En: Cht [ White Chrysanthemum ] 

by RandomCanis

Contact – Part 1

Hackles raised and eyes shifting about. The swift fox beat a hasty walk down the road. Struggling to still his ears as they twitched about. Alert and aware of the cloaked figures that trailed after him. The crowd droned about around him as he stayed within populated streets. His pursuers stayed in the shadows, not willing to draw any more attention than they already do. And as loose as they were, his shirt and vest choked his breaths short. Mind-humming and noises echoing in his ears, he ran into someone.

“Oh, sorry about that!” “Ah, apologizes.” Their voices overlapped as Rutherford kneel to pick up a bag. He blinked as he lifted the bag, which felt odd and airy. Its owner gently grasped its straps with a smile. Beige and cream fur adorned her canid form with an olive shirt and a rosewood long skirt.  And her eyes reminded him of the leaves in autumn. A crackle of broken glasses in his ears alerted him of the situation once more. “Sorry about that, miss. Hope you have a good day.” The vulpine said as he moved on as quickly as he could politely. Her amused giggle lingered in his ears and another set of eyes landed on him. His hackles strained as he turned a corner. She was gone when he glanced back.

Twisting, turning, circling, and just being a general nuisance to his pursuers He felt their eyes slowly leave him. Giving up on their hunt when they realized he made no mistakes. Then again, his biggest mistake was wandering in this unfamiliar city. Could’ve stayed with his parents but nope. He had to quell his wanderlust. He huffed and then jumped when a branch snapped under his boots. His eyes were wide in surprise as he noticed where he was. Surrounded by bushes, trees, and singing birds. Far from the city blocks, he was on and far from anyone else.

“What the fuck!?” He screamed. His eyes frantically looked around, wondering how and when he wandered off of the beaten path. His hackles remained raised and the eyes still lingered on him. Wait… No, he thought. The lingering gazes or rather a gaze felt heavy. Heavier than all of the others combined. His breaths became short and fast as he tried to trace his steps back. Growing worse as he passed the same oak for the seventh time. The lingering gaze felt amused on his fourth circle.

He reached into his pants left pocket on the eighth. Fishing his phone out with nervous growls and twitch tails. Gentle wind chime tinkles and grating chain clanks echoed in his ears. Wetness splashed against his cheek. Warm, of iron and burnt flesh. His eyes blurred and focused as they landed on his left arm. To the rod that pierced through just below his wrist. Blood drizzled to the forest floor alongside his phone. His screams cut through the now silent forest. His arm shook as pain flared through it and into his body. Tears cascaded as he kneel in pain.

Gentle tinkles forced his eyes open. And flashing lights made him scramble to the side. Dust, pebbles, and splinters erupted from the booming impacts behind him. Projectiles whistled past him as he ran. Adrenaline dulled the pain as he weaved through the trees. The fox panted, heart in his ears, chest constricting his ribs, and something hummed against his left eye. Making it twitch and he stumbled at the foreign feeling. He rolled away just in time to feel something brush against his tail. Covering his head as a tree fell beside him with a roaring thud.

Heat accompanied the hums as he scrambled away again. Only for something to pierce his leg and stopped his momentum with a harsh yank. Spots darkened his sight as his muzzle met a boulder. Feeling a few things crack during the impact. Warmth and ironic taste and scent flooded his nose and mouth. Pain flaring from pained breaths and sobs. Everything spun as he clutched his nose. The rods in his arm and right calf were forgotten. He caught a shocked gasp through his ringing ears.

“Are you all right?” Her voice soothed him. The girl from before stumbled through the bushes and roots. Kneeling in front of him to check the prone fox. “Goodness! You’re bleeding! Let me help…” The swift fox swung his left arm, bursts of light forming a blade as it sang to her neck. And a smile grew on her face as it passed through. Chains clanked and coiled around his arm. The resulting pain of his joints popping from the harsh yank cleared his clouded mind. His bellows were muffled by the chain that muzzled him.

“Still surprisingly lucid I see?” The wolf hummed. An amused smile grew wider as the fox writhed before her.  “Such a resilient little fox. So ugly with how he looks right now.” The fox’s sobs brought a quiet giggle from her. “Those little sounds are getting old though.” Rutherford flinched when he felt her fingers brush along his bloodied chin and up his lips and nose.

The wolf stood up and walked away. “I suppose that’s enough toying.” The clanks and twinkles returned harshly. The air buzzed as she glanced over her shoulder. “You bore me.” Dread filled the prone fox. A crackling spear sang through her head and towards his. Frightened eyes grew wide, and his body tensed as mana erupted from him. Cascading over the spear and the forest before they were consumed with a thundering roar and twisting pressure. Smoke bellowed through the brush, sparks jumped between the branches. The wolf blinked, perched atop a hill several miles away.

“Well, wasn’t expecting that.” Her eyes sparkled as she watched the swift fox stumble away to safety. Black blood dripped from his nose. “Foxes. Always so cunning.” The fox’s blood appears on her fingers again. Raising her fingers to sniff the blood and a delicate lick. She hummed as she confirmed her investigation. The familiar taste and scent of kin in it. “Let’s see how far you can go, Liraeti."