The death of the Beast Collector was the beginning of a new life for firefox kit Zanixa.
Sold to werewolves as an illusion in a bottle, the pack is reluctant to take responsibility for the fox kit who is alone in the world. Now she's freed after cen...
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I woke up and stretched lazily. The fire I had been sleeping in had gone out during the night, but my own heat had kept me warm enough, and the hollow had kept most warmth inside.
After giving my fur a thorough cleaning, I munched on a cold coal. It wasn't as good as a hot, glowing one, but it'd do the trick. I could always make a new fire in my next stop.
That thought made me pause for a moment. Where would my next stop even be? Would I go further north, to find my momma? I shrugged. Time would tell where I ended up. My tail would keep me safe.
Another long stretch later, I walked out of the hollow tree. Then I was whisked away with a loud thwang. A net of rough rope closed in all around me. I cried out in panic. The rope was hurting me! Where it touched me, smoke rose from my skin, and pain stabbed into me.
Three men stared walked over, a predatory look in their amber eyes and a grin on their faces. The pain from the net was overwhelming. What was happening?!
"Well, well, well. Look who's awake?" one of the werewolves said. I growled weakly, but it was more pained than aggressive.
"Look at that tail. It must be a rare thing - and young, too. It'll be worth plenty on the black market, Juglus." Another walked closer to inspect me. I snapped at them. The ropes rubbed against me in the process, hurting me even more.
The first one, Juglus, chuckled, but it was without humor. "I advise you don't move, fox. That net has silver. The more you move, the more it'll hurt."
Even though I didn't trust him, he seemed to tell the truth. I followed his instructions and stopped moving. The pain became less, though where the ropes touched me, they seemed to hurt me just like ice did. I had touched ice once, and I had regretted it.
The leader of the three produced a large knife and cut through the cord that held the net up. I hit the ground hard. All air pushed out of my lungs, leaving me wheezing for breath. My whine of pain was ignored. Instead, Juglus started talking to the other two men.
"Change of direction. We're heading towards the Iostian bridge. We'll meet our favourite trader there," he called out.
They nodded in response and started shifting. Within moments, two large, tawny-colored wolves stood in front of me. The man that seemed to be leading them followed suit, changing into a beast slightly larger than the other two.
As if on some unspoken command, one of the two smaller ones picked up the net I was in with their jaws, carrying it by the cord. I couldn't do a thing as they started moving, carrying me further away. I couldn't help but look back, wondering if Thoysal would come after me or leave me.
When night fell, the three shifted and started setting up a basic camp, throwing me on the ground. The two smaller wolves had alternated carrying me all day. I had no idea how much ground we had covered, with how fast they ran.
The fur where the net had touched my skin was starting to fall off. The skin beneath was an angry red, throbbing in pain without a break. It hurt so much I wanted to just lie down and not move again until it stopped.
The three built a campfire and the scent of roasting meat filled the air. The woodsmoke was much more tempting than that, though. I looked at the flames longingly. I doubted they'd allow me to sleep in there, though.
While staring at the fire, another werewolf walked up to them and shifted. "Long time no see!" he called out.
"Yesnu! It's been far too long, indeed. How've you been holding up? Not killed by any pack wolves or hunters yet, I see?" Juglus asked jokingly.
Yesnu embraced each of them shortly as greeting. "Still alive and kickin'. They almost got me once, but we rogues are a slippery bunch. Who's that ball of fur?" he asked, nodding in my direction. I froze, looking back with wide eyes.
"We found it east of here. It looks rare, so undoubtedly will give us plenty of money to last a while. The fact that it's a shifter helps. They'll probably be jumping at the chance of showing of a slave of a rare and mythical species. I'd rather have that little thing than an elf to show off, too."
Slave?! The word made my eyes go even wider. I didn't want to be chained up and forced to work. I wanted to be free, to sleep in fires and roam the forest. A fox couldn't be sold or owned.
The new werewolf chuckled. "It'd indeed be able to bring in some new party tricks. There's only so much elf abominations and the other races can do with their remaining magic."
"Are you hungry? Tonight we're offering poultry and rabbit, so fresh you can almost see them walk around," Juglus said, gesturing at the meat that was cooking above the fire.
"My stomach could indeed do with some food. My wolf's been complaining all night that we eat too little." He took one of the sticks with meat on them and began eating. I whined softly. My stomach could do with food too; I hadn't had any all day.
Yesnu looked at me before glancing back at the three other werewolves. "Have you even fed it? You wouldn't want your merchandise to die before you make it to your trader."
"It looks well fed and healthy. It'll manage half a day before we make it there. They can heal it right up if necessary."
Well fed? Healthy? I was neither of those things! I was starving and my entire body hurt like nothing I had ever felt before. It was as if the nets were made out of something like ice, continuously hurting me.
"Your fox, your call." The werewolf shrugged.
Conversation turned to other things, and I tuned them out, softly whimpering at my fate.
