A combination of being pent up, on their best behavior, and going longer than usual before their mid-day meal led to an ever eventful return trip back to the Kite's Klub (TM pending) HQ, with excessive tail pulling and wayward gallivanting, to say nothing of the head-turning racket, both psychic and otherwise. Regarding the telepathic noise, It was possible to block this out to an extent, like covering your ears for telepathy. I had become proficient in this skill if you want to call it that; it wasn't hard to do, but it did have the drawback of not being precise; it would block out all telepathy to the same extent, so it was very much analogous to covering your ears.

That was exactly what I was doing as we made our way back for lunch; I had forgotten that there was leftover green fruit surprise from breakfast, and that was what lunch would mostly consist of, but this was a problem for future Indigo. Present Indigo was reflecting on their audience with the Elder. He was quite the character. If he was a performer, I would give him 5 stars. As an Elder though... One who is responsible for governing the entire village. Well... To be honest, it didn't seem like he did very much. I expected details of how the tribe was run and examples of issues he helped resolve. Perhaps he thought that was over our heads. But I can't imagine that running a village of this meager size was completely beyond simple description. 2 stars as an elder, because he didn't seem to be actively causing problems, which, where I come from, is more than I can say for most politicians.

After choking down lunch—I couldn't avoid it this time and I'm sure my hue lost a bit of its luster—it was time for recess. Well, not quite recess, but it was the time you could run around outside mostly unprotested. Needless to say, this was a popular part of the day. The stated purpose was to learn about the outdoor environment, which as you can imagine was an important part of living as a neolithic forest-dwelling mammal. Lilac Governess liked to see that we got a good sampling of the environment, so we set up shop in different spots each day, though never too far from the village proper. It was always a bummer when outdoor rec was canceled. This didn't lead to mutiny as you might expect, however; nobody but the most rowdy of children wanted to romp off in inclement weather. Getting mud in your fur, as fine as it was, was most unpleasant.

What detracted from the pure recreation of the outings was the educational portion, or attempted educational portion. It was a futile endeavor with some of the children, but those of us who wanted to learn, would not be left wanting. I would learn a great deal about the local flora and fauna during these trips: the various uses of plants and trees, what plants were edible, and the different animal species, many of which greatly resemble earth's creatures, but there were some novel exceptions, like this animal that looked like a cross between a rabbit and a chicken. I think it would be classified as a mammal. I would have loved to see the look on my face the first time I saw it. Aside from this, Lilac Governess taught us a great deal about the environment. As a former adult, much of what was taught wasn't exactly a revelation for me, but much of it was still enlightening.

Today we would be visiting what had become my favorite spot, that sacred lake that I had first encountered while tracking the Forest Guardian with my father. The lake still had that magical glow. It drew in nearly all the children, whether they just sat along its bank or jumped in, depending on the kid's temperament. Lilac Governess made no attempt to stop this later behavior, whether it was because she was truly indifferent or just too tired from dealing with overactive children all day, I couldn't say.

What I can say, however, is when several of the children tried to catch a fish, she quickly intervened. "How many times must I tell you! We cannot disturb the wildlife here!" There was a force in her voice that she reserved for particularly egregious acts. The children stop, with a look of dejection. It was the usual suspects, which included Dry-wood and Gale along with others. Conspicuously absent was Dusty, as he was too busy chasing after, what one could regard for all intent and purposes as, a squirrel up a tree. "Seriously children. You know the Goddess of the Grove doesn't like it." She shook her head with her hands perched squarely on her hips as she watched them walk away crestfallen.

This event sparked the memory of a question I had long since held. "Lilac Governess, who is the Goddess of The Grove?" I was hoping she could provide a satisfactory answer, where all others had failed to deliver. And deliver she did, more so than I bargained for.

"Hmm..." She rubbed her chin. "You know, you are right, Indigo. I don't think I have told the story of the Goddess of Untouched Wilderness and The Goddess of the Grove in some time." I could almost see a lightbulb light up above her head. "Gather round children, I've got a story for you." The majority of children made their way over, and specific summons got the rest. "Let me tell you about the two sisters..."

Long ago, when the land was new, before the age of sapient creatures, in the age of gods, there existed two sisters. These sisters would one day become known as the Goddess of Untouched Wilderness and the Goddess of the Grove, but at the time they were just two sisters charged with the care of nature.

Now in those early days, the land was barren, there were no trees, no plants, no animals. There was no life to be found. The world was a large rock. With care and patience, the two sisters began to draw out life from that barren rock. Slowly, after countless cycles, moss and grass started to spring through the cracks. This grass would make way for shrubs and flowers, and eventually trees.

After an age, the sisters had finished their work. The land was vibrant, nescient creatures began to roam and live in harmony with nature, each contributing to the other.

Then entered the age of sapient creatures. In those early times, they too lived in harmony with nature, taking what they needed and in turn helping the natural process, the same as any other lifeform. One of the sisters saw great promise for these new intelligent creatures; recognizing their potential to alter the environment in beneficial ways that would be impossible for nescient life. The other made no such distinction.

However, this promise was betrayed. As this new intelligent animal grew in knowledge and ability, they began to take more and more from nature. The nature that the two sisters had so diligently created. Forests were cleared, rivers were blocked, and the land itself was reshaped. And there was no indication that they would ever be satisfied.

At the more sympathetic sister’s behest, they attempted to parley with the people of the age. But they would not alter their course, and their technology continued to grow along with their extraction from nature.

Eventually, their behavior could be tolerated no longer, along with other aggrieved gods: God of the Waves, God of Beast, and our own beloved God of Clear Skies, they waged war against the arrogant creatures.

The usurpers fought well, employing many ingenious methods for fighting back. However, they could not oppose the might of the gods. They eventually succumbed and were seen no more.

"Excuse me, Lilac Governess."

"Ah... What is it Indigo?" Lilac Governess was perturbed after her train of thought was suddenly cut off.

"What happened to them?"

"What happened to who?"

"The people that were defeated by the two sisters."

"They were seen no more, weren’t you listening?" She was annoyed. She didn't care much for being interrupted while in the middle of telling a story, even if it was the God of Clear Skies' Chosen.

"Does that mean they are still around somewhere?"

"No, they are not around anymore."

"So they are dead?"

"Well... that is certainly the implication, but I was trying to be discreet." She shot Indigo with a chiding look. He shrunk back.

"Now where was I. Oh yes."

In the following epoch, the two sisters focused their efforts on restoring the natural environment, and aside from the disposition of the gods, the world was returned to its former pristine.

Of course, It was inevitable the sapient life would rise again, and the less favorable of the two sisters was proactive in eliminating them wherever they emerged. For centuries the intelligent creatures were hunted relentlessly, existing only in small isolated pockets, struggling to survive.

After enduring much suffering, the goddess that would become known as the Goddess of the Grove took pity on the oppressed creatures and offered them sanctuary. In exchange, she asked that they tend to her gardens. They readily accepted.

Naturally, the goddess who would become known as the Goddess of Untouched Wilderness was furious at her sister. The two became estranged and so did their domains.

In the domain of the Goddess of the Grove, nature became orderly, with forest and fields being tended to and allowed to achieve an aesthetic and function that would be unattainable if left to their own devices. While in the domain of the Goddess of Untouched Wilderness, nature ran wild, with thick disordered forests and fields of thickets.

Time marched on, and one day a great fire flared up. Where it came from was unknown, but what was certain was that it threatened all of what the two sisters had created. However, in the Goddess of the Grove's domain, with its well-tended gardens, and intelligent countermeasures, the march of the Great Blaze was thwarted. The domain of the Goddess of Untouched Wilderness had no such defenses.

The Great Blaze swept across her domain unopposed and showed no sign of stopping. Her sister offered her the aid of the creature she had given sanctuary and that the other had long since hunted. Needless to say, she declined. And so the blaze rolled on.

The Goddess of Untouched Wilderness is a stubborn goddess. But as the Great Blaze was on the cusp of completely destroying all she had built, in despair, she acquiesced to her sister’s pleas to lend her aid.

She might have been enraged as they cut a huge swath across the land, clearing it of all foliage, if she wasn't already in the depths of despair. But to her great surprise, the fire was halted; it could not span the chasm they had created. And so the Great Blaze was brought to an end.

The Goddess of Untouched Wilderness domain was all but destroyed, but enough remained that she could, with another age, restore what was lost. To this day she still doesn't show favor to any of the sapient species, but she will grant them a degree of tolerance so long as they don't tamper with her realm.

And so we respect the covenant made ages ago with the Goddess of the Grove and respect her wishes.

"And that means not harming things in and around the sacred lake!" Lilac Governess reaffirmed, now with this rather lengthy justification. Perhaps I was mistaken, but I was sure there was a smug look of self-satisfaction on her face under her Blue fox mask.

But that was short-lived as it was replaced by a wave of panic, "Where are Winter and Snow-drift?" It would seem that while Lilac Governess was enraptured by her telling of the story, she hadn't noticed the two slip away. It wasn't the first time, in fact, these two had a habit of wandering off. Not surprising, considering they were only three years old and were of the curious variety. If caught early this wasn't a problem, but if you gave them enough of a head start they could be notoriously difficult to find. In this case, who knows when they wandered off.

"River, you know the drill." Lilac Governess enlisted the aid of her trusty sidekick—at least in these matters; River had a knack for tracking people down, and this included wayward children.

"I'm on it Lilac Governess!" There was an excitement in her tone. While I'm sure Lilac Governess was stressed by these situations, River found them most enjoyable. The two rushed off, and if past experience was any indicator, they would probably be occupied for around 10 minutes. I guess she was counting on the older, more responsible children to keep others from wandering off as well, otherwise, it would be a lot like trying to fill a leaky bucket.

It was during these musings that I suddenly found my feet leaving the ground, being strung up by my tail. I was not familiar with this sensation, and it took a moment for my mind to process this new experience. Blood rushing to my head, I stared out at the inverted world, confused. It was such an unexpected and sudden shift that it took far longer than was respectable for me to realize what was happening. "Hey look Gale, I got him!" It was Dry-wood.

"Haha, he looks funny upside down," Gale said, offering the kind of erudite commentary I have come to expect.

"Would you mind putting me down?" I said as I hung there like a dead rat.

"Put yourself down." I did actually try, but his fox magic was much stronger than mine. I might be more knowledgeable, but I was still only one year of age. "Lilac Governess thinks you are special (Damn you Lilac Governess), so if you don't put yourself down, that means you must want to be hung up by your tail." That was first-class bully logic there. I tried to reach him with fox magic, but he was just out of range, and even if he was closer, I wouldn't have been able to get a good grip on him. The two continued to watch laughing with the regality of a couple of hyenas, with bystanders being just that, bystanders. In their defense, Dry-wood and Gale could be a bit vindictive, so generally, it was better not to get involved.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

As I hung there powerless, an idea came to mind. A smirk crossed my face as I gathered a wad of dirt and pelted it right at Dry-Wood. Striking true, it landed squarely in his cackling mouth, causing him to drop me as he tried to spit out the mouth full of mud. I'm sure he would have been dismayed, if he wasn't otherwise distracted, to find that Gale was now laughing at him; no honor among bullies as it turns out.

I tried to scamper away, but Dry-wood regained his composure faster than I would have thought and reasserted his dominance by grabbing onto my tail tighter and lifting me higher than before. Needless to say, he was quite salty as he bared his teeth in anger. It Looked like he was going to throw a bunch of dirt in my face, being incapable of original thought, but he surprised me. "Gale, let's play a game. You try to hit Indigo with a dirt ball, and I will try to avoid it." Turned out, he was more creative than I gave him credit for.

Judging by how Gale's face lit up, he was fully on board. Gale couldn't use fox magic yet, so he had to gather dirt the old-fashioned way, not that he seemed to mind. He gathered some up and launched it at me; the pitch went wide. Good thing Gale can't throw I thought, just as the wad of dirt hit me in the face. Confused, I looked at Dry-Wood to see him wearing a big smile. I see.

After letting or more like ensuring that the first pitch hit, he made an insincere effort to avoid additional throws, usually pulling me out of the way at the last second. This was actually worse, as it caused great pain in my tail. I wished I was a lizard at that moment and could eject my tail. Even still, it felt like it might fall off anyway. Things only got worse once Dusty caught wind of what was going on and took up a front-row seat. Finding they now had an audience, he decided to put on a show, spinning me around among other things. Luckily, he couldn't keep that up; it had to be taxing.

Their hijinks came to an abrupt halt as a thought rang out. "Stop that at once!" I knew that self-righteous tone.

"Lilac Governess isn't here, Dawn," replied Dry-Wood, implying that it was anarchy rules while Lilac Governess was away, with the further implication that Dawn could go pound sand.

"I said put him down!" She said with an assertiveness that was not typical for her, and she stood with her legs apart and hands on her hips. She often berated people about following the rules, but she never took to enforcing them. I wasn't the only one who noticed her change in demeanor.

"But it's fun!" Dry-Wood argued. Gale nodded in agreement. "Just look at Dusty." Dusty was jumping up and down with glee. I don't think I had ever seen him that pumped.

After blowing off Dawn, Dry-Wood and Company returned to their new favorite pastime. This turned out to be a mistake, however. I only caught a glimpse, but it was enough to know that Dawn had grabbed Dry-Wood by the shoulder and decked him square in the face.

I felt myself hit the ground. As blood rushed from my head, I started to reorient myself. Dry-Wood was getting off the ground; Dawn's wild haymaker had floored him, and he was pissed; he didn't try to hide it. She was shaken by the fury he was emitting, as he advanced to counterattack. But I wasn't about to let harm come to my friend and savior.

Scrambling to close the gap between us, using fox magic, I nut-check him with a sudden blow to the groin. As a wise man once said, it's nuts or nothing! Needless to say, he collapsed to the ground clutching his nether region. Taking the moment, I checked to see what Gale was planning. Nothing, as it turned out. He was just as stunned as the rest of the children onlookers.

Once the critical moment had passed for Dry-Wood, he looked back at me with murder in his eyes. I couldn't say he would actually kill me given the chance, but I couldn't say he wouldn't either. He struggled to get to his feet with no uncertain intent. I wasn't certain what my plan was; Dry-Wood had the range advantage on me. Fortunately, I wasn't alone, before he could fully get to his feet, Dawn kicked him in the head like a championship-deciding field goal attempt.

Dry-Wood really was hard-headed because he was still able to drag himself back to his feet, but he was a mess. Between the two strikes, he had a bloody nose, fat lip, and at least one black eye. "Gale, what are you doing?! Help me!" And with that Gale was pulled out of his stupor and came running in. There was no threat of fox magic from Gale, so a well-placed nut shot should stop him, but he was going for Dawn. He was about ready to do something; I couldn't tell what, when the entire fiasco was brought to a sudden halt.

"What in the Deity's name is going on here!" Lilac Governess had returned. She looked over the involved parties. I was covered in dirt; Dry-Wood looked like he had fallen down a flight of stairs and landed on his face on each step; Dawn was just a bit disheveled, and Gale... Well, Gale looked like he usually did, but when Dry-Wood was involved, Gale was involved. After a moment, she appeared to get the most general idea of what had happened. "Dawn, I'm surprised by you! I thought you knew better!" The light left Dawn's eyes.

"Yeah, she attacked me!" Dry-Wood tried to capitalize on the moment. "Isn't that right Dusty?" Why he would turn to Dusty for support I will never know. Maybe because he was an eager spectator and therefore an accomplice?

"Yeah, and it was also funny how you swung Indigo around by his tail." If he did think of Dusty as an accomplice, he had poor judgment.

"Wait, what??" Lilac Governess took a moment to calm herself before continuing. "Okay, what happened?" She turned to Dawn. Despite being caught up in this she had still built up a good amount of capital with her.

"It's like Dusty said, Lilac Governess. Dry-Wood swung Indigo around by his tail as Gale threw Dirt at him." She sounded sulky, apparently, she was still recovering from Lilac Governess's initial disappointment.

"And how did Dry-Wood end up like that?"

"I told him to stop, but he wouldn't listen..." She looked away, clearly, she didn't want to incur more of Lilac Governesses' disapproval.

"You punched me in the face, and kicked me in the head!" Dry-Wood was salty as he spit venom.

"Is that true Dawn?" Dawn hesitated and then reluctantly nodded her head. "I am very disappointed in you Dawn. I thought you knew better than that."

She was being very harsh on her, considering that Dawn was always the most well-behaved and followed all the rules. I could see that Dawn was trying very hard not to cry, but tears were still leaking out. Well, I couldn't stand for this. I had to step in, as she had done for me.

"I think you are being completely unfair, Lilac Governess." I walked up to her as a lawyer might approach the jury box. She turned her attention to me. "I felt like my tail was about to snap off as they made sport of me." I could feel her surge of concern as I mentioned this. "Honesty, it still hurts to move my tail. I don't know what would have happened if Dawn hadn't come to my rescue." Dawn looked up when I mentioned her, she was still crying but seemed to find some comfort in my communications.

"What Dry-Wood did was wrong, and I understand you are trying to look out for your friend, but what she did was also wrong."

"Was it? What should she have done." I could see Lilac Governess turning the question over in her mind. The fact that she didn't have an immediate answer said all that needed to be said, but I continued. "She told him to stop, he told her to go pound sand. She opted to pound him instead."

"You can't go around hitting others."

"How else could you get them to stop? Wait for you to return? That would work, and you would give out your standard inconsequential reprimand, and they would be back at it the next opportunity they got.” Lilac Governess was taken aback at this sudden unexpected attack on her disciplining methods.

"You are supposed to be the law here, Lilac Governess, but you don't give any incentives to dissuade such behavior, so the behavior continues. When the law won't act, what choice do we have but to take it into our own hands. The fact of the matter is, this whole situation is the result of your own soft-handed approach." She almost fell over at this direct accusation. And she wasn't the only one that was surprised, everyone looked incredulous as they turned their heads to me. While rules were broken here on the regular without a care, I doubt that anyone had actually attacked Lilac Governess before, even if just in the intellectual sphere.

"Indigo... You..." She struggled to find the thought.

"I'm not trying to attack you or anything Lilac Governess. I just don't want you to come down on Dawn like that, because, unlike Dry-wood and Gale, she will be truly hurt by it, and I'm sure it took a lot of courage for her to step in like that." I looked over at Dawn and sent her my deepest affection and gratitude for what she had done.

Lilac Governess, sunk her face into her hand. "I-I need to think about this," she said eventually. "But you three are going to see the medics!"

As the trial disassembled, River came running up with a broad grin. "You really did a number on Dry-Wood. I never knew you had it in you!"

"Yeah, but Miss Lilac Governess was very disappointed in me..." She looked dismayed, but the tears had dried up.

"I don't know about that, Indigo gave her quite the tongue lashing." She looked equally pleased with me.

"It doesn't matter what Lilac Governess thinks. She is not infallible, and you did the right thing," I said. She looked at me, tears beginning to form again, but a small smile forming on her face.

She rushed over and pulled me into a hug. I wasn't expecting that. "I'm sorry Indigo." Sorry? Sorry for what? She must have felt my confusion, or perhaps she had intended to elaborate from the beginning. "I've been avoiding you even though we are friends."

"It's fine..."

"No! It's not!" She sobbed a moment, before continuing. "I'm not very good with fox magic, and when I saw that you could use it, I felt a bit upset. But I thought, well that's okay, he's just an early bloomer. But then I saw you learn how to use wind magic and then I felt like I was worthless. I can barely move things without losing control of them. Yet here you were doing something I never had any chance of accomplishing and you are only one cycle. Whenever I was around you, it reminded me of just how inferior I am..." I can't recall her ever using fox magic, perhaps she felt too insecure to use it.

"Just because you are not good with fox magic, does not mean you are inferior." I looked over at River, who looked a little uncomfortable with the sudden emotional outburst.

"He is right," River added. "And besides, Indigo is clearly better than anyone in the group when it comes to fox magic. You can't compare yourself to him, he is a genius."

Dawn pulled away. Her tears were mostly dried up and a fragile smile had taken up the space. "Yes, he is a genius." Turning her attention to me. "And you stood up for me against Lilac Governess. Even though I have been giving you the cold shoulder."

"But you still came through when it mattered, I really am grateful. And Lilac Governess was in the wrong, somebody needed to say it. By the way, how are your hand and foot?"

Startled by the sudden change of topic, "They kind of hurt a little. I've never punched someone before." She winced as she opened and closed her hand. "What about your tail?"

I wiggled it. "It hurts but I think it will be okay after a while, I guess the medics will make sure of that."

River snuck up from behind and threw her arms around our shoulders. "Okay! Looks like the gang's back together!" That it was.

There is a bench outside the medics office (if you want to call it that, which I do). The three of us, Dawn, Dry-wood, and I sat on that bench, a disheveled assortment. If someone from my world were to have seen this trio, I imagine it would have very much looked like three school children waiting outside the principal's office after getting into a scuffle, with Dry-Wood looking to be on the losing end of it. He didn't cause any further problems. After Lilac Governess had been talked down from her reprimand, it seemed like he had gotten a taste of his mortality; it appeared like Lilac Governess's catch-and-release policy was in jeopardy. Or maybe he had for the first time suffered an actual consequence for his actions. In any event, I got the impression that he had gained a bit of maturity that wasn't present at the beginning of the day. That's not to say he wasn't upset with us; I would need to keep an eye on him going forward.

But for now, the three of us sat in front of the medics office.

"So, How did it go?" River was curious about our medical visit.

"He said that it was just badly bruised and to soak it in cold water. It should be better in no time." Dawn had probably suffered the least amount of damage, which made sense considering she had not actually been attacked.

"My tail is sprained, so it will probably hurt to wiggle my tail for a while." I wasn't too concerned considering it didn't serve much more than a cosmetic purpose as far as I could tell.

"That Dry-Wood..." River clenched her fist.

"I wouldn't be too upset with him, considering he got it the worst."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, They had to reset his nose." A grin spread across my face. "He made quite the yip when they put it back in place"

"Really? Wish I could have seen that, haha." I'm sure she did. She let out a yawn. "It will be bedtime soon. Do you want to sleep with me?" She suddenly turned her head to Dawn, who stood right beside me. "Or maybe you want to stay with Dawn tonight."

I looked at Dawn, she looked sheepish like she was afraid to ask. "If my big sister who came to my rescue would let me." She smiled, looking relieved. I'll admit I was laying it on a bit thick, but hey, I was only one year old.