Niphru spent several weeks learning from Dawn in the ms, expl the forest and practig his illusions in the evenings. During this time he found numerous twisted beings that he reported to the humans. This gained him signifit goodwill with the vilgers, including those who had previously attacked him.

  After this time, Niphru had mostly caught up to what Dawelepathy allowing far faster learning especially once he knew words.

  At this point, Amilya and Morris came out to meet with him as Dawuro go to school..

  “Niphru, the vilgers are quite grateful for your efforts iing monsters before they harm anyone. The farmers are also thankful for your help in redug the number of mice getting into the grain silo,” Morris began.

  Amilya tinued after him, “The majority of the vilge agree to see you as the first non-human vilger, and as such, you are allowed to ehe vilge on your own. The guards know about your fme, and we have never seen any other fox use it, so that is your proof of identity, along with being able to speak.”

  Morris spoke up again, “And on an ued note, now that you are fortable with speech, I’d like to talk with you about your past when you feel up to it.”

  Niphru was quite excited by this, as it meant he would finally be able to thank the old healer, Monti, for his efforts in healing Dawn. He was also curious what the vilge was like when it wasn’t hostile towards him as before, but that was far less important. His human had been hurt, and someone helped, that required thanks.

  Amilya turned and headed back to the vilge now that she had said what she came for, while Morris waited for a response.

  Replying to Morris, Niphru excimed, “I have to visit Monti first, but then we discuss the past if you want.

  Morris nodded, remarking, “I’m sure he will be gd to see you again. He was quite shocked by you at first, but liked how calm you were when we brought you in. He was quite upset when you were driven out, as he was curious about you as well.”

  Niphru nodded, having gotten roughly that impression from the man when he had spent the night with Dawn in the man’s home.

  tinuing, Morris went on, “Since you want to see him and are fih chatting ter, why don’t we go together? I’ll wait outside while you meet with him. That dire is along the way to where I am staying.”

  Again Niphru nodded, before following Morris to the vilge gate, shifting his foxfire bato an orb rather than an illusion field, notig it had reached twice the size of his head a ‘plete’ for ck of a better term.

  As they reached the gate, the guards owards Morris before speaking to Niphru, “Thank you for your help in making the area safer, we’ve had less attacks tely, and the children who sneak out have been ing back alive. If we didn’t keep getting your reports about nearby monsters, it would be much more dangerous for everyone.”

  “You are wele,” Niphru replied, his foxfire flickering as it was used partially for illusion, “I just wao make sure my friend Dawn was safe and wouldn’t get hurt again.”

  “Well,” replied the guard, “you’ve done a great jardless of the exact reason. Thank you. Hopefully you enjoy your time in the vilge.”

  Nodding, Niphru replied, “I hope I do as well. Thank you for the well wishes.”

  versation finished, Niphru followed Morris through the gate as the guards shut it behind them. Morris led the way to Monti’s home, as it had been quite a while siniphru was brought there, and that had been from anate. Upon reag it, Morris sat down on a chair outside after opening the door to let Niphru in.

  “Monti, I’m gd to meet you again!” Niphru excimed, seeing the old maing up from a chair oher side of the room.

  “I am gd to see you again too, little fox. It was quite a shock meeting you the first time, and I apologize about how people acted in the m. Many have lost children to foxes in the past.” Monti said.

  “I uand,” Niphru replied, “I am different, but it isn’t obvious. Anyways, I came here today to thank you for helping Dawn stop feeling pain after the sacked her, as well as your work healing her afterward.”

  “It is no trouble, little one,” Monti replied, “it is my job to aid those in need, and she was in a bad state. Thank you for savihe world would have been darker without her presence.”

  Monti rubbed his for a moment before tinuing, “I suppose I should also thank you for pointing out the monsters in the forest. Thanks to your warnings, those who go to hunt them prepare much better for what they will face, and there are less injuries that require tending.”

  “I didn’t realize it helped so much, but I am gd,” Niphru excimed, “I’m also gd I could meet with you today, but I o go with Morris to talk about how things ended up this way. Thank you for your time, Monti!”

  Niphru then turo the door, passing his foxfire u and f an illusion of himself beside the door. A moment ter, Morris opehe door for him, saying, “What a clever trick, I assumed you’d ask Monti to let you out.”

  Niphru left Monti’s home, following Morris, and replied, “I would have, but I knew you were right outside this time.”

  As they walked through the vilge, Niphru paid attention to how people were looking at him. Most seemed retively calm, though a few here and there showed signifit amounts of hate in their gaze. No one did anything though, so he tried to stay rexed as they approached Morris’ home.

  Entering as Morris opehe door, Niphru waited for him to sit down before heading to another chair, leaping into it and curling up. Kel swooped in through the open window and nded oable, hopping over to Morris.

  Niphru began speaking, describing his life, beginning with the attack of the hunters Amilya, Diara, and Harold on his parent’s den and his escape from it. tinuing on, he expined life was retively simple for a time after he established his owhough he was hunted a few times unsuccessfully. Then one day he ate a rabbit and his mind seemed to expand right as something struck him from above. This seemed quite iing to Morris, though Niphru was uo expin more about it.

  tinuing on, he went into how he actally attracted the hunters again and couldn’t lose them like the ones before. Morris mentiohis was due to magical trag, and Niphru nodded, expeg as much after his own experiences with magical links. He tinued with how he lured them into a fight with a monster and helped them defeat it, then saved Diara from being bitten by a snake as they left. He then expined how he met Dawn and they bonded before Morris showed up and scared him away.

  Theurned silent for a moment before speaking again about how he felt Dawn moving closer one day, then the pain ahrough the link as he raced to follow it, finding her being crushed by a strictor snake. Niphru tinued with the short-lived battle with the shen being grabbed by Dawn and held iil Amilya, Morris, and the guards arrived.

  “From there on, you knhly what happened,” Niphru finished.