Shirayukihime and The Lost Fox

Chapter 16: Sharp Teeth

Akira POV

"W-why you little—" Mihaya strained out, obviously trying to control himself from lashing out at me. I smirk at him, annoying him further. Blood trickles slightly out of the corner of my mouth, making my smirk somewhat more sinister. He whips himself around and marches to the archway. He sets his hand on the resting iron bars up above, turning around for a moment with a disdained look on his face.

"We'll continue this later, Silver," he spat out. He threw the metal gate down, closing me in. The tapping of his boots against the stone floors fade gradually with his quiet curses. I sigh to myself, leaning my head against the wall. Well, I've succeeded in pissing my captor off, but that doesn't help my situation. If anything, it just made it worst.

"Think, Akira, think," I mumble harshly. Is there anything I could use to cut the ropes? No, Mihaya seems to be too cautious to let something useful just lying around. Wait, maybe there is something...

With a few painful grunts, I twist my wrists around in the ropes and pull them beneath me to where they rested under my knees. I take a few more deep breaths and continue to work to pull my arms in front of me. I smile joyfully when I finally managed to have them in front.

I carefully clamp my teeth down on the slightly frayed but thick rope and begin pulling and tugging at the fibers. A jolt of excitement ran through me each time I felt the fiber of the rope tear. It tasted foul, like cardboard, but that was to be expected. I can't really complain though.

As I gnawed through the ropes slowly I notice the room getting gradually lighter. I must have woken up at around five in the morning if the sun is coming up now. I pull my wrists apart as far as they could go, which wasn't even that far, to see if the ropes were weakened enough. I let out a disgruntled sound I set back to gnawing on the ropes.

It was around the late afternoon, when the sun had died away, that I finally loosened the ropes enough that when I pulled my wrists they snapped easily. A triumphant grin spreads across my face as I look at my handiwork. Bits and pieces of rope fiber layer on the ground around me and stuck to my black trench coat, but I could care less. The main goal right now was to find Shirayuki.

I stood up, rubbing my scratched and, in some places, bleeding wrists from where I nipped myself on accident and from the ropes digging in too deep. I walk up to the iron gate that blocked my exit and impulsively rub a hand over the now dried blood at the corner of my mouth. I gently test the gate, pulling up to see if it was locked. It opened up, but with a loud rattle that sent frantic tapping footsteps heading this way.

A feeling of dread and growing unease start to fill my stomach. I had alerted Mihaya unintentionally of my escape, and now he'll find me before I could even get out! I look around the room, the running steps of Mihaya growing an ever present threat. If I can't get out of this room, I'll make him think that I already left.

I quickly crouch down behind a barrel next the the doorway. The stone room was round so he would see everything from the entrance if there were nothing obstructing the line of sight. Mihaya's footsteps finally arrive at the entrance, and I hold my breath.

I hear him swear colorfully as he steps into the room, back to me as he observed the ropes laying on the ground. His brows furrow with fury as his mouth turn down in a frown. I silently stand up and back my way into the hallway. When I was out of the circular dungeon, I gave a loud shout. "Hey!" He spins around and glares at me.

"You," he spits. "Get back here!" He charges towards me. I timed myself, pulling down on the gated bars above so he couldn't stop his charge, sending him into the bars face first. I remember seeing this from the second episode of the series, and I was glade that I did. I turn away and ran down the hall.

I instinctively breath in the damp air, sudden scents assaulting my nose. I skid on the stones when I tried to turn, a familiar plant-like scent wafting from the hallway. Maybe this was Shirayuki's scent! But I must admit, to be sniffing the air like a dog felt very embarrassing.

I quickly skid to a halt at a similar iron gate. I look inside while panting from running and see Shirayuki slumped against the wall. "Shirayuki! Shirayuki, are you okay?" I frantically say as I pull the gate up. Her head shoots up, her green eyes starting to water at the sight of me. "Akira?" She said.

"Yes, yes. It's me. Come on, now, I know you're stronger than that, don't cry." I sooth as I turn her around to finish ripping the remains of her ropes. She herself had been kept busy, I'm sure. "Mihaya told me that he left you back out in the forest to die. I didn't want to believe him." Her voice quavered ever so slightly. I curse under my breath. "Damn bastard. Come on, we don't have much time before that mountain monkey finds us."

"Oh, you're too late for that."