Fox

Chapter Four

The Ring of Fire, circle of flames

Five wild spirits that shall never tame

These are the cubs the moon has chosen

To fix the world that is ever broken.

Isa lurched upright,  her terror yanking her from sleep. Her heart was pounding and she was half-convinced she was dead if it wan't for her bruises painfully reminding her she was not. Sweat trickled from her fur, and she shook herself to try and get rid of the dark, twisting feeling in her gut. It didn't work. Why? The question circled around and around in her brain. Why would her tribe just throw her in the river? Did anyone protest? Did anyone even try to save her?

She thought uneasily of Piri. The voice of cubs weren't taken too seriously, but would he have stood up for her, even so? It hurt Isa's heart to even think about it, so she shoved the topic out of her head.

Groaning, Isa got up. Every muscle in her body felt busted, her bones on the verge of snapping in two. Her face was twisted in pain as she thought over and over, ow ow ow ow ow ow ow.

Hissing between her clenched teeth, she began limping her way over to a overhang of rocks. Leaning on a back of one, she held back a moan. Isa couldn't help but wonder if the pain would be more bearable if she had died instead. And she didn't just mean the pain in her physical shape. She longed to be with her mother again.

Isa growled and shook her head furiously. No, she would not think totally depressing and un-motivating things. She refused to die. She would make a plan, and survive by some miracle. She would--

"Need help?"

Isa's head whipped towards the voice. The one who spoke was a member of the Vulpine (or, in other words, the foxes) tribe, but it didn't look like one she's even seen. She was on the smallish side, and had silvery-blue fur and darkened into black around her face, limbs, and tail. The tip of her brush was a blazing white, as if she had caught a star with it. Her eyes were a deep amber that radiated warmth.

Isa found her own voice gone, and she opened and closed her mouth silently. The strange smaller cub stepped closer and said in her sweet way, "It's okay. You don't have to tell me anything. I'm Azalea."

"I'm Isa." she said, suddenly snapping out of her trance. Azalea's fluffy dark face broke out in a smile. She padded closer and nudged Isa with her nose. "Well, Isa, you might want to follow me. We're not supposed to be here."

"What? Why?" Isa grimaced. "Also, I don't think I can go anywhere in my condition."

"We're on the border of wolf territory. They're really sniffy about who goes where. And, yes, you can if you lean on me."

"W-wolf territory?" Her bewilderment wasn't entirely because she was afraid of wolves, who were massive, protective, and overall dangerous. It was also because wolf territory began many miles away from Isa's home. Or what had been her home. Either way, the river had taken her longer than Isa had first thought.

"Yeah. Let's get going, please." Azalea pressed against her and Isa reluctantly put her weight on the smaller fox. Slowly, they both stumbled along, following the riverbank.

After a while, panting and even more sore than before, Isa finally asked through her gritted teeth, "Where are we going?"

"Home," Azalea said simply. Isa was too exhausted to press further, but she was slightly alarmed. Did 'home' mean a tribe of silver-furred foxes? If so, what was this cub doing to far upstream? And would they welcome Isa, or turn her away? After her own ordeal with her own tribe, Isa didn't know how well she'd take to another tribe of complete strangers. She felt her heart pang.

Isa became slightly confused when the littler cub began steering them towards a mossy cluster of rocks by the edge of a new forest. As they neared, it took Isa a few moments before spotting a narrow opening in the ground, a burrow. "Is this 'home'?" she asked. Azalea nodded and led her inside.

Even though it was roughly made, the burrow was surprisingly cozy. Tendrils of roots dripped from the walls, brushing Isa on her nose. She sneezed.

"So, you're on your own?" she asked, glancing at Azalea. "How old are you?"

Azalea looked away. She was silent for a moment before replying, "I don't know. Seven, eight weeks?"

Isa gawked. This cub was the same age as she was. What was she doing here, alone? A dark possibility entered her mind. Maybe Azalea was here for the same reason she was. Isa brushed it away, because she couldn't imagine why a cub like Azalea would need getting rid of.

"Where are your parents?" Isa blurted before she could stop herself. She regretted it instantly.

Instead of answering Isa's question, Azalea abruptly said, "You must be exhausted after what you went through. Go and sleep. If you need me, I'll be just outside." 

With that, Azalea left, leaving Isa alone to ponder her thoughts. Her heart was pounding loudly in the shadows of the burrow. Isa couldn't shake her feelings of familiarity around the little cub. Her questions spun around and around, all coming back to one thing. Why is Azalea alone? Who is she, really?

And then, What part does she play in my destiny?