The Next Rotation - The Universe of Fenris Fox
28 September 2006
 
Mini short-story: "Justin Visits Fen's Old Home"

Getting off of the political high-horse I rode for the last two articles, I've written something a bit less stirring. It has symbolism, but no blood. However, something I've been thinking about is finally revealed in this story - Fenris' middle name.

I had to think a while for the key symbol of the story. It will be obvious (to a well-read person) that it's highly similar to many depictions of Lady Justice, and draws also from the Egyptian mythology of the Heart and Feather. However, it has my own spin on it - in particular, the way the heart & feather are traditionally depicted are reversed, and it has been updated and Christianized. So before any fundamentalist zealots jump on my pen, realize that drawing from ancient Pagan mythos in itself isn't bad - they're public domain to build upon. It's more what you do with it, since they're the author's clay to mold.

With this disclaimer out of the way, Fenris presents, without further delay, "Justin Visits Fen's Old Home:"
***
Justin Visits Fen's Old Home
By Fenris F. (Jeff R.)
Written 9/28/2006; Original Web Release, First Edition, 9/28/2006

Sick of playing video games, Justin just cuddled Fen close. It was a bit chilly in the room, so the gentle kitsune had made himself into a fuzzy comforter, his head poking out near Justin's chin.

The pup sighed, as he watched the pouring rain outside his window. "What should we do, Fenny? This stupid rain hasn't let up for hours."

"Well, I have a place I could show you," Fen yerfed.

Justin earperked, then wagged his little woofy tail. "You always show me such nice places. Let's go!"

The fox popped back into a fully-formed body, his eyes glowing bright blue as he opened a small wormhole in the middle of the room. He stepped through first, followed by the pup. When the fur-pair emerged on the other side, they encountered a complex landscape. They were near the center of a small town. An occasional fur walked by - and to Justin's surprise, there were not only foxes, but wolves as well. A few of the foxes had multiple tails - the hallmark of the kitsune. A green, healthy forest surrounded the town, except for a few meager paths. While it was obvious to Justin that these townsfurs had more advanced technology than he did, he was quite amazed that they tended not to flaunt it.

Jus' and Fen walked a bit, eventually coming to a large statue. Standing 12 feet high, it had the characteristic green coating of aged bronze. The stature was of a single-tailed fox, holding a short sword straight out in front of him - but with the broad plane up. A pan balance scale rested on the blade - on one pan, a small cross, and on the other, a large demon-head. Just looking at these items, one would think the scale would tip precariously to the demon-head on the right.

The scale was tipping a bit to the left.

Justin looked at the statue carefully, even sniffing it at one point. Upon looking closely at the face, he came to a startling conclusion. "Fenny, is that you? Holding Salvadore?"

The fox nodded in reply. "This is the village I first started my path toward salvation in, over 9,000 years ago. That statue is on the exact same spot where I picked up Salvadore, defending villagers from a hideous monster."

Justin head-tilted. "But, what does this say?" He pointed to some odd script at the base of the statue (being in Common Kitarian, he couldn't read it - Fen's implantable translator only deciphers spoken Common Kitarian for Justin). "And what's with the scales and the demon-head?"

The fox began to yerf again, "The inscription says, as best I can translate it into your tongue:

HERE, THE IMPOSSIBLE BECAME REALITY;
EVIL BECAME GOOD,
EVIL PROTECTED GOOD.

FENRIS FEDORA FOX
DID MORE THAN SAVE A FEW LIVES OF FLESH AND FUR -

HE HELPED
HELPS
WILL ALWAYS HELP

ALL BEINGS TO SEE SOME GOOD BURIED WITHIN THEMSELVES."

Justin interrupted the fox momentarily. "I never knew your middle name was Fedora."
"It was the name of my grandmother."
"If she's a kitsune, is she still around?"

Fenny lowered his head sadly; a tear fell from his eye. "Nay. Both she, and my mother, were slain in the Vulpo-Lupine Wars - ancient conflicts so terrible, that both sides eventually realized we'd have to make peace and band together, or face our mutual destruction. Our choice is evident in the furs around us."

Justin looked in the distance, and saw a she-wolf kit-sitting, with an armful of tiny fox-kits. He broke the silence of the moment yipping, "You and your comrades were very brave, swallowing your pride and taking your chances at the bargaining table."

"It wasn't easy at first," Fen murred. "Many, including I, lost a lot. But eventually, hatred turned to tension, and tension succumbed to the march of time. We grew closer, to the point where some of us even fell in love, married, and interbred. The end result was what has come to be known as the VLA - the Vulpine-Lupine Alliance. Our nation."

"Fedora did not die in vain, by the look of this place. You have a beautiful world, every bit as much as Furry."

The fox synthed a bench for the pair to sit on. "The scale was my decision," he yerfed.

Justin headtilts, surprised by the out-of-place statement. "What?"

"The scale. It represents the decision I had to make here - and my conscience - on the field of battle, so long ago."

"But how can that tiny cross be heavier than that big head?"
"Because a little bit of faith, can be a massive pillar of strength."

Justin nods. "It's a beautiful statue."

"It originally was to be clad in gold - but I asked them not to. I still think it's too big, too."
"Why?"

"Well, I won't sit here and say I didn't want to be the model for a statue - that'd be a lie; such things are the nature of any of us. But I didn't want them to waste all that gold, and hence wealth - and besides, it would cast a long-lasting shadow of greed upon me. We agreed on bronze; that way, God could slowly add his own color - the pigment of time. I may be immortal, but I still change over time. Gold does not, but bronze does. I also insisted I help mine the ore - with no magic tricks. Only my own two paws and simple tools to use, like the mortals I helped here."

"But why is it too big?"

"I didn't want it to be any larger - physically - than the fox that inspired it. I don't consider myself some giant from legends; I'm a simple, six-foot kitsune. Not some 12-foot giant."

"Simply soft," the pup said, cuddling his ancient companion tight, as they watched the twin Kitarian suns set over the horizon.

THE END.
***
SPECIAL COPYRIGHT NOTE: Justin the Wolf-Pup is Copyright (C) 1983-2006 by his player. He has been borrowed in good faith for this non-commercial work of fiction. Anyone who wishes to build upon this work is hereby informed that the character of Justin is likely not covered under the Creative Commons Share-Alike Attribution 2.5 license. The rest of the work, however, is.

DISTRIBUTION AND ATTRIBUTION INFORMATION: If you wish to distribute this work, it is sufficient to copy it, in its entirety, when redistributing it (including the title, by-line, and version information at the beginning of the work; as well as this footer). This will include the by-line, which will suffice as the form of attribution to the author required by the Creative Commons Share-Alike Attribution 2.5 license. I, the author, do not care whether redistribution is done in electronic or printed form. And, if you're still reading this footer, thank you for caring about my wishes, and reading my work. =:o)

 
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Assorted writings & artwork of a furry. Sometimes presented from the point-of-view of the author's "fursona" (personal furry): Fenris "Fenny" Fox, the futuristic kitsune.

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