As it turned out, I could walk. And the sheer, wonderful, fantastical, sensation of it was enough to blow what fear I had been starting to feel right out of my mind for a time. To anyone else the simple mechanic of putting one foot in front of the other and being able to propel ones self a foot or so forward would be nothing. But to me this was a wonder and a wish I had long since abandoned as impossible.

Over ten years I had been trapped in my own body and that body trapped to a hospital bed. When I first got ill, around my twentieth birthday, I could still move and had some freedom. The pain was bad but with the aid of medicine and, some times a wheelchair, I got by fine. but then by the time my twenty second birthday came around I couldn't get out of the chair, and moving myself around was a major chore. Less then a year later I had to be confined to a bed, hooked to machines just to keep me alive. And then, less than a year after that I had lost all feeling and mobility below my neck.

But now I was walking again! I didn't even care that I was bare foot and stepping on sharp little twigs and stones. I welcomed the tiny little spikes of pain in my feet.

Ozzie led me at a fairly slow pace through the forest. His strides were a great deal smaller than my own after all. But it was a lovely walk under shady trees while birds sang in the branches and I could start to hear a stream burbling near by.

"This place is beautiful." I said quietly, a smile on my lips.

Seeing my obvious delight, Ozzie smiled too. "Yes. For a long time my people have cared for the forest around here. Afterall, without its bounty we would die."

"You said that you are hunters?"

"Yes, that's right. Foxkin are excellent hunters and we are good a being silent. The deer here are plentiful and healthy. but they are also why we are in a bit of a bind at the moment."

"What do you mean?" I asked. Ozzie had looked proud a second ago but now his face had grown melancholy. I was impressed with myself for being able to read emotion on such an animal like face to be honest.

Ozzie squinted his eyes and his muzzle wrinkled. "Well, since Aeros stopped being as involved in the lives of his people I am afraid that the land has begun to decline. At least that's how the elders of the village explain it. Here, in our little part of the forest, we are not too bad off but in other places... well, the other races are getting a little desperate for resources and since there are deer..."

"The others come here to take them?" I asked, and Ozzie nodded his head, eyes scanning for danger as he lead me on through the trees. "So there are many other races then? other than foxkin and humans I mean."

Ozzie stopped scanning to look at me oddly once again. "Of course. Are you sure you didn't get hit on the head or something Miss Enna?"

I chuckled. If this wasn't a dream, which I was sure of at first but now not so much, than it was an oddly detailed and convoluted on. I was pretty sure my own imagination was not that great. I could see why the foxkin was so concerned for my mental well being. I would be worried if a crazy lady asked me if there were other species of animals other than cats and dogs.

"I may have. Last I remember is was in the hospital, unable to walk or even breath on my own. So if this isn't a dream then it must be- well, I don't know." I sighed, seeing that the boy didn't know what to make of my rambling.

The truth was that if this wasn't a dream then that would mean that I was either abducted by weird fox aliens and dropped off on their planet, fully healed or I was dead and this was some really messed up kind of afterlife. I never did believe that there was anything after death but if I had, I probably would not have suspected this at all. weren't there supposed to be, like, pearly gates and fluffy clouds or something?

"Well," Said Ozzie, still looking concerned but clearly deciding to put the issue on the back burner for now. "There are many races in these lands, but no humans. Aeros was very much not a fan of them and none have been permitted to set foot on his lands."

"No doubt making my presence here pretty confusing for you as it is for me."

"Yes. Our current troubles are with the goblins though. The elders do not share much with the younger foxkin, but I do know that they have come down from their mountain and have been making raids on the forest near us. Its getting pretty heated."

"I'm sorry, that must be hard for you and your people."

I had only a vague idea of what a goblin would be from old children's stories and the like, but I didn't remember any that painted them as a particularly kind bunch. I was imagining green, nobly little men with bald heads and warts.

"Ozzie!" Snapped a voice from up ahead, making me jump, and Ozzie jump. "Where the heck have you been?"

I watched as a second foxkin walked into view. I assumed this one was female but only because it was wearing a thick canvas like dress with wat appeared to be a greenish apron around her waist. She was half a foot taller than Ozzie but had the same reddish fur and green/blue eyes.

"Shoot, its my mother..." Ozzie mumbled to me before raising his voice to address the woman. "Ah, sorry Mom. I just thought it wouldn't hurt to go pray to Aeros-"

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Tch!" Snapped the foxkin woman with a narrow eyed look at her son. I was impressed the lady could make that noise with a muzzle. "Aeros? And what care would he have for us? Even if he still lived here."

Ozzie clenched his fists but refrained from back talking his mother. I guessed that, even for fox people, some things stayed the same. Mom's were scarry people.

"And who is this then? A human?" She asked, now setting those shrewd eyes on me. She whipped her paws in her apron while assessing her carefully.

"Er, this is Enna. She suddenly appeared behind me while I was at the shrine." Explained Ozzie hurriedly. "She seems confused and I thought the Elder may be able to help-"

"You want to take a human before your grandfather? At a time like this?" She eyed me again while Ozzie squirmed. Finally, she sighed. "Very well. She is here now and certainty looks a little lost and confused. And if you were some wicked human adventurer I am sure you would have better places to raid than our poor village."

"Uh..." I said , not really sure how to respond to that. Also, Ozzie never mentioned that his grandfather was the elder of this village of his.

"Come con then. No need to be standing about here. Not unless we were all hoping to get surrounded by goblin raiders that is. My name is Brixie by the way."

"Oh! Um, Enna, nice to meet you. Sorry for all of this,"

Brixie shook her head and waved Ozzie and I ahead. I could just make out what appeared to be a rather short wall made of wooden posts sharpened to points. The tips were a little above my head and looked rather freshly carved.

"A new addition." Said Brixie, seeing where I was looking. "My father had them erected a couple of weeks ago when the goblin raids began."

"I'm sorry to bring more trouble to your village."

"Not sure what trouble a little human woman could possibly bring to be honest," Chuckled the fox lady, her stern face softening a little as we approached what appeared to be the gate of the fence. Because it was more of a fence than any true kind of defensible wall, even if it was nearly twice as high as Brixie. "You look about as freaked out as any one of us do during these times. I don't know what we can do for you Miss Enna, but I am sure that my father will at least have you fed and rested before setting you on your way back to your people."

Ozzie knocked a couple of times on the gate and called out. I heard another voice answer before the door began to swing open. Beyond it was the foxkin village. I saw about twenty wooden huts scattered about along a handful of dirt paths. They were rounded with tiled roofs that were open at the top like up ended funnels, most having smoke rising out of the top. Compared to the size of the foxkin, each one was pretty large and I assumed that whole families likely lived in them.

Ozzie took up his place at my side while Brixie lead the way into the village, the two foxkin at the gate eyeing me suspiciously but not questioning my presence at all. As they walked to what looked to be the largest of the rounded houses set atop a slight rise in the land they were watched by the locals. From what I could make out Brixie was about average for a foxkin female in terms of height while the full grown men looked to be about a foot taller than Ozzie, some had little beards on their foxy chins and all followed me and our group till there was a small army of about fifty fox people trailing behind them.

"What's this?" Called a deep but raspy voice from up ahead. A male foxkin dressed in leather gear holding a spear was holding open the flap of the large wood house and an older foxkin shuffled out. "Brixie?"

He was slightly stooped but her also appeared to be well muscled compared to most of the foxkin I had seen so far, his eyes were a stormy grey and he had a jagged parting of the fur on his muzzle making me think he likely had a scar there. He moved forward so that he stood on the slight hillock above them while two leather bound foxkin stood behind him like guards or aids.

"Elder." Brixie said with a slight bow that Ozzie mirrored. "I have found Ozzie. Apparently he thought it a good idea to plea to Aeros on our behalf."

The older foxkin sighed and eyed his grandson critically. "I fear that our god has very little in the way of sympathy for our plight young man. He has always favored the goblins over us after all."

"Not to mention he has forsaken the whole forest anyway." Grumbled another male in the crowed behind their little party. The elder quelled the man with a glare before setting his eyes back on his grandson.

"It is not wise to go out on your own these days young Ozzie. No matter how near the shrine is. What would have happened had the goblins attacked and you had no one to back you up?"

Ozzie did not comment be he did look mollified by his grandfather's words, his head bowed and eyes adverted.

The elder sighed. "And who is this?" He asked, now switching his attention to me, who had been feeling increasingly awkward.

"She says her name is Enna, father. Ozzie found her at the shrine of Aeros." Explained Brixie calmly. there was a flurry of whispers from the other foxkin as they all looked on me with curiosity and more than a little uneasiness.

"The shrine?" Breathed the elder, clearly more intrigued now.

"I was asking that Aeros send us aid against the goblins," Piped in Ozzie now, clearly relived that- at least for now- he was not being yelled at. "I stood up to return to the village and she was just there! She seems very confused Elder... had no clue what a foxkin was and-"

"Enough Ozzie." Sighed the elder, though he did look mildly amused. "Come inside and we can speak over a cup of tea."

Ozzie's mouth snapped shut and a few foxkin chuckled at his expense. If a boy covered in fur could blush that that was what poor Ozzie was doing now. Still, at the elder's words the others began to disperse while Brixie gave me a little poke with a clawed finger to get me moving up the path to the elder's home. He entered first while his guards held the flaps open for everyone.

I was the last to enter and I had to duck to get through the door without bumping my head. the inside was large with a central fire pit and several pillows surrounding it on animal skin rugs. As I settled on the pillow I was lead to, I saw that there was a little art work in the way of beaded pictures and carved bone around the walls and other flaps indicated where the rounded interior was separated into different rooms.

Brixie made herself buy with a clay tea pot and some small clay cups. I could smell the brew and it was pleasant enough. And, despite the fact that I was about to ingest something not fed into her stomach by a tube for the first time in ten years, my belly did not rumble. In fact, I realized that I was not hungry or thirsty at all, despite the hike and having not had any exorcize in a decade. was that weird? It felt like it was weird.

Still, I accepted her cup with a soft "Thank you" all the same. Brixie than presented the elder with a cup before bring one to Ozie and settling to a pillow next to her son with her own cup of tea.

"Now," Said the elder before blowing a few breaths over his tea. I was amused at this given I did not think foxes had the lip structure to blow. Apparently foxkin did however. "Tell us your story Miss Enna. How is it that you, a human, has made her way to the center of a land that your kind has been forbidden from entering into in nearly two thousand years since Aeros became the god of this land?"