text: > Continue
  Drew stared at the computer screen. He looked at the numbers there and thought. The numbers were spinning in his head, he could almost see them fit together in a different way. Then he had it! His fingers jumped to the keyboard and started typing. He switched programs and make more updates. Then he clicked the mouse with a flourish, crossed his arms, and sat back.
  
  "There you go, that's going to save another quarter cent, on average, for sure!"
  
  Linda looked around her monitor and said flatly, "Oh, a whole quarter cent. Yeah, impressive. Way to go."
  
  Drew smiled and replied, "A quarter cent on every single transaction and every related transaction. So around..." He looked up as he mentally calculated, then said, "Two point five million dollars by the end of the year."
  
  Linda's mouth dropped open and she couldn't think of anything witty to say to that.
  
  Drew stood up, cracked his knuckles, and then shut down his computer. He called out, "All in a day's work!" He announced to the office, "I'm out!"
  
  He headed past the office of his supervisor, stuck his head in and said, "Yeah, boss, just saved another million. Check your email. I'm going for beer." He stepped back out and down the hallway without waiting for a reply.
  
  Drew stepped into the elevator and thought about how much he liked his life. He worked in a nice building in downtown, and he could stop at the bar on the first floor on this way out to have a beer. He didn't have to worry about driving home because he could just walk the three blocks to his apartment building. He liked what he did, he had a routine, and he was enjoying life.
  
  He stepped out of the elevator and stopped at the bar. The bartender set his beer up as he approaching, knowing he would be there. He nodded to her and took a drink. He thought about his weekend plans: he was going to watch some playoff baseball on tv Saturday and maybe some football on Sunday. He needed to do his laundry, and he could get that done Saturday before the games. Sunday he would just relax before heading back to work. Yes, it was going to be a good weekend.
  
  Drew woke up and looked around. He was confused. He was half on the bed and half off the bed. How did he get there? He shook his head and tried to make his way to his feet. He almost slipped and fell and managed to land on the edge of the bed in a sitting position. He rubbed his eyes and looked at his wrist. For some reason his watch wasn't there. That was more confusing because he never took his watch off. As he squinted, he realized that his shirt was torn. He looked down and saw that was it was regular undershirt, but for some reason it had three different huge tears in it. He reached through the holes and felt his chest – there were no injuries or blood. That seemed odd as well.
  
  He made his way to his feet and looked around. For some reason he was barefoot. The room was a mess, and that was really not like him. How many beers did he have? He always had just one and he had never blacked out in his life. He had heard others talk about that experience, but he'd never ever considered it. He ran his hand through his hair as he pondered what was going on.
  
  He stumbled over to the open laptop and moved the mouse to activate the screen. He typed his password and then looked down to the corner of the screen. He was shocked to see the day and time: it was Monday morning and we was supposed to be at work in 30 minutes! Wait, it was Monday? How did it get to be Monday? What is going on?
  
  Drew moved towards the shower as he tried to recall something, anything, about the weekend. He turned the water on and stripped out of his torn shirt, but couldn't remember anything at all. He stepped into the shower and mechanically washed himself. Looking down he saw that there was actually quite a bit of dirt and filth running down the drain. That didn't make sense, either. He stumbled out of the shower still completely confused. He reached for his watch, but realized for the second time that it was missing. He focused on that for a moment and tried to make sense of it. The only way his watch was missing was if someone had taken it from him. There's no way he would voluntarily take it off somewhere else. Whatever happened this weekend, something wasn't right.
  
  He grabbed some clothes without looking. As he was putting his pants on, he realized he only had a few minutes left before he had to be at work. But the watch really bothered him. He wondered if he should report it missing to the police. That's what people were supposed to do when someone had something stolen from them, right? Or maybe he shouldn't bother, maybe he should just go to work on not really worry about the watch until he remembered more about the entire weekend.
  
  > By Ogre11
  Drew stared at the computer screen. He looked at the numbers there and thought. The numbers were spinning in his head, he could almost see them fit together in a different way. Then he had it! His fingers jumped to the keyboard and started typing. He switched programs and make more updates. Then he clicked the mouse with a flourish, crossed his arms, and sat back.
  
  "There you go, that's going to save another quarter cent, on average, for sure!"
  
  Linda looked around her monitor and said flatly, "Oh, a whole quarter cent. Yeah, impressive. Way to go."
  
  Drew smiled and replied, "A quarter cent on every single transaction and every related transaction. So around..." He looked up as he mentally calculated, then said, "Two point five million dollars by the end of the year."
  
  Linda's mouth dropped open and she couldn't think of anything witty to say to that.
  
  Drew stood up, cracked his knuckles, and then shut down his computer. He called out, "All in a day's work!" He announced to the office, "I'm out!"
  
  He headed past the office of his supervisor, stuck his head in and said, "Yeah, boss, just saved another million. Check your email. I'm going for beer." He stepped back out and down the hallway without waiting for a reply.
  
  Drew stepped into the elevator and thought about how much he liked his life. He worked in a nice building in downtown, and he could stop at the bar on the first floor on this way out to have a beer. He didn't have to worry about driving home because he could just walk the three blocks to his apartment building. He liked what he did, he had a routine, and he was enjoying life.
  
  He stepped out of the elevator and stopped at the bar. The bartender set his beer up as he approaching, knowing he would be there. He nodded to her and took a drink. He thought about his weekend plans: he was going to watch some playoff baseball on tv Saturday and maybe some football on Sunday. He needed to do his laundry, and he could get that done Saturday before the games. Sunday he would just relax before heading back to work. Yes, it was going to be a good weekend.
  
  Drew woke up and looked around. He was confused. He was half on the bed and half off the bed. How did he get there? He shook his head and tried to make his way to his feet. He almost slipped and fell and managed to land on the edge of the bed in a sitting position. He rubbed his eyes and looked at his wrist. For some reason his watch wasn't there. That was more confusing because he never took his watch off. As he squinted, he realized that his shirt was torn. He looked down and saw that was it was regular undershirt, but for some reason it had three different huge tears in it. He reached through the holes and felt his chest – there were no injuries or blood. That seemed odd as well.
  
  He made his way to his feet and looked around. For some reason he was barefoot. The room was a mess, and that was really not like him. How many beers did he have? He always had just one and he had never blacked out in his life. He had heard others talk about that experience, but he'd never ever considered it. He ran his hand through his hair as he pondered what was going on.
  
  He stumbled over to the open laptop and moved the mouse to activate the screen. He typed his password and then looked down to the corner of the screen. He was shocked to see the day and time: it was Monday morning and we was supposed to be at work in 30 minutes! Wait, it was Monday? How did it get to be Monday? What is going on?
  
  Drew moved towards the shower as he tried to recall something, anything, about the weekend. He turned the water on and stripped out of his torn shirt, but couldn't remember anything at all. He stepped into the shower and mechanically washed himself. Looking down he saw that there was actually quite a bit of dirt and filth running down the drain. That didn't make sense, either. He stumbled out of the shower still completely confused. He reached for his watch, but realized for the second time that it was missing. He focused on that for a moment and tried to make sense of it. The only way his watch was missing was if someone had taken it from him. There's no way he would voluntarily take it off somewhere else. Whatever happened this weekend, something wasn't right.
  
  He grabbed some clothes without looking. As he was putting his pants on, he realized he only had a few minutes left before he had to be at work. But the watch really bothered him. He wondered if he should report it missing to the police. That's what people were supposed to do when someone had something stolen from them, right? Or maybe he shouldn't bother, maybe he should just go to work on not really worry about the watch until he remembered more about the entire weekend.[Themes: fantasy, romance, animal perspective, drama, fantasy]
  
  You had always enjoyed your alone time. You could spend hours upon hours at the lake in the woods near your house. You love the serene glass-like surface of the lake and the wild flowers along the bank. Everyday you go out and lay a blanket in the grass and lie there for hours upon hours. The lake was far enough into the woods that it felt like your own little universe there. The lake was very small, and willow trees draped their dangling branches around the edges of the lake. But the main reason you loved it there so much, you could never quite explain. There was an energy to the place. It felt powerful and magical to you, like it belonged in another world.
  
  Today you decide to bring a book with you to the lake to read. Every day after work you change out of your uniform and take your hair out of it's harsh bun. You feel that the peacefulness of the lake and the stress you associate with your job do not mix. Then you grab your old ratty blanket, the one that has spent every day with you at the lake. You always keep it in the closet right by your front door. You spend very little time in your house when you get home from work. What you really look forward to at the end of each day is your little hideaway. Even though you have been there thousands of times before, you always rush to get out the door. But today felt different. While you usually rush there because you love the lake, today it felt like you were practically being pulled to the lake by a force outside you control.
  
  With your book in your hand and the blanket under your arm, you are finally ready to leave. You turn around quickly before leaving to see if you left anything behind. You scan what you can see of your house and realize you are all ready to go. Little do you know you might not ever see your home again.
  
  [Author's Note: Which path will you take... Will you follow the fox or the fawn?]
  
  > go through the door
  You close your door quietly and take a deep breath of fresh air. Day after day you are always astounded by the beauty of nature. You feel more at home in the outdoors than anywhere else in the world. You begin walking to the edge of the woods, just to the right of your house. You don't bother locking the door, your house is in the middle of nowhere and you don't have to worry about anyone breaking in.
  
  You walk into the woods and take the path you have worn down from constantly traveling it, taking you straight to the lake. As you walk into the area, you feel as if you have entered a small sanctuary, a peaceful area hidden away from the chaos of the world. You sigh deeply. You feel content as you lay your blanket down at the lake's edge. There is a patch of grass that is permanently squished down from you putting your blanket there every day.
  
  You place your book gently on your blanket. You are very excited to read this book. It is about what certain mythologies believe about animals. It is like reading fairy tales, but the animals are real and you can see them everyday! Sort of like this place, now that you think about it. It has always felt like something out of a fairy tale. In fact, you have always thought this place was.... otherworldly.
  
  You've never said it outright, but there is something about this place. Not just that it is your getaway, you favorite place in the world. Theres something else... Something you can't explain. It feels even more so today in particular.
  
  You brush off this strong sensation and sit on your blanket. You are excited to dive into your book. You pick it up and open it to the first page when something on the other end of the lake catches your eye. You know this place like the back of your hand and whatever is over there certainly was not when you visited here yesterday.
  
  You want to go see what it is, but, you also want to read your book.
  
  > Go see whats at the other side of the lake
  You begin walking towards the thing you saw in the water. Your book and blanket soon forgotten, you move quickly along the bank. As you get closer the thing you saw before becomes more clear. You think there is something in the water. After all the time you spend here everyday after work, you know that something is out of the ordinary. Whatever is
  in the water up ahead was not there before. You get closer and closer. Your heart is pounding in your chest from excitement and you pick up your pace, walking quickly to the edge of the lake where the water is. When you are finally close enough to see what it is you stop in your tracks. It's... a hole. How could that be possible?
  
  You creep closer to the edge, in awe of this. "What the hell..." you whisper to yourself. You get on your knees at the bank of the lake and lean over as far as you can, trying to get a glimpse down the hole. You can't quite see down it so you get a little bit closer, the water from the lake soaking the end of your dress completely. You are now leaning out so far, you can barely keep yourself steady. But you are desperate to see what is inside the hole in the water.
  
  Finally! You have leaned over as far as you possibly can and caught a glimpse of... well, you don't really understand what you are seeing. You can see trees and flowers on the glassy surface of the water but they do not seem to match your surroundings. You get so caught up in trying to comprehend what you are seeing that you lose your balance and fall
  
  and fall
  
  ...and fall
  
  you go down the hole in the water
  
  > Down the hole in the water
  There is rushing water all around you. You scream and scream but you know no one can hear you. Terror creeps in to your body as you continue to fall. You feel so afraid that you get lightheaded. Water continues to rush down the hole all around you, then... nothing.
  
  The terror was too much for you and you pass out.
  
  > The other side
  You slowly awaken from your sleep. You remember passing out from terror as you fell through the hole. Now, however, you can feel grass beneath you and know you have stopped falling. You peel you eyes open and check your surroundings. You see you are lying in the middle of a meadow with long, wild grass and bright orange and purple flowers blowing in a warm breeze. There is crumbled stone walls throughout the meadow where you assume a maze or something similar used to stand. Even though the air is warm you still shiver. You look down at yourself and realize you are still soaking wet from falling through the hole in the water. You look up and see a wooded area surrounding you just beyond the ruins. In the dusk of the setting sun, you catch a glimpse of something near the edge of the woods.
  
  You stand and slowly walk through the crumbled stone to the area where you saw something. The grass tickles your feet and you realize you are barefoot. As you reach the end of the woods you see a small sleek red fox and a gentle spotted fawn. They stand a fair distance from each other, as if repelled by one another's presence. Their eyes, both pairs staring at you intently, seem to hold more than a regular animals. The fox and the fawn seem strange to you, but then again, you don't even know where you are right now. You wonder if you are even still on earth. Suddenly, the fox and the fawn both run in different directions. The fox scurries straight into a dense area of the woods. The fawn goes the other direction and turns it's head back to you, right before stepping into the woods.
  
  You figure your best bet is to follow one of them.
  
  > follow the fox
  You decide to follow the fox.
  
  The fox has already run off into the woods. You are desperate to catch up to the fox. Something about the animal attracts your attention. Perhaps it is the intelligence in it's eyes or the way it dashed off into the forest, like it knew you would follow. Whatever the reason, you are enticed to follow the fox.
  
  You run and run, panting and struggling to catch up to the fox. The rough terrain leaves cuts and scrapes on your feet. You run through a dense part of the forest. The fox can dodge objects easily but you find yourself struggling to jump over fallen branches and avoid roots on the forest floor. It is tough work keeping up with the fox.
  
  After ages of running, you feel like you cannot run for much longer. You are about to give up and let the fox get away when you see the fox run into a huge hollow tree and disappear. You slow down and catch your breath while inspecting the tree. It has a massive trunk; you could fit a king size bed inside. An archway acts as an opening into the hollow tree. You walk through and find a massive hole in the ground. Great... another hole. The fox must have jumped down it. You have no choice but to follow.
  
  > Into the fox hole
  You prepare yourself and leap into the dark fox hole. You do not know how far you have to fall since it is pitch black, but you do your best to prepare yourself for whatever waits at the bottom. You fall about six feet before you feel yourself land on something metal and slick. You begin to slide down. You realize the way into the fox is hole is on a slide. As you pick up speed, your hair is brushed back in the wind. The trip is exhilarating. When you think you could not possibly go deeper underground, you see a light below you. As you zip closer and closer to it, you see that you are quickly approaching the end of the slide and that the fox is waiting for you at the bottom.
  
  You reach the end of the slide and the fox takes off again. You run after it. As you pass through the long tunnel you try to figure out where the light source is coming from, it seems there is something covering the walls of the tunnel that glows brightly, providing a light as bring as if it were a sunny day. The fox turns a corner and disappears. You dash to catch it and race around the corner. You don't make it very far down the tunnel before you crash into something.
  
  You fall back and crash to the floor. "Whoa there!" You hear a male voice say. As you regain your bearings you look up and see a man with dark hair and olive skin laughing down at you. He wears a red sleeveless shirt with a mandarin collar and black pants. He gives you his hand to help you up and you take it.
  
  "Where did the fox go?" you ask.
  
  He only laughs as a response and turns away from you to walk farther down the tunnel. You gasp as you see a long fox tail coming from his tailbone.
  
  "Follow me." He says, "Don't worry, your fox hasn't gone anywhere. I'm right here."
  
  "How... what?" you say, confused.
  
  He turns around and glances at you, his dark eyes look mischievous. He laughs again.
  
  "Im a shape shifter, love." He swishes his tail. "I shift into a fox, if that wasn't already obvious."
  
  You are amazed by him. "Wow." is all you say.
  
  "Come on now, I'm taking you to the leader of the fox clan, you'll see where we all live soon enough. I'm Tomas, by the way."
  
  You stay silent and continue down the tunnel with Tomas.
  
  > The Great Cave
  "Welcome to the home of the fox clan. We call it the Great Cave." Tomas waves his hand to gesture to the massive cavern in front of you.
  
  Your jaw drops. In front of you is a huge area of underground space, with various tunnels leading in all different directions from the cavern. In the center of the cavern is a huge stone made of the same glowing substance you saw earlier. The massive open space was filled with members of the fox clan, all wearing clothing similar to Tomas'. To the left you see what look like boxing rings with many people fighting in them. Next to the rings, on the wall, is an impressive display of daggers. To the right is a recessed wall that is filled top to bottom with books. The cavern is breathtaking. As a book lover, the massive library was a welcome sight. However, you are not too sure about the daggers and the boxing rings.
  
  "This way." Tomas says.
  
  You both walk around the massive glowing stone. On the other side is a tunnel that is much bigger than the others. A fox face is carved into the stone above the tunnel. You follow Tomas inside. You go through a few twists and turns and finally reach a huge pair of wooden doors. Tomas throws them open without any hesitation.
  
  "Kitsune! We have a visitor!"
  
  You walk into a room littered with books. Sitting atop a raised area was a man lounging on a massive couch piled with fur. He jumps up at the word 'visitor.' He has blonde hair and is wearing what looks like a crown of twigs woven together, with pieces of glowing rock stuck haphazardly inside. His blue eyes light up when he looks at you.
  
  "Well hello small fox. I see you have chosen our path. A very wise decision, if you ask me."
  
  He walks down and off the raised platform and walks over to you. He lifts your hair off your shoulder and observes it. Then he walks 360 degrees around you, surveying you. You do not like being stared at so intently.
  
  "What are you doing?" You say to him, slightly irritated.
  
  "Feisty!" he says. "I like you already."
  
  He climbs back up onto his couch. He smiles mischievously. He has a glint in his eye when he looks at you.
  
  "Come sit with me. I'm sure you're wondering what the hell is going on."
  
  "Yes I am!" You say. "I have a lot of questions that need answers."
  
  Kitsune looks you in the eye, suddenly serious.
  
  "I will answer your questions soon. But first I must ask you... Do you wish to stay here and live in the Great Cave with my fox clan?"
  
  > say "Yes. I will stay with the fox clan"
  Kitsune smiles at you. He has an enticing smile and you relax a bit more in his company.
  
  "Excellent choice, small fox. You are now one of us. Now, let me tell you a bit about the fox clan. The Great Cave is home to the fox clan. We are a breed of shape shifters that can transform into foxes. You made the decision to come to join us, rather than the fawn clan, who shape shift into deer. While they are more rigid and rule-oriented with a strong root in spirituality and beliefs, we tend to be more chaotic and some of us tend to be quite the tricksters. We have had a long rivalry with the fawn, but we are currently living in an age of peace, with no wars between the clans."
  
  You nod, this all is very fascinating to you. Kitsune rubs his hands together.
  
  "So," he begins, "ask me what you want to know."
  
  > Asking questions
  You are finally ready to get some answers.
  
  > Where are you?
  "You are in the Other Realm. It is a world that exists side by side with your realm. We have had a long history of people and things from your realm popping up in our realm. I don't think many of us make it to your realm, though. I have only heard of a few cases. It is more rare to leave here than to come here. Our realm is very different from yours. We are simply a forest, that stretches on for who knows how long. No one has ever traveled to the edge of the woods. Sadly, the exact "where" of this place cannot really be explained, just know that this is your realms neighbour."
  
  > How did you get here?
  "You got here through a fairy hole. They pop up randomly in your realm. They are like passageways to here, The Other Realm. I don't know where your fairy hole appeared in your realm, but every fairy hole over there always goes to the ruins, the place where you first met the fox and the fawn and made your decision. I don't really know the scientific explanation to it but you fell through a fairy hole and here you are."
  
  > Why do you have a rivalry with the fawn clan?
  "Well, there is a legend that is as old as time itself. It starts of with Ari, the first of the fawn clan, and Yohan, the first of the fox clan. Ari and Yohan were best friends. They spent their childhood running through the woods of the Other Realm together. As they grew up, Yohan and Ari became men together. They had always been involved in each other's lives. They were like brothers; inseparable.
  
  One day, as Yohan and Ari were running through the woods, both in animal form, they happened upon a grotto. It was a beautiful oasis which they had never seen before. That was not what held their attention though. A young woman was washing her hair in the clear water of the oasis, humming a tune to herself. She was the most beautiful woman either of them had ever laid their eyes on. The fell in love with her immediately.
  
  The woman's name was Darling. And while she looked like an angel, she was far from it. When she learned that both Yohan and Ari were in love with her, she told them they must fight each other to the death for her love. Ari and Yohan were so in love that they agreed. They met at the ruins, which back then was a beautiful courtyard. They both drew swords, and began to duel. They fought for ten days and ten nights, neither able to get their advantage on their opponent. The entire time Darling watched, enjoying their battle immensely.
  
  After many days and nights of battle Ari and Yohan finally came to a draw. Yohan's sword was against Ari's neck and vice versa. They held their draw for another ten days and ten nights when finally Yohan lowered his sword and said, "Ari, I cannot kill you my brother. But because I cannot kill you, Darling can never be mine, and so I will hate you until the end of time."
  
  Then, Ari also lowered his sword. "You are my brother too, Yohan, but I will too hate you until the end of time because your life is what has come between me and my true love Darling."
  
  They both turned away from each other and walked away from the courtyard. Darling was furious that no one died. She ran screaming through the woods until she burnt up with rage and died.
  
  The fox clan and the fawn clan have hated each other ever since, and that is the story of our rivalry."
  
  > How do you get home?
  "How do you get home? Well you have to find another fairy hole of course! They appear much less frequently in the Other Realm but if you are patient one will appear and you can go through it back to your realm. Unfortunately when you pass through I cannot say where you will end up on the earth. You could pop up thousands of miles away from home. I'm sorry if you wanted to get out of here immediately, but the only answer is to wait and hope you get lucky."
  
  > No More Questions
  "Alright." Kitsune says. "That's enough for one night. Tomas will show you where you will be staying."
  
  Tomas, who was standing by the door the entire time, snaps to attention. You leave the room with Tomas leading you out. Your feet, all cut up from running through the woods, start to ache and you walk with a slight limp. Tomas walks ahead of you and you struggle to keep up, ignoring the pain in your feet. He gets very far ahead of you in the tunnel, but he hasn't noticed you are no longer right behind him.
  
  As he reaches the end of the tunnel, he looks back and realizes how far behind you are. He jogs back to you and notices your cut up feet.
  
  "Oh wow! I didn't notice your feet. I'm really sorry. Just try to walk a bit further, and I'll take you to the medical tunnel."
  
  He offers you his arm and you take it, leaning on it heavily.
  
  "If i had know that run through the woods would rough you up as much as it did I would have slowed down a little." He says.
  
  You smile at him. "It's ok, I was able to keep up."
  
  He laughs and looks down at you. "You're tougher than you look, little fox."
  
  It is slow going to the medical tunnel. You have to walk at a slow pace, with Tomas supporting you. While you would assume your weight would annoy Tomas, he seems to be able to carry your weight and even looks a bit happy to do so. Finally, you make it to the medical tunnel. You reach the threshold of the room with all the medical supplies and Tomas scoops you up and carries you to a nearby chair. You gasp as he lifts you. You were not expecting him to do that.
  
  He starts gathering up medical supplies and brings them over to you. He washes your wounds gently and bandages them. "You should be okay to walk around by tomorrow. I'm sure you're very tired. I'll take you to your room now."
  
  You yawn. With the excitement of the day wearing off, you realize just how tired you are. You can barely keep your eyes open. Tomas notices how you are struggling to stay awake and lifts you up again. He carries you all the way down another tunnel and enters a small room with a bed, a dresser, a table, and a small glowing rock sitting on top of it. He carries you straight to the bed and lowers you gently.
  
  "Goodnight." He says. You are too tired to respond. You close your eyes as Tomas leaves the room. You instantly fall into a deep sleep.
  
  > First day in the fox clan
  You wake up. You are still groggy from sleep and stumble out of bed. You forget where you are for a moment and then everything comes back to you. You snap awake with the realization that you are not in your own room at home, but rather in a cave underground. You stand up straight and raise your arms to stretch you back. You look down at yourself and realize your dress is torn and dirty. However, your feet feel a lot better than they did last night, and you can walk around the room comfortably.
  
  You look at the dresser in the room and notice there is clothing sitting on top of it for you. You change quickly into a pair of black pants and a red top like the one Tomas was wearing.
  
  You pace back and forth, waiting for someone to come get you. You hope it is someone you already know, like Tomas or Kitsune, rather than a random stranger from the fox clan. You decide it is for the best if you do not leave the room and go out to explore, because it is very easy to get lost in the labyrinth of tunnels.
  
  You wait for what seems like ages before you hear a knock on the door. You jump and race to open it. You fling the door open wide and see Tomas waiting for you on the other side.
  
  "Good morning." he says. "Did you sleep alright?"
  
  "I did." You answer.
  
  "Come with me. I have something I want to show you."
  
  You follow Tomas out of the room.
  
  "I'm glad to see your feet are better. How are you liking the Fox Hole so far?"
  
  "It's great!" You say. "I'm really glad i decided to stay here."
  
  Tomas smiles down at you, with a glint in his eye.
  
  "Well, I'm glad you decided to stay too. Come on, you're going to love this."
  
  You leave the room and walk side by side down the tunnel.
  
  > The glowing cave
  Tomas take you through a maze of tunnels. He looks very excited, but no matter how much you ask, he will not tell you where you are going. Just when you start to think Tomas is just taking you on a wild goose chase, you turn a corner and see a larger pair of doors, with intricate carvings all over the doors. As you approach the doors you can see a fox clan man on each door facing each other, looking like they are about to fight. All around them incredible swirling designs are carved into the door. More small pieces of glowing rock are embedded into the door, randomly spread out through the swirling designs.
  
  Tomas turns to you, with a huge smile on his face. "Are you ready?"
  
  "I'm as ready as I'll ever be" you say. Your curiosity is growing. You want to know what is on the other side of the door.
  
  Tomas reaches for the handle and pulls the left door open. You gasp. Inside is a long stone walkway, carved with the same swirling patterns as the door, leading down to a raised platform at the other end of the room. On either side of the walkway, there is no floor. You peer over the edge but all you can see is darkness. The most breathtaking part of the room, however, is the pinpricks of glowing rock splattered across the ceiling. It looks like you are standing under the stars, an entire galaxy just above you.
  
  "I knew you'd be impressed." Tomas says. He presses his hand against the small of your back and nudges you into the room. He closes the door behind you. He offers you his hand and you take it. He leads you down the stone walkway, and stops right before the raised platform. The platform is circular and above it, a large amount of glowing stone forms an image of a full moon, illuminating the platform.
  
  "What is this place?" you ask.
  
  "This is where members of my clan come to perform The Journey." He explains.
  
  "What's The Journey?" you ask.
  
  "It is a test of sorts. As soon as you step to the center of the platform, you fall into a deep trance. Then, you are forced to look inside yourself. You must overcome your fears and even face your own darkness."
  
  "Darkness? I don't have darkness?"
  
  "Everyone has some darkness inside them you must conquer that darkness, along with your own fears. If you are victorious, you will awake from your trance more powerful and with your very own fox tail."
  
  "I'll become a fox shapeshifter?" You ask. You realize that you indeed do want to become a full member of the fox clan.
  
  "Yes you will." says Tomas.
  
  While The Journey sounds scary, you really want to become a fox. But you do have one very serious question.
  
  "What happens if i'm not victorius?"
  
  Tomas's mood shifts and he looks very somber. If you are not victorious, you will never wake up from your trance and you will die."
  
  You start backing away from the platform, terror slowly overtaking you. Death? How could that be worth it. Tomas grabs onto your arms and looks you in the eye.
  
  "Little fox, don't you want to become part of our clan?"
  
  "Yes." you whisper.
  
  "Then you must be brave. I believe in you."
  
  Tomas' faith in you takes away your fear. You become determined to make The Journey. Tomas notices the shift in you and gathers you into a hug.
  
  "I knew i sensed bravery in you! You will make The Journey in a weeks time, and emerge from it victorious!" You hug him back. It is nice for someone to have such a complete faith in you.
  
  "Your training for The Journey will start tomorrow. If you want, I can help you prepare, but it seems Kitsune has also taken an interest in you and wants to train you. The choice is up to you though. Who do you want to train with?"
  
  You know both men will do a good job of training you. Tomas has been very kind to you, but there is also something very interesting about Kitsune.
  
  > train with Kitsune
  You tell Tomas that you would like to train with Kitsune. Tomas looks sad.
  
  "Oh, I was hoping you would choose to train with me."
  
  You feel bad you decided not to train with Tomas, but you think you made the right decision. He leads you out of the cave and back through the tunnels. You pass through The Great Cave again and go down the tunnel that leads to Kitsune's room. Tomas opens the door for you and smiles sadly.
  
  "Good luck with your training and The Journey. Hopefully i will see you again after you become a full member of our clan."
  
  You enter the room and find Kitsune staring at you intently from his couch. He hops down from the platform and sweeps you into his arms.
  
  "Ah, I see you have decided to train with me!" He lifts you off your feet and twirls you around. "Oh, this is going to be very exciting, little fox." You laugh at Kitsune's eccentric behavior.
  
  Kitsune lets go of you and suddenly becomes serious. "This will be a long week for you, and The Journey will be hard, but I think if you work hard you can get through it with no problem." He sits down on his couch and pats the spot nest to him. You sit. He takes your hands in his and leans toward you. Your faces are very close. "I knew from the moment I met you that you were meant to be part of the fox clan. You have a fiery spirit and a strong determination." He drops your hands
  
  "Let's begins. Do you want to start with you fear training, or your inner darkness training?"
  
  > Fear training with Kitsune
  "Alright." He says. "Let's start your fear training."
  
  You breathe deeply. You are nervous to start.
  
  "Okay. Close your eyes."
  
  You close them.
  
  "Think of your biggest fears. Concentrate."
  
  You think about what your biggest fears are. What comes to mind is tight spaces and snakes. You focus on those. You picture these things but the images are more vivid than usual. You continue to concentrate and soon you feel disconnected from Kitsune's room and are whisked away in the vision.
  
  You feel metal pressing against you from all side. You are trapped in a metal box. You begin to hyperventilate. You are absolutely terrified. As you continue to freak out, you start to get dizzy. You know you are verging on passing out.
  
  Suddenly, a voice breaks through your terror. "Control your fear; overcome it." The voice is soothing and you begin to calm down. You imagine the metal walls of the box expanding and you are suprised when they respond and begin moving apart. You keep pushing the walls back until you are in a regular sized room. Your breathing returns to normal and your fear disappears.
  
  "Good job, Now, try doing the same thing again." The voice says. Suddenly, the scene changes and you are standing in a room. In front of you is a massive snake. It;s body is as thick as your leg. You scream and back up into the corner of the room. You are consumed by fear before you remember what the voice said. You imagine the snake shifting into a piece of rope. The vision responds and the snake turns into a harmless piece of rope.
  
  You smile to yourself. You have overcome your fears.
  
  You wake up and see Kitsune sitting beside you. He looks down at you and his crown of twigs and glowing stones slides down his forehead a bit.
  
  "It will be harder when you take The Journey, but you did a very good job."
  
  You feel proud of yourself. You faced your fears!
  
  > Inner Darkness training with Kitsune
  Kitsune asks you to lie down. You lie down on the couch and try to find a comfortable position.
  
  "We are going to start your inner darkness training now." He says. "I need you to picture yourself in your mind and focus on it. Close you eyes."
  
  You close them and imagine yourself. You picture yourself with your hair down, wearing the dress you can to the Other Realm in. Suddenly the image becomes more clear and you feel the room around you fade. All that exists now is you and your Doppelganger.
  
  The you that you imagined comes to life before your eyes changes. She whole image becomes darker, like she is cast in shadows and she has an evil glint in her eye. She begins to pace around you. She looks scary and is intimidating you.
  
  "Look at you." She says. "You're a worthless piece of trash." Her words hurt you. She has a disgusted look on her face.
  
  "You're nothing. Do you hear me?" She lunges towards you and you flinch and jump back. She laughs at you.
  
  "You're weak. You'll never survive your journey." You wonder if her words are true. What she says to you is very hurtful, especially when it's coming from another you.
  
  You hear a voice in the distance say, "She's not real. She's just the darkness inside you."
  
  You stop cowering and stand tall. You face your other you with bravery.
  
  "You are a part of me." You say. "I control you."
  
  She gets a horrible look on her face and screams. She catches on fire and burns away. You have defeated yourself.
  
  You wake up shaking. That was a lot harder than you expected it to be. Kitsune looks at you. He seems upset that you were affected so much by this part of the training.
  
  "I could tell that was hard for you." He says. "But you did overcome your inner darkness."
  
  He lifts you up off the couch. "It's going to be harder on your actual Journey, but I believe in you."
  
  You smile and stop shaking. Even though training was rough, you know you are prepared for The Journey.
  
  > finish your training
  A week has passed and you have finally finished your training. You are scared and nervous for The Journey, but you are ready. Kitsune has trained you well. Kitsune intrigues you. He is eccentric, but you cannot help but find him fascinating. Maybe that is why you decided to train with him. He seems to have taken an interest in you too
  
  In the morning, he comes to pick you up from your room and you both walk silently through the tunnels. As you two leave, Kitsune shifts into a fox and leads you to the glowing cave you visited with Tomas. Your heart is pounding. You hope you make it through The Journey and earn your fox tail.
  
  Kitsune shifts back to human form and opens the massive door for you. You slowly enter the room. The glowing stone shines brightly down onto you and Kitsune. Kitsune takes your hand. Your hand sweats in his, you are very nervous.
  
  "Theres no reason for you to be nervous." Kitsune says. "I've never meant anyone like you. You are strong willed and I am confident you will make it through The Journey."
  
  He walks you down the pathway and stops in front of the platform. You turn to face him.
  
  "Thank you for your help training me."
  
  He nods in response. You turn away from him and face the platform in front of you. You breathe deeply begin to take your first step on the platform, your heart pounding. Suddenly, you feel a hand grab you from behind. Kitsune pulls you around to face him.
  
  "Just in case." he says, then kisses you.
  
  > kiss him back
  You kiss Kitsune back. His hand wraps around you as the other slides into your hair. You wrap your arms around his shoulders and deepen the kiss. You didn't know Kitsune felt this way about you, but you are more than happy to kiss him back. His lips are soft against yours but eager. He tastes sweet and you loose yourself in the kiss.
  
  After a few minutes, you and Kitsune break apart. You are both panting. You look into his eyes and try to calm your breath. He stares back at you. He reaches his hand out and takes yours.
  
  "Good luck." He whispers.
  
  You turn away from him and once again and face the platform. You step one foot up on the platform and turn back to look at Kitsune.
  
  "I'll be waiting for you right here." He says. There is hope in his voice. With one last look, you turn away and walk onto the platform.
  
  > The Journey
  Your vision immediately goes black. You cannot see anything. Your eyes begin to slowly adjust and you can just barely make out that you are in some sort of tunnel. The tunnel is deep underground and you are surrounded in darkness. You take a few steps forward then hear the walls of the tunnel start to slowly move closer together. Your fear of tight spaces makes this extremely frightening for you. Your heart pounds faster and faster. You do not know what to do. Maybe if you run down the tunnel, you can make it to the end before the two walls close together and crush you. But then again, this is meant to test you and make you face your fears, so maybe running down the tunnel will not work
  
  What do you want to do?
  
  > walk down slowly
  You decide to walk down the tunnel slowly. To your suprise, your heartbeat slows and you feel the fear that was once eating away at you subside. As you regain control of yourself, you notice that the walls around you have stopped moving in. You have overcome your fear of tight spaces.
  
  You continue to walk along the tunnel, and after a while, you begin to hear hissing noises. You keep walking and feel something slither over your feet. Snakes, you realize. You continue on, walking more cautiously than before. You notice the darkness ebb a little and you can see a few feet in front of you. The slithering gets louder and louder until you finally reach the source of the noise.
  
  In front of you is pit of snakes. Their long, scaly bodies slither over one another in a wriggling pile of bodies. You scream. Your pulse races and you start to hyperventilate. You cannot see far enough to see how far down the tunnel the snake pit goes. In the midst of your terror, you come up with two options. You can either climb down a wade through the pit of snakes to the other side, or try your luck and take a running leap, hoping the other side of the pit is not that far into the darkness.
  
  > jump over the pit of snakes
  You decide to jump over the pit of snakes. You take a few steps back then run at full speed towards the pit, jumping right at the end. As you fly through the air you quickly realize that the pit is a lot longer than you imagined and there is not way you will make it to the other side. You fall into the pit of snakes.
  
  You weight crushes the snakes and sends them into craze. They wiggle furiously toward you, their mouths open and their fangs gleaming. You realize that jumping was the wrong choice. You scream as hundreds of snakes rip into you. It is a slow and painful death, but eventually you die.