Timothy blinked, feeling overwhelmed from Sister Rae’s
rambling. Kit snatched his hand.
Sister Rae opened the door and stepped out. "Mother will
see you now. You two look like you’ve been through a lot since you left. We will
talk later. I promise I will listen more than talk this time." She grinned and hurried
off.
Timothy took a deep breath, and his hands felt clammy.
He looked at Kit’s hood. With his free hand he opened the door.
Aunt Mae sat behind her desk, sipping tea. Her desk retained
its cluttered organization. He pushed the door closed. Aunt Mae studied them over
her teacup. Kit removed her hood and met the nun’s gaze. Her ears twitched. Timothy
resisted the urge to fidget. Finally, Aunt Mae sat the cup aside, stood, and walked
around the desk. She embraced them both.
"Welcome back, dearies. Welcome home." She broke the
embrace and stepped back. She crossed her arms and glared at them. "Now tell me
why I shouldn’t take a switch to the two of you. Oh, I can see you’ve been hurt,
Timothy. You look older and frailer. No denying it." She rounded on Kit. "I told
you to look after him."
Kit met the nun’s gaze. "I know. I tried. But…I fear
I hurt him more than protected him."
"Kit…" Timothy squeezed her hand.
"What I know about him, that’s nonsense. He caused his
own trouble, and you had to save him. Now out with it." Aunt Mae sat on her desk.
"Tell me all about what happened since you left. Sister Tera spoke about seeing
Evelyn."
"Aunt Mae—"
"Mother Mae, Timothy."
"We…Mom tried to kill me."
If Aunt Mae was surprised, she didn’t show it. "Start
with what happened when you left here."
Timothy looked at Kit. She took a deep breath and straightened
her shoulders. A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "It all started
when Timothy tried to take a bath with me."
He frowned. "It was raining."
Trust Kit to not feel
cowed for long.
"Shower. Bath. Same thing. You know how he is, Mother.
Well, Cat and I…"
When Kit finished her story, Aunt Mae turned to Timothy.
"Quite a bit of trouble you’ve gotten into."
The door burst open. Yuzu lurched into the space with
Tell beside. She grasped the young man’s hand. Sister Rae grabbed Yuzu and Tell
by the backs of their necks. "Sorry, Mother. When these two asked where Timothy
was—"
"They are all alive." Yuzu didn’t seem to feel the nun’s
fingers. "Hoss, Mira, Colt. They are all alive!"
Aunt Mae frowned. "So this is the Yuzu and Tell you mentioned."
Tell gazed at Aunt Mae with wide eyes. "P-pardon. I tried
to stop her, but…."
"It’s all right—this time." Aunt Mae waved her hand.
"It’s fine, Sister Rae. You might as well come in. We need witnesses anyway."
Timothy frowned. "Witnesses for what?"
Sister Rae freed Yuzu and Tell. Then the nun smiled
and rubbed her hands. "It’s about time we finally took care of our family
problem."
Yuzu glared over her shoulder at the old nun. "What
problem?" She glanced around the room. "What is going on, Sis?"
"You don’t have to worry." Aunt Mae paused and
looked at Tell. "You are a fox too aren’t you?"
Tell backed into Sister Rae. "N-no. I’m not."
"Don’t lie to the abbess," Sister Rae patted Tell’s
shoulder. "You don’t have to worry. We all know about foxes, but we are not
like the Inquisitors."
Tell looked at Timothy.
"It’s true. You don’t have to worry about Aunt Mae.
She protected Kit when Inquisitors came looking for her. Now what do you mean
witnesses, Aunt Mae?"
Aunt Mae stood and folded her hands in front of her.
"I had decided when next we met I would settle some matters."
Kit’s smile faded, and Sister Rae bobbed her head.
What
matters?
Timothy thought. Tell and Yuzu shared a look.
Aunt Mae stood straight. "While I am not a priest, I
can serve as a marriage witness for friends and family. And since no priest is available,
I can perform this sacrament. Do you, Kitsune, take my adopted son, Timothy, in
holy matrimony?"
Wait. Where did this come from?
Timothy
looked at Kit. Panic and an emotion he couldn’t name welled in his chest.
Kit’s ears didn’t flinch. She grabbed his other hand.
"Despite him being a woolbrain, bookbug, flea-attracting shepherd, I do."
"I now pronounce you—"
"Wait!" Timothy pulled away from Kit. "This is too fast.
Don’t I have to agree?"
Kit leaned in, revealing her fangs. Her ears flicked.
"So you are saying no?"
"No. I mean, I…"
Aunt Mae regarded him. "Everyone can see it, dearie.
It’s past time you two stopped living that lie. You are still telling that story,
aren’t you? Well, I decided to have you married when you returned."
"This will be us, Tell, in a few months," Yuzu said.
"At least she is giving you a warning as to when," Timothy
said.
Kit stepped up to Timothy. "We already talked about this.
There’s no backing out now."
"I…I don’t want to back out. It’s just too soon. Things—"
Aunt Mae fought a smile. "It’s too late. I already said
the words before man and God. Everyone here knows you won’t say no."
"I didn’t hear all of the words."
"She said them. I witnessed your marriage." Sister Rae
winked. "I expect you to name your first daughter after me. It’s the least you could
do for all the trouble you caused me over the years."
Kit grabbed his coat collar and pulled him close. "You
get the better end of this, but you are still my shepherd. Now shut up and accept
your fate, my husband in truth."
"Fine. I do. I hope you are a better kisser than Kyle."
She laced her fingers around his neck. "You will see
how some of the fox stories are true. I’ve wanted to try out some new ways to make
you blush."
Her lips were as warm as her spring-meadow eyes.
Christopher Kincaid
spends his time wandering worlds of paper and ink. He sports a negative tan after too many hours in front of computer screens. In addition to having a weakness for good tea and books, he is often found indulging his love for antique video games.
Hunted Trilogy
Vixen Hunted
Shepherd Hunted
Other Books by Christopher Kincaid
Folklore
Come and Sleep: The Folklore of the Japanese Fox
Tanuki: The Folklore of Japan’s Trickster
You can read more about Japanese folklore, culture, and American anime culture at Christopher's blog
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