know you are getting frustrated but it has to be done.”
“How can you say that Dragon? It is simple all he has to do is say we can continue and boom we can continue.”
“Agreed it all hinges on his decision but it still has to be done.”
“Oh a few rules have been broken big whoop. Does he honestly expect us to start listening to them purely because he is messing around with some of the mortals?”
“PETE! Don’t you dare say that, you know Kitsune would never harm a mortal. To even think he is the one causing all the problems is unthinkable. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“Yeah yeah all hail the goody white paws Kitsune. Think of it though, not once has a magic rule being broken or even many resulted in what is happening in that town. And it is isolated too. I checked it out not one other town has these occurrences going on, we thought it was world-wide but no. That is direct tampering Dragon and you know it!”
“Even so it isn’t Kitsune. He has suspended the game until we get it sorted out, you know it is for the best. Think how badly this could go if we act while everything is messed up.”
“My way of doing it won’t go badly. Why don’t you just surrender so we can end this petty spat and get on with the real game. We don’t want to keep the others waiting longer than is strictly necessary.”
“Well too bad because this temporary discontinuation IS strictly necessary. And I am not going to surrender and let your methods wreak havoc on this planet so you can shut up and wait like a good little birdie.”
“Alright fine how about this. When we next see Kitsune, say we corner him when he next exits mortal realm, we give him a little talking to and see what we can do to help get this all hurried along.”
Dragon eyed Pete warily. She knew him too well to know he wasn’t going to help to be nice.
“No mischief?”
“No mischief.”
“Fine we will TALK to him. But don’t expect this to be hurried along. You know he has plans for those kids. That may take a while.”
“I know I know. Anyway got to go I’m feeling peckish.”
Not sure if he said that last word on purpose or not Dragon took a few moments to try to think. She shrugged, a fantastic gesture considering her body shape, then contacted Tarot. She wanted to know what had been going on down there while she had been talking to Pete.

‘There it is done.’ Bino leaned back against his chair. The minute he had reached his room he had flung himself over and started furiously writing up what he would say. He planned on reading his speech at the G.O.D.C. meeting tomorrow morning. It was so important that it was going to take precedence over the section of territorial boundaries.‘That will hopefully be early enough before anyone gets properly acquainted with that…traitor!’ He couldn’t bring himself to call him a dog. A true dog would never hug a cat. ‘He will never become a part of the dog community here. He can join the rest of those freaks.’ Just thinking of the ones who gave other dogs a bad name, King, Tiger and Peanut, made his blood boil. ‘And with Fido moping around he wont be able to convince the others to let them all in.’ Though why Fido was given such respect puzzled him. One would think he was a top notch member of the police force or something. ‘Isn’t he? Oh who cares.’ He grinned to himself. It was really perfect timing to be honest. Finally things were looking up in the neighborhood. It would be a shame to lose a potential member but rules are rules and dogs are all about rules. And better no member than one who disgraces the very name of dog. He was planning on throwing a club party too, not really a necessity and definitely a waste of resources but it would definitely serve to show how unwanted he was in this neighborhood. ‘A harsh method but one that is totally justifiable.’ He thought to himself smugly. He had no doubt the other members would agree with him. He was their leader after all. He leaned back in his chair and allowed himself a wide grin. ‘No one will mess this neighborhood up while I am on watch.’ If everything goes well he might even be able to show Sasha off in front of him, make him extremely jealous.

An unusual sight in most places would be a mouse sitting on a dog as they walked down the street. In Babylon gardens however it was a common occurrence.
“So please explain why you once again agreed upon going to the movies with him when you know the exact outcome of it?” Asked the small mouse who was riding on the young dog’s shoulder.
“Because Squeak when your friend asks to do something you grin and bear it. Yes even if you know the outcome and really don’t want to do it you still do it as that is what being a friend is all about.” The dog known as Joey replied with a sigh.
“Well given how strange Lester is maybe you should think about getting some better friends.”
“It isn’t that easy Squeak.”
“Why not?”
“Because no one else likes the things I do. And everyone else thinks I am weird. My only choice of friends is the weird people.”
“Hey who ever said being weird was a bad thing? No one ever told me what was so spectacular about being normal. And hey define normal anyway. What so because a few dogs don’t do what you do it makes you weird? Well who even cares what they think. You are a wonderful person just the way you are weird and all.” She finished her statement by giving him a kiss on the cheek causing him to blush deeply.
“Thanks Squeak you always know how to make me feel better.”
“Ah that’s okay, now that is what being a friend is all about. You should still find some new friends though.”
“Squeeeeeeak!” He groaned. She shrugged her shoulders in response.
“Now come on this is actually a great opportunity. Do you remember what was on the news earlier?”
“Uh no not really.”
“Of course not but that was because you were playing D&D with Lester and…I actually don’t know the other guy’s name. Huh but anyway there was a crash and they recovered some pets and stuck them in the local hospital, but when they sent the news crew in there they were gone. And according to the mouse network they have just a little while ago entered a house in this neighbourhood with, get this, the very guy that saved them.” She paused to take a breath. It was quite a mouthful for someone with such a small set of lungs.
“Yeah but what does that have to do with me?”
“Oh Joey you are sweet but you need to think deeper about things. Think about it, two brand new pets that currently have had minimum to no contact with others in this neighbourhood so far. This is a great chance, they don’t know you so get in there before anyone tells them who to stay away from in this area.”
“I assume you are referring to my brother?”
“Bino? Duh, is there anyone else in this place that would bother?”
“Well no but you know him. Every new face that shows up here has their souls harvested by him and turned into a mindless sheep.”
“Sheep are mindless anyway so you didn’t actually need to add mindless to your sentence.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I’m just teasing you don’t worry. Look it wouldn’t hurt to try. Better to fail trying then to never see if you could succeed. That sort of knowledge eats at you forever.”
“Okay fine I’ll go see them. I don’t suppose the mouse network has any information on their personalities?”
“Umm no not really. One of them is a cat so they didn’t want to get too close.”
“A cat you say. Hmm well they are more lenient with people so that is good. Umm which way is it?”
“Close to the ferrets and the wolves actually. It is another equal chance program house. They must be special if they were granted a house there.”
“You are telling me, those places are fancy. Okay lets go see what we can do then.”
Joey continued his walk down the street before Squeak sighed.
“Other way Joey.”
“Oh right…I knew that.”
Grinning sheepishly Joey turned round and started heading the other way.
“Hey Squeak.”
“Yes Joey?”
“You were with me in the cinema the whole time right? So how did you get that information from the mouse network?”
“Oh…ummm”


Milton Wolves residence.

Three wolf cubs occupied the living room. Loved by their family, feared by most everyone else who meets them.
“No it’s boring now.”
“Yeah.”
“Well okay what do you want to do?”
“I dunno. Is King in?”
“Nah I think he is still out with his friend. But he has become good at sneaking in so he could be in.”
“Aww.”
“Yeah that sucks.”
“We could make another fort.”
“Yeah but we need to use it in a game though. A fort on its own is booooooring.”
“And it needs to be something that will last a long time as I am super bored.”
“Why don’t we ask Daryl? He usually has the good ideas.”
Luckily Daryl was just entering the room so a house-wide search was not necessary.
“Hey Daryl we’re boooooored.”
“Yeah we wanted to make a fort but we don’t know what to do with it."
Daryl kneeled down so he was closer and spoke to the three wolf cubs.
“Well how about exploration?”
“What is exploration?”
“It is when you go out into places you don’t know and see what is there.”
“What about the fort?”
“Base of operations. You can use it to rest and ready up before an exploration.”
“Yeah that sounds pretty awesome.”
“It sounds like it would take a while to get boring.”
“And we could find shinnies!”
“It is all part of what being a wolf is all about. Getting to know the land around you.”
“Cooool!”
“Thanks Daryl that’s awesome!”
“Yeah thanks Daryl. C’mon lets go build our fort!”

King was in fact in his room. He had thankfully managed to sneak into the house and crept upstairs without them noticing. Why they didn’t smell him come in was beyond his comprehension but he had to assume today was just his lucky day. He heard the wolves talking about what to do and was greatly relieved that they hadn’t gone upstairs to see if he was in. He didn’t want to be buried in the yard again.
He was thinking of ways to help Fox. He would never be able to admit to Fox who he used to be unless he changed how he perceived others. So far his only solution hinged on that new cat. He thought it was a girl but he was neither listening nor looking at her during the conversation. Though it seemed like she was nice, they even shook hands so that was something, only time will tell if she is nice enough to change how Fox thinks about cats. And if he changed his view and began to get to know others before judging them then that was when he could tell him. ‘Oh Kitsune I swear to dog you had better not be lying. They may be my one and only chance at this.’ He punched his fist into his hand. His mind was made up, he would do whatever it takes to come clean with Fox and if those kids were the answer then he would do all he can to get on their good side.

Housepets: Living with change.

Chapter 11. Dreams, promises and riddles.


Coldness. Everything that could be felt in this place was summed up by that word. Darkness was the main feature as far as vision was concerned. Everywhere as far as the eye could see there was nothing but emptiness. It had happened before, the same emptiness, the same ominous feeling. The question was why? What was the significance of this place? This was exactly like last time except for one crucial point. Last time there was-no there they were. In the corner, a considerable distance away, were the crystals. Same number, same position. All different colours and situated in a circle around something. Whatever it was it was even darker than the surroundings. Blacker than black and with the same horrible feeling emanating from it that was felt the last time. That horrible feeling was fear mixed with hopelessness. Whatever it was it was truly frightening. It just felt evil. Exactly like it had during the previous dream.
Just as it did last time the dark shadow turned its attention to a bright light far off. The light illuminated the silhouettes of two small figures, one slightly shorter than the other. Too bright to make out but whatever they were the shadow reacted…violently. Whoever they were for some reason the shadow hated them. It’s reactions made that obvious, though they were unnecessary. A wave of hatred coursed out from it, the force making it difficult to stay standing. The two figures were struggling too. They were holding hands slowly walking closer and closer as if walking through a hurricane force wind. This part didn’t happen last time. They just walked up to it. Why was it different this time? Or was it just that more was being shown? The answer was unclear. The next part should be when they touch the nearest crystal causing a bright light and a scream of pain from the shadow…it didn’t happen. The force grew stronger and their footsteps halted. The light around them started to diminish slowly and with it they grew weaker. As if their own life force were draining away. They were struggling just to stay standing so no progression could be made. This continued on for a brief period before the wind became too strong for them and they slipped. A dual cry sprang out, two screams of dismay that seemed to carry the fate of everything living. Their hands parted as they fell and a wave of pain coursed outwards the moment they touched the floor. The pain was too much. The ground rushed forwards.

Kura leapt backwards with a yell of surprise as her brother suddenly sat up screaming.
“AHHHH!”
“AHHH ****!”
Kitsune raised his eyebrow at the two of them. He noticed the terrified look on her face and rolled his eyes.
“Oh grow up the pair of you.”
“Grow up? He just scared the crap out of me. He just snaps upright screaming in my face and just…ahh christ, don’t you ever do that again you ****!”
“Me? You were the one trying to give me the snow white treatment you weirdo.”
“Eww as if. Don’t flatter yourself Sammy, even if you weren’t my brother you are so not cute enough. And besides I was trying to wake you not snog you.”
“Then what exactly were you doing that close then? Your breath might have killed me.”
“Up yo-” she began before Kitsune cut her off.
“If I may, it is just time is always against us and we have more pressing matters to attend to. She was, against my advisement I will add, poking you in the chest to see if you would feel it and wake up.”
“No I didn’t feel it.”
“Then why did you wake up screaming? You almost gave me a heart attack.”
Sammy opened his mouth but shut it almost immediately. He didn’t know what to say, and even if he did he didn’t know where to begin. ‘As if they would believe me anyway.’ He placed his han-paw behind his head and scratched his ears. ‘God that feels weird. I’m gonna have to look in a mirror properly later.’ He took in a deep breath before starting.
“Well you see I had this dream…”

Joey and Squeak said nothing. In fact they were too shocked to even think straight. They had halted their journey and been subjected to something so unbelievable that they would both be institutionalised merely for thinking about it. Squeak had seen it first, she had been explaining some of the pros and cons of the mouse network when she suddenly stopped mid-sentence and gasped. Joey turned to see what had grabbed her attention, what he saw made his jaw drop open. A dog was walking towards them, this dog was having a deep conversation with someone else over some sort of mobile. Without even noticing them the dog had continued past. They stood there for five entire minutes before Joey managed to collect himself and ask the question that both of them already knew the answer to.
“S-S-Squeak was-was that Daisy just now?”
Even though the answer was obvious it was so ridiculous that it took a minute for her to actually say it.
“Yes. Yes it was.”
They stood there shocked for another minute before Joey finally said what was on both their minds.
“But Daisy never talks, never. All she says is Hi I’m Daisy.”
“I know.”
“Who could she have been talking to?”
“I don’t know. And more importantly why does she only speak to whoever it is and not any of us?”
Instead of replying Joey merely raised his paw and scratched the side of his head. Making sure it was the opposite side to where Squeak was sitting. More than once he had been chastised for accidentally knocking her off and he made sure he never made that mistake again. In an effort to put the event behind her Squeak merely shrugged, pretending like it was no big deal.
“Well whatever the reason we should probably get going again. If she wants to talk then she will talk. It isn’t our place to question her.”
“Okay but still, I can’t help but feel this is only the start of something.”
“Yeah it is. The start of you making new friends. Ooh is it even a possibility?”
Joey set off once again while trying desperately to think of an appropriate comeback. When that failed he simply resorted to the old tried and true tactic.
“Squeak, shut up.”

“So what do you think? I mean once is a bit dodgy but twice is just a bit more than coincidental I would say.”
Kitsune examined the boy. From the look of it he was honestly worried about what the dream meant. Without access to his brain however he could not watch the dream. He had to rely on Sammy’s descriptive skills. A very archaic method but it was all they had at this point.
“Premonitions are…rare but not unheard of. Have you ever had anything like this before?”
“A premonition? No. To be brutally honest I always thought it was a load of crap. Just another scam so that people can steal your money.”
“That may be the case in most scenarios but there are some who actually can see events that have yet to unfold.”
Sammy scratched his head, momentarily distracted by the still weird feeling of his new ears.
“But why me? And what do they mean?”
“Hmm well I am still figuring out the why you part. Honestly I still don’t know why you two are as special as you are. All I know is that you possess a strong spiritually presence. And in every dimension I have visited I can say now that no one has ever had the level that you two possess. Sure there are always varying degrees in everyone but as to why yours is so high, well that I don’t know. I just answered your call for help.”
“…what call for help?”
“It is how I found you. I opened my mind and listened and I heard your voice. The pair of you actually. You said and I repeat ‘Help us. Please somebody help us.’ I heard it and followed it to you.”
“Sammy I didn’t call for help. Did you?”
“No I didn’t.”
“I’m telling you I heard your voices and it lead me to you.”
“I’m calling major BS on that. We didn’t call for help.”
“Look we’ll look into it later, right now I want to think things through.”
“Hey I’m still confused here. Plus you are giving me more questions to ask instead of answering them.”
“Well I’m doing the best I can here. Not my fault you two are so inquisitive. Most people just accept the whole there is a higher force at work here and so just shut up about it.”
“What is there to accept? You haven’t explained anything! All you keep saying is oh you two have strong spirits and this gives me the excuse to take you from your home and say things that don’t make sense without justifying them. Seriously you have explained nothing! NOTHING! I don’t even know where I am right now. It is obvious it isn’t the same planet but I have no idea what country or even-”
“America.” Kura had a mix between a thoughtful expression and a frown upon her face while she spoke. “We’re in America. He told me while I was speaking to Fox.”
“Fox? Oh right the dog from the hospital. No idea what breed he was though. Animals look weird in this place.”
“He was a Husky. Hence the curled tail.” Kitsune spoke as if this fact were the most obvious thing on the planet.
Sammy crossed his arms angrily.
“Yeah okay well you know what I wasn’t staring at his butt thank you so I didn’t notice the tail.”
The frown was momentarily replaced by a cheeky grin as Kura added her own thoughts to the mix.
“Don’t lie you were so checking him out. Is Sammy looking for a little smoochy smoochy time huh?”
“You disgust me. Keep it up and your face will have smoochy time with my fist.” He turned back to Kitsune. “Okay fine America. I can deal with that it is just over the sea anyway, shouldn’t be too much of a change. And I’ll have to learn to live with it regardless. What year? And what differences are there here between worlds?”
“The exact same year and pretty much the same time it is where you used to live…minus the time difference between the two continents of course. The only major difference is the animals really. Your world is mainly populated by the quadraped kind but here, well it is kind of the same for some but things like cats, dogs, foxes and such they are all fully anthropomorphisised.”
“What standing do they…urmm we have in this world then?”
“Yeah it will take a while for you to get used to that. Same standing as your world but for one exception. The place you now live in, Babylon gardens is its name by the way, treats animals as if they are that humans child rather than a pet. So don’t do things that a child wouldn’t be allowed to do.”
“Listen fox-boy I don’t even know how American’s treat human children so I am not gonna know how they treat their pet children.”
“Ask around. You are new here so people will be able to tell you how it all works. Listen before you go on about more questions I want to put down a sort of house tradition. There is a motherload that you don’t know and things I still need to figure out. So maybe once every few nights we will sit down and I will answer any questions to the best of my ability. Sound fair?”
Sammy thought it over for a minute. “Deal. But why not every night?”
“Oh I wont be here every day that’s why. I’ll be here every now and then but for most time I’ll be away. Is that a problem?”
“Oh god no, I’m glad. I prefer fewer people actually.”
“Good, what do you think Kura?”
They both turned to look at the cat. The thoughtful frown had reappeared and she hadn’t spoken a word for a while.
“Kura?”
“I’ve had that dream before.”
“What?”
“Was it the same?”
“Yes, well kinda. I had the first one but not the second one. I think, wait…yes it was exactly the same”
“SEE that is way too much of a coincidence. There is something up here.”
“Huh a double premonition is something that is definitely unheard of. Only those who have been heavily influenced with the spirits can do that.”
“Oh great so if it isn’t enough that you interfere with our lives we also have some murderous force trying to bump us off for no clear reason apart from maybe because you did something to tick it off. And now you are telling me the spirits have taken an interest in us. Oh great what next hmm? Will we be getting a visit from the muffin man who wants to use us for his own personal world domination simply because as you so mysteriously put it, we are spiritually special? HMM WHAT NEXT?”
“I can’t see why you are getting annoyed. I already told you I will answer the majority of your questions at appropriate times.” Kitsune merely raised an eyebrow to Sammy’s angry outburst.
Before her brother completely flung off the handle, which she knew from personal experience meant wholesale destruction and as far as gaming went loss of life, Kura decided to intervene. Not because she didn’t want Kitsune to get metaphorically ripped to pieces (she would actually pay to see Sammy do something like that) but because she knew it wouldn’t make things easier.
“Sammy shut up. How about I handle diplomacy from here?”
He threw his hands in the air.
“Fine but I give up. He won’t tell me anything.”
“Then shut up and let him say what he wants. We’ll get answers eventually. He’s already said a lot.”
“I am trying my best. I have already told you there are things I still don’t know. And others will be answered with time.”
“Okay I choose to believe you.” She turned her gaze on her brother and roller her eyes. “Even if he doesn’t.”
The only reply she got from that was the elevation of two fingers from her brother.
“Mature Sammy. Very mature.” Once again returning her attention to Kitsune she brought up a past conversation. “While we were on the sofa I uh had some time to think.”
“Think? About what?”
“My age…I uh wanna do it. You said we will only live half as long and I want to make the most of it.”
“I can do that. You must be sure though. The process isn’t amazingly complex but the reversal is. And I am not skilled enough to even want to attempt the reversal so above all else you must be certain that this is what you want.”
She gave a brief nod.
“It is but Sammy I want you to do it with me. A couple of years and you would have been twenty, that’s a fair chunk of your life gone.”
“In this world with the transformation you are almost ten. That’s a full quarter. I suggest you comply with your sister’s wish. You said you would do anything to see that she was safe and happy. I can’t think of anything else that would make her happy than to know you would be alive with her for even a few more years.”
“What about perks? In the human world being eighteen meant I could legally play ninety percent of the games I own. What will I do at home?”
“Okay for starters you are a dog. No one on this planet actually gives a flying crap how old you are. You will never be able to drive a car or anything. And secondly I quite frankly don’t care what you do in your room. You want to play something above your age then go ahead, I promise I wont stop you.”
“And purchases? I can’t fully well walk into…uh god knows what shops they have in America but I can’t buy a game above my age.”
“Make a short list of stuff you need and I’ll get it at certain intervals.”
“That sounds good doesn’t it Sammy? But how will you pay for it?”
“Oh please money is not an issue. Ground rules though since I won’t be here you will have to clean up any mess you make. That also includes you two doing chores. Do lots of good work and you will find money and more listed items being purchase are your rewards. Do the opposite and you won’t get these. Sound fair?”
The two contemplated for a minute before Kura spoke up.
“Deal, it is better than home anyway. We did stuff and never got rewards. It sucked.”
“The quantity is dependant on the amount and type of work we do I assume?” Sammy asked Kitsune.
“Of course. Cleaning up a drink spill won’t get you anything. I expect you to do that. However spring cleaning and all that boring stuff is worth a reward.”
“Okay then I agree too. And it is probably best to make us younger now rather than later. I can’t even get used to this body at the moment so it will be bad to do it to me after I have gotten used to it.”
“Thank you Sammy.”
He turned to his sister
“For what?”
“For agreeing to do this with me. I don’t want to ever lose you, you’re all I have now.”
“You’ll hate me in a few hours regardless, then forgive me, then hate me again.”
“Well duh it is called being family. Were supposed to hate each other randomly for no reason.”
“True. Alright Fox-boy give us your best shot.”
“It is a shame Fox and King have already seen you but you can just feign ignorance and lie. King will help you with that.”
“King was the adorable one with the huge ears right? I didn’t notice him much, I was too busy talking to Fox.”
“Yes that is King. He’s a bit grumpy but he is a friend. Okay close your eyes for me and relax. Sammy you are tense. Stop tensing up. STOP IT! Thank you. Now hold still the pair of you.”
Even with their eyes closed the flash of light that occurred was bright enough to fill their vision. The weirdest feeling of vertigo ensured and then it was done.


“Bahamut sir?”
“Yes what is it?”
“Does Kitsune really have the authorization to do such a thing?”
Bahamut considered the question for a moment. “I don’t see why not. It was neither for his own gain nor did it cause harm or damage.”
“He seems quite genuine in his want to take care of them.”
“Kitsune has a soft spot for mortals in general to be honest. And he said he felt responsible for what happened to them.”
“Is he responsible?”
“Maybe.” He replied with a shrug. “We can’t be sure however. There is no evidence left anymore.”
“Why not send a team back in time to go over the events?”
“Not possible. Somehow the entire timezone around the accident has been locked. We can’t even wait for it to happen again. It just skips it and goes straight to a time after it occurred, even after the evidence was removed.”
“That makes me more worried sir. If something is covering its tracks…”
“Noted, however we cannot jump to conclusions. And though it pains me to say it we can’t actually do anything about it either.”
“And the dimension he has set up in, what is so important about it that he brought them there?”
“You are well aware Kitsune is currently involved in a game of U&U?”
“Yes how could I not know. These nerdy games cause more trouble than they are worth.”
“Well without going into details Kitsune thinks a small mishap in the game has been causing unfortunate side affects on that world, they were basing it there you see, and he thinks he can use them to help sort it out.”
“I don’t want to sound like I am questioning his judgement but seriously sir how can a couple of mortals, especially ones that young, have any effect on problems caused by beings like us?”
Again another shrug. “Kitsune seemed determined that they were the answer. They wont find a better person to look after them though, what Kitsune lacks in experience with handling mortals he more than makes up for with his heart. This was made more than evident by how fiercely he battled to claim the rights to not only look after them but also to have the council protect them.”
“Protect them from whatever is covering its tracks?”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“Are you going to allow them to gain our help.”
“Yes…for now. But I shall not overdo it. They will have our support but not for trivial mortal requirements.”
“If it was Kitsune’s fault that the mortals lost so much will he be punished?”
“Without a doubt. Though his intentions were innocent and his actions thereafter regarding them are pure there is no doubt that if it was his fault then he caused pain, misery and above all death to enter into the lives of the mortal realm. The fact that they are mere children only worsens his case. Of course if the children themselves find that they are better off where they are now and forgive Kitsune in their hearts then the charges will be lessened.”
“What are the chances of that happening?”
“We shall see.”

Fox stood outside the living room door and weighed up his options. He was hesitant to go in. His dad Bill had come home from work earlier than he should have. And if that wasn’t enough of an indicator that something was wrong he had slammed the door shut. As an officer of the law Bill had to be a master of handling emotions. Not having control of them could land an officer in very deep water should a situation go wrong. So to hear the door slam followed by repeated cursing (minor words but still ones Bill had never used in front of Fox in his life) caused Fox to feel more than a little frightened. ‘Either something really bad has happened or something has stumped them all…in which case that would also be bad…but not a personal matter. I prefer the latter, then he will be more frustrated than angry.’ Fox took a deep breath and decided to see what was wrong. He knocked on the door first just to be safe.
“Come in.”
Fox steeled himself against any possible bad news and entered the room. Bill was sitting in his favorite chair, set just in the right position to give a good view of both the TV and the view out of the window. There were no broken items or upturned chairs so that ruled out being fired. ‘Maybe it is just a station problem then.’ Fox cleared his throat. “You seem…angry. Is everything umm okay?”
Noticing the nervousness in his voice Bill gestured Fox to come closer and, when he complied, picked him up and set him down on his lap. He placed his hand on Fox’s head and gently stroked between the ears.
“I’m sorry if I scared you my boy. It’s been a tough day at the office. I just needed a bit of venting that’s all.”
Fox like all other dogs was incredibly weak to the scritching that humans always employed on them meaning it was a short while before he could both comprehend and form a coherent reply to Bill’s apology.
“That’s fine, I am just ‘oh so nice’ curious about what could make you of all people show anger.”
“It’s not fine though. I have no right to make you feel anything like that ever. As to what made me angry…well we got ourselves a little disappearing act to solve.”
“You mean someone’s gone missing?” The name P.E.T.A came into Fox’s thoughts.
“Yep, but see here is the real strange part. They were allowed to leave but why would they disappear off the map completely?”
“Allowed to leave? From the precinct?”
“Nah just the hospital. We just wanted to question them. A small case of evidence not adding up nothing too serious seeing as they aren’t guilty of anything.”
“H-hospital you say? And they went missing today right? Am I allowed to know when?”
Bill mulled it over. He wasn’t really supposed to be telling Fox about police business however they were only wanted for questioning not because of a criminal offence. He shrugged, it was just harmless info anyway. Plus it won’t be long before people are asked to keep a look out for them.
“Okay seeing as it isn’t strictly confidential. They came in last night and took off maybe an hour or so ago.”
Thoughts were coming together in Fox’s mind. He needed just a bit more detail though before he could say anything.
“And is there anything else you can say, what they looked like what they are going to be asked that sort of thing?”
“Well apart from the evidence there is another curious matter to see into. It seems someone signed their hospital release forms. And not one single doctor or nurse has admitted to it. Then there is a small situation involving that. One of them had serious injuries so if not treated he could die.”
“Woah wait if he can die why are the police taking such a relaxed approach to this?”
Simply hearing those words from the Husky was enough to clear Bill’s mind. It was as if something had been covering the situation like a blanket. As if something didn’t want them to be found.
“You’re right. What in the world have we been doing? The entire police force just dismissed this as a minor case and this pup could be dying right now. Thank you Fox I don’t know what came over us. We are so stupid. And the lack of evidence at the crash site, it may be faked. So someone may have deliberately caused harm to them.”
“Crash what crash…you don’t mean the one on the news this morning?”
“That’s the one. Hospital says there was a male Border collie and some female blue unidentified breed of cat.”
All of the color drained out of Fox’s face and his whole body stiffened. ‘Border collie…female blue cat. Oh god.’ “They definitely didn’t do anything illegal and you just want a few questions answered right?”
“I have already said that. Why? Is something wrong Fox?”
“I saw them.”
Bill sat straight up, his face hard as stone. “What! Where? When?”
“At the hospital just before they disappeared. If I’d have known the police wanted them I would have followed them, they could be anywhere now!”
“Don’t blame yourself Fox, you couldn’t have known.”
“I was with King at the hospital. We came to greet them and make sure they were okay. They were with that guy who saved them. He may be their new owner now…there is something else though, I asked them if they wanted a tour but the guy said to wait until after they had settled in. I think they were planning on staying here…at least briefly.”
“That means they could still be in town. Fox my boy you are wonderful. How about tonight we have our favorite food eh?”
“Oh yay! Can I invite King round?”
Bill pretended to consider it for a moment. “Of course, you two being at that hospital may have gained us valuable time in finding them. I’ll get on the radio and call it in, if we are lucky we may save that poor boy.”
“Wait dad…uhh when we were there he looked fine. No injuries, no sign of even any pain and well he didn’t talk at all so he might be a mute but the way he looked at us it seemed like he was able to think and concentrate properly.”
“Strange. Well it is possible they filed a wrong report on him, they did mess up the release forms so it is possible. I’ll tell everyone to keep an eye out for the three of them, honestly though they had better not start any trouble at all. I’m already getting annoyed at the trouble caused because of them being here.”

“Looks kinda nice I suppose.”
“Oh come on Joey I know you are jealous, the Milton’s can afford anything they please so of course their houses are going to be nice.”
And nice it was. The house they had stopped outside was exactly that, nice. It wasn’t big or grand like the mansion the ferrets lived in and it didn’t have that sense of importance that could be felt when gazing at the Wolves house but it had a nice look to it. It seemed to be anything anyone would want in a house neither big nor small but just the right size. It had its own uniqueness which set it apart that could not be explained with words and yet it seemed to fit in perfectly with the other houses in the town. So much so that you had to focus on it to actually register its presence and once you did you could not understand why you hadn’t noticed it before.
“It seems bold and at the same time strangely sublime.”
“Keep going I want you to say you’re jealous.”
“Nu-uh not unless it is as good inside. Never judge anything by its outwards appearance.”
“Well what are you waiting for then? Go over there and ring the doorbell.”
“But what about that weird flash of light we saw when we turned the street corner?”
“A bulb must have blown what of it?”
“Why use a light-bulb in the day?”
“New house silly, you’d want to test it out.”
“But what abou-”
“MARCH YOUR BUTT DOWN THAT DRIVEWAY MISTER OR SO HELP ME I WILL STEAL EVERY SINGLE DICE YOU OWN.”
Not sure if it was an idle threat or one Squeak would actually fulfill Joey decided the risk wasn’t worth it. Taking a deep breath he walked up to the doorway and raised his finger


“Was that it?”
“Yes. Would you like a mirror?”
“Please.”
Once again somehow producing that mirror from the hospital, Kitsune placed it in front of the two kids.
“Sammy you go first I’m kind of scared.”
He hesitantly opened his eyes. It took him a moment to register what he was seeing.
“You…you did it. You really did it!” It was hard to recognise the body staring back at him. He looked the same as he had in the hospital yet younger. Everything looked more…well young.
“Kura open your eyes this is amazing.”
She complied and upon doing so took a step back.
“Wow that is awesome. Hey is it me or am I even shorter?”
“Of course you are, you are a number of years younger now so it would be stupid if you were to stay the same height.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“How much younger dare I ask?”
“You are roughly two to three pet years of age. Your brother is about four to five.”
She poked Sammy in the stomach. “Ha not much older now are you? Can’t really use the age thing to boss me around.”
“No I’ll just use my fists.”
“Lies you can’t hit someone as fine looking as me. Plus I am a girl. You can’t hit a girl.”
“Then you will make it easier on us both and just do what I say.” He poked her back and grinned. “Or do I have to tickle you?”
“Uh no thanks. Hey your voice sounds soooo weird. Very high. Makes you sound adorable.” She laughed as he shoved her away from him. He turned back to Kitsune.
“Listen fox-boy-”
“Kitsune.”
“Nah I still prefer Fox-boy. Sounds funnier. What about all our stuff? I mean a lot of the crud in our old rooms was useless to us and worth scrapping but what about our treasured possessions?”
“I can get you each a few items every now and then. I can’t do any more than that there are literally trillions of rules about dimension hopping that I have to abide by.”
“Like what?”
Kitsune clicked his fingers and a list appeared. A long one. It bounced on the floor and trailed into the kitchen. “Lets have a look. Weight limit, item limit, size limit, parts limit, cost limit. To name few.” He clicked his fingers again and the list vanished.
“Alright so a few but do you think you could a least get us some stuff. There are a lot of things we owned that we absolutely cannot lose.”
“You know you really are not supposed to rely on material goods for happiness. But I suppose I can help, seeing as how much you have lost already.”
“Thank you.”
“Oh and I’ll do it if you call me Kitsune.”
“Three conditions. First we get as many answers as we want. Second we get a decent amount of our possessions returned and third…when we don’t have guest do you think you can speak to us in your…you know your real form? You said this human body wasn’t your real form so it just feels awkward talking to you like it.”
Kitsune turned to Kura.
“Do you feel the same way?”
“I do, it isn’t anything personal but it just feels awkward. I want to be able to talk to you not some form you are covering yourself with.”
“Well there are a lot of things I can say about true forms that make that statement redundant but if it makes this new life easier for all of us then I will do it.” He cocked his head and smiled. “You’ll have to excuse me if I don’t do it right away though.”
“Why not?”
He merely smiled and pointed towards the door. At that precise moment the doorbell rang.
“It’s for you.” He said as they opened their mouths. “You deal with this and I’ll see about getting a bit of your stuff back okay?” They nodded and turned to the door.
“You want this one?” Kura asked her brother.
“Nope, you are way better with people than me, it is probably best we leave a good impression so I’ll play the good little shadow and stay quiet.”
“So you wont speak at all then?”
“Only if I must.”
“Just be ready to save my butt if I need it k?”
“K.” He nodded and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. Kura smiled and reached for the door handle.


“Okay everyone equipment check time. Comepa…uggh naviga…ughh thing that points north?”
“Check.”
“Map.”
“Check.”
“Pre packed goody bags full of stuff to eat.”
“Check.”
“Alright and we got our base finished up too. Lucky Daryl helped out or we would have had to build on the ground instead of in a tree.”
“Okay cubs now we just need game names. Probably best to have them relevant to our jobs this time.” The wolf cub looked pointedly at the only female member.
“Hey I couldn’t think of anything else.”
“Fluffy Mcburgervan is not a proper name.”
“Yeah well neither was Captain killjacket yet you still took it.”
“Mine was better it had kill in it.”
“Well mine had fluffy and burger in it because I am fluffy and burgers are awesome.”
“Well let’s just try for reasonably decent names this time you two shall we?”
The two bickering wolf cubs glared at each other for another minute before shrugging.
“Fine but only if he doesn’t appoint himself Captain after having it in his name again. Captain Captain is a stupid name.”
“Deal he wont do that again.”
The other wolf sighed.
“Fiiiine. Tut You lot just don’t appreciate good names.”
“Sure why not. Okay so I think we will spend the rest of the day thinking of names and packing last minute stuff. We’ll have to get the sleeping bags from the tiny room in the wall.”
“I believe Dad called it a cupboard.” The female interjected.
“Yeah yeah whatever. Then we’ll meet back at base when everything is done and then we can go.”
“Okay.”
“Sure.”
“Alright you two lets get ready!”


The door opened to reveal a small brown-ish coloured dog with a dark spot covering one of the eyes and a mouse on one shoulder. The first thought to run through Kura’s head was ‘OMG that is so fricking cute and fluffy and SQUEEEEE!’ But in order to make a good first impression she simply extended her paw and said. “Hi.”
Joey hesistated for a second. Caught off guard by the immediate handshake without even being asked what he was doing there. He smiled and gripped her paw, giving it a firm shake.
“Hi there my name is Joey and this is Squeak.” He indicated the mouse on his shoulder.
‘Okay Joey. Definitely a boy then. Going to have to learn to tell the difference soon.’ “Hi there Joey. Hi there Squeak my name is Kura.”
More than a little worried about the presence of a new cat so close to her Squeak nevertheless managed to hide any anxiety and smiled broadly. “Well hello there Kura. That is a very nice name, pleased to meet you.”
“Thank you very much and like wise.” ‘K I think the mouse is a girl judging by the voice.’ “Is there anything I can do to help you?”
“Well Squeak and I…well Squeak really heard you just moved in and we wanted to come say hi to you.”
‘How the heck do people know about us being here so quickly?’ She knew Sammy had heard them and that he was thinking the same thing as she was. Without much to go on she decided to use the old fallback. “Well thank you…umm would you like to come in?”
“Yes please.”
She took a step back and gestured into the house. She looked upstairs and back down to her brother raising her eyebrow at him who merely shrugged in return. Not much information was needed for the two of them to fully understand each other sometimes. He had no idea where Kitsune had gone either. He said he was going to go see about getting their stuff back but knowing him he could be anywhere The thought was…worrying. She didn’t want to do anything that would cause them to get into trouble and without Kitsune around that possibility was even greater. She led Joey and squeak past the stairs and into the living room. Without even being noticed Sammy quietly fell into step behind them. He could tell by the way that they were gazing around the house that they were (at least partly) in awe of it. Why so he couldn’t fathom. It was just a house, nothing special really.
When they all entered the living room Sammy shut the door causing the two guests to jump and turn in surprise.
“Oh this is my brother Sammy.” ‘Oh **** I just said brother. Why didn’t I say housemate or something else meaning not biologically related to me?’
But whatever they thought about her mistake was not shown. Joey stretched his paw out towards Sammy. “Hi there.”
Squeak noticed the dog hesitated slightly when he took Joey’s paw and the smile he gave seemed nervous. He also didn’t say anything. Merely nodded at her.
“Sammy make yourself useful and see if this house has anything to eat or drink.”
He smiled and casually flipped his finger at her. But headed for the kitchen all the same.
“Hey Squeak what does that finger mean?”
“Don’t ask Joey you are too young.”
“Oh…okay.”
Squeak turned to Kura.
“Okay I have to know how he knows how to do that. He looks way too young to know that sort of thing.”
She shrugged and grinned. “It is complicated, see where we come from things like that aren’t as…well hushed up really. I mean that is generally our friendly morning greeting to each other.”
“If that is friendly then I don’t want to see unfriendly.”
The grin grew in size. “Actually sometimes it is pretty spectacular. We have even sparred occasionally…okay sometimes it gets out of hand…well most of the time it does. Okay less sparring and more just friendly fighting. Okay mass brawl sessions on occasion. But the point is that some things we could make a fortune selling tickets for people to come see.”
“That is…wow.” Squeak didn’t even have to ask what Joey thought. She could already tell he liked this new cat by the way he hadn’t taken his eyes off of her throughout this exchange of words and to be honest she had this weird feeling whenever she looked at her. She felt as if she was safe. Even sitting on Joey’s shoulder she still felt in danger around cats but this one for some reason just didn’t give off any of those warnings. The cat hadn’t even favored staring at her. She had gazed at the two of them for equal lengths of time.
By this time Sammy had come back in. Kura raised her eyebrow at him but he simply shrugged and shook his head.
“Crud. K Sammy says that apparently there is nothing to eat in this house. I don’t know if I can even offer you tap water if there are any glasses…
Another shake of the head.
“Great so we can’t offer you anything to drink either. Sorry about that I kinda expected something…not even a measly apple.”
“Don’t fret it. Joey and I just wanted to come talk to you. This is a pet friendly neighbourhood so we wanted you to have some friends.”
“Yeah some dog called Fox said that earlier. And… ‘Crap what should we call Kitsune? That is hardly a human name’…our new owner said there would be a lot of changes from where we came from so having friends would be nice.”
“Ah so you met Fox have you? Well if I may ask where did you come from?”
“A little town down in England.”
Joey’s ears perked up after that revelation. “England? Coooooool! I’ve always wanted to go there. Is it true you drive on the left-hand side? And that you drink tea like allll the time? And that you-”
“Joey you may want to let the poor girl answer one question at a time.”
“Aww it’s okay he’s just curious.” ‘And cute, aww he is one of the sweetest puppies I have ever seen. And I have no idea what breed either. Seriously I should start to learn these things.’
Sammy crossed in front of her and flopped himself down onto the sofa. But not before giving her a small smile and a wink beforehand. As if he knew what she was thinking.
“Well for starters yes we do drive down the left-hand lane. It doesn’t make much difference since I was never old enough to drive and I am not likely to. Tea is person dependent of course. As a country we like it more than some but as far as individuality is concerned…some people like it some don’t, some love it others hate it. I personally do enjoy it. Anything else you want to know about England?”
The torrent of questions that burst from Joey was enough even to surprise Squeak. Joey had never shown such an interest in making friends before. It made her happy though. Joey was finally making a new friend who hopefully would be just the shove the shy little dog needed. She eyed the Border collie on the sofa. The cat was of no concern but something about that dog made her curious. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it but there was certainly something different about him. ‘One definitely worth keeping an eye on, I’ll inform the mouse network. Kid’s got to have some secrets, could be useful to know what they are.’


Kitsune was once again in the nether regions between dimensions. And of course not entirely paying attention to what he was doing. He knew that was relatively dangerous but he was already preoccupied. Nothing too serious actually, just humming a catchy tune he once heard. ‘Da da da da da da da daaaaaaa, dun dun dun dun dun dun dun duuuunuuuun, bub bub bub bub bub ba ba bub bub bub bub bub ba ba, da da da da da da da, da da da da da da da hmm hmm hmm hmm hm hm hmmmmmmmmmm-’
‘You are playing a very dangerous game.’
‘Hmm-’ “AHH!” He looked around. There was no one. “Where are you?”
‘Not here.’
The voice was talking to him in his head. ‘Okay then what are you?’
‘Not important.’
‘Then what is?’ He was very curious of this intruder. No mortal could ever force entry into his mind especially not while he was in between dimensions so whoever this was must obviously a being of power.
‘Do you know what you are doing?’
‘Now or in general?’
‘Can you keep them safe.’ It wasn’t a question.
‘Them? You mean those kids don’t you, how do you know of them?’
‘You found them, now look after them.’
‘That is what I am doing. Who do you think you are telling me what to do anyway? And what do you want me to keep them safe from anyway? If you know what is going on you had better tell me!’
‘You don’t remember your own childhood.’
That statement startled Kitsune. ‘My childhood? What has my childhood got to do with this?’
‘It is always darkest before dawn.’
‘Are you incapable of answering even a single question?’
‘When night covers day then the children must come out to play.’
‘Why are you speaking in riddles? Are you intentionally being annoying or are you just stupid?’
‘A crystal may contain more than just Carbon.’
‘Crystal? Are you talking about the dreams the kids had?’
‘Alone they are weak but together they can be strong .’
‘Okay can you please just leave me alone now?’
‘The fox, the dragon and the griffin, three sides of the same coin.’
‘Coins only have two sides.’
‘Two went against one. And now it is free.’
‘So you do know something, now tell me more about what it is that is free.’
‘You know what it is.’
‘Evidently I do not.’
‘Remember your childhood.’
‘If I close my eyes will you go away?’
‘Without memories you are just a shell.’
‘No one is losing their memory, they are just having them replaced.’
‘Replaced by the one who is free. And what would it need their memories, their spiritual essences for?’
‘You could help a lot of good innocent people if you just told me what you meant.’
‘Take them to me.’
‘Yeah I’ll just hop on a train and do that now.’
‘Keep them safe from everything and watch out for the darkness.’ The voice faded away.
‘Wait come back! What do you mean?’ Kitsune shook his head and continued his journey. ‘Stupid dumb voice with its stupid riddles and stupidness. I hate riddles that I didn’t make.’ Though the voice was probably talking a load of crap he couldn’t help but wonder what it meant about his childhood.

Your updates are getting longer.

Housepets: Living with change

Chapter 12. Home invasion.

Spiritual plane


“What have you got there Kitsune?”
“Pete, Dragon? What do you want?”
“We need to talk.” Pete squinted at the items Kitsune held. “What are you carrying?”
“Just some stuff for the kids.”
“What are you their personal errand boy now or something?”
“Pete what do you want?”
“Spoilsport. Kitsune we need to discuss the game.”
Kitsune rolled his eyes. ‘Here we go again.’ “And what is it you would like to discuss Pete?”
“We would all be a lot happier if it were on track again, so what do you say?”
“You want me to re-open it?”
“Yes see it isn’t too hard. All we need is your word and we can continue.”
“Didn’t I already tell you very nicely to get lost?”
“Not in those words. You implied that you would prefer this world to, how shall I put it, continue its natural course.”
“Yeah which basically means go away you can’t make me open it earlier than that.”
“Oh Kitsune. Poor naive Kitsune. And what about all the others waiting for us to finish this game off? Do you really want them to be kept waiting?”
“First off don’t call me naïve, I’m older and smarter than you. Second they have already been waiting who knows how many thousands of years so I’m pretty sure they can wait a few more and third of all, what is the point of us continuing this in a world that we messed up? It makes the whole game a complete waste of time and the prize utterly invalid. If you want to start again on a new world then be my guest but as I am your represented GM you cannot start anywhere without me and I am not starting a single thing until this world has been sorted out.” He narrowed his eyes at the two entities. “Do I make myself clear?”
“If we can help in anyway than let us know.”
“Thank you Dragon. And the more help I have the faster we can get this sorted.”
“What do you want us to do?”
“Pete, I want you to see if there is any suspicious activity on any of the different planes and see if it is having either a direct or indirect effect on what is going on in that dimension.”
“Urg you owe me.” He clicked his fingers and vanished.
“No I don’t. Right Dragon, Tarot is well trusted, I assume, so if anything goes wrong then she would be the person everyone would go to for help. So I want to see if she can make a list of everyone who has experienced his or her memories being replaced. A fully detailed one if possible with no missing points. What is gone and what has replaced it okay?”
“Sure. I think she has already been talking to Fido.”
“He is one of the police dogs right?”
“Was.”
“Okay, find out what his memories are now.”
“Will do. What about you?”
“Well first I have to act like an out of season Santa to a couple of, currently, ungrateful little sods but then I need to do some research.”
“Research? On what?”
“I’ll let you know when I find out.”


“Activity?”
“Rising Sir. Not in levels just frequency.”
“So more jumps?”
“Yes Sir.”
“What was that peak earlier?”
“It came from within the house. Not sure what it is.”
“Do we have enough data to make a move?”
“Not yet Sir we still don’t know what they are planning.”
“Daisy’s report suggests they are non hostile. I however don’t want to make that decision until we know for sure. Have the police noticed anything?”
“Sir.” A young German shepherd spoke up. “I have been monitoring police transmissions and it seems like they are looking for the two pets in the house.”
“Reason?”
“They don’t seem to have done anything wrong, they are just wanted for questioning.”
“That is our window of opportunity right there.” He pointed to the guard by the door, another one of the few humans trusted enough to be allowed in this place. “You, I want you to mobilise the techs and have them ready to enter that house on my mark.”
“Sir!” She saluted and left.
He pointed to the German shepherd. “I want you to get on the phone and drop an anonymous tip saying where the kids are. Make sure you make the call only when the techs are ready and once the human has returned to the house. We don’t want any surprise visitors.”
“Yes Sir.”


“Look is that Joey?”
“Yep and there is that mouse on his shoulder as always.”
“Hey Joey!”
Joey and Squeak looked up to see the three wolf cubs waving at them.
“What do you think they are planning this time?” He whispered.
“They got some pretty full bags there. Exploring maybe?”
“Oh. Hey you three, having fun?”
“Yeah we are going exploring.”
“Told you.” She whispered.
“Show off.” He smirked. “Well you three take care okay, and don’t stay out if it rains.”
“We won’t, bye Joey.”
“Bye!”
“See you.”
“Bye, have fun!”
They watched the wolf cubs continue off down the street.
“I wonder where they are going?” Joey mused, lightly scratching his chin.
“That is the point of exploring isn’t it?”
“Well yeah I suppose, I just hope Myles knows where they are.”
“I’m sure they’ll be fine. They may be cubs but they are still wolves after all.”
“Oh, yeah, yeah.”
Squeak looked at Joey and grinned. “Now I know when you have something on your mind.”
“Oh, you’re just imagining things.”
“No no, I know you too well Joey. You definitely have something on your mind. So what is it?”
Joey fidgeted for a bit before answering.
“I uh…I asked a lot of questions about England back there, do you think I was rude to do that?”
Squeak thought about that for a moment. “I don’t think she minded. She looked happy to talk to someone. Being here is so different to where she came from I think she would be happy to remember her home like that.”
“That is good, I didn’t want to upset her.”
“Yes she seemed nice didn’t she. For a cat anyway.”
“Yes she was very nice.” He replied with a smile. Suddenly Squeak burst out laughing. “What is so funny?”
“You are what is funny! You like her don’t you?”
“Now hold on there missy, what do you mean by like?”
“I mean that you mister have a crush on a certain English Kitty.”
“Shut up, I do not!” He started to blush deeply.
“Yes you do yes you do you like Kura!”
“No I don’t I just you know, think she is kind of…cute.”
“Don’t worry about it. I mean at the very least you made a new friend so the trip was well worth it.”
“Yes it was…her brother was weird.”
“The dog? Yes he was a bit…strange wasn’t he.”
“I don’t know why he didn’t talk to us, we were being friendly…weren’t we?” Joey frowned. “He didn’t look like he was too scared to talk unless…you don’t think he can’t talk do you?”
Squeak had to admit she hadn’t thought of that one. She was certain the pup had something to hide, but maybe Joey was right. Maybe, just maybe he couldn’t speak. ‘Aww now I feel bad for being suspicious of him.’ “Well we can always ask Kura when we next see her can’t we.”
Joey smiled at that. “Yes we can.” He frowned again as Squeak burst into laughter once more. “C’mon Squeak, stop doing that!”


Home

Kura leant against the front door and closed her eyes. There was something strangely likeable about that pair. They were total strangers, not even knowing anything about her, and yet they were still so friendly. ‘Heck they were nicer to me in that short space of time than most of my friends have been in my entire life. Maybe this place is just that nice and…and everyone who lives here is really as nice as everyone has been saying.’ She smiled as she thought about Joey and Squeak. ‘If we hadn’t lost so much then I think I could have enjoyed living here.’
“Feeling happy are we?”
Kura opened her eyes. Sammy was standing in front of her with his arms crossed, a wide grin on his face. ‘He is really getting better at sneaking up on me. Must be that new body…which I still can’t get used to seeing. But I’m a cat, which is also weird, and will not be out snuck by a dog, especially him.’
“Yeah, of course I am. How are you supposed to feel after a visit from two nice people? Wait umm people or umm what should I call them?”
“I dunno, pets maybe? The dog did have a collar on. But I just happened to notice a few changes in your expression whenever you spoke to Joey.”
“Changes?” She asked both curious and suspicious of her brother’s motives.
“Oh yes indeed. The slight widening of your smile, the twinkle of your eyes. I would make an educated guess to say that you like him.”
“Of course I like him, he was very nice. As was Squeak. I liked them both.”
“You like him.” He grinned (somehow) even wider.
It took Kura a few seconds to work out what he was referring to. “Wait what! NO! Christ Sammy just No! I’m fourteen for god’s sake. That is gross.”
“Actually Fox-boy said you were two or three ish and you did like him. Your argument is invalid.”
“Maybe my body is but up here,” she raised her finger to her temple, “I’m still fourteen.”
“Fine, fine be adamant about it. We’ll see what the future holds. You did like talking to him more than the mouse.”
Kura narrowed her eyes. “While we are on the subject of talking, what the heck was all that about?”
“All what about?” he asked, confused.
“The entire bloody time they were here, you said nothing. NOTHING! Yeah I’m the older brother I’m supposed to look out for you so what I’ll do is let you handle all the talking to the strangers. Not even a stupid little hello.”
He involuntarily flattened his ears. “At least I shook hands. You know what I am like with strangers. I can’t talk to them, I just can’t. You know half the time I can’t even talk to my friends. It isn’t my fault okay I just… just can’t-”
Kura sighed. She knew it wasn’t his fault. The fact that he had stayed in the same room as them was a miracle in itself. He had been like this since he was a child. The only reason he spoke to Kitsune in the caravan was…well a stranger turning up at night-time! He could have had any agenda. There was no way he would of let her confront him.
“Okay okay, I forgive you. I can’t stay mad at you. I know it isn’t your fault and to be honest that thing you did with your ears was just too adorable.”
“What thing?” Sammy asked, frowning.
She pointed at them. “They have flattened. How did you learn how to do that?”
“Flattened?” He looked around the hallway and spotted the mirror Kitsune had left. He walked up to it and looked at himself. Sure enough his ears had flattened against his head. “Cool!” He ran his paw over them. “Actually now that I think about it I have always wanted to know what this was about.”
“What what is about?” Kura asked curiously.
Sammy placed his finger behind his ear then started to scritch it. At first nothing happened but as he intensified the motion… “Ooooh god. That…that is sooo good.”
Kura burst out laughing. She too had always wondered what the whole scritching thing was about. Humans didn’t feel anything but do it to a cat and a dog and boom. Instant bliss. She walked towards him and shoved him out of the way. “Move over I want a go.”
He stopped and stared as she mimicked his actions. And it wasn’t long before she fell to her knees. “Oh sweet god…that is good.”
“I know right! What is that about? Though I still wonder why if it is that good, our cats didn’t want it all the time.” He stopped himself as he mentioned their cats. Kura sighed and her head drooped. “Oh man I’m sorry Kura I-”
“It’s fine.” She interrupted. “I just miss them is all.”
“I know you do. So do I.”
“Do you think…they are alive?”
Sammy pondered the question. It had been months now since they had both gone “missing” and though he constantly reassured her that they were fine he knew they probably weren’t. “Yeah of course they are. You know how strong they are. I mean remember when a car hit him. And he managed to limp all the way home. And he recovered so quickly. And she is even stronger. Mark my words, they have found a nice new home. And are even happier because they don’t have to suffer your insatiable need to hug them to death.”
Kura smiled at that. “Hey they knew their role in that house. To look cute and be hugged.”
“Hey you are the cat now does that mean I get to hug you?”
“Touch me and die.”
Sammy smiled and was about to respond before he was interrupted.
“Now that isn’t a very nice thing to say now is it?”

The phone ringing was an unusual sound to hear inside the Wolf household. No one really had any need to call up a bunch of wolves so it was largely unheard. So King’s trail of thought vanished as he strained his ears, hoping to hear who it was. Normally he wouldn’t care but the number of calls this house received was so low that it could be considered the world’s rarest event. And of course it could be Fox wanting to talk to him.
The phone stopped ringing. Twenty seconds later, after all pleasantries had been exchanged, Myles’s loud voice came booming up the stairs. “King, Fox wants to speak to you!”

“Okay thank you Myles.” Fox said as the phone was handed over.
“Yeah, sup?” Came the Corgi’s voice from the phone.
“King guess what! Dad said you could come over for dinner tonight.”
“How’d you manage to convince him to say that?”
“Oh c’mon he doesn’t hate you.”
‘He probably would…’ “I know, it is just he seems so suspicious of everyone all the time. Makes me nervous an-”
“And you aren’t too fond of the police I know I know. But if you want you can also stay the night. No soda for you though. I don’t want you drunk.”
“Hey that wasn’t my fault, I had never drunk that stuff before.”
“Still, no soda. We’ll have normal drinks.”
“Spoilsport. Okay fine I’ll see you soon.”
“Looking forward to it. See you.” Fox put the phone down. Normally he would have smiled but he was feeling uneasy. Today had been weird. Nothing too unusual had happened as far as he could tell but there was something not right. He had felt it when he woke up this morning. Of course he still felt bad about ratting out those kids to his dad. ‘But he said they didn’t do anything wrong. And if the pup was hurt then it is for his own good.’ He sighed and shrugged. He wondered if he could be able to look them in the eye when he next saw them. And he still had to show them around of course. He shook his head. ‘Best not to think about it. I’ll make it up to them somehow.’

“Now that isn’t a very nice thing to say now is it?”
“Kitsune!”
“Hey Fox-boy you’re back. Where have you been?”
“Yes little one I’m back. Being the wonderful person I am I went and did a bit of gathering.”
“Gathering?” Kura asked.
“Yes gathering. Go upstairs and have a look. You should be able to guess whose room is whose. But before you go,” He threw something at Sammy. “This is yours.”
Sammy recognised it the instant he caught it. But he still couldn’t believe what it was. “How did you manage to get this?”
“Uh I just went back to where I found you. You didn’t forget I could do that did you? I mean you did ask me to get some of your stuff after all.”
Sammy opened the object. Everything was all there. “I never actually thought I would see this stuff again to be honest.”
“What is it?” Kura asked.
“My pouch.” He answered, clipping it on. The main part clipped around the waist, that part was what held everything. Then there was another strap, which went diagonally across his chest over his shoulder and diagonally back down to clip back onto the waist. This design took longer to put on than normal but he preferred it this way. He looked up at Kitsune. “Thank you.” He said, without a single trace of sarcasm.
“That’s okay. Will you call me by my name now?”
“Alright fine…most of the time. Thank you Kitsune.”
“I suppose that is as good as I’ll ever get so you are welcome. Now go on you two, go check out your rooms.”
They looked at each other with overwhelming enthusiasm before racing up the stairs. Kitsune chuckled softly. ‘Okay so not ungrateful then.’ He walked into the living room and sat down on a chair. He was more worried than ever after his trip. He had gone back to the…site, but he had encountered a bit of difficulty when he arrived. There seemed to be some sort of time lock in the area. He always arrived some time after the crash had occurred. And each time it was after everything had been removed. Literally everything from the crash had vanished. He did get lucky though, after many failed attempts he retraced the old path he took but veered off suddenly by a couple of hours. A risky manoeuvre and statistically impossible to pull off but he was (as he liked to think) just that awesome. It allowed him to arrive just after he took the kids with him. Unfortunately he could only do that once, it could cause major damage to that dimension otherwise. But he had managed to gather up as much stuff as he could before coming back.
His thoughts were interrupted by two loud squeals of joy from upstairs. ‘Guess they are happy then.’ He thought with a smile.
Two pairs of footsteps were heard running down the stairs before they were upon him. All he saw were the shapes of a dog and a cat leaping at him and then Kitsune found himself at the bottom of a pile up.
“I take it you two are happy with your rooms then?” Came his muffled voice.
“Yes yes yes yes yes!” They replied.
“Well that is good then. Umm do you think you can allow me to breathe again?”
They both got up off of Kitsune, allowing him to once again draw breath.
“Oh sweet beautiful air. Heh I’m surprised at you Sammy. I thought you were a little too old for hugging.”
Sammy shifted and blushed. “Yeah well you know…I just like my room is all. And I never said I didn’t enjoy hugs okay!”
“Okay noted, you are playful when in the right mood. I’ll have to remember that.”
“How did you do it?”
“Do what Kura?”
“My room. It looks exactly how I always wanted my room to look like.”
“I’m just that good you see.”
“Evidently so, my room is how I wanted it too. How much power do you really have?”
“Oh enough. And soon enough you two will be able to control yours as well.”
“Yeah I’m still not happy about the whole can’t cast magic thing.”
“Not my problem.” Kitsune responded. “Only a few can grant that sort of power. I’m just helping you boost and control what you already have.”
“But honestly how can you do that?” Kura asked.
“You’ll have to train your minds, bodies and souls.”
“You didn’t answer her question. She asked how are you going to do that.”
“With rigorous training. Make no mistake you will probably hate me for some of those days but it will be worth it.”
“You are really willing to jeopardise the fact that Sammy has only now started to like you?”
“For what you can do for this planet yes I am willing to jeopardize that.”
“How bad is this shadow then?”
Kitsune clicked his tongue. “I’ll have to get back to you on that one.”

“Do it.”
“Yes Sir.”

“Can I ask you another quick favour?”
“What else could you want Sammy?”
“Can you please, PLEASE get a pair of glasses for me. The old ones you gave me in the hospital don’t fit so I haven’t been able to wear them.”
“Oh yes, I’m sorry about that. I kind of forgot. I am sorry to say that regular glasses are not really made for animals. You need special custom ones.”
“I’d rather go through the hassle of getting them than not being able to see properly.”
“Why don’t you have a chat with the police. We were talking about you getting a job there earlier and they do have some models. And they look pretty awesome.”
“How awesome?”
“Very awesome.”
“Cool. But how will they fit?” Sammy asked, raising his paws to feel his ears.
“Ah well that is why they are custom made. You can probably choose whatever style you want. They do have a lot of different types.
“I dunno, see I kinda like the glasses worn at the end of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, you know the awesome tinted ones. I like tinted glasses. What about if they had a strap to go around the back of my head or something. Then there is less chance of them slipping off while I am moving around. And a mike so I can talk to people without needing a phone. Ooh and can it have a torch attached to it and optional night vision?”
“I am familiar with the glasses from that film and a strap is possible. But the other three are pushing it.”
“Maybe, but it will be cool! Of course I will need to hear them talking so can the ear-piece be coming up a bit to fit into my ear? Oh and can the mike be tucked away? You know so it doesn’t get broken or anything.”
“I still haven’t said yes for thos-”
“Ooh ooh also can I have like a HUD system or something. Not like flashy or anything but you know so that it shows stuff.”
“What stuff?”
“You know like if I have a gun or something a reticule appears on my glasses to help me aim.”
“NO! Get any thoughts of having a gun out of your head right now!”
“It was an example, moron. Can it have an optional zoom setting though?”
“No.”
“And an uplink so if I’m talking to someone I can see their face in real time in the corner.”
“No HUD systems!”
“What about a self-diagnostic scanner. You know like the hospital machine things but it shows the condition of my body too?”
“… no.”
“Spoilsport. But can I have everything else?”
Kitsune mulled it over for a bit before smiling. “Of course you can have the glasses. You have to earn everything else, IF, I decide you can have them. Do well in your training and your chores…and your attitude to others, and you might get stuff. That is a long shot though. I don’t know how you expect a simple pair of glasses to contain all that technology.”
“Awesome! You jelly Kura?”
“Not really no. Your sight limitations don’t make me envy you one bit.”
“Jelly?” Kitsune asked.
“Oh yeah it is short for jealous, you know jealous, jelly…see the connection?”
“Yes I do, but please refrain from saying that. No one round here will understand you.”
“Oh, okay then.” Sammy grinned. “Thank you though. Normal glasses are soo boring.”
“Don’t mention it. Though I can clearly see you two have more questions that will turn into favors being asked.”
“Ah he knows us so well already doesn’t he Sammy?”
“Yes indeed Kura. Yes indeed.”
Whatever comment Kitsune planned on responding with was cut short by a knock at the door.
“Who is that?” Both Sammy and Kura asked, turning to Kitsune.
“I…I don’t know. I was too preoccupied with talking that I couldn’t sense anyone.”
Sammy got up and walked hesitantly towards the front door.

“I can make a list easily enough Dragon, the only problem is not everyone will come to me with their problems. That will make this whole thing difficult to sort out.”
“Yes I know Tarot. And if Kitsune thinks he can conjure up some magic event that will sort everything out then I believe he is in for a shock. I think everyone’s problems will have to be sorted out individually before this whole dimension is back to normal.” The entity replied.
“Hmm and somehow I don’t think those kids have got helping others high up on their list of things to do.”
Dragon grimaced. “Relying on them will make a tedious process all the more difficult.”
“Even more so now I’m afraid. It seems the police have taken an interest in them.”
“The police? Well what do they want?”
“I’m not sure yet,” Tarot gestured towards the crystal ball centred on the table. The darkness swirled and was replaced by an image depicting an area not too far from here. “This is where Kitsune has chosen to make his residence.”
“Ah yes we have multiple houses across the globe on ready to be purchased, or on standby, just in case we need an emergency home for important game characters. Kitsune got lucky with this. He managed to net one reasonably close to those Ferrets. That should come in handy. The ferrets have a lot of power and wealth.”
Tarot rolled her eyes. “Yes I know about the houses. Anyway look closer.” She zoomed in on the house as a police car pulled away. Another zoom showed the three occupants of the back seats.
“Well there they are. I’m not too worried though, if anyone can find a legal loophole to literally anything it is Kitsune.”
“That isn’t what I am most worried about.”
“What do you mean?” The entity asked.
The view zoomed back and scrolled to the back door. Several figures were entering the house. “I want to know what they are up to.”
“Can’t you sense their thoughts?”
“Can you?”
“…no. Now this is interesting. They must be highly trained to block our probe. Even I can’t sense anything. I’m genuinely intrigued by this.”
Tarot raised her eyebrow. “Really Dragon? You are starting to sound like Pete.”
“Oh come on I am off duty…kind of. I’m allowed a bit of fun. Can you see inside the house?”
The image zoomed forwards to the door and immediately blackened.
“Oh great it crashed. I’ll have to reboot it.”
“Reboot? It isn’t a computer.”
“No but the technical term is too long, even roughly translated into this language.” The image returned and headed towards the door only to once again blacken. “Kitsune must have a shield up. Pity it doesn’t stop a physical presence though.” Tarot said with a sigh as she slumped into the chair.
“That’s fine. It won’t stop me from zipping in and seeing what they are doing. I’ll be back soon.”


Police station.

“You don’t have to be scared. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
Kura frowned at Kitsune. “I know that. And I’m not scared.”
The knock at the door had been a policewoman. She had taken them on a boring (in Sammy’s opinion) drive to the station where they had been filed into a room. At first glance it seemed like any ordinary room. If of course you don't count the camera in the corner of the ceiling and the giant, obviously one-way, pane of glass.
“Looks like one of those rooms they use to interrogate people in those CSI type shows.” Sammy leaned back in the uncomfortable plastic chair. “Aren’t they supposed to supply a plate of doughnuts or something? I’m starving.”
“Yeah you promised us you would take us to go eat when we left the hospital.”
“Did I? Oh yeah. Crud. You have to remind me of these things guys. This is my first time being a dad.”
“Eww don’t say that!”
“What?”
“Dad. That just sounds weird.”
“If you so choose.”
“Oh and we are still naked by the way. I feel so exposed. It is horrible!”
“Well believe it or not no one is going to start ogling you.”
Kura looked around. “Yeah but if this is one of those rooms then that would be that glass where they look through but you can’t see them. Which means they can see me sitting here naked and I don’t like it.”
“Well you’ll just have to suck it up for now then.”
The door opened and two officers stepped inside. Taking seats opposite the trio they began.
“My name is Officer Bill,” The human said. “And this here is my colleague Officer Ralph.” He gestured towards the dog that was probably a German Shepherd but might not have been given how weird this world had turned out so far. He waited for their names in reply but got only one blank stare, one look of sheer boredom and a look he couldn’t fathom from the human. He sighed, hoping they wouldn’t be too uncooperative. “You aren’t in any trouble as of right now, we simply wanted to ask a few questions if you would kindly be willing to answer them.” Another pause for a reply, which was again met with the three same looks.
Ralph had to fight back a chuckle. Not many hardened criminals were brave enough to give Bill those types of looks and here he was being stared down by a couple of kids. ‘These kids have no idea how much trouble their presence has caused us already. I hope they have some answers or Bill will be less than pleased.’

“I don’t know man, let’s just call it a hunch.”
“You really want to bet on a hunch?”
“Yup.”
“Okay well I think you are crazy but fine it is your loss.”
The two Officers lounging by the water cooler had seen the trio being marched into the questioning room. Now a total of thirty minutes later of waiting in the same spot (they really had nothing better to do) the trio left and went further into the station. As soon as Bill and Ralph left the room they immediately ambushed them.
“So you two spill the beans.”
“Yup did they talk easily or did it take a bit of effort?”
This was regular practice with these two Officers so Bill had been expecting it.
“Well I didn’t have to use force but darn did they make me work for those answers. Just a couple of kids and I had more trouble than with a psychopath. I had to deal with the shortest answers that could verbally be given. Half the time it was a bloody shrug or a nod!”
“So they were difficult to make talk?”
“Huh if you classify the measly answers we got from the kids as talk. At least the human had some proper answers for us. Still we go what we wanted and they do seem innocent.”
“Crud. I guess you win then. You and your stupid hunches”
“My hunches rule. And now you owe me lunch tomorrow.”
“Fine but next time I’ll win.”
Ralph watched the pair walk away and shook his head with disapproval. “Pup didn’t seem in any pain.”
“I noticed that. Faulty hospital records maybe.”
“So you think they are innocent?”
“Maybe. They don’t seem to know anything.”
“To be fair though half their answers were ‘I don’t remember.’”
“Memory loss can occur after a particularly traumatic event.”
“What is so traumatic about a car crash? And they still didn’t provide answers as to why the ‘crash’ scene was so…fake.”
Bill stared down the hallway where the trio had gone. “Well whatever the reason we know where they live now. Lets make sure these ones don’t slip out of our sight ever again.”


“They all set?”
“Yes Sir!”
“Good we don’t want to hang around here too long. This house makes my hair stand up. Make sure everything was how it was. We want this to go under the radar this time you get me?”
“Everything was how it originally was Sir.”
“Good. Let’s go before they come back then.”


“You know I have never had to do this before.”
‘Oh yeah because that really helps build confidence doesn’t it?’
“But then I don’t suppose I would have needed to. This sort of thing is handled either at birth or by a full veterinarian.”
‘I really really couldn’t care less you know.’
“Ok now just take a deep breath this wont last long.”
‘Yeah yeah I’ve had this sort of crap done before so hurry up.’
“Not a very responsive one are you?”
Sammy mentally rolled his eyes. They had been sent down to the station doctor. Something about a DNA record. He hadn’t exactly been listening so he wasn’t too sure. And of course Kitsune had told the doctor that no they hadn’t had any of their shots so he now had to endure a bunch of needles being stabbed into him. Not that he could complain though. Kura hated needles and she hadn’t complained…well she had but the doctor had said that her non-violent response was a once in a life time event for anyone. So in order to best her he had to not even make a verbal complaint. So instead he said nothing. Which suited him fine. Sammy had nothing to say to the doctor and the doctor had nothing interesting he wanted to listen to.
“You know you have very beautifully colored eyes.”
‘Is he flirting with me or something? Don’t compliment me you strange man.’
“And you have a wonderful fur color.” He directed to Kura.
‘Well okay he can have that one. I doubt he has seen many blue cats before.’
He pulled the final needle out and placed a wet piece of cotton wool against the wound. “Okay all done pup.” He looked at Kitsune. “They have all the basic inoculations that I can give. I recommend a check up with the vet at least once every six months for two years then once a year from then on. I’ve also sent their DNA record to the local vet too.”
“Ah thank you very much.”
“Now as a reward for being such brave kiddies who wants a lolly?”
Both Sammy and Kura smiled at that and nodded their heads. Three minutes later they were standing outside the station enjoying their status as the proud owners of some very tasty lollipops.
“Ya know what, slurp, for a creepy guy, slurp, he does know how to reward people.”
“Don’t speak with your mouth full please Kura.”
“Spoilsport.” slurp
“So Kitsune.”
“Yes Sammy?”
“I couldn’t help but notice, slurp, during the procedure you seemed to smile whenever I made a somewhat rude comment in my head.”
“Wow. Imagine that. Dang this world is full of coincidences.”
“Don’t give me that. You have already demonstrated you can read my thoughts. And I could have sworn I already told you to stay out. Can’t I please just ask for a little privacy, even in my own head?”
“Ah well you see there is the little problem. Your thoughts are so untrained and so wild that to understand how you think I need to jump onto any opportunity that I can find. I apologize for this but to effectively train the two of you I need to know how you think. I swear I already told YOU this. You can’t build something to perfection before first having to understand what makes it tick.”
“Mmm see I get what you mean there but Sammy is kinda right too. I mean isn’t the mind meant to be a person’s only true safe haven?”
Sammy and Kitsune stared at her for a moment.
“You know sis that has to be the smartest thing I have heard you say in a long time.”
“Well then how am I going to understand you without knowing how your mind works?”
Kura twirled her lolly between her fingers. “We just want you to ask first. Imagine how you would feel if you were having a private moment and someone comes barging uninvited into you room.”
“Kura please clarify what you mean by private moment. I know I should expect better from you but I just don’t.”
“You know exactly what I mean. And don’t raise your eyebrows at me mister. You practically raised me. I know more innuendo and general dirty talk than the rest of my school.”
Kitsune stared at Sammy who raised his paws in defence. “Hey don’t look at me like that, I’m a great parent okay. And besides at least I keep my promises.”
“Oh great what did I forget this time?”
Sammy pointed at his face. “GLASSES! I can’t see properly you moron. How am I meant to be a couch potato if I can’t even distinguish between all the things on the T.V?”
“Okay okay I’m sorry. I already said I’m not used to being a da-I mean a carer.” He changed his response when he saw the glare they gave him at the mention of the word dad. “Come on guys lets go back in and see if we can work something out with the police.”
“K. But food straight after okay?”
“Remind me again when we have done.”


Tarot’s house

Tarot perked up in her armchair when she felt Dragon return. “Well what did you find?”
Dragon just shook her head. “I can’t get in. He set it up to stop all spiritual and magical forms of entrance. That includes a physical entrance by beings like me.”
“Well to be fair it makes sense. Obviously Kitsune expects danger not from the realm of the mortals but from yours or something akin to yours.”
“Did you see anyone leave while I was gone?”
“Strangely no and yet I have not detected movement from within at all so far.”
“This worries me. See I was watching and though the door did not open, several shadows of feet left through the doorway. I think whoever they are they have some sort of mage working with them.”
“A mage strong enough to break through Kitsune’s barrier? The mortal realm does not breed beings with that level of power.”
“No not break. I think whoever it was simply placed the spell on top of Kitsune’s. This was why I saw the shadows before they were covered up again. Once they left they were exposed for a brief second before their spell shielded them.” Dragon smiled as she thought about what she had seen. She was amused at how simply she had been outwitted. “Of course. Simple textbook methods. I wasn’t expecting something so easy and simple so I overlooked it. Whatever, it is done now and we lost our chance.”
“But we still don’t know enough. The power of the mage is an unknown variable to us and we can’t act out of turn. We may put lives in danger if we do.”
“If deaths occur due to non-mortal events then usually they can be restored. It has happened before. It was a common occurrence in the early games of U&U.”
“I still don’t understand how easily you lot can talk about people dying. Are you not supposed to keep us safe during these games?”
Dragon twiddled her thumbs. “Hey the first few times there was nobody to save them. Now we have that as a simple fallback. We do try to not get anyone killed.”
“So you can save them though?”
“If someone catches their soul straight after death has occurred then yes. But once a mortal gains entrance to heaven after dying then that is it. There is no going back.”
“So it is a special case then?”
“Exactly. They are not sent to heaven but sent to limbo. They are then restored once everything has settled down.”
“I hope we don’t have to resort to that. We shall warn Kitsune upon his return. I haven’t sensed any trouble from the police station so it does look like they are in the clear.”
“Let Sabrina know that everything should be underway soon. I can feel her anguish from here.”
“I just hope this information will help calm her down. It is never wise to cause distress to those gifted in the arcane arts.”


“Ooh I like that one. Ooh but I like that one too. Oh cool look at this one!”
Watching Sammy pick what pair of glasses he wanted was like watching a child being set loose in a candy store. Put simply he wanted everything he could get his paws on.
“You sure we are allowed to be doing this?” Kura quizzed Kitsune.
“Relax the receptionist said to go ahead and pick one.”
“So you didn’t, I don’t know, change her thoughts to make her say that or something?”
“Good heavens no. Currently the police are the only suppliers of glasses for pets. They haven’t hit retail markets yet you see.”
“Oh.” They continued staring for a while. “Okay that really is a crap market system they have here.”
“Not really. Few pets need them you see and this being the only town that really would supply them anyway there isn’t much point in shops supplying them. It would be a waste of money.”
“But the police supply them though.”
“Of course. No one wants an officer who can’t perform to the best of his or her ability. They invest in a lot of stuff to keep these guys safe and ready for duty.”
“Oh…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“So…how about that weather we’ve been having?”
“FOUND ONE!” Sammy rushed over to them. “Look look! I dug allllll the way into the back and I found the perfect one that I described. See how awesome it looks! And the strap is adjustable!”
“Don’t you want ones that aren’t tinted too? They look cool yes but you will also need a normal pair.”
“Got that covered already.” Sammy said smugly. “See look at this one.” He showed a second pair. And to Kitsune’s surprise they were normal. Same configurations as the other ones but apart from that they were a standard pair of glasses.
“So no hidden app to fire lasers or anything?” Kitsune asked suspiciously.
“THEY HAVE THOSE? WHERE?”
“I’m kidding. I just expected you to find something unordinary.”
“You have no faith in me.”
“Anyone who knows you is right to be suspicious of your every action and motive.”
“I can be trustworthy if I want to…I just don’t want to.”
“Here give me the glasses.”
“Umm okay.” Sammy handed Kitsune the two pairs he picked up.
“Your last ones were perfect for your vision yes?”
“Umm. Yeah I guess.”
“Okay hang on.” Kitsune produced the old pair in his hand and looked through them. He stared through them for over twenty seconds before tapping his finger against each of the panes of glass on the new pairs. A close watch at this point would reveal a small shimmer running across the panes for a fraction of a second. With a wave of his hand the old pair vanished. “Try them on.” Kitsune said, handing them back to Sammy.
Sammy frowned at Kitsune before trying them on. “Hey! I…I can see! How did you do that? I can see as well as I could with my old pair. Well I will admit my eyes do seem a bit sharper than they used to be though.”
“Well the glasses were really quite easy if I do say so myself. A simple spell. I just mirrored the properties of the old pair onto the new pair. The other bits…well you’re a dog now remember? Your vision is sharper and though you are not color blind I will say that colors are going to be a but harder to distinguish from now on in.”
“You know I was partly colour blind in the first place so this will do me a world of wonders.”
“No need to say it like that now. Especially as I have linked your eyesight to your glasses.”
“You did what with my eyes?”
“ *Sigh* Eyesight changes over time.”
“I know that.”
“The spell picks up changes in your vision and adapts your lenses to adjust for it.”
“So I wont ever need to see an optician ever again?”
“Correct. I won’t explain how it works because to be honest there are a whole bunch of different eye disorders and I don’t know what you have.”
“That’s good then. How…umm… how did you even manage to do that though?”
“You ask this yet we have leapt through dimensions, I told you I travelled in time, I made your old glasses appear from nowhere oh and you’re a dog. Why do you continually ask?”
“Because it isn’t something you see every day that’s why.”
“Wel-…alright I’ll let you have that one.”
“Sorry for interrupting what doesn’t appear to be a very interesting conversation but can we go eat now?”
Kitsune looked at Kura, then Sammy and then back at Kura before rolling his eyes. “Oh okay if we must. Who is up for some fast food?”
“What no ‘oh you must eat healthily’ or ‘no you shall only eat pet food’ crap?”
“What am I your dad?”
“No.”
“Then shut up. I don’t care what you eat as long as you are sensible…ish.”
The resulting wave of cheering was enough to hurt even Kitsune’s ears.

My goodness you are british!

So special glasses. Fido will be jealous.

Wonder why Pete and Dragon are so suspicious, and why they want to sabotage... the game cannot be that important.