Yev followed him out, laughing as if he were about to choke on his own tongue. “Come on, it’s not that embarrassing! It’s okay, I literally milked bulls for artificial insemination while at university.”

Radek cocked his head and stared back at Yev, so shocked he was surprised by his own cackle.

Yev smiled. “Let’s just wash this and go shopping, okay? I’m starving for some pasta.”

He knew how to entice Radek, because going to the store was always so much fun. Pranking unsuspecting people, being doted on by strangers under Yev's watchful eye, and treats, lots of treats.

“Thought so,” Yev said and snatched the cushion before Radek could have stopped him. Come on, pick which collar you wanna wear,” he said, tearing the case off and tossing the naked cushion onto the sofa as soon as he stepped inside the house.

Radek shook off the snow, rubbed his feet on the doormat like a good boy, and rushed to his neatly organized collars and harnesses. He wore them when they went out so that other people could feel safe, and while they didn’t leave the woods all that often, Yev still indulged him by getting three sets. Radek grabbed his new favorite, a black leather number with studs, and carried it to Yev.

A wide smile still stretched Yev’s mouth as he kneeled and put the collar around Radek’s throat. His fingers gently massaged Radek’s neck, his thumbs swiped along his muzzle, and the gentleness of the touch made forgetting the earlier embarrassment much easier. “That your style in real life? Are you a secret leather man?”

Radek groaned. There was so much he’d have liked to tell Yev. That he wasn’t a leather man but a metalhead, that he had a studded belt just like this, that he used to wear a collar with big spikes to concerts, and that he would wear this very collar as a human if Yev put it on him. But he couldn’t communicate any of that so he rubbed his muzzle against Yev’s hand.

Yev changed into a fresh set of clothes, placed Radek in the passenger seat of his truck, and drove to the nearest supermarket, half an hour away. He’d just returned from Sanok, the largest local town, so the need for shopping had to be a way to distract Radek from being discovered in such a compromising position, but it didn’t matter, because they always had fun together. Throughout the drive, Yev changed radio stations until he found one Radek approved of, and they ended up doing some impromptu karaoke, with Yev doing the actual singing and Radek supplying him with melodic howls.

They shared a high-five at the end of Europe’s ‘The Final Countdown’, and parked in front of the store. Radek already knew the drill and let Yev attach a leash to his collar before jumping into the backpack, which Yev then placed in the children’s seat of the shopping cart and entered the supermarket, pretending he didn’t notice people eyeing him and his exotic pet.

Yev seemed happy when people struck up conversations about his fox, so Radek played along, let children pet him and did tricks that made him look smart but not freakishly so. He pointed out the dog snacks he liked to Yev and wasn’t even feeling silly about it anymore. His taste and smell were different in this form, and some things that would have been disgusting were now delicious, so why not embrace it?

Prompted by Yev, a little girl placed an infant cap on Radek’s head, and Yev liked it so much he decided to buy it, thanking the child for her immaculate sense of style. It did not escape Radek’s attention though how Yev always made sure to point out the fox was disabled and couldn’t return to the wild, actively discouraging people from trying to get one for themselves.

At times like these, memories of the fox farm came back to Radek like a bad dream, but he couldn’t do anything about the place until he became human again, so he tried not to think about it too much. Still, guilt gnawed at him every time he thought about that little black fox, trapped and injured, because if he really tried, he could have communicated with Yev and asked him to rescue that poor thing. But then, his secret would have been out, and he couldn’t risk the safety of his own sanctuary.

He looked down at his own healed stump. The witch had fulfilled her side of the bargain. Two days after she’d applied her ointment, the horrible wound didn't hurt anymore, so maybe his mind would be on the mend soon too?

“It’s been a month, and he hasn’t contacted me once.”

Radek’s skin itched under bristled fur as he searched for the source of the familiar voice, and his heart beat faster when he spotted his mother at the end of the aisle Yev had entered in search of spices. She was leaning against the cart, but the fact that she’d left the house in the first place meant her flare-up was over. Even on an ordinary shopping trip, she wore clothes that would have been suitable for an office setting, and her signature discreet makeup.

Tags: K.A. Merikan Folk Lore Paranormal
Source: readsnovelonline.net