Pretty was ready to prove her worth! She didn’t know what was happening, but she had a vague idea. She had to pass a great trial to earn her place in the world! If she got through the great tribulation ahead, then the big human would agree to be her papa, and she could call the little human big brother! Nobody had told her that was the case, but she was too young to interpret it logically and too sentient to ignore it like a regular animal.
Huli Jings were treated as citizens after they learned to transform, but before then, they looked almost exactly like regular spirit foxes. Pretty normally wouldn’t have to go through any sort of testing to be allowed into human settlements, but because she was an orphan without any adult Huli Jing to vouch for her, the average person was ignorant about her sentience. Even the knowledgeable tamers guild workers simply saw her as a regular spirit fox.
Huli Jing only learn transformation when they feel true companionship with a human. This often happens when one falls in love with a human, but it could also be achieved through friendship and familial bonds. In the cases where the human father stays with the spirit mother, the Huli Jing learns to transform early in life. Some go their entire life without being able to form a strong enough bond with a human; when that happens, they turn into forest spirits at age 50 and mate with humans to produce more Huli Jing.
The woman at the front desk took Pretty into a back room. She thought the big, little, and giant humans would follow her, but they just waved at her as the door closed behind her. Pretty didn’t know whether to feel betrayed by her comrades or like a valiant knight marching off to a battlefield to protect her loved ones. The back room was a simple arena with a sandy dirt floor and a few benches meant for an audience. There was no audience now, though, just her, the front desk woman, and a lot of birds.
“Now let’s see here… Pretty. My name is Sadie Litte, and I will be your examiner today.” The woman bowed respectfully to Pretty, something she did to all the animals she was examining. She knew they wouldn’t comprehend her gesture, but it just felt rude not to introduce yourself. “Pretty is an interesting name. You were named by the little boy, weren’t you?”
Pretty yipped happily in response. She DID get named by Pail, and she loved her name because of it. Her big brother was both smart and cool, so she wore the name he gave her with pride. In her eyes, Pail wasn’t a clumsy little boy; he was the ideal big kid that she aspired to be like. She couldn’t wait until she could transform and look like him. When she got her human body, they could play with each other’s hair and draw things together in the dirt. She would even be able to sleep in the same bed with him and Papa.
“By the way your tail is wagging, I’m sure you’ll pass these tests with flying colors.” Sadie chuckled as she started to prepare the first test. She grabbed a magical artifact out of her pocket and set it on the ground in front of Pretty, then she backed away to stand against the wall. “Alright, Pretty. You’ll just have to sit still for a bit, alright?”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Pretty sniffed the object in front of her carefully. It looked like a silver pocket watch, but instead of a clock at the center, a blue gem rested inside the locket. It didn’t seem dangerous or particularly interesting, so Pretty did as she was told and sat down quietly. A few moments later, the device lit up. The sounds of a busy village filled the arena, and the visions of humans going about their day surrounded Pretty in an instant. She was a bit startled, but nothing more than that. She couldn’t smell any of the new humans, just Sadie and the birds, so she was completely uninterested.
Sadie wrote something down on her clipboard as the scene changed once more. This time, the arena was transformed into a loud tavern. The clattering of plates and the yelling of drunken adventurers made Pretty’s ears twitch with interest. She wanted to ask Papa what was happening, but she knew she had to sit still, so that’s what she did. Her eyes followed a particular drunkard, a big man who kept stumbling over things. She wanted to laugh at how silly he was being, but her vocal cords wouldn’t lend themselves to more than a slightly giggle sounding yip.
The third scene looked like a schoolhouse, not that Pretty knew what school was. She looked around as she was surrounded by children of all ages, their holograms poking and petting at her. Pretty had met a couple of children in Hardwood, but they mostly made a game out of messing with her, while these children seemed interested in playing with her. Pretty preened under their attention and flipped over to show her belly. Playing with children her own age was fun! Not as fun as playing with Pail, but still entertaining!
After a minute, the holograms disappeared, and Sadie stepped forward again. She seemed pleased with Pretty’s results as she wrote something down on her clipboard again. “Alright, Pretty. You did a fantastic job. Now we just have to test your reaction to physical touch, and we’ll be ready to get you that collar.” Sadie spoke to Pretty out of habit; she had no idea that the fox could actually understand her.
With that, Sadie leaned down and began the physical touch test. First, she patted Pretty on the head, then she poked her paws, and finally, she yanked lightly on her tail. She didn’t like annoying animals like this, but the world is full of annoyances, and an animal that lashes out after a slight tug isn’t fit to walk amongst humans. Thankfully, though, Pretty seemed more confused than upset. She didn’t even growl when one of the birds landed on her back.
After the final test, Pretty was led outside to be reunited with the others. Pail asked her a thousand and one questions as he nuzzled into her fur. Norman was busy talking with the receptionist, and Rowboat gave her words of encouragement. Pretty felt safe with these people, and she wanted to stay with them forever. Her fox mother barely paid any attention to her and was quick to give her up when she was in trouble. These people, though, gave her tasty meat and cuddles. One was clearly superior to the other.
“Congratulations, you passed.” The big human told her in the monotone voice she found strangely soothing. He fastened a dark green collar around her neck, marking her as part of the family.
Pretty proudly showed off her new collar. Not only was it a sign that she belonged, but it also matched Pail’s ribbons, which made it infinitely cooler in Pretty’s eyes. She didn’t understand that wearing a collar meant she was a pet and not adopted as a daughter of this non-existent family, but there wasn’t anyone to tell her otherwise. In her mind, she now had every right to call Norman Papa and Pail Big Brother. Rowboat uhhh… Rowboat was Rowboat!