Kitsune Tales

By TJ Rowser

It’s been centuries since the last Great Other War that plunged the human race into the dark ages. Pulling away from the gods, and other creatures God had sent to watch over them, humans have made a go of it for themselves, trying to find their own path, and in the process they have changed the world from flat to round and created a universe to go with it. The gods, angels and demons are still there, but left behind, ignored, while the humans flourish. But the Others haven’t forgotten the humans....

Ki was content living her quiet, orderly little life on the outskirts of the city pack as a runt. She’d built up her own business as a freelance researcher and while she didn’t have much, she had more than enough for her. Then she wakes one morning to find that two days of her life are missing, supposedly spent with not just one man, but two, and she suddenly has breasts. Not to mention two tails when she shifts. If that isn’t bad enough, her apartment building catches fire and someone in the smoke wants her dead.

On the run, Ki finds herself in strange company, from Gods to mythical creatures, and sorting out who wants her dead from who wants her alive isn’t going to be easy. With a little divine help, and some old friends, she just might make it out of this mess alive, or lose everything before she even knew what she had.

• Language: English
• Publisher: TJ Rowser
• Release date: Mar 18, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301444960

TJ Rowser

TJ Rowser grew up on a working farm that left her with plenty of time to explore her imagination while performing lots of physical labor. The older she got, the more that imagination expanded, and the less she liked the hard physical labor aspect. It took too much time away from the stories in head. Working through a string of office jobs, she found her niche in a helpdesk and settled down to raise a family while happily sitting around exploring the worlds that kept springing to life in her mind. When that wasn't quite enough, she started writing them down and sharing them out, which leads us here, to an author's page, and a book filled with the characters that knock around in her head on a daily basis. They (the characters) are quite pleased with the result and so is she, since happy characters make for a much quieter mind.

Book preview

Kitsune Tales

Gods, Angels and Demons…

Book One

TJ Rowser

Kitsune Tales

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2012 by TJ. Rowser

All rights reserved. This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used factiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, locales is entirely conincidental.

Artwork Copyright © 2013 KG Creativity

Dedicated to my loyal friends.

If not for your pushing and shoving, I would have given up

on this dream long before now.

And a special thanks to self-published author A.B Mckinley

for being willing to answer the nosy questions

of a complete stranger with good humor.

Here’s hoping all the heartbreak and work was worth it.

Prologue

The harsh growl grew lower and deeper in intensity the closer Fenrir crept. He knew that sound. He remembered making similar noises when he was still new to the world, and mad. This wolf was mad. Past mad perhaps. Fenrir sucked in a deep breath, the stench of death, and worse, nearly overwhelming. But under those scents was the sharper spice of an animal in severe mental distress. Fenrir couldn't blame the poor thing. The wolf had been made to do something horrible, so horrible that it didn't bear thinking about, not for this, not when the beast needed him to be calm.

Hurry, came a low voice from behind him. The spell won't hold much longer.

Fenrir glanced over at the god who had created him. Not technically his father, Loki was the closest thing to one a construct could hope to have. That was why he had volunteered for this, why he was willing to take this risk. Fenrir gave a quick nod and eased himself closer to the huge white wolf that lay shivering on the floor. Stretching out his hand, he let his scent waft towards the beast’s nose.

Easy friend, Fenrir said softly. Easy Vali.

A whine escaped the wolf and eyes that had been narrowed in anger and pain widened slightly at the use of his true name.

That's right, Fenrir said. I know who you are. It will be alright.

Fenrir slipped closer, glancing down to check his footing briefly. Vali snapped at him, vicious teeth missing Fenrir's hand by a mere breadth. Fenrir didn't pause, unafraid of the beast before him. Moving closer, he inched his way forward till his fingers could brush up against the dirty white fur.

Your father is here, Fenrir said. He is free.

Another whine met that, then a shiver that wracked the beast's emaciated frame. The growl began once more, deep enough that Fen could feel it in the stone.

What they've done to you, Fenrir said, close enough now to take in the wolf completely.

Ragged and starved, Vali's ribs showed through the matted fur. Vicious scars criss-crossed his back and haunches from who knew how many lashes of the whip. One ear was torn down the middle and a deep cut ran across his left eye. How the eye survived, Fenrir didn't know, but it glared at him, the movement in the milky orb limitted. Vali whined again, his muscles tensing as he tried to lunge forward, held in place by the spell Loki was weaving. Vali lifted and Fenrir winced to see that his stomach was torn open, the deep cut dirty and infected. Trapped and tormented, he had been unable to heal even the least of his wounds, much less something that large.

Fenrir pressed his hand against Vali's forehead, sending soothing thoughts into his wild mind. Vali shivered under his touch, body tense and ready for a fight. He would get no fight from Fenrir. Taking that last step, Fenrir placed his other hand underneath the huge wolf's jaw and lifted his head. Milky blue eyes stared up at him, a window into the pain Vali was feeling. Fenrir leaned into the wolf, heedless of the danger he still presented and pressed a soft kiss to his nose.

It will be ok, Fenrir said again gently. I promise Vali.

Too horrified to notice the tears dripping down his face, Fenrir lowered himself to his knees and pressed up against Vali. The wolf lashed out, but the move had no bite behind it. Perhaps it was the tears, or maybe he could feel that Fenrir was trying to help him. Whatever the reason, Vali slowly stilled though his muscles stayed tense under Fen’s hand, trembling violently.

Now, Loki said. You must do it now.

Fenrir gave a nod and lifted his head. Look at me Vali.

The big head moved, unable to deny the gently spoken order. Milky blue eyes stared into Fen’s anger warring with wariness. Reaching into the front of his shirt, Fenrir pulled out the amulet he'd made earlier. He lifted it over his head, then moving slowly so as not to startle the wolf, looped it around Vali's neck.

The words the witch had given him seemed to twist as they came off his tongue, tangling it in his mouth, forcing him to slow down so each would be said correctly. A dim light flared to life around Fenrir and grew to encompass Vali. Fenir’s voice grew louder with the light, whipping up a wind that came from nowhere in the enclosed cave causing the light to dance and move around them like an eddying stream. More and more spilled out, lighting up the small cave like the sun at midday.

The last word tumbled harshly from Fenrir's lips and the world went still, no sound or light for a full heartbeat except for that which was shining in the cave. The light collapsed, contracting around them tightly as a soft whisper filled the room from a voice that had no sound, but yet had more presence than the loudest of shouts. The light exploded outward in a star burst sending a raging wind whipping about, bringing rocks and stalactites crashing to the floor of the cave. There were shouts near the opening as the wind rushed that way, but in the center, the eye of the storm, man and wolf knew nothing, but the light and the voice that was no voice filling them up, giving back part of what had been lost.

When at last the light had faded away and the gale winds had reduced to nothing but the softest of breezes, Loki himself stepped through the ragged mouth of the cave to find two men curled around each other on the cold stone. Both were still and quiet, only the very slight rise and fall of their chests giving a hint that there was still life in them.

It worked, Loki said in a reverent whisper. He lifted his lead towards the ceiling of the cave eyes closed tightly his ravaged face a mask of grief, but also of relief. Thank you.

Chapter One

Ki woke with her head pounding from the inside like her brain was trying to beat its way out. The dim light in the room burned like red hot pokers as she lifted her lids. Letting them fall closed with a soft cry, Ki rolled over, burying her face under her pillow. What was wrong with her? She'd never felt so bad in her entire life. If she drank at all, she would have thought she was hungover, but she didn't drink and she certainly didn't do anything that should have ended with her feeling like this. A groan escaped as the sudden, and piercing, sound of the alarm going off shot into her head like a knife.

Alarm? It was Saturday, she thought blearily. She never set an alarm for Saturday, there was no reason too. Wiggling her way towards that side of the bed, careful to keep the pillow over her face, she reached out blindly and managed to shut the alarm of with a few smacks of her hand. Still, the fact that it was on at all bothered her. She always made sure she had no reason to be up on the weekends. Besides that, it was one of her few fancy purchases, remembering the days the alarm was supposed to be on for and not going off on days it didn't need to. So either the alarm had failed, or there was something else going on. Worried now, Ki moved the pillow off her head and braved the dim light again.

She blinked several times, shock shooting through her. That couldn't be right, she thought staring at the date in front of her face. It couldn't be Monday. It had been Friday just last night she was sure of it. But, she wasn't all that sure was she?

Ki sat up slowly the pain in her head pushed aside by the fact that she seemed to have lost two days somewhere. Thinking back, she remembered closing the lid on her laptop because she couldn't concentrate, her head had hurt Friday afternoon, then she had taken a hot shower in the hopes of easing the pain. It wasn't like she got sick. After that she had...

Her memory lumbered to a jerky halt. She couldn't think of what she had done once she had gotten out of the shower. There was a hazy memory of getting dressed, then nothing till these confused, jumbled flashes of people, loud sounds and some type of ache that she swore she could still feel echoing through her body.

Ki gasped, head tilting back as a shiver running through her as the ache became more than an echo. Muscles tightened and her stomach cramped with an odd sort of pain. It had hurt, she thought. It had hurt so badly and nothing had helped. She had needed...

Again the memories trailed off, plunging into fleeting impressions of faceless men, till finally she reached a voice that had been so deep and rough it had been a growl. A voice that had made shivers run down her spine and caused her body to tighten in total awareness. Ki licked her lips, mouth suddenly feeling dry as she shifted her legs restlessly on the bed. Heat stole over her, incredible heat, surging and wild, the likes of which she had never felt before. Ki gasped again, her lips parting, hands grabbing at the sheets of the bed in an effort to hold on to something she knew.

This wasn't right, she thought. She'd never lost time before and she knew she had never felt anything like that heat. Her whole body ached with remembering it. That wasn't right, she thought again, forcing herself out of bed. Her body didn't ache with the memory she realized as she shakily got to her feet, it just ached. Muscles she didn't even know she had were sore, but not in a bad way. More like they had been used and worn out, like a good round of exercise. There was another unfamiliar ache as well, she thought stumbling through her room to the bathroom.

She froze in the doorway as she caught a look at herself in the mirror, shock forcing the breath from her lungs once again. That wasn't her. It couldn't be. She was a stick, barely had breasts, painfully thin and no hips. She'd been that way since she was fourteen years old and the thirteen years since hadn't made a lick of difference, so this had to be wrong. She moved her hand in front of her face, watching as the woman in the mirror did the same thing.

Woman, not girl, there was no way the image in the mirror would be mistaken for the young girl she had always been taken for. Ki blinked several times, then rubbed her eyes just to be sure it wasn't some odd trick of blurry vision, but she wasn't imaging things. The person in the mirror had to be her, only it couldn't be her either. The woman in the mirror had hips for instance and breasts, real breasts, not the tiny little bumps Ki had been calling breasts for years. Without thought, Ki lifted them with her hands, feeling the very real weight they had and the way they moved on her chest.

I'm going to have to buy bras, Ki said on a breath.

Shaking her head, she ran her hands down her sides, noting how her waist seemed smaller now that she had hips that did something besides go straight down. Unconsciously, she moved closer to the mirror, completely hypnotized by what she was seeing. Her fox red hair, with its black and brown streaks looked exactly the same; all tumbled and snarled curls around her face. Her eyes were the same, a tawny color with green flecks, but the face and the body, they didn't match. The baby fat that had graced her cheeks for years had melted away and her chin was a bit sharper than it had been. Ki put her hands to her cheeks feeling the smooth skin there and then opened her mouth relieved to find her teeth were perfectly normal. Pushing her hair back, she saw her sharply tipped ears hadn’t changed either. It was just her body and face.

Ki stumbled back from the mirror. What had happened to her? Falling against the wall, her body shaking with reaction, she slid down to the cold tile. And it was only at the exact moment she hit the cold floor that she realized she was buck ass naked. Scrambling to her feet, she raced back to her bedroom to grab clothes.

She never went naked, never. She had pajamas. Why hadn't she been in them? She looked around the floor, seeing nothing and then started to yank back the covers when a piece of paper that had gotten trapped beneath the other pillow caught her attention. Her stomach dropped out and she moved forward hesitantly, flinching back as she touched the paper, half afraid it would bite her. Taking in a deep breath, she forced herself to pick it up, hands trembling as she lifted it to her eyes.

'Sorry to leave, sugar. Remember us.

P.S. What my friend failed to say is that we left you breakfast and coffee in the kitchen. And remember not just us, but what we told you. You're beautiful either way.'

The note fell to the floor from fingers gone numb and Ki shakily sank onto the bed. Remember us, the note said. Us. The implications, the way her body felt all started to sink in rather quickly. The words brought up other hazier, blurred out pieces of the last two days.

Two men. There had been two men in her apartment. A flush rushed up to cover her face and her hand followed that flash of heat quickly. No, not just in her apartment, but in her bed. With her. Ki Magena, runt, had had two men in her bed. At the same time. Ki fell over curling on her side and took in a deep, shaky breath, and that's when the other thing that had been bugging her sank in. Their scents. She could smell them.

Her eyes closed as she drew in yet another deep breath. Their scent filled her head, bringing more and more feelings and memories to the surface, but none of them were clear. They all seemed to be blurred in a red haze, as if there had been blood in her eyes. A moan escaped her as her body seemed to go on high alert from the sharp, spicy scent and the blurry memories alone. Ki rolled in her sheets, instinct demanding she coat her skin in the scent before what she was doing caught up with her.

Calm Ki, you have to calm down, she said forcing herself from the bed.

Grabbing the shirt lying on the dresser, she yanked it on before really noticing what it was. A man's shirt, saturated in that same spicy scent that had been in the bed. Next to where the shirt had been was a pair of boxers and when she hesitantly raised them to her nose the same scent, but somehow not, greeted her. Embarrassment chose to assault her at that moment, but it wasn't enough to stop her from pulling the boxers on, or heading out of her room for the kitchen. As promised, a breakfast of fruit and fresh bagels, if the scent was anything to go by, and the rich aroma of coffee greeted her. Feeling as if she had somehow slipped into the twilight zone, Ki sat down and started to eat.

Thinking rationally wasn't working, she decided after she polished off her third bagel and started on the fourth. Her memory was obviously fried given the disjointed and hazy images it kept giving her, meaning she was going to have to work with what she knew. One was simply the fact that she had at some point on Friday night brought two men to her apartment. She didn't know their names, or what they looked like, but at least she had their scent. That was something. Two, her body had changed. Gone was the boyish shape she had always sported and in its place was one with female curves and boobs. God, she couldn't quite get over the fact that she had boobs. Off track, she reminded herself, taking a sip of coffee and another steadying breath.

Obviously something had happened to her between Friday afternoon and Friday evening. There was a small possibility she could have been drugged. It had taken a while, but they had found date rape drugs that would work on shifters. Still that didn't quite jive, because she had eaten at home on Friday. In fact, she hadn't left the apartment till after she had started to feel weird. So that ruled out drugs, which was a relief in a way.

What else was there? She could have been sick, but that was unlikely. She'd never even had a sniffle in her life, much less anything that would have left her in a daze like that. Could she have had a cut she hadn't known about, maybe one that had gotten infected and caused a fever? Again, it was highly unlikely. Runt or not, her ability to heal was just fine. So, what? Besides, she was leaving out the changes to her body, drugs couldn't explain that and neither could illness.

Giving a contented sigh as she polished off her sixth bagel, she got to her feet and put the plate in the sink. Fixing herself another cup of coffee she wandered back to her room. Now that the initial shock had worn off, her mind was starting to work again. Food had helped. She couldn't think of any one thing that might have caused all of her symptoms. Well, at least not anything that would affect a runt. Still there was something niggling at her, something she just couldn't quite grasp, like a shadow moving out of the corner of her eye.

Letting out a sigh, she moved back into the bathroom, surprised to find herself reluctant to strip off the clothes the men had left behind. She wanted to stay wrapped up in their scent. She'd felt better the moment she had put them on and she hated to lose that, but reveling in the scent of two men she didn't know didn't seem right.

Brain ticking over, Ki made it through her shower quickly. Despite her best intentions after she was dry, she was unable to stop herself from picking back up the shirt and boxers and inhaling deeply. The animal side of her wanted those scents burned into her brain. They were the same, but different. She couldn't pinpoint the difference, no matter how she tried, but it was there.

Both scents seemed to make a low heat flare in her stomach and places on her body ache with her muscle's memory of pleasure. And it had been pleasure if her body's reaction was any indication. Oh God, she must be insane, she thought finally managing to drag the cloth from her nose and shove it away.

Her alarm went off again, a warning that she only had so much time before she was supposed to be out the door. Ki hurried to get ready, thrown for a loop when her clothes didn't exactly fit anymore. The underwear was too tight around her hips and her breasts were spilling out over the cups of her lone bra bringing a frown to her face. That would never do.

She dug through her drawers till she finally found some panties that weren't quite as bad. It would have to do till she could buy more and she supposed she'd just have to go without a bra, something she'd done quite a bit before she had breasts. The thought of shopping gave her a pleasant feminine buzz, especially since she would finally be able to buy bras that didn't come out of the junior section.

Unfortunately for her, she realized a moment later, that meant she was going to need pants too. At least her tops were stretchy enough not to matter. With a groan she shucked her pants and fell back onto the bed. It wasn't fair. She couldn't remember what happened, but whatever it was had changed everything. Glaring at the ceiling, Ki got to her feet and stripped the rest of the way down. What she needed was a few minutes for herself. With barely a thought, she changed, the floor rushing up as her body shrank in size.

Ki landed neatly on hands that were rapidly changing to paws, relishing the feel of muscles and skin shifting to fit this new body. She always felt rather carefree when she changed and this morning was no exception. Rolling her head slightly, she pricked her ears up and swished her haunches to feel her tail swing, and froze.

Ki swished her haunches again, but that same odd tugging sensation happened just like it had the first time. Looking over her shoulder, Ki turned this way and that, trying to see what she had gotten caught in, but all she saw was the white tip of her tail. Not that she was seeing color, but she knew it was white, just like she knew what the rest of her looked like to human eyes.

Moving away from the bed didn't help. That odd tugging sensation continued. Growling, she trotted into the bathroom, only to slide to a stop at the distorted image that greeted her. A whine left her throat and her body started to shake. It seemed her human form hadn't been the only thing affected, but her fox too. Instead of one bushy, white tipped tail, there were two bushy, white tipped tails sticking up behind her.

Two tails. That was impossible. It had to be a trick of the light, something strange in her vision. This couldn't be real. Getting breasts was one thing, but a second tail? What the hell was going on?

Ki whimpered as she backed out of the bathroom. She was halfway under the bed before she realized what she was doing. A doctor, she thought. She needed to go to the doctor. No, wait, she couldn't do that. A second tail, she had a second tail. Another whimper escaped her. How could she have grown a second tail over the course of a weekend? Hell, how had she gotten breasts the same way? Whatever this was couldn't be good. It just couldn't.

Easy sugar. The deep voice echoed through her mind and her eyes closed in response to the memory. It's alright. We'll take care of you.

Ki growled. Sure. They took care of the sex part, great, but it was the after effects she didn't have a clue about. That's what she could use some help with. Granted, she wasn't exactly all that experienced with sex between shifters, but she had done it with regular humans. She wasn't a virgin. It wasn't her fault that other shifters wouldn't touch a runt.

Her mind screeched to a sudden and painful halt. Runt. She scrambled out from under the bed and changed back to her human form. Yanking on the clothes she had pulled off, she raced for the door, only to find herself running back to grab the shirt and boxers from where she had left them on the dresser.

Hitting her front door, she stooped to snag her backpack, stuffing the clothes inside, barely taking the time to lock the door behind her. The steps, she flew down those, and the outside door banged against the wall with the force of her push. It didn't slow her down though. She raced through the early morning streets, her mind pinpointed on one thing and one thing only.

Ki didn't know many shifters. In point of fact, she had gone out of her way to avoid them after the way she had been treated by the pack in her home town, but that didn't mean she didn't know other shifters at all. The ones in the city were nicer about things than the ones back home had been, maybe because packs didn't play such a huge role in the city. She just hadn't bothered to petition to join it. It wasn't mandatory after all and she didn't want the hassle of the meetings or any of the rest of it. Still, there was a place, a few blocks away, where several members of the local pack hung out in the mornings because they were just getting off the night shift. They were police officers and had always been nice to her.

Her feet slowed as she reached the diner and she drew to a stop at the door staring at the handle. A dull mix of panic, fear of rejection, and her own self esteem issues reared up, making her stand there far longer than she meant to. Her breath huffed out in front of her in white bursts of steam, fogging the glass as she stared blindly, undecided. Fortunately, the choice of what to do was taken out of her hands when the door swung open and Officer Downing, a nice, older wolf shifter, stepped out to tower over her, his expression laced with concern.

You ok, Ki? he asked in a pleasant rumble.

Not as deep as the other men came the wayward thought. Ki stared up at him for a moment, lost for words and lost her chance to answer when he took a deep breath. The concern on his face turned to puzzlement.

You smell different, Downing said confused. Are you...

Ki shook her head. I'm fine. I just forgot something back at the apartment. Sorry, she said the words tumbling out so fast they all ran together.

Turning on her heels, Ki raced back up the street. Well, that answered that. She smelled different, but she couldn't. It wasn't possible. The doctors had been so certain. Unable to bear the thought of being cooped up in her apartment again, she raced past the buildings, legs carrying her down two more blocks, before she took the corner and went barreling into the local park. She ran all the way down to the small pond before she stumbled to a stop and stood there panting in the cold air.

Her mind was a jumble of emotions and thoughts. Nothing seemed to make a lick of sense anymore. The whole world had tilted on its side then steam rolled over her. There was no way what she thought had happened could have happened. She was a runt and runts didn't do that. It was a scientific fact. There had to be something else going on.

Maybe those men had done something to her and she just couldn't remember it. Maybe it was some type of spell. Shifters weren't generally targeted by magic users given how badly they reacted to threats of all types, but it could happen. Though, she couldn't think of a single spell, charm, or incantation that could cause something like this and she would know. Research was what she did for a living.

On numb feet she made her way over to a bench and dropped onto it. Leaning forward she hid her face in her hands and tried to think. No ideas came to her. Her mind totally blanked when she tried to decide what to do. The doctor was out, there was no way she was going to show him the second tail and so were magic users for the same reason. She was a shifter, just a shifter. Right? Squirming slightly as she thought about her history lessons at school and what attracting the attention of any of the Others meant, she groaned out loud.

Lifting her head, her eyes caught on a flicker of light at her wrist. Her head cocked as she studied the watch her best friend growing up had given to her before the girl had left for her training. Set on an iridescent dark blue stone, the watch itself was made of silver and gold. One ring tracked the movement of the sun across the sky, so she would always know when sunrise and sunset was. The next ring tracked not just the phases of the moon, but also moonrise and moon set. The last ring tracked constellations, and was so intricate, and small, that even Ki had trouble seeing it.

It looked delicate, but it wasn't. It had stood up to everything, including being run over by a car, though her wrist hadn't fared quite as well, and still kept ticking. It kept perfect time and perfect track of the sun and moon, never needing adjustment. The leather band was getting a bit worn, but the ingenious mechanism that tightened it on her wrist so it could never fall off, not even when she shifted, still worked like it had the day Hanners had given it to her. The only thing that it didn't do anymore was chime. It had always chimed when Hanners was trying to get into contact with her, but it had been years since the last time that had happened. Ki's chest tightened and she wished desperately that her friend was there right at that moment. She could have used someone to talk to.

Ki ran her fingers over the watch, the feel of the cold, crystal face somehow soothing. First things first, Ki thought, and the first thing was calming down. Panicking wasn't going to accomplish anything. Next, replace her clothes. That was simple enough, and it wasn't like she had to redo her whole wardrobe, she would just buy a few things, just enough to get through a few days to see if whatever this was wore off. If it was a spell, no matter how unlikely she thought that might be, she would be back to her normal self when the magic faded. If it wasn't, at least she wouldn't be totally uncomfortable every day. After that, well, after that she didn't really know. Running her hands through her hair, she leaned back on the seat and closed her eyes for a moment.

Her watched chirped the hour, the only sound it still made, a sound so quiet that only a shifter could hear it. Ki let out a curse and jerked to her feet. There was a reason she was up this early after all, and now she was past late. Groaning, she broke into a run, racing through the park, back the way she had come, head still full of worries.

Hours later, Ki found herself leaning on the inside of her front door, her pack slipping down her arm to hit the floor. She felt exhausted and worn thin. Her head was buzzing madly with the thoughts that refused to leave her, but that was nothing compared to how tired she was. All she wanted was to eat and crawl into bed. At least with business having been so slow she could get away with it. It was a good thing, she was already swaying on her feet and she wasn't sure how she would manage to do any type of useful work.

The bags from her shopping trip littered the floor and she groaned as she looked at them. She'd probably spent more than she should have, but it had been nice to actually need a bra and to be able to buy things that weren't necessarily in the juniors section. Letting out a breath, she forced herself to bend over and pick up some of the bags so she could toss them on her sofa. From there she headed into the kitchen and rummaged in her fridge, surprised to find leftovers from takeout. She never ordered takeout. It had to have been those men, she thought as she snatched at the containers.

The scent of the food was heavenly to a starving carnivore. Meat, lots of protein, and fat, and God how she craved that at the moment. Ravenous, she dug into the food, not even bothering to heat it up. She was pretty sure she would have eaten it raw if that had been the fastest way to get it down.

She was starved. In fact she had been starving all day. She'd never had an appetite like this and while the thought made her uneasy, it certainly didn't stop her stomach from being demanding. She'd polished off two half steaks, a potato and a half of a roast beef sandwich along with a huge platter of chicken strips before she finally slowed. Even then, she continued to munch on the breads and some of the veggies she had found while she made her way back to the couch and forced herself to start pulling clothes from the bags.

When her eyes became too heavy to stay open, she let herself drop down onto the cushions and curled up against the armrest. A feeling like she was lost rushed over her and hard on its heels was a wave of loneliness that almost brought tears to her eyes. Ki twisted around herself, a shiver wracking her body, bringing with it the quiet memory of being held between two large men, their arms and legs tangled with hers. The memory made her feel safe, calm even, and with that image in mind, she drifted off to sleep.

Jerking awake, Ki fell off the couch, the hair on the back of her neck lifting. If she had been in her fox form, her hackles would have been up. Confused, she didn’t understand what had woken her. Scrambling on the floor, she managed to get herself back upright and only then did the alarms going off in her head begin to make sense. Smoke, she smelled smoke. She waited a moment, drawing the breath in deeper and holding it. It didn't smell like her downstairs neighbor had burned dinner again. No, this was a different type of smoke. Fire, she thought suddenly. A real fire.

On her feet in a second, Ki snatched up a few of the bags she hadn't gotten to and headed for the door, only pausing long enough to grab up her backpack. She slammed the door open, not bothering to slow down as she crossed the hall. Smacking into her neighbor's door, she used it to arrest her forward motion, fist already raised to pound on it. Mrs. Set was old and couldn't hear or see very well. When she didn't hear the old woman's quavery voice answer immediately, Ki pounded louder. Already, the other neighbors on her floor were flinging open their doors and crowding into the hall, their ears far more sensitive.

Fire!

Her voice froze them for a moment and then they all started glancing at each other, before looking back at her.

Ki rolled her eyes. I can smell the smoke! Get out!

Still they didn't move. Ki growled, frustration warring with anger. Don't be stupid! I'm shifter! I know what I'm talking about! she said voice harsh.

The man who lived down the hall laughed. Since when?

Ki growled louder. Fine. Want proof?

Mrs. Set still hadn't come to the door. Ki abandoned her pounding and gripped the knob in both hands. Planting her feet, she took a deep breath and gave a hard yank. On a normal day, Ki would never have been strong enough to do it. While she was a bit faster and stronger than normal humans, it wasn't like it had been by much. Not this time it seemed. Maybe it was her desperation or the fear that was riding her, she didn't really care. All that mattered was the door gave an ominous creak, then a sharp crack as the old wood gave up the fight and came out of the frame. The people in the hall gaped at her.

Proof enough? Ki asked snidely wondering where the anger that was driving her came from. Get out!

She didn't wait to see if they obeyed, but instead rushed into the apartment that was a mirror to her own. Mrs. Set was in her bed, covers pulled up to her chest watching the TV. The old woman jumped when Ki came through the door, but then smiled brightly.

Did I forget to lock my door again? Mrs. Set asked.

Ki shook her head wordlessly and grabbed the woman's robe. Already the smell of smoke was stronger and at any moment the alarm should start going off. Part of Ki wondered why it hadn't already. Hurrying to the older woman's side, Ki urged her to her feet, draping the robe around her shoulders.

Mrs. Set frowned. You look different dear.

Ki gave her a tight smile, grabbing the woman's arm and tugging at her to get her moving.

Mrs. Set laughed. Where's the fire?

Ki gave her a look, leaning in as close as she could get to the woman's ear and shouting into it, I don't know yet, but I can smell the smoke! We need to get out!

Mrs. Set startled, but then a grimly determined look crossed her face. With no further urging on Ki's part the woman headed for the door. For an older lady, she sure could move when she wanted, Ki thought a glimmer of amusement easing the fear and anger for a brief second as she followed the older woman out. There were other people still milling in the hall, obviously unsure, but Ki's worry was confirmed when Mrs. Set opened the door to the stairs and smoke rolled up. It wasn't thick yet, but Ki felt a tremor of fear run through her. Why hadn't the alarm gone off?

Hit the alarm, she said even as the thought crossed her mind.

There was no hesitation this time. The man who had doubted her pulled the alarm instantly, only to have nothing happen.

Oh God, Ki said. Get out of here! Go!

She darted ahead of them on the steps, barely registering their shouts behind her. Flinging open the door to the next floor she slid to a stop at the nearest apartment door and started pounding on it. With the smoke growing worse, these people didn't need any encouragement and hurried for the steps.

Ki hit the next floor, then the next, till she was finally at the first. She pounded on the first door there, but no one answered. She tried the second and this time someone opened up. Not a word was said, the woman paled at the sight of the smoke and rushed for the outer doors. Ki moved farther down the hall, making sure everyone was out before she headed out herself. In the distance she could hear the fire trucks coming, but she was more concerned with the people around her.

Tammy?

Ki jerked around. A younger woman was searching the crowd desperately.

Tammy?

Ki moved towards her, a hollow spot forming in her stomach. The woman grabbed Ki, her grip strong, face pinched with worry and fear.

My daughter, have you seen my daughter?

Ki shook her head. The woman asked the next person and the next. A little hand tugged at the back of Ki's shirt. She turned to see a young boy standing behind her.

Tammy went back inside, she said she forgot her doll, the boy said.

The woman, who hadn't gotten far, paled at this and then rushed towards the building. Ki caught her quickly, swinging her back towards the street.

Stay here, Ki said. I'll get her. Which apartment?

The woman stared at her, face blank. The man from Ki's floor gripped the woman's shoulders gently. She's a shifter, if anyone can find your daughter it's her, the man said.

The look of relief on the woman's face filled Ki with dread. She wished she was as certain as her neighbor, not that it mattered. She was going to try either way.

We're in 5b, at the end of the hall on the second floor, the woman said in a shaky voice.

Ki gave a grim nod as she dropped her bags and took a deep breath, before plunging back through the doors. The smoke was thick now and Ki could barely see through it. Using her ears and built in sense of direction, she moved through the gloom, heading for the steps with a confidence she didn't feel. She kept her ears pricked, straining to hear any sound; movement, breathing, a voice, anything other than the dry hiss of a fire burning somewhere. Climbing to the second floor, Ki hit the hall and headed down it.

The smoke was thicker here, choking and dry. Ki crouched lower, trying to get below it as best she could and moved farther down the hall. If she had been in her fox form, her ears would have swiveled, as it was, she cocked her head at the faint sound of sobbing. Picking up her pace, she locked onto the sound, trusting her other senses to keep her safe. The door was easy enough, the girl had left it open, but Ki wished she dared shift, or that at least she could see.

Taking in a breath of the thick air, Ki cleared her throat. Tammy?

The sobbing paused for a moment and then redoubled, sounding louder and much closer. Mommy!

Ki jerked to the left, following the sound straight into a low table. Cursing under her breath, she rubbed her shin and forced herself to pay more attention. The layout was familiar enough; it was just the furniture that would be different. She could do this. The door should be a little bit to her left, she thought as she reached with her hand and found open space.

Tammy? she asked again moving through the door.

I want my mommy!

Ki ducked, the stuffed animal going over her head. She rolled her eyes. I'm Ki. I'm going to take you to your mommy. Just don't throw anything else at me, please.

There was a sniffle and then a choked cough. I want my mommy.

Ok sweetie, Ki said, following the girls voice.

Ki almost tripped over the little thing. The girl had hidden under the bed, but her legs were still sticking out. Ki could hear the fire extremely well now. There wasn't any time to waste. Bending she grabbed the girl's legs and pulled her from under the bed, swinging her up easily. The girl struggled for a moment, but then started to cough again, and cough hard. Ki cradled her as close as possible as she rushed for the door.

The hallway was still clear, but she knew they were in trouble before she opened the door to the stairs. She could hear the fire out there, hell she could feel it. It raised the hair on the back of her neck, even as the hand she had been reaching for the door felt like it got scorched from the radiant energy. Backing away, Ki looked right and left, gripping the girl tighter as she shivered.

Hang on for me ok? Ki said softly.

Little arms wrapped around her neck trustingly. God please don't let her trust be misplaced, Ki prayed helplessly. Making her way back down the hall, they went back into the apartment. Ki shifted her grip on the girl, freeing one hand so she could look for a window. Fingers trailing along the paint, she could feel the heat from the fire in the wood beneath. This was bad, she thought, so very bad.

Finally she hit the smoothness of glass. Another quick adjustment and she was yanking the window open. The girl coughed again weakly as the window caused the smoke to rush around them. Ki could barely breathe herself. Feeling blindly, she managed to hook the screen and rip it away, only to find safety bars under her fingers. Ki nearly groaned. She would have found the only window with safety bars left on the whole damn building, she thought.

Alright sweetie, I'm going to put you up on my back and you're going to have to hang on for me ok? Ki said to the girl.

She felt the girl nod against her chest and shifted her around waiting till the arms curled around her neck. The girl clung so tightly that it was a good thing that Ki already couldn't breathe. Leaning into it, Ki planted her feet again and prayed silently that, like the door, she would have the strength to do this. A bar in each hand, Ki pulled and then pulled harder. The metal, already hot enough to burn skin, groaned. Ki felt the floor underneath her shift, just as a crashing sound started outside in the hall. The girl on her back tightened her grip further, even as another round of coughing wracked her. Ki wished she could take a deep breath, as it was she drew in as much air as she could and pulled again.

The metal groaned, the sound louder this time, and then she felt a slight give. Pressing her advantage, she pulled harder, forcing her muscles past the point of protest, past the point where she could even truly feel them. Slowly the bars gave, the gap between them widening inch by precious inch. Ki thanked God they were both small.

Sweat was pouring off her when she finally decided the gap was big enough. The girl's arms were in spasm around Ki's neck and then she was sliding away, her little body going limp. Ki caught her before she hit the floor and swung her around. Leaning out the window, Ki took a deep breath of air that was less smokey. It was a relief. She hadn't realized how close she was to passing out till the oxygen made her head spin.

Hey! Her throat was so raw and dry that the word came out as a croak. She swallowed hard and tried again. Hey!

The wind chose that moment to shift, blowing the smoke away from them. Maybe something was on their side after all, Ki thought with relief.

Up there!

The shout was taken up and Ki looked down to see several people gathering under them. She moved back and carefully maneuvered the girl through the window. Leaning over the edge as far as she could, she looked back down, holding the girl out away from the wall. Immediately several of the men gathered together and held out their arms. Ki said yet another silent prayer and let the girl drop, breath held till she saw the little body caught, and cradled against one of the men. The little girl was carried away quickly and the rest of the men turned their eyes back up to her.

Jump! one of them yelled up to her.

Ki gave a nod and moved back so she could fit her body through the window. The floor groaned and something popped behind her. Searing pain lanced up through her shoulder and Ki turned. She couldn't see anything through the smoke, but her hackles were up. There was something, or someone there.

Hey! Come on! You have to get out of there!

The voices from the window pulled Ki back from her perusal of forms in the smoke. She shrank against the window, eyes searching one more time for movement in the thick gray cloud. Her shoulder throbbed badly and she could feel blood running down her back. Shaking her head to try and lose the feeling of something watching her, she slipped through the window backwards, reaching up to catch the outside edge with her fingers.

A dull roar came from inside and Ki felt the floor drop away from her feet. Fighting back her sudden urge to scream, she yanked her legs out, pushing away from the wall with her arms as hard as she could before she let go. She watched in horrified fascination as the flames came shooting out of the window she had just been hanging from only seconds before.

What little air she had managed to drag in exploded from her lungs as she crashed into the men below. They kept their feet though, holding her up. Drained, Ki could only lay there limply, staring up at the smoke that was swirling into the sky. Her ears felt stuffed with cotton and all she could smell was the cloying scent of burning wood and plastics. Vaguely, she heard shouting nearby, but it didn't really register. Nothing really registered except the dull throbbing pain in her shoulder.

Ki was shifted, passed from one set of hands into another. She found herself looking up into the concerned face of a firefighter. She'd bet money on him being a shifter, if his teeth were any indication. He was asking her something, but her head was buzzing so loudly that she couldn't hear. Ki opened her mouth to tell him so, but all she could do was cough. Her body went into spasms and they pressed her down, forcing her body to stretch out as a mask was put over her face. Ki twisted madly, feeling trapped and suddenly terrified. The paralysis that had hit her after jumping out the window was gone and all she wanted to do was escape.

Hold her!

Sound came back in a rush and Ki growled, sucking in the pure oxygen the mask offered. Already her body was throwing off the effects of smoke inhalation. The throb in her shoulder had even eased and something different was rising in its place. She needed to escape, to get away. There had been something in the smoke, something trying to hurt her. Instincts screamed and even as weak as she felt, Ki managed to wrench an arm free.

After that it was nothing to get off the gurney. Hands grabbed at her, but Ki dodged. Runt, the thought came with disgust. Maybe so, but she was quick and agile. No one could catch her unless she wanted them to. She dove through the hands, twisting easily to avoid another set as she darted around a group of people.

A howl rose to her lips as she snatched up the bags she had abandoned earlier, but she choked it back. With a few more quick moves, she was free of the crowd and racing down the cold street. Instinct drowned out any attempt to think, forcing her to run faster, even though her body was exhausted, close to the point of failing. Her conscious mind, for the first time in years, was suppressed by her animal nature and its only thought was to go to ground somewhere safe. Flying down the street, Ki took the corner and vanished from the sight of the crowd.

Chapter Two

The look on Muriel's face when she opened the door was almost worth the grief Ki had gone through to get there. The normally unruffled woman had dropped her jaw and her kind blue eyes had gone wide with shock. Ki would have laughed if only she had the energy. As it was, she could barely hold herself up on the door frame. Two weeks on four feet, eating only what she could catch in the cold drizzling rain had taken its toll. If the look on Muriel's face was anything to go by, then Ki’s appearance was as bad as she felt, maybe even worse.

Oh my good lord child, Muriel said in a low breathy voice. What happened to you?

Ki opened her mouth, but all that came out was a slight whimper. Her shoulder, which should have healed up, like the rest of her, burned like someone had stuck a red hot piece of metal into the hole and left it there. Her muscles ached from the constant abuse and her nerves were worn so thin that she couldn't even jump anymore. She was fairly certain she had stared down a very hungry wolf at some point, but that could have been a hallucination. Ki wasn't taking bets on anything at this point. Muriel fell back a step as Ki stumbled forward, her pack sliding to the floor with a muffled thump.

That had been one of the few bright spots, something she’d missed that morning two weeks ago. She’d been so focused on the fact that she had grown a second tail, that she hadn't noticed that her fox was bigger. It had become large enough that the backpack could actually stay on her back, instead of her having to drag it along with her neck at an awkward angle. With the center strap and the back strap cinched tight, she had carried it just like she would have on two feet, though not as comfortably. It had been the single blessing in what Ki was coming to think of as her two weeks in frozen hell.

Auntie, Ki said in a raspy croak.

Muriel was there when Ki's knees buckled, easing her to the floor. The older woman made a tisking sound in the back of her throat, eyes concerned as they peered into Ki's. Ki wanted to reassure her, but she needed reassurance too much herself.

What have you done to yourself? Muriel asked.

Ki shook her head. She didn't think she had the energy to get the words out, much less make much sense. The story was far too long, but at least she was safe here. That was something. When she had started running she hadn't really thought about where she would go. It was a good thing that her animal, her instincts, had been in charge. She was running for cover, for someplace safe, and the safest place to be was on Muriel's land.

How the woman had done it, Ki had no clue. There was nothing about Muriel that said she was Other, Charmed, or even one of the few real witches left in the world, but whatever she was, her property was completely safe from just about everything. It had been a puzzle Ki had worked on for years, asking questions here and there, and the closest she'd ever come to finding out how it worked was Muriel saying someone had owed her. Whatever Muriel had done had to have been a pretty big. Nothing, no angel, demon, or any of the Others could step foot on Muriel's property without her permission, or at least, that's what Muriel had told her many years ago.

Cold, Ki said curling her arms around herself.

I should say so, Muriel said the shock wearing off and her normal persona coming back out in a flash.

Ki found herself drawn to her feet. She hadn't thought she'd be able to walk any farther, but with Muriel's shoulder shoved under her arm, she found she could manage. The woman didn't take her into a bedroom, but instead led her through the house and out the back door, back into the cold. Ki didn't mind, she knew where they were going. Without waiting for the order, Ki began to strip off the filthy, bloody clothes she had put back on when she had shifted back. They fell to the dead grass, marking the path they took item by item. Muriel made an encouraging humming noise as Ki stumbled the last few feet forward to stand in front of the pool.

Ki swallowed. The pool, at least when she had been younger, had been the main draw for coming to visit Auntie Muriel. Landscaped into the yard, it was much bigger than an Olympic sized pool and deeper in places. During the summer the water was always cool, surrounded by lush, tropical plants and flowers that enclosed the swimmer, making it easy to imagine they were in some paradise and not a little town in a little county in the middle of nowhere. In the winter, the pool was heated to at least ninety degrees, if not hotter, making it steam in the cold air. In the fading light, with dead plants draped around it in grays and browns, it looked like a gaping wound in the earth that led to the fiery pits of hell, but right at that moment, to Ki, it looked like utter heaven.

Two more steps brought her to the edge of the pool and Ki didn't even bother to try to stop herself as she tumbled forward. Head first she fell into the water with a splash. It was so hot, it felt like she had fallen into liquid flame, but the heat, while it hurt, felt so very good. It took no time for the scalding feeling to recede to a pleasant burn, soaking in through her frozen skin to the sore muscles underneath.

Ki sank all the way to the bottom, only stirring when her lungs began to burn from the lack of oxygen. Pushing back up was an effort, but it had to be done. She broke the surface of the water, the droplets flashing in the dim light as she shook her hair back from her face. Tilting her head back, she sank down in the water forcing her eyes to stay open.

For a moment she thought her vision had gone bad, because from the sky brilliant, glimmering lights were floating down towards her. Blinking rapidly didn't clear the sight and Ki worried that she had pushed herself too far before she realized they were actually huge, thick, fat snowflakes. The sudden peace of the moment, the heat from the water, and the chill of the snow landing on her cheeks, stilled Ki's frantic mind and instincts, allowing her muscles to finally relax in a way they hadn't since she had woken that morning and found herself changed.

Better? Muriel asked softly.

Ki nodded, not trusting her voice. A hand reached out and brushed through her hair. Reluctantly, Ki tilted her face so she could see Muriel watching her. Blue eyes ran over her face, the expression not the serene one that she normally wore, but one of worry and concern.

Tell me what happened dearie, Muriel said.

Ki stared at the frail looking woman kneeling at the edge of the