8. The Right Tool

Feria almost gave herself away at the excitement of finding another fox. She kept to the shadows to listen in on Alix’ meeting. She was slow and drowsy, though, and only caught the last part of it.

“We can’t thank you enough,” a Gosti said. “It used to take us months to find a good twig and sharpen its tip.”

In this time period, dear reader, animals were finally able to communicate with each other. Even different species mostly spoke the same language, from one end of Somnia to another. This was mostly thanks to doves who also spread like wildfire and wouldn’t shut up. But the gods were thankful, as more communication meant more cooperation. Though this was a cooperation Feria didn’t like to see …

The female Gosti showed Alix some chipped stones. They used to be larger, uneven rocks. The ones that are so common you couldn’t walk through Somnia without stubbing your toe on them. But thanks to his technique, striking them in just the right place with another stone, they had been able to give the stones many sharp edges.

Once they had sharp stones, the most difficult step, sharpening the point of twigs was peanuts. And so the first spears were born. An invention that spread like wildfire among all animals that could hold stone or spear.

“But there had to be a first stone,” said Alix. “To break the first Saltstone. To start the cycle of tools. Did Mami give you one?”

“No, no, that was this one.”

She procured a smaller stone. It was faintly orange, less sharp, but strong enough to hit another stone and break it. They revered that stone as if it were God: the so-called First Stone that made all the other tools possible.

“Fascinating,” said Alix.

It was his stone.

Years ago, he’d created this one during his experiments. When he discovered that the stone was near unbreakable in some places, but would chip nicely if hit in a different way. While traveling, his parents had lost that stone, and he’d been sad about it for months. He’d told the story to Feria many times. Mami must have found it and used it to break the first Saltstone and get access to the magical Marker Stone within.

“And so, as thanks, we did as you asked,” the Gosti said. “We gave all the Gosti a quest, and we searched far and wide, and we found a single remaining Giant Fox in all of Somnia. Her name’s Bellafax.”

She pointed at the pink-green fox, who hadn’t taken her eyes off of Alix. He did the same to her. A stern inspection. Studying the length of her fur, the details of her large eyes. Her much thicker tail wouldn’t have looked out of place on a beaver, but it seemed to be missing a part.

“Smasher attack,” Bellafax mumbled, pointing her snout at her tail. “Don’t worry. I’m not sick or anything. I’m healthy, and strong, and—”

“It’s fine,” said Alix. “I am just glad you’re alive. That I am not the last one of my kind.”

She smiled and finally approached him. “So am I.”

Feria’s breath caught in her throat. Her heart stopped. This was the moment. These two foxes had to like each other and get children, or the Giant Foxes would die when Alix died.

The two sniffed each other. They licked each other’s ears and stared in each other’s eyes.

“You must understand I am … hard to live with,” said Alix.

No! Silly fox! Feria was about to jump from her hiding place and stop him with some dating advice.

“They’ve told me. I don’t mind—I’ll find all the food you need.”

“My own mother,” Alix swallowed, “did not even want me. I am sickly.”

Bellafax froze. Her eyes glossed over.

This was going wrong—

“Nor did mine. She only saved herself when the Smashers came. Don’t worry, Alix. You are a legendary presence in Somnia and I’d gladly be with you.”

In this time, dear reader, love did not exist yet. There was only the natural feeling of wanting to stay alive and bear children. The feeling that you needed to be with an animal of the opposite sex to do so. Alix did not love Bellafax, and she did not love him, because they were incapable of it. But they trusted each other enough to make it work.

As if by unspoken agreement, Bellafax switched sides to stand beside Alix. She leaned against him, much like how Feria had snuggled against him earlier when sleeping.

Alix turned to the Gosti again. “And the other part I asked about?”

They smiled and waved for him to follow.

“We discovered the new hiding place of the Marker Stones. Our silly joker Darus just put them back where he hid them the first time! Where Mami broke them out through immense effort and with the help of Donte. As if he wants us to find them!”

They followed the Gosti up a hill, along a winding river, into an area increasingly built on stone. There, high above the ground, was a cave. The opening was once perfectly round and smooth, but now stood jagged and at risk of collapse. They’d broken into the place again, and had used Alix’ so-called tools to break out dozens of Marker Stones.

“Fascinating,” Alix mumbled.

“And you’re sure this will work?”

“Not sure. But magic usually commences at my touch. And I think we have just the right tools.”

The large dog that stood with them, however, did not follow. It was a familiar dog. It was not even a dog, in fact, it was the Hespryhound. Feria’s Heavenmatter and pet, which had accidentally arrived from the Heavenly Palace many years ago. The one who accidentally introduced the carnivore problem and made it worse, for he had accidental magic to turn plant-eaters into meat-eaters at a touch.

Hespry the hound had felt the presence of his owner long ago.

Feria dwarfed in his presence and was swallowed by his warm hug.

“What are you doing with those creatures?” Feria demanded. “What is the meaning of this?”

“Are you not happy we found your fox? Keep Alix en Bellafax alive for a few more years, and the species is saved.”

“Well, that part is a little unsure now with him making plans behind my back.”

She climbed onto the Hespryhound. She could barely see Alix in the distance. He inspected the glowing Marker Stones, laid out for him like a gift.

“What’s his plan?”

“It’s ridiculous.”

“What is it?”

Her Hespryhound sighed. He know how she was. Feria could never just let things happen without interfering. “You’ll make it worse. Just let him fall on his face.”

“You know the gods can do a lot of good by interfering.”

“And just as much bad.”

He refused to take her further towards the cave. He stood still as a statue, his eyes lost and his thoughts somewhere else.

“I thought I was doing good when I helped the carnivores. Just as I thought I was doing good when I applied my magic a final time. A lizard called Higgis requested I turn him from a meat-eater back into a plant-eater. I had never tried before.”

He blew out a long breath. It created swirling clouds in the cold night sky.

“It went wrong. Very wrong. I don’t know where Higgis is, as he hid himself from the world, afraid he might end it. Let it go, Feria. Alix will kill himself in the attempt, but at least you won’t make it worse.”

Her heart broke at his words. She missed the friendly, jumping, careless dog that had once chased her through the Heavenly Palace. She had no time to mourn that dog now.

Feria jumped from his back and ran for the cave. She whistled. A high, piercing whistle that she knew could be heard by any of her siblings nearby.

“Tell me what he’s planning.”

“You told him he was amazing. You told him he was worth killing dozens of animals to bring him food. Well, now he truly believes he’s better than the rest. That he—”

A warm light erupted at Feria’s back. The sun rose. The landscape quickly bathed in warm, yellow light. And still they were outshone by the glow coming from the Marker Stones.

Alix and the Gosti were moving them to the top of this small mountain. Bellafax looked over her shoulder, spotting Feria and pleading with her eyes.

Then the world inexplicably went darker again; sunrise turned to sunset.