Stretching and popping her joints - these magic shenanigans didn't seem to deal with discomfort - Kiko would step out into the camp and look around. It had been a few days, so whatever trouble came from that run was probably dealt with while she was asleep. Surprisingly not as hungry or thirsty as she was expecting, she was still hungry and thirsty. So first move was to go for lunch.

  A soft walk to get her gait proper let her wander through camp and look at the people. Some were sullen as they waited for their brothers and sisters to recover. Some were furious at the losses and raring to send a War-Skulk against the forest, and some were just dealing with business as usual. Kiko would give light conversation to people who stopped for it, and eventually arrive at the cooking pot, overseen by Ele.

  "You are looking ok" Kiko said, taking a bowl and a seat.

  "That's because I'm better than you" Ele replied with a coy retort, giving a smirk as she poured some of the stew and handed some bread. "Though you are on your feet quickly for what that Bull did to you" Ele continued, with a cocked eyebrow.

  "Mmm. Borrowing, apparently. You can fix your body in a very uncomfortable manner using that" Kiko replied, taking a large spoonful of the stew and realizing that while she wasn't physically hungry, her mind craved food.

  "...Borrowing? Already? Damn you got some talent there. Took me months to be able to pull that off" Ele exclaimed, shifting to sit with Kiko on the bench and take her own bowl.

  "That's because I'm better than you" Kiko mirrored the earlier tease, coy smirk and all.

  "Ahh, bitch~" Ele finished the jab with a kiss on Kiko's cheek. "Though, I don't so mind in this situation. If you, wanna come show me where else you might be more talented, I am open" she offered, with a sultry grin.

  "I just got up from being in bed for several days. Lemme chill. And get a new necklace, I sort of ripped it off and threw it away and then got smashed like an unwanted doll" Kiko exclaimed, a little unnerved with how casually she was talking about that situation. But, she was a Kitsune, and that was how Kitsunes dealt with things.

  "Mmm, Three Tail Mage going on a Blood Moon rampage would be really bad for the camp, I will say. And talking to your mother also, she's been a little worried with you being hurt like that, and your cousin's suit thing being banged to shit" Ele would shake her head at that. Having seen the thing in action, she knew that it didn't buckle easily.

  "Skjold. Apparently. Maybe. Ye....Mum, asked if he had brought his Skjold, and it was in the topic of paying him to do something. So I am pretty sure that that suit is called a Skjold. We can look it up in the library after I get my necklace" Kiko offered. It was a nice, simple activity, but one Kiko initiated. So Ele, felt it meant a lot more than just the offer.

  "I'd like that"

  Lunch and light conversation was the way to make a girl feel loved. People gathered around, happy to see her well again, and to congratulate her for the fight. Gush about the way she took the thing down, and one or two tell her it was a bloody reckless way of doing things that she needed to get under control. The last bit, Kiko was intimately aware of. She didn't know what she was going to do if she actually beat that bull creature and couldn't regain control of her actions...

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  But, dwelling on the dark was never a good plan, and so she decided to see if Yeni - or Vanaet, if this whole thing held up - had some exercises for that. Lunch finished, and off to the big red tent to see Yeni and get a new necklace and touch the statue while she was at it. That was apparently going to answer some things. Maybe. Probably.

  Yeni wasn't around when they rolled into the tent, and Ele offered to go look for her, leaving Kiko alone in the tent. Aside from a few younglings running around doing chores, she was free to stride up to the statue and give it a good touching, which is exactly what she did. Up close, she could really appreciate the craftsmanship of the statue, almost as if it had been a real person turned to wood in a single moment than actually carved. Which...given the possibilities of magic, could actually have happened.

  Laying her hand on it, her eyes immediately rolled back into her head and thre was a sudden pressure crashing against her entire body, feeling viscous and oozy. Like sticking her finger in jelly, only across her entire body. A few moments of this and she was somewhere else. Feeling weightless and surrounded by nothing but bright light, the only coherent image was a Kitsune in front of her.

  Though, just calling her a Kitsune did nothing for the glory and power that radiated off her like a volcano radiated heat. Ten tails were spread out beyond her, and her fur, hair and eyes were pure gold. Not the gentle blonde that Kiko and her mother had, but shocking and spectacular gold.

  "Hey" the Gold Kitsune said, with a quick wave.

  "Wha...?" Kiko's mouth hung open, amazed at the whole sight and unable to handle talking.

  "You want the abridged version or the full version?" she asked, her tails swishing in a perfectly choreographed metronome.

  "Full" Kiko managed to blurt, wanting the woman to speak more. Her voice was adoring and enamouring beyond measure.

  "So, the statue is soaked with aeonic energy directed specifically at me, colloquially called 'belief' or 'prayers'. With you connecting yourself to it, I can bring a facscimile of your mentality to the Celestial Realm where I live though a metaphysical bridge. This can technically be done with anyone, but we have a connection through your soul, and so it is a lot easier to do it with you. Doing it with another would need a lot more power" The kitsune would finish her monologue by stint of Kiko not saying anything, and then nod.

  "Anyway, mind-blowing revelations aside, this proves I am who I say I am. So, goodbye~" she exclaimed, giving a parting wave and sticking Kiko back in her body, through the strange body-jelly again.

  Staggering back from the statue, she ran into Yeni, who stroked her head.

  "She's a handful, huh?" Yeni asked with a warm tone.

  "You....?" Kiko asked, looking to her and then back to the statue.

  "Yea. All the Shrine Maidens meet her when they first take up the position. Being able to produce that much power is the last test of a Shrine Maiden. Vanaet embodies our playful and open nature. Though never let her bubbly personality make you think she can't handle herself. She's an Elder God, the progenitor of our race, ascended to divinity in a time before this planet even came into being" Yeni exclaimed, a deep sense of pride when talking about her.

  Then, Yeni would go get a new necklace for Kiko and attach it around her daughter's neck.

  "To the library then~" Ele, who had been stood by Yeni's side, exclaimed. Skipping forward to take Kiko's hand, Yeni shook her head.

  "Nope. Kiko, needs magic lessons. You are one thing, Ele, but Kiko is entirely untrained and three tails to boot. She has no time to herself at all till she is in control of herself" Yeni ordered, the oppressive matriarchal voice filling the tent.

  "Dam....guess I'll read about them and tell you over pillow talk" Ele replied, giving a wink and skipping off out of the tent to Kiko's flushed cheeks.

  "How do I deal with her?" Kiko asked, looking to Yeni for advice.

  "Copious amounts of rope, a paddle, and bi-daily sessions of domination" was the deadpan reply that only served to further heat Kiko's cheeks.