Green Canyon Magic - Ch.23 - Party Atmosphere (Patreon)

"So I was holding all the propane in a big invisible cloud a few meters above their heads with my air magic," my enbyfriend explained with a wide grin. "And that's when Theo set it off with his fire magic. Then after the big fireball went up, Stella used her earth magic to shake the ground beneath their feet. It was like a little earthquake, and it left them even more frightened."

We were all sitting outside on the new seating by the fire pit, although we hadn't gotten around to lighting the fire yet. Stef and I were cuddling together on the left, while Flora and Charlotte were cuddling on the right. And the four of us were all drinking some of the wine our guests brought us.

It was a nice Weinviertel DAC, and there was a second bottle waiting for us in the kitchen. They also brought us a bottle of Sylvaner, and the last one was an Austrian Riesling. The wine glasses came from a bag in Charlotte's bike basket, they were made from a sturdy polycarbonate and meant for camping or picnics or places where you wouldn't want to risk having broken glass around.

After a sip of my wine I took up the story, "Their officer was being stubborn, but by that point most of the conscripts and the civilians all wanted out. So I gave them another little demonstration."

Theo elaborated from where he was curled up on Stef's lap, "She had the ground open and swallow up their kitchen supplies and a few of their tents."

"You what?!" Charlotte gasped wide-eyed, while Flora just stared at us in amazement.

I shrugged, "I wanted to make sure they left all their stuff behind, that seemed the most effective way of doing it. And it definitely did the trick, a few of them dropped everything and ran for it."

"Stef sent some powerful wind to chase after them," I added, "And to ensure they all ran off in the right direction."

Flora slowly shook her head, "Amazing. That must have been quite a sight. And quite the scare, I bet those guys won't forget that experience any time soon."

Stef agreed, "I don't think any of them came back again? The soldiers I mean. The photographer and the guide have been here all three times."

"The second visit things got a bit crazy," I scowled. "Soldiers shot at us. That was scary, even though they couldn't actually hurt us."

Our guests exchanged a worried look, then Charlotte asked "What do you mean? What happened, why'd they shoot at you?"

My enbyfriend slipped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into a side-hug, then looked to our guests and shook their head. "If you don't mind let's leave that story for another time? It wasn't a good experience, and like my little star said it got a bit scary."

Flora nodded, "Of course Stef. I'm glad you're all ok, and I hope you don't have to go through anything like that again."

"Thank you," the catkin replied. Then after a sip of their wine they changed the subject, "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm getting a little hungry. Perhaps it's time to put this new BBQ to work?"

Theo raised his head and asked, "Shall I start the fire?"

"Thank you Theo, that would be perfect," Stef replied.

We'd already filled the fire pit with a few logs and some kindling, but thanks to our wildcat friend we didn't actually need to worry too much about kindling. Or about properly constructing the fire. He just focused his magic on it, and within a few seconds all the wood was alight.

"I can still hardly believe that," Flora commented. "It really is incredible."

"It was a big surprise to all three of us," I agreed with a smile. Then after another sip of wine I got to my feet and excused myself, as I went inside to fetch the steaks.

Flora ended up accompanying me, and between the two of us we carried out everything we'd need to prepare a nice dinner. In addition to the meat we had some crusty bread we could toast over the fire, and some diced sweet potatoes and parsnips in our pan along with some butter.

The whole thing became a bit of a team effort, as Stef and Charlotte also pitched in. It was a lot of fun though, and reminded me again how much I missed our friends. When it was just Stef and Theo and I it felt like family, but with our friends here it felt more like a party atmosphere. Although that may have had something to do with the wine, and the fact that we opened a second bottle at some point during the cooking process.

My stone grill worked fine, but the fire pit turned out to be a bit too enclosed. I'd have to redesign it later, for now Stef came to the rescue with their air magic. They were able to arrange a steady flow of fresh air in just the right spot so our fire burned strong while the food was cooking.

When it was all ready we served everything up, although Theo wasn't interested in the veggies or the bread. And our guests had only brought four steaks, so both Stef and I shared ours with our wildcat which made him happy. In fact all five of us were pretty happy with our BBQ dinner.

"This really is the life," Flora commented as she washed down a bite of her food with another gulp of wine. "It's not hard to see why you two decided to stay out here."

Charlotte agreed, "Fresh air, beautiful view, no annoying neighbours, no traffic. You've got your own private holiday retreat in the woods. You've even got your own private lake! I don't suppose it's safe to swim in it?"

Stef and I exchanged a smile as I replied, "We usually avoid swimming out in the open water, but we have a private peaceful little cove where we like to swim. We've even got stairs and a dock there, so it's very convenient."

"There's been times Theo and I practically have to drag Stella out of the water," my enbyfriend added with a grin. "Sometimes I wonder if my little star isn't part fish rather than part fox!"

My ears drooped to either side and I pretended to pout as I swished my three tails around behind me, "Please! I'm kitsune, not fox."

Our guests both smiled, but Flora looked curious. The tall brunette asked, "You actually go swimming? Isn't it a little cold for that?"

"The air's starting to get cooler these days," I replied with a shrug, "Especially at night. The water's not too cold though. If you like, we can all go for a swim tomorrow maybe? Depending on the weather."

Stef's ears folded back as they warned our friends, "You should know up front, we are almost positive being in that water is what changed the both of us. That first night when the mountain appeared and blocked the Thaya, all three of us got caught in the rising waters. And one of the reasons Stella was spending so much time swimming is she thinks it adds to our magic. And that it gave her the additional tails."

"Right," I nodded. "I only had the one at first, the other two grew in separately. So I suppose that's something you should keep under consideration? If you do go swimming with us, it might have an unexpected effect on you."

Theo pointed out, "There's also the possibility that nothing at all will happen. On their first visit here we saw a scientist fall into the lake, and the guide dove in to save him. And we know the guide has not been transformed, even though I believe he's the sort of person Gaia would like."

"Theo's right," Stef agreed. "I guess the bottom line is we don't know what might happen and there's no guarantees. It's still best that you're aware it's a possibility."

Charlotte drained her wine then smiled, "A chance of maybe getting a magical boost to my transition, maybe getting cute fuzzy ears, and maybe getting magic? If it wasn't already getting dark out I'd be saying let's go swimming as soon as we've finished eating!"

"Mood," the tall brunette added. "Big mood."

The conversation seemed to stall a bit there, as we all focused on finishing up the last of our food. And the second bottle of wine was quickly emptied as all four glasses got topped up again. Then we ended up relaxing around the fire pit as night fell, sipping wine and enjoying each other's company as day slowly turned into night.

Eventually Charlotte broke the comfortable silence as she commented quietly, "I could get used to this. I'd probably miss the internet and being able to talk to the rest of our friends, but this sure beats the view from our tiny apartment balcony."

"Same," Flora nodded in agreement. "If we had an axe and a saw we could clear some proper paths for the bikes, then we'd have an easy way to get in and out. And if you've got a dock maybe we could get a little row boat or a canoe. And some fishing gear? Then it really would be the perfect place."

Our cute blonde guest continued daydreaming, "I sure wouldn't miss my minimum wage retail job, if it was possible to stay out here permanently. For that matter it'd be great knowing there's no chance of transmisic parents showing up uninvited."

"Speaking of," she added as she looked to me, "I guess you must be pretty happy about that too, right Stella? No chance of ever running into your parents out here."

After a long sip of my wine I responded, "I actually got an email from my dad a few days ago, and he wasn't awful. He used my real name, he didn't deadname or misgender either me or Stef at all. Dad even apologized for how he and mom had been acting, and asked me to write him back. They knew we were camping out here when the mountain happened, and they know we never came back from that trip. So they're worried, and they wanted to know that I'm ok."

Our guests exchanged another look, then Charlotte shook her head. "You're not going to fall for that, are you? Not after everything your parents have done, the way they've treated you. You know they're just trying to keep tabs on you. Or they're looking for another way to control you."

"I don't know about that," I frowned. "Dad seemed pretty sincere in his message. And I already wrote him back. I didn't tell him everything, but I did say that Stef and I are ok. And I told him that we'd had some good luck, that our lives have gotten a lot better and we've found a better place to stay."

Charlotte looked skeptical as she asked, "And what did they say to all that?"

"He hasn't written back yet," I sighed. "He and mom might just need a little extra time to adjust to the fact that my transition got magically completed. Or maybe they're not sure how to react to the fox ears and tails..."

"You didn't tell them everything, but you sent them a selfie?" she asked incredulously. "That's kind of a giveaway that you're working for Gaia. Or did you actually tell them that too?"

Stef cleared their throat then stated, "If Stella wants to try and reconcile with her parents that's up to her. I saw her dad's email, and like she said the man seemed sincere."

"Thanks cutie," I whispered as I cuddled up closer against their side. Then I addressed our guests again, "I know my folks haven't been great. Believe me, there's no way I'm going to forget that any time soon. If they're really making an effort to change though, then I'm willing to give them a chance."

Before anyone could respond I added firmly, "I'm not going to let them hurt me again. That's the difference now, I'm not vulnerable anymore. Stef and I have land, we have money, we have better jobs than my parents ever will. And we even have magic. There's literally nothing my parents can do to me now, and I'll never be in a position where I might need their help. I'm safe now."

The others were quiet for a few seconds, then the cute blonde apologized. "I'm sorry Stella, Stef. I didn't mean to overreact, I just don't want to see you get hurt again. I'm glad you're safe now, both of you. And I hope things work out ok with your parents."

"It's ok Charlotte," I replied. Then I gave her a little smile, "And thank you. I know you're trying to look out for me."

We had long awkward lull in the conversation there, which Flora finally broke.

"So," the tall brunette said before changing the topic entirely. "What's the plan for tomorrow? We never did get around to that scenic tour you mentioned, and I know we talked about maybe going swimming if the weather's good. I'm guessing you'll also want to install that pump at some point, do you think you'll need any help with that?"

My enbyfriend replied, "I'll make us all something nice for breakfast in the morning, or brunch if we all end up sleeping in? Then we'd be happy to show you both around. We can even go have a look at the impossible mountain, if you'd like to see it in person."

"As for swimming," they continued with a smile, "If the weather's nice then I'm sure we'll find time for that tomorrow."

I added, "We can do the pump whenever we have some spare time tomorrow. It shouldn't take too long to get it set up. And we'll show you how we'll power it too."

"Sounds like a plan," Flora responded, and her girlfriend nodded in agreement.

After that the conversation gradually tapered off again. The five of us continued to enjoy the evening and each other's company, while we watched the fire slowly burn itself out.

** This chapter is brought to you courtesy of Lucy who commissioned it! **