Hello dear curious reader who has decided to look through my book! It's me, the author of this lovely collection, Vix! You are probably wondering why I am starting this text in this way. It is, indeed, a bit strange and uncommon of my habits after all. But I have realized that although I had already introduced many of the people I had the chance to meet during my travels, I had still not introduced myself. So I thought it was time to fix this problem. So, without further ado, here is my story!

It all started in the small village of Saltus. This small village was the home of about fifty people. Maybe less, I must admit I never really took the time to count them, but I digress.
I was born in this small forest village 25 years ago. I am the last of a family of five which included my father, a red fox who worked the land to feed his family and the village. With is authoritarian nature, he did his best to keep a strong and stable appearance. Trying to give us everything we needed to be happy and well feed. There were also my mother, who was a silver vixen with a polar stump. She mostly took care of the injuries and illnesses of the villagers. To do this, she used plant-based concoctions. Her nature was gentle and very calm. She always spoke with a serene and restful voice. But now that I think about it, I don't think I ever heard her scream once...There were also my big brother, a grey fox who became the village blacksmith. He made and repaired the many tools needed for our daily life. He was 12 years older than me and was my protector when I was younger. Then we had my older sister. She was a red vixen and worked in the local tavern serving visitors and also looking after the many festivities we had in the village every weekend. She was 7 years older than me and although she was always close to our mother, I must admit, I didn't spend much time with her. When she wasn't working, she was always at home and I was always outside, so we didn't really take much time with each other. But from what I saw of her, she was a bit like our mother in the way that she was sweet and caring, but, probably because of her youth, she was impatient and prone to shouting. Especially at me, who didn't listen very often to what she asked me to do, especially if it had anything to do with housework. Then, finally, there his me. I am a marbled fox who, like my mother, has a denser than average coat. When I was young, I worked on my father's land to help the family. That was when my mother didn't give me a "Quest" to go out and get an ingredient for a remedy or a recipe. To my father's slight discouragement, especially as he got older. I think he would have liked that I take the farm

I loved my village and my family very much, but as far as my education is concerned, it wasn't really the best. Our village was too small, so we didn't really have an education per se. Our only form of learning was to observe or help other members of the village in their daily tasks. It was by participating in village life that I learned many things that are fundamental to me today. For example, my mother taught me how to cook, how to treat ailments and how to be more considerate towards people. She also taught me to have fun, which I have never really stopped doing since. My father showed me hard work, which I hated, especially manual labor. He taught me to be more discipline and be a righteous person. He also taught me to be responsible and mature, which I am still trying to figure out , especially the "responsible" part of it. I also remember our neighbor showing me how to hunt and butcher animals for their meat and fur. I remember when I was young, I hated having to kill animals. It disgusted me to the point of vomiting, but now that I've grown up, that disgust is totally gone. It's a good thing, otherwise I would have starved to death.

On the other hand, despite all their willingness to teach me new things, I've always been a bit of a... Inattentive. At a very young age, I always preferred nature and exploration to listening to an older person, so to keep me from making a mess in the house, my mother would give me simple "quests", like fetching berries for the pie or gathering branches for the fire. It was a good game when I was young, probably my favorite. I could spend a whole day looking for the specific item my mother had asked me for. As I got older, it wasn't really a game anymore, but more my life. I got good at recognizing herbs, so I was my mother's assistant when she needed one. Otherwise, I worked in the fields with my father. But this "Game" stayed in my head for many years and it changed my life, for better or worse. Indeed, when I was nearly 10, I had gone to look for some herbs that grow in the woods outside the village, when I saw with horror some armed people following the road. My first instinct was to hide in a bush and wait for them to leave, too petrified to move more. A reflex that saved my life, but cost me dearly. Because, compared to the other time, we had their visit. They didn't come to do their little intimidation show. They were much more numerous and much more armed. So I stood helplessly in my bush for hours as the group of bandit wiped out my village and my life. They reduced everything to ashes. Looting, killing, kidnapping everything they could get their paws on. It was horrible, the screams, the shouts. And then this gloomy silence that came to finish it all off. I was still petrified in my bush. Too far away to be seen, but not far enough not to hear everything that was happening. Couple hours, that seem an entire life, later, silence settled for good. I finally came out of my hiding place to return to the village, but there was nothing there. No living soul, no house still standing. Seeing the destruction, I panicked and fled without looking back. In the time that followed, I had terrible nightmares of what might have happened to me if I had been captured. The fear forced me to stay away from the village for many years. The thought of that dark day made me break out in a cold sweat, but eventually I gather the courage to go back a few years after the attack, to try in vain to find my family, but of course there was no trace of them. There was so much death, so much destruction that day and so much time had passed that I had no clue as to their fate, but the worst case scenario was the most likely. So I concluded that they were all dead. I then left my only home again, and to this day I have never returned. It's not that I feel bad about going there, it's mostly that there is nothing there for me. Just old buildings taken over by nature. Looted to the bone. I just don't see any reason to make the trip over there to relive a story I already know by heart.

After leaving the village for good, I didn't really know what to do. After all, I didn't have a family or a home and hadn't for a long time. The weight of life was becoming unbearable to carry alone. It was then that I had the chance to meet some exceptional people who led me to the right path. People like Ovis, who made me discover life and his joy. They taught me to fight and gave me the strength to overcome the many trials of life. Since then, I have to admit that I am doing much better and it is thanks to them that I was able to get back on my feet and finally decide to go and see my uncle on my father's side who lives near the town of Userpi. In hope to start a new life. My uncle owns a huge farm that he, his son and some daily workers have been working since... well, forever. This farm belonged to their father, who gave it to my uncle when he was old enough. He inherited it from his father. I remember that I was scared to go there at that time. I did not know how he would receive me. The news of the destruction of the village had time to spread. I was supposed to be dead for a long time, but I was surprised to see that for him, time had not erased me from his thoughts. He was just as happy to see me as usual. He welcomed me with open arms and, in exchange for working the land, he let me live with them for I long as I wish. I stayed with them for a total of 2 years, eventually leaving as we started to develop a strained relationship. For him, I wasn't working hard enough and for me, I thought that his family was boring. All they ever do, was to get up, work, eat, sleep and repeat but me, I wanted to stay up all night. I wanted to play, I wanted to celebrate, I wanted to have fun, but I didn't have many people to do it with. Sometime, the daily worker would participate, but not a lot. I do remember that we had the exception of a lovely vixen with whom I had a some good moments, but unfortunately she had to leave too. It was at this point that I decided to leave as well. It was obvious that I didn't have the personality for this kind of work, and I have to admit that it's really not a very rewarding job for what it requires. I was able to make much more gold, much easier. So I said goodbye to them and went back on the road, promising to see them again from time to time. Over the year's, I have kept my promise, I've been back a few times since I left and every time I've been there, it seems like nothing has changed. It's still the same farm, same smell, same people. Good hardworking people, a nice family. The kind I sometimes wish I had.

After I left my uncle's house, I continued to travel the roads for a little less than a month before I met a travelling magician who was visiting a small village to perform a magic trick. At that time, I was very impressed with the tricks he performed. Disappearing, controlling objects at a distance by thinking. Making fire appear in the palm of his paws. This kind of thing made me curious, so when the show was over, I went to ask him questions about how he could control magic like that. After that first day, we spent a lot of time together, I went to each of his shows and each time, I asked him many questions. Seeing my interest in magic and learning that I was a nomad like him. He proposed me to become his assistant to discover more. I accepted with great pleasure. During the two years that I followed him. I must confess that, once again, I was a very bad student. I didn't pay attention, I slept during the lessons and I didn't really listen to him, but I had a certain talent in the thing, so he managed to teach me the rudiments of magic anyway. I have to admit that if I could go back to that time, I would pay even more attention, being better at controlling magic would be a strong advantage during my travels, but hey. You have to live with the choices you made.

After being kicked out by the magician. I fell back on the street without a home. To be able to have some gold on me. I became a mercenary. Which I still am today. When I was not exploring, or when I needed gold. I,m involved in a wide variety of contracts. In spite of the danger, it is extremely profitable for, often, very little work. A contract of a few days could keep me well-fed for weeks, sometimes months.
One of these contracts allowed me to meet Cynv, with whom I now travel. For the rest of the story, well you'll have to be patient, because it hasn't happened yet and still need to be written.