Judy felt horrible all over. Every part of her body felt like it was crying out in agony. She tried to move, but everything was stiff, nothing responded the way it should. She tried to open her eyes, but could only manage to barely part her eyelids.

She faintly remembered dying. At least, it had felt like dying. She felt confident that she was supposed to be dead right now. Maybe she was, and the pain had just followed her into the afterlife.

But no, that couldn't be right. It didn't hurt as much now as it had before. She couldn't remember much, in fact she could hardly think at all right now, but she was certain of that fact. Whatever had happened, she was in less pain now than she had been when she thought she was dying.

So, not dead then.

Probably.

Then she lost consciousness once more.

...

When she woke up again, she felt like the pain had once more retreated somewhat. She could think a little bit clearer, though still couldn't move.

She was laying in a bed. She wasn't sure where. She imagined it was the infirmary. She tried to speak, but all that came out was a fragile croak, which elicited a slew of terrible pain throughout her chest and throat.

Someone was standing next to her now, but she still couldn't open her eyes enough to make out who it was. As she tried to turn her head, they placed a gentle paw on her forehead.

She heard a single word. Not in her ears, but in her mind. Sleep. She immediately complied.

...

Judy was running through the halls of the keep. She was lost. She didn't know how, as she had spent hours memorizing every detail of the keep's layout. Yet the halls twisted in unfamiliar ways, and wherever she looked, she saw nothing she could recognize.

She suddenly became aware that she was being chased. She could hear footfalls behind her, and a sinister monstrous breathing, both gaining on her quickly.

She glanced behind her in time to see the demon, wearing the tattered flesh of the librarian, looming behind her. It reached out with a terrible claw, and swung for her throat.

...

Judy's eyes shot open as the scream tore through her ragged throat. The fox who had been sitting in a chair leaned against the corner yipped in surprise and toppled over onto the floor. As the fox stood and rubbed his butt, Judy took in her surroundings. They were… not what she had been expecting.

She was sitting in a simple room, just large enough to accomodate the bed she was in, a burning hearth, a desk on the opposite wall, and the chair the fox was standing next to. But why wasn't she in the imperial clinic? And if not there, then why not her own room? At the very least she-

Her eyes snapped back to the fox. He was alive? How was he here!? He had been walking straight into a pack of imperial mage knights!

He… He didn't kill them… did he?

Looking at him grumble while rubbing his rear end, she had trouble imagining him carving a path through a cloth bag, much less veteran mages of the empire.

He looked up at her and seemed annoyed with her.

"Sheesh, it's about time you woke up, rabbit."

"Excuse me? How about you try being poisoned by a demonic badger! We'll see how well you take to it."

The fox grinned, which frustrated Judy even more.

"Apparently you've forgotten, but I was." He said, lifting his open shirt to the side to reveal a bandage wound in his side, where the badger's claws had torn through him.

Oh. Oh, that's right. Judy thought.

"Although," the fox began, walking towards her, "I'd say you still had it worse than I did. He couldn't risk using Abyss poison on his own claws. Even demons can't shrug that stuff off. No, the poison he had on his claws was much less annoying to deal with."

He paused as he rested a paw against her forehead. Judy slapped it away after a moment, having been distracted by his talk of poisons. How did this fox know all this? Or was he just making it all up as he went along?

The fox leaned over to rummage through a satchel on the bedside table. "Well, your fever's finally broken, so you should be out of danger by now. Honestly, I'm kind of impressed that you held up as well as you did. I didn't have to use nearly as much mana as I expected to keep you alive."

"Wait, what?" Judy asked. "You know healing magic?" In her studies, Judy had learned that healing magics were some of the most difficult magics that a mage could learn. Even the most learned healers in the empire still relied mainly on potions and herbs to heal sicknesses, and mainly time and rest for more physical wounds. Despite her fervent study, and great skill with mana manipulation, Judy was still far from mastering even the most basic healing magic. The idea that this fox knew more than she did… It infuriated her more than she could rationalize.

"Well, I don't claim to be a master or anything," the fox said, that annoying grin coming onto his face, "but I know a few things that have helped me stay alive."

"Speaking of," Judy began, but was quickly hushed, much to her annoyance.

"Questions later, fluff." The fox said, handing her a cup of water. "You've been flat on your back for days now, your body needs actual food and water if it's going to heal properly."

Judy took the cup, thankful for the way the cool water soothed her throat.

As she finished, she handed the cup back and asked, "What do you mean by that?" The fox chuckled and pointed at her.

"Notice anything strange?" He asked.

Taking a more focused look at herself, Judy noticed a faint green aura surrounding her. It was the same shade of green as that of the mana shield the fox had trapped her in at the library.

All mana expended in the casting of magic is affected by the mage who wields it. As the mage draws the mana in, they must refine it into something capable of accomplishing what they want it to do. Mana for a fireball requires very little refinement. In fact, it's best not to refine the mana too much, as will detract from the volatile nature of your attack. However, something as sophisticated and purposeful as a mana shield requires a significant amount of refinement. At least, if you want the shield to actually work.

When mana is refined, it touches something deep within the mage. The more refined the mana, the deeper the mage draws it and the more significant the contact with this hidden realm of the soul. Thus, all mages have their own personal 'flavor' that they give to their refined mana. This almost always manifests as a unique shade of color. In Judy's case, it is a deep violet, reminiscent of an amethyst. For the fox, it was a vivid shade of green that reminded Judy of something free. Something wild.

She turned back to the fox, amazement clear on her face.

"You… you've been using your mana to keep my body functioning. That's… I don't know of anyone who can do that." She said quietly.

"Yeah, well, you still need to eat." The fox said, standing up.

Judy was stunned. Here was a fox that could do something she was certain that the emperor's personal court mage would be unable to pull off, and not only had Judy never heard of him, but he was more concerned about food. She had a million questions at that moment, but only one actually managed to make its way out.

"Who… Who are you?" She asked uncertainly.

The fox paused in walking to the door. He stood there for a moment without turning around, as though coming to terms with the question. Eventually, he looked back at her, that same grin on his muzzle.

"Me? I'm just a mammal out to cause trouble."

Judy huffed in annoyance, and opened her mouth to berate him, but then, the fox said something, just a single word. Judy didn't hear it though. Rather, the word resonated in her mind.

Sleep.

And she did.

...

A/N

Wow. Ok. That took forever.

Alright, so, long story short: Just about everything that could have gone wrong, did.

I won't get into the details, because frankly I don't want to. The last several months have been pretty rough. But! They are now over, and I am finally moving on from them!

Does that mean I'll start posting more often again? I have no idea!

But I'll promise you this. I have no intention of abandoning my stories. It may take a while, but I will finish them.

Anyhoo, questions, comments, reviews, and whatever else you want to say are always welcome!