Bonus Story: The Exchange
Keturah: age 10. Approximately two years after the end of the race war.
The race war devastated clans all over the country. The fox clan that resided within the Hollow Brooke Forest were no different. They had lost a lot of their own through the years and even those that had survived the war were battered with both visible and invisible wounds.
However, life continued on as best as possible for the clan. They became more dependent on each other as a clan. The young fox kits were no exception and the dense forest forest provided a relatively safe playground for them.
It wasn't uncommon to see a group of fox kits racing through the underbrush or wrestling with each other. Keturah and her siblings were no different. Especially as they ran and chased after their neighbors. Kits of all different colors ran trough the forest. Chasing each other and racing through an invisible course.
While to outsiders it looked like these kits were just strictly playing, Keturah and the others were actually honing skills that they needed for survival. Speed and agility was a fox's greatest asset. The tiny white fox was no different. She was in the lead as she ran through the forest. She leapt, ducked, and climbed up trees as she ran ahead of the others.
Keturah only stopped when her ears picked up the familiar high pitched yipping. It was her mother's call for them to return to their home. After giving a responding high pitched yip, the tiny white fox started running towards their tree.
Arriving at one of the largest trees in the forest, the tiny white fox kit dove in between the roots of the tree. Once under there, she navigated a complicated series of tunnels under the ground. These tunnels led to other dens located under other trees.
Keturah was the first to slip out of the tunnel and into her family's borrow. Once she was home, a dark blue fire enveloped her as she shifted into her human form. "I won again!" She declared happily, jogging over to the other side of their living area. When she reached her mother, she wrapped her arms around her mother's waist in a hug.
"It wasn't a fair race!" She heard her sister declare from behind her. "Ket already had a head start!" Christa continued to complained. Keturah simply stuck her tongue out at her in response. "That's enough, children." She then heard her mother correct them.
It was something about her mother's tone that caught her off guard. "Mom?" Keturah questioned, turning her blue eyes up at her mother. She noticed a forced smile on her mother's face. "It's nothing, Ketty. Help your siblings set the table for dinner." The fox kit believed her mother and then went about helping her siblings.
After they had dinner and spent time together in their den, the kits were then put to bed. On the other hand, Keturah had a hard time sleeping. She wasn't intentionally trying to overhear her parents conversation, but the sound of her mother crying made her strain her hearing more to hear what they were saying.
"I can't believe they just expect us to give her to someone else!" Keturah heard her mother saying. Her voice was heavy from crying. "What if they don't treat her right? What if we're never able to see her again?" She added, her voice taking on a more upset tone at the thought.
"They had thought about those issues." She then heard her father say. "They put rules into place to make sure she won't loose contact with us or her culture." She didn't understand what they were talking about. But a lot of conversations were hushed like those early her early life. Not as much so since the war had ended two gays so.
"We'll see her two times a year. She'll get to come home for her birthday and again for Samhain." She heard her father continue. It sounded like they had started holding holding each other. "They're going to give us one of their daughters in return to raise."
"It's not the same though!" She then heard her mother protest before her voice went quiet again. "I know we should be proud that she was chosen, but it's so hard."
For a moment, the tiny fox didn't hear the mumbles between her parents. Their voices had dropped too low for her to hear. "It's a honor for us to be chosen as the first foxes to participate in the exchange." She then heard her father say. As if this was the final word of their conversation. Once she didn't hear them talking anymore, she rolled over in bed and cuddled with her sisters. Falling back asleep.
The next morning was normal as Keturah woke up with her siblings. However, it changed when it was time for them to leave hope the day. While her siblings had been sent out to play, she had been told to stay behind. She suddenly remembered the conversation her parents had last night. She felt her body become nervous and her white tail shook anxiously behind her.
Her blue eyes watched her parents as they joined her at the table. "Sweetie, do you remember us talking before about how the war ended?" Her mother asked her softly. Her voice being much more calm and confident now than it had previously. Keturah simply nodded her head yes. "They wrote a treaty and admitted no one knew anything about each other."
"That's right." Her father spoke then, smiling proudly as she remembered accurately as possible for her age. "The counsel has decided up start exchanging children from our clan with children from other clans." Keturah started having a suspicion about where this conversation was going. Her heart started racing within her chest and she felt her mouth go dry. "They choose me?" She then asked her parents, struggling to keep her voice normal.
She watched as her parents nodded in unison. Silence fell over them and stayed there for a while. It only left with tears started sliding down her mother's face. "When?" Keturah managed to struggle out in question.
"They will be here tomorrow to pick you up." His father responded, his voice soft even though it was matter of fact. She watched one of his hands sliding across the table to hold one of her's. "It'll be okay. We'll still be a family. Our family will just be getting bigger." Her father said in a soft reassuring tone.
Keturah then felt her own tears starting to slide down her face. She quickly used her free hand to wipe her face. However, those tears were only followed by more. It wasn't long before all three of them were crying. It took a while for them to regain control. Once they did, they decided up write letters to the other family. Things that were important in their culture. Important things to know about their daughter. Things to know about their life and promises about how they would treat their daughter.
Keturah felt her mother's chin sit rest gently on the top of her head. "I think I should tell her about Christa's snoring." She then said softly, slowly writing it down on the piece of paper. She wanted to make sure it was spelled right and legible.
She felt the soft laughter of her mother rumble against her back. "Don't forget to tell her about the good hunting spots and hiding holes." She heard her mother direct her softly, her voice sounding fondly. She felt her arms around her squeeze her tighter.
As much as a little fox wanted to cry, she held back and focused on her work. Keturah didn't completely understand everything, but she understood that her mother needed her to be strong right now. "Hunting spots... and... hiding holes..." She repeated softly as she focused on her writing.
"Good job, Ketty." Keturah was praised by her mother. She felt her dark blonde hair be gently stroked out of her face by her mother. She then felt a soft kiss being placed on the top of her head. "You should include a map of the forest. She won't know her way around for a while."
Taking her mother's advice, Keturah flipped the piece of paper over and begun drawing a map for her. She put her home in the middle, then drew out from there. Their neighbors, hunting spots, lake, roads. Everything she could think of as being important to know.
Keturah and her mother worked on the list and the map until her father came back. By that time, the little white fox had already started rubbing her eyes and feeling tired. With this cue, her parents escorted her to bed with her siblings.
They had such a small residence that they only had two rooms. One that everyone slept in together and the other that was their main living space. It was definitely a communal type of living that had developed due to the affects of the war. Their clan was just like a giant family. Everyone took care of each other. They never let another go without. Especially the children of those who didn't have parents after the war.
The night went too quickly. Before Keturah knew it, she was up and packing a bag of belongings to take with her. She tried not to think about what was actually happening. If she started crying, so would everyone else. It was mid morning before the other family arrived. Turns out, they were fairies. They spent the day with the fox clan and took time getting to know them. She felt more relaxed by this action and by the fact that they reminded her a lot of her own parents. She even got to meet all three of their daughters, two of which were being exchanged. Unlike some of her siblings who were mostly orphans taken in by her parents, all three were blood related.
Eventually, the time came for Keturah to say goodbye to her own family. "Leslie, I made you a map and a list of things you should know." The white fox handed the folded price of paper to the slightly older fairy. It still hasn't completely sunk in what was happening. Though after spending the day together, she was beginning to believe that this wouldn't be as bad as all the adults were thinking. "Make sure you read it. Christa will lie and said she doesn't snore, but don't listen to her." She chuckled.
Once all the goodbyes were exchanged and there were no more reasons for them to linger, quietly left with her new family and siblings.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Cefni
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