The Heavenly Fox by Richard Parks Page A

government post, and that was just the beginning. He was an extremely gifted young man. Springshadow knew this to be true, as did Xiaofan. He was also in love with a spirit fox. That was the part that she, alone of the two of them, knew for truth.
    "My father is dead. I am now the head of my house, and it is past time for me to take a wife. I want you, Springshadow."
    "Lie down now," Springshadow said sternly. "You must save your strength."
    "I am not joking." Xiaofan reached into a small chest on a table by his bedside and pulled out a necklace of cylindrical jade beads. He sat up then, so suddenly that Springshadow, surprised, had no time to react. He put the necklace around her neck. "When I am stronger we will have a proper ceremony, but from this day forward I am your husband."
    For a moment Springshadow did not know what to do. She considered returning the necklace, but the last thing she wanted just then was a fight with Xiaofan. She knew how weak he was then and why, even if he refused to admit that weakness. "If it pleases you," she said finally. "Now lie down."
    His hand was on her arm as she lowered him down on the pillow, surprisingly strong despite his condition. When his head touched the pillow again he did not let go.
    "Xiaofan...husband, let me go."
    "No," he said. "I cannot. You say you love me. Show me."
    Just for a moment, Springshadow considered doing exactly that. All she had to do was drop the necklace on the floor, walk out the door right then, and never see Xiaofan again. He would recover. All would be well with him. In time he would find another, and so would Springshadow.
    Yet time was the entire problem. Brewing the Golden Elixir was a delicate matter, and the preparations were arduous with each lover. Perhaps she would have time to start again. Or perhaps the nine hundred and ninety-nine years she had waited would be for nothing. She could take that chance, if she felt strong enough. If her very small bit of affection for Xiaofan outweighed her fear.
    She was very afraid.
    Springshadow kissed Xiaofan, and then she gave him what he desired. She was as gentle as she dared to be, even though she knew it would make no difference. Xiaofan was weak and far too eager to prove that he was not weak, and just for a few moments, he made her forget his true condition. That time was very short. When it was all done, she adjusted her robes and then held up a glowing, golden ball of light in her two small hands. Xiaofan stared at the ceiling.
    "Goodbye, Beloved Husband," she said, but of course he made no answer. Springshadow sighed and found her way out, silent and stealthy as only a fox could be. No one saw her leave. Especially not Xiaofan. Springshadow was certain that the body would not be discovered for days.
    She barely made it back to her den in a cave high in the mountains of Shandong. A sudden weakness had come over her. She knew then, if she had waited one more day, she would have been too late. That knowledge wasn't comfort, exactly, since she was a fox and hardly in need of comfort over the death of a human, even one she had some affection for, but she did take the knowledge as justification. She had wanted to give Xiaofan three days to recover, but now she realized her foolishness; she did not have those days to give. It was an odd turn of events, but she knew that Xiaofan's impatience had saved her. Yet, as matters stood, it would still take every bit of her remaining strength and time to complete her task.
    Springshadow took the ball of yang male energy that was all that remained of Xiaofan, and she coaxed it into a small cauldron simmering over a fire in her hearth. She chanted the proper spells and stirred in the prescribed manner. Then, when all was ready, she worked the final magics that all foxes knew and converted the yang essence into the Golden Elixir, which she drank while it was still hot. She finally sat down on a stool beside the fire, letting her weariness get the better of her for a