Fox (mxm) (Rever series 1)

Fox 5

Stop pulling on my tail!

"Change back. You are making mom and dad cry!" 

But I like being a fox. I'm not bad. 

"You just don't want to change back because you get all the attention! We hate you! You should go away and never come back if you have to be a stupid animal!"  

Fox jumped to his feet, suddenly completely awake. His eyes adjusted easily to the darkness as he panted heavily. After only a few moments the living room came out of the darkness and into focus. 

Oh. Just a dream. 

It had been a long time since he'd thought about his siblings and parents. His heart ached against his ribs as he tried to shove the mental images away. He'd left, just like they'd wanted. It had been the day before his eighth birthday.  

Thirsty. 

Wandering over to the water bowl using the dim light filtering in from the back sliding doors, Fox was slightly surprised to see it completely full. He lowered his head slowly and lapped up a good portion of the crisp liquid before sitting back and staring down into his blurry reflection. 

Is it so bad being what I am? Should I hate that I'm an animal? Should I want to change back? 

The questions were the same as always, and just like every other time they'd found their way into his thoughts, he had no answers to give. He'd thought that being what he wanted was what his parents had always wanted for him. He'd loved it when he'd first shifted at five years old. His parents and older siblings had been so proud. In no time at all he'd mastered the change, too, and often switched back and forth between his two entities. 

By the time he'd turned six, however, he was staying in his fox form more than his human one. At first, it had simply been dismissed as a phase. He could still shift back and forth, so there was no issue. By his seventh birthday, however, he'd remained an animal for three months straight. Doing so caused him to miss school and eventually forced one of his parents to remain home with him during the day and also bring in a mental health doctor to try and figure out why he'd continuously refused to shift. He'd only changed back to his human form one more time after that, to leave his parents a note with a single word out.

Sorry.  

Shaking his head hard, Fox flicked his left ear and lifted a paw. With a quiet grumble he swiped at the water, destroying the image of his fox reflecting back up at him. When the image started to reform, he gave a frustrated squeak of a growl and lifted his other paw to take a swipe at the water. 

Stop it. 

The image reformed again and he quickly lifted both paws, digging out the water in a flurry until the entire bowl was bare... yet his blurry reflection still stared back at him. 

"Hey there, little fox." 

Noah's whispered voice drew Fox's attention to the entryway behind him. The light was turned on as he moved, but thankfully dimmed quickly after so that neither of them went blind. 

"Whoa, was the water bad, buddy?" Noah asked as he got a cloth from where it hung on the stove door and walked over to kneel down and start cleaning up the mess. 

 Fox stepped back, but then realized that he would be tracking water around if he up and left. He also couldn't just sit down. He didn't want to get his bum wet.  

"One second, Fox. I'll get you," Noah said as he finished up with the spill, then grabbed another cloth and knelt in front of him with one hand out.