Fox Ball

I was back in the clearing once more, completely alone. A feeling of dread washed through me. I have been in this position before and it didn’t turn out well for my family last time. I felt the pull trying to guide me into the trees, but I resisted this time. I forced myself to stay put, cementing my feet into the grass beneath me. The pull only grew stronger the longer I stayed in place. It became so strong that I almost fell on my face. I wouldn’t have doubted that if I had, it would have dragged me across the earth in it’s attempt to get me where it wanted me to be.

All of a sudden, the tugging I felt in my soul ceased, just as the fox appeared. For some reason, it seemed much scrawnier, scars littering its back and haunches, speaking of unknown pain as it let out of growl of anger, it’s glowing green eyes staring straight at me. It dug in the dirt with one of it’s huge paws, creating a pretty decently sized hole where the earth had once been. I gulped in fear. This was not good.

For some reason, I felt compelled to look around myself once more, but came to the same realization. I was utterly and desperately alone with a creature that’s only mission, it seemed, was to rip my heart to shreds.

I took a tentative step forward, towards the beast, letting power crackle in my fingertips. I steeled my gaze, trying not to let any fear slip through. I would kill this thing before it had a chance to hurt my family. I wouldn’t let Peter take any more of my loved ones lives. I just couldn’t allow it.

I beckoned it forward with one of my fingers, electricity zapping out of my hand before withering to the ground in a puff of smoke. I couldn’t attack it, not until it was closer. I needed to have a fighting chance here. That was the only way to ensure nothing would happen to my family.

It took a large step forward, a limp in it’s left leg where a huge gash was placed. It whimpered in pain even as it’s jaw was still set up in a snarl. I almost felt sympathy for the thing. Almost.

We continued this dance until we were directly in front of each other. I could smell the rankness of its breath as it fanned over my face. The glow from its eyes shining in my own, almost blinding me from how close we were standing.

In the same moment as I brought my hand up, fire engulfing my fist, it snapped forward in its own attack. I immediately dodged to the right, rolling in the grass and coming back on my feet. I shot the fire ball at the fox, hitting it directly in the snout. It moaned in pain, the smell of singed fur reaching my nose, causing me to gag. But it was quick to resume the fight, turning to face me once more, a bone chilling growl resonating through the empty clearing.

I echoed it’s growl with one of my own, mine being much less menacing, resembling that of a lion cub fighting with their mother. I mentally face-palmed. Way to be intimidating Olivia I thought to myself.

This time, I attacked first, bringing clumps of stone out of the earth in sharpened points, them floating around my head until I flicked my wrist, each one darting toward the fox at each major artery. It roared in outrage, using it’s slender body to jump and maneuver out of the way of each stabbing stone, not even one connecting with its target. The beast then jumped at me, swiping its paw at my head. I ducked, flicking my wrist once more as the stones flipped and hurtled back at the creature. This time, the aim was off, only a few connecting with its flanks, causing blood to begin to pool into the earth. They were shallow, even I could tell that, but they sure did bleed a lot.

It howled in pain, taking a step back and stumbling over its own paws with the action. I didn’t give it time to recover, bringing one of my hands up as the sky rumbled with thunder. Once I felt the yellow cord, I pulled it, hard. A lightning bolt shattered the darkness of the clearing until it finally made connection with the fox, directly where it’s heart should have been.

______________________________________________________________________

I awoke, not to the dream or the fight, but rather to the sound of an ear-piercing howl that shattered the peace of the day. The sun was high up in the sky, showing that I had only been asleep for a few hours. Groggily, I looked around me, seeing nothing that could have made the sound. I thought I had just imagined it, rolling over on the beige stone to get some more sleep, exhaustion pulling me down, when I heard it again. A howl of pain coming from my left, on the other side of the hill where the sea met the Ruins. I couldn’t see that far though, no matter how hard I tried, the mound of earth interrupting my vision.

If I focused hard enough, I could hear the sounds of grunting and gasping, feet shuffling and muttering beneath a breath. Another howl mixed with a snarl shot through the air causing me to shoot up from my position, taking off in the direction of what could only be a battle; a battle for the lives of my companions.

I reached the fight within the minute, my mind and body sluggish from a lack of sleep and from visiting the daemon realm this morning. It took a moment to process what was happening in front of me, but once I did, a gasp of terror was torn out of me.

My companions were fighting the giant fox, but what took me most by surprise were the wounds littering the body of the beast. Each wound was the same as what I had inflicted on it in my dream; the cuts along its side, the burnt flesh on its snout, the static on the fur surrounding its chest.

My family took this as the perfect chance to attack with their own power. Derek held up his hands, roots of trees that didn’t exist in the sand coming to wrap themselves around the creature, holding it in place as Rose teleported around it. In a flash, she would stab at it with a jagged piece of rock before disappearing again. Guide was muttering under his breath, bringing the cane that I had thought he no longer needed up toward the sky as magic rained down on it.

The fox had no chance. We would win. We would finally win.

My vision from before flashed before my eyes, blinding me to the foxes defeat, the one thing that would bring us closer to our win against Peter.

—————

With one remaining, the fox hunched down, something akin to a laugh coming from deep within it’s chest as it prowled toward Rose. I tried to reach out my hand, to do something to keep her from meeting the same fate, but no matter how hard I tried, my body wouldn’t move. I couldn’t even move my eyes, couldn’t blink, forced to watch as the fox took down my love. This time was different. Not different in the way that she fought against the weight of the beast, but rather she lifted her arm and began petting the creature on the side, a whisper coming from her lips. She only said a couple words before she too met the same fate as the rest of my family.

This time though, I could make out what she had whispered. And dread spread through my entire body like a flood.

“Hello Tyler…”

——

Just as Derek was about to crush the beast with the roots that were tangled around its prone form, whimpers of pain and fear coming from its muzzle, I screamed.

“STOP!”

This caused several things to happen all at once. Guide dropped his cane, the magic ceasing. He looked over at me in outrage. I could almost see the demeaning thoughts running through his head. Rose tripped out of her portal, landing on the sand with her face being the only thing catching her fall. I cringed with that, hearing the bone crack even from this distance. Finally, Derek’s roots disappeared as his focus was interrupted, leaving the fox to stand back up, it’s glowing eyes meeting my own in something akin to thanks as it ran in the opposite direction; away from my enraged family, back toward Calvanaire where I could only assume Peter was.

Just as Guide was about to open his mouth to speak, likely to berate me for letting this win, the only win we would have had since this whole thing started, run away, something happened.

A puff of smoke appeared directly in front of Rose as Peter materialized. He was dressed exactly the same, the sun glinting off his teeth as he smiled and the rings adorning his fingers. No one else seemed to notice, all maintaining their glares as they stared at me. The only one that understood what was occurring was Rose as Peter knelt down, brushing his hand through her hair before grabbing a fistful and pulling her up to him. She gasped in pain, directing the attention of my other companions, just as Peter looked up at me, mischief dancing in his dark eyes before he disappeared in a plume of smoke, Rose vanishing along with him.

And just like that, she was gone.