Chapter 8: Homeward Bound part 2

Joey had slept in his seat on the plane getting some rest, the drive to the airstrip was uneventful, and only allowed him to wonder what awaited him at the mana spring. He was soon jostled awake though as the plane began to shake causing him to look out the window to see what was going on.

"It seems like it’s just a little turbulence, nothing to be overly concerned about...i hope" the curator tried to reassure

"You hope? Umm... this plane does have parachutes right?" Joey asked nervously

"It should clear up in a little bit" the curator answered

"Right?" Joey asked again with a worried look

"Might wanna stay buckled up though just to be safe" the curator replied

Joey just looked forward, closing the blind on the window before slowly gripping the arm rests on his seat tightly. The plane shook more as it began to slowly descend, looking over Joey saw that the curator simply had a calm smile as he sat there peacefully during all of this.

"He must have nerves of steel" Joey thought to himself

As the plane descended, he could feel it make a sharp turn as it swerved to avoid a mountain, jostling Joey about more. Joey just shut his eyes tightly hoping it would end soon trying to calm himself down, it was bad enough he wasn't much for flying, he really didn't need the plane going into rough turbulence to add to his fear. The plane's captain kept flying as best as he could as he found it harder to navigate, never having flown in mountains like these before, not even sure where the landing strip was. After what felt like an eternity, they soon flew out of the rough part of their trip to a clearing in the mountains, the curator hurried to the cockpit instructing the captain of where to set down. Feeling the plane setting down, Joey let out a sigh of relief and breathed hard, still gripping the armrests.

"We're finally here" the curator replied walking on up to Joey

"That's great.... though I think my hands are stuck" Joey replied half jokingly

"Well feel free to get your composure then, I can lead you off to an extent but I'm afraid I won't be able to come all the way with you" The curator responded

"Wait, why not?" Joey asked curiously
"Because the spring is a special place for the kitsunes, outsiders typically aren't welcome. Not only that, but only a kitsune can find their way through the pathway, it winds and weaves in ways that's disorientating and leaves intruders lost til they wind up back where they started from, it can get dangerous in the cold" the curator replied

“The cold?” Joey asked

“Oh yes, the mountain is shrouded in a heavy chill. This chill is created with kitsune magic” The curator explained

"I assume it just gets colder and colder the further in you go?" Joey asked

The curator merely nodded, "I have heavy winter wear for you to make the trek but I don't know if it will suffice. Though im sure if it gets too bad, Ryuchi might be able to offer some advice, he should be able to lead you on through" he added

Joey sighed some getting up, as he grabbed the coats that were provided for him. He slipped them on, bundling up as best as he could to stay warm. Once fully dressed, the curator led him down a snowy path, stopping at the mountain's base where an old temple gate stood.

"This is where I must say goodbye and goodluck, from this point on, what happens is up to you" the curator replied shaking Joey's hand

"I understand, if this fails.... Well, at least I tried right?" Joey asked

The curator nodded "True, I guess this will be the last time I get to say this, so I hope Ryuchi hears this, but goodbye old friend, perhaps we may meet again someday. Till that time keep the boy safe I don't wish to hear that i outlived you" the curator replied

Joey smiled as Ryuchi relayed out a message "He says that he won't ever let you outlive him, death will have to try a lot harder if he wants to claim Ryuchi" Joey replied

The curator chuckled "That truly is Ryuchi, that old fox is as persistent as you sometimes" he replied

Joey smiled as he walked off starting on up the pathway, as it soon turned to steps scaling up through the mountains.

"You must listen carefully to my directions one wrong move and you might not be able to make it all the way. This path is filled with illusions, false paths that will lead you in circles back to the start of the mountain if you are lucky. If unlucky you will wander until you freeze. The cold is kitsune magic, as such kitsune magic can shield you from the cold. Unfortunately for us, the magic inside of you isn’t strong enough to protect you. I recommend moving quickly before the temperature gets too low, and you succumb to the cold" Ryuchi instructed
Joey nodded his head, hastening his movement hurrying along following Ryuchi's directions. Hurrying along, Joey found the wind picking up as the air grew colder as snow fell in increasing ferocity, limiting his vision greatly. Joey bundled himself up as tightly as he could in the coats he was wearing, shielding himself from the cold as best as he could. He followed Ryuchi’s every instruction, trusting his new friend to get them through this place.

"Hang in there child, your nearly there" Ryuchi reassured

Joey just held his arms around him tightly trying to stay bundled up. "It’s so cold! I can't imagine doing this without this much warm winter wear... I'm not sure I can keep this up" joey replied hurrying along wanting to escape the freezing cold

Following Ryuchi's instructions, Joey nearly reached the end, falling to his knees finding it hard to keep going as it was getting too cold. Not wishing to give in, Joey began to crawl on further trying to force himself back up to his knees as he saw a cave entrance further ahead

"Right there, it's just right there, it's just twenty more steps child, your nearly there" Ryuchi commented trying to encourage the human to make it the rest of the way

Joey picked himself up, holding onto the side of the mountain to support himself, as the entrance grew closer and closer. His vision was beginning to blur and fade out in a white haze of snow. He kept on till he finally reached the cave, falling down, dragging himself inside before curling into a ball trying to warm himself back up.The inside of the cave was oddly warm and nice, aiding in warming Joey back up to normal. Before he could find much of a chance to get himself too comfortable he was met with a blade pointed right at him, held by a female kitsune warrior.

"What are you doing here intruder, this is a sacred place" the warrior replied

"I'm not intruding, I was told to come here. Ryuchi believes it can help me" Joey answered

"Ryuchi? Who is Ryuchi?" she asked

"He is a kitsune like you, but he used something called fox possession to inhabit me when he was killed by one of the corrupted kitsune. Now he is bound to me  and I carry his magic now" Joey answered

"Likely story, leave or I will end you where you lay" the warrior replied

"Please no! You don't understand, i'm not lying you gotta believe me" Joey pleaded 

"Then tell me how did Ryuchi die to the corrupted one" she asked

"he was killed when he pushed me out of the way of the foxes attack, sacrificing himself" Joey replied looking down

"Then tell, if this is true, then what was the color of his mana afterwards?" she asked

"It was a golden yellow, why?" Joey asked

"You MIGHT not be lying, but if I learn you are, you will regret it human" she repleid lowering her blade

Joey got up off the ground, dusting himself off.

"Now why is it you needed to come here?" she asked

"Because Ryuchi unintentionally gave me his power but he used up so much to banish the fox, that the magic that's now inside of me has grown weak. It’s no longer mature enough, so I can't use it. I desperately need his magic so I can return home, not my home here, but my new home he gave me. I was forced to leave that home and now I want to return. There's people I care about there, I can't leave them like this" Joey answered

"Then follow, if you speak the truth then all should be fine, if not, you will not leave here alive" she replied leading the way to the spring

Joey followed along as the air grew warmer and warmer the closer they got to the spring. Joey began to cast off the coats he was wearing, no longer needing them. Soon they reached a large open space in the cave as they came across a large grotto, flourishing in plant life. A tree stood tall and mighty in the middle of the grotto. Water flowed out from a wall, as it all pooled into a small pond surrounding the tree. Small stepping stones in the water were the only way to cross the water to the tree.

"Now then, if you do have this Ryuchi's golden mana, go to the tree and sit down on the water’s edge. Once you do, take a meditative pose and focus on feeling the mana in this grotto. This will begin a trial to test if you are worthy to wield this magic you claim to now possess.” The female instructed.

Joey stepped across the stones, approaching the tree in the middle before sitting down. Joey sat cross legged, as he stared into the pool of water. The water was a sparkly, blue and the bottom of the spring could not be seen. It was clear, this was no ordinary water, it was like mana in a liquid form, and Joey could already feel the mana emanating from the water. Joey took a deep breath and folded his hands together into a circle before closing his eyes. He had never really meditated before, so he was trying to do what he had seen on television once. Joey exhaled, letting his breath out and began to just breathe, trying to focus on the mana that filled the air. After some minutes had passed, Joey slumped down to the ground, feeling frustrated. Nothing seemed to be happening, and was assuming he wasn’t meditating correctly. He opened his eyes to try and ask the woman how to meditate properly. Upon opening his eyes though, he was in a large empty room, on an island with the tree he had been sitting under. The island was surrounded by the blue mana water as Joey was left confused as to where he was.

“Hey Ryuchi, where the heck am I?” Joey asked himself as he scratched the back of his head. There was no reply however as Joey stood there waiting for an answer. “Ryuchi?” Joey asked, wondering why the kitsune was now all silent.

“Aww, what's wrong? Can’t figure out anything without someone to tell you the answer?” A familiar voice called out

Joey began looking around for where the voice came from, only seeing a white mist rising up over the water. As Joey was looking around, he was soon face to face with a tall male otter, standing in front of him. The otter was a dark shadowy blue, with dark green eyes. Joey couldn’t help but feel this otter was familiar somehow.

“Guess you really are just a baby, can’t fight your own battles, can’t solve your own problems, can’t make your own decisions” The otter commented with the familiar voice

Once Joey heard him speak, it suddenly dawned on him. The otter was him, his otter self, but as an adult. Still though, the voice wasn’t really his own but yet it was. Joey looked at the otter unable to figure out what the otter really was

“What’s going on?” Joey asked nervously, backing away from his shadowy self

“Why, your little trial, I was hoping it would be obvious, but since it's not, then you are truly hopeless” the voice sneered at him

“Give me a damn break! I have never done anything with magic before! How am I supposed to know how all this works?” Joey asked annoyed at his shadow self

“And yet, you want to use magic to return to Ben and Sasha! No knowledge of how magic works and you still want to return” the otter replied

“Why wouldn’t I!?” Joey asked “I might not know much now, but Ryuchi can teach me” 

“Are you sure you want to return to them?” The otter asked

“Of course I am! That’s the whole point of this!” Joey yelled

The otter just grinned, “Even though you broke their hearts?” 

“I… what? What do you mean!?” Joey asked getting annoyed

“You left them. They made you a gift, planned a day of fun and you left them” The otter answered

“I was forced to!” Joey exclaimed, “You should know that!”

“Heh, yeah sure I know that, but do they? They see it as you abandoning them, as you not wanting them. Throwing their love into the trash, tearing out their hearts and stomping on them. So much hope for a future with a child of their own destroyed in an instant” The otter replied

Joey gripped his right hand into a fist, “They will understand when I get back!” 

“Are you sure? They might just see it as you trying to give them false hope again, so you can destroy it all over again. They might even be in the process of throwing out all the stuff meant for you, not wanting their hearts harmed again” The otter replied with an evil grin

Joey didn’t even bother talking anymore as he threw a punch at the otter. The otter just blocked Joey’s fist with the palm of his paw.

“Is that the best you can do?” The otter asked, gripping Joey’s hand tightly “Even if they do take you back, what then?” 

“SHUT UP!” Joey tried to punch with his other hand

The otter just punched his fist in return, mimicking the attack. Joey growled and tried to kick the otter, but the otter just copied him once again, blocking the kick with a kick of his own.

“Can’t even beat yourself? How can you expect to beat anyone else?” The otter asked

“SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! I don’t want to fight anyone else!” Joey yelled throwing punches at the otter

The otter just blocked each punch with his own punches, easily. “You are bound by magic now, you are wanting to make that magic mature before it's ready, do you have the slightest idea what that means? It means you will be marked, you will have a target on your back for the rest of your life!” The otter yelled out as one of his punches got through, hitting joey in the shoulder, “Think about it, even if they did take you back, what then? You get tracked down by another evil kitsune and get killed like your friend? I’m sure that would really destroy their hearts. Is that what you want? You just want them to hurt even more?” The otter asked tauntingly

Joey just covered his ears with his hands, trying to shut out the otter. 

“Oh yes, just ignore me, that will solve everything wouldn’t it?” The otter asked delivering a swift kick to Joey

Joey gasped as he doubled over, before being grabbed, “Look at how weak you are, I’m not even trying, do you really want them to bury you?” 

“I am so damn sick and tired of you!” Joey yelled able to get a punch in on the otter, “Your stupid blathering, filling my head with these thoughts” 

“Are you trying to say I am filling your head with lies?” The otter asked, with a hiss

Joey gritted his teeth, breathing hard, “no….” He murmured

“What was that little whelp?” The otter asked

“I said, no!” Joey repeated louder

“So you are admitting that I am right then?” The otter asked, wrapping his hands around Joey's head, the otters paws becoming more shadowy trying to envelop Joey’s head

The otter was trying to take control of Joey’s thoughts, filling his head with all the dark thoughts that were suppressed in the back of his mind. Joey could hear whispers in his head, as the shadowy paws engulfed him more and more. Joey began to glare at the otter, as he began to push those thoughts back down, sick of hearing them as it dawned on him. He suddenly realized what this voice was, once he knew what it was, he found his second wind to stand up against the otter.

“NO!” Joey yelled forcing the otter to back off a bit, pulling his paws away, “I am saying, I am sick of listening to you! You keep filling my head with all this crap!” The otter was about to speak but joey interrupted, “You are pissing me off taking that form! I remember you now, you were always there, steering me in ways that made my human life miserable! You kept filling my head with bullshit, making me doubt decisions, make me second guess things, make me shy away from stuff I wanted to do with all of your what if crap!”

“I only want you to” The otter began to speak

“I said shut it!” Joey interrupted, not wanting to listen anymore, “I’m sick of listening to you! I know what I am doing is right!, it’s what my heart is saying”

“What’s right!? Going back to a world where you can be targeted again!?” The otter asked, “You even said you don’t want to fight anyone!” 

“I know what I said asshole! But you seem to forget there’s a difference between need and want, I don’t WANT to fight anyone but I know I may NEED to one day. I will get stronger, I will learn to use this magic so Ben and Sasha will never have to experience this ever again!”

“You think it’s that easy!?” The otter asked

“Hell no! I don’t know anything with real magic, hell, I could never figure out magic tricks. I know it will be an uphill struggle! But I know I can do it, as long as I stop listening to you trying to steer me away from being happy!”

The otter found himself shrinking and tried to yell in protest, but his voice was growing raspy, and hoarse

“All you have done is fill my head with all this self doubt and fear, well I’m done! I’m tired of listening to you! You are going back to the back of my mind and you stay there and be silent! You will only speak if I ask for your damn opinion and until then, you are to sit down and shut the hell up!”

The otter tried to take a swing at joey, but the human just pushed him back down on his butt.

“I’m done letting you push me around! I am the one who should be in control of my life, not you! And as my first real decision, I am deciding to return to Ben and Sasha and live the rest of my life with them! Nothing you can say will stop me!” Joey yelled as the otter kept shrinking growing smaller and smaller unable to make any sounds at all

Joey just watched as the shadowy otter vanished from sight, returning to the back of his mind where it belonged. Joey breathed a sigh of relief, as he could no longer hear his voice in the back of his head anymore, finally feeling free from his self doubt for the first time in years. Just then the room began to fade from view, as everything went dark. Joey once again opened his eyes only to find himself back at the grotto as the female kitsune was looking down at him

"Seems you were telling the truth, I had my doubts when your aura turned dark, but then you suddenly glowed golden yellow just as you said. I must say impressive work, most would have given into those dark thoughts" she complimented some

Joey nodded his head, sitting down feeling the mana flowing through his body now, wondering how to use it.

"Listen to my words, and I will teach you how to use the magic I used to send yourself home.” Ryuchi instructed, “If all goes well, you will be reunited with your family”

Joey silently nodded to himself as he began chanting out the words Ryuchi told him. As he chanted out he found himself swallowed up by the golden aura and in an instant his world went dark for a moment before coming too. Looking around he found himself back in his nursery and saw he was back to his otter form. Looking around more, he could hear sobbing coming from the next room. Joey got up and carefully walked to the door and peeked outside to see what it was, seeing Sasha sitting on the couch with Ben consoling her. She wept sadly seeing that joey had vanished suddenly without any explanation. Joey's ears lowered for a moment before he sniffled to himself running on up to her with his arms outstretched

"MOMMY!" Joey called out at the top his lungs

Looking over, Sasha saw the little otter running to her and in a swift motion, she swept the little otter up into her arms embracing him tightly crying happily to see him again. Ben joined in holding the two warmly happy to see they were a family once more. Joey clung to them both tightly not wanting to let go sniffling happily to see his new mom and dad again

Joey smiled happily nuzzling Sasha softly "I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to leave you, I didn’t want to! I was forced to do it. I’m so so sorry!” Joey replied crying into Sasha's chest

Sasha just held him tightly, “We were so worried, we had no idea what happened to you”

“It’s a long story, but I’m back, and I’m never leaving again, I promise” Joey replied holding her tightly

“We are just glad to see you are safe” Ben replied trying to comfort the little otter

“I love you both so much” Joey replied softly in between sobs

“We love you too” The two of them replied in unison