Fox Of Greed (Greedy Fox Book 1)

~~ NINETEEN ~~

"How do I make this pig move faster?!" I knocked on Hawk's mother's back, jumped up and down on her skin. She gave an almighty snort, shook violently and threw me off her side. 

Heart in throat, my hands grappled against thin air, a scream building. A hand caught me. 

"Thanks, Diane," I said in a shaky voice as she settled me on the steps leading into the tavern. Okay, so I wasn't going to do that again. 

"How dare you treat my mother like that?" Hawk rammed into the back of my knees and with a shriek, I collapsed forward. He continued to lecture me and stamp his feet while I covered my ears from the noise. 

"Listen!" He shut up. "We need to get Meliodas to the nearest town." I turned, sat up and plucked a splinter from my hand, before grabbing Hawk's cheeks. "Does the definition of fast exist with your mother? The only way to get to the nearest town is to make your mother move her little legs faster." 

"Ow, ow, ow," Hawk whined as I twisted and pulled his cheeks. 

Right now, Elizabeth was sitting by Meliodas' side, nursing him to the best of her ability. But without proper care, he would die. 

So would Elizabeth's chance to save her kingdom and my chance to find this Merlin chick and go back to being a fox. Man, I hadn't even given much thought on the real reason I'm with this group and plan we created. It sounded so far- fetched now, given our predicament.

My eyes spied something in the distance. "Hey, is that a town?" All heads turned to face in the direction I pointed. There, in the valley was a large clump of coloured roofs. 

"Quick, Elizabeth. Give me Meliodas," Diane said, running round to the open window at the side of the tavern. After a minute or two, Diane stepped back, hands cupped to her chest. "I'll move faster than the pig."

"Hey, I'm coming with you!" I called out and took a running leap off the side of the green pig. I landed with a thump on Diane's backpack and scrambled to sit on top. Definitely tried not to look down at the ground. Diane was quite a bit taller than the tavern's floor. But I wasn't going to stay behind doing nothing when I would be better help in the town. 

"What about us?" Elizabeth shouted, top half of her body hanging out the window. 

"I'm leaving now!" called Diane in a way of a response. She started to run towards the town and it was in that moment that I realised the grievous mistake I had made. 

If anyone ever, ever said to me that riding on a Giant's shoulder was relaxing, I would beat in their faces until they were a bloody pulp. I swayed, jerked and bounced all over the place, struggling to keep hold and keep down what little food rested in my stomach. Actually, it was in my throat now. 

Diane slowed as she neared the town and I looked back briefly to see a cloud of dust and green blob as Hawk's mother neared. Taking a moment of respite from all the bouncing and jerking, I climbed to her shoulder to watch our progress. 

"Uh, Diane," I started to warn her as she weaved down the streets, heading straight for the crowded main road. "This might not be such a good idea." 

"Hey!" Diane called out to the humans. Either she didn't hear me - which was kind of impossible considering I was right next to her ear - or she was ignoring me. "Is there a -" 

Screams and shouts filled the streets, the people below scampering away like frightful rabbits. 

"No, wait a minute!" Diane called out urgently. "Just wanted to find out if you had a doctor somewhere in this town." 

But she was talking to an empty street. She opened her hands and even I could see Meliodas was in a bad shape and only getting worse. Fresh blood had started to flow from his wound.