Chapter 2: At the Same time, but elsewhere
~AROUND THE SAME TIME~
Frey finally reached her destination. A red fox was waiting for her.
"Who are you, miss?" Frey asked.
"I am known as Roxxy. Are you the one who was sent here?" The grey fox bowed her head.
"I am. I come bearing a message to the Council." Roxxy nodded once.
"Come with me, one who hails from the cold of winter."
Frey did as Roxxy said, following through autumn trees to a very large oak whose branches and roots surrounded an enormous patch of ground filled with the early-rising creatures of fall. The red fox led Frey across the hollow, weaving through vibrantly colored animals doing their business. The fox of autumn slipped through a gap in the oak's roots that was just large enough to get through. Frey followed, crawling through a tunnel of smooth dried mud, and on the other side Roxxy sat. "Wait at this point as I alert the Council of your arrival." Frey nodded and the red fox padded off.
The red fox returned, nodding once at Frey, who understood and trotted past Foxxy into a large area inside the oak. It was filled with foxes of red, with one grey fox, one golden-furred fox, and one with mint-green fur. Frey bowed her head in respect, waiting to be spoken to. "Young fox of winter," said a low voice. "What is this message you bring?" Frey looked up at the speaker. He was a young red fox, in the peak age of his life, whose ears were tipped with silver. "Lady Chilliar, our leader, has sensed of a great darkness coming from the north. She believes those of the forgotten season have not been extinct, and are preparing an attack of massive proportions." A low murmur went around the circle. "When is the expected time of their arrival?" Frey looked toward the owner of this new, softer voice. The grey she-wolf had blue eyes that seemed to stare into Frey's soul. "None can tell as of now," said the messenger. "But our Lady hopes that with the help of the other seasonal leaders we can find out and stop this coming darkness." The creature appeared behind Frey, the one that sang and nurtured the wind. Her voice bellowed, shadow dripping from her skin. "Darkness is coming... you will all be taken.... unless... Peace. Peace comes once a world. Peace is purity and true. Find the one."
'The one...' Frey thought.
"You are dismissed," said the fox with silver-tipped ears. Frey bowed her head and exited, trotting toward winter. "Who...who is the one? What are they?" These questions plagued the young grey fox. Creature (as the birds called her) disappeared in her shadows, leaving them quickly without another word. But before she left, she looked at Frey and smiled, knowing her confusion.
Roxxy saw Frey leaving to go home. She caught up to the grey fox. "I know what the one means," she said. Frey looked at her, suprised. Roxxy continued. "It ties into the Legend of Light. You know that legend, yes?" The grey fox nodded once. "Do you know of the prophecy of Four?" "No. What is it?" Roxxy glanced around. "Not here. Follow me, one of winter."
In a small hollow, hidden within the trees, Roxxy left Frey to wait. "I'll be back here soon." Frey lay down, deciding to take a small nap.
Roxxy returned with two other foxes. One had mint-colored fur. The other's fur was gold. "Wake up, you of winter," she said as she poked Frey with her nose. The grey fox opened her eyes, springing to her paws upon seeing the new pair. "Who are these two, Miss Roxxy?" The red fox turned to the others. "This is Moxxy, a spring fox," she said, pointing her nose at the mint-colored one. "And that is Fold. He's from summer." Moxxy bowed her head. "It is pleasing to meet one of winter," she said. "And I am happy to have the opportunity to speak with a spring creature." Frey replied. "What's with the formality? We're all friends here, right Roxx?" Fold spoke up. The grey fox stared wide-eyed at the new male. "Forgive him." Roxxy said. "Those in summer tend to be loud."
"I see..." Frey said. Roxxy sat in the center; the others circled around her. "You are here for a reason. You have all been chosen by an unknown force. You each can speak as the elders despite your youth. I am no exception. You all know the Legend, yes?" Nods from all the others. The red fox took a deep breath. "There is a prophecy very few know of. It is called the Prophecy of Four." The foxes surrounding her tilted their heads. "I'll explain further. This is the Prophecy, spoken by a dying ruler:
At a time when all seems well
One will break the frozen spell
One of blood disappeared long past
Will by chance start the war at last
And those who died so long ago
Will rise and attack the peace you know
From the North shall come the ones from dark
And strike those living in Winter's heart
Next to go shall be the Thaw
They all will fall to Shadow's maw
Summer will by no chance be spared
Darkness shall come and leave it bare
Last of all Autumn will be
Shadows will consume each tree
And this shall continue with much haste
'Till all that's left is a land of waste
And unless the seasons can unite
This will happen as armies collide
But only Four will have the power
To merge them all at Darkness' hour
And when all things are said and done
None are at fault beside the One”
All four sat silently. "So...we have to unite the seasons? That doesn't sound too hard." Frey said. Moxxy replied, "But not everything is as it seems. Even now, the darkness is moving toward winter." "Which means the spell has been broken." Roxxy finished. Frey's eyes widened. "The One! That's what it meant!" The others were confused by this. "Listen, when I was talking to the Autumn Council, something behind me said to find the one. That being must have broken the spell, setting the darkness fre. We have to find them now!" She stood and ran out of the hollow. Moxxy followed Frey out into the darkness of the forest. "Wait! We can't be hasty with a thing like this!" She tripped over a log and fell down a ditch, smashing into something warm and black as midnight.
Creature breathed slowly, a smile playing on her face. Delicately, she picked up the fox that had fallen. At her touch, the air around grew still. Moxxy's eyes snapped open. Upon seeing the thing holding her, they widened. "Who...are...you..." ]Creature smile widened, as her words left her.
"I . a m . a . f r i e n d . . . . S e e k . t h e . . o w n e r . . . ." She quickly set the fox down, and disappeared, without leaving a trace. Except for a white feather. Moxxy blinked, shocked at how quick the meet was. Then she looked at the thing that caused her to hit the ground. It looked like a fox with a pure black pelt. It opened its eyes. "Who...are you?" Its voice was male. "My name is Moxxy. What's your name? And what season are you from?" "I'm...Drox...but...what's a season?" said the male. Moxxy's eyes widened. "Come with me," she said, and gently picked Drox up by the scruff of his neck, dragging him back to the hollow. Drox was scared. He'd never met another fox before. "Where are you taking me?!" Moxxy only grunted in response. 'Is this about that flash of darkness from the seal?' thought the black fox.
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