A Tail’s Misfortune

Completely unlike his dreams or imagination, Jarlath’s clouded mind only knew peace upon opening his eyes to his beautiful, smiling wife and daughter. Every confused thought and the fear of the Hell amphitheater he’d been in melted as Sora called out to him and jumped forward to wrap her arms around his chest.

“My a chuisle…” he whispered, fingers sliding over his daughter’s hot fox ear and folding it down as he gently moved through her copper locks. “If this is a dream…I’d love nothing more than to stay… God knows…I want this heaven…but if it isn’t real, I need to go… I have a daughter that needs me.”

Sora’s grip strengthened, her eyes and nose matching the color of her hair, taking Jarlath back to when he’d held her on that stormy beach not that long ago, the world collapsing around his precious angel.

“It’s not, Dad! It’s real; Mom’s here. It’s real, Dad… We’re a family.”

Throat constricting, a weight pressed against his lungs, igniting a fire in them that traveled to his throat and nose. His arms suddenly lead, he drew her in as his elegant wife rose to her feet. She clearly fought back emotion that battled its way into her voice as she moved forward to place a warm hand atop his.

“I’m here, Jarlath… I’m here to stay.”

Unable to close his eyes out of fear it would disappear, he let the inferno inside his chest ease out while accepting her fingers; a spike penetrated his heart when he felt the Burma Ruby jewel on her ring finger. And, for the first time since the red fox left him a single father, a crack in the dam behind his eyes formed, and tears slid down his cheeks.

“Is that so,” he asked with a pained laugh, not knowing if he should feel angry or happy. “I, ahem… I see you still can’t hide your nerves with those tails, Mia… The fluffier they are, the more nervous or excited you are inside. Wow… Is that really my first words to you after all those prayers I sent… You’re even more gorgeous than I remember.”

“Dad! Are you okay? I don’t sense anything wrong…”

“No. No,” he repeated, rubbing her back and letting her cling to his chest. Jarlath didn’t miss the guilt, pain, and apprehensive hope in his wife’s pulled-back ears; she was terrified, and he could feel her bleeding heart. “I feel fine.”

“Good,” Sora wept, crying into the medical gown he wore. “I was so scared… Everything’s fine now! We’re all fine! Wendy, Kari, Eyia—Noelia is back! I have so much to tell you!”

“Shh-shh,” he urged, trying to comfort her as Sora’s emotions ran wild. “Let’s just enjoy this moment for a moment… Let me savor the two most important women in my life a bit longer.”

He took a deep breath, releasing the tension and letting things sink in while glancing around at everyone in his bedroom. His gaze lingered on the beautiful, poofy-tailed animal woman trying to sink into her chair, connecting the new face with his daughter’s words; Noelia was a monster, as well, it seemed.

With that information, the gripping burden of the hell he’d just experienced sent a rush of memories through his soul.

The image of Jenny ripping open his daughter’s stomach. The sight of Wendy jumping at him and the guilt that jabbed at his lungs when he’d been unable to take the shot against the girl he’d practically raised, even if he had had the chance; he’d made that choice, which could have left Sora without her father and left Wendy with that scar to her heart. Bleeding out while Sela tried unsuccessfully to heal him, with all those thoughts that had flashed through his brain.

It didn’t take long for them to sink into the past, and he held Sora closer. “…Tender mercies,” he whispered, squeezing Mia’s hand and finding the strength to push himself up to the headboard. “Tell me what happened…and then, I’d like to go walk with your mom… We need to talk.”

Sora’s eyes flew open with fright as she pulled away, hands knotting against her chest while glancing between them. “No, Dad—Mom had her reasons; if she stayed, I would have died!”

A short laugh shook his chest as he comfortingly rubbed her knee. “I’m sure she does, a chuisle. I’m sure she does… I just need to…” He breathed out a calming stream of air and gave her a reassuring smile. “We just have a few things to talk about.”

Mia rubbed their daughter’s back, mirroring her husband’s tone. “There’s no need to worry, My Little Ember. I have been gone for sixteen years… Of course, your father would like to speak to me in private. Do you want to bring him up to speed on everything that happened?”

She put on a calm face, but he could see two of her tails twist back, giving away her fright and guilt; Mia was hardly holding it together.

Sora’s drawn-back ears and apprehensive green eyes darted between them, not sold on the thought that her mom was about to get tail-twisted. “Okay… Umm. Where should I start? Oh! Wendy is adopted into the family—legally and everything—and, uh, it’s only been like five or six days since…yeah.”

Adjusting his posture, his emerald eyes drifted to Wendy, who looked like she wanted to sink into her chair and die; the girl was the type to never ask for something, didn’t want to burden anyone, and would always be happy with the smallest thoughtful gift she received. In many ways, Wendy was the exact opposite to his daughter growing up; the brunette was reserved and conservative, while Sora was always pulling her along to the next adventure.

“That’s exciting. Naturally, I have questions, but I don’t see how much will change… Wendy was always my second daughter. Come on,” he motioned toward the sniffling, red-nosed brunette. “I’m happy to see you’re safe. You’re cured?”

“Mhm.” Wendy cleared her throat while moving around Mia to hug him. “I’m, umm…I’m sorry I h-hurt you…”

“It wasn’t you, Wendy. You always had a kinder heart than Sora.”

“Hey! Why am I catching strays?”

Wendy chuckled through her tears as he brought her into a firm embrace.

“You have a room?”

“Yeah. I, uh, it’s a bit of a story…”

Pulling back and nudging his head toward Sora, he settled in. “Good. Let’s hear it. Don’t think I don’t see you, Aiden and Eyia.”

The responsible blond gave him a two-fingered greeting. “Glad to see you’re on your feet, Mr. Moore. It’s been a wild few days.”

“My sister has beaten many foes in your Odin Sleep, Jarlath of the Fire Bullets! Her recent battle was amidst the Avalon High Court, where she returned victorious!”

“Avalon, huh? Wow. I can’t wait to hear that story. And…Noelia?”

“Hmm?!” The young woman’s nervous fidgets made him smile as she refused to make eye contact with her stunning blue eyes; he could see the characteristics and mannerisms of the old Cuban caretaker he’d hired. “I didn’t want to, uh, to deceive you, Jarlath—eh, I probably should start back at Mr. Moore. Umm. I’m…kind of a, ahem, tanuki…an enemy to your wife—well…”

“Noelia…” Mia sighed, using her tails to pull the quaking brown-and-gray-haired tanuki forward. She kept her hands knotted at her striped salt and pepper dress front, unable to look at him. “I will explain things to him when we have our talk. For now, Jarlath, it is enough to say that I trust Noelia’s intentions to be pure, and that she is a 3rd Generation Founder, albeit vastly younger than I. Hehe. You could say I am quite the cougar instead of a fox, no?”

“M-Mistress! You can’t call yourself that!” Noelia cutely protested. “You look far better than my older siblings—not a day over a million!”

“Aww. How sweet. Isn’t she sweet, Jarlath? She has been looking for a family for millennia after being exiled and forsaken by her father.”

He noticed the tanuki doing her best not to hug or hide behind her bushy tail. They really were turning into the tail family at this rate, and he could see his daughter’s influence was strong if Mia was allowing this. Things had changed.

“It would be a lie to say it isn’t a bit of a whiplash, discovering this beautiful lady has been living in my house for so long.”

“T-Thank you, Master Jarlath!” Noelia’s face turned bright pink, and Jarlath could practically see steam blowing out of her big ears, although not as big as Sora or Mia’s. “Well, no, that wasn’t a compliment—what was this pretty lady doing creeping in on my life, haha…”

“Stop it!” Mia scolded, making the tanuki’s ears fold down when his wife’s tail bonked her on the head. “Take the compliment, dear, and you know that Jarlath isn’t the type to enjoy being called master.”

“Of course! Sorry, Mistress. I’m just—oops, I almost slipped in maintaining the magic… I’ll return to my corner.”

Eyia’s hum drew their gaze as the blonde studied them. “Is it customary to do ‘the jump,’ as Jin calls it, on the newly initiated members of the den? Are we all supposed to ‘jump’ onto the new member to verbally assault them in a battle of wits?”

Sora doubled over laughing. “Where do you get these ideas, Eyia? You’re great.”

“If you were only faking your looks, Noelia, then I know you can get flustered when it comes to the little things.”

The tanuki’s eyes narrowed while darting to the corner. “Little things?”

“That being said, you’re extremely firm when it comes to my daughters, and I’d sooner trust you with them than anyone else I know… I’m sure I’ll hear your story soon enough, and I look forward to getting to know the real you.”

The woman’s bottom lip began to quiver before she tucked it under and strained a smile, fighting back tears and unable to say anything.

“Welcome back, Noelia…and I’m sorry I didn’t trust you,” he said, having to fight off the guilt from returning. “You were right… How could I say anything more? You were right.”

Resting his head against the wooden headboard, he centered on his copper-haired daughter. “Alright, sweetie. Give me the good and the bad… Where are we at?”

He sat in silence, feeling the heat in his chest rise when Mia moved to join him under the sheets, leaning against him and playing with his hand. She remained quiet while Sora broke into her animated tale, pointing to the others around the room when they came into the story.

As she went on, discussing her own personal issues, such as her pushy nature, and how crazy things had gotten with a shadowy cabal who ran the world, Jarlath couldn’t help the feelings from welling up within his breast. Sora’s tail beat against the bed, and she pulled Wendy and Eyia into it from time to time.

His daughter’s creased left eye glared at him when she finished the tale. “Umm, yeah, so that’s what happened, Dad… Why do you have that look on your face? Your emotions are all over the place…or maybe that’s mine, and I can’t tell because I’m screaming inside,” she laughed.

Resting his head against Mia’s, he slowly shook it with a short chuckle. “This look? It’s the look of a proud father… You’re growing into such a strong and caring young woman. I’m proud, Sora… So proud.”

Her playful pout was shattered at the word, holding back sniffles while crawling forward to hug them. “I’m trying, Dad… I’m trying.”

“I see that… I’m glad you were able to work things out with Kari. Hah! I’m wiping away tears just hearing about…how hard her life was. I’m happy to see Eyia joining the…den, you called it? Haha. I love it. And, naturally, Wendy has been a part of the family since the day you brought the brown haired little girl home, like a stray cat, getting bullied by the other kids at preschool.”

Sora’s ears flew up, glancing at her brunette sister, who gave her the same stunned look.

“Wendy was bullied in preschool?”

“I was?”

“Oh, very much so,” Jarlath mumbled. “You had found your mother’s razor after she’d drunk herself silly one night, or so I assumed from your mother’s much more…favorable story on her side. You came back to school on the second day fully shaved.”

Wendy’s brow furrowed as she hugged herself and looked at the soft carpet. “The wig I’ve had since before I can remember… My mom told me that she got it for me.”

Sora rolled her eyes. “Of course she did!”

“In any case,” he continued, “Sora pleaded with me to help, and I couldn’t deny those piercing green eyes or your adorable brown tears, so I got permission from your mom, and I took you out to get a child’s wig.”

Noelia’s gentle voice came from the corner. “It was the cutest thing. You should have seen the two of you playing dress-up. I think that started Sora’s shopping craze. She saw how happy it made you, Wendy, and wanted to make you smile.”

Wendy’s face softened while looking at her new sister. “Sora…really is a shopping freak.”

“Oh, wow! Thanks, Big Sis,” Sora laughed, sticking out her tongue. “Sue me for wanting to have a fun time with my bestie.”

Figuring it was about time to get into a more serious conversation, he squeezed Mia’s hand and nudged her knee with his. “Alright, I think the catering service will be here soon, girls. Sora, you want to pick me out a suit while I go and talk with your mother?”

His daughter gave him a cute salute, her tail going stiff. “Yes, Sir! Oh, can I go see Ron and their new baby, too?!”

“I second that!” Wendy said, throwing up her arm. “I’m curious. A goddess’ baby who now isn’t a goddess. Is she normal-sized or still blue? Will their son gain blue skin? Super curious.”

Eyia threw her lot in next. “Yes, a Celestial that has lost their power is a critical event that must be studied, Patriarch Jarlath and Matriarch Mia! A half-human and half-Celestial brings about questions of importance. I should consult with the ghost of my father!”

Jarlath laughed at the Valkyrie’s strange customs and way of speaking. “So long as Ron allows it.”

Mia folded back the sheet and got up to brush out her tails, which actually looked far messier than their daughter’s and far more untidy than he was used to seeing.

“Yes, girls, let us leave Stephanie to rest for some time. I will bring her up some food when it arrives. I am sure she is famished, and may wish to talk.”

He could see the disappointment in the teenagers’ faces, but Sora quickly accepted and jumped up to guide Wendy into his closet to find something for him to wear.

Rising to join his wife, he glanced down at Noelia as she swiftly got up with them; it was obvious that Mia severely intimidated the tanuki, which only further confused Jarlath after what he’d heard. In fact, he half-thought it was in his dreams.

Mia gestured to the raccoon woman toward the door. “Would you mind preparing everything for the party and organizing things while I’m gone?”

“Of course, Mistress! I, uh-hehe, ahem, I’ll make sure it is all done!”

“And, Aiden, thank you for being here for my family… You are always welcome.”

“Uh, yeah! I’ll help Noelia with whatever she needs. I wanted to pick her brain on a few things anyway.”

Mia’s eyes narrowed with a devious glint. “Oh, I’m sure Noelia will have many embarrassing stories to tell about Sora. Sora was a thumb sucker, by the way.”

“Mom!” Sora cried from inside the closet. “What are you even saying?!”

“Noelia has pictures!”

“Eh-hehe. I did scrapbook a lot…and was selfish and took most of them with me because of—never mind,” she quickly mumbled, averting her gaze again. “I’ll get them!”

“What—no!” Sora protested, popping her head out with horror on her face. “No, we need to prepare for the party! You don’t want to see those old things, right, Aiden?! Right?!”

Chuckling as Aiden was roped into the lose-lose conversation, Jarlath took Mia by the hand and went to the elevator. He looked down at his gorgeous wife, doing her best not to look anxious. His all-powerful wife had given it all up to live beside them, despite the risks involved.

Sora was too young to understand that this must be temporary…and he could feel it in her grip. Mia was doing her best to hide all her sins from the daylight, praying for mercy to find a way forward that didn’t involve heartache. The more he thought about the first words he’d heard when waking, the more he came to the sobering conclusion.

Pressing the button to go downstairs, his smile grew when the doors peeled back to reveal Chris; the man returned the smile, shaking his hand as they entered. His gaze snapped to Mia for a moment before returning to him.

“I see you’re awake, Mr. Moore. Congratulations. And good evening, Ms. Moore.”

“Thanks, Chris. Demoted to doorman by the Foundation, huh?”

“If you can call it that, Sir,” he laughed. “Ground floor?”

Mia nodded, positioning herself so her tails wouldn’t bother them. “That would be wonderful, Chris.”

“Right… No, the Foundation has increased my income by an ungodly amount, and the benefits are…beyond this world. Basically, Sora demanded only people she knows man the elevators since my guess is that she doesn’t trust them, so we’re all being put into the position. I work half the time I did and get paid my previous full year’s salary…monthly. It’s insane.”

“Well, I’m happy you’re taken care of… Thanks for looking after us, Chris.”

“Of course, Mr. Moore. Have a good evening.”

Getting out of the elevator when it hit ground level, he drew Mia toward the back to walk along the beach. “…Noelia is protecting everyone from that pulse that keeps lighting up the sky?” he asked, spotting the aurora borealis illuminating the heavens again as they passed the many hardened soldiers guarding the lobby.

A shiver ran down his spine at the sight of them; things really had changed. Yet, not one looked their way, maintaining almost inhuman stillness. It was eerie.

Mia’s tails wrapped around his side, pulling him closer as if worried he’d shy away. “Yes. It is hard on her, despite her age, mentally I’d say she’s around twenty-seven years old. And yes, she can hear us, and likely is watching…but not anymore,” she giggled, tightening her grip. “In some areas, I’d say she’s more like an eighteen-year-old. She’s lived…a lonely life.”

He lightly bit the inside of his cheek, feeling a sudden surge of anxiety. Falling silent, they passed through the hallway and out the back; the guards opened the doors for them. Twilight shone across the heavens when the aurora faded, and the sea breeze pressed against his hospital gown, but it wasn’t until their bare toes met sand that he spoke again.

“…You believe this is temporary…don’t you.”

Mia didn’t respond for a bit, her downcast gaze on the white sand of the private beachfront as she pulled them further toward the ocean to study the waves.

“That isn’t what you really wanted to ask me, is it?” Her somber red eyes lifted up to him as she rose on her tippy-toes to kiss his cheek. “…You want to know why I told Noelia to basically become your second wife if I go. You can wait for me… I know you can. You know I am a very, very jealous…terrible woman.”

Her throat constricted as she stared off into the failing sun. “I keep telling myself I won’t go there…but I know I won’t care in the end. We are not the pure and good people our daughters see us as…and I love and hate that at the same time.”

She rested her head against his shoulder, a tremble running down her frame. “You and I drink the poison from the same vine, Honey. I didn’t even tell myself what you were since…you hold your secrets, and I hold mine. It isn’t my place to tell Sora what you don’t want to know yourself… This lust is a burden that we both share…two sinners can’t atone from a lone prayer.”

He forced a laugh, not fully understanding, and not needing to as it resonated within his soul. “You always could be poetic… You know Noelia is not you…could never take your place.”

A depressed sigh passed through Mia’s lips as she shifted to place her weight against his chest, taking him to the sand to lay atop him. Her ruby locks veiled the rest of the world while staring into his eyes; he saw the pained burden in her eyes before their lips met in a long, sad kiss that stole the air from his lungs.

His lips were left tingling as she pulled back, a tear falling down his cheek. “Please don’t leave me in the end, Mia… Don’t leave Sora and Wendy after giving them this hope… ”

She collapsed against his chest, her ear pressed against it, listening to his heartbeat, like she used to do. Her warm skin pressed against his, yet he resisted her hot touch and the dreams he’d had of their moment together when reunited with the heart-tearing feelings ripping through his heart, asking for mercy.

“There’s darkness in the distance, Jarlath… Deep down…way down in the depths of my soul…I try. I’m trying so hard to be a light to our girls, Jarlath, but all I see is darkness and guilt. Our souls tied…intertwined by our pride and guilt. How can I tell Sora that her desire to see the good in people will eventually tear us apart?”

He wrapped an arm around her back and held her head as she began to quake and cry. “Your sister… Sora doesn’t understand the burden you and Inari have shared for millions of years. Fen isn’t the only potential threat that could bring her gaze, and if that happens…”

“I have to leave…to fight her… I may have to kill my sister, Jarlath. I’m scared… I’m so scared. Sora is in such a delicate stage, and she’s doing so well…but the threats that are out there… If I leave, I don’t think I’ll be coming back.”

Jarlath tucked under his bottom lip, unable to hold back the quiet liquid from falling from his eyes. It fell to wet the white sands they laid on with the rhythm of the crashing waves in the background. All he could do was hold his torn wife, fighting emotions and uncertainty she hadn’t faced in millions of years of being in complete control to suddenly feeling beyond vulnerable…but a failure on top of that.

“...Is Inari truly that terrifying, Mia? You can’t see yourself beating your oldest sister?”

“Jarlath…Inari killed Noelia’s grandfather…the 1st Generation Founder of the tanuki, and drove the tanuki into a state of near extinction. She holds Gong-Gong’s orb.”

“No, Jarlath. Without a doubt, if I fight my sister…I will not return.”

“Hmm… So, you’re trying to strengthen Noelia to take your place…to hide us from Inari should she discover Sora. I’m guessing that is all she’s done for as long as she’s lived…hide? She managed to evade your sight within your territory for so long due to her powerful magic?”

“When, Jarlath…not if. And when she learns about Sora… She could pick Sora apart from the Essence, and use that to create her own daughter.”

Clawed fingers squeezed his heart just picturing the gruesome reality that could come to pass and why Mia was so terrified of what Inari might do to realize her dream.

“I see…”

She forced a laugh. “It’s not all bad. Sora needs time to heal. She needs time to grow with Wendy, and there are so many things I still need to accomplish. This won’t happen soon…but I can’t see a path where it doesn’t happen. On a brighter note, there is a way that Wendy can truly become our child…reshaping her soul to become a Unique Entity, like us.”

“Us,” he whispered, now feeling the dagger burying into his own soul. “I’m the one who made you promise not to reveal what I am to Sora…to keep it from me. How much blood do I have on my hands, Mia? Why am I so afraid of learning who I am…of Sora learning who I am?”

Sniffing back her tears, his wife shook her head against his chest. “I truly don’t know… I wish I did. I feel as if you had a good reason…but I don’t know if I trust myself anymore, Jarlath. How I thought it was okay to leave Fen near Sora is…unforgivable to me. I feel so…stupid…limited…helpless.”

Her red, swimming eyes lifted up to meet his, begging for forgiveness. “I’m sorry you have such a useless, pathetic wife, Jarlath. I failed our family when I was supposed to keep watch—I allowed so much heartache into our lives. How could I have been so blind?”

“Mia…you’re not stupid, helpless, useless, or pathetic,” he whispered, pulling her up to kiss her and hold her close. “And I can see you being ‘limited’ is precisely what our daughter needs right now. How could I leave you to shoulder this guilt alone? No…I’m not guiltless, my perfect fox woman… We’ll make it through this.”

“How can you be sure? I’m so terrified that I’m opening up Noelia into our lives…when it kills me inside thinking about what I’m doing, but…I have to leave Sora with someone I know I can trust. Noelia is such a wonderful soul that makes me rethink everything I thought about tanuki…and that scares me, too! Is that the plan? Is she just a pawn in her father’s quest to kill my sister? I’m…scared you’ll leave me because of how horrible of a mother I am. How can I think—”

“Mia… It’s going to be okay,” he repeated, drawing her in to stop her ramblings by meeting her lips. He showed a pained smile at how cute she looked, hiccuping and tearry-faced while staring at him for support.

“You and I drink the poison from the same vine, right? I could never leave these perfect lips untouched. Whatever happens, you know my heart will always be yours. I’m yours, and you are mine…forever. We’re a family…and that is how I know we will make it through.”

He brushed back her messy bangs and met her forehead with his, linking fingers with hers, staring into her scared, searching eyes. “Trust that I love you. I love our daughters…and I will even make room in my heart for Noelia if that is what you want. That is how much I love and trust you.”

Chest convulsing against his, she pushed forward, fingers sliding through his hair and kissing him, only this was much rougher than before. Meeting force for force, he stabilized her lower back as her tails fanned around them, producing a heat that quickened his blood—his wife was back…his little fox was back.