With You [2021]

It was late into the afternoon when Noemi, Caedim, and Mata arrived at Mata’s house with the supplies they’d purchased.  Mother’s Day was coming up later in the week, and Noemi had planned a special surprise for Emily as a special “thank you” for everything the woman had done for her.  However, where she and Emily lived above the jewelry store, Noemi would not have been able to craft the gift without being discovered so she had to rely on her mate and Mata to help her out.  Additionally, Noemi also couldn’t work on it in her mate’s apothecary, because there was no space for her to lay everything out with the clutter of plants, herbs, and everything else crammed into the tiny, lantern-lit shop.  Caedim himself barely fit in the tiny space, often sleeping at the counter next to his cash register because there was no room for a bed.  When she found out about his poor living conditions, Emily had invited Caedim to come and live above the store with her and Noemi after he and the candle fox became mates, but the apartment barely held the human and Scarfox comfortably, let alone a third party, so he opted to stay in his cramped apothecary like the hermit he was accustomed to being.

Once they’d set foot inside the house, the three set the supplies down in the living room and followed Mata into her studio.  The “gift” was simple; Noemi wanted to craft Emily a special, one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry using her fire magic, and Mata had agreed to take some photographs of her as an add-on.  There would be another photoshoot on Mother’s Day to commemorate the event, but for today, it would just be Noemi and Caedim getting their photos taken.

“Alright, would the happy couple prefer to get the photo session over with?  Or should we all catch a break first?”  Mata put a playful emphasis on ‘happy couple,’ watching the other two Scarfoxes fidget shyly.

“I’d like a drink first, if you don’t mind,” Caedim answered quickly, wanting to delay the photoshoot as long as possible.

Though he’d come a long way in gaining trust in others, Caedim still had his insecurities and getting his photo taken happened to be one of them.  Noemi had given him the choice when Mata proposed the idea, and he’d almost said no, but where Emily had accepted him as a son-in-law, he felt it would have been improper if he backed out.  He was, as they say, “part of the family” now, after all, so he should be in the family portraits.  Those words made his face flush with mist, coloring his cheeks with an orange and green tint.  Emily was a sweet woman, he couldn’t deny that.  She made him feel welcome any time he did stop by her place, and something about her was very comforting.  Like Noemi, he felt like he could open up to her about anything without fear of judgement or scorn, and he liked that.

Noemi nodded in agreement with her mate’s suggestion, settling the debate.  Mata beckoned the pair to follow her, and they made their way to the kitchen.  While the begemmed fox grabbed the glasses and poured drinks for everyone, Noemi and Caedim rummaged in the fridge to find something to snack on and prepared three individual plates.  Everyone grabbed a drink and a plate and sat down around the table to discuss the plans for how to time everything.

They’d given themselves a week to prepare, Noemi and Mata were confident enough in their skills that they felt a week was too long, but Caedim convinced them both to pace themselves in the event that anything might go wrong.  Noemi was easily persuaded and agreed to stretch things out, so as not to overwork herself and her magic, but Mata was stubborn.  Not unlike Will in times past, Caedim had been gifted with the misfortune of questioning Mata’s skills as a photographer and gotten an earful, and he sternly reminded himself to never make that mistake again.  Still, even Mata eventually agreed that a sentimental gift like this was better prepared with time and love, and in the end she too agreed to space things out by opting for traditionally developed photographs rather than digital.

Today, Mata decided, would be the indoor photoshoot in her studio due to the time of day and the cloudy sky.  She left Noemi and Caedim to rest and relax while she prepared some backdrops and props, and once she was ready, she returned to the kitchen to announce that everything was ready in the photo studio, all they needed to do was double check that they looked presentable.  Both had dressed up for the occasion today; Noemi was wearing a semi-sheer, sleeveless ruffled blouse paired with a black ruffled skirt, accessorized with some of the jewelry she’d saved up to buy from Emily’s shop.  Caedim was in his more formal attire consisting of a white dress shirt, pinstripe vest, and a necktie that was loose and improperly tied.  Smoothing out his clothes for him, Noemi chuckled at Caedim and re-tied his necktie properly.

“There,” she said softly and smiled at him.  “Very handsome.”

Caedim flushed again and looked away, his ears twitching in embarrassment.  One day, he’d get used to the compliments.  Today, however, was not that day.

Mata watched the scene from the doorway, grinning, and then called out to the two of them.  “The studio awaits.”

The three Scarfoxes entered the photo studio and Mata promptly went into business mode, deciding who to photograph first.  Knowing that Caedim was camera shy, she grinned slyly and decided to pick on him first.  She ushered him over to the backdrop and props she’d set up prior, forcing him down onto a small wooden stool and returning to her camera.  He sat stiffly on that stool, looking uncomfortable and awkward, until Mata called out to him.

“Take a minute to relax, hun.  There’s no rush.”  She crossed her arms on top of her tripod and leaned against it.  “Let yourself get used to the camera’s presence.”

Caedim looked at her with uncertainty, and then looked at the camera pointed at him.  His ears pulled back and he looked around before casting his gaze over to his mate.  Noemi smiled softly and gestured to him to take some deep breaths, and he obeyed.  She coached him through a breathing exercise until he visibly relaxed, and then he looked back towards Mata.  “Okay, I’m ready.  I think.”

Mata smiled.  “I’ll let you know now that I prefer more ‘natural’ looking subjects, so instead of focusing on me or my camera, I’d like you to look around and just act natural.”

The split colored fox tilted his head curiously, but understood.  It took him a minute or two to get comfortable, but soon enough the photoshoot was underway.  With Noemi’s help and guidance, and a little bit of conversation, Caedim let go of his tension and Mata was able to get a number of photos of him laughing, smiling, and excited when he started talking about his potion making.  When Mata announced that Caedim’s time was up, he looked back at her in surprise.  “Wait, already?”

Mata chuckled.  “Yep!  See, that wasn’t so bad was it?”

Noemi swapped places with her mate, and Caedim watched, entranced, as Noemi breezed through the photoshoot with ease.  Not that it surprised him, Noemi was often a model for Mata’s photography when she was willing to participate.  The candle fox glanced Caedim’s way to see the starstruck look on his face, and she giggled shyly.

Mata looked over at him too, and grinned.  “Wow.  I hope, someday, I find a mate who looks at me the way he looks at you, girl.”

Noemi immediately blushed a bright orange, hiding her face in her hands as she stammered out a weak reply.

It was time then for the two to pair up for the couples photoshoot.  Mata called for a brief intermission while she changed up the backdrop and props, and then ushered the two lovebirds back in front of the camera.  Where she was relatively hands-off with the individual photoshoots, Mata was a little more commanding with this set of photos so that she could get the best angles and most meaningful moments between the two Scarfoxes.  When the photoshoot ended, Noemi and Caedim were just about to walk out of the studio room when Mata stopped them.

“Hold up, you two.  That was the business side of things, now comes the fun side of things.”

Caedim and Noemi exchanged curious glances, but before either of them could ask, they found themselves bombarded with costume parts and accessories.  Caedim let out a muffled “oof” as a trenchcoat blanketed his face and slid down to the floor, and Noemi was holding a feather boa in her hands.

“Mata, is this-” Noemi started, but Mata interrupted her.

“Serious photos are nice and all, but we gotta give Emily some silly photos too.  Suit up, you two.  I’m gonna go get more film.”

As Mata exited the studio, Noemi and Caedim set to searching the costume trunks at the back of the room, rummaging through various articles of clothing and some other items.  Noemi pulled out an elaborate black hat with a sheer veil hanging down from it, adorned with red roses and beads.  Looking at it thoughtfully, she put it on her head and wrapped the feather boa around her shoulders.  She spun around playfully as Caedim slipped into the trench coat, finding a matching hat hanging on a hatrack to his right.  Shoving his hands in the coat pockets, he put on a serious face, mimicking a detective from an old film he’d watched some time ago.  Noemi laughed and playfully slapped the end of her feather boa at him.

“Hey, save that energy for the camera, you two,” Mata laughed as she entered the studio once again, a film roll in her hand.  “Though, since you two look like that, I could take some fun Film Noir style photos if you want, for something dramatic.”

The three Scarfoxes had fun with the final indoor photoshoot, taking lots of silly and dramatic photos until the film roll was used up.  With that, it was time for Noemi to start working on the necklace she wanted to make for Emily.  There would be no more indoor photo sessions for the rest of the week, so Mata put away her backdrops and props and cleaned off one of the tables in the studio to ensure the candle fox had ample space to spread out her materials.

“You two can go ahead, I’m gonna get a head start on developing these film rolls.”

Caedim and Noemi nodded and left the studio, returning to the living room to gather up the supplies they’d bought.  Spreading them out on the studio table, the two arranged everything in neat piles.  Though Caedim knew that Noemi had been given her own jewelry line in Emily’s shop, he’d never actually seen her work on a piece so he was greatly intrigued to see how she made her designs.  He was disappointed, however, when it turned out Noemi wasn’t going to start the actual crafting process that day, and instead began drafting up the design she planned to make.  By the time she was almost finished drawing it out, it was getting late and Mata wanted her and Caedim to get some rest in case the weather happened to be pleasant the next day.  Saying their goodbyes, Caedim walked Noemi home to the jewelry store and then headed back to his apothecary to sleep away the night.

Both awoke the next morning to find the skies a dark grey, a heavy rain soaking the streets and sidewalks.  There would be no photoshoot today, but Noemi and Caedim still met up and headed back to Mata’s so that Noemi could work on the necklace. Since the design draft was almost finished the previous night, Noemi put the finishing details on the blueprint and immediately set to preparing the materials.  First, she needed to transform the glass pieces into the desired shapes, then she would have to imbue the shapes with her fire magic.  Once that was done, she would need to put everything together.  It wouldn’t all be done in a single day, but she wanted to at least get as much of it done as she could.

Taking a small cube of plain glass into her hand, she closed her eyes and focused her attention on its weight and texture.  Caedim observed her with interest, watching as her palms began to glow a soft orange color which then spread into the glass itself.  Small sparks of flame ignited around the glass before tongues of flame began to dance and coil through the air around it, lifting it out of Noemi’s flattened palm into the air.  Awed, Caedim leaned in for a closer look until the intense heat of the flames became too much to bear and he shrunk back defensively.  As Noemi opened her eyes, her pale orange irises were now glowing with an intense light, the glass beginning to melt and liquify in the heat from her magic.  Intently, she gazed at it, her mere will beginning to shape the simple glass cube into something more ornate, hollowing it out and giving it an entirely new form.  When the desired look was half formed, she ignited a small flame inside of the glass before wrapping it in her magic and then sealed the shape up.  Setting it down on the table, she exhaled and sat back.

“One down…”

Caedim’s ears pointed forward and he looked at her with some concern visible in his features.  “Are you okay?  How much energy does that take?”

“For more complex shapes, a lot.  For smaller shapes, not so much,” Noemi answered, picking up a smaller piece of glass from the pile.  “This one will be done quickly since it’s an accent piece, not one of the main points.”

She repeated the process multiple times, crafting out the smaller glass accents before moving onto another cube of glass similar to the first one.  When she’d crafted one third of the required components, she slumped back in her chair and said she needed a break.  Caedim looked concerned, but she assured him that she was fine and that she’d taken on bigger challenges than this while crafting some of the more expensive pieces from her designer catalog.  As if sensing the need for a break, or maybe it’s because she wanted to take a break herself, Mata came in carrying a tray of drinks and some small snacks, joining the other two at the table and looking over Noemi’s handiwork.  The three of them took the time to rest and chatted idly, Mata confirming the photos from the previous night had been developed.

When the break was over, Noemi went back to transforming the glass pieces that remained, and this time Mata stayed to watch too since she had nothing better to do.   Her and Caedim were both amazed by the fire magic that Noemi possessed, and Mata picked up one of the flame-imbued pieces to look at it.

“Oh, it’s pleasantly warm,” she mumbled in surprise to herself, expecting it to feel hotter than it did “It feels comforting.”

“Yes, that is what my magic creates,” Noemi set down the piece she’d just finished shaping.  “I aim to make pieces that are both visually appealing but also comforting to those who own them.  Comfort is something we all need, from time to time, and a piece of comfort that you can carry with you everywhere goes a long way to help someone in need.”

“Huh,” Mata hummed thoughtfully.  “Don’t suppose I could bribe you for one of these someday?  How much do these even cost, anyway?”

Noemi laughed.  “Emily sets the price depending on the complexity and materials used, they do get a little bit expensive.”  She fell silent.  “I don’t need a bribe to make one for a friend, Mata.  We can worry about the details later, but I’d be more than happy to make you something.”  She turned over one of the pieces, inspecting it.  “It doesn’t even have to be jewelry,” Noemi added.  “I can make decorative pieces too!”

Mata’s ears perked up.  “Well hey, I’d love that.  I’ll come see you the next time you’re free and we can discuss it.”

The rest of the day proceeded with the three Scarfoxes idly chatting while Noemi worked on the necklace, and once she couldn’t take anymore, Noemi decided it was time to go home and rest.  Donning their umbrellas, the two Scarfoxes departed Mata’s house to return home for the rest of the day.  Emily was out when Noemi returned home, so she headed to her room to rest.  Caedim decided to return to his apothecary and grab a small energy mixture, which he brought to Noemi later in the day to help her restore some of her magic and strength.

The following day was sunny, so Mata decided to take advantage of it and rallied up the other two for the outdoor photoshoot.  This time, to match the weather, Noemi was wearing a breezy and loose fitting dress, accompanied by a sun hat adorned with a ribbon.  Caedim was dressed in a slightly less formal shirt paired with an open vest, but still maintained a somewhat fancy appearance.  Not wanting to waste the day, Mata spaced out the photoshoot with a picnic, enjoying the time with her two friends on the grass.  In a similar fashion to the prior photoshoot, she took pictures of Caedim and Noemi individually first, utilizing the natural beauty of their surroundings, and then focused on the two of them as a couple.  With that, the only photos left would be the ones taken on Mother’s Day with Emily, but for now, Mata had enough to start putting the album together.

Since the day was nice, and Noemi still felt a little bit fatigued, she decided not to work on the necklace that day, taking it off after the picnic to rest and recuperate a little more.  Mata left early to go home and develop the photos, leaving Noemi and Caedim in the park to enjoy the day.  By night, they returned to their homes.  The rest of the week leading up to Mother’s Day went smoothly, and Noemi completed the necklace one day earlier than anticipated.  The three Scarfoxes gathered together on the final night to make their preparations for the next morning, combing through the album and getting everything nicely wrapped up for Emily.  Wanting to surprise the woman, Noemi and Caedim stayed over at Mata’s that night so that the three of them could arrive at Emily’s apartment bright and early in the morning to unfold their Mother’s Day plans.

When the sun rose, it was time.

The scene at Emily’s apartment was lively.  The three Scarfoxes had surprised the woman when they showed up early in the morning and presented her with the gifts they’d made.  The necklace that Noemi made was beautiful, Emily had said, and the human wasted no time in putting it on and praising her adopted daughter for her talents.  Noemi, as usual, was modest and struggled to accept the praise, but she couldn’t hide the happiness she felt.  The photo album also delighted the woman, her eyes shone with happy tears as she flipped through the pages, looking at the photographs that Mata had taken.  When she came to the empty pages of the album, she closed the book and was about to set it down when Noemi stopped her.

“It’s only half finished, mama.”

Emily looked at her daughter curiously.  “What else is there to put in it, dear?  It’s already wonderful, and it looks complete to me.”

Noemi smiled and took the human’s hands in her own.  “The final pages are for photos of us,” she gestured to herself, Emily, and Caedim.  “As a family.”

The human covered her mouth with her hand as her eyes welled up with tears.  Before Noemi had become part of her life, Emily never thought about Mother’s Day that much since her own mother had passed, and with no husband or child of her own, there was no one to celebrate it with.  Over time she’d just learned to see Mother’s Day as any other day on a personal level, only acknowledging it for the week-long jewelry sale events which brought her an increase in business.  Going forward, however, it was evident that this would no longer be the case and it brought Emily’s heart warmth to know she would no longer be alone anymore.

Noemi made a soft sound and hugged the human tightly, holding her close and resting her chin on top of Emily’s head.  “I love you, mama.  Thanks for everything you’ve done for me.”

When the sentimental moment had passed, Noemi and Emily left the living room so that the woman could prepare for the final photoshoot, giving Mata and Caedim the chance to set up a suitable spot.  Once everything was ready, Caedim called out to Noemi to let her know.  The Scarfox and her human guardian returned to the living room similarly dressed in their usual business attire, and let Mata direct them on where to sit and what to do.  This time, the focus was put on the duo first before Mata took individual photos of Emily by herself.  Then, to wrap it all up, Mata asked Caedim to join in and took the remaining photos of the happy family together.

There was no further role for Mata to fulfill at that point, so she packed up her things and departed to go develop the new photos so that they’d be ready as soon as possible.  Caedim and Noemi remained with Emily, ready to put the next phase of their plan into motion.  Emily, sensing that the gifts and photoshoot weren’t the only events planned for the day, looked back and forth between the two Scarfoxes and asked what would happen next.

“Well…” Caedim began, but fell silent.

“We had something special planned, a trip to someplace you’ve never been before,” Noemi finished for him.  “It won’t be a long trip, but you will need to keep the shop closed for today.”

Emily looked intrigued then.  “I take it this will be an out of town excursion then?”

There was no place in the city that she hadn’t been to in all of the time she’d been living there, and she knew Noemi was already aware of that.  Additionally, keeping the shop closed on Mother’s Day was a bold request from the usually quiet Scarfox, but Emily had to admit that it had been a long time since she’d taken a vacation.  She needed a break herself, if she did say so herself.

“Yes, this would definitely qualify as ‘out of town’,” Caedim laughed lightly.

The human smiled brightly.  “Sure, that sounds good to me.”

With that settled, Noemi and Caedim helped the human woman make preparations for the trip, readying a picnic basket and some drinks for the trip.  Caedim looked at his mate questioningly, wondering if the picnic basket was really necessary, but Noemi just shrugged and decided to let Emily do what she thought was necessary.  Once the preparations were complete, it was time to depart.  The candle scarfox led the human out to the living room, with Caedim following close behind.  Standing close to the woman, Noemi wrapped her arms tightly around Emily, holding her firmly in place as Caedim spread his arms and began to utter a soft incantation.  At his command, a gentle wind began to blow inside of the living room, increasing in force as it wrapped around the three of them and lifted them into the air.

“Wait, Noemi, what’s going on-” Emily clung to her daughter tightly, looking around frantically as the wind formed a ball shape around them.

“You’ll see when we get there,” Noemi replied reassuringly.  “This is how we must travel.”

The rest of what she said was drowned out by the increasing roar of the wind, and Emily let out a startled scream as she suddenly felt the force of gravity let go for a brief and dizzying moment.  Then, as suddenly as it had formed around them, the ball of wind released them, the party still levitating just above the ground. As Caedim finished his spell, the three of them floated down to the ground and stood in a lush meadow - the Hidden Garden of the Scarfox Realm.

Emily looked around at the scenery before her in awe.  “Where… are we?”

“This is our home world,” Noemi answered.  “This is the world where Caedim and I were ‘born’ - where our threads and existence were woven by the Goddess.”  Looking around, she added, “This place is known as the Hidden Garden, a place to relax and enjoy the Spring season for all its renewal and floral beauty.”

There were many places to see within the Hidden Garden itself, but Noemi wanted to show Emily two places in particular that she was fond of: Venus’ Pond and Eden’s Garden.  If they were lucky, maybe they’d even be able to catch a glimpse of some of the Mini Scarfoxes running around as well.  It seemed Emily wanted to explore their current location a little more, though, before moving onward.  Once she was steady on her feet again, she let go of Noemi and began to wander around the meadow, looking at the trees and colorful blossoms framing the area.  Leaning down, she sniffed one of the flowers and called out in delight.

“These have a lovely scent to them!”  She reached down to touch the petals and inhale the scent again.  “Wait, can these be picked?”  She looked back at the two Scarfoxes hopefully and they nodded.  “How wonderful!  Well, I won’t pick any now, I wouldn’t want them to wither.  I would really like to stop here on the way home though, so that I can bring some back as a souvenir of this place.”

A fair point, Noemi agreed.  If either her or Caedim had been blessed with plant magic, it may not have been an issue, but if the blossoms were picked now then they would inevitably start to wither the longer they spent exploring the gardens.  She made a mental note for herself to come back here before the three of them went back to the other world so that Emily could pick a bouquet.  Perhaps, after they’d returned home, Caedim could bring the flowers to Shiori for preservation.

Once Emily had satisfied her curiosity of their landing place, it was time to move on.  Noemi and Caedim led her through the Hidden Garden, taking a leisurely stroll through the Scented Path of the Nymphs on their way to the rest of the locations.  Emily seemed entranced by her surroundings and wanted to stop and look at everything more closely, so the travel pace was slow, but the Scarfoxes didn’t mind.  Seeing the human’s face light up in excitement made them happy, too.  As they traveled along, Noemi did her best to teach Emily about the realm of Scarfoxes and how they were made, which left the woman with numerous questions to ask at a later time.

The Scented Path gave way to another clearing as the trio reached the end, and up ahead of them was a large pond at the base of several waterfalls cascading down from the mountains.  This, Noemi had decided, would be where they stopped for a small break.  The weeping willow trees in this particular area had purple blossoms growing among the hanging branches, breaking up the greenery with soft purple hues.  More flowered shrubbery and patches of colored blossoms decorated the area, giving it a serene atmosphere.  

“We’ve been walking for a bit, I think it’s time we take a small breather,” Noemi stated, earning nods of agreement from Emily and Caedim.

The three of them decided to set up their picnic spot near the edge of the pond, so they set down the basket to spread out the checkered blanket that Emily had brought along and then divided up the snacks and drinks.  As they relaxed, Emily asked some of the questions that had been on her mind, with Noemi and Caedim doing their best to answer.  Before long, Noemi caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of her eye, and noticed a Mini Scarfox hiding behind a bush nearby.  Noemi held out her hand to them, saying that it was okay to come closer.  The Mini hesitantly crept out from behind the bush, waited a few seconds, and then cautiously approached the trio sitting by the edge of the pond.  Noemi gently picked it up and set it in her lap, giving it a light scratch behind the ears and a reassuring pat on the head.  Satisfied and feeling like there was no danger, the smaller Scarfox relaxed and curiously watched the trio socialize.  Occasionally, Noemi would give it a small tidbit of the food she was eating, which the mini happily accepted.

After all of the food had been eaten, the three packed up the picnic basket and blanket once more, taking care not to leave any mess before heading on their way again.  Having enjoyed their company, the stray Mini decided to follow along, tailing behind the trio as they made their way to Eden’s Garden.  Noticing the tiny thing straggling behind them, Emily stopped and knelt down, opening her arms to the little Scarfox as an invitation to come to her.  It accepted the gesture and hopped into her arms, letting itself be held by the human woman.  She smiled at it and it grinned a toothy grin back.  Noemi and Caedim traded amused looks with each other and they continued walking and exploring the garden.  Eden’s Garden was a fairly large area, and it took the trio a little bit of time to explore since, again, Emily had wanted to take in as much of the scenery as she could.  Noemi, feeling tired from walking so much, sat down with Caedim amidst a cluster of shrubs to rest her feet.  Emily and the Mini continued to walk through the garden, taking the time to admire and smell the beautiful flowers.

All around her were large blossoms in varying colors; many of them were pink, blue, or purple but here and there she noticed red, yellow, orange, and white blooms grouped together as well.  Each one was lovely in its own way, but the ones that drew her attention the most were a vivid blue in color.  That shade of blue was something she’d never seen in any flower back home.  These blooms spread out in a wide circular shape with multiple layers of petals, and the scent coming from them was strongly alluring to the human.  The Mini in her arms leaned forward as much as it could, taking a large whiff of the flower’s scent and grinning happily afterward.  As much as she would have loved to bring one or two of these flowers home with her, the garden itself looked well curated and cared for so she imagined that someone must have spent time and love on making things look so pretty.  There was no way she could pick flowers from the garden to take home.  She moved on from the colorful blossoms to admire a particularly impressive group of weeping willow trees clustered together towards the back of the garden.  These ones also had flowers on them, but this time they were pink rather than purple like she’d seen at the pond.

Back at the garden entrance, Emily’s two companions engaged in idle chat while they waited for the human to return, doing their own share of admiring the plant life surrounding them.  Noemi touched the petals of a pink flower to her left, noting the softness and the pleasant aroma wafting from it.

“I thought maybe we’d get to see the Wind Valley today, too,” Noemi said, “but perhaps that’s best left for another day.”

Caedim nodded in agreement.  “I think one biome is enough to handle in a single day,” he looked in the direction that Emily and the Mini had wandered in, “besides, this is a new sight for her.  She might get overwhelmed if we try to do too many places at once.”  He put his hand on top of Noemi’s and held it gently.  “Isn’t this already a good enough Mother’s Day for her?”

Noemi’s ears lowered.  “I suppose you’re right, I just…” She faltered.  “No, nevermind.  You’re right, she’s already very happy.”

The two Scarfoxes waited patiently for the human to make her way back, and when she rejoined them, she too sat down to rest her feet.  The mini wiggled out of Emily’s arms and ran over to a nearby bush.  Turning around to face the others, it waved its hand in goodbye.  Noemi and Emily waved back, and the Mini turned away and disappeared into the shrubs.

“So, how are you enjoying the Hidden Garden?”  Noemi turned her attention to Emily as she asked the question.

“It’s lovely, dear,” Emily responded, “very beautiful.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Noemi smiled.  “There is one more area of interest that this place holds, but…” She thought about it for a moment, “I’m not entirely sure if the magic would work on a human so it might be difficult to see.”

Caedim tilted his head curiously.  “Wait, which spot is this?”

“The Shrinking Cave,” Noemi answered, looking at him.  “Where the Lord of Mini resides!”

Caedim’s expression blanked.  “Oh.  I know about the Lord of Mini, but I haven’t heard about that before.”

“What’s a ‘Lord of Mini’?” Emily asked, and both Scarfoxes turned their gaze towards her.

“Oh, er…” Caedim thought about how to reply.  “The Lord of Mini is a Scarfox who comes out in the Spring to spread their magic throughout the garden here.  I don’t really know a whole lot about them, though.  I think they can make Scarfoxes small, kind of like the one that was just following us since we left the pond?”

Noemi contemplated it herself, and realized that she too knew very little about the Lord of Mini and what they did.  She knew that this garden was their domain, but nothing beyond that.  Neither her nor Caedim had stayed in the realm long after their creation, and unlike Caedim who was freely able to travel between the two worlds, Noemi couldn’t remember how she left the realm in the first place, let alone how to get back without help.  She had tried, in times past, but had been unsuccessful.

“Do you still want to look around, mama?  Or would you like to start heading back now?” Noemi asked.

“Oh, this has been a lovely time but I must admit, my feet are starting to get tired,” Emily responded with a light laugh.  “Thank you for bringing me here though, it was lovely to see the place you came from.”

“You’re welcome!”  Noemi’s ears twitched in happiness.  “I hope this was a good day for you,” she added quietly.

Emily smiled brightly.  “Of course it was.  I honestly couldn’t even begin to imagine a better day.  This was absolutely wonderful.”

Noemi’s cheeks tinted orange and she laughed sheepishly as Caedim gave her an “I told you so” look.

The three of them stood up and decided to head back the way they came, so that Emily could have a second look at everything before they left the realm.  The walk went faster since Emily didn’t need to stop and inspect everything this time, and soon the trio found themselves back at the meadow that they’d arrived in.  True to her promise, Noemi helped the woman pick a bouquet of flowers as a souvenir, securing them in the picnic basket for the trip home.  Returning to Caedim, Noemi and Emily held each other once again as the incantation started and the wind wrapped around them once more.  Emily braced herself this time, and found the return trip much easier to handle than the first time.

The three of them landed safely back in the living room of Emily’s apartment, and Noemi immediately headed to the kitchen to grab a vase and water for the flowers to preserve them until they could be handed over to Shiori for magical preservation.  Once she’d finished that, her and Caedim said their goodbyes to each other and her mate headed home to his apothecary.  From there, Noemi and Emily got ready for bed.  Noemi stayed with the woman until she’d fallen asleep, and then Noemi headed to her own room to do the same.  As she laid in bed, she basked in the bliss of knowing that her plans had been a success, and seeing Emily as happy as she was made Noemi feel much better.  The events of the day replayed through her mind and she slowly drifted off into a peaceful sleep, dreaming of the colorful flowers and the scenic waterfalls of the Hidden Garden.