[ WP ] Every time a child reaches the age of twelve a magical animal appears .

Horror theme: ) 
 
 
 It was white, he thought. 
 
 He'd been dreaming of it for a while now, the creature that would appear on his twelfth. Some of the others were dreaming too. He could tell from the way they shifted about in their sleep, almost falling off the narrow bunks they were afforded. He could tell from the unfocused looks they made when they thought no on was looking. 
 
 They did not talk about their dreams. The walls had ears. The matrons forbade talking as their appointed time of manifestations grew closer on some invisible clock. One of these days, he was going to reach twelve. 
 
 He did n't know when. He did n't remember when. It did n't matter either way. He did his chores every day as he always did and saw something large and white-furred stalking against the blood red darkness every time he shut his eyes. 
 
 On some forgettable morning, he woke, staring at the cracked concrete ceiling of the dormitory for a whole minute. His mattress was shredded beneath him. Shortly after that, a matron yanked him off his bed, pulling him along with its jointed mechanical arms. Its body veil fluttered in the breeze as it brought him out into the sunlight for the first time in months. 
 
 A brief patch of sunlight that is, between the laserfield corridor from the dormitory to a large grey dome he had heard of but never entered before. 
 
 Two Knights were waiting inside the sparse, empty dome. Their featureless white armor glinted under the artificial lighting, contrasting against the dirty walls and muddy ground. A matron was carrying a half-conscious child out in the opposite direction as they entered. He coughed a bit as the smell of the place hit him, iron and some pungent odour he could n't quite identify. 
 
 Something white danced behind his eyes. He screwed them shut. A strange, unidentifiable pressure was pulsing against his heart. 
 
 `` Ast, 456-D, Operan Woods, Velya Unknown.'' the matron announced mechanically as it brought him before the Knights. He resisted the urge to hide behind the matron. 
 
 `` Velya, was it?'' one of the Knights spoke, reaching forward to pat his head. The voice was feminine and cheerful. `` Do n't worry. This will be all over soon.'' 
 
 The other Knight sighed, `` Why do you even bother? Let's get this over with already.'' 
 
 `` Aw, do n't be like that.'' she chided, `` It can be a little scary when the manifestations happen.'' she tilted her featureless helm at him, `` You're a little nervous, are n't you, kid?'' 
 
 He rubbed his chest and nodded, `` Will it... hurt?'' he whispered. 
 
 `` Not really.'' she told him cheerily. `` You'll forget it in no time!'' she patted his shoulder, `` You'll just have to bear it for a while. It's for the safety of everyone, you know, that we do this.'' 
 
 She was lying. The warmth building in his chest told him so. Somehow, he had a feeling he'd remember this moment forever. But he did n't have time to speak. His knees buckled as some strange pressure built in his heart. The valves pumped wildly for a brief second. 
 
 A flash of light blasted through the dome. Exhaustion crashed on him and he slumped where he was. He shifted slightly, staring wildly. 
 
 It was white. It was also very small. A small white ball of fur with red, red eyes and a black, toothed smile. It seemed to be laughing at him as it sat there, watching him idly. 
 
 He knew what it was. The knowledge filtered inside his head. He recognized the fox-like form with its multiple tails. He recognized the soft ball of white fire that burned above its head. A kitsune, a fox spirit. It yipped at him, stepping forward. 
 
 It stepped away as a Knight leapt forward, blade digging into the ground. The other Knight joined in from the other side with a spray of flames. He lay on the ground, breath catching whenever the creature shrieked. 
 
 He shut his eyes. After a while, a matron picked him up. He woke on his old bunk. The mattress had been replaced. A matron stood by his bedside. 
 
 `` You will pack.'' it instructed, `` You will transfer to sector D43 in five hours. You will acknowledge.'' 
 
 His face felt wet. He touched his cheek, not quite understanding what had happened. 
 
 `` You will acknowledge.'' the matron repeated tonelessly. Its ceramic digits clacked in false impatience. 
 
 `` Yes.'' he managed. 
 
 The matron wandered away. He saw a flash of white at the corner of his eye and sat up. For a brief second, he saw a vulpine face, half-hidden in the shadow at the foot of his bed. 
 
 A sudden thought came to him, as if he'd known it all his life... fox spirits are masters of illusion. He cupped a hand to his face and smiled.
