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_ Saving the lost.. _

By Puma Concolor

I was unloading a shipment if food and medical supplies to a out of the way Inuit Indian village. I had gathered much of the products from several resources, most of which had been foraged from vendors owing me many years of favors both rendered and saved. The village got what they needed for a small fraction of its worth and the companies were able to write it all off as a tax deductions for what it would have normally have had to pay to be dumped as waste. One of the village elders, a tribal shaman had wondered over, setting and chatting a bit as he watching this big cat who talked and worked as a human. I had just excused myself to finish off unloading the last few heavy crates and with a promise to come back and visit with this interesting old gentleman.

I was on the second crate when I noticed a grin growing on his face as he watched me turn with my burden.

"You should put that down quickly my friend." He popped up suddenly.

"Huh? Why do you say that?"

"You are about to take a very fast trip to a very far off place." He teased.

"Not until I've had a chance to fulfill my promise to you. To exchange stories so that we may learn from each other." I noted he was now sticking his wrinkled old fingers in his ears.

"We will, but now it is too late. You have something very important to do. I will see you again my friend. And tell her to cling to the light. It will help you both." He stated as I looked at him with a puzzled look over my very heavy load.

Let me explain a well known scientific fact. When energy expands very quickly it drives a shock wave of air pressure in front of it. This is why a firecracker makes such a loud pop when it goes off. When you Increase that mass to that of a good sized Coyote materializing, or should I say exploding, into existence next to me, it was much less the pop of a firecracker and more like the clap of thunder going off.

With a look of panic she reached out and grabbed me by the scruff of the neck, exclaiming, " I NEED YOU...NOW!!"

There was a second but much smaller bang as air rushed in to fill the void as I was winked out of existence so quickly the air in my lungs much less my clothing had a chance to fallow. The old man chuckled as he watched the crate come crashing down and my empty clothing fall to the floor, "You are doing good things my friend, but I hope where you are going is not to cold."

As we appeared at what I assumed was out destination and she released my nape I collapsed to my knees gasping as I tried to refill my lungs but instantly wished I hadn't. The air here was so stale it even tasted foul. I coughed as my body was trying to get used to the idea that I would have to breathe this stench if I were to stay alive. I quickly glanced our surroundings trying to get an idea of where we were at or at least get a bearing or direction. There was light but not radiating from any source in the gray overcast sky. It was dim but not that it mattered as there was not much for it to illuminate. The landscape consisted of low rolling hills of bare gray ground. Even calling the surface of this land ground was not completely accurate. It had the course feel of sand on a concrete floor. It was then I discovered neither of us had a stitch of clothing.

"Realty Coyote? If you are that horny we could have just went to my sleeper on my truck. And where are we? I've seen landfills more romantic than this place... Smelled better too...." I wheezed.

"Get your mind out of the gutter Cat. We're not here for sex... Now stay low and quiet..." She whispered and she quickly squatted down looking about as if expecting some horrifying danger to come sneaking up.

"Ok, this is new... What's here to have you of all people running cautious? I've seen you spit in the devils eye and kick his ass back to hell so what you scared of?"

"I'm not scared _ of _ anything, But I am scared _ for _.... that!" she hissed and pointed at something running full tilt across the hills some distance off.

As I looked it appeared to be a dog, no a fox. A gray fox whose color was only slightly lighter then the ground it ran on. Most of the time it ran on all fours but sometimes it ran upright on digigraded legs. No matter how it was running, it was doing so in shear panic. It would run one direction for a bit only come skidding to a halt panting then run off in a new completely random direction.

"What's going on there?"

"I don't know. It's some kind of a fox but that's all I know."

"What? The omnipotent, all knowing Coyote, Doesn't know? Now I am worried..."

"Hay! I know what exists. But this place isn't supposed to exist. And that is definitely is not supposed to be existing here. At this point I know just about as much as you do. I'm in uncharted waters here so cut me some slack, Ok?" She growled as she shot me a heated look..

"Ok ok, sorry. So what do we know? And where is 'here'?"

"We are in a rift zone between plains. There is the top plain, the next plan of existence. Some call it Heaven, others call it Nirvana, still others Shangri-La.. It's a bright place full of love, light, and tranquility. You've been there with me on a couple of trips. The other is quite latterly hell. Damn dark and miserable place, some place you will never see if I have my way. Between the two lays the real world as you know it, and Limbo, or a place of shadows. Right now we are in a rift or tare in between reality and limbo. Nothing is supposed to exist here. Hell, here isn't even supposed to exist here..."

"Well, that's confusing. So if here is not supposed to be here, how did that get here? " I asked pointing down the shallow valley where the fox was now running in endless circles.

"That's what I don't know. I happened on this rift and was just going to close it up when I was nearly ran over. It stopped, Looked at me for about 3 milliseconds, turned and quite literally took off screaming"

"Bad hair day?" I snickered.

"Bite me.."

"Maybe later. So why don't you just pop in snatch her up and deliver her someplace safe?"

"I tried. Every time I get close I get blasted into the next time zone."

"Could have something to do with it being Kitsuné." I said as I watched it complete the fortieth lap and come skidding to a halt panting trying to catch it's breath.

"It's a what?" She exclaimed as she turned now focusing intently on the fox.

"Yea, watch the tail.. As she starts to calm down and hold still you can see... yes there. See the tails fading in? When she panics and runs all but the one disappears."

"Hmm your right. But that doesn't make our job any easier. And she? How do you know that it's a she?"

"Yea, Look close, no scrotum so I am assuming female. Might be why she is acting crazy" I grinned.

"Oh aren't we a bag of funnies today." She said giving me s sour look I knew she didn't mean.

"So what are we going to do now?"

"We, nothing! You are going to go down there and catch her. I'm tired of getting my ass fried and kicked into the next dimension!"

"Me? What makes you think I stand a chance? You're the magical one, not me!"

"That's the problem, she must be able to since my magic coming, you stand a better chance as there isn't anything magical about you. Besides you're the big bad hunter predator, remember? "

"Yea? I gave the notion up years ago, and you forgot to mention mortal. If she fries me there won't even be anything left..."

"You know me batter than that, I'd just put you back together. I might make you a girl just for those last few comments too."

"You do know I was just joking. Right?.... I Love you...." I gulped.

"Yea yea... You don't have anything to worry about from me... Pumina...." She snickered.

"Ok, Aaaa give me a sec to form a plan here." I said not wanting to push my luck any farther, now studying the situation and the lay of the land."We're not going to get more than one chance here. So..." I went on to explain the plan.

I had worked myself around stalking in as close as I dared keeping as much terrain between me and the panicked Kitsuné as I could. When I was in as best ambush position I could manage I signaled Coyote to pop in from the opposite side, far enough to not get struck at but close enough to scare her my direction, I hoped. It worked perfectly. I tackled her from behind as she ran past and pinned her arms and legs with mine, taking her nape in my jaws hoping for her to freeze by instinct.

As I clung to the frantic Kitsuné a she was struggled desperately trying to scratch, bite and fight her way free. I clung to her tightly trying to think of any way to get her to calm down but the only thing I could think of was what the old shaman said before I was so rudely whisked away.

"Cling to the light. Cling to the light!" I shouted releasing her neck.

Her reaction was as if I had flipped a switch. She went from a snarling beast to that of a frighten child trembling in my arms.

"Th... Th...The light?" She muttered weakly.

"What did you just say Puma?" Coyote asked as she came running up in front of us.

"The light, the old Indian said to tell her to Cling to the light." I answered.

"Cling to the light?"

"Yea, those are his exact words." As I held tightly_to the _Kitsuné. Even though she was not fighting me I could feel every muscle in her body tight as a spring, ready to bound away if given even the slightest chance as I stood us upright.

_"_Cling to the light?, The light... OH MY GOD! I know what's wrong! I can fix this!" Coyote shouted as the impact of the statement and inspiration hit her.

"Wha...?"

"Oh Honey, I'm so sorry! I'll fix you as soon as I can but I need you to hang on and not let go!" She exclaimed as she also jumped in and hugged the frightened Kitsuné between is. "Brace yourself. This is going to hurt like a BITCH!"

I could feel the energy build in the air, crackling with static just before a lightning storm. Then it struck. It was a burst of brilliant white light and a thunderous clap as pain leaped through my body. I could not even scream as every neuron in my body overloaded and arced across with pure energy. My world faded quickly to black.

As I regained my senses I was setting slumped over in a heap. I was aware of every cell in my body crying out in pain even though every extremity of my body felt numb. I could even smell my own burnt fur. I sat there for several minutes trying to force my body to just keep breathing and get a handle on the ache in my entire being. I couldn't even bring myself to open my eyes as the hum finally cleared from my head.

"Are we dead?"

"...No... Death doesn't hurt this bad.." I heard Coyote pained voice from somewhere close by.

"Can I be?" I squeaked.

"...no..." She half heartedly growled.

I set in silence for a few more moments when I heard a soft voice. " Thank you... But what just happened?"

I opened one eye to find not the the small gray Kitsuné we had been embracing just moments ago but a beautiful white one with a full spray of nine tails in full display behind her.

"Aaaa I think we just got hit with lightening?" I weakly answered.

"Almost."Coyote interrupted from she was still laying prone on the ground just on the other side. She didn't look any better that I felt as there was still whiffs of smoke rising from several singed patches on her as well.

"Are you all right Coyote?" I asked concerned.

"Yea.. Or will be.. What hit us was energy but not lightening. The little lady was evolving but somehow, something messed her up."

"Ok, so why were we barbecued and she wasn't?"

"Just like any circuit, there has to be connections between the positive and the negative, just like a battery. We became those connections. She should be fixed now. It just took us becoming crispy critters to do it, sorry I had to do that Love..."

"I am, I think? I'm not sure how I got into this mess but I want to thank you for saving me. If you had not found me I would have been forever trapped here."

"It's ok, Just wished it didn't hurt so bad is all. What were you doing just before you found yourself here?" Coyote asked still not moving from her position, little could I blame her if she felt as bad as I.

"As I am now a nine tail and I understand why, but in order to evolve, we must sacrifice your current selves, cutting out our thread from the weave of life and give ones powers to another. It is thought by all eight tails this will end our existence. It does but it also begins another. As a shadow Kitsuné I had done so many things, some most evil. I had to atone so I gave myself to a young human I had wronged several years before. I ,,, I couldn't live with what I had done to him and his,,, his girlfriend. It was the only way..." She explained with shaky voice.

"Bingo!"Coyote exclaimed raising one finger but dropped it quickly with a soft grown. "Grief! It works like fear, selfishness and hate, You have to release all in order to cross over into the light. As you felt you didn't deserve it, that you had not earned a place in the light you would not except it. But your fear of becoming a dark Kitsuné is what forced open this rift. It kept you here, it kept you confused, and it would have eventual drove you crazy, making you prey to the dark and very, very dangerous."

"But why am I now a light Kitsuné?"

"You were a nine tail before you got here, you were the moment you gave your old life up but in that moment of change, your grief caused you to pause and doubt yourself. That opened the rift and sucked you in. Your confusion is what kept you from figuring it out. Your being here and out of the normal flow of magic is why you could not complete the connection and cross over. Thats where we came in. Kitty there acted as your ground to reality and I to your greater power of light. It's just, we kind of suck as conductors. You got your battery boost, and we got our butts fried."

" __And_ now _you have all this incite? Couldn't we have figured out a better way with out getting ourselves electrocuted?" I groaned.

"Just like the library, the answer is there, I just have to know witch book to look in and that takes time. Besides, I'm out of my element here, I had to improvise and the solution would still have been the same. In her state she was not about to let us experiment or take her out of here. Remember, I tried."

" I do owe you a great debit, one I am not sure I can ever repay fully... " The Kitsuné answered softly. "I...I am ....I am at your command."

"It's ok hun, it's what we do. Just keep doing good and that is all you owe us, and yourself."

"But there mist be something I can do?"

"Well,,,, As It's going to take me a while to build up enough strength to get Puma and I out of here, You could teleport us all to a nice place. We could really use a few days soak in a hot spring and a back rub. What do you think Puma?" Coyote said now raising her head to look at us with a weak grin. "By the way, White looks good on you..."

"Done! And I know just the place where we can all soak and see how this white looks on top of you both..." she said with an ear splitting grin.

Again, there was the sound of thunder.....