Obi-Wan growled low in his throat. How could his Master compare him and his kin to Anakin Skywalker? Granted, his ears looked a lot like Obi-Wan’s and so did his tail, but upon closer inspection, Qui-Gon should be able to see that Anakin’s ears were larger than Obi-Wan’s had been in this age and the blonde’s tail was more bushy too.“Padawan!” the long haired male was scandalized. Usually his student only used that growl for enemies.“Anakin is NOT of my kind, he is a fennec, I am a fox. There is a great difference. He does not grow nine tails, he is not capable of it and sure you must see the different aura.”It was true that fox demons and fennec demons were related, hence the shared name ‘kitsune’, but they were not alike. A fennec might ignore the comparison, but to a fox, it was an insult.As if reading his thoughts, Qui-Gon reached out and drew the partly transformed boy into a bear hug. “Forgive me, dear one, I didn’t mean to insult you.”Obi-Wan took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds and then released it again. He felt how most of the tension drew away and he closed his eyes, while allowing the taller male to cuddle him. He liked to be cuddled, even though he would never admit it. Then again, Qui-Gon most likely knew, which is probably why one of his large hands was gently rubbing right behind Obi-Wan’s left fox ear.A purr escaped the Padawan and he was only dimly aware of a certain blond boy entering the room. Anakin’s surprise was evident in the way he froze upon seeing them - or rather upon spotting Obi-Wan - and in his Force presence too.Reluctantly Obi-Wan pulled back from his father in all but blood, in order to look at the young boy, whose eyes were wide in wonder and solemnly directed at the young fox demon.After a moment of silence, Anakin opened his mouth, “You are just like me, wizard!” Had he jumped in the air, the picture of pure joy, would have been perfect.Obi-Wan bit the insight of his cheek, hard enough that it hurt, but not hard enough to draw blood, and stepped out of his teacher’s reach. Qui-Gon would use underhanded techniques, like stroking his ear, to get him to comply. It wouldn’t be the first time.“No,” Obi-Wan began in a serious voice, “You are like me, but we are not the same.”“I know that, not even two humans are completely the same. It’s not possible,” the young boy laughed. Obi-Wan wondered if he was truly this stupid or if he just preferred ignorance.The older kitsune huffed in irritation, but before he could say anything else, Qui-Gon stepped literally between them.“Ani, how about you go into the cockpit, I am sure the pilot will show you a few things.”“Yippie,” the blonde exclaimed and turned to ran, undoubtedly to the poor pilot.Obi-Wan gave his Master an unimpressed stare, with one of his eyebrows raised and arms crossed over his chest. Meanwhile Qui-Gon was sporting a large mischievous grin and not for the first time, the Padawan could picture the long haired man as one of his kind. He was not a kitsune though and he would most likely never be.Obi-Wan had to turn away suddenly. Were his eight tails visible, they would have been lowered in sadness. He did not know where the unwanted feelings had come from, but he would need to deal with them as soon as possible.“Padawan?” the bearded male had approached him.“I need to meditate,” he waited until Qui-Gon gave him a nod, before he retreated back to the quarters of the ship, hoping to find at least SOME peace in the Force.
