Traditions

Kathrina stood up with a grin of pure evil on her face "You are not to worry..." she took a step down closer to her sister "It is understood, Dearest sister"

Cyntheia flinched at being called her 'dearest sister' due to the hatred in her heart for her sister and as much as she hesitated she got up and nodded "Thank you, Katherina"

Katherina ordered the others out of the room so she could have a word with her sister "You do know what today is... and what is to be done?"

"How could I forget?" Cyntheia looked down "It's the exact day I lost my..."

"Mate?" Katherina finished for her sister as she chuckled darkly "Yes... it is"

"At last!" A fox with five tails said. "We can get this done and over with!"

"Shush!" a fox with 7 tails glared over at him. "You know very well what this day means for us, Fang."

"Everyone here knows what it means, Scoot!" Fang told him. "It doesn't mean we have to like it."

Niles shook his head at this. "Fang, do not anger the past kitsunes. Who knows what might happen if you do."

"What Niles says is true," a vixen with 8 tails spoke up. "The last fox that made them mad.. Well, let's just say, he wished he hadn't."

Fang rolled his eyes. "Like I care. I just wanna get this done and over with. Can we begin already?"

The nine-tailed fox watched this go on before he nodded. "Yes. Let's begin."

Cyntheia's neko ears pinned back at hearing it "Please... I beg of you not to speak of it..."

Katherina turned her head to her sister and raised an eye brow "I am the elder... I can say as I please"

Cyntheia's facial expression turned to angry "We are the same age! you are no elder!" Cyntheia's ears pinned back further in anger "The only reason you were chosen is because the past elders were cruel and they liked the way you--"

Katherina let out a growel in frustration "Silence!"

Cyntheia's ears shot up as she shook her head and took a deep breath "Please... forgive me... I spoke out of term... I'm sorry"

Katherina grinned widely at seeing her sister apologize and literally worship her "All is forgiven... but Remember Cyntheia..." Katherina pulled a rope to let some sun light into the cave root "I am higher then you by many ways... I have been FAR better then you and I always will be..."

Cyntheia literally swallowed her feelings and anger "I know... I know you were born to be leader of us night prowlers"

"For some reason, I have a bad feeling about this," Niles muttered, loud enough for only Rust to hear.

"Ah," the red-and-white fox chuckled, "it's nothing! Just neves!"

"I suppose so.."

Cyntheia stepped out of the light from the roof "May I ask... who the one is to be... sacrificed? do I know them?"

Katherina grinned and nodded her head "Yes"

Cyntheia lowered one ear as the other ear was still raised up "Are they close?"

"Closer then you think Cyntheia... closer then you think..."

Cyntheia's heart began to race faster as she was frightened to get the answer of who was next

"Niles"

Cyntheia's eyes grew wide as pure heart break and fear flew throughout her entire body "You... you can't be..."

"serious? I very much am"

Soon the group of foxes got to where they were suppose to for their tradition.

"Alright," the nine-tailed fox said. "We're here."

Niles sighed and glanced down at the village. The village was the one that they were to do. Kill, slaughter, capture, and enslaved as many as they could. "I feel bad for these people.. I wish we didn't have to do this."

"You know very well that if we don't, then the villagers will rise up and kill us all," Rust told him. "It's the way we keep them in line."

The orange-and-white twin-tailed fox sighed. "I know that. Still, I can't help but feeling bad for them."

"Don't," the nine-tailed fox said, glancing over at him, his glowing red eyes lit up in the darkness that was around them. "Humans have killed us for many, many moons.. And now we shown them their place, we must keep that, or they'll rise up and kill us just as Rust said."

"But we helped humans in the past too!" Niles protested. "I don't understand why we must do this to them. Can't we just go back to the way it us, when we were helping humans instead of this?"

"There is no going back. What's done is done, we can't change that. We can only continue with what kitsunes before us have started."

"We could change it just as they did."

"Enough!" he snapped. "We're continuing it, and that's that. Let's go."

Niles sighed and followed the other kitsunes.

Cyntheia felt her legs grow weak as she began to slightly shiver and shake "No... please! Katherina please I cannot...!" Cyntheia dropped to her knees "Not to Niles..."

Katherina glanced back at her "Don't tell me you have... RED feelings for that peasant!"

Cyntheia stared up at her sister "Please... reconsider..."

Katherina growled "You didn't answer my question, Cyntheia!"

Cyntheia got back onto her feet leaning against the wall for support "...No... of course not..."

Katherina huffed "Good..." she walked to a dark spot into the cave and grabbed a weapon "Here" Katherina walked back to her sister and handed her a crystal like sword "find him... and use it"

Cyntheia hesitated but grabbed the sword "... But what if I refuse...?"

"Refuse?!" Katherina snapped and began to boil "You do NOT disobey your elder!"

"Some elder... we're the same freaking age..."

Screams were filed the night as as humans ran into their homes, and others tried to fight off the foxes, but they were ether killed or captured.

Niles shut his eyes as he made a ball of fire appear in his hands and he shot it at the human. He pinned his ears back as he heard the screams that the human made before he died.

Pretty soon, the villagers were ether dead or captured and in cages.

"Alright, let's go everyone. We're done here," the nine-tailed fox said.

Everyone nodded and headed off, the prisoners were put in the wagon, and they headed off.

"Don't... disappoint... me..." Katherina turned her back on her sister "And to make SURE you've done your job... bring his body to me"

"His body...?"

"His body" A grin grew on Katherina's face "Just think... you could be a leader someday..." a laugh burst out of Katherina "Not likely! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Cyntheia's ears pinned back as she walked out of the cave "I hate you... I hate you so much..." Cyntheia looked up at the moon as a tear dripped from her eye "I'm sorry Niles... I'm so sorry..." She wiped the tear away and walked out of the forest and was once again back on the dirt trail as she whispered to herself silently "I love you..."

The foxes went back to their village, and put the prisoners in a holder den, with foxes guarding it. Niles sighed and sat down, looking up at the stars.

"Glad that's over."

Cyntheia walked around in a meadow for a little while as she just sobbed "I can't... I'm sorry... I just can't..." Cyntheia stopped walking slowly and dropped her blade and began to sob a bit more "I-I love him... There...! I said it... I admit it... I'm red for him..." she sat down on a rock "Oh... grand elder... what do I do...? if I don't kill him... I'll be killed... and if I do I..." she looked down at the tall grass "I couldn't live with myself..."

Niles stood up and went off to see how Cyntheia was doing. He walked along the path till he spotted her. Surprised to she out here all along, he went over to her.

"Hey."

Cyntheia jumped and let out a small scream in shock "Oh!" she covered her mouth and had her back turned away from him to hide her tears "N-niles what are you... what are you doing here?"

"I came looking for you."

"Why...?" Cyntheia wiped her tears away as a sniffle was slightly let out

He frowned and pulled her into a hug.

Cyntheia's eyes grew wide as she stuttered "Niles...?"

"Yes?"

Cyntheia whimpered slightly and hugged her 'friend' back "I'm sorry... I..."

Niles cocked his head to one side. "You what? What's wrong?"

Cyntheia began to shake as she whispered really silently "...love you..."

His ears twitched at that. "What?"

Cyntheia pulled away "Nothing..." she smiled slightly "forget it.."

"Alright.."

"Umm... so how did your ritual go...?" Cyntheia grew a slight pink blush on her face as she rubbed her arm nervously