Welcome to 2023! Another year and another depressing drabble! Well, it's actually mostly wholesome. Just a dower ending, I suppose.

Trigger Warnings:
Cursing
Themes of Childhood Neglect

Word Count: 3374

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"Hey daddy?"

A pale yellow eye peeked open, vision filling with a small white fox, her own yellow eyes round with tears. The grey fox in bed groaned softly and started to sit up. "Cammie, it's nearly..." he glanced over to the nearby wall clock, the lamp barely lighting it up as he carefully read it, "it's nearly 2 in the morning..." he stifled a yawn, his voice low and flat, filled with only the slightest tone of curiosity.

"I-i know!" The young fox whimpered on the floor, crawling up into the bed. "I had a nightmare..." her soft voice carried up into the older fox' ears, causing a faint sigh to escape his mouth.

"Well, what was it about dear?" He asked, gently pulling her into his arms. She sniffed.

"You and mommy were both gone, a-and no one knew where you guys went," she started off, soft whimpers and hiccups escaping her mouth, "I couldn't find you guys anywhere! A-and then, and then uh... g-grandpa told me you both hated me, and didn't want me anymore." The child looked up to her father, eyes puffy from tears, "D-do you both love me?"

The older fox blinked, his multicolored eyes filled with worry and fear. "Of course me and your mother love you. You mean the most to us both," he told her gently, his voice soft despite the monotone nature it usually carried. "Why would you ever think otherwise?"

The girl shook her head, "I don't know..." she glanced away, clearly still shaken up from her dream.

Her father made a small sound, before he carefully set him beside him and got up. He then turned back to her and lifted her up. The sleeping body of her mother rolled around from the noise, being quite a heavy sleeper. The older man leant over to the sleeping women and pecked her cheek, then carried their still disturbed daughter out of the bedroom.

"Where are we going daddy?" The girl asked. Her voice was faint and soft, filled with curiosity. The older fox walked down the hallway, carrying the young vixen in his arms like one would a baby. It was dark and eerily quiet. The lack of noise caused the young fox' ears to lower on her head and turn her nose up to her father. "D-daddy?"

They walked out into the living room, past the old TV set resting on the old wooden stand in the middle of the room. He didn't speak until he opened the front door, stepping outside into the dark surface world. It was... well, it was dark outside. The air was crisp, fitting for the middle of July. "I figured we could sit outside for a bit, fresh air always clears my head," He told the young girl softly, before sitting down on the old porch swing. The young girl sat on his lap. The soft sounds of the crickets chirping filled their ears as the cool night air entered through their noses. The girl's eyes looked towards the neighbor's home, their lights turned off with a sign in their front lawn. It was too dark to make it out, but the girl remembered hearing her father speaking to her mother about it. Something about the mayor being anti-monster? The young girl didn't understand what any of it meant, but her father didn't like it, so she didn't either.

A soft hum escaped from the older man behind her, bringing her attention back to him. "Daddy?" She asked, "Can you uh... c-can you tell me how you and mommy met again?" Her yellow eyes widened and practically glittered as she looked up at him. The older fox paused his humming and tilted his head.

"Again? It's such a simple story darling, you've heard it so many times already, Cammie!" He teased, pinching her cheek. She squealed and huffed.

"Daddy!"

The older man chuckled, "Alright, alright," he told her softly, rubbing his hand up to his scarred over eye to brush his hair out of his face. "I suppose I'll tell it again. Your mother was a new student at school, from New York. Everyone was buzzing about her, wondering what a big city girl was doing in boring old Mayfield. Of course, everyone besides your old man," As he spoke, his hands fluttered in the air, using some unseen magical particles in the air to charge up some illuminated figures. Small figures made of light. The little girl's eyes filled with awe as the figures moved about, mimicking the memories her father had of school. People walking around, passing by a slumped over figure whose head was stuck in a book. Her father. "Your old man was quite stuck in his studies. His parents enforced 'great' study habits in him, after all, so concerns of new girls from supposedly grand places weren't at all concerning. Although, the buzz and noise definitely got on my nerves. As far as I was concerned, she was just a pest," A soft sigh escaped his mouth as the figure in the moving picture grew visibly annoyed as he walked.

"Well, mommy wasn't a pest though!" The white fox huffed, "Otherwise, you wouldn't have ma-"

"Are you telling the story Camilla?" Her father asked, chuckling at her as he pinched those round cheeks of hers. She squealed and shook her head. "That's what I thought. Yes, of course I don't think she's a pest now. When she first came though, you'd think it quite annoying for a new student to form quite a buzz when you're just trying to head to science class, now wouldn't you?" His voice was soft as he asked that rhetorical question.

"I guess soooooooo."

Her father continued, "I met your mother maybe a week after she first came to school. I wish I could lie and say it was some impressive, grand moment. That Idyllic herself fell from the sky and sang about us being Soulmates, or that the angels rejoiced at our first meeting, but none of that happened. You see, my sweet little girl, your father bumped into her in the hallway outside of one of his class. She was walking with a couple of her new friends, one of them being some burly demon boy who threatened to beat me up for 'touching the darling fragile flower that was Skylar Fox.'" Her father used his fingers to create air quotes, causing young Camilla to giggle. "Now, keep in mind, I had no idea who this 'Skylar Fox' person was before, and was now being yelled at in the hallway. She and the other people in her little flock started to laugh at me. Not a very good impression on her end, but I suppose I quickly took that crown off her head when I... well..."

The young girl started to giggle and wag her tail as he father purposely made goofy expressions and sounds. He was pretending to put off telling her what terrible, awful, embarrassing thing he had done. "Come on daddy!! Say it, say it!"

He dropped his voice to a whisper, "I threatened to fight your mother."

Camilla laughed as the moving picture revealed the scrawny boy her father had been at the time, especially compared to the taller demon and other people in her mother's old friend group. Even her own mother was much more muscular than her father. Although, she had a height disadvantage, so perhaps at the time, he probably thought he could win. However, before any sort of violence occurred between her father and this strange demon boy, her mother's image puffed up her chest and moved her hands.

"Your mother was quite... vulgar with her words. When you're older, I'll tell you what she was telling me," He quickly moved Camilla's eyes away from the moving images, waving them off, "We both didn't immediately like each other, but she did prevent that demon boy from knocking me out. We did see each other a couple more times in the hallway, never speaking, only glaring. It wasn't until we ended up having to work together in one of our schools 'games', and we kinda found out we got along quite well. Before long, me and your mother became friends, and then started dating. The rest is history, we got married as soon as we graduated thennnnnn..."

The young fox wagged her tail, yellow eyes glittering as her father placed a gentle finger on her nose, "You came along!" He smiled at her as she squealed.

"And I was the bestest thing to ever happen to you both!" The girl beamed, "Right daddy?"

Her father nodded, "Of course. When you were conceived, I was under the impression I would be unable to have children. It was quite a pleasant surprise." He cupped her hands on her face, squishing her cheeks as he spoke, "We were both very, very happy to have you. You, my darling, are our little miracle."

The girl squealed and giggled, then wrapped her arm around her father's neck. "I love you daddy!"

He purred and pecked her forehead, "And I love you too. Now come on, it's late. Little girls need their rest..." As he spoke, a small yawn escaped from his mouth. This made his daughter smile and chuckle, tilting her head to the side. "Oh, don't you even start young lady! I swear, you're too much like your mother!" He scoffed as she chuckled louder at his exhaustion filled yawns. He scooped her up into the air and brought her inside. He carried her straight past the living room, down the hallway, and entered into her room. Rosy pinks and sunny yellow decorations everywhere, followed by beautifully crafted wooden furniture and toys. Gifts from Camilla's grandparents. The older man carefully stepped over the mess the young girl had made in her room, grumbling softly about her cleaning her room. She could only whine softly as he carefully placed her underneath her comfy quilt. "Don't whine at me, missy. Now, get some sleep, okay?" He gently pulled the blanket up to her chin as he spoke. The young girl finally yawned and reached her hand up to grab hold of her daddy's face.

"Will you and mommy stop loving each other...?"

The older man seemed a little surprised by his young daughter's question, but he didn't deter from getting her prepared for bed. "Well little one," His voice was soft, "I think me and your mother will love each other forever and ever." He placed his hand on her cheek and offered her an awkwardly comforting smile, "If for some unholy reason though, if we did stop loving each other, that doesn't mean we'll ever leave you. We both love you very, very much. I promise you with all my heart that we'll be with you and love you, even if we aren't together." The older fox placed a soft kiss on her head and let go of her, pulling her hand away from his face with a small shiver, "Now get some sleep, how about tomorrow me, you, and mommy have pancakes, hm?"

"Yes please!" Camilla squealed, giggling excitedly. Her father just smiled and wished her goodnight for the final time that night, then left the room to allow her to sleep. The young girl watched him for a while. Then her yellow eyes closed and she soon drifted off to sleep.

...

...

...

Now older, Camilla opened those bright yellow eyes in her far different room. Deep purple with white accents. Fitting for a teenage girl such as herself. The young woman groaned as she placed her hands on her tired face, pulling her furry face skin down from her eyes as a dramatic display of annoyance. It was eerily quiet, which she hated. Throwing herself out of the bed, she stretched and walked over to her dresser. Not the beautifully crafted wooden one from her youth, just a regular old dresser. The teen girl pulled out some clothes for her day, then head outside her room to the bathroom, ready to take a shower.

She paused outside a closed door. Do not enter without knocking. -Felix Fox.

Her father's study.

A faint growl escaped her mouth as she stared at the door, then she hurried along to the bathroom. She didn't wish to stand near her father's study for very long. She actually wished to not see him today in general, if she could help it. Oh how wrong she was soon to be...

After taking her hot shower and putting on clothes fit for a blizzard, the vixen walked back out into the dull hallway towards the kitchen. The house layout was far different from her childhood home. A result from monsters being forced underground. The vixen was currently using some fire magic from her hands to dry off her hair, forcing her fingers through the tangled mess that was her hair. Her plans for the day were to just go hang out with her two best friends in the world. Not come back home until far later tonight, if not just sleeping over at their house like she did every other week. The idea sounded pleasant, but taking a glance outside, a disappointed feeling hit her. It was snowing. Not real snow, more artificial and done to mimic the feeling of snow on the surface, but it was just as annoying and unwanted. Camilla felt upset that she was now going to be forced to stay inside due to the inches of snow that was outside.

"Shit."

"Language." A monotone voice sounded off behind the vixen, causing her to jump in the air and turn behind her to look at her older father. His once pretty grey fur and hair now held flecks of silver and white, as well as new scars covering his arms and left ear. That... war did a number on his physical appearance. However, that's not the only thing that's changed about her once doting father.

Camilla rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "Whatever," She grumbled. She didn't want to deal with that callous, unloving voice. "I'm going to go to my room. Seeing as how it's snowed and I can't go out." Letting go of her arms, she started to walk past him when he grabbed her arm.

"Camilla," He started, his voice... strained. Camilla's ears perked up as she turned to look at him. "I know you usually hang out with your... friends." His voice strained more at the term 'friends', like they were some kind of disease, but he carried on, "But since you're here for today, I thought perhaps we could spend some time together? Don't you and those friends of yours work on a scrapbook together?" His voice was still that same strained monotone voice, although a gleam in his eyes mirrored an emotion Camilla couldn't quite identify from the unfamiliar face of her father. Her ears lowered and eyebrows furrowed as she forced her hand away.

"First of all, my friends have names. You know their mothers, for Idyllic's sake!" Camilla threw her hands in the air and threw her head back, irritated, "It's Maxwell Connor and Shadow Connor. When are you going to get that through your thick skull? Secondly, I don't have the scrapbook on me. We rotated it yesterday, so the boys currently have it. Why, oh why, do you just never pay attention when I tell you these things." The vixen pinched the bridge of her nose, forcing down the anger that was welling up inside. Her father decides to be a 'father' at the weirdest of times, which angered her. Why couldn't he at least pretend to be a father to her all the time, instead of just... "Ugh, I'm going to my room." She turned away. Her father's gaze remained trained on her for a moment before calling out:

"Cammie, I love you."

A pause in her footsteps. A pause in her brain. Her heart started to race and she turned to look at her older father. He looked pitiful, despite his head being high in the air. Hmph. The vixen's yellow eyes pierced her father's multicolored ones. "Sure you do. Just leave me alone," She growled as she finally carried on to her room. Her father didn't call out. Didn't grab her again. Didn't do anything. He never tried to fight for her to come back, and a part of her hated him for that. He claims to love her, and yet can barely fight to keep her around him. To even show her any ounce of wanting to be her father anymore.

And yet she didn't bare bring herself to admit this to him. Instead, she went to her room and sat down on her bed.

Those feelings of resentment only grew underneath the surface, finally lashing out as she threw a ball of voltaic magic at the ground. The ball of energy fizzled on the concrete floor, causing a new black spot to appear next to over a dozen others. This wasn't the first time she felt so angry, and it probably wouldn't be the last. If he could just have been a father for her when she needed him the most. Instead of shutting her out. Instead of pushing her away. Comforting her during the messy move underground, or even during her parent's divorce. He'd done NOTHING. 'That doesn't mean we'll ever leave you.'

What a load of bullshit. Did he take her as some kind of moron when she was a child? How naïve she had been to believe him. Now she had neither parent, her mother long since dead and her father never being around. How was she to not feel angry when he barely made the effort to be in her life, especially when he disrespects the only people in her life that made her feel... wanted. Loved. It hurt so, so much.

Anger filled tears escaped her eyes, so she buried herself under her covers like she had so many times in the past. Now she was stuck inside with a man she could barely stand to be around, and had no real way to talk to her friends without having to leave her room to even try for the old house phone downstairs. Crying silently, the vixen pressed her hands over her face, resisting all urges to scream into her pillow. She didn't wish for her joke of a father to come bother her, especially right now. All she wished for was to be left alone.

Well, maybe not alone, but she didn't want her father around. As of right now though, being alone was much more preferential then to be around a man who seemed to care very little about her.

'Cammie, I love you.'

That sentence bounced around in her brain for a while. The whole time, angry tears fell from those pretty yellow eyes of hers. Every time that sentence bounced in her mind, her own voice would scream back much louder. Liar! Liar! That's all he was now. A liar. A gods forsaken liar! Stupid old man. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid... Each shout she gave in her head, the sadder she started to feel. Why was he now just deciding to say that? Why was he now deciding to be interested in her? He had so much opportunity to do so in the past, and yet he never did. Did he not really love her, and was just saying that to try and make her come back to him? Was he just speaking out of his ass? Those angry feelings subsided into a deep longing sadness. Why did he leave her... He was supposed to be with her, wasn't he? Yet he wasn't... sure he had custody over her, and sure, he keeps the bills paid and gives her all her necessities. But what's the point of all of that when she feels so unloved by the one man in her life who assured her as a young girl to love her. Those angry tears turned to ones of despair, and she stayed under her blankets, unwilling to move. Unwilling to do anything for the time being. Instead, she closed her eyes and laid there in her frazzled brain.