Where Foxes Hunt with Wolves (Folk Lore 2)

Would he have been so understanding and kind if he knew who he was dealing with?

Radek lowered his head, letting Yev pet his muzzle. There was nothing he could do, so he might as well let this man stay ignorant of his true identity and take care of him.

Yev exhaled and moved on to petting him along the back, all the way to the tail that still felt like an alien presence at the base of Radek’s spine. “You’ll be fine, little guy, you’ll see.”

Radek complained with a whine but rubbed his head against Yev’s forearm, in dire need of comfort. Why had this even happened to him? How did he suddenly have a new body? How could it be that he was at the mercy of someone he’d considered a nuisance and wanted to teach a lesson? His eyes met Yev’s, and he hoped they could somehow communicate through telepathy, but no such luck—he was still just a fox. A cute animal worthy of saving, but an animal nevertheless.

Yev spread his hands in a gesture Radek understood as an invitation. Dragging his frail body forward, he crawled into Yev’s arms and didn’t move when he sensed them lift him. Moments later, gravity lost against Yev’s strength, and Radek flew up, gently cradled against the warm chest that smelled of wood, moss, and flesh.

“You must be hungry.”

Radek felt like an idiot. He was being carried like a baby, the cone kept getting in the way, and he couldn’t communicate his thoughts, but Yev’s arms provided unexpected safety. Yev wouldn’t have taken him in if he wanted to hurt him later. Maybe he was only a dick to other humans?

And yes, he was hungry, so he barked, because what was he to do?

Yev chuckled, tickling Radek behind the ear on the way to a large kitchen that had seen better days. Here, wooden panels that covered every wall and floor Radek had seen in the lodge so far, had been replaced with large white tiles, and while there weren’t many frills to the interior, it seemed cozy. Most importantly of all, it smelled of food.

“What kind of monster deserts a little thing like you?” Yev asked, his voice sweet as if he were talking to a baby. Even his words were like a hug.

Radek showed off his bandaged stump in complaint, still adjusting to… well, everything, but especially to how the world around him seemed so massive. Until he learned to communicate with Yev somehow, he needed to make sure he was endearing enough to be kept.

He thought they’d met in awful circumstances, but this was even more improbable and idiotic.

Yev smiled, petting Radek’s ribs with his thumb while he picked up a bowl full of raw meat and bits of root vegetables. “I know. A real monster. And if I find them, they’re gonna pay, I promise you,” he said in the same cutesy voice on the way back to the living room.

Radek shook his head with a groan. He should be hating Yev, not finding him adorable. How could one man be so cruel and so kind on the same day? Radek hesitated, but then pressed his healthy front paw to the firm chest and licked Yev’s cheek, cackling with glee when Yev pulled away, blinking.

“Oh-kay. You’re even more tamed than I thought, you little furry monster, you,” Yev said, walking past his unfinished meal and taking a seat in an old armchair by the fire.

He adjusted Radek’s position in his lap, making sure the tail wasn’t trapped, and presented him with a brown morsel. It was unquestionably raw.

Radek’s brain said no, but his salivary glands were already hard at work, and his instincts told him there was delicious food in front of him. So he dared to lick it, since there wasn’t much he could lose, and it was indeed tasty. Warmth spread in his chest, not only in anticipation of food, but also at the unexpected tenderness Yev was treating him with. Of course it was because Yev saw him as an injured animal, but the fact that this big guy had the capacity to be this caring in the first place melted Radek's heart, even though he didn’t usually pay much attention to this aspect of people’s personalities.

“Nice, isn’t it? You wouldn’t have tasted deer in the wild, but I’m not gonna skimp on your treats. Do you have a name?” Yev asked, as if Radek could speak. Then again, maybe he could! Did Yev know Morse code? Radek had learned in the scouts.

He chomped on the food, too hungry to test his method yet. Yev might be an enemy of Radek the human, but to Radek the fox he was an unexpected protector.

Ignorant to who he was holding in his lap, Yev went on, “I could call you Carrot, how about that?” He laughed and stroked Radek’s back with those thick fingers that had been wrapped in Radek’s hair just hours ago.