Mama Fox

Spoiler

Okay. With the comments and feedback from the last chapter (the review drop lowkey killed me ദ്ദി ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ ) ), I’ve decided I’ll be individually adding bonus tags to every intense chapter in this spoiler format. In addition, I’ve added more warning tags to the story (notably Yandere and Rape).

Lastly, the POV from Cleodora will be on hold, and the story will continue in the interest of a better pace.

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<Zuri>

The house vaguely smelt of Tangoberries.

Stirring from his sleep, Zuri pushed himself to sit up straight.

‘Ugh…’

Immediately, his whole body flared in pain, and regret consumed his mind.

“Right.” (Z)

At Zuri’s hoarse voice, memories of yesterday slowly began to pour in. The whole ordeal had simultaneously been the longest and worst he’d suffered at the hands of Cleodora. That sadistic, evil cretin had used every excuse in the book in order to have her way with him. From stating she was correcting his language use to making certain he was actually pregnant, the night with her had been long and unending. Repeatedly, Zuri was forced to say things he would rather not remember in hopes of ending it.

They never worked.

‘She’s really grown too arrogant…’

Looking down at his body, Zuri frowned.

A quick inspection of it revealed numerous markings littering it. They mainly focused around his chest and collarbone, but small movements were swift to display the true extent of their spread. A slight twitch of the ears was enough to make him wince.

Zuri grimaced.

He felt really… odd? Like something was out of order. Despite Cleodora’s aggressiveness yesterday, he was in a lot less pain than he’d imagined. His entire body hurt, yes, but it wasn’t to the same degree as before. And considering the condition he was in prior to the act; it was a miracle he was able to wake up this relaxed.

Zuri idly stared at his hands.

… Was this some benefit he was yet to realise of his Kitsune constitution?

Wouldn’t be too surprising considering he’d never been pushed this far.

I said I’ll be gentle.

The words of Cleodora suddenly echoed in his mind.

Zuri shook his head.

What a joke.

“O-Oh, ah, you’re awake?” (C)

‘Not a moment of peace, huh?’

Gazing up, Zuri met Cleodora’s form standing perched in the doorway.

He scowled at her.

She flinched.

‘…The hell was that reaction?’

Caught off guard, Zuri’s harsh expression melted away.

“I-I’ve made some breakfast! Hope you enjoy!” (C)

The cheerful laugh and bubbly atmosphere were there, but something felt… off.

Cleodora hopped over to Zuri’s bedside.

“Here is your Tangoberry delight!” (C)

‘Again with this?’

Offering up his favourite meal wasn’t going to make him magically forget yesterday.

Zuri didn’t spare the food a single glance, but her actions did provoke him to think a little deeper.

…Perhaps she felt guilty for her actions?

‘Good!’

She deserved to be on the suffering end for once.

“Get me my robes.” (Z)

Zuri issued a simple order.

If she was back in the dumb service mode like last time, it was best to take advantage of it while it lasted.

Not to mention, being naked around her was dangerous.

“S-Sure! I’ll get right to that… but first let me feed something small.” (C)

“Get. Me. My. Robes.” (Z)

“B-Being naked isn’t such a bad thing, you know? In fact! I would prefer it if you never wore—” (C)

Zuri stared deeply into Cleodora’s eyes, daring her to finish that sentence.

She quieted instantly before coughing into her hand.

“Ehm, nevermind!” (C)

‘Can this damn pervert have a little shame!?’

A tiny bit of decorum wouldn’t kill her!

Frustrated, Zuri pushed on, although in a different direction.

“Forget the clothes then. Go bring the herbalist here.” (Z)

At the end of the day, as much as Zuri wanted to berate her, there was no changing what had happened. Cleodora had had her with him, and as agitating as that was, a more urgent matter needed to be addressed right now. He didn’t have the luxury of time to be upset and air out his emotions. The longer he let this fester, the harder it was going to be to take care of it. With Cleodora at her most agreeable now, it was best to leverage that in order to sort out this problem.

“I’m in need of her service right now.” (Z)

Immediately, Cleodora’s eyes darkened.

A predictable response.

“…I don’t like that woman.” (C)

‘Tch!’

“I don’t care who you like.” (Z)

Zuri knew this was going to be a hard ask. Given how she reacted when he questioned him about his last visit, it was likely she gleaned his true intentions. But, regardless, he pressed on. There was more to lose if he kept his silence. Going out again wasn’t a viable option, and the clock had been ticking for some time now.

‘I have to make this work’

And it was possible with the cards he had in play. Despite questioning him, she had no solid proof of wrongdoing. Hence, she had no reason to deny him. If she planned to keep up this fake, nice service mode up, she would acquiesce without too much struggle.

“If you can’t be bothered to get me clothes, then the least you could do is ease my pain.” (Z)

And, in order to ensure success, the final nail in the coffin was good, old manipulation.

A mix of technique (door-in-the-face) and guilt tripping.

“I—If you need something for the pain, I have this here.” (C)

She pushed the food forward with an awkward smile.

Watching her sweat, Zuri smiled internally.

He got her.

“I am well aware of your idiocy, but don’t you think this is too much? Does this look like medicine to you?” (Z)

“T-Tangoberries have great medicinal—” (C)

“Try thinking with your upper head for a change and go get me an actual healer!” (Z)

Seeing her flinch slightly and get up awoke the feeling of victory in Zuri.

“Hehe, right, right.” (C)

The door to the bedroom closed, and a sigh of relief escaped his lips.

‘Good riddance!’

After waiting for a few minutes to pass, Zuri compelled his body to move.

He would be damned if he let himself continue without clothes.

‘What’s taking so long!?’

Enough time had passed that Zuri not only got time to change clothes but also shower and clean up his appearance. He was now sat in bed patiently waiting for the arrival of the two. It was uncomfortable sitting up, but he wanted to look as composed as possible when they arrived. Though, with how long they were taking, it might be better to lie down and wait.

‘I ask for one simple thing. One simple thing and she takes forever’

Just as Zuri was about to lie back down, the door opened.

‘Seriously!?’

An elderly woman spotting a basket of herbs and a grandmotherly appearance stepped in.

She smiled warmly at Zuri before giving a curt bow.

“Greetings, Princess. I didn’t think we would meet again so soon?” (L)

She chuckled lightly as she walked to his bedside.

“May I?” (L)

Zuri nodded, giving her permission to approach.

“Pray do tell, what has you so troubled? (L)

The elderly woman pulled out something from underneath her basket and folded it into a makeshift chair. Zuri didn’t answer her question but instead studied her appearance. From her silvery hair half hidden in her hood to her wrinkled face that bore a soft smile, he took everything about her before facing away. Having so profusely denied any involvement with Cleodora before, it felt somewhat embarrassing to see her so soon after yesterday.

Zuri’s eyes ended up drifting to the person standing at the door.

There was much he needed to talk about, but he couldn’t freely with her standing around.

Luwn followed his gaze to Cleodora.

She looked back and forth between them before a realisation dawned on her.

“My goodness….” (L)

Getting up from the chair, she shooed Cleodora away.

“You brute.” (L)

“W-What? I didn’t—” (C)

“Out. Get out.” (L)

“I-I would much prefer to stay!” (C)

“Can’t you see your wife requires special care? Enough of this nonsense.” (L)

Through persistence and sheer stubbornness, she managed to chase away the unwanted lurker.

“And I better not find you anywhere in this house!” (L)

The door slammed shut.

Zuri stared on in disbelief.

The words came out before he could stop himself.

“…How?” (Z)

“Experience, dear. She’s not the first husband I’ve been forced to chase out.” (L)

The answer given was less than stellar, so much so that Zuri couldn’t help but feel insulted.

He pursed his lips.

“She’s not my husband.” (Z)

“Ah, right.” (L)

Luwn chuckled to herself before sitting back down.

“Anyway, controlling their behaviour is quite simple once you figure out the trigger. Most of the time, the root cause is their underlying concern. Convince them that their concern is hurting more than helping, and getting them to fall in line is easy.” (L)

Zuri blankly gazed at the elderly woman.

What useless, feel-good crap was that?

“Are you joking?” (Z)

He hadn’t meant it, but a clear irritation laced his question.

Luwn responded warmly while adopting a smile.

“I speak the truth, Princess. In all my years, I am yet to see a change.” (L)

“In that case, you are welcome for the change in your routine.” (Z)

The smile Luwn wore grew a little wider.

Instead of responding directly to his words, she changed the topic.

“So, Princess. How have you been feeling?” (L)

For the sake of getting what he needed sooner, Zuri chose to overlook the tactless deed.

And be as direct as possible.

“I need more of your medicine.” (Z)

The elderly woman paused, pretending to think.

“Should I take that as bad?” (L)

Zuri scowled.

“Luwn.” (C)

Calling her name with heavy words.

“Yes, Princess?” (L)

“Don’t toy with me.” (Z)

“Apologies, Princess.” (L)

There wasn’t a hint of remorse on her face.

‘Gah!’

In fact, the way her gaze held his appeared as though she was still expecting an answer to her question.

‘I don’t have time for this!’

“I have been… well.” (Z)

With a bit of reluctance, he answered back.

An argument with her right now would be counterproductive.

“That’s great to hear, Princess. But—” (L)

She reached forward and lightly pressed his collarbone, causing him to wince.

“That doesn’t appear to be true.” (L)

“Who do you think you are!?” (Z)

Pulling up his robe, Zuri quickly hid the marks exposed.

“Ah, I offer my sincerest apologies, Princess. That was unbecoming of me.” (L)

Despite saying all that, again, there wasn’t a hint of remorse on her face.

Luwn reached into her basket and pulled three items.

A lotion-looking thing, a stack of patches, and an assortment of pills.

Gesturing to each, she explained.

“Apply this to keep the swelling down, use this to cover up and hasten the healing, and lastly, take these three times a day to reduce the pain.” (L)

Eyeing the goods being wrapped neatly for him, Zuri felt an invisible load lift from his heart.

He hadn’t expected it, but what was being offered sounded too good to ignore.

A thanks was in order.

“I suppose even you have your uses.” (Z)

“It’s an honour to be of use, Princess.” (L)

Zuri stared at her.

“What compensation would you like?” (Z)

She chuckled dryly.

“Perhaps if I were younger, I may have desired something, but when you reach my age. The only compensation you begin to desire is the satisfaction of those you help.” (L)

Luwn smiled again.

“I’m truly happy to be of use, Princess.” (L)

…How altruistic.

Zuri looked away.

The atmosphere the elderly woman radiated was too pure.

“Now. If I remember correctly, I left you with a little something last time?” (L)

“You remember correctly.” (Z)

Still looking away, Zuri answered.

“How was it?” (L)

“…A complete disaster. I couldn’t keep anything down.” (Z)

The next words out of Luwn’s mouth caused Zuri to snap his head back.

“Ah, I feared as much.” (L)

“You feared?” (Z)

She sighed deeply before continuing.

“That medicine is… well, a poison of sorts.” (L)

“…Excuse me?” (Z)

“For humans and other lesser races, it prevents pregnancy. But you, Princess, are a Kitsune with royal blood. Your body is much hardier, much more magically potent, than the vast majority. It may have purged the medicine as a form of self-preservation.” (L)

A pit formed in Zuri’s stomach.

‘…Is there really no way out of this?’

He gazed at the ceiling, empty.

Kitsune were known to struggle to bear offspring. In his own family, despite his parents living for well over a millennium, they had only managed to have three children. It was because of this reason; contraceptives weren’t a thing to them. Otherwise, he may have tried to run home and rid himself of this mess. Any child born was automatically seen as a precious gift.

“Don’t be so disheartened, Princess. This may be a sign.” (L)

Soft words broke Zuri free from thought.

A hollow laugh escaped his lips.

“A sign? A sign from who?” (Z)

“The Gods, of course. Those little three soon to join us might be the unexpected blessings of a lifetime.” (L)

Silence descended in the room.

It lasted for mere moments before Zuri spoke again.

“Leave me.” (Z)

“Very well, Princess.” (L)

Luwn got up and quietly took her exit.

Leaving Zuri in the room lost in thought.

‘There is no way out of this’

His head hit the pillow.

Now less of a question, the statement was thought repeatedly and endlessly in Zuri’s mind.

He wasn’t ready for this.