Fox Of Greed (Greedy Fox Book 1)

~~ 21.75 ~~

Hawk's POV

I trotted back and forth on the small verandah of the tavern, my keen eyes searching the town below. The sun was rising slowly, showering it in golden light. But it didn't bode well for Estra. It had been a day since Meliodas, Elizabeth, Diane and I had been involved in a fight with an elite group of Holy Knights. Well, not so elite. 

We kicked their butts without too much effort. 

And to top it all off, we had found Ban in the Baste prison. Only problem was, while we had found one Sin, it seemed we had lost one in return. Completely. She hadn't even turned up in the fight like she normally did, popping up out of nowhere.

"I wonder where she would have gone," Diane muttered, chin resting on her drawn up knees. "Elizabeth mentioned that she was travelling with you guys in search of Merlin." 

"Yeah, but we had to find you guys first," I replied, leaping off the verandah, headed towards town.

"Do you think something's happened to her?" asked Elizabeth, more so to Meliodas than any of us. 

"Nah, she'll be fine. She's a Sin after all." Meliodas waved off the concern. He didn't even seem fazed that Estra hadn't returned. "Besides, she has a weapon and she can fight." 

"Yeah, but that only works if she took it with her," I pointed out. "If you recall, we were rushing to save your butt from bleeding out all over the place. She wouldn't have had time to worry about her dagger." 

Meliodas merely shrugged his shoulders. 

"Are you not even the least bit concerned that she's missing?!" I squawked, stomping my feet. 

At that moment, Ban walked out, rubbing his eyes. The pale- haired man had just woken from a nap by the looks of it, still dressed in the pair of pants they'd allowed him at the prison, the symbol of the Fox visible. 

"Can you keep it down out here? I'm just trying to get a bit of beauty sleep." 

"You can't sleep now! We haven't found Estra yet!"

"Psh! What makes you think I want to find her?" We had all explained to Ban that Estra was a new addition to the team and was the Fox of Greed, the original creature. He wasn't too pleased about that. 

"Because she's a member of this team, Sir Ban," Elizabeth said fiercely. "We can't abandon her until we find out what happened to her."

"That's my girl," Meliodas crooned, patting Elizabeth's backside. The princess instantly went scarlet. 

Honestly, he just couldn't keep his hands to himself.

"Well then, wake me when you find her." He turned back inside, shutting the door behind him. Then he opened it again. "Oh yeah, I found this on bed I claimed," Ban added with an afterthought, waving a piece of paper in the air. 

Printed neatly on the outside was the name 'Meliodas'. 

We all crowded inside and around a table to read it. Well, Diane just put her face to the window. Elizabeth was the one to read the message aloud. 

To Meliodas, 

I hope you don't mind but I've decided to move along on my own. I have caught wind of tales speaking of a lion causing havoc in the town over. The description is uncannily like my friend and I can't let this opportunity go to waste. 

May our paths cross again. Elizabeth, good luck on your quest. Hawk, don't forget to keep pestering Meliodas for scraps. 

Estra. 

"So she left us?" Elizabeth asked, a faint tremor to her voice. 

The tavern's atmosphere had turned quite stale, like my scraps from this morning. 

"Something's not right," Meliodas voiced, eyebrows scrunched up. 

"What, the fact that she left you sorry bunch or the fact that she wrote a letter?" Ban questioned. 

"I didn't know she could write," I snorted. "She can't draw, that's for sure." 

"Maybe she learnt without you guys knowing?" Ban pointed out, head rolling back on the chair. "Can we just get this journey going?" 

Stubborn fox. No, greedy fox. He just didn't want to share all the limelight, I noted. If Estra wasn't here, he would be the Fox of Greed. But there was no way- 

"Okay then, I guess we head onwards." 

"WHAT?!" Diane, Elizabeth and I all protested, talking over the other, trying to get a word in. 

"Well, it's clear she doesn't need us anymore and that she's already gone. What else are we to do?" 

He did have a point. The letter made it clear. But was it her letter? She would have told us she could write; she likes to boast about these types of skills.

Something didn't sit right and it wasn't the scraps from earlier. Something was amiss. However, there wasn't much we could do in this town. We had searched everywhere for her; she just wasn't here anymore. 

"I say we keep moving and keep an ear out for any news about her. She's bound to find us with that nose of hers," Meliodas said, decision made. He folded up the letter and tucked in his pocket. "Hawk, get your mother moving. We'll discuss our course as we go." 

I trotted off as the others began talking. 

Estra, where did you go? 

Oh look, two chapters in one day! Yay! 

Well, they were short so I thought you guys deserved just a bit more. Let me know if this sounds like Hawk. He is actually a hard character to write a POV on.