Howl x Reader: Vixen (Part 6)

Howl x Reader: Vixen (Part Six)  

“What do you mean Vixen has two heartbeats??” Calcifer’s normally wide eyes were as round as saucers, his mouth hanging open in disbelief.

“Exactly what I said, Calcifer,” Howl said patiently. “Vixen is still pregnant.”

In the wizard’s arms, (F/n) rested, cradled close to his chest, and for that the woman turned fox was quite relieved. If he had let her go in that particular moment, she most certainly would have collapsed in a fit of nerves. As it was, her tears would not stop flowing, even though she’d received the life-altering news almost thirty minutes prior. It was too much. . . Too much to comprehend or fathom.

“But how can the V be pregnant?” The fire demon asked with confusion. “She’s been a fox for over a year. Surely she would have had the kid by now, if she was still carrying it?”

Howl’s expression was serious as he gently stroked the fox’s head, trying to soothe her. “It’s possible that because of the magnitude of the curse she’s under, her baby was caught up in a spell backlash. I’ve never seen it personally, but I’ve read about it before. It’s not unheard of, Calcifer.”

“If you say so, Howl.”

Vixen knew that she was shaking like a leaf, but she couldn’t stop the torrent of emotion that fought to overwhelm her. When Yubaba had cursed her and claimed that her unborn child was dead, she had been devastated. It was true that she had been forced to conceive the baby against her will, but she still knew that the child was innocent of such a crime. She had grown attached to the unnamed little one in her womb. .. until the bathhouse witch had found out.

It all seemed like so long ago. . . She had done her mourning, she had fought to move on from her grief. . . and now it seemed like she had despaired for naught. The baby was still alive, though in what condition was anyone’s guess.

“A spell backlash?” (F/n) repeated shakily, as more tears pooled down her muzzle. “What does that mean, Howl?”

The wizard’s soft sapphire eyes grew warm, as he looked down at the fox tenderly. “In this case, think of the spell backlash as an incubation bubble that surrounded your baby when the spell was placed upon you. When you were cursed, the magic rebounded and built a shield around your child. It means that your baby hasn’t been affected by the curse, sweetheart. This is good news.”

“But if it’s been unaffected by the curse, then why didn’t I realize I was still pregnant before now?” Try as she might, Vixen could not wrap her head around it. She hadn’t felt the baby kick since she’d been turned into a vulpine, and she had been unaware of any labor pains.

“Your baby is frozen in time, sweetheart,” Howl said calmly, smiling down at her. “It won’t continue to grow until your curse is broken. But it’s still in there, alive and well. Waiting to meet you and love you.”

Howl and Calcifer both grew silent, watching and gauging the fox’s reaction, who was currently sobbing freely. For a long time, it was unclear what she thought or felt. But just when the wizard and fire’s uncertainty grew unbearable, the fox began to laugh. It was a small, relieved sound that mixed with her tears. Through the droplets at her golden orbs, pure happiness shone through to take Howl’s breath away.

“My baby’s alive. . . I-I’m going to be a mother. . .” she cried between her tears and now-joyous laughter. “I’m going to be a mother!”

Howl chuckled softly, as the light of several tears shone in his own eyes. As he cried silently, the man began to pepper the fox’s muzzle and head with sweet kisses. They cried and celebrated together, while the fire wiped away a fiery droplet from his own wide eye.

“You two stop with the water works, already,” the demon huffed with an earth-shattering smile that showed just how happy he was. “We’ve got a curse to break so I can meet my nephew!”

“I didn’t take you as a family demon, Calcifer,” Howl joked, as he cuddled Vixen contentedly.

The demon scowled before saying simply, “Only for V’s kid. And don’t you dare try to rub it in, Howl!”

“Alright, Calcifer, alright!” Howl laughed goodnaturedly, while Calcifer winked at (F/n) conspiratorially.

(F/n) felt her heart clench at the display of love from her makeshift family. She had thought she had experienced true happiness in the past several weeks of living in the moving castle. But it wasn’t true. It was now, at the prospect of having her child with her, as well as being around those who loved her, that true happiness manifested itself. It was in that moment of giggles and giddy sobs that Vixen finally understood who she was. It had taken her years and much torment and personal sacrifice. . . But she’d finally found it!

She was a friend and a lover, and most importantly, she was a mother with a bright and beautiful future ahead of her.

As the fox cuddled and spoke with Howl and Calcifer late into the night, she found that she simply couldn’t contain her joy. For the first time in her life, she felt truly blessed, and she knew that no matter what happened, she would always be grateful for the second chance she’d been given.

~Three Months Later~

The sun shone brightly on the Wastes, as the first signs of autumn began to creep into the world of Ingary. It was such a beautiful time of year, Vixen thought. The leaves that had once been so lush and green were now transforming into gay shades of yellow, orange, and red that almost matched her fur. It was a wonderful time to be alive.

It had been almost five months since Vixen had come to live with Howl and Calcifer, and in that time she had truly settled into her place there. There was no longer a thought of leaving, or being a guest. Oh no. She had come to be a member of the household that had her own part to play.

Since it was clear that she had no plans of leaving, Howl had taken her on as an unofficial apprentice, and had begun to pass on the basics of the spell trade. The handsome teacher had been happily surprised with his pupil, when she’d showed an immediate aptitude for the gift. It was true that she had no hands, but her natural ability more than made up for that, as did her work ethic.

In the beginning, Howl had had to hold everything for her. He would patiently blend her herbs and other ingredients before asking her what to do next. But after a great deal of study and practice, the fox was now able to move objects without touching them. There were times when she still had to have Howl’s help and hands, but she had become rather self reliant in past days, marking herself as a promising young witch. Both wizard and demon couldn’t have been more proud of the new development.

(F/n) had happily begun to help Howl make potions and spells to sell in Market Chipping and Kingsbury. They had doubled the amount of money they were taking into the household, with Howl being able to count on another magic user to aid him. And Vixen couldn’t have been happier. She no longer took charity from her kind companions. Instead, she stood beside them and helped with a trade. She would have been lying if she had denied how good it felt.

Currently, (F/n) was reading a spellbook. She had propped it up on the worktable exactly, so she could see it clearly from where she sat before it. Her fuzzy body was tiny compared to the massive tome, but she didn’t think about it. The woman was too lost to the text material to pay any mind to the size of the book. From where she hovered before the ancient pages, the fox’s bushy tail swatted back and forth unconsciously, while her golden eyes devoured the words. At times like this, Vixen would go into a world of her own, and forget where or what she was actually doing. It was like this that Howl found her sometime later, as he silently strolled down the staircase and across the wooden floor.

Thanks to Calcifer, Howl had just finished having the most soothing bath in recent memory. He had soaked in the warm water unhindered for more than an hour. Luckily, due to his fashion spells in the bathroom, his skin never wrinkled no matter how long he spent in the tub.

When Howl had finally had his fill of the divine, bubbly soak, he had gotten out and donned a towel about his slim waist. Exiting the bathroom he had moved to make his way to his bedroom, as per usual. But before he could stalk to his room to get dressed, he had been stopped by a shockwave of magic. It was actually quite subtle, though Howl was immediately attuned to it.

Curiously, the wizard crept down the stairs to find the source of the magical burst. As he stalked across the wooden floor on hushed, bare feet, the wizard’s damp blonde hair wafted into his face, and he had to brush it away. When he did, the sight that met him was absolutely extraordinary.

Vixen sat poised on the workdesk, before one of his books, with her paw raised. At the tip of her soft paw pad, a gentle ray of white light gleamed softly, before the white light surrounded her almost completely.

Howl stood directly behind her, with a pleased smile on his handsome face. His sapphire eyes drank in the sight, as he watched his dearest Vixen bask in her magic. She was so lovely and strong. So far from how she’d been in that alley in Market Chipping when they’d first met. She was now lively and assured of herself, instead of timid and introverted. She was pure delight and power and it made her even more beautiful in his eyes.

On nothing more than instinct, Howl drew closer to Vixen, and watched as the magic floated about her person in the shape of ghost butterflies. They flapped gloriously in the light of the sun that filtered through the windows, and made a shining, glittering array, as they caressed and danced about the fox’s glossy body.

Without a thought, Howl knelt down behind the little fox, his smile warm and tender, as he let his own magic rise to meet hers. Where hers was pearly white, his was a pleasant silver that immediately moved to mix with the butterflies in a formation of what appeared to be glowing stars.

As the stars and butterflies mixed, Vixen slowly turned around to look at Howl. Her muzzle was pulled up into a sincere expression as she gazed at the man she’d come to love. Howl raised a thumb and forefinger to gently brush against the side of her furry face, and (F/n) burrowed into his touch.

For a long moment they merely stayed this way, intermixing their magic, and touching. Neither acknowledging that the wizard was still only clad in a bath towel, they reached for one another.

“You’re beautiful, sweetheart,” Howl said sincerely, as his soft hair billowed gently about his angular face.  

“I feel beautiful. . . Because of you,” she replied blithely, before she leaned forward across the table and licked Howl’s cheek. It was chaste action that was full of love, and Howl beamed down at her, before returning the kiss with one of his own. And as his lips settled peacefully on her soft, furry head, everything changed.

In the space of a second, Vixen’s body rose from the tabletop, and the butterflies fluttered and swarmed about her. The woman cried out in alarm, before she was completely hidden from view by the ghostly pale butterfly horde. It was so fast that Howl didn’t have time to react, other than to reach out for her anxiously, before the whole room was being showered in magical lights and colors. Rainbow hues shot across the entirety of the moving castle. And then just as quickly it was done. Slowly the colors began to fade away, before they disappeared from view, and Vixen collapsed to the floor. Though instead of a furry little fox, a beautiful woman lay. She was naked, but due to the incredibly long red hair she had, her privacy was kept intact. It was only as she turned around and glanced at Howl with startled golden eyes, that the wizard understood what had happened.

With a great cry, Howl moved to wrap his arms around her, as they both crowed with shocked laughter.

“Vixen! The thousand kisses!” He barked happily, as he pulled back to look at her human face. “You’re human!”

The woman’s familiar golden eyes sparkled warmly, as she nuzzled Howl’s nose with her own. “You broke the curse, dearest Howl. . . Thank you.”

The wizard embraced her fully, as he brought his hand to cradle her head and rest in her glorious red locks. “I didn’t break it, sweetheart. We did.”

“Yes,” she agreed after a thought. “Yes, we did.”