↑ Burn Baby Burn!

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As Jim withstood the stones and the flames, while the villagers jeered, he prepared for the end. He was going to die then and there, how had he been so oblivious to what humanity really was? No lives really mattered to them, they only counted when it was beneficial.

He also saw some children looking at his tail, saying in awe, “it’s so pretty!” He also saw their parents yelling at them and pulling them away, not only because of the flames. His tail just hung behind the stake and it swished softly, until the tip caught on fire.

The man who set himself on fire was now on the ground unmoving and covered in flames, and nobody cared. Jim’s skin was burning, and he was bleeding from the stones. He thought he had died when he saw that Angela ran in and bit the man that shot him in the leg. Just as that happened another woman, this one with cow ears and tail, leaped up behind him. She began to untie him as Angela bit other of the bigots and dodged their bullets. Some of them began to shoot up at Jim being untied.

“We’re here to rescue you, but we need to get away,” she said to him.

“They got my leg, I can’t run.” Jim grabbed on tight to the pole while she untied his other arm and legs.

“Then quick, turn into a fox so we can carry you away, hurry, their bad aim won’t last forever.” In truth their aim was comically bad, almost all the bullets got nowhere near the two, and some even fell and hit other people.

“That’s why I got captured, I couldn’t stay as one when they shot me, but here goes. Grab me so I don’t fall.” As he thought of being a fox again, slowly at first, brown fur matching his tail grew on his body. Then, he started to shrink and he came loose from the rope while white fur grew in around his new paws that were forming.

The woman held him tight and leaped to the ground, she whistled at Angela and they fled. Jim just looked up at the two women running and said, “thanks. I thought I was going to die. But, who are you?” Angela put a finger to Jim’s muzzle and they kept running and running. Running so far until the mob abandoned the chase. By the base of the nearby mountain, they finally stopped, “I think it’s safe now, Marls, but we need to hide to get back to the hideout.”

“Ok, Ange, ugh, I wish Franklin was here, he’d figure out a way to teleport us back,” the cow-woman, Marls, responded.

“I don’t know, I don’t want a repeat of the last time he tried that, it was weird.” Ange held a leaf full of water to Jim. “Drink up, you lost a lot of blood, then we’ll tell you who we are.” Jim had doubts, but he had to trust, he didn’t want to die in an open plain either. Jim tried to talk, but he couldn’t actually say words, only squeaks came out, like any fox. “Shh, don’t talk, you can’t right now, just drink the water and let us explain.” Jim realized she was right about the first part and decided to just drink water instead.

It was always weird to him how animals drank water with their tongues so fast, but it is a completely natural thing. He didn’t really have to thing how to do it, just what he wanted to do, in this case drink water. He’s drinking water when Ange decides to take a picture of him on her phone. Jim turns away once he notices but she already had snapped one. “What? You look really cute,” Ange explained as he hissed. “For the record, take any photos of me as a wolf and you will die,” she laughs. Jim then had a small moment where he reflected on if he had actually died, or passed out, and just went back to drinking water. “I’m just kidding of course, but seriously, don’t.”

“C’mon Ange, don’t scare the poor thing, just let him be cute and drink water.”

Jim finished and curled up as they explained. “Fine, I’ll leave him alone. I’ll just tell him briefly.” Ange picked him up and began to bandage up one of his legs. “We’re, uh, believe it or not, superheroes.” Jim tried to get away then, thinking ‘why do the loons follow me?’ but fell before getting up. “No, it’s not like that, we’re not crazy. Just, everyone else is.” Jim then tried to drag himself away desperately, crying a little while doing it.

Marls chased after him and quickly caught up. She picked him up, “she’s only kidding.” Jim was now desperately squirming and attempted to turn back to human form, but nothing happened. “Now he’s terrified, apologize now, Ange!”

“Fine, I’m sorry Jim, I was just kidding. Now, can we finish?”

Jim stopped squirming, but was then in a cold sweat. “Jeez Ange, stop scaring the new guy, he looks terrified now, maybe I should tell him.” Ange shrugged and Marls sat on the floor with Jim in her lap. “What she meant was, that we’re heroes that rescue people like you who are attacked by others.” Jim was starting to feel better with Marls, because first, she wasn’t trying to scare him, and second, she kept petting him. It had to be part of being a fox, but that was soothing to him.

Marls even pulled a berry out of her pockets and offered it to Jim. Jim thought it might be poison but then he remembered that he didn’t really have a choice, and it smelled good. He began to eat it, and he tried to act nonchalant, but it’s hard to with his tail swishing rapidly. Ange snapped another photo while he ate the berry and Marls just frowned at her. “Excuse her, we don’t know what’s wrong with her.”

“Hey! I’m perfectly fine up here,” Ange points at her head, “I only got dropped on my head twice.” She got up and began walking torward the setting sun.

“Hey, don’t leave,” Marls yelled back and ran after her while holding Jim. She, then, turned to Jim, “first, we’re going to go back to HQ and get you healed before you decide if you want to leave or stay.”

“I think Marls should be the one to take care of you, I don’t think you trust me,” Ange says as she reaches torwards Jim and he bares his teeth.

“Sure, that’s fine with me. I’m sure he’s a good little fox.” She pets Jim and he licks her fingers a little.

“Marls, I need to tell you something once we get to the hideout.”

And so they walked, and kept walking till the sun set. “Ange, maybe we should stop here for today. It’s getting really cold.”

“You’re right, we’re not too far anyway, maybe another day. Okay, you start the fire and I’ll go gather food for us. Ange turned back into her wolf form, mostly, she was still bipedal and could talk, “it’s getting really cold, I suggest you at least cover in fur.” Ange left then.

Marls then did the same and grew a muzzle and fur before setting Jim on the ground atop some leaves. “Wait here and stay warm, I’m going to get some wood and start a fire.” Then, she left too but only nearby. Jim still could see her as she picked up branches from the ground. Also, some dry leaves and she returned to make a fire pit. She pulled out a piece of flint and sparked the leaves. It quickly began to feel much warmer, “this should last a few hours, now we just wait for Angie to return.” She took a seat on a log she put near the fire and placed Jim on her lap. Marls saw Jim curl up and close his eyes. “I know today’s been rough, but tomorrow will be a new day,” she whispered as she rubbed between his ears.

Jim though knew he had to go and began scratching at her to try to tell her. Marls saw him become restless and lifted him to her face. “what’s wrong bud?” He tried to say he had to pee, but then remembered he couldn’t so instead he tried to cross his hind legs. After a little squirming, Marls went, “Oh, okay. Okay, I’ll take you over to a tree and can you hold yourself up to do that?” Jim nodded and Marls put him down by a tree, “Ok I’ll hold your head up so you don’t fall while you do your thing, ok?”

It was very awkward for Jim, having someone holding his head and watching him pee. He really had to go anyway so he began to urinate, and then Ange came back with some fruit and plants in her arms. “Hey, Jim and Marls, I found us some food for tonight, I’m going to go cook it,” and then she left. At first Jim was ashamed she came in on him urinating, but she did leave and really, what else is a fox in the middle of nowhere going to do? He then, thought of just getting it over with now instead of at night so he also decided to go ahead and poop too. He hadn’t since before he even met Ange, so he did have to also, just was going to hold it longer. Once he finished, Marls asked if he was done and Jim nodded. She, then, took him back and sat with him on her lap again.

At first he thought against curling up, but it was very cold. He was no arctic fox and they were on a mountain covered in ice. Ange was there roasting assorted berries on the fire, along with some grass.

Ange offered a small tuft of grass to Jim, and at first he growled, “I know you want meat, but meat is really hard to get in these sorts of places, so just eat this for today,” Marls told him before chewing on some herself. Jim grumbled, but took a bite anyway. Even as a person, Jim usually ate meat with his meals, but he knew that being a fox wasn’t helping him with not eating meat. The grass was decent, not as flavorful as, say, spinach, but it was ok for Jim. Then they all ate some berry-curry to end. Jim enjoyed the curry much more, because after all, sugar is sugar, and he was glad to have hot food anyway.

Ange and Marls stayed up talking a bit, mostly about chores back at HQ and their lives back home. Eventually, Jim began to yawn, then Ange, then Marls. Then, they changed into their full animal forms, before laying down on the grass beds they made earlier. Marls took Jim with her and put him down with her on the bed. “Time to sleep, tomorrow we’ll have to get going early because maybe once it is morning people will keep chasing us. We should be safe after crossing this mountain.” Jim didn’t understand completely what was going on, but he expected to learn tomorrow. “I’ll be here if you need me, just try to sleep and tomorrow we’ll get moving again.”

The next day

Jim wakes up alone on the bed and sees Marls destroying the fire pit. Ange first notices he’s awake and picks him up. He instinctively tries to bite her, but she pre-emptively holds his muzzle shut. “Don’t bite me, I’m not going to hurt you.” Jim isn’t too sure but she then lays him in her arms and pets him. He can’t help but trust her then and just stretches, “good,” she adds as she lets go of his muzzle. “We have to get going now, we saw smoke from a few miles away, somebody is coming. Marls is destroying signs that we were here, but there was the smoke from our fire.”

Marls took the beds and shredded them before saying, “ok, Ange, we’re good to go. We should make it to the base if we go north to the nearest town and then slightly further north. We should be there before sunset if everything goes well.”

“Let’s go then. Things will be just fine once we get there, but Jim,” Ange turned to Jim, “how’s your leg? You’ll need to stealthily make your way through the town as a fox so that we’re not found. None of us can carry you, because we have to do the same.” She put Jim on the ground again and he managed to take some steps, though clearly, it was very painful to him. She then picked him up again, “ok, that’s an improvement, but now there’s a chance someone will take you because you’re clearly injured. We’ll just have to go around the town and hope that we can make it before nightfall.”

“Ange, can you take him? I’ll be leading today if that’s okay.”

She nodded back and they began walking torward the peak of the mountain. An hour later, Jim’s stomach began to growl and Ange just pet him, “I don’t really have any food to give you, but I do have some nuts and berries in my backpack if you wan’t.” Jim nodded and pawed at her in agreement. She stopped to get the pouch off her backpack and resumed. “We can’t afford to stop, but I’ll let you eat them while we keep moving,” she held the pouch in front of his muzzle and looked forward again. As she walked and continued to pet him, he began to feel like they were just treating him like a pet now. At the same time, he knew they were literally being hunted down, and that was not the time to have infighting. He had to put that feeling aside and just go with it for now, later, he could decide. He didn’t really want nuts and berries, but he was very hungry after not eating since the previous night. He stuck his muzzle in the pouch and began to eat from it. The berries were much better to him than the day before, much more sweet and tangy.

A few more hours passed and the sun was now overhead and the mountain behind them. “That should hold off the previous mob, I doubt they can get over the mountain so fast, but now we’re exposed to the people in the upcoming town. We’re going to take a break here briefly and then complete the final stretch,” Marge said to both of them as Ange set Jim down on the grass.

“We’ll be right here to make sure you’re not attacked, by people or other animals, so go take care of your business or lay down, whatever, for a while.” Ange tells Jim this as he takes a limping step and she sits under a tree. Marge also sits beneath a tree and munches on some grass she had in her backpack.

Jim makes his way behind a bush and relieves himself as he sees a mouse scurry about. Everything seemed so big to him at the time, there’s also a snake following the mouse and it sees Jim but carries on. The flowers, some reach up to his face and the longest grass to his chest. He quickly goes back to Ange and Marls where he lays down between them.

“We’re almost there,” Marls says as she brushes his tail, “then Franklin can get you all healed and you can decide if you want to leave.”

“Marls?”

“Yeah? Ange?”

“Never mind, I’ll tell you later.”

Marls glanced at Jim then at Ange again, “okay then.” She rummaged through her backpack and pulled out a small opaque bag. “I forgot I still had this—I was holding it for Ange since she’s not very good at rationing”—

“Hey! That’s not true”—

“But I think you might need it more if Ange is okay with that.”

Ange nodded, “it’s fine, I can hold on.”

Marls took out a piece of raw chicken and gave it to Jim. By the time he remembered that he shouldn’t be eating raw chicken it was already firmly in his mouth. “Go ahead, it’s okay, foxes can eat raw chicken, and it’s actually synthetic. Both because it conserves better and half our team is vegetarian.” It tasted the same to Jim, maybe because he hadn’t eaten meat in days—not even the day before meeting Ange—or because it genuinely tasted the same. Either case he thoroughly enjoyed it and quickly ate the piece. “Some of us bring those to for these situations, where we have to escape and hide. I’m obviously a vegetarian, and don’t need it, but Ange being a carnivore gets sick if she goes too long without any because of protein deficiency. Protein will also help with the wound so you need it more, but here,” she took out another, “eat another before we get going again.” She put the sack back in her backpack and let Jim eat the piece.

Jim’s tail starts to move faster and her ears perk up, despite his efforts to act stoic. “I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Ange picks him up again, “now we have to go ahead and we’re there tonight.” She looks over at Marls as she gets up too, “lead the way around the town and to the base.”

Jim decides then to try once again to turn back human. He manages to change back but his leg can’t hold him up and he falls all the way to the ground. Further, his pants, which are tied to his leg over the wound, comes off and he begins to bleed again. He’s there naked looking up at Ange and Marls before he passes out from the blood loss. “Marls! Grab his pants or get some other fabric to use as a tourniquet!” Ange screamed as Jim blacked out.

Jim awoke, again, as a fox this time in Marls’ arms. She held him like a baby and had him in a small blanket. She saw him open his eyes again and his ears twitch and looked down, “Ange, Jim’s awake again! I’m so glad!”

Ange walked to Marls and looked at Jim, “oh good.” She puts her hand on his head, “you idiot!” She shouts at Jim which makes him drop his ears.

“Now c’mon don’t go shouting at him yet, Ange.”

Ange just ignored Marls and continued, “you idiot!! You big idiot!” she contiues yelling. “I thought you were going to die.”

Jim just curled up again and hid his head under his tail. Wolf teeth are pretty intimidating regardless of if they are trying to eat you. “Seriously Ange! Stop scaring the little guy.”

“He deserves it for trying to die.”

“Does he even know why that’s a death wish?”

“Didn’t you tell him?”

“No… Didn’t you?”

“No, either way. Don’t scare us like that!” Ange shouted at Jim, as he shook under the blanket.

“Stop it! Now, he’s not going to come out.”

“Seriously, he’s an idiot,” Ange just turns around and keeps walking.

Marls sighs and continues walking too. Just as Marls said, Jim kept in the blanket and didn’t even peek out. They went around the town and didn’t hear anything from him. Just saw him trembling and knew he was still alive. Marls offered him another berry, but he wouldn’t take it. She held it out to him for five minutes before she put it back in her bag. “Ange! I really think something is wrong with him.”

“Ah, he’ll be fine, Marls, don’t worry about it.” Ange didn’t even stop, just started running since they were now in sight of the HQ.

“Well, I hope so, he’s not taking food or water, nor even popping his head out.” Marls also began to run the final stretch. Finally they reached the doors where they had to go through iris recognition to go inside.

HQ

“Franklin! We have a problem, we have a wound!” Angie yelled this as she went in. A man with a ferret on his shoulder ran out.

“What are we dealing with,” the man asked.

“We found him when on patrol,” Marls said as she handed him the blanket Jim was in. “He was in his human form but was spotted, then shot in the leg, and when we found him they were try to burn him on the stake. He was still able to hold his human form, but we had him revert so we could carry him back here. Then he tried to assume his human form again, but the blood loss caused him to black out and revert. He’s awake, but terrified since then.”

“Understood, first we have to control the wound then we wait till he recovers.” Franklin took the blanket off Jim and found a pair of blood soaked pants tied to his leg. Jim was still curled up with his head under his tail and shaking. Franklin yelled, “get a tourniquet and bandages,” to Ange and she ran to the infirmary to get one. He quickly took it from Ange and tried to apply it before untying the pants.

Jim, however, hissed at him and tried to bite him repeatedly, never letting Franklin touch him. After trying several times, he told Ange and Marls, “I think we need to use tranquilizer, he’s not letting me touch him.” The ferret on his shoulder jumped to the floor and ran to the infirmery and returned with a filled syringe with a cap.

Marls took the syringe from the ferret, “thanks, Princess, ok.” She took a breath in and took off the cap before jamming it into Jim’s other leg.” Slowly, Jim stops moving and Princess jumps up to his side. She lays there a while then jumps back up to Franklin’s shoulder where she squeaks into his ear.

“Ange, we’ll need to have a talk later,” he says.

“Yes sir,” she replies sullenly.

“Ok, now to get this tied,” he did, “get these off,” he let the pants fall onto the floor and Marls tooks them to wash later, “and now to take care of this. This is going to sting a lot,” he said as he dabbed a cotton ball in alcohol. Jim was terrified then, not only because he didn’t trust anybody, but because he couldn’t move anymore. He couldn’t react when Franklin put the cotton ball against his leg. Jim just lay there on his side unable to control anything but his eyeballs. “Ok, Marls, bandage up his leg and take him over to one of the empty cots. Assuming no infection, he should physically recover. They didn’t get anything important.”

“But, Franklin, what if he hurts himself again once the tranquilizer wears off?”

“Yes, I overlooked that, put him in one of the cages until we know it’s safe.” He shakes his head, “I don’t like doing that, but you are right.” Meanwhile, Ange was walking away nonchalantly to avoid notice, “and Ange, stop.” He didn’t even turn his head.

Marls took Jim over to the medical room where several others, some animal and others mostly human, lay with other injuries. She put him in a large cage with a mat for food to be slid in. Besides that there was a small bowl of clean water, and on the opposite edge, there was a small patch of grass. And on another edge, there was a small circular bed made of hay for him. “I’m sorry, I know you didn’t want this, but this is just temporary.”

She put him in and sat on a chair by the cage. “I hope you get better soon.”

Franklin looked at Ange, “follow me,” and led her to his office. “Princess told me how Jim felt and his side of the story,” he began as he sat down on his chair. “But she told me two things that I want you to clarify.”

Ange gulped and nodded, “Yes, I’ll answer anything you want.”

“Good,” he started before pausing, “first, why did he feel an attachment to you specifically?”

Ange had many reasons to comply, none mattered as much as the fact she felt responsible for everything. “I haven’t told Marls, but he’s not naturally this way. I also have that power, and before he got shot I made him part fox for selfish reasons.”

“I always suspected you could do that, but then there’s the more relevant question now, what exactly happened that he’s so afraid, specially of you?”

“I… I… I messed up,” she started as she told him of all that happened on the trek back from rescuing Jim. “I was too harsh, and I almost screwed it up.”

“I see… So that’s why,” Franklin looked out the window. “Well, thank you for being honest and satisfying my curiosity, none of it changes anything now.”

“Please keep me up to date on his status while I keep working.”

“Actually, I want you to take the time off while he recovers, I can’t expect you to not be distracted. Don’t worry you’re not fired or anything, we’ll still take you in just don’t go on missions or patrols.”

“If you think that’s for the best, ok. May I go sir?”

“Yes, you can go back to your room, but please don’t go near Jim alone.”

“Understood, thank you sir.”

Ange knew Marls was in the infirmery with him so decided to go too. She walked in and asked to sit beside Marls. “How is he?”