Page 5 of Finding His Fox

He crashed against a nearby tree and crumpled to the ground, motionless. Unconscious.

Realizing I was now left to face this nightmare alone, desperation welled up within me. My eyes flicked to the lifeless body on the ground.

Was the other teenager dead? Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of the creature hurtling toward me like a speeding truck.

Taking several steps backward, I found myself only five feet from the rushing river. But this time, I didn't take the shot.

The creature snatched the rifle from my grasp with unnervingly human-like fingers and flung it aside.

Intelligence gleamed in its ruby red eyes, a chilling display of primal awareness.

The monster lunged at me with brute force. I screamed as its claws dug into my right shoulder, searing agony coursing through me.

"Get away from him!”someone yelled.

With a surge of relief, I recognized it as the boy's voice. He launched himself at the creature's back.

The boy wrapped his legs around its body in a desperate attempt to subdue it, but the monster remained resolute, unaffected by the boy's efforts.

I couldn't stand idly by while the boy fought this nightmarish creature alone. I had to find a way to help.

My mind raced, fixating on my father's knife. Without hesitation, I unsheathed the blade and plunged it into the creature's face.

It howled in agony as the knife found its mark in its left eye.

In retaliation, the monster flung the boy off its back and clenched a handful of my shirt, freezing me in place like a helpless prey.

With an otherworldly strength, the one-eyed beast hurled me into the nearby river, perhaps hoping the current would wash me away.

Gasping for air and struggling to stay afloat, panic surged through my body. I realized, with despair, that I didn't know how to swim.

Desperately, I kicked and flailed, but the water filled my mouth and lungs, threatening to consume me.

Just as I thought all hope was lost, a sleek, white figure dove into the water.

For a moment, I thought it was the monster returning to finish me off. As I turned my head, I saw a furry and muscled back retreating into the depths of the woods.

The creature was fleeing! A surge of triumph swelled within me, but I couldn't celebrate as I continued to struggle for survival.

Suddenly, I felt a presence beside me, a concerned and furry face breaking through my drowning delirium.

My chest no longer burned with the desperate need for air.

A large, white fox had come to my rescue, pulling me out of the treacherous river and guiding me to the safety of the shore.

Chapter 3

Nate

The Present

“Just so you know, I voted for ‘Small Cat, Big City’,” Rory said, giving me a look that was a mix of sympathy and shared understanding.

“I voted for ‘Wildcat’. I thought it was cute,” Josie, Rory’s wife, piped up from the kitchen.

She walked into the dining room where Rory and I were sitting and placed a plate of sandwiches in the middle.

She continued, “I didn’t think it would win, though. I’m sorry.”