Make her your acolyte

The fox trotted along at my side, his tail high with a hint of a prance. There was something different in his stride, and I could practically feel his smug little mood radiating from him. I let out a sigh, casting him a sidelong glance as we walked through the hallways. 

"Don't start," I muttered, noticing the fox's eyes darting toward me as if he were just bursting with some insufferable observation. 

Predictably, he only yipped back, prancing a bit closer with that irritating glint in his eye. It was a look he got when he thought he had something to say.

Usually, it meant he was up to trouble, and I'd half hoped he'd just keep quiet as usual. It'd been a while since he'd actually spoken up—so long, in fact, that I'd almost started to enjoy the quiet.

Finally, he let out a sigh that sounded far too human for my liking, and with a shimmer, his tiny form morphed.