Vulpine Summer

Fox stood in the kitchen alone, which he was thankful for. He had no idea what had just happened but his body was on fire and his face was burning. He couldn’t move. He kept thinking of Dupont, about how close she had just been. About her natural doe eyes; heated and angry. About her soft pink lips; parted and puffy. A familiar hankering spread through him but something else too. Something new.

Fox groaned in frustration and tore a hand through his hair. He closed his eyes tightly and pushed the images away. While he was familiar desiring someone, this new feeling was weird. It made his heart race and his mind go numb. All he could think about was Dupont; about all of her. Not just her curves and very appealing features but her smile, her haughtiness, her voice.

Fox hunkered down on the floor and buried his face in his arms. His ears burned, his heart thudded madly, his breathing was awkward and his stomach twisted nervously. All because she tried to kiss him!

‘Gettin’ tame.’ Fox muttered to himself, not liking how thick his voice sounded.

He had slept with several women in his lifetime; women a lot better looking and with bustier figures than Dupont. Sex and women were not new things to him so it was bizarre to him that he was reacting like this. Maybe it had been too long since he last did anything. He’d been so stressed lately trying to stay alive and keeping out of the way of the enemy that sex was the last thing on his mind. Maybe that was it. His hormones were just playing with him; making Dupont look good.

He had calmed now he had come up with a logical reason. He was just sexually frustrated at the moment, that was all, and Dupont may not have even intended to kiss him anyway. She may have intended to shout at him over Catriona and the whistles and was so upset that she couldn’t utter a word. She did look angry. Very angry.

‘I mean, why would she want to kiss me.’ He mumbled to himself broodily.

He was a lowly thief. A criminal. She hated them and it would be a terrible move for a woman of her standing to go for a sewer-rat. That and he was tiny. It wasn’t like he could make her feel like a woman by towering over her protectively, wrap her up easily in his arms or anything.

He scowled deeply and shoved his fingers in his hair again. It didn’t matter though. It was all just some big misunderstanding and Fox was just a little horny at the moment. Nothing nearly happened.

Fox stiffened and looked up when he heard footsteps but breathed a sigh of relief when Catriona entered the kitchen.

‘Fox. Everything okay?’

‘Yeah.’ Fox said then cleared his throat when it still sounded a little husky. ‘Everythin’s good.’

She smiled brightly, making her pretty face that much prettier. Fox liked that face. It made him feel grounded as a familiar desire sparked softly in his chest. Unattached attraction. That was what he was used to. Enjoying sex with no further commitments, no desire to become entangled in that woman’s life. No love. Just pleasure.

He stood suddenly. The turmoil Dupont had just shoved him into was fading now as the memory of the corpse, writhing around and groaning, came barrelling into his mind’s eye. Right now, there were bigger things to be focusing on, like finding out what was resurrecting the dead and if Catriona was behind it all.

‘You ready to go?’ Catriona asked.

He stared blankly up at her and very quickly realised they weren’t and Dupont was most likely in a foul mood. He dreaded facing her. She was so adamant about not hearing out Catriona that she was going to fight tooth and nail against his decision. He just hoped she would follow if he went off on his own. He wanted someone who might be able to fight off magic in case it all went wrong.

‘I’ll get Vic.’ He grumbled.

Reaching the closed door of his temporary bedroom was a lot faster than he hoped. He raised his knuckle to tap against it, stiffened when Dupont’s face close to his flashed before him, and shook his head. There was no reason to think on that misunderstanding. No point.

He knocked the door hard. ‘Vic! Time to go!’

He heard nothing in response. No movement, no irritated comment. Nothing.

‘Vic!’

The door suddenly swung open with a little too much force. Dupont stood in the doorway, her face glowering, red and she stared at her thick boots. She was far angrier than he anticipated.

‘Look, just follow my lead.’ He whispered hoarsely. ‘And if this all goes wrong, you can clock me or whatever it is you wanted to do in the kitchen.’
Her honey eyes flicked up. He didn’t like the weird tightening of his chest when she searched his face so intently but he liked that the intensity of her expression seemed to fade. Her shoulders sagged and she sighed.

‘Fine.’ She murmured.

She turned back into the room, pulling on her pack and scooping up Absolon while Fox was surprised by the odd defeatism from her. He expected more of a fight after her angry display downstairs.

Dupont swept passed him and stomped downstairs, snuggling Absolon with her nose. Fox followed and was met by Catriona’s excited smile. He smiled in return and eyed her a little. He liked the familiar sensation filling him. All attraction and no weird, heart fluttering.

‘Come with me. You won’t regret this, either of you.’ She glanced at Fox. ‘Keep my whistles safe.’

Fox nodded and Catriona needed no more encouragement. She swept out her shop, urging Fox and Dupont to hurry, and fled into the stinking heat of Farmire.

For once, Fox struggled to keep up with Catriona. She was so eager that she barely remember to check whether Dupont and Fox were close behind. But while Fox swiftly clambered over rock and root and slipped down mud-heavy banks, Dupont was far worse off. Several times she fell over and, every time, Fox would offer help and she’d batter it away. She plotted on, forcing herself through the muggy, bug-infested bog. He noticed something different though. Whenever they had traversed this path, she’d get angrier and angrier. This time however, it was as if the fight was being pummelled out of her with every un-elegant fall. He tried not to think about it. He had to focus on Catriona and whatever it was she was going to show them.

Before long, the shack of Glenna and the massive murky, duckweed lake appeared through the trees. Fox was glad. He wanted out of the heat. His clothes were sticking to him from the sweat that was pouring of him. He swore it was worse today.

Catriona danced ahead, her hips swaying and golden hair streaming behind her. Fox stopped at the top of the crooked steps leading down to the small eddy and hunkered down, wiping his trickling forehead. He noticed the hulking shape of Glenna down there, still as a rock as she fished.

‘Glenna! Glenna, they have the whistles!’ She shouted in excitement as she took the steps two at a time.

Fox watched as Glenna moved; her head tilting at Catriona before she turned to Fox. She gazed at him with her dark eyes. She didn’t look happy but he swore the leathery face couldn’t move from its hulking frown.

Dupont eventually caught up to him but, despite clearly being exhausted and uncomfortable from the heat and sludge clinging to her, she stood tall and proud. The sadness he saw creeping up in their journey seemed to have been wiped clean, as if it was never there. Now nothing but suspicion and hate was etched in her pale, muddy face and her honey eyes never left Catriona and Glenna as they made their way up the crooked steps, heads bowed and whispering hurriedly.

‘Be careful, Fox.’ Dupont warned under her breath. ‘Don’t trust anything they say upfront.’

Fox snorted irritably and battered away a mosquito. ‘I ain’t that stupid.’

‘I beg to differ.’ She snarled back.

Fox ignored the comment and focused on the two witches approach.

Glenna stepped forward, her hard eyes staring at them. ‘Catriona says you have the whistles.’ Fox pulled them from under his shirt, dangling them for her to see. She frowned. ‘Hand them over.’

Fox tucked them away smoothly. ‘Catriona promised to show us what you want ‘em for.’ Fox said firmly. ‘We saw a corpse strapped down to a table, groaning and moving. We want answers.’

‘I told you before.’ Glenna said, her voice growing louder and deeper as Catriona fidgeted behind her. ‘No questions. At all. So, hand over the whistles.’

Fox didn’t like where this was going. His eyes flickered to Catriona and his gave her a firm look as he placed his hand over the whistles hidden beneath his shirt. Catriona got the hint. She stepped forward and clutched at Glenna’s arm.

‘Glenna, it’s fine. I agreed to this.’

‘Nothin’ will be explained to them.’

‘They’re my whistles! So, show them what we’re doing!’

‘And we’re protectin’ a friend, lass.’ Glenna snapped. ‘Outsiders should not know him!’

‘Then get them to swear! Make them promise to never talk about him!’ Catriona pushed. ‘They think we’re making people sick! I want to show them they’re wrong, that we’re helping.’

Glenna hesitated and her gaze flicked down to Fox and Dupont. Fox stared firmly back. Glenna’s scowl deepened but her eyes were giving up some of the hard edge to them.

‘You’ll swear?’

Just as Fox opened his mouth, Dupont’s boot smacked against his shin hard. He winced and glanced up at her. She was scowling too. He sighed. He didn’t like being in the middle of two stubborn women playing tug-of-war with him.

‘I’ll swear.’ Fox said, not failing to notice Dupont’s irritated rolling of the eyes.

Glenna remained still for a few seconds before she fished for one of the many whistles dangling from her persons. Each one was different, Fox noticed. All different colours, shapes and sizes. She ran her fingers over them; knocking them together, then plucked one out.

Before Dupont could jump at Glenna, she pressed the warped, white whistle between her leathery lips and blew.

An eerie cry, like that of an owl, screeched from the whistle. It swamped through Fox’s body, rattling his head and making him feel, for a very brief moment, he was falling through the sky. Then his body settled sharply, making his eyes hurt as he realised he was on the ground. The sensation nearly forced him to his knees.

He looked at Dupont sharply and tied to gauge the situation through her. She looked nervous, worried even, and clutched at Absolon tightly. While Catriona was chewing a lip, Glenna appeared relaxed and staring down at him with a haughty gaze and smirk. It made his stomach sink. Were they in trouble?

All of sudden, a gush of wind came to life, tossing away the heat and rotten leaves. Fox covered his eyes as dirt hit him square in the face but, just as quickly as it appeared, the wind died. Coughing lightly from the dust that he inhaled, Fox opened his eyes and stiffened instantly.

Barely fitting on Glenna’s massive shoulder was an abnormally sized owl. Its downy white feathers were fluttering in an unfelt breeze, its two sets of wings clamped firmly to its side and its talons inches think. Massive silver eyes stared down at Fox and Dupont; unblinking and intense.

Dupont shuffled closer to Fox. She was nervous.

‘I didn’t meant Tempest.’ Catriona squeaked.

‘I choose, Catriona. If you want me to trust them, that is, and not kill them.’

Catriona clamped her mouth shut and Glenna swivelled her attention back to Fox and Dupont.

‘Swear it again, lad. Swear you won’t speak of this.’ Glenna snapped. ‘Swear before Tempest.’

‘Tempest?’

‘Tempest. A Spirit of Storms. She’ll known whether or not you’re lying.’

Fox thought very briefly, judging Glenna and Catriona grimly. Neither were raising alarms bells or making him want to run and hide. Neither were making his instincts scream to distrust them or that he was in mortal danger. Hell, Catriona’s eyes were full of worry as she glanced frantically between Glenna and Fox and her hands were clasped together so tightly her fingers were turning white. They weren’t in danger. Not yet, anyway.

‘I swear I won’t speak about whatever Catriona and Glenna show us.’ Fox said swiftly, coming to the conclusion to trust his gut.

Glenna didn’t say anything but neither did Tempest. Their eyes were fixed on Dupont, who stared, pale-faced, at the pair.

‘Vic. Swear it.’ Fox hissed, raising to his feet to nudge her softly.

Dupont glanced at him then back at the gigantic owl.

‘Vic.’

Tightening her grip of Absolon and reaching for the whistles and stone tucked around her neck, Dupont finally spoke up. ‘I swear.’ She murmured.

A few seconds passed as the Spirit weighed up their words and honesty. Then, very slowly, her massive eyes closed.

‘This one detects no lies.’ Tempest uttered as she twisted her head around eerily. ‘And this one will hold the pair to their words. Pray they do not break their promise or this one will pluck their eyes from their heads and tongues from their mouths.’

Glenna grunted and waved at the Spirit hooted deeply. She raised her huge wings, showing the expansive length of her wingspans, then flung them down, sending off a forceful gust of wind, and tore off into the sky. Within seconds, the Spirit was gone.

‘That’s good enough for me.’ Glenna said and stormed off into her hut like an angry mountain.

Catriona, who had been watching rigidly and silently, hissed out a sigh of relief. She smiled thinly. ‘That was nerve wracking!’ She said then waved. ‘Come on, this way. We’ll show you what we’ve been trying to do.’

She pranced away, waving madly and obviously giddy. Fox however didn’t follow quite yet.

‘What did we just do?’ Fox asked softly as he gazed at the sky. The massive owl was nowhere in sight. He was a little worried about seeing a dark shape in the sky and silver eyes staring at him, waiting to strike.

‘Bound ourselves to promise, which means that when we find out these two witches are the reason behind the plague, we cannot say a thing or we will be eaten alive.’ Dupont said stiffly. Her golden eyes swivelled down to stare at him. ‘You have sworn yourself twice over, which is incredibly stupid.’

Fox raised his brow. ‘I have?’

‘River Oak. You promised her you wouldn’t betray me, on pain of her drowning you.’ Dupont reminded him. ‘You shouldn’t really forget about promises you make to Spirits. They’ll hold them even after you’re dead.’

Fox vaguely remembered the conversation with the angry river Spirit but it felt so long ago that Fox didn’t quite believe in it. This owl-thing though; that threat felt real.

‘Let’s get this over with, Fox, and see just how much trouble you’ve got us into.’ Dupont snapped, her flushed fearful cheeks now regaining a red shade of rage.

Fox grunted and stepped forward towards the shabby, rotting hut, wondering what on earth Catriona and Glenna were so protective over. He hoped nothing that would make him regret pledging a promise to a massive man-eating owl.