It was the dreaded place he’d avoided since the first transformation, but right now it felt like the only one he could claim as his. Breathless, he dashed for the metal gate and banged his hands on it until something moved on the other side.
“Who's there?”
“Radek Nowak!” he announced in a voice that didn’t tremble in the slightest. “Is that you, Tomek?” They’d fired old Gawron, who used to practically live on the farm and had been the one to stay overnight after he’d attempted to sabotage any changes, so at least Radek knew he wouldn’t have to deal with the old drunk.
Silence. And then. “Hello? Why didn’t you use the intercom, Mr. Nowak? Is it not working?” Tomek asked, and the locks clanged on the other side. A light appeared and made the gate cast a long shadow.
The intercom. Right. He’d been too frantic.
“Yeah, I think the button got stuck, so… anyway. I’ve come to see the foxes,” Radek said, squinting to protect his eyes from the bright illumination as the gate opened, revealing the dark silhouette of the other man.
Tomek let Radek inside, his eyebrows rising. “Hm. I guess you can do that. We’ve been following all the new procedures and instructions though. No need to check up on us at night like this.”
Radek realized how this could look to Tomek who’d proven himself to be a stellar worker and instantly felt apologetic. “No, it’s not about that. I’m not here to control you, just to… see them. May I have the keys?”
He extended his hand in greeting, but then changed his mind and reached for his wallet. It took some awkward fumbling, but he eventually pulled out a few notes with his teeth. He handed Tomek the money and met the man’s widening eyes.
“I don’t want anyone coming in with me, or entering when I’m there. Under any circumstances.”
Tomek’s face was suspicious and tense, but he eventually nodded and handed Radek a bundle of keys on a red lanyard. “Um… I’ll be in the office if you need me,” he said, backing away so fast he almost lost his balance on the first step. But Radek didn’t care for his company and glanced at the renovated enclosure standing in an empty spot that used to house a rusty old bus.
He wasn’t scared as he walked to the tall door. Just so hopelessly sad and desperate for understanding. If he was home, his new home at Yev’s, he would have hugged Coal and cried into his dark fur, but he could not go back there.
He was neither a real human, nor a fox, but it meant something that instinct had led him here of all places. Those animals, who his family had abused and exploited were a family he didn’t know he had until three months ago. And while they couldn’t understand the reasons for his sorrow, each and every one of them responded to his call, and as he stepped into the spacious shed that smelled of musk rather than feces and blood, he met dozens of eyes staring straight at him in the dark.
He had no need for the light and locked the door behind him, stepping farther inside while he breathed in the scent of fur, recognizing the different animals present before he even saw them.
The shivers that would have preceded a stress-induced turning weren’t there, and he took a deep breath, taking in the cages, which looked over three times larger larger than the ones he’d seen when he came here the first time.
The foxes became increasingly vocal, as if they knew he wasn’t here to hurt them. That he was one of them,
He approached the first cage to his right and opened it, then the next, until he had to watch his step because of the growing crowd of long, furry bodies swarming around him as if they understood him to be their savior.
Their voices had so many questions as they followed him. The animals that hadn’t yet been freed began barking in anticipation of their turn, but the more of them were on the ground, rubbing against his calves and squeaking, the more urgently he needed to spill the tears choking him.
He didn’t have to communicate that he was the one behind them getting better care, vet treatment, and simply not getting killed. Somehow they knew and greeted him among them. Radek was in no way their master, but as one of them, he was more respected than a human they feared ever could be.
When he let out a sob at the last cage, the foxes howled in sympathy, even though they didn’t know what had upset him. The details didn’t matter when one of them suffered. Radek’s chest was tight when he sat on the floor among several dozen furry bodies that twisted around him as each of the animals wanted to lick his face, rub against his arms or sit in his lap.