The exhaustion together with blood loss made me feel woozy and tired and I soon lost consciousness.

Thankfully when I open my eyes I am relieved to find myself in Ira’s domain. The place hasn't changed, it’s still a grand, gilded, comfy temple, though some of the foxes are now looking at me, some with interest, others with jealousy.

Ira says in her usual motherly tone and motions me to come to her.

I walk up to her and she picks me up in her lap and says: she asks mischievously.

I shake my head and say:

Ira chuckles and says: She pulls my necklace out of thin air, I touch my neck where I was wearing it and indeed is not there anymore, she shows it to me, one of the pearls is shining white and she continues:

I ask not knowing how to feel.

She cautions me.

I sigh, humans see me as dangerous, and foxes see them as dangerous… Surely something might be done about this.

Ira laughs and says she motions to the foxes around the room she pats me on the head and then says jokingly:

She picks me up with her arms as if I was a baby, given the proportions I might as well have been, she then raises me above herself and then lets me go, I flail expecting to fall but I'm instead floating in the air.

and as she tries to soothe me a wave of energy washes over me and I close my eyes, searing pain schorces me as if I just got hit by a fire wave, but as soon as it came it went away, so I opened my eyes.

What I saw was my fox body floating in front of me, so I looked at myself and I was human again, but not for long as pain flashes in my mind again. I do my best to resist yelling as I felt like Dried blood was getting removed from an unhealed wound except on my whole body. I quickly notice my body changing, my hands become furred and I grow claws, the same as my fox body, then my feet do the same, but nothing in between, next I feel 2 tails grow out of my back, and lastly I feel my ears moving to the top of my head as a fox would. At last, the transformation seemed to have stopped.

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Ira says.

I feel myself being moved back inside my fox body, again searing pain only for a second and finally peace.

Ira picks me up again this time cradling me and reassuring me everything was alright now. I am still feeling very much in pain but is just lingering, and being held close to her feels comfortable enough to make the pain fade away… She might not be my mother, but I'm pretty sure anyone would want a stepmom like Ira.

I raise still in her embrace and only muster a: in a pitiful voice.

Ira nods and says:

I say jokingly, but also still feeling a bit sick, but it’s nothing to be alarmed about, It must probably feel like when you drink too much alcohol.

Ira smiles at me and says:

I ask and she nods so I continue:

she says and gives me a caress on my cheek.

She doesn't seem to want to start teaching me stuff for now so I take time to relax and I look at myself, something seems off and after a solid minute of staring at my pelt, I find that my pelt seems to have changed to a slightly more red hue.

I ask alarmed.

She puts me down and I weave a little but steady myself and look at Ira and ask:

I nod, already having a few things in mind. To test to what extent I could use illusions I started with making a doppelganger, basically something that looked like me and mirrored everything I did perfectly. I concentrated fixing my mind on myself looking at a mirror and the reflection in it, and with that clear image in mind, I cast my magic. The magic takes its time to take shape, but in the end, something looking almost like me appears, eye color doesn't match and a few parts seem to fade away, but when I move it moves with me, so I call it a win.

Ira says seemingly genuinely happy about me.

I am embarrassed and say:

Ira picks me up again and starts petting me and says: boasting.

I laugh and say:

Ira laughs and says:

I ask to clarify

she answers me, then she puts me down and says: Then she claps her hands and everything goes white.