The Fox

(I don't own OUAT. Haven Jones and Colette Gold are my OCs)

Haven sunk to the ground, her helplessness enveloping her finally. She barely felt the cold ground seeping into her jeans or the tree in her back. The tears blurring her vision, she finally allowed herself to feel everything she had been pushing away for the last two days.

Haven pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face in her arms.

Two days.

Two days since her best friend disappeared without a trace.

Right now, Haven was cursing her interest in forensic science. The most terrible situations were running through her brain like a hurricane.

Two days of fighting, worrying, and endlessly searching. Two days of Belle's quiet library sanctuary being turned into a war room. Two days of Merry Men and Grandma Snow searching the woods. Two days of research and coffee and search parties and the same questions over and over again.

After pretending to agree with her Dad's gentle but firm urge to get some sleep, She had finally stolen away with a shirt that Colette had left at her house. (Okay, her parents probably knew she'd snuck out, she couldn't get much past those two.) She had cast yet another location spell.

Between her, Aunt Regina, Mom, and Rumple, they had all tried -and failed- to find her.

Haven had been so, so sure that this spell would find her best friend. So, she snuck away and cast it just beyond her family's home, just far enough away from concerned parental eyes.

She poured the location spell over the soft, fashionably distressed fabric. It came to life and gently floated away with Haven chasing it down. The tee shirt just lead to the edge of the forest and fluttered helplessly to the ground. Haven plucked up the shirt and gripped it tightly, not letting the wind have it. She fisted the shirt, and clutched it to her chest, trying to lighten the pain that was blooming there.

She wanted to make up some excuse; she had done the spell wrong, the shirt had been in Haven's room for too long, it no longer belonged to Colette. She sucked at magic. Anything.

But there was no denying it.

Colette was gone.

The tears flowed freely now, blurring her vision of the painted design on the delicate fabric. The sharp bite of cold air was freezing on her windburned cheeks.

Through her tears, she didn't see the two icey eyes that were watching her.

Two days ago.

It was 5:00 A.M. and Colette Gold couldn't sleep.

She sighed finally sitting up in her bed. She pushed her hair out of her face and took in her surroundings. Her room was already dark, with the black paint. With the heavy curtains closed, the sun wasn't quite strong enough to shine through the edges of the windows. The only sound was the soft hum of her goldfish tank.

She stared into the darkness, trying to figure out her thoughts.

She had had the dream again.

It was what, the sixth time? The tenth? She couldn't tell anymore.

It was always the same dream.

She was running. Always running through the forest, the ground damp under her feet, the trees stretching high overhead.

She knew that she was in the woods that surrounded Storybrooke, but it was just... different.

Somehow, in her dream, she was smaller, more lithe, and much faster than she could have really been going. Like she was some kind of spirit.

Colette definitely wasn't a runner. She could fight with a kunai and ride a horse a little, but running wasn't her strong point. Even if it were, she still couldn't fly like she was in her dreams.

Colette sighed, she has been lying there for a while now, there was no point in staring at the ceiling and freaking out over a dream. There was no chance of going back to sleep. Even she could, she would have to be at school in a couple of hours.

Definitely a good time to do some painting.

Decision made, Colette made her way to her family's basement for a fresh canvas. Her father, taking every chance to spoil his daughter, bought them in bulk for her. She had one in her closet, but something felt like it was calling her to the basement.

Colette must have been more tired than she thought, she swore her basement had never seemed so dark, as she padded softly in her thick socks. She reached for the basement light and flicked it, but the light wasn't working.

A tiny prickle began to creep up Colette's spine.

Something wasn't right.

Colette lit a ball of light in her hand as a magic makeshift flashlight. A helpful spell that she and Haven had concocted that came in handy for emergencies or for finding something in the backstage of the dark school theatre.

Colette looked around carefully, looking for anything out of the ordinary. As she creeped into the basement, She felt a pull in her gut, like a gentle tug on an invisible string.

She looked up, and her eye was drawn to something she had never seen before.

It wasn't anything special. Just a simple vase with a lid. It looked old. Colette picked it up and examined it.

A dark wisp of smoke curled forth from the container.

The smoke was like a snake, wrapping itself around her arm. To her horror, the smoke slithered into her fingernails.

Colette dropped the jar, and it shattered on the basement floor. She grasped her left arm. It didn't hurt exactly, it felt an odd tingingling, like when you fell asleep on a limb and tried to move later.

On her left forearm a shape began to form before her eyes. It was a symbol. Colette squinted in the dim light, the symbol was familiar.

But before she could translate the symbol, before she could even shout, everything went dark.

###

Fear.

So much fear.

So many smells. Confusing, odd, frightening smells.

She smelled air!

Air moving meant freedom from this place!

She jumped up and through the small hole. Into cold, dark air.

She ran.

Haven checked her phone again as she slide into her seat as the bell rang at Storybrook High School.

Where the hell was Colette? It was 7:05, Colette was never late.

Haven had barely made it to class on time. She had been waiting for Colette at their regular meeting spot, just outside the theatre. Ms. Patel gave her a slightly chagrined look, but she said nothing.

Haven would never live up to the perfect image of her older sister Hope, but she was smart as a whip, and got good grades.

She had statistics in the morning, so she was deep in a calculation when the classroom door opened. Her mother walked in with authority, and her Sheriff badge on her hip.

Emma gave her a look and spoke with a voice that brokered no argument.

"I am sorry to interrupt, but I am here for my daughter."

Haven quickly gathered her book and tucked it into her bag as she stood, uncaring of the stares as exited with her mother.

Alone in the hall, her mother softened a little. When she was alone with her family, the town Sheriff and Savior became Emma Jones. the woman who made her daughters hot cocoa with cinnamon on Saturday nights. Her mom reached out to her, gently resting her hand on Haven's arm.

"Haven, I need to tell you something." Her tone was gentle, but sounded urgant.

Haven's heart was already thumping, ready for a fight, but it stuttered in her chest at her mom's next words.

"It's Colette." Emma said, "Colette is missing."

###

Haven raised her head from her eyes. She was startled to see that she wasn't alone.

Within arm's reach was a small, red fox.

Slowly, as if it was afraid Haven would strike it, the fox stepped forward.

Haven's grandparents had made sure she and her sister had been exposed to many animals growing up. Snow had classroom birds and Charming was a wildlife rehabilitator. Of course, she had grown up with Sunny and Dad's fish. Haven knew she should chase it away, or poof away with magic or something, it could be rabid, a wild animal shouldn't be acting this way. She should call Grandpa and tell him to come pick it up.

But something stopped her from doing any of those things.

As she watched, the fox crept close and touched her arm with its paw. The fox looked up and Haven locked eyes with the creature, seeing intelligence in it's blue eyes.

Blue eyes?

Blue eyes?

Did foxes have blue eyes?

It couldn't be. There was no way.

"Colette?"

The word was barely audible on the cold wind.

The fox nodded once. It was impossible, but it was such a clear, unmistakably human gesture.

"Colette?" Haven breathed again. "Is it really you?"

The fox nodded again. Twice this time.

Haven gasped and on instinct her arms went around the animal, tears hitting her fur. Colette chirped with joy.

"We've been looking everywhere! How did this happen?" she clutched her friend gently but tightly. It all made sense now. The location spell had worked. It had led her to Colette, Haven just hadn't seen the small animal hidden in the shrubs.

Haven sniffed, "Your dad will be able to fix this, I know it."

Colette chirped in agreement. Her relief palpable, Haven kissed the fox on top of her head.

Suddenly a poof of familiar colored smoke enveloped the pair, when it cleared there was Colette Gold, whole and human.

##

"It was a Kitsune." Colette's quiet voice was sure.

Before the girls had walked back into the library, in order to take a minute and try to figure out what had happened. Haven had poofed her shivering friend from her pajamas and into a leggings and comfy sweater combo. Both her parents had hugged for about 20 minutes. Gold's hand's were shaking and her mother had openly sobbed.

Of course, Colette had figured it out as soon as she had got her bearings.

"Kitsune? What is that?" Belle asked, her arms still around her daughter.

Colette held out her left arm, showing her father the kanji tattoo now embedded into her skin.

Her father regarded the mark, with far more gentleness than most people would give Rumplestiltskin credit for.

"The Kitsune?" He peered curiously at the magical ink. "I thought they were but a mere myth."

Something in Haven clicked and she went to the familiar shelf in the library.

Colette loved Japanese manga, next to the shelf of battered paperbacks, was a tomb that her friend had poured over many times in their youth. She pulled it from the shelf and brought it back to the group. Colette took the book and flipped to a familiar page.

There a yellowed but still beautiful painting on the page bearing a picture of a fox spirit with nine fluffy tails spread artfully like a peacock.

Gold studied the painting as he spoke aloud.. 'This is ancient magic." He ran a finger over the page, "It will take me some time to translate."

"It mostly just talks about the lore." Colette offered

Belle looked surprised, "You read Japanese?" She asked.

Colette shrugged. "I am better at hiragana, but yeah" I can get the gist out of most of it."

"It appears that the kitsune chose you Colette."

Now Colette looked nervous. "Chose me? What does that mean?"

"I believe, that within time, and a within a little practice, that you can harness the Kitsune's power, and become the fox at will."

"Seriously?!" Colette's eyes widened with excitement. "I'm a werefox?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

##

Later that night, Colette was alone in the embrace of her bedroom. After everything that had happened over the last two days, Colette was exhausted. Mentally, physically, emotionally and magically drained. Her parents had gotten a whole lasagna from Grannys and brought it home so she could stuff herself without a lot of strange looks and awkward questions.

She felt safe her in her space that she had made her own. The familiar, black painted wall, with stark white trim, her carefully placed artwork and her furniture. Her white Christmas lights and her aquarium lights were the lights on and it gave a soft comforting light as Colette sat in her freshly laundered pajamas. She was still trying to comprehend the events of the day.

She ran her fingers over the Kanji tattoo on her inner left arm. Her mother hadn't been particularly fond of that side effect, but Colette already found that she loved it.

She had been chosen by an ancient, powerful, sentient magic. It was humbling and empowering. It made her feel special.

Colette hadn't spoken to Haven about how she had managed to free her from the kitsune form. They didn't need to, Haven was Colette's sister, if not by blood, by heart.

Haven could be guarded, even prickly at times, but she loved with all her heart.

A gentle knock sounded on the door before it cracked open, revealing her mother.

They had been walking a delicate balance her parents. They knew their daughter enjoyed her solitude. But after missing her for 2 days, they were having trouble keeping Colette out of their sight for too long.

"How are you feeling?" Belle asked gently.

"I'm okay, mom." Colette run her thumb over her tattoo absentmindedly. She was still getting used to the beautiful mark. "Just been a long couple days.

"You should sleep, sweetheart."

Belle kissed the top of her daughter's head, and took her leave.

Her sleep that night was deep, and for the first time in a long time, her sleep was dreamless.