Facing The Aftermath

Madam Odette's bed is made out of some soft material with the softest sheets you could ever imagine. It sucks you in and holds you there while you're drifting around dreamland. After spending who knows how long in it dozing, drifting, and blacking out; I am not tired. Just laying in bed isn't being productive, yet I know the moment I stand up Madam Odette will have at my throat for not taking it easy as I should be. Even though I can't sleep, that doesn't mean I can't be at my level of comfort.

A pillow backrest is the best option for this. She has enough of them on the bed I can almost encapsulate myself in them. With nothing else at my disposal, I reach for Madam Odette's book on the nightstand. I skim over the back quickly getting a feel for it. Seems like it's an older romance slash adventure book that's part of a series. "Romance the Ruby huh? Part of a gem set I would guess." There are a few others alright; Embrace the Emerald, Sultry with Sapphire. How do people come up with these names? I'll bet they all follow the same premise too. A hunk of an adventurer travels to parts unknown that no one dares to go to in search of a mythical treasure no one for sure knows exists.

With nothing better to do I crack the pages and start digging into the only entertainment I have. For the past half year, I have been nose-deep in just textbooks, educational materials, theories, and college-level thesis papers. It's nice to have something between my paws that's a step away from it all. A fictional place with fictional characters in an area of the world I have never seen before. It's not my personal preference when it comes to books but I'll take what I can get.

The hours melt away as I go from page to page drinking in the black letters on white pages. Before long I don't even notice myself turning the page. My mind wanders into the story playing it out scene by scene as the pages roll one by one. My mind is brought back when I hear the individual move into the chair beside the bed. Looking over it looks like she's finally going to be up. I take a mental note of my page number not expecting myself to come back to it before I sneak it back on the nightstand. I sit up against the rest made with the pillows watching as she wakes up. I double-check the room to make sure we are alone. With a quick ping, I check around. There is someone outside the door but they seem focused on what's going on outside. The ping may have been a bad idea. I can feel my muscles tense as the magic is released.

Her head comes up as her eyes start to open. Everything must still be foggy to her as she hasn't said anything yet. She blinks as she shifts getting herself up and more proper. "Good morning, sleepy head." She mumbles back at me as she tries to sit up again. I watch as her eyes quickly wake up. As I guessed she would, she lunges from the chair to the bed almost landing on me as she tries to get close. "Oh my god! Red! Are you OK?!" Her paws go all over my face looking at every inch with concern. I have to lightly nudge her back to get some space, "I'm OK. I'm OK. You can relax."

She cups her paws around her muzzle as her face just expresses horror. "You've been unresponsive for almost five days!" Five days… It sure feels like it. Summoning that storm knocked me off my feet for a while too but this is a whole different scenario. "Well, I assure you that I'm feeling much better. I need to be filled in on what's happened but I think for now I can wait."

I just get a nod from her as she tries to hold herself back for the moment. She's still very antsy. The want in her eyes is almost killing me as much as it is her. "Madam Odette, are you going to be OK?" She only nods with some semblance of a noise. I reach out moving her paws off her muzzle, "You can relax now. I'm going to be fine."

She takes a deep breath finally looking a bit more relaxed. She's still not 100% composed. It's not often she's like this but it's a good reminder that she is mortal. She stands trying to impose her powerful self, "I'll call for the doctor to come to look at you again and make sure that you are doing well." There's no fighting her on this one. I put my paws up in surrender.

I'll make her feel better to have a professional look at me anyway. I sit in the bed as she walks out in a simple robe. She must have been here for a while. The chair has a pretty permanent indent in it. The seat stays in shape around her body from the time she spent there. Five days huh? It sure doesn't feel like it. I can see out the window as the light from the sun begins to peak over the house illuminating the backyard. The snow is still deep. I can barely see the top of the water fixture. I can see some tracks and walkways that have been shoveled out for others to walk through.

I sit patiently for what only seems like a few minutes before the bedroom door opens again. Madam Odette is followed by a new face I have not seen before. The gentleman introduces himself as Dr. Honeydew, a very friendly-looking sun bear standing fairly short at 4' 6" -ish. Hard to tell laying down but he has a very friendly demeanor. "How did you get here so fast?" His voice was soft but seemed to carry through the room directly to your ears, "Lady Odette brought me in through the snow and winds as quickly as she could from town."

From town?! That's an hour in normal weather. I'm still kind of surprised he's here. And they kept him here? Madam Odette is a woman of great influence. Seems she's able to get what she needs no matter the hell or high… snow…

Dr. Honeydew sits on the bed bringing his case of medical supplies with him. "OK, first up, just a regular check-up. Temperature, heart, blood pressure, that stuff." He has me go through the motions. He shoves a light in my ear, makes me stick out my tongue, wraps my arm in a blood pressure cuff, and moves my arms in weird ways while he listens to my breath. It's quick but seems excessive. "So far, so good. I need you to lay on your stomach so I can see how your injury has healed."

I do as I'm told rolling over with a pillow under my chin. I feel the blanket gets pulled down to the back of my knees when I hear the doctor let loose an exclamation. It's echoed by Madam Odette gasping loudly. It's a little cause for concern, "Why? What's going on?" I twist to try and see. Someone's hand grabs near the base of a tail moving through the fur. It's an ungodly uncomfortable feeling. They're being rather rough with it being such a sensitive area.

I hear Dr. Honeydew stutter for a moment, "Uh, Red, do you… feel any soreness? Or anything uncomfortable about right here?" I can feel him poke a small section of my tail. "Nothing unusual. Just the odd feeling of the hair being messed with."

"OK, OK."

He lets go rummaging around near me. I hear the sheets shifting around with some weight being moved. With a soft mumble, I hear Dr. Honeydew say, "There they are." I look over my shoulder to see him holding some torn-up-looking rags and bandages. They got tossed aside like the waste they are. Dr. Honeydew motions for Madam Odette to follow him to the hallways but before they both leave he turns to me, "You can get comfortable again."

Back under the sheets, I feel toasty again. Even with the fully heated room, the cold from outside seeps in through the large windows across the room. A few flakes are falling giving the area a little bit more of a glisten as the sun reflects off of them. Maybe it's just blowing off the top of the manor yet still gives it a more whimsical view of the buried garden. The moment of beauty isn't shattered by the voices in the hallway but it is disturbed. The two of them are trying to figure something out. Whatever it is, it has them concerned.

I'm also pretty sure that the something is me.

The door opens as the two of them walk back in. Dr. Honeydew is scratching his head with a puzzled look on his face. Madam Odette takes her seat in the chair again crossing her legs and looking at the doctor. He stands at the opposite side against the bed frame still unsure, "I've spent the last four days trying to find a kind way of saying that because of the extreme cold and my lack of tools to properly re-attach your tail that you were going to lose it." He adjusts his glasses yet again in a nervous fit, "Yet it seems I don't need to tell you that you lost your tail as it re-grew apparently! I don't know how! Foxes don't do that! But medical science doesn't seem to apply to you from what Lady Odette has told me so… I guess you're going to make a full recovery at this rate."

That all seems strange. "Wait, you didn't attach my tail?"

"No. I do not have the tools or environment to do that sort of work."

"I'm a bit dumbfounded here. What happened entirely?"

Madam Odette pipes up from my other side, "That will be something you and I go over. Dr. Honeydew was brought here for his medical expertise."

"Which seems to have zero relevance here. Red, you are a strange one. You fought hypothermia that would have killed anyone else, survived a wound that would be crippling to anyone, and somehow you're wide awake, responsive, and seemingly ok in every facility. My recommendation would still be to take it easy for a bit, eat well but light, and rest. That's all I can offer. I'll be here for a few more days until the roads clear so if you need anything or feel off in any way do let me know."

The doctor nods taking his leave as I roll over to my back once again. I cover myself with the sheets again trying to fend off the little bit of draft in the room. Madam Odette still sits beside me and seemingly beside herself as she tries to make more sense of what's going on. "I guess that your abilities of magic and as the nine-tailed fox are more prominent than I had already guessed. I suppose then, we should stop holding you back so much and let you learn." It's an odd excitement to see what I may be able to do where I'm at now. It's been in dire situations that I've been able to pull from this great unimaginable power that I seem to have but no control over. Being shot, saving the garden and the estate, then almost dying in the snow to my murderous and deranged uncle. Never too dull for too long here.

"Madam Odette, if I am going to learn about me or what I am, I suggest that I start with the myth and legend first. This is the first time that I've gotten to see someone who is deranged by the idea that I am a walking legend; from my own family nonetheless. I would like to know who or what out there may want to harm me for being what I am." There has been a strong impending sense of doom hanging over my head the more I learn about magic and the power behind it. A creature of a supernatural being with powers beyond comprehension that has been known through history for bringing disaster with untold force has to have made some enemies over the years.

How many are out there think that I can do this again? How many of them will try to come after me because of some old stories? As much as I hate to admit it to myself the lessons from Badger and Madam Delula will be more applicable than I had thought. Taking in where I am now though, I think I am ok for a while. But I'm not very sure about that either. Uncle Thomas managed to use his standing from within my own family to get close. And now here I am, in bed, was nearly dead for a while, and… right… "Where is Thomas?" This a question I don't want but needs to be answered.

It's a question she doesn't want to answer either. She drops her head with a heavy sigh before she composes herself, "I know you'll need to know eventually. We called local authorities but the roads are preventing them from making it down here. At their order, we left Thomas's body outside. Along with your tail, he cut off." So in that brief moment when I couldn't focus my magic, I did release something that caused him harm or even death. I just nod. It's enough for me to put together what's become of him but there are still questions. "Has his family been informed?"

"We were told not to contact them and that the authorities would let them know that he was involved in an accident on my estate. They would provide more when they know more."

"That's a very indirect way of saying your husband and father tried to murder your nephew and cousin."

"I would try to stray away from saying that directly and let the detective break that news."

She seems rather uneasy about it. This is something new for her. She never really skirts around the fact that something has happened and she is normally very upfront about a lot when it's brought up. I know when to not push too far yet this will be something that sticks with me for a while. This isn't just something that can be shrugged off. Someone tried to kill me. And I ended their life. Being self-defense doesn't make me feel any better that Reed, as much as I don't like him, will not get to see his father come home. And his wife, her husband, the same.

The bed pulls me back into the warm spot where I have been nestled for quite some time. The sheets still want to wrap around me. As I huddle into the warm spot enjoying the high thread count I look over to Madam Odette who seems to have something still on her mind, "This may be an odd request. Can I get some clothes?" I'm still very naked under these sheets. I assume that my previous dress was removed and thrown away. I don't imagine that my bleeding all over myself made them easy to salvage. It would just be easier to toss them.

The plan worked though. It gave her something else to focus on. "We can get someone to brave the snow and grab something from your cabin." Ah right, the cabin… I pipe up, "I'm not sure how viable those may be. In the haste to get here, I'm almost certain that the door was not shut. If it's been snowing for a few days then it may be more of a snow fort by now. Books and furniture included." She regains her confident composure, "We'll salvage and clean what we can. I promise you that."

There she is! That's the Madam Odette that I know. She's got a mission on her mind now so she'll be able to focus on something other than this mess. I wouldn't mind getting my mind off of it myself. In the next few weeks, I can tell this is going to be a rather large pain for everyone.