The Fox and the Wolf

Chapter 1: A safe place

The wind ruffled my orange fur as I trotted through the forest. The world is full of werewolves, vampires and witches. There are a few rarer shifters like horses and large cats. Then there's me, the only one of my kind. I'm a fox shifter. I shifted at the age of 6 and I've been in my fox form ever since although I do sometimes shift back when I need to. I'm the size of an average fox and my small size can have its advantages. I'm fast, quick and I can hide in the smallest of places. The werewolves, horses and cats all tower over me but I don't mind. I've spent so much time in my fox form that if someone comes across me they don't know that I'm a shifter. The scent of the forest has been woven into my fur and it just seems like I'm a normal fox. I stop walking when I hear a twig snap. My ears swivel around, trying to pinpoint where it came from. I heard a growl and I turned to see a wolf staring at me hungrily. Rogue. I turned back around and start running as fast as I possibly can. I can hear him chasing after me. Sometimes other creatures will try and hunt me for food or fun. It's sick. My sensitive hearing picked on voices so I ran towards them. Soon a pack came into view. I sped up and crossed their border. I kept running until I found some random guy and hid behind him. He looked at me in confusion before seeing the rogue barrelling towards him.

"Rogue!" He shouted and everyone burst into action. I ran out from behind him and hid under a chair while the rogue was sedated and dragged off to the cells. The guy who I hid behind looked around him before his eyes landed on my huddled body. He slowly walked towards me and knelt down.

"Hey there." He cooed gently. He held out his hand and I gave it a curious sniff. He's a werewolf, a beta I think.

"I won't hurt you." He said quietly. I took a few careful steps forward and soon I was out in the open. I licked his palm and he smiled. He sat on the floor with his legs crossed underneath him. I was still weary of him. I took another step forward and he made no movements. I put a paw on his knee and lifted my front up as I sniffed his face quietly. He doesn't smell dangerous. I can smell if someone has killed anyone before and some of the major chemicals that the brain makes. Clearly my sense of smell is more defined than any other supernatural. When I was happy that he wasn't going to hurt me I stepped into his lap and curled into a ball, looking up at him. I felt him scratch the spot between my ears and I closed my eyes, savouring the feeling. He chuckled as continued to scratch.

"You should probably go now little fox." He said as he lifted me off his lap and set me on the ground. He got up and began to walk away. I don't want to go. I may not know him but I feel safe around him. I ran up to him and trotted between him legs as he walked. He looked down with an amused grin on his face.

"Come on now. You need to go home to your family." He said as he stopped walking. I jumped around his feet, clearly not going anywhere. He knelt down and scratched behind my ear.

"You're not leaving, are you?" He asked and I responded by licking his hand.

"I guess you could stay. How about we think of a name for you?" He said before falling silent as he thought.

"How about Gary?" He asked and I just stared at him.

"No? Ok. What are you?" He asked before taking in a deep breath.

"You're a girl so we need a girl name." He pondered.

"Ashley?" I just stared at him.

"Georgie?" Nope.

"Trixie?" Nah uh.

"Melody?" He asked and I yapped happily. I'm surprise he managed to guess my real name.

"Melody it is then." He said before standing and walking off, making sure I was following him.

"Let's make sure you're not diseased." He said. I followed him up to a huge house and followed him inside carefully, looking around me as I walked. Eventually we arrived at what looks like a hospital room.

"Hey Emma." He said and an older lady spun around with a smile on her face.

"Hello Jack. What can I do for you today?" She asked.

"I've got someone who needs a check-up." He said with a grin.

"I'd be happy to. Where are they?" She asked. Jack stepped the side, revealing me. Emma gasped and knelt down on the floor. I went back behind Jack's legs. I don't trust her with all the sharp objects around.

"Emma meet Melody." Jack said.

"I won't hurt you." She said like she was speaking to a small child. I let out a yap of surprise when Jack gently lifted me off the ground and placed me on the hospital bed. I looked for a way out but I calmed down and I felt him scratch between my ears. What can I say? It's my weak spot. The next 20 minutes was horrible. She did all these tests to make sure I was healthy. She also stuck a thermometer where a thermometer should never be put... 

"She's all good." Emma said and Jack smiled.

"Thank you." I jumped down from the bed and ran out the door with Jack close behind me.