William drove Sarah along a country road. It was night time, and William insisted that the two of them go out for an evening picnic.

  “So, why are we having this picnic at night?” Sarah asked William.

  “Because tonight there’s a blue moon. And since it’s night time, we’ll have the whole picnic pce to ourselves.” William expined.

  Sarah smiled and shook her head. This was another one of William’s silly antics, but she had grown used to them.

  When Sarah and William arrived at the picnic pce, they were indeed the only ones there. They set up their picnic on top of a hill. The night sky was clear, showing off all of the stars and the brightness of the blue moon.

  William put down the bnket and took the food out of the basket. He opened one of the pstic tubs and offered it to Sarah.

  “What’s this?”

  “It’s called five cup sad. I learned the recipe from my mother. It contains Mandarin oranges, pineapple, yogurt, sour cream, and marshmallows.”

  Sarah grabbed a spoon and scooped up a bit of the sad. She put it in her mouth and was instantly blown away by the fvor. “William, this is delicious!”

  “Thanks. My mom saved it for special occasions, but every moment with you is a special occasion.”

  A big smile came across Sarah’s face. William’s words were sweeter than the sad.

  Fireflies then appeared, flying all around Sarah and William. Sarah stood up to gently catch one in her hand.

  “I have always loved fireflies. On the rare occasions that my family would cook out on the backyard grill in the evening, I would run around and catch as many as I could. I was always fascinated by their beauty.”

  William stood up and let a firefly nd on his hand. “They are beautiful creatures.”

  Sarah released her firefly and gently hugged William from behind. She did not know how this night could get any better.

  William then looked up at the blue moon. “Do you know why wolves howl at the moon?”

  “No. Why do they howl at the moon?”

  “There are many theories. The ancient Greeks believed that the moon goddess Hekate kept the company of dogs. The same goes for ancient Rome and Diana, the goddess of the moon and the hunt. Norse mythology tells of two wolves that chase the sun and the moon summon night and day. The Native American Seneca tribes believe that a wolf sang the moon into existence.”

  Sarah crossed her arms. “And which one do you think is true?”

  “I like to think that a wolf sang the moon into existence.” William then turned to face Sarah. “And I also believe that I sang you, the love of my life into existence.” William then got down on one knee and pulled a small, bck velvet box from his pocket. He opened it to reveal a ring. “Sarah FoxTail, will you marry me?”

  Sarah pced both her hands over her mouth as her eyes went wide with shock. Sarah then became overcome with emotion, and tears began falling down her face.

  “Are those tears of sadness, or tears of joy?”

  “Joy.” Sarah said with a choked up voice. She then smiled and nodded her head. “Yes, I will marry you!”

  William smiled and stood back up. He removed the ring from the box and slipped it onto Sarah’s finger. The ring was gold with a ptinum band.

  “I even put a special message on the ring. Mine says the same thing.”

  Sarah looked at the ring to read the message. It read TOGETHER FOREVER.

  Sarah let out a slight chuckle. “You are such a dork!” She then pced her arms over William’s shoulders and kissed him. William then leaned his head back and let out a loud howl at the moon.

  The next day Sarah shared the news of her engagement with her friends at her apartment. She showed them the ring and they all looked at it in wonder.

  “Oh my gosh, I am so happy for you!” Becky said. She then embraced Sarah in a tight hug.

  “Thank you Becky, but I really need to breathe!”

  Becky quickly let go of Sarah. “Sorry. I’m just so excited!”

  “Do you have a wedding date set?” Naomi asked.

  Sarah shook her head. “Not yet. William and I do want to wait until the season is over when I have more free time.”

  Lisa crossed her arms and looked at Rachel. “So, when are you going to put a ring on this finger?”

  Rachel smiled at Lisa. “Babe, you know that we don’t need to rush things. Let’s just enjoy what we have right now.” Rachel then kissed Lisa on the cheek.

  Lisa smiled. “You’re lucky that you’re so hot.”

  A moment ter there was a knock at the door. Sarah opened it to find Sam wearing a gray suit and tie standing on the other side.

  “Sam! It is so good to see you again!” Sarah then embraced Sam in a hug. “Everyone, this is Sam. He’s the crossover that William and I met in the woods outside of mythica.”

  Everyone waved at Sam. “So Sam, what have you been up to?” Sarah asked.

  “I actually got a job with the WildLands government.” Sam replied. “I also have a new st name. It’s Frost.”

  “So what brings you to the capitol?” Rachel asked.

  “I actually have very exciting news. After years of research, the government has made contact with the human world. No one can travel back to the human world yet, but we have set up video communication.”

  “So why are you telling us this in person?” Sarah asked.

  “Since you are a crossover like me, I wanted to let you know that you will be among the select few who will test out the video communication before we take it public. You will be able to talk with your family and friends back in the human world.”

  Everyone had different thoughts and feelings on the news. Rachel and Naomi were both excited to see their parents again. Lisa turned down the invitation, saying that she never wanted to see her parents ever again. Sarah just pced her hand under her snout.

  “Sarah, are you alright?” Becky asked.

  “Yeah. I just need to think.” Sarah then walked into her bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed, deep in thought.

  An hour ter, there was a knock at the bedroom door. William opened it slightly and poked his head through. “Can I come in?”

  Sarah looked over at William and smiled. “Always.” William walked into the bedroom and sat next to Sarah.

  “So Sam Frost told me about the whole communication thing with the human world, and your friends told me that you came in here looking kind of bothered. Do you want to talk about it?”

  Sarah let out a sigh. “It’s just, I haven’t seen my parents since I left for college. And I haven’t even thought about them that much since I came to the WildLands. A part of me misses them, but the other part is gd that they’re no longer around to control my life.”

  “You have accomplished your dreams since coming to the WildLands.”

  “But they’re not my parents' dreams. They always wanted me to live a mundane life. To buckle down and study hard for a steady job. We were always butting heads.” Sarah then pced her head on William’s shoulder.

  William put his arm around Sarah. “Sarah, I love you. I want to marry you because I want to spend my entire life with you. I want to be there for you through the smooth sailing and the rough patches. I am not going to tell you what to do. But I will support whatever decision you make one hundred percent.”

  Sarah looked up at William. “You’re really sappy, you know that?”

  William could not help but chuckle. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

  Sarah kissed William on the cheek. She then left the bedroom, and found that Sam and her friends were still there. Sarah walked up to Sam.

  “So, have you made a decision?” Sam asked.

  “Yes. I want to make a video call to the human world.”

  “Excellent. And who would you like to talk to?”

  Sarah paused for a moment before answering. “My friend Casey. And my parents.”

  Sam took down everyone’s information on a tablet. “Alright, I’ll send this in and you will all be allowed to have your video calls this weekend.” Sam then waved goodbye and left.

  Sarah stood silently. She wondered if she was making the right decision.

  When the weekend came around Sarah, Rachel, and Naomi all arrived at the central processing center for their video calls to the human world. William, Lisa, and Darby all came with them to provide support.

  Everyone was seated in a waiting room until it was time for their video call. Naomi went first, with Darby right by her side.

  They all waited patiently until Naomi was done with her video call. When Naomi and Darby came back to the waiting room, Sarah was the first one to her feet.

  “So, how did it go?”

  Naomi adjusted her gsses. “Well, my parents are obviously shocked that I’m a squirrel now. And that I’m dating a squirrel. But they’re really happy that I’m okay. They were really worried about me after I disappeared.”

  “I’m really happy that you were able to reconnect with your family.” Sarah then hugged Naomi. Rachel was up next for her video call. Lisa came with her.

  After what seemed like forever, Rachel and Lisa both returned from their video call.

  “Well, tell us about it.” Naomi said. “My parents were actually more surprised to learn that I am a lesbian than a racoon.” Rachel said with a smile.

  “They didn’t mind that I was her girlfriend.” Lisa said. “Rachel’s parents are really nice people.”

  Sarah made a deep sigh. “I guess it’s my turn.” William held her hand, and they both walked into the video call room. It was white with a pair of chairs against the wall. Mounted on the opposite wall was a ft screen t.v. with a camera on it.

  Sarah and William took their seats. The t.v. turned on and Casey appeared on the screen. “Sarah? Is that you?” Casey asked.

  Sarah brushed her hair back and smiled slightly. “Yeah, it’s me.”

  “Why are you a fox?”

  “Well, when a human enters the WildLands, they transform into their spirit animal. My spirit animal just happened to be a fox.”

  “And why are you with a wolf?”

  “This wolf is named William WhiteFang. And he’s my…fiance.”

  William smiled and waved at Casey. “Hello. It’s nice to meet you.”

  Casey’s eyes went wide. “You’re getting married!? What else has happened to you over there?”

  Sarah went on to expin that she had achieved her dream of pying professional soccer, that she had made friends in Rachel, Becky, and Lisa, and that Naomi was in the WildLands as well.

  “Naomi is there? How is she doing?”

  “Naomi is doing great. She’s a squirrel, and she has a boyfriend named Darby Forrest who is also a squirrel.”

  “Wow. I guess a lot has changed for you, huh?”

  “Yeah, mostly for the better.”

  “Well, I should go. Your parents are here to talk to you. And congratutions on getting engaged.” Casey then got up and left. Sarah’s parents then entered the room for their video call.

  Sarah took a deep breath as she rubbed her hands together. “Hi mom, hi dad.”

  Both of Sarah’s parents were shocked and appalled at what they saw. “Sarah? What the hell happened to you?!” Her father shouted.

  Sarah crossed her arms. “Hello dad.” She said with an angry look on her face.

  “Sarah, is that you? What happened?” Her mother asked.

  Sarah went on to expin that in the WildLands a human transforms into their spirit animal. Her parents refused to hear any of it.

  “You look like a freak!” Her father shouted. “Is there any way to turn you back to normal?”

  Sarah looked directly at the screen. “This IS normal. This is who I am, and I am happy this way.”

  Sarah’s mother looked over at William. “Why is there a wolf with you?”

  William waved at Sarah’s parents. “Hello. My name is William WhiteFang. I’m…your daughter’s fiance.”

  “WHAT!?” Both of Sarah’s parents shouted.

  Sarah held up the hand that had her engagement ring on it. “That’s right, I’m getting married. I am deeply in love with William, and I want to spend the rest of my life with him.”

  The face of Sarah’s father turned bright red as he filled with rage. “I won’t allow it! You will come home right this instant where you belong and stop living this abomination of a lifestyle!”

  Sarah smmed down her fists. “NO! The WildLands is where I belong! I am happy here! I am living my dream here! Coming to the WildLands and becoming a fox is the best thing that has ever happened to me! But the best part is that you two are no longer around to control my life! So stay in your hate filled world, because I never want to see you again!”

  Sarah then stood up and ran out of the room. Both of her parents were speechless. William growled at them and shook his head before going after Sarah.

  Sarah ran through the waiting room with her face covered. Everyone stood up as William entered the room. “What happened?” Naomi asked.

  “Some things that needed to be said were said.” William replied. “I’ll go check on Sarah.”

  Sarah ran out of the central processing office. She stood on the sidewalk and cried heavily. William stood nearby, but did not approach her. He knew Sarah long enough to know when she needed her space.

  Sarah eventually looked over at William. She ran over to him and embraced him tightly, putting her face into his shoulder as she continued to cry. William gently wrapped his arms around her.

  Time seemed to stand still as William held Sarah while she cried. He gently rubbed her back. Sarah looked up at William and wiped the tears away from her eyes.

  “I’m sorry that you had to see that.”

  “You don’t have to be sorry about anything. What we saw on that screen was your old life, your past. And you had the courage to confront it. I’m proud of you for standing up for yourself.”

  “It did feel good to get a lifetime of emotions off of my chest. I guess now I can move on with my life and begin a new one. A life with you at the center of it.”

  William smiled. “That sounds like a life I’d love to be a part of.” William and Sarah then kissed.