The Real Curse

"Mmhm…" Ren moaned softly as she woke up.

Opening her eyes, she was in a closed room, surrounded by rigid walls, lying on a soft bed, as two strong hands hugged her from behind.

"I'm back at the Pass…?" She murmured as she gently caressed the hands holding her naked body, snuggling backward as Leinor's voice came whispering into her ears.

"Yes. You finally woke up; you were out cold for three days."

"Oh… I hope I didn't miss something important." She giggled as she turned towards him, and both of them lay naked.

"How are you feeling…?" He asked, with a concerned voice, stroking her messy hair and pushing it behind her ears.

"I'm fine. It was… just… the presence of it overwhelmed my mind. That's all."

"You sure? You were pale and cold… you scared us to death!"

"I'm fine. You worry too much!" She smiled, then slowly closed in, kissing his lips, and soon they just held each other, sharing a long and warm kiss. "Fufufu~ Someone is feisty down here… I can feel it poking around. What, you want to eat me up?" she giggled provocatively. "Or you already did while I was asleep?"

"Don't say stupid things. I would not do that!" He pecked her lips.

"I hope so; I want to remember the first~ After that... "She leaned closer, gently biting his earlobe. "I wouldn't mind waking up to it~."

That was when the door opened, and Anya walked in, seeing them on top of each other as the blanket was half down from their bodies.

"You finally woke up!" She let out a relieved sigh, wiping some tears from her eyes before calming down, recomposing herself, "And I see, you feel okay! When you finish, come, breakfast is ready!" She looked at them one more time before closing back the door.

"That was… awkward," Leinor murmured.

"Yeah, I thought she would freak out. But hey, isn't this a direct acknowledgment for us? What are we waiting for?"

"Not now… not here. You just woke up. You may still be weak…." He said with a worried light in his eyes.

"Haahh… you!" She moaned, frowning, then her stomach suddenly rumbled loudly, making both of them laugh, "I'm hungry…."

"See? Let's get dressed, and we will go down and eat something!"

"Mmm… I think I will start with the dessert." Ren revealed a slight grin as she went under the blanket.

"Wha- Ren… ah!" Leinor stifled a moan as her voice came from under the white sheet blanketed over them.

"There is a fine breakfast sausage here; let me taste it, don't worry, I'm a quick eater! It won't take long~" She laughed softly before only Leinor's quick breathing, and some satisfied slurping sounds filled the dark room.

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….

"What took you so long?" Anya grumbled softly as she placed the grilled meat, cheese, and baked potatoes in front of them. Only the four of them were there now as Xendar filled the mugs with hot tea.

"I needed to recover some energy, you know how careful Leinor is, yet it took a bit more time than I expected; he gave so much I had trouble consuming it." Ren laughed while Leinor didn't know where to even look.

"Are you feeling okay?" Xendar asked with a concerned look.

"How many of you will ask this? Every person I meet? Yes! I'm fine. You know my senses are sharp; I was the one who felt it anyway. I just overestimated how strong a presence it has! My mind was overwhelmed for a minute when I let my guard down. It won't happen again!"

"Still, It would be best if you won't stay and headed back to the Capital."

"What? No! Father, no! I still have a lot of things to do!"

"I told you." Anya rolled her eyes.

"But…"

"It's a bad idea," Anya repeated.

"Mom?" She looked at her, surprised as she usually took her father's side but now she went against him.

"The gorillas are here. They are camping in front of the pass." Xendar explained.

"Woah. All of them?" Ren stood up.

"Yes, they escorted you back and said they are waiting for you to recover." Anya nodded, even though she was surprised when it happened.

"Huh. That's good news! What about their previous home, and what about the old cathedral?"

"I flooded it before leaving." She recounted the events to her daughter.

"Mmm… that's good. I think demon folks are more sensitive towards it, they won't resettle there, but it's best if we also avoid that place for now." Ren sat back in her place.

"I read the report… is it true?" Xendar asked.

"Yes, Father, and it was incredible! I wish I am strong enough to-"

"Forget it. I forbid you to ever go there. Gods or Devils, I don't care; you won't study a relic that could kill you without noticing! Absolutely not!" The General thundered, shooting down his daughter immediately.

"Ugh… o-okay. Noted. I wasn't expecting to go back anyway…." She murmured, but in her mind, she added a "yet" with a smile.

"Good! After dealing with our new friends and camping outside, I want a full report on everything from your perspective. Got it?"

"Yes, Sir!"

"Okay, enough! Let's eat!" Anya cut in, and soon she was hand-feeding her daughter, which she did not refuse, enjoying the attention.

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…..

"Savior." Kang came up when she saw Ren closing in with Leinor.

"Woah, don't call me that, just Ren, okay?" She blinked with surprise.

"Master!" Poli and Zern rushed up, too, looking relieved now.

"So you woke up, huh? You owe me a lot; you were so cold it was like holding a block of ice!" Isha said, shaking her head, but her eyes reflected a happy light, seeing Ren up and running again.

"She kept you warm when Leinor was resting and recovering from pouring his energies into you." Zern smiled, but Isha just rolled her eyes.

"Thanks, everyone. Sorry to scare you. It was just an accident. How're things?"

"It's fine." Feynor came up with a big smile, patting her on the shoulders. "We talked with Kang and Shaman and are thinking of establishing a new village where the Fairies are now."

"Oh?" She raised her eyebrows. "That sounds perfect! Will there be a problem between the tribes?"

"No." Kang shook his head. "We not like fight. We want heal, we help protect littles living and new home. I promise."

"I'm happy to hear that! This is great; the chimps may be a little rowdy, so you will need to regulate them too, but I think Niji will manage it well. This will be nice, different tribes living together, a great advertisement!"

"Adv… advin… adven… what is Ren say?" Kang scratched his head.

"We should build a new city. With proper planning, housing, running water, sewers, whatnot." Ren ignored him, continuing.

"You mean-" Feynor said with a thinking voice.

"I mean, we build a modern city for them. Not like the Capital, which would take too many resources, but… let's call it a town, maybe. Correct housing, with the essentials. You saw them, they already mostly occupy old ruins, they are drawn to our lifestyle. Also, if other tribes see how they live, it could be a great incentive to make them join us! This is a perfect wrench into their plans. If they have any! While the others, who know how many tribes, vie for dominance, here comes a coalition of other tribes opposing it. This will help us out too!"

"You speak much. Like Shaman. Head hurts from many words." Kang said, rubbing his giant head.

"Ahaha, sorry, sorry~ By the way, where is Shaman?"

"Went back to his tribe. The one you kicked in…" Poli said, holding back his laughter. "In the balls, came back. Now with the correct attitude. He is willing to sit down to talk, but first, he wants to have a rematch with you."

"Mmm, sure."

"Hell no! You are in no shape to fight yet!" Leinor cut in forcefully.

"Yes, I am. Don't worry; it won't be a death match." She laughed cheekily.

"They should arrive back with their tribes in 4 or 5 days."

"This all comes together nicely. Let's go; I miss Rem. Let's visit them and start planning how the new village will be built with everyone!"

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Far away from them, between the hills, where a populated, big town decorated the valley, filled with wooden houses, fox girls and boys were running around on the dirt roads, playing tag, filling the streets with laughter.

Some of them still resembled their furry counterparts, only they were walking on two legs, and their fur was slowly receding, only covering their private parts as they became more and more human-like. As they slowly aged, they shed their animalistic traits, while the adults all looked like humans with big, fluffy fox ears and tails.

Emi was sitting on the roof of one of the houses, watching the children, brushing her foxtail. She looked like an enchanting young girl, wearing shorts and a tank top, revealing much of her white skin, clear as snow, with a perfect contrast to her red ears and tail.

"Come to me, Emi." came a whispering voice as a shudder rushed over her, but she immediately disappeared from the rooftop, speeding up the hill behind the town and disappearing inside a cave.

Soon she was kneeling before a hot spring, where her tribe… her species leader, Rumira, slowly stood up. She was the only white fox among them and the strongest, wisest leader throughout their history. Also, the one whose charm knew no bounds and many maids, the ones before Emi, were enchanted by her presence.

"It's inevitable…." Emi thought to herself, trying not to look up as her beating heart pumped blood everywhere inside her body, making her feel the burning within as she tried to regain her composure.

Every maid throughout history was chosen at birth, raised accordingly, and offered to Rumira to be her voice. Most of the maids could last a century or sometimes less before falling for the charm of Rumira and being lost in their own lust and infatuation with her. When that happens, the mother of all foxes embraces her children, giving them what they want as a final gift before parting from this world. It's an honor and a curse for both of them.

Rumira took a small peek at the young girl, letting out an inaudible sigh, looking at her with warmth and love in her eyes, knowing yet another young one would be a victim of her presence that she couldn't control. Yet, in a bizarre twist, she was also happy because there was Someone she could talk to. Living inside her hole, since who knows when to shield her people against herself, had a toll on her mind.

"There was a presence that swept through the forest. It was a brief moment, but I felt it." She opened her mouth.

"A… presence?" Emi asked, unsure what she meant.

"Yes. Something that I had never met before. I don't know what it was, but it made me feel… threatened."

"..." She looked up with shock, and as their eyes met, she gulped, bowing her head back down.

"I want you to go south, around the Living Trees. It came from near the human borders. Scout out and gather information about strange occurrences in the past year. Don't miss anything! Also… check on the monkeys. There should've been talk of fights, but no news has come up yet. Report back to me if you find anything. Don't be away for more than a year!"

"As you wish, Lady Rumira."

"Go now and be safe!"

Emi bowed once more before leaving as Rumira slowly walked to a small table, sitting down, letting her beautiful, voluptuous body relax, gently reaching for an old bottle, pulling out the cork, tasting the fragrance of the wine, holding it up to her tiny nose.

"The humans knew how to enjoy life… oh, how I'll miss drinking it when I run out of it!" she smiled sadly, taking a big gulp. "I forgot how it feels to bathe in the sun. Maybe that presence can help me. Or at least release me from this prison of flesh." she sighed again, taking another gulp, looking at the empty table as her eyes were dim and lonely. Her thoughts slowly submerged themselves in her old memories of a different time when she was nothing more than just a little fox growing up. A drop of wine, like blood, trickled down from her lips, falling onto her plump breast, gently going along the curves before slowly hanging around a little before dropping down to the floor, quickly accompanied by clear, crystal-like teardrops.