Fox Life

The change in atmosphere left Iris dumbfounded. One moment Kyro was holding her at a distance like a venomous snake, but the next, he hugged her close to him, refusing to let go. Coupled with his words earlier, his reaction to her as a fox seemed much more amiable than that to the human her.     

It hurt a bit, but she refused to see the human her as her only self. If staying an animal was a better way to earn his trust, then she would do that. What did it matter to her which form she was using?     

A voice deep within her tried to disagree, but she quickly shut it up and buried ten feet under. There was no reason to worry about things that couldn't be changed. He didn't like seeing her as a human, so she simple wouldn't turn back. If it happened by an accident, she could easily remedy the situation with her newfound knowledge.     

For the next couple hours, Kyro just chatted with his mom, who was like a hawk watching his every move. Somehow, she had gotten into her mind that he hadn't been kind to his pet fox and should be observed for misconduct.     

It would have been hilarious had the situation not been what it currently was. Iris had gotten used to seeing herself as a fox before, accepting that actions seen weird and outrageous between humans were not so for a pet, but… Now that Kyro knew who she was, he was acting awkward around her fox form, and she couldn't help getting infected with it as well. Lying on his knees in front of his mom suddenly seemed a very inappropriate thing, even if she kept telling herself she was no human.     

The two hours passed at the speed of a snail in winter.     

When the doorbell finally rang, Iris jumped off Kyro's knees with eagerness. The torture was finally over! She quickly ran off the sofa and away from the older woman, who had a smiling face but actually hid the nature of the devil.     

Once Kyro brought the food to the table, his mother went to wake father up. In the meantime, Kyro went to the kitchen and caller Iris over. She came to him, wondering what he was planning. Was she going to get an earful for her bad acting skills? It wasn't her problem that he was that uncomfortable around her fox form!     

"Do you want your dinner?" he asked instead. His expression was a touch weird, like he himself found it hard to believe he was saying that.     

The thing he meant by her dinner was a box of insects. She looked at them, grimaced, then nodded. If people said this was the diet of the fennec fox, she might suffer repercussions for not following it.     

With determination to remain healthy, she ate half of the crickets and mealworms in her bowl. 'This should be enough, right?' She then looked at Kyro, who hadn't moved yet. He didn't react, so she screamed at him lightly. 'Come on, give me something to wash away the taste!'     

He didn't understand, however, so she started making head motions toward the refrigerator. A few moments later, he understood it. Opening the door up, he looked inside and took out box of leftover blueberries. There were only a small handful left of them, but for her, it would be aplenty.     

She only got half of them, though. Angrily, she screamed at him, but he just shook his head. "Where would you fit all of them? Leave some for tomorrow." She screamed at him a few more times to express her disagreement, then went to enjoy the blueberries. They were quite filling, but she was still unhappy to have been denied the whole lot of them. Even if that would have resulted in her being unable to move for the rest of the evening.     

The family then sat down to eat dinner, and she came to lay under the table. It would have been more comfortable on the sofa, but she didn't dare risk Kyro's mother forcing her son to 'treat his pet better'.     

While they ate, mother returned to her favorite topic - trying to get Kyro married. "Julia's birthday is around the corner. Have you prepared for it?"     

"I've got a gift," Kyro answered, sounding like he really wanted to be anywhere but here, having this conversation. "I thought we understood each other before. I'm too busy to go to her party."     

"That's not good enough! You need to go, it's her eighteenth birthday!"     

"All she wants from me is a gift, so I'll give it to her."     

"She's your closest cousin, how can you be so cruel to her? She needs you by her side at such an important occasion! Your father and I are too old, and her father isn't there to take care of her. Who's going to protect her from the wolves that will swarm her now that she's of age?"     

The mother sounded desperate, but Kyro didn't seem to agree with her opinion. After a few more bites, he muttered, "Protect Julia? I think the one in need of protection will be the guy she decides she likes."     

"Don't talk nonsense. You need to be there for her." Kyro didn't answer, so his mother swiftly looked for a tool to use against him, and her eyes landed on Iris. "Do it, or I'll take the fox from you for being incapable of giving it a warm and loving home." She smiled with satisfaction at such a great idea of hers, but Iris just shook her head. This was way too simple a plan.     

"You do know nothing will happen even if I go there, right?" Kyro said, finishing his meal.     

His mother crossed her arms. "I don't know, and neither do you. Maybe someone will catch your eye there. That's what parties are for, to socialize and meet people."     

"Just go there, son," father said, opening his mouth for the first time. "We're not young anymore, and it's hard to see you all alone. When we're gone, who will be there for you? Who will you have to turn to in case of trouble? Life without someone to trust is not something we've ever hoped for you."     

"I know." Kyro's expression softened instantly, and he nodded with a sigh. "I know. So I'll go there, but don't expect miracles. I really don't see that I'm missing something by not having a girlfriend."