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Dial Coyote: Ch15 (Hunters)
Dial seemed to have found the foxes weakness. If he was correct, it had to be silver. He had seen the fox take on a beastly hybrid form in anger. Somehow it was more frightening than the spirit fox form he had seen so much by now. Half fox half something almost human in anatomy. A fox not a wolf but the closest thing he had ever thought of from Tony’s imaginative stories. Silver…it had to be silver the fox was weak or allergic or deadly from. His impending doom was seconds away. Nothing he had learned mattered anymore as the fox was about to devour him whole as a cloud of smoke.
Dial had gambled that his loss of memory would allow him to learn the secret for later use. Though the fox knew dam well the terms and agreed to it anyway. Now that both sides had agreed, they were obligated to give his memory back later. The fatal flaw Dial had made is how he played the game. If the fox killed him before finishing the game he would not win or lose and not have to protect him or give back a memory. He had risked that the favor the fox wanted was more valuable than the secret of its own weakness. If they would be bound by blood oath to be strange allies, then they could not kill each other...or could they? This had been foolish as the fox could kill him right now just by not finishing the game. Dial realized his error as there were plenty of ways for the fox to lead him to his doom without actually being the one to kill him. He was not protected at all from the fox if he attacked him indirectly. It was too late and he was about to die. He did not bother to scream or yelp.
Dial stared up at the giant pillar of smoke that once had been a fox. It quickly formed into a canine head and came thrashing down to devour him. There was nothing he could do but close his eyes and hope it would be quick. Suddenly he felt like he was underwater. He expected to be torn apart, crunched up, or have his head bit off but it was not. He felt like he was swimming. When he opened his eyes everything seemed to be dancing around like he was submerged… was he inside the fox? He realized there were no rules about delaying an answer and the game was still ongoing. Though by not answering yes, or no, there was a chance he could be trying to mislead him. The answer could be actually no but he would only know once the fox spoke next.
Suddenly he realized he could not breathe. He tried to breathe in and found he could not. It was not like the liquid was going into his lungs, more like they were suffocating him slowly. He had become lost in it and he felt dizzy. He passed out. When he woke up the fox was sitting before him pleasantly but had its human like hands with long claws instead of little paws. It seemed to be waiting for him. Suddenly it spoke and its next answer made it loose the game instantly…
“Congratulations. As per the agreement I am now going to erase your memory.” the fox spoke.
“What happened? You did not finish the game?”
“Because I forfeited”
“What? Why would you do that?”
“Because I am sick of playing games with you little one. You wasted most of my time this night. Do not whine at me… you never stated I could not do that. You did not need to ask a question as I quit the game and there for lost it automatically.”
“You fraud! I was going to ask you what your weakness was…”
“You think I did not know that you foolish coyote…and if you had known you would be dead so count your blessings you have somewhat of an allegiance with me now. SO just shut up and in a moment you will not remember anything about my weaknesses or what you have observed tonight. The last thing you will know is that I just healed you. The dogs are on their way back so you best keep your mouth shut or you may still die tonight and I am not obligated to help you from dogs… just magical things. If you survive until tomorrow I will be greatly pleased but your night is not over yet.”
The fox shifted suddenly into its scary shadow form and placed its talon like claws up to dials neck. He could feel them pressing which meant his throat could be slashed if the fox truly wanted to do so.
“By the way I can hurt you I just need to heal you if I do. Though I can do a lot of damage without killing you so you best be a good little coyote and let me look inside you. If you don’t I will cause you so much pain you will beg me to have a look inside you. I cannot quite figure you out at all. It is like you are wrapped in a box I cannot see inside and that kind of thing just makes me want to scratch at the box and tear it to pieces until I know all its precious little secrets. Now just give me permission into you and we can do this the easy way. I have to torture you now so you don’t remember after I take that memory.”
Dial had never been so afraid. He felt the pointy claws on his throat and knew the creature would not kill him but it did not make it any better. He had been toying with something that could be quite evil, all this time he had no clue. He had nothing left to say to it he just stared in horror.
“yes that is right… you understand now don’t you little morsel… if something else had not already claimed it as its own I would have done so already… maybe there is someone else you care about I can take control of… all they need to do is let me in you know… just accept me… maybe that Tony of yours really wants to have a fox inside him.. Oh the power I could give him though I don’t think the blood lust would agree with his disposition and all your friends would not agree well with his belly.”
“STOP IT PLEASE STOP IT!”
“You were so selfish, only thinking of yourself. You made a blood oath only to protect yourself from me from killing you, no thought for your friends… and no thought to what I could do to you without killing you. You are a bad coyote for pushing me. You thought it a clever tactic but now you shall pay the price. I think I will eat as many parts of you and heal you from death just to turn you into a legless sausage.
If dial could cry he would have been doing so all this time, but his eyes were open wide and lacking tear ducts. The fox smiled most evil and all it had been before had been forgotten for its true nature had shown its ugly head.
“BOO!”
Dial nearly fainted.
“Ha ha ha ha… what’s the matter coyote… don’t like it when I pretend to be evil and threaten to eat you… ha ha ha”
The fox rolled on its back laughing its ass off… Every follicle of fur nearly jumped out of Dials body. He shook petrified.
“I think I broke you … better fix that before you go insane. Do not worry I just wanted to have a little fun with you before I take your memory”
Dial looked up terrified as the fox stood up, walked over, and suddenly thrust its hand at him. For a moment he flinched until he realized he felt nothing. Then to his horror he realized tha fox had reached directly through his skull and into his head with its ghostly arm. It hurt but he could not describe the pain. It was more like pressure, a squeezing feeling. He could feel the fox crawling around inside him but it was nothing physical. He was helpless. Strangely it pushed all the way up to its elbow but no hand paw came out the other side… it was as if the long arm had disappeared into a portal in his head. The pressure started to get worse and dial tried to squirm but his body was completely frozen. All he could do was talk without moving his jaws. He struggled to make words and yelled them.
“NO GET AWAY STOP IT!”
It felt more wrong than anything he had ever felt. It was a violation… it felt like he was rotting inside. He had no memory of it feeling this horrible but something felt wrong… the fox was not going after just a memory… no … it was trying to break his way inside… he felt like his bones were cracking.
“NOOOOOOOOO” dial howled at the top of his lungs, he somehow broke the paralysis the fox had on him”
“CHOMP!”
Dial tried to bite at the fox but he was biting thin air. The shadow fox was not solid at this moment. Dial he started to squirm which then made the fox flail around a bit.
“How the hell can you still move! You fool don’t do that…”
“Suddenly Dials eyes glowed green and the coyote lost awareness. The fox staired at horror as his arm was stuck into that mind of the coyote with glowing green eyes which seemed more terrible than his yellow eyes. Dials body than levitated itself above the mud and stood on top of it like the fox had been doing all night.”
“So YoU WaNt InSiDe Do YoU?” an eerie voice emanated from dials unconscious mouth.
An unholy loud crunch latched onto the foxes arm and he squealed in pain.
“AAAAA NOOO WHAT ARE YOU DOING! LET GO OF MY ARM OR I WILL SLASH YOUR EYES OUT!”
The fox then screamed in pain and tugged and tugged until he felt the teeth of whatever had bit him let go and he fell backwards retracting his arm. For a moment he was stunned until he realized his arm was burning with green flames. He came alive again in distress. There was a long small tether of fire retracting back into the coyote connecting his arm to whatever was inside the animal. Though the fox looked to be made of light and shadow and nothing of substance its arm seemed to be melting from the strange green fire. The fox tugged at the flame which seemed to not let go. It consumed his arm completely up to where it had entered and it burned and the fox hissed in great pain. Quickly it shifted back into its fox form and plunged its arm into the stream to douse the flames. The fox then looked at Dial ready to rip his throat out when he grabbed his arm in pain. Slowly it started to melt away. Dripping away but as it did it almost evaporated the way that a log burns to nothing. Soon there was lo longer an arm left and the fox tried to use his other hand to heal.
“ThAt WoNt WoRk. PeEk In SiDe AgAiN AnD I WiLl PuLl YoU In. YoU ArE WaRnEd! FeAr Me AnD TrEmBlE!”
The strange green glow disappeared and dial fell forward onto the muddy bank of the river, His head just lucky enough to land on the side or he may have drown. The fox sat and stared in horror. If it had been alive it would have been scarred to death. It desperately tried to heal itself and then switched to its spirit form. Its left arm was gone! Like the broken tail, the shadow fox tried desperately to restore itself but could not. It stared mortified at the limp coyote and was to terrified to do anything to it. It then stared at the stub that remained of its left arm. There was something shiny there… he reached over with his remaining arm and tugged at it.
Suddenly Dial revived and breath filled him and he started to cough but then he nearly passed out unconscious again. The fox looked down at the shiny thing, and then he quickly ate the orb so that the coyote would not see it and ask questions. Now he was oath bound to follow what he promised. He had gotten his favor and his look inside and whatever was in there was more powerful than him. He suddenly regretted being such a horrible fox all night long though he could not help most of it. It was his nature to be a pest though his curiosity nearly killed him. It seems the creature could have but did not, perhaps the oath saved him? He was now bound to this coyote and had to try and kill him before the winter solstice. The question was how? The fox turned invisible and seemed too disappeared and ran away altogether though it was not the dogs it was running from it was the coyote.
“Wait…come…back…fox…”
Dial fell completely unconscious. His mind drifted away, the last thought was that he wanted to run away with the fox. Dial opened his eyes and for just a moment he was in the golden fields again… just a moment. He thought he was alone but saw a fox in the distance talking to itself. He felt nauseous and then looked down and realized he was invisible... he had no body? Soon he realized the fox and the shadow fox were standing next to each other having a conversation.
“Why the hell did you do that you stupid fool, now we are missing an arm”, said the furry fox.
“Shut up you… you know we could not let him find out our weakness” spoke the shadow fox.
“You just had to play with him didn’t you? Why could you not just leave him alone?”
“Don’t worry I have a plan to get the arm back but it is going to take some quick thinking.”
“You know what kind of spirit glows green, don’t you! … How could you have been so stupid to anger darkness? Did you not feel it when you almost turned dark by feeding off this little one... did you not see how only a second of feeding made me emerge… you are a moron... we only work together as a team. We cannot function alone. We need to remain in balance. Now will you shut up and let me heal you. I may not be able to heal the arm but I can at least remove the darkness from you and stabilize us better. You need to give up some of that darkness brother.
“Curse that stupid coyote… we must find a way…”
“We will we will… and I am foolish for making a deal with him”
“He was too clever… I could not break him… I tried I tried…”
“I know… but it is best that you did not now that you know what lurks inside”
“We don’t know what…”
“True but it could have killed us and did not. We may simply be lucky if it was following the oath, though it chose to or simply showed mercy. Darkness is rarely so forgiving”
They both turned around and stared suddenly at dial. He was invisible but they looked right at him. They whispered lightly.
“You idiot! you left the gate open.”
“You idiot! he followed you when you limped back here.”
Dial stared perplexed and unsure any of it was real. The first two times something lingered in his mind to tell him the strange dream was real like he had been there many times before, yet this time it felt foggy and surreal like a dream should be…
“Am I dead?” spoke Dial.
Both foxes stared at him with a blank face then whispered to each other.
“No little one you are dreaming… time to wake up…” said the furry fox while the shadow fox tried to smile sincerely which only made it look creepy. They almost seemed afraid of him?
“Uh… my head feels weird… where am I …huh?”
The dogs were barking… their voices louder and louder… they were coming to rip him apart…
Dial snapped alert… he did not know what were dreams or reality anymore… Slowly it faded from him and the barking dogs took full priority.
“Oh god… I am screwed” he yipped.
He could tell the dogs were heading straight for the mud pit. He felt strange… what were these weird memories inside him… fox? He made some kind of weird deal with fox? His fate was far to dire to focus on that right now… the last thing he remembered fox had healed his paw...and…nothing more?
Dial looked like he had been completely screwed over, had fox abandoned him? Had he run off due to the dogs? What happened? His paw no longer hurt but his body was aching really badly and freezing cold… he squired to get free of the mud. Then he could hear humans. And that made him terrified.
“UP HERE THE DOGS FOUND IT!” a human voice shouted to possibly another human farther away.
Dial spun his neck to the right and far down stream in the large ditch with the high banks was a man holding a long stick like object dial had no trouble guessing what that was. The human was on the other side of the large ditch, father down off the property. Only a canine could jump it so the human would need a bridge. But with a gun a bridge would not matter. All Dial had to do was get out and get out of range and he would be safe… the dogs for another matter…
He struggled to get to the other side when a shadow of one of the dogs blocked the moon light and its eerie shadow cast over the stream. It stood on the ditch ridge of the other side of the stream. Barking in alarm like he was telling his brothers that he found dinner perhaps? Dial did not speak dog. Dial struggled and struggled and soon found a root on the other side. A second dog appeared and then the third and they were trying to get to him.
The first jumped into the mud and tried to swim but ultimately had not been dumb enough to leap where a coyote could get struck. The dog soon found out why the coyote was stuck and retreated to the shallow side before it also became stuck. The mud actually protected Dial from being torn apart but the hunter could shoot him. He prayed he was a poor shot. The deep mud warned the first dog not to jump in after him, he stepped into its shallow side and waited guarding the coyote. It was a lean Border collie dog. Dial had no idea how fast they could be. The other two waited above the ridge barking.
The second dog sat and barked at him uselessly. It seemed a bit fat for a husky, though something funny in that fact would never cross Dials mind. It just barked and seemed excited but less of a threat to bite him. Almost as if it thought the chase was nothing but a game and had no blood lust. The Border collie seemed to be acting defensively, if only dial could ask it to please let him be but he did not speak dog. He wondered if it would simply chase him off enough to teach him not to return.
The third dog made Dials heart sink into his chest. It was very aggressive. Dial could tell this dog barked with an aggressive tone to it that told him he should not let it get close. It would not hesitate to tear him apart… It was a German shepherd dog trained to bite coyotes like him for breakfast. This by far was the most threatening of the three dogs. It suddenly ran up ahead and dial wondered what it was doing. Then he realized that far ahead there was a large bridge. The dog… that clever bastard was smart enough to cross the bridge and come return to the side he was closest to shore. If the hunter did not reach him first that was.
The husky sat and barked and the hunter whistled and the Border collie was clearly the most trained and obedient. It ran back to the hunter on command. Then the hunter directed it back the other way to a bridge and the dog was clever enough to know what to do. It ran back to cross much as the other dog had. Though the east bridge was much closer and that German shepherd would reach Dial before the Boarder collie that had gone to the opposite bridge to cross. The hunter did not shoot at him. Probably because he saw he was stuck and did not want to risk hitting his own dogs. But if he got close enough Dials head would be target practice. Though he was certain the dog would rip out his throat first.
“Shit oh shit crap shit”
Dial knew he would be screwed if that other dog got across. He reached for a root with everything he had.
“Dam just missed it.”
This time he tried to jump and his face dove a bit into the mud. He was a bit blinded and tried to wash his eyes with what little clean water was around him. Then he tried a third time and his teeth found its target. He was careful not to bite too hard or his root would snap. Instead he got just enough of a grip on it and tugged. His body ached and neck felt like it was about to pop off. With help of his legs he managed to get just enough out to find his footing again after his belly flop. The ground had become just solid enough for him to slowly make his way out.
“Oh shit!”
It was too late; the German shepherd had already crossed and was almost upon him. He had no time to shake or clean off the caked mud. He tried to scramble up the bank but it was slippery due to all the mud on him. He stumbled and hit his chin on a rock.
“Ouch!”
He almost bit his tongue but thankfully not so. He made a mad scramble and managed to get a grip. Soon he was up top of the bank and the dog was nipping at his ankles intent to pull him down. He kicked it in the face.
“YIPE”
The dog had almost gotten hold of his ankles which would have crippled him from running away. The dog had been just stunned enough from the kick to his face to buy Dial just enough time to get up and out.
“DAM IT HE IS OUT”
“THAT’S RIGHT YOU ASSHOLE. CANT SHOOT ME WITH YOUR DOGS AROUND CAN YOU”, Dial yelled.
All that was heard by dog or man was an elaborate series of barks and growls. The hunter was on the other side on the bottom of the slope getting within safe range and Dial did not stick around to let him aim. Just when he thought he was clear he felt something whistle past him. A few inches more and he would have been shot. He spun around and changed direction and ran away from the fence and another shot just missed him. Then switched back to his original direction, he kept running that way until he saw behind him the German shepherd was in hot pursuit. No more shots, he must be out of range. That bastard was shooting at him in the dark… how the hell was that possible… humans have horrible night vision?!
"oh god there is one hiding somewhere...must keep running!"
The man had been talking and dial realized it was not to himself or his dogs. he had a companion who must be low to the ground with a good vantage point. the grass was not tall enough to hide him so he had to just get out of range. Though the second human must have had one of those night eyes tools fox had mentioned. He was not safe at night.
On top of the field he knew he could follow the fence home, or at least he hopped, it was better than running blind. He did not want to risk being tripped or tangled and break his legs on something he was too hasty to avoid. The fence seemed to follow flat safe ground now and he could see any twigs or brush easily enough to avoid it. The dog behind him would not give up and seemed to be gaining on him. He was so weak cold tired and sore. Though the mud had slowed his running down to a crawl and his paws still were a bit slippery so his shoulders and back ached like never before trying to run this way. He thought he was safe when he saw a single pair of eyes barking and chasing him. Normally a coyote can outrun most any dog, but he was as slow as a yearling now. The dog was gaining on him slowly.
“Oh god… I can’t outrun” He huffed exhausted, “Can…not hide…form it…”
He ran for almost twenty minutes and it was clear the dog was pacing itself and Dial had been running himself to death. It did not help he had swallowed some mud and water earlier and was coughing a bit. The fence on this side of the river was much larger with mesh similar to his pen. Not impossible to get through if you dug but enough to keep him from getting to the other side. Maybe he could use this fence as a barrier somehow. Then he saw it…his golden opportunity.
It was chance to use his brains against the animal. A gate; Dial understood gates enough by now and this one looked simple enough. Just a latch and it was on a road large enough for vehicles. Dial had heard of these while eavesdropping from his pen. It was a cattle gate. The floor had little metal grate that preventing cattle from crossing. . All he had to do was get there with enough time to figure out the latch, get through and lock it behind him.
“Got to be quick!” He said out of desperation and panic yet his mind was calm and crafty.
He reached the gate and had about 15 seconds to study it. It was simple enough, just a piece of metal he needed to lift and push. He did what he could and the gate opened just enough to squeeze through. He whipped around just as the German shepherd crashed into the gate. It barked and tried to bite at him but the gate had wire mesh on it to prevent the likes of dogs fitting through the large metal bars. Dial had never been this close and personal with a dog before. He would have found it ugly but was too busy trying to push like a human on the gate.
“CLICK”
Dial kept pushing like his life depended on it but found he could not make it budge any farther. He opened his eyes timidly and the dog was trying get at his neck to rip it apart but could not. Thankfully the gate was there. Dial had fallen onto his side and was not stunned but in a state of disbelief. He had done it…then he heard barking… the other dogs… but he could not tell… what side… He saw the Border collie running with vigor towards his side of the fence. No husky, likely left behind. He had to get up! His only salvation now would be to outrun it with a head start. But there would be no gate… but he had to. It was escape, or die trying.
Then he tried to stand up and felt his body started cracking and his bones felt like they were on fire. Dial panted, his body came alive with pain and exhaustion that he not felt or cared about moments before. Had he been running this whole time and did not feel the pain?
“Aaaaa”, he yelled in agony as the pain intensified from an ache to a throbbing and it was getting worse.
He fell over in pain. The dog had not bit him but his whole body felt like it was breaking apart. He fell back onto his side and his ribs felt like they nearly broke from the impact. It was as if his bones had turned to fragile glass and were cutting at his flesh as they broke and cracked and splintered. With him on the ground the German shepherd tried to get through the gate but it had locked. Seconds, he had escaped buy seconds. His body ached more than it should. What was going on. He felt riddled with pain.
“Oh god it hurts”
He coughed and blood came out, his vision started to get blurry. His body felt numb and his body weakened. Was he dying? How? Why? All he had done was push himself with a difficult run.
“What is happening…to me..”
His body tumbled and he felt his bones popping and he felt like he was coming apart from the inside out. Suddenly the fox hopped out of the bushes.
“YOU! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!”
“Whoa now buddy…calm down…”
Dial went into a half rage state and though he could hardly move he managed to stand up though every bone in his body felt broken.
“TAKE IT EASY! Don’t kill yourself stupid”
“What have you done to me!”
He trembled in pain and whimpered and almost fell over.
“I am not doing a thing, you are doing this to yourself you idiot. Your body is undergoing transformation and that is almost always injuring to living bodies. Your body is trying to shift its shape to defend yourself much like I do but there are rules in the world of the living that limit what can be done. You need to let it happen, you are resisting. You need to relax or you will kill yourself”
The fox then had a moment where a twisted grin came across his face until he looked frustrated…
“Dam it… stupid oath”
“What?!”
“I have to help you… spirit magic… spirit protection… dam it…”
“YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW THIS FEELS!”
“Little one… relax I am here to help.”
“SHUT UP AND HELP ME?” dial was in too much pain to care whatever the hell the fox was babbling about
“Calm yourself down or you will die”
“No…”, dial whispered weakly as his legs gave out.
Dial stumbled and fell over. He yelped in pain as it felt like all of his ribs just shattered into a million pieces. Blood started to come out of his mouth. And then he started to feel dizzy.
He could still hear the dog barking and soon the voices of the other dog joined it.
“No do not resist”, the voice spoke to him but it did not sound like fox at all…
“Things are just getting interesting…”, smirked the fox.
“Let go coyote or you will die… this pain is in your mind…let it go before you tear your body apart. Picture yourself on a cloud in the sky. You are floating high above the ground and are far from your body…” the soothing voice said… it was not foxes voice!?
Dial did not know what else to do… the fox had plans for him so surely it did not want him to die before he fulfilled his favors. How the hell did he know that? He turned to fox for support before his eyes shut completely and he started to black out completely. Dial tried to relax… some of the pain went away… he tried to take a deep breath but felt himself out of air. His body went completely numb and all of the pain stopped. He felt like he was outside of his own body. Why did he feel so very cold? Then the pain returned. Something had bit him hard on his thigh. Then he drifted away into nothingness. And then such rage and anger overtook his mind and he no longer cared. Inside he was at peace in bliss but on the surface he was nothing but an animal.
Dial Coyote: Ch15 (Hunters)
Dial seemed to have found the foxes weakness. If he was correct, it had to be silver. He had seen the fox take on a beastly hybrid form in anger. Somehow it was more frightening than the spirit fox form he had seen so much by now. Half fox half something almost human in anatomy. A fox not a wolf but the closest thing he had ever thought of from Tony’s imaginative stories. Silver…it had to be silver the fox was weak or allergic or deadly from. His impending doom was seconds away. Nothing he had learned mattered anymore as the fox was about to devour him whole as a cloud of smoke.
Dial had gambled that his loss of memory would allow him to learn the secret for later use. Though the fox knew dam well the terms and agreed to it anyway. Now that both sides had agreed, they were obligated to give his memory back later. The fatal flaw Dial had made is how he played the game. If the fox killed him before finishing the game he would not win or lose and not have to protect him or give back a memory. He had risked that the favor the fox wanted was more valuable than the secret of its own weakness. If they would be bound by blood oath to be strange allies, then they could not kill each other...or could they? This had been foolish as the fox could kill him right now just by not finishing the game. Dial realized his error as there were plenty of ways for the fox to lead him to his doom without actually being the one to kill him. He was not protected at all from the fox if he attacked him indirectly. It was too late and he was about to die. He did not bother to scream or yelp.
Dial stared up at the giant pillar of smoke that once had been a fox. It quickly formed into a canine head and came thrashing down to devour him. There was nothing he could do but close his eyes and hope it would be quick. Suddenly he felt like he was underwater. He expected to be torn apart, crunched up, or have his head bit off but it was not. He felt like he was swimming. When he opened his eyes everything seemed to be dancing around like he was submerged… was he inside the fox? He realized there were no rules about delaying an answer and the game was still ongoing. Though by not answering yes, or no, there was a chance he could be trying to mislead him. The answer could be actually no but he would only know once the fox spoke next.
Suddenly he realized he could not breathe. He tried to breathe in and found he could not. It was not like the liquid was going into his lungs, more like they were suffocating him slowly. He had become lost in it and he felt dizzy. He passed out. When he woke up the fox was sitting before him pleasantly but had its human like hands with long claws instead of little paws. It seemed to be waiting for him. Suddenly it spoke and its next answer made it loose the game instantly…
“Congratulations. As per the agreement I am now going to erase your memory.” the fox spoke.
“What happened? You did not finish the game?”
“Because I forfeited”
“What? Why would you do that?”
“Because I am sick of playing games with you little one. You wasted most of my time this night. Do not whine at me… you never stated I could not do that. You did not need to ask a question as I quit the game and there for lost it automatically.”
“You fraud! I was going to ask you what your weakness was…”
“You think I did not know that you foolish coyote…and if you had known you would be dead so count your blessings you have somewhat of an allegiance with me now. SO just shut up and in a moment you will not remember anything about my weaknesses or what you have observed tonight. The last thing you will know is that I just healed you. The dogs are on their way back so you best keep your mouth shut or you may still die tonight and I am not obligated to help you from dogs… just magical things. If you survive until tomorrow I will be greatly pleased but your night is not over yet.”
The fox shifted suddenly into its scary shadow form and placed its talon like claws up to dials neck. He could feel them pressing which meant his throat could be slashed if the fox truly wanted to do so.
“By the way I can hurt you I just need to heal you if I do. Though I can do a lot of damage without killing you so you best be a good little coyote and let me look inside you. If you don’t I will cause you so much pain you will beg me to have a look inside you. I cannot quite figure you out at all. It is like you are wrapped in a box I cannot see inside and that kind of thing just makes me want to scratch at the box and tear it to pieces until I know all its precious little secrets. Now just give me permission into you and we can do this the easy way. I have to torture you now so you don’t remember after I take that memory.”
Dial had never been so afraid. He felt the pointy claws on his throat and knew the creature would not kill him but it did not make it any better. He had been toying with something that could be quite evil, all this time he had no clue. He had nothing left to say to it he just stared in horror.
“yes that is right… you understand now don’t you little morsel… if something else had not already claimed it as its own I would have done so already… maybe there is someone else you care about I can take control of… all they need to do is let me in you know… just accept me… maybe that Tony of yours really wants to have a fox inside him.. Oh the power I could give him though I don’t think the blood lust would agree with his disposition and all your friends would not agree well with his belly.”
“STOP IT PLEASE STOP IT!”
“You were so selfish, only thinking of yourself. You made a blood oath only to protect yourself from me from killing you, no thought for your friends… and no thought to what I could do to you without killing you. You are a bad coyote for pushing me. You thought it a clever tactic but now you shall pay the price. I think I will eat as many parts of you and heal you from death just to turn you into a legless sausage.
If dial could cry he would have been doing so all this time, but his eyes were open wide and lacking tear ducts. The fox smiled most evil and all it had been before had been forgotten for its true nature had shown its ugly head.
“BOO!”
Dial nearly fainted.
“Ha ha ha ha… what’s the matter coyote… don’t like it when I pretend to be evil and threaten to eat you… ha ha ha”
The fox rolled on its back laughing its ass off… Every follicle of fur nearly jumped out of Dials body. He shook petrified.
“I think I broke you … better fix that before you go insane. Do not worry I just wanted to have a little fun with you before I take your memory”
Dial looked up terrified as the fox stood up, walked over, and suddenly thrust its hand at him. For a moment he flinched until he realized he felt nothing. Then to his horror he realized tha fox had reached directly through his skull and into his head with its ghostly arm. It hurt but he could not describe the pain. It was more like pressure, a squeezing feeling. He could feel the fox crawling around inside him but it was nothing physical. He was helpless. Strangely it pushed all the way up to its elbow but no hand paw came out the other side… it was as if the long arm had disappeared into a portal in his head. The pressure started to get worse and dial tried to squirm but his body was completely frozen. All he could do was talk without moving his jaws. He struggled to make words and yelled them.
“NO GET AWAY STOP IT!”
It felt more wrong than anything he had ever felt. It was a violation… it felt like he was rotting inside. He had no memory of it feeling this horrible but something felt wrong… the fox was not going after just a memory… no … it was trying to break his way inside… he felt like his bones were cracking.
“NOOOOOOOOO” dial howled at the top of his lungs, he somehow broke the paralysis the fox had on him”
“CHOMP!”
Dial tried to bite at the fox but he was biting thin air. The shadow fox was not solid at this moment. Dial he started to squirm which then made the fox flail around a bit.
“How the hell can you still move! You fool don’t do that…”
“Suddenly Dials eyes glowed green and the coyote lost awareness. The fox staired at horror as his arm was stuck into that mind of the coyote with glowing green eyes which seemed more terrible than his yellow eyes. Dials body than levitated itself above the mud and stood on top of it like the fox had been doing all night.”
“So YoU WaNt InSiDe Do YoU?” an eerie voice emanated from dials unconscious mouth.
An unholy loud crunch latched onto the foxes arm and he squealed in pain.
“AAAAA NOOO WHAT ARE YOU DOING! LET GO OF MY ARM OR I WILL SLASH YOUR EYES OUT!”
The fox then screamed in pain and tugged and tugged until he felt the teeth of whatever had bit him let go and he fell backwards retracting his arm. For a moment he was stunned until he realized his arm was burning with green flames. He came alive again in distress. There was a long small tether of fire retracting back into the coyote connecting his arm to whatever was inside the animal. Though the fox looked to be made of light and shadow and nothing of substance its arm seemed to be melting from the strange green fire. The fox tugged at the flame which seemed to not let go. It consumed his arm completely up to where it had entered and it burned and the fox hissed in great pain. Quickly it shifted back into its fox form and plunged its arm into the stream to douse the flames. The fox then looked at Dial ready to rip his throat out when he grabbed his arm in pain. Slowly it started to melt away. Dripping away but as it did it almost evaporated the way that a log burns to nothing. Soon there was lo longer an arm left and the fox tried to use his other hand to heal.
“ThAt WoNt WoRk. PeEk In SiDe AgAiN AnD I WiLl PuLl YoU In. YoU ArE WaRnEd! FeAr Me AnD TrEmBlE!”
The strange green glow disappeared and dial fell forward onto the muddy bank of the river, His head just lucky enough to land on the side or he may have drown. The fox sat and stared in horror. If it had been alive it would have been scarred to death. It desperately tried to heal itself and then switched to its spirit form. Its left arm was gone! Like the broken tail, the shadow fox tried desperately to restore itself but could not. It stared mortified at the limp coyote and was to terrified to do anything to it. It then stared at the stub that remained of its left arm. There was something shiny there… he reached over with his remaining arm and tugged at it.
Suddenly Dial revived and breath filled him and he started to cough but then he nearly passed out unconscious again. The fox looked down at the shiny thing, and then he quickly ate the orb so that the coyote would not see it and ask questions. Now he was oath bound to follow what he promised. He had gotten his favor and his look inside and whatever was in there was more powerful than him. He suddenly regretted being such a horrible fox all night long though he could not help most of it. It was his nature to be a pest though his curiosity nearly killed him. It seems the creature could have but did not, perhaps the oath saved him? He was now bound to this coyote and had to try and kill him before the winter solstice. The question was how? The fox turned invisible and seemed too disappeared and ran away altogether though it was not the dogs it was running from it was the coyote.
“Wait…come…back…fox…”
Dial fell completely unconscious. His mind drifted away, the last thought was that he wanted to run away with the fox. Dial opened his eyes and for just a moment he was in the golden fields again… just a moment. He thought he was alone but saw a fox in the distance talking to itself. He felt nauseous and then looked down and realized he was invisible... he had no body? Soon he realized the fox and the shadow fox were standing next to each other having a conversation.
“Why the hell did you do that you stupid fool, now we are missing an arm”, said the furry fox.
“Shut up you… you know we could not let him find out our weakness” spoke the shadow fox.
“You just had to play with him didn’t you? Why could you not just leave him alone?”
“Don’t worry I have a plan to get the arm back but it is going to take some quick thinking.”
“You know what kind of spirit glows green, don’t you! … How could you have been so stupid to anger darkness? Did you not feel it when you almost turned dark by feeding off this little one... did you not see how only a second of feeding made me emerge… you are a moron... we only work together as a team. We cannot function alone. We need to remain in balance. Now will you shut up and let me heal you. I may not be able to heal the arm but I can at least remove the darkness from you and stabilize us better. You need to give up some of that darkness brother.
“Curse that stupid coyote… we must find a way…”
“We will we will… and I am foolish for making a deal with him”
“He was too clever… I could not break him… I tried I tried…”
“I know… but it is best that you did not now that you know what lurks inside”
“We don’t know what…”
“True but it could have killed us and did not. We may simply be lucky if it was following the oath, though it chose to or simply showed mercy. Darkness is rarely so forgiving”
They both turned around and stared suddenly at dial. He was invisible but they looked right at him. They whispered lightly.
“You idiot! you left the gate open.”
“You idiot! he followed you when you limped back here.”
Dial stared perplexed and unsure any of it was real. The first two times something lingered in his mind to tell him the strange dream was real like he had been there many times before, yet this time it felt foggy and surreal like a dream should be…
“Am I dead?” spoke Dial.
Both foxes stared at him with a blank face then whispered to each other.
“No little one you are dreaming… time to wake up…” said the furry fox while the shadow fox tried to smile sincerely which only made it look creepy. They almost seemed afraid of him?
“Uh… my head feels weird… where am I …huh?”
The dogs were barking… their voices louder and louder… they were coming to rip him apart…
Dial snapped alert… he did not know what were dreams or reality anymore… Slowly it faded from him and the barking dogs took full priority.
“Oh god… I am screwed” he yipped.
He could tell the dogs were heading straight for the mud pit. He felt strange… what were these weird memories inside him… fox? He made some kind of weird deal with fox? His fate was far to dire to focus on that right now… the last thing he remembered fox had healed his paw...and…nothing more?
Dial looked like he had been completely screwed over, had fox abandoned him? Had he run off due to the dogs? What happened? His paw no longer hurt but his body was aching really badly and freezing cold… he squired to get free of the mud. Then he could hear humans. And that made him terrified.
“UP HERE THE DOGS FOUND IT!” a human voice shouted to possibly another human farther away.
Dial spun his neck to the right and far down stream in the large ditch with the high banks was a man holding a long stick like object dial had no trouble guessing what that was. The human was on the other side of the large ditch, father down off the property. Only a canine could jump it so the human would need a bridge. But with a gun a bridge would not matter. All Dial had to do was get out and get out of range and he would be safe… the dogs for another matter…
He struggled to get to the other side when a shadow of one of the dogs blocked the moon light and its eerie shadow cast over the stream. It stood on the ditch ridge of the other side of the stream. Barking in alarm like he was telling his brothers that he found dinner perhaps? Dial did not speak dog. Dial struggled and struggled and soon found a root on the other side. A second dog appeared and then the third and they were trying to get to him.
The first jumped into the mud and tried to swim but ultimately had not been dumb enough to leap where a coyote could get struck. The dog soon found out why the coyote was stuck and retreated to the shallow side before it also became stuck. The mud actually protected Dial from being torn apart but the hunter could shoot him. He prayed he was a poor shot. The deep mud warned the first dog not to jump in after him, he stepped into its shallow side and waited guarding the coyote. It was a lean Border collie dog. Dial had no idea how fast they could be. The other two waited above the ridge barking.
The second dog sat and barked at him uselessly. It seemed a bit fat for a husky, though something funny in that fact would never cross Dials mind. It just barked and seemed excited but less of a threat to bite him. Almost as if it thought the chase was nothing but a game and had no blood lust. The Border collie seemed to be acting defensively, if only dial could ask it to please let him be but he did not speak dog. He wondered if it would simply chase him off enough to teach him not to return.
The third dog made Dials heart sink into his chest. It was very aggressive. Dial could tell this dog barked with an aggressive tone to it that told him he should not let it get close. It would not hesitate to tear him apart… It was a German shepherd dog trained to bite coyotes like him for breakfast. This by far was the most threatening of the three dogs. It suddenly ran up ahead and dial wondered what it was doing. Then he realized that far ahead there was a large bridge. The dog… that clever bastard was smart enough to cross the bridge and come return to the side he was closest to shore. If the hunter did not reach him first that was.
The husky sat and barked and the hunter whistled and the Border collie was clearly the most trained and obedient. It ran back to the hunter on command. Then the hunter directed it back the other way to a bridge and the dog was clever enough to know what to do. It ran back to cross much as the other dog had. Though the east bridge was much closer and that German shepherd would reach Dial before the Boarder collie that had gone to the opposite bridge to cross. The hunter did not shoot at him. Probably because he saw he was stuck and did not want to risk hitting his own dogs. But if he got close enough Dials head would be target practice. Though he was certain the dog would rip out his throat first.
“Shit oh shit crap shit”
Dial knew he would be screwed if that other dog got across. He reached for a root with everything he had.
“Dam just missed it.”
This time he tried to jump and his face dove a bit into the mud. He was a bit blinded and tried to wash his eyes with what little clean water was around him. Then he tried a third time and his teeth found its target. He was careful not to bite too hard or his root would snap. Instead he got just enough of a grip on it and tugged. His body ached and neck felt like it was about to pop off. With help of his legs he managed to get just enough out to find his footing again after his belly flop. The ground had become just solid enough for him to slowly make his way out.
“Oh shit!”
It was too late; the German shepherd had already crossed and was almost upon him. He had no time to shake or clean off the caked mud. He tried to scramble up the bank but it was slippery due to all the mud on him. He stumbled and hit his chin on a rock.
“Ouch!”
He almost bit his tongue but thankfully not so. He made a mad scramble and managed to get a grip. Soon he was up top of the bank and the dog was nipping at his ankles intent to pull him down. He kicked it in the face.
“YIPE”
The dog had almost gotten hold of his ankles which would have crippled him from running away. The dog had been just stunned enough from the kick to his face to buy Dial just enough time to get up and out.
“DAM IT HE IS OUT”
“THAT’S RIGHT YOU ASSHOLE. CANT SHOOT ME WITH YOUR DOGS AROUND CAN YOU”, Dial yelled.
All that was heard by dog or man was an elaborate series of barks and growls. The hunter was on the other side on the bottom of the slope getting within safe range and Dial did not stick around to let him aim. Just when he thought he was clear he felt something whistle past him. A few inches more and he would have been shot. He spun around and changed direction and ran away from the fence and another shot just missed him. Then switched back to his original direction, he kept running that way until he saw behind him the German shepherd was in hot pursuit. No more shots, he must be out of range. That bastard was shooting at him in the dark… how the hell was that possible… humans have horrible night vision?!
"oh god there is one hiding somewhere...must keep running!"
The man had been talking and dial realized it was not to himself or his dogs. he had a companion who must be low to the ground with a good vantage point. the grass was not tall enough to hide him so he had to just get out of range. Though the second human must have had one of those night eyes tools fox had mentioned. He was not safe at night.
On top of the field he knew he could follow the fence home, or at least he hopped, it was better than running blind. He did not want to risk being tripped or tangled and break his legs on something he was too hasty to avoid. The fence seemed to follow flat safe ground now and he could see any twigs or brush easily enough to avoid it. The dog behind him would not give up and seemed to be gaining on him. He was so weak cold tired and sore. Though the mud had slowed his running down to a crawl and his paws still were a bit slippery so his shoulders and back ached like never before trying to run this way. He thought he was safe when he saw a single pair of eyes barking and chasing him. Normally a coyote can outrun most any dog, but he was as slow as a yearling now. The dog was gaining on him slowly.
“Oh god… I can’t outrun” He huffed exhausted, “Can…not hide…form it…”
He ran for almost twenty minutes and it was clear the dog was pacing itself and Dial had been running himself to death. It did not help he had swallowed some mud and water earlier and was coughing a bit. The fence on this side of the river was much larger with mesh similar to his pen. Not impossible to get through if you dug but enough to keep him from getting to the other side. Maybe he could use this fence as a barrier somehow. Then he saw it…his golden opportunity.
It was chance to use his brains against the animal. A gate; Dial understood gates enough by now and this one looked simple enough. Just a latch and it was on a road large enough for vehicles. Dial had heard of these while eavesdropping from his pen. It was a cattle gate. The floor had little metal grate that preventing cattle from crossing. . All he had to do was get there with enough time to figure out the latch, get through and lock it behind him.
“Got to be quick!” He said out of desperation and panic yet his mind was calm and crafty.
He reached the gate and had about 15 seconds to study it. It was simple enough, just a piece of metal he needed to lift and push. He did what he could and the gate opened just enough to squeeze through. He whipped around just as the German shepherd crashed into the gate. It barked and tried to bite at him but the gate had wire mesh on it to prevent the likes of dogs fitting through the large metal bars. Dial had never been this close and personal with a dog before. He would have found it ugly but was too busy trying to push like a human on the gate.
“CLICK”
Dial kept pushing like his life depended on it but found he could not make it budge any farther. He opened his eyes timidly and the dog was trying get at his neck to rip it apart but could not. Thankfully the gate was there. Dial had fallen onto his side and was not stunned but in a state of disbelief. He had done it…then he heard barking… the other dogs… but he could not tell… what side… He saw the Border collie running with vigor towards his side of the fence. No husky, likely left behind. He had to get up! His only salvation now would be to outrun it with a head start. But there would be no gate… but he had to. It was escape, or die trying.
Then he tried to stand up and felt his body started cracking and his bones felt like they were on fire. Dial panted, his body came alive with pain and exhaustion that he not felt or cared about moments before. Had he been running this whole time and did not feel the pain?
“Aaaaa”, he yelled in agony as the pain intensified from an ache to a throbbing and it was getting worse.
He fell over in pain. The dog had not bit him but his whole body felt like it was breaking apart. He fell back onto his side and his ribs felt like they nearly broke from the impact. It was as if his bones had turned to fragile glass and were cutting at his flesh as they broke and cracked and splintered. With him on the ground the German shepherd tried to get through the gate but it had locked. Seconds, he had escaped buy seconds. His body ached more than it should. What was going on. He felt riddled with pain.
“Oh god it hurts”
He coughed and blood came out, his vision started to get blurry. His body felt numb and his body weakened. Was he dying? How? Why? All he had done was push himself with a difficult run.
“What is happening…to me..”
His body tumbled and he felt his bones popping and he felt like he was coming apart from the inside out. Suddenly the fox hopped out of the bushes.
“YOU! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!”
“Whoa now buddy…calm down…”
Dial went into a half rage state and though he could hardly move he managed to stand up though every bone in his body felt broken.
“TAKE IT EASY! Don’t kill yourself stupid”
“What have you done to me!”
He trembled in pain and whimpered and almost fell over.
“I am not doing a thing, you are doing this to yourself you idiot. Your body is undergoing transformation and that is almost always injuring to living bodies. Your body is trying to shift its shape to defend yourself much like I do but there are rules in the world of the living that limit what can be done. You need to let it happen, you are resisting. You need to relax or you will kill yourself”
The fox then had a moment where a twisted grin came across his face until he looked frustrated…
“Dam it… stupid oath”
“What?!”
“I have to help you… spirit magic… spirit protection… dam it…”
“YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW THIS FEELS!”
“Little one… relax I am here to help.”
“SHUT UP AND HELP ME?” dial was in too much pain to care whatever the hell the fox was babbling about
“Calm yourself down or you will die”
“No…”, dial whispered weakly as his legs gave out.
Dial stumbled and fell over. He yelped in pain as it felt like all of his ribs just shattered into a million pieces. Blood started to come out of his mouth. And then he started to feel dizzy.
He could still hear the dog barking and soon the voices of the other dog joined it.
“No do not resist”, the voice spoke to him but it did not sound like fox at all…
“Things are just getting interesting…”, smirked the fox.
“Let go coyote or you will die… this pain is in your mind…let it go before you tear your body apart. Picture yourself on a cloud in the sky. You are floating high above the ground and are far from your body…” the soothing voice said… it was not foxes voice!?
Dial did not know what else to do… the fox had plans for him so surely it did not want him to die before he fulfilled his favors. How the hell did he know that? He turned to fox for support before his eyes shut completely and he started to black out completely. Dial tried to relax… some of the pain went away… he tried to take a deep breath but felt himself out of air. His body went completely numb and all of the pain stopped. He felt like he was outside of his own body. Why did he feel so very cold? Then the pain returned. Something had bit him hard on his thigh. Then he drifted away into nothingness. And then such rage and anger overtook his mind and he no longer cared. Inside he was at peace in bliss but on the surface he was nothing but an animal.
Category Story / Transformation
Species Coyote
Size 120 x 120px
File Size 30.2 kB
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