A Fox from Another Life

The countryside slowly passes us by as the slow sound of the cart's wheels against the dirt road fills the silence. I adjust my position on Serena's lap as my head rests on her knee on the front bench of the cart. Her left hand was mindlessly rubbing against my back. Her green tunic and brown pants showed her as the group's scout. "So, Merchant, do you travel to Pernith often? Based on the goods you trade, I am assuming you travel all over this kingdom."

"Oh, please call me Denir. Yes, my family lives there in Penrith, but I travel between the three major towns around the region as well. Halivaara, Krystail, and Vaux."

Denir sat to the left as I stared into the open plains. A beautiful sight, but the view hasn't changed in some time. They continue to talk as I think about the last few days before meeting the Merchant earlier this morning. This world is split into a few continents. Luella is the one we traveled on now. The map Laura was looking over showed the town we are headed towards was a coastal town. One fertile with trade and explorations. She described it as... a crude way of describing a capital city, golden between the darkness.

Laura doesn't like the royalty of this world, but this continent is one of many. I'd like to know if we will stay in a nice inn when we get there. My head perks up as I see Laura walk next to the front of the cart. Her brown cloak covered her armor and outfit beneath it. I watch her diligently, keeping an eye on the plains. It's not like the inn we stayed at for the last two days was terrible, but there is a slight opening that I can hear the wind... I don't think she noticed.

Laura glances over at me and then past me, focusing on the Merchant. "Is it true that poachers have been more prevalent in the area? I haven't run into any, but in Halivaara, there were rumors."

I glanced over at the Merchant. He was an older gentleman in simple clothes—a brown jacket and matching slacks—probably almost twice these women's ages. He seemed like a good fellow. Denir did nod to her question, though.

"That is true. Some species we normally see thriving at this time of plenty have been dwindling." Denir answers as I look up at him curiously. "They are always one step ahead of the Pernith guards. From what I heard, the soldiers did catch a few of them; however, they are more afraid of the man running the operation than they are of the thoughts of jail."

Serena nodded as she stopped petting my back and kept her hand on me. She spoke softly. "Even my kind has tried to track the man they call Reeve. He is like a ghost—like he is there and not all at once. He really knows how to cover his tracks."

Laura nods and sighs. "I know his type. Ruthless. Secretive. An iron fist. Uses fear to intimidate those into acceptance or silence."

Wait... is that sadness in her voice? My head turns towards her as I see her staring off in the distance. I stare at her momentarily as my ears twitch at her tone. She has experienced this before, but she is so young...

Serena pets me again as she leans forward. "Your master, little one, has a sorted past. Keep her happy for me."

Without a second thought, my tail begins to wag as I glance at Laura, who turns and rolls her eyes at her friend. She moves closer to the cart, looking down at me and then back at her friend. "We all have a past, Serena. Don't act like you don't have fifty years on the both of us," Laura states as I lift my front paws and look up at the brown-haired elf. "See, now you have caught Echo's eye."

"I have known you for almost ten years now. Almost half your life," Serena says calmly as she boops my snout before she turns to Laura. "I may be your elder, but we are all in the same party here. Even our eccentric mage. A loud and explosive attitude on that one."

I jump as I see Bella's grey cat ears on top of her head pop from the cloth of the covered cart. She smiles at me before looking towards the Merchant and Serena. "You are like an old lady. Calm and collected. You don't like causing a kerfuffle. Always focused."

The Merchant laughs at the two women. Serena turns as I jump off her lap to move next to Bella. The elf smiles. "Have you ever fired a bow with the shaky hands of rage before Bells?" Serena asks with a smile.

"You know I rely on my magic, and I have not faced anything I could not handle without my magic," explains Bella as she looks down at me. "Like little Echo here, I have teeth and claws. If anyone gets close..."

She pauses as I look at her claws and the fangs of her teeth. I look down at my own small paws and shake my head before a sudden sound behind me causes me to jump. My body quickly turns and growls to see Laura smacking the cart with her shield. She laughed as Bella grabbed at me, and I yelped.

The two women and the Denir laughed as I squirmed out of her grip and ran into the side of Serena's cloak. Serena shook her head as she slowly grabbed me and placed me on her lap. "Scaring Echo will accomplish nothing for you two other than to show how childish you two are. Did you save him to just tease him?"

These two are going to give me a heart attack.

I huff as she soothes me. Laura laughs and focuses on the path ahead. "No, but he will get used to the group dynamics in time. I don't intend to get rid of an interesting fox like him. A white fox is rare, and his intelligence is completely different from anything else I have seen in a normal animal."

The Merchant glances down at me and nods his head. "He does seem like a skillful pet for a young warrior like yourself. You don't seem like you are from around here, Ms. Laura. Are you from the north?"

"Yes, I am. I have been in this area for a long time. Is it the skin that gives me away?"

Denir nods. "Also, you have a slight accent. I have traveled to Ekbald up north. It is colder than this part of the continent. They have a very interesting culture up there. They believe in strength over all else. Is that correct?"

Laura does not say anything. She nods as she points out the forest up ahead. I believe it is called the Pesper forest. My eyes follow her finger as I look towards the green canopy and the dark clouds above it, which are coming in our direction.

"I hate getting wet. I am not even adept in water magic." Bella grumbles.

Serena laughs as she nods and continues to absentmindedly pet my back. "As I said, explosive nature. Hot head."

These three are more like sisters than anything else. The dark clouds up ahead hold my attention. I hate getting my fur wet. Last time Laura yelled at me for my smell...

"You three are an interesting bunch, you know that?" Denir says as he laughs.

The three women laugh and agree with him. My tail wags as I know I am in for a wild journey with Laura as my master. I glance at the dark clouds over the forest, knowing we are headed into the storm. This party will face all sorts of journeys, and I will be a part of them all if I survive long enough. Is that storm a sign to come?