Fox Guide
"Ethan, wait! Where are we going?" Kate yells just before the brown wolf disappears over the hill. Ethan gradually begins slowing down as the adrenaline in his blood departs, leaving him out of breath to stand on wobbly legs. The painful throbbing in his wrist grounds him enough to bring him back to his senses. He collapses, no longer having the energy to take another step as starvation takes its toll. After moments of erratic breathing, Kate finds Ethan on his side helplessly clawing weakly at the dirt. Something is wrong.
Circling to meet his face, Kate asks worriedly, "Are you alright? Why were we running?".
Despite trying her best to sound comforting and help Ethan refuses. The threatening rumble of his growl is enough to push Kate back quite a few steps. He didn't mean to growl at her but is thankful for the space now between them. His heart is pounding heavily against his chest and with every thump against his ribcage came a burning sensation in his lungs. Ethan found it harder to breathe as the burning became more painful than his wrist.
"Are you…dying?" Ethan glances at the shewolf with a questionable look, his maw now parted as he pants heavily for oxygen. He doubts himself to even be part of the living let alone on the verge of death, although if he were somehow alive in this hell world he'd feel pain, right? Thus making this reality real, this place and everything around him real… But that in its own right remains questionable.
'This very well can be a dream,' he thinks to himself. 'It's impossible to be a wolf that can speak and it's absurd that it is spring. I am dreaming.' He closes his eyes only to find the discomfort in his chest still there.
'Continuing to panic like that and you'll only be speaking in wolf tongue.' The memory of her words is helpful enough to settle his breathing.
"Rest," he exhales at last. The shewolf hesitantly nods showing him she understood even though he can't exactly see her response. Kate makes herself a place beside him to sleep, perhaps out of her self comfort, until a rough snarl from the brown wolf forces her away again. She jolts away so quickly she nearly stumbles on her back paws, "Just let me rest for god's sake. I'll be fine."
Kate stares speechless at him for the longest moment. Her deep blue eyes hold a hollowness Ethan has never seen before, not even during those long hours staring at his reflection late at night wondering where the days have gone and what anchor is grounding him when there's nothing left to hold onto. Despite the vacancy in his heart, he can't understand her emptiness, but he knows it's there. The corner of her upper lip twitches as if fighting back a frown to which she smiles uncomfortably or otherwise unnaturally. At least it seems forced to him. Immediately Kate darts out of his view of sight but not back towards the farmhouse. Ethan knows he's upset her but he doesn't go after her right away. His thoughts are like a winding river that's constantly changing direction it seems at random. They keep running back to what he heard and witnessed inside that farmhouse. The longer he thought about it the more he needed to put as much distance between him and that dreadful place.
Clicking seizes the brown wolf's attention. He sits up still on shaky legs before suddenly, a small red bird flies past him, darting between a few close trees then vanishing.
"Kate?" He calls out with no answer but that same clicking sound. A flash of red darts again further into the trees before vanishing once more. Not entirely sure what drove him to it, Ethan runs after the red bird whenever it shows itself, but he always follows the clicking until he stumbles into a wide slow-moving creek. He hasn't been here before, which he's glad to finally be making some progress, and quickly he notices the shewolf crossing its shallow waters. At her side, a small grey fox with some kind of satchel strapped to its right shoulder walks with her.
"Kate!" He calls out again while trying to catch up with the two of them. Both creatures turn their heads.
The grey fox stiffens at the sight of another wolf before settling his eyes on Kate with an unpleasant grimace. Each strand of fur stands straight up on the fox's hide, but Kate smiles softly and lowers her head down to him. "It's alright, he's a friend. There is no need to feel afraid."
"Yes well, you had not informed me of traveling with another wolf dear shewolf."
Her ears slightly fall back, "I must have forgotten to mention him. I apologize."
Straitening up his posture all while smoothing down his fur, he asks, "Any other details you forgot to mention?"
"I…I don't think so."
The fox narrows his eyes but turns his attention to the brown wolf now standing in front of them. He's panting but not as bad as before. The burning sensation in his lungs suddenly forgotten yet no longer pains him. His wrist on the other hand still hurts just as bad as before.
"I assume you were leaving then?" He starts a little too harshly that meaning it to be, "Without telling me?"
"I-I didn't think you wanted me around you," the shewolf admits.
"Kate I told you I just needed to rest. I didn't tell you to fuck off and leave," He sighs.
"You two certainly have your issues to sort out. Perhaps I should leave you both to it-"
"No! Wait." She cuts him off by sidestepping to block his path, "You said you knew the way to Roebuck-!" Panic spikes within Kate near the end of her voice causing a yelp to escape her. Her sudden outburst causes the fox to halt with his tail in a puff of fur.
"Kate," Ethan intervenes. Kate looks away shyly as if embarrassed by her disruption.
The fox then eyes both wolves questionably before responding, "That I did. However, your words have proven unreliable might I remind you?" His eyes remain locked on the shewolf but her gaze is somewhere far away.
Ethan steps in, "I'm sorry about both of our behaviors. It's been a rough few days," he explains, "we just need directions to a village called Roebuck. Can you help us?"
"That all depends," says the fox, "why should I help you?"
"We're a bit lost, and I don't know these woods at all, else I would have been on my way long ago. Kate here has a bit of memory loss and you seem to know where you're going, so if there's any way you could help us? Even if it's a simple nudge in the right direction to Roebuck, we would appreciate it greatly."
"Roebuck is a full days journey if you're traveling on foot and you'd only have a few hours of daylight left if you start walking now. You certainly do not want to be out in the open when nightfall arrives dear wolves."
The shewolf slowly lifts her head to look at Ethan who's expression reflects confusion, "Why's that?"
The fox scoffs, "My oh my, how have you survived this long on your own?"
Ethan's brows knit together before unintentionally his lip curls uncovering a few teeth, "I don't understand why you're mocking me about this-"
The fox takes a few steps back only to sidestep around Kate, "Look, I can get you to a town close by that's on the way to Roebuck, but that town has been abandoned for years. It's not exactly the best place to hide out until morning, but it'll have to do. Not unless you two pups can wedge yourselves inside one of my dens?"
Something twists inside Ethan's stomach making him sick, remembering the dark figures back at the farmhouse, "Why would we have to hide?"
He cocks his little head, "You weren't kidding...You really don't know?" Looking up at the shewolf, he notices her vacant expression. That empty stair makes his hair stand on end, but he shakes it off and circles the brown wolf. "Alright, I'll take you to the closest village and show you where you hide for the night. If you both manage to survive until morning ill show you the way to Roebuck. Sound like a deal?"
Looking at the few options he has left while knowing that there's something dangerous lingering out during the night, the brown wolf grimaces. Letting out a heavy sigh, Ethan nods, "Sure. Lead away."
"Well have to hurry so keep up," he says while already making haste across the stream. His small grey figure disappears underneath the thicket.
"Come on Kate," Ethan speaks softly, but Kate hesitates. Her gaze still in some empty trance.
"What is it?"
She doesn't respond. He nudges her this time and she snaps out of it rather quickly. Instead of talking, however, she steps around him and follows after the fox. He's a bit taken back by the action, but he also doesn't know how to react to it. Perhaps she's still upset with him. Either that or there's something else bothering her. If only he knew what it was. Suddenly she's gone too, disappearing into the thicket without waiting for him. Grumbling about suspicious talking foxes and damned shewolves, Ethan forces himself to pursue the two despite staggering repeatedly over his injured wrist. Fear of not knowing what comes during the night keeps Ethan moving as fast as he can manage. Nightfall isn't too far now, and fear is a crucial guide.