An ever-changing idyll of trees and meadows passed by just outside of the two windows that still allowed me to feel a certain level of security and freedom. The carriage was traveling too fast as if I could flee, though there was neither a lock nor bars preventing me from trying it regardless.
I had thought about it dozens of times. With just a little jump I would escape out of the carriage and flee into the underwood, should there be a small forest anywhere nearby. Before they even realized what happened, I would already be gone for good!
But what would I do after that? Hide in the forests like I had done the last week? That didn't work out. I still had a little of the meat in the Itembox left, but that didn't mean I would be fine. I would still feel cold whenever I dare to crawl out from under my warming dress. Even if I could somehow defeat the cold, there was still an unknown number of foes lurking around.
No, I had no chance to let them do their thing for now. Or at least play the good girl until I was saved or at least had found out what it was that the wanted from me.
I had never met the king nor any other noblemen, so I couldn't even guess what all of this was about. There was only one piece of information I could work with: they had identified me as 'Rika the Foxkin' rather than just 'Rika'. So it obviously had to do something with the body Shiro had forced onto me.
Ofris and Risa had told me about how the fox tribe had been exterminated in a war between the elves and the beastkin, for they had sided with the elves and thus had been considered traitors by the other tribes. But how did that piece of information connect me and the king? I didn't know a single thing about the Foxkin, aside of them having looked just like me.
«What do they want from me?»
Nobody would answer this question of mine. The two guards had just asked me or rather demanded that I would come with them, and the driver of the carriage had failed to say a single word yet.
Now I was alone in this prison, or rather without any human companion to keep me entertained. There was still that little summon of mine, but it was sleeping on my lap without giving a single care about anything surrounding it.
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Ever since I had seen the fox the first time, it had been like this: unmoving and soft, making it more of a pillow instead of a living and breathing animal. If it wasn't for it being a magical being I had long since tried to wake it up, even if it meant using force. But the way it was it wouldn't starve to death or die of thirst, ever.
«At least I am not alone...»
Naturally, I would have traded the fox's company with Ofris at any given day. With him at his side, I would feel far more secure. Not because he would protect me, but because he would at least know what is going on. I could speak his language due to some weird coincidence or the vixen's manipulating my memory, but there was no way for me to read their letters.
Without him protecting me from the back, they could easily make me sign some kind of contract without me ever finding out what it is about before it is too late. Or I could accidentally offend the king by not knowing the correct etiquette used for speaking to him.
Ofris had tried to accompany me, he had talked to the men for many minutes, using arguments and even threats, but they simply didn't allow him to get on the carriage with me no matter what he said. In the end, he could only watch me be stolen away.
I would forever remember his eyes. There had been shock and disbelief hidden in his gaze, but also anger and a deep despair. He had shouted after me, promising to find me in the capital, but obviously he would arrive far too late.
By the time he would be in the castle or palace, these men could already have tricked me, betrayed me, enslaved or even killed me. He wouldn't be able to save anything, no matter how hard he wished to. There wasn't even a way to say whether they would really bring me to their king or not. They could be criminals, too!
No, I couldn't risk that. I wouldn't give them the chance to abuse me! This was my life. How could I accept ending up as a slave or a mere tool for power?!
«I will show them!»
⊱————- Extra ————-⊰
Adlo: So scary!
Todi: Man totally mad! He hitting me with log! Who hits with log?!
Bado: Where Truba?
Todi: Truba dead! Man hit him with Roda!
Bado: Roda?
Todi: Man swung Roda like club!
Todi: Roda dead, Truba dead, Ordu dead,...
Adlo: Man killed them all! All dead!
Bado: Man scary! Man so scary!
Adlo: But wife so nice!
Todi: Wife the best!
Bado: Wife so good!