The Mysterious Word Tree

Her feet felt cold.

Excruciatingly cold. It seeped into her through the pores coated her soft skin. Then started to slowly spread to every path of her body. Every last cell.

She shivered. Taking a harsh breath at the unexpected stimuli in her veins. Her fox instincts purred subconsciously in delight wanting to shift badly to bask in the heavenly feeling. The cold was spreading slowly then began to circulate over and over again. Then stopped in her fox spirit core positioned at her very centre of her chest before repeating the whole euphoric process again.

Unknown to her, Hazel's pink sapphire eyes glowed brightly and as if in response the blue lake shimmered more brightly with a faint sense of pink.

Beside Grandpa, the priest's dull hollow eyes widened in horror. His hands trembled in dread, shaking like a leaf in the wind. He then squeezed his eyes shut before opening them again.

His eyes were dimmer than normal. Apart from that it seemed the reaction never occurred even once.

Hazel slowly walked towards the altar. Her feet went deeper in to the lake until it settled to her chest.

Her clothes submerged in the water was beyond drenched. She partially transformed once more as her humanoid nails elongated into fierce claws.

Quickly making a deep cut she poured some drops of her blood from the wound onto the altar before it healed.

The blood slowly landed on the ancient altar.

Hazel's soft lips muttered an Elvish prayer she was meant to learn for this only moment.

" Nature is your soul. Nature is your teacher. In the end... the very end. The sun, the three moons and the truth shall always exist. A reminder of its presence. A scale of life... A scale of Truth. Be art my guide to the very path beyond it's entrance."

She crouched entering the deep lake. Kneeling silently. Her humanoid shape couldn't handle the lack of oxygen for so long, so she shifted.

Bones broke and mended painfully into a white fox bigger than the size of a grizzly bear. Red marks on her fore head. Pink sapphire eyes darkened into darker shades of red, glowing brightly in the blue shimmering lake. Eight tails proudly spread behind her. Like a crown. Her aura blazing making any weaker fox submit to her without a fight.

She then fell into a trance.

Her mind transported into the massive tree that towered above her.

The two foxes that watched were surprised. One thought ringing in their minds.

'She was assimilated into the Word Tree so easily?!'

Hazel creaked open her eyes, groggily.

She found herself on the floor.

In the middle of nowhere!

Her sense buddled. She could only prop herself up with her elbow. Her whole body ached so badly in exhaustion. She checked her energy reserves to discover it empty

'Did entering the Word Tree really was so easy?'

It was suspicious, of all stories she had heard of this was certainly new. It was almost as if- it was waiting for her.

Hazel shuddered.

She succeeded in sitting down in a painful crouch. Her bones creaking heavily. Her vision was dark and blurry trying to adapt to the intense light around her.

Her sight cleared a bit enough for her to notice the strange place she was in.

Everywhere was white.

She was on a road...but it had no beginning, no destination, nor ending.

Her eyes widened.

'Where am I ?'

"Hello?"

She called out, her body tensed. Any sudden movement could away her fragile body to the ground and sitting back up again was not an option.

In response, she got her voice echoed back to her. Almost mockingly. The sheer force of the echo knocked her flat to the floor. Again.

Her eyes rolled angrily.

"Oh c'mon you got to be kidding me!!"

She then let out a series of unintelligible curses in her Elvish dialect.

Her muscles strained and ached unbearably. And hell it was distressing.

She had never felt so weak in her entire life. An uncontrolled groan slipped out her lips before she could contain it.

Everything felt so surreal.

"Anyone... please."

Her vision darkening. She repeatedly blinked to gain her bearings before she lost conciousness. When she spotted something staring down at her in disdain.

"Looks like am finally running mad."

She muttered quietly to herself.

"No not...yet. I think."

A soft subtle voice echoed in her mind.

Hazel's eyes almost bulged out from her sockets. Her vision regained clarity

Not missing any speck of the big white fox staring down at her.

"W..What?!"

'Nice to meet you, Elvish Princess Hazel Sirae Hamilton.'

The voice still echoed in the Chambers of her mind. Soothing her. Leaving her feel refreshed. The Fox grinned at her. It's ruby eyes glinted in mischief. It mirrored her Fox form with the exception of the eyes. It was bloody red in contrast to her soft pink sapphire eyes, making it look menacing and dangerous. Then there was the mark on the Fox's forehead. It was like a scar.

A black crest of something they looked like the moon. Which was strange, because Elvidia had three moons. In every description of the moons they couldn't be written or drawn without the other.

Could one moon exist...alone?

"Who are you?"

'Oh me?' the voice reduced to silent whispers. But it was audible, commanding and clear.

'Am you.'

The Fox's expression was relaxed, the kind which wouldn't move even if the Elvidia was rotting in flames.

'What do you mean by that?'

The Fox was her? Behind the Fox was nine powerful tails, all spread out in it's full glory. It was almost mystical and alluring.

It drew her.

Hazel shook her head, clearing the hazy thoughts of her mind being manipulated with new memories of her identity. Every information screaming within her, seducing her, luring her to believe the lies that were concoted in her mind.

One of the powers of a fully fledged nine- tailed.

Mind Manipulation.

Hazel was shocked how the Fox shamelessly claimed her entire life...in just few breaths!!

'Hmmm. Am surprised you resisted. You have an extremely powerful mental fortitude for an ordinary eight-tails pup.

Hazel glared at it. Hating the way it's grin stretched out, almost evily.