Secrets of the Silver Fox

Part Two

My sister had been murdered. Her body was brutalized, torn to pieces, and left to rot on our doorstep. I would never forget the look of nothing in her eyes.

And that was all I could think of I rounded the tree to the giant male already staring at me. Auburn met silver for the first time.

"Now they send children to finish the job?" He shook his head sadly.

I didn't move, I didn't attack. I stared at him, evaluating him. I couldn't help it, I was disappointed.

His eyes were droopy and pained. His breathing shallow as he held some of his still bleeding wounds from the guards. His clothes had been torn in places and he didn't even have the strength to shift.

"Well? What are you waiting for child? Do your job." He almost sounded relieved. Like wanted to die. Like he would beg to die.

I cocked my head to the side. "You didn't kill my sister."

He reeked of booze, blood, and rotting skin. He was haggard and old and overweight. He would have looked like death before the Council ever found him. He couldn't have killed my sister. Athens would never have been outsmarted and killed by a creature as pathetic as this.

He knit his brows, sweat beaded on his forehead. "Is that why everyone tries to kill me? They think I killed some fox?"

I just watched him without an expression.

"I didn't kill anyone."

I stayed silent.

"You don't talk much."

I just stood there, deciding.

"You remind me of my son." He smiled sadly.

I didn't respond.

"He's strong. Stronger than me."

"Considering you were just ripped to shreds from a couple of guards, that's not saying much."

The male blinked slowly, surprised until he could muster another smile. "Well, I am old now."

"No, you're just fat."

He grimaced. "You like to kick a male when he's down?"

For months all I thought of was killing the male that murdered my sister. I had thought about all the was I would make him suffer. How I would hurt him worse than he had hurt her. Now as I stood above a golden bear, I didn't know what to do.

In all my planning and plotting I hadn't considered what I would do if the male hadn't actually killed her.

So I sat. I crossed one leg over the other and folded onto the ground, staring at the male but not retracting my claws.

The male was more surprised than I was. His eyes widened and he seemed to still. More nervous about me sitting than me killing him.

We watched each other for a moment. Analyzing the other. Trying to figure the other one out.

"You reek of booze."I told him honestly.

He winced as if I had hit him. "Yes."

I didn't say anything. We both looked at him with disgust.

I didn't know what to do. If I should kill him anyway, if I should go find the Fox Guards and tell them where he was, if I should stay with him until the wounds killed him? Decisions, decisions, decisions.

I let out a deep frustrated breath.

He looked uncomfortable, and not only from the pain of his wounds. And I wasn't going to try and make him feel any better.