Where Foxes Hunt with Wolves (Folk Lore 2)

The skin around Yev’s mouth twitched, and he cupped Radek’s face, gently rubbing his muzzle with both thumbs. “Okay, you pest. I won’t lie, it’s nice to have a roommate,” he said and leaned in, pressing his nose to Radek’s for a glorious moment that left Radek’s legs soft.

He was crushing on Yev so hard.

The witch, who’d been grinding some ingredients with a pestle and mortar, looked their way with a small smile. “Oh, you could also give him some marijuana. You have so much of it no one’s gonna notice if a little bit disappears.”

Yev stilled, and Radek knew why. Yev had attempted to keep the weed thing a secret once he’d realized Radek was no regular fox, but Radek had found out about Yev’s side hustle on the night they’d first met anyway. Not that Yev knew about that.

He barked and attempted to smile.

Yev shook his head. “Oh, yeah? You’re a stoner fox?”

The witch snapped her fingers to get Radek’s attention and tapped on the edge of the table. “Let’s look at that paw.”

Radek limped over to her, exhilarated that he’d get fixed by magic.

“You can make it grow back?” Yev asked as she unwound the dressing.

The sharp, brilliant laugh that left her lips crushed the hope already blooming in Radek’s heart. “Don’t be silly, but he’s in pain, and I can heal him. Don’t look so deflated,” she said to Radek. “Once I’m done, you’ll be better off than with what you have now.”

A yelp tore from Radek’s mouth when he saw yellowish liquid staining one of the inner layers of the dressing, but he glanced over his shoulder back when Yev whistled, approaching as if he were afraid to spook a wild animal.

“You don’t have to look. She’ll do her thing, and you’ll focus on me, all right? Do you know how to play chess?” he asked, fingers gently picking at the thick fur of Radek’s tail.

The witch removed the dressing, which left the wound cold and sore, but Radek resisted the urge to see how bad it looked and barked softly, his ears going flat against his head.

Yev exhaled, and a small smile tugged at his mouth. “Then we’ll smoke some pot and play. My grandmother taught me.”

Radek liked the sound of that. Just him and Yev. No predators, no snares, no fear, no worries. He focused on it with all his might, because whatever the witch dabbed on the stump made it hurt, and he let out a pathetic whimper, yearning for comfort. He didn’t even care that it made him a big baby.

Yev’s brows lowered in sympathy, and he scratched Radek under the chin, humming soothingly. “It’ll be over soon. I’ll give you some of that venison stew I made. And if you tell me what shows you like maybe we can watch something.”

“You’re gonna be lifelong friends if this continues,” the witch said, placing something soft and smooth around the stump before going in with bandages and gauze.

Yev’s eyes met Radek’s and neither of them made a sound, but he could swear Yev was thinking the same thing. That they could be more than friends. Radek couldn’t say it, and Yev would not, so he smiled at Radek instead as the witch whispered something in a language that was oddly familiar yet alien.

The stump felt hot, but it no longer hurt, so he uttered a grateful bark and glanced at the witch, whose wrinkles deepened when she smiled.

“Now about the payment—”

“I can bring you whatever you need,” Yev assured her, but she silenced him with a gesture.

“Ah, I already have someone to bring me coffee and anything else I might need. No. I want some of your blood, little fox. Changelings are rare and precious. And your blood has powerful properties.”

Radek wasn’t feeling proud about it at all. He gave a low growl.

“Are you being ungrateful? Should I have told your protector you’re just an odd fox? It won’t kill you to give up a few drops.”

Radek closed his eyes with a sigh of resignation. There was no way around it, no matter how much it unnerved him to give up his own blood for some weird rituals she might perform in the future.

It only hurt for a moment, even though the witch cut open his vein with a regular knife, which she’d disinfected over the flame of a candle, but seeing the dark red blood gathering in a small porcelain cup made Radek ill, and he remained silent until the witch stopped the bleeding and sent them on their way.

Radek had heard people felt somewhat weak after donating blood, but the sense of fatigue made him glad he could curl up in the backpack while the evenness of Yev’s footsteps lulled him to sleep. He briefly awoke once the car motor turned on, then napped all the way home, only opening his eyes once he sensed Yev’s hand on him.