Fox Of Greed (Greedy Fox Book 1)

~~ TWO ~~

Water trickling down my forehead and past my ears was what woke me. Blinking my heavy eyes, I rolled over to see the lady squeezing a small rag into a bowl of water.

She noticed that I was awake. "You must have sun stroke; not enough water in your system." She handed me a glass of cool water and I sculled the liquid gratefully.

Sighing, I muttered a thank you, before pushing back the blankets and jumping out of the bed. The lady tried to force me to go back to sleep, but I waved her off.

"You need to rest. Your poor body has been through a lot."

"But I need to go; I have to find the closest town." She pursed her lips and I instantly bent my head forward, almost imagining my fox ears bending back, ready for a scolding.

"It can wait for now; your body is too weak to make the trek. Just get more sleep and then you can be on your way." She patted my head and left the room, locking the door behind her I noticed.

The second I heard the lock click shut, I got back to my feet and padded over to the window. It didn't squeak as I slid it open, nor did it make a sound after I jumped out of it and to the ground a foot underneath it. 

I felt bad for leaving, but I couldn't stay any longer. I had more pressing problems to address – like how I was supposed to survive in a world that's a thousand years different from what I left. I had to find someone who could transform me back into a fox, then I would be fine. I could live a peaceful life in the forest, away from humans and demons; away from everything.

Looking around, I noticed an old worn dirt trail winding away from the house, clearly outlined by the setting sun. Satisfied that the path must lead to a town, I followed it. About 200 metres in, I found a little sign, vines creeping over its wooden surface. Pulling them off, my fingers traced the words written there – Caines, 2km – and the arrow pointing in the direction I was headed.

I started jogging after that, the sun fully set by then. I wanted to reach the town soon, because being human was tough. My body was already starting to wear from the walking and now jogging; my feet burned horrendously, all red and puffy underneath. 

My head felt light for some reason and I soon discovered why when the smell of cooking meat assaulted my senses. Salivating and my stomach grumbling, I scurried through the quiet town of Caines and out the other side, into a forest, following the scent.

Parting a bush, I watched some men in armour setting up camp in a clearing, a fire already blazing with a pig roasting over it. Drooling, I watched it spin round and round, the succulent meat turning a dark brown. Oil and fat dripped from its skin, sizzling in the fire and creating the heedy aroma.

"I don't even know why we are even out here," one of the men mumbled, sprawled out on a mat. His nose created disfigured shadows as he shook his head and drank from a flask.

"You know why we're here," grumbled another, obviously quite young by the looks of his cute, little face. He poked the meat with a stick.

"Yeah, but shouldn't those lousy knights be dead? I mean, how can we take the word of some old geezer about a bucket of rust wandering the countryside?"

"They are the legendary Seven Deadly Sins; in conclusion, I don't think mere old age would kill them off," replied a tall, sturdy man, a thick moustache quivering on his top lip as he spoke.

Seven Deadly Sins? Some of my friends are alive? But how?

I was anxious to hear more about these Seven Deadly Sins, but the men didn't speak of it anymore after that tall brute had entered the picture. Instead, they pulled the pig from the spite and began to carve it.

My stomach grumbled and I squashed it with my hands, worried that they had heard. Luckily they didn't, because they were too busy stuffing their faces. Narrowing my eyes, I wondered how I would be able to get a piece of that food. Then I realised that I didn't need a plan.

I was the Greedy Fox and I took whatever I wanted, no matter the cost. Dashing forward quickly, an explosion from the bush, I ran straight at the pig lying on a pile of leaves and, as they watched in shocked silence, I scooped it up and made off with it.

"Hey!" they all cried when they realised just what had happened. I just laughed as I ran, holding the meat to my chest tightly.

The I realised just how hot it was.

"Ow! Ow! Ow, ow, ow!" I yowled, throwing it from hand to hand as I ran. Holding it by the stick still protruding through it, I started to blow on it as I went to cool it down.

"Come back with our meat!" An arrow whizzed past my head and I hissed in annoyance, running faster.

My eyes picked up a small hole to hide in, stuck between a tree and a boulder, and before I could think it through, I dove at it. Scrambling through, I got stuck, because I forgot that humans had large bones than foxes. Cursing silently, scraping my skin raw and bruising my legs, I slipped in and huddled in a corner, holding the meat close to my chest.

With my head cocked to the side, I listened; all was silent. I must have lost them. Shrugging my shoulders, I bit into the meat, devouring the succulent meat. Groaning from how good it tasted, I ate all of it, before licking the juice from my hands and the stick.

However, my human stomach did not appreciate that I forced almost a whole pig into my stomach. The next couple of hours I spent vomiting all the food back up outside the little hidey hole. Then I was hungry again and thirsty.

Humans are such weak creatures. How is it that they have managed to survive for so long?

I decided that I needed to venture back into the town; I waited in my hiding spot until the sun began to rise. Limping down the main street, for my feet and legs were aching, I noticed that the few people who were early birds were pointing at me. Glancing down, I saw that my clothes were ruined: the oil and hot meat from the pig had stained my shirt and there were a number of holes in the shirt and the pants where I had ripped my skin burrowing into that hole. My bare feet were now turning black and blue on top, scratched and bleeding. 

Scuttling behind a house to escape the stares, I spied some clothes on a line. The short lady hanging them out had just disappeared into the back door when I vaulted the little rickety fence and snatched some off the line.

Adrenaline coursed through me when I heard the lady shouting behind me. With quick feet, I jumped the fence again and zigzag through some little alleys before finding a dark place to hide. Quickly, I stripped off and dressed in the new clothes.

The singlet was a bit short on me, rising up on my stomach, but the long pants I had snagged were the perfect fit, hugging my legs nicely. My cuts and abrasions stung, the skin tingling, but there was nothing I could do for them.

Adjusting my hair, I strode out of the alley feeling fresh. I was still bare foot since I hadn't been able to snag shoes, but that didn't matter. It felt nice to feel the earth under my feet.

Now that that's out of the way; where to next?

I stood pondering where the best place would be for me to hunt down a magician or a witch when my ears twitched. Well, twitched like a human's ears would twitch.

"Have you heard of that new tavern up on the hill?"

"No, what's it called?"

"The Boar Hat. It's supposedly run by some kid, but the beer is some of the best in the country."

I stalked after the two men, because I decided that the tavern would be a good place to start. With so many people in one spot, it should be easy to find a witch or wizard. Cresting the hill after them, I came face to face with The Boar Hat tavern, a weirdly shaped hut overlooking the town. Squaring my shoulders, I headed for the door and pushed it open.