The scent belonged to his father. The boy felt his throat thickening, and wondered if he was soon to suffocate. The boy’s copper tail quivered pathetically, yet he did not choose to flee. His ears twisted back towards his skull, trying to block out the horrible screaming. Daddy was not around any longer, but it seemed like he had left something behind. Something that was alive. It screamed. The sound shook with agony, and the boy could do nothing but flinch every time the sound was refreshed by a sharp inhale by the creature. The boy stumbled slightly in his own legs, his fur already imitating a hedgehog’s defensive stance with its needles standing on end. It was horrible, the nightmares were back and very vivid. It was a fox cub. The boy had seen adult foxes from distance, and knew their appearances, although he had never seen such a small member of the kind before.
The boy finally advanced, and forced himself to execute the last feet of distance between the two creatures. He felt slightly sick when more details became apparent. Its tail was broken in multiple places, poking around in many different angles, and it seemed to be bleeding from its mouth. Not even a moment after he discovered several bloody teeth lying scattered in the grass, which had changed colour from green to bright red. He felt sick to his stomach. He felt sick to his soul. A rope was tied around the thing’s neck in order to make sure that the fox would not escape. That meant; his father was not done playing. He would come back. Probably soon. Panic wanted to overwhelm the child. He wanted nothing to do with this, although he quickly realized that he could not turn around and pretend this did not happen.
Quickly, Conor Soul chewed off the rope and moments after he held the young fox in his jaws, his grip careful, yet firm, because the animal was fighting him with whatever remained of teeth. The boy did not feel the pain shooting from his muzzle like needles. No, he could only concentrate on running. Alexey’s house was sanctuary, and he headed towards his new home in an impressive speed. The woman was not home, but some of the fear let go instantly the moment he was inside the building. He quickly trotted towards his room, not yet realizing that when the danger was over, he would not know what to do with the creature.