The sky was still dark, and the bare trees did little to stop the cold breeze that danced lazily along the ground. The thin layer of snow was wet under our paws as we hopped our way to the fox den. Despite what was to come, I was able to enjoy the fleeting beauty of the snow-covered world.
In the back of my mind, yet with me, Konal paced through my memories and thoughts. He had agreed to help if I bested him in the dream, and what I had done was close enough. I reminded him we were really helping him free his brother. Hopefully, one night of practice working together would be enough.
Russet was quiet. He’d had small tremors all night, in anticipation of taking Seerleaf one last time. No matter how much it was needed, he wasn’t sure if we could bring him back.
At least Sylvia was there for support; a healer was always welcome. She nudged him every time the shakes got too strong, even managed to help him sleep while she held him. Maybe I could have helped, but I had to practice communicating with Konal. Hopefully, she could also help with Fang through Fig.
King Oakbud looked like he was headed to his own execution. Before we left, he had instructed Mulberry and the rest of the warren to gather in the central meeting cavern. Everyone was to eat before dawn, and stay there for the day. Oakbud knew that whoever was killed would be at the confrontation.
We paused briefly while Sylvia smeared Russet with a fox-scent herb. The thought was to hide him until the Seerleaf took full effect. If we knew exactly when the foxes would arrive, he could take it early, but we needed all of them together. We had to make sure before using our one dose.
“Everything’s in place,” I whispered. “I’m sorry to make you do this.”
“If it frees Fang, I can forgive you,” Konal said with my voice. “You really think calling for this Rhizome will help?”
“He’s Death,” I answered. “If anyone can help, surely he can.”
Konal sighed and grunted. “Why did you let me see my pack? Did you really need me to relay that message?”
“It helped make sure they’d be here,” I said, “but seeing them was about understanding. You... We needed to talk to them when they weren’t trying to kill us.”
“You wanted to make sure I wouldn’t turn on you,” Konal said. “You needed to know you could use me.”
I shuddered at that thought. Konal was wrong, but that was something that couldn’t be argued. I’d have to show him. With any luck, I wouldn’t die doing so.
As the first rays of sunlight broke through the tangle of bare tree-branches above us, Russet ducked into the nearby brush, and the rest of us went to meet the foxes.
The cliff stood tall with the open mouth of the den at the bottom and the sick sensation of falling at the top. Hue’s vision was stronger as the fourth day began, almost visible as a shimmer in the air. It made the few spots of pale morning that slowly crept down the cliff feel like the Lord Sun himself was being pulled down.
As the light reached the entrance, the foxes emerged from the shadows. Chimera confidently in front, with Fang and Talus in tight formation behind him. If the cold snow or the vision of falling bothered them, they did not show it.
“Dear Oakbud. All prepared as an offering,” Chimera greeted us. “And our lost pack member. Does this gift mean you’ve changed your mind?”
I steadied my nerves. We only had to keep them talking until Russet could get the Seerleaf to work. “Konal hasn’t decided to join you.”
Chimera paused. He looked at me, through me like a seer, then as happened with Basil, his gaze drifted up. His head tilted with confusion. “Impossible. Konal won.”
“When Konal attacked me in my dreams, his power was only limited by his imagination. Yet, imagination is what gives a storyteller power.” I sat back on my hind legs and turned away, one ear focused on Chimera. “Or it might be that we're working together. How much strength is Basil giving you?”
“Basil is gone!” Chimera snarled.
“Perhaps.” My heart raced and, despite my best efforts, my ears trembled. “You are Chiron’s obsession with the warren, combined with Basil’s hatred at the abuse he suffered. I think he can hear me just fine.”
“I am done with your tricks.” He turned to Fang and ordered, “Kill him.”
Fang winced, ears flat back. His voice wavered, but remained defiant. “I will not kill my brother for you.”
In my mind, Konal called to Fang to stand firm. He wondered if we could succeed.
Chimera snarled, “He is not your brother!”
“And you aren’t Chiron!” Fang barked back.
The smaller fox nipped at Fang. He drew breath for a vision-backed command, but let it out as a sigh. “You need to remember why I am in charge. I will kill him. You find Russet. He must be here.” He snarled at Talus, “You keep the other rabbits from interfering.”
A one-on-one duel wasn’t how prey was hunted. Despite his bravado, Chimera had accidentally conceded I was his equal. Maybe he was expecting things to be over in one bite. Kill me, and have time to finish off everyone else.
Before Chimera turned back to me, I leapt at him.
It was a simple double-kick, both back legs striking the side of his muzzle with all my weight. He didn’t budge and tossed me aside with a flick of his head.
He rushed me before I landed. I jumped back when I got paws on the ground and used a tree behind me to dodge to the side. Unlike Fang, he stopped in time and managed to catch me with a forepaw, spraying a thin line of blood in the snow.
My bond with Konal dulled the pain. We were stronger together, but would it be enough? I tried to get him talking as I backed away, circling the clearing. “Let’s say you win. What happens after the warren is gone? After there’s no more revenge to be had?”
“No more?” Chimera laughed. “Another warren will take us in. We will have such fun thanking them for it.”
He pounced again, only this time I lunged forward. A quick roll got me past his forelegs. On my back, I kicked up at his exposed underbelly. My legs caught flesh and left tiny scratches.
He reared up and swatted at me with his legs. A solid smack sent me rolling again. Battered, and a bit bruised, I managed to get to my feet.
The small fox took a moment to look at the scrapes on his stomach. They weren’t bleeding. He shrugged them off like a fading memory. He walked lazily toward me. “Try again, ghost.”
I backed away, looking around.
Fang was sniffing around trees and in the almost bare brush. I hoped he wasn’t close to Russet.
Talus kept an eye on Oakbud and Sylvia, but her attention was divided. She heard that the cycle of killing rabbits wouldn’t end. Probably had Cinnamon trying to get her to believe it.
Oakbud’s paws were twitching. He wanted to be part of the fight, but the plan was for him to talk to Talus. Sylvia had shrugged her pack off to be ready for a scuffle. It mostly had healing herbs, anyway.
Chimera smiled as he watched my attention split. “Lay down!”
The familiar seer-trick grasped my body. I refused to let it pull me to the ground, but it slowed me down.
Chimera ran for Oakbud and I couldn’t get between them.
To his credit, the king struck Chimera solidly on the nose. A perfectly timed leap that put his entire weight behind his claws. It would have wounded any normal fox, leaving them smelling blood for the rest of the day. Instead, it merely kept him out of Chimera’s jaws.
The fox knocked Oakbud against the base of the cliff with his muzzle. No blood from the king’s strike. He went for another bite.
“No!” Faster than either of us, Talus threw her fox-body around Oakbud.
Chimera had his jaws around her neck before he realized. He recoiled. “Cinnamon!”
“I’m not her!” Talus growled, tears forming in her eyes. “And without honor, you’re not Chiron!”
That gave Konal a rush of hope. With his help, we shrugged off the remnants of Chimera’s seer-trick. If Talus could defy Chimera, then we could hold on a little longer.
“Chimera!” I shouted. “I’m your opponent.”
He growled. “Talus, I am more Chiron than the weakling you knew. We will discuss it later.”
Again, we circled each other slowly. I was stalling for time; Russet had to be almost ready.
“Bremen, their time has passed!” Russet shouted. He ran into the clearing, followed closely by Fang. He took cover behind Sylvia. He explained, “Death says he can’t force them; they have to agree to go!”
Fate’s tangle. That rips our plan’s ears. I had no idea what I was going to do. Chimera was strong. Even though he was the smallest fox, he was much larger than me. And the bond Chiron and Basil had gave them power. But Talus was faster than Chimera, at least when she protected Oakbud. If I could make the pieces fit, there was a scene; a scene where we could beat Chimera.
Chimera stopped circling and laughed. “Then we have time to finish this. None of you interfere.”
I whimpered. Delaying Chimera was one thing, beating him was another. If I couldn’t scratch him with my rabbit claws, I’d need another way. Could Talus defend Oakbud because Cinnamon wanted it? Because they both wanted it? They were stronger with a single goal.
“Basil really hates me that much?” I asked.
“Yes!” Chimera growled. “You have a predator’s soul. I will see it broken.”
“That’s why you chose me,” I said. “To see if Konal could become my fox-soul. To see if we could bond like you.”
Inside me, Konal cursed his lame back-leg. Yet, my legs were fine. I offered them to him.
I leapt forward. Mid-leap, Konal took over, and our fox-jaws snapped at Chimera’s throat. The smaller fox jumped back and raked claws down Konal’s muzzle. Before we got hit again, we shifted back, my rabbit-body easily getting out of the way.
“You might be able to beat me, but you cannot defeat us.” It drained us to change so much, a fatigue that went past tired and into giddy exhaustion. Chimera still wasn’t injured and my muzzle was bleeding. They were shallow cuts; they would heal. Maybe I could get him off balance. “Does Basil have more help to offer?”
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Chimera snarled, “I don’t need–”
We leapt for his legs. I turned sideways as a rabbit, before Konal collided as a fox. We rolled under Chimera, taking out his footing. The two foxes struggled on the ground, tangled together. Chimera raked his legs down our gut before I managed to shift back and bound away.
I gasped for breath as my chest bled. Just a scrape, it was just a scrape.
“Better,” Chimera said as he stood. He ordered, “Bremen, stop.”
The seer-trick sent icy terror up my limbs. Desperate, Konal and I decided. I fought off the fear, let it only infect our rabbit form, while Konal faced him.
Chimera waited for us to change to a fox before surging forward. A second flash of visions struck us, memories of Regent tearing Konal’s leg in front of the other wolves. It slowed Konal enough for Chimera’s sharp teeth to bite our shoulder, tearing fur and flesh.
Konal whimpered, as we were dragged across the wet ground. The jolt was enough to throw off the seer-command, but Konal couldn’t react. The feeling we were dragged by a wolf was too strong.
Yet, I’d been held by a bite before. Still a fox, I curled up and kicked hard with my back legs. My claws cut Chimera. Surprised, he let us go. Konal and I collapsed on the ground; our foreleg refused to move.
“How did you do that?” Konal asked with my voice.
“We had to move.”
Chimera interrupted with a snap at our dangling foreleg. I shifted back to a rabbit and twisted away. One foreleg was enough to steady us; I kicked one of Chimera’s hind legs out from under him. Chimera scrambled to his feet and circled us slowly.
Konal had seen a truth. We were bouncing off of Chimera before. What changed?
“I get it,” Konal said, as we became a fox once more. Konal remembered the strength of the rabbits he saw, of Lily and Sylvia, or Russet facing off against a badger. But mostly, he thought of how easy it had been for me to use a fox’s body. How I changed between rabbit and fox when we fought in the dream-vision.
Our foreleg still dangled limply, and the deep bite still bled, but the pain faded. Chimera and the others watched, waiting for more.
“You led my pack-mates. Got Fang to resist an order; showed Talus how hollow Chimera’s promises are.” Konal moved our foreleg, slowly shifting weight onto it. “You didn’t let me give up on them. When I was paralyzed in Chimera’s jaws you didn’t give up. Even though I thought my back leg was useless, you never thought of me as crippled.”
All four fox-legs were strong; we were healing like Chimera. I had used the lame back-leg to injure him.
Chimera blinked. “Konal?”
“You’re a fool!” He responded. “You’re strong because Basil has your desire to kill rabbits, because you’re both predators. We’re strong because Bremen has the soul of a fox.”
“Basil is dead!” Chimera insisted.
“No,” Konal said. “You bonded because Basil has the same fear of being prey that Chiron does. That’s why Basil needed a new name. That’s why you have to be Chimera.”
“Stop!” Chimera’s order, backed by his visions and fear, did not touch us.
Konal had found the scene I had hoped for; I let him take the stage.
“Our weakness was not from Bremen. He accepted being a fox before we bonded. I was a wolf’s prey once, and I couldn’t face that fear again.” Konal smiled. “I was afraid to be a rabbit, afraid of what that would make me.”
“Talker,” Chimera spat out. “With a prey’s soul.”
Konal took a few steps, legs strong, our injuries forgotten and fading. He laughed as he walked up to Fang and nudged his brother. Then he went to Russet and nudged mine.
“Bremen showed me the spirit of rabbits. That being prey wasn’t to be feared.” Konal moved away from the observers and faced Chimera again. “Today, we are both predator and prey.”
Chimera lunged at Konal. With our back leg strong, we jumped to the side.
Konal continued, “Chiron, if you draw strength from Basil’s desire to be a fox–”
“Shut up!” There was no power behind Chimera’s words, only a panicked objection.
We collided, biting and clawing at each other. Wounds healed as soon as they were inflicted. Chimera was scattered, unable to focus. His attacks still hurt, but he couldn’t toss us around or overpower us with his supernatural strength. Konal and I together matched his ferocity, our bond giving us energy. But our advantage would fade if Chimera recovered from his panic.
Chimera kicked us away, and we shifted to a rabbit to land. He was still too quick. But we had two forms to face him.
Another fast bite. We jumped straight up, the same move I used on Fang that first night. Chimera had seen it before; he had a counter for it. When we landed, our full rabbit weight on his nose, he flung us up like we were nothing.
We leapt off his muzzle, adding our strength to his toss. A rabbit went up, a bound, maybe two straight into the air. We wiggled a little to aim, and let a full-grown fox land on Chimera’s back. Vision-backed strength or not, he collapsed. He struggled, but we had him pinned.
“Go ahead, assume Basil’s form,” Konal growled quietly in his ear. “Squirm out of this. We both know Basil doesn’t want to be a rabbit; the one willing to wear that form is you.”
Chimera whimpered. “I’m a fox.”
“And this is my pack!” Konal howled. “No longer yours. And I say, we go with Death.”
Russet made a sick, choking sound, and collapsed onto all fours. His body shook, and he threw up a dark shadow-substance that swirled as it kept coming out. Sylvia rushed to his side to steady him.
“No!” Chimera’s eyes went wide. He flailed his legs, but couldn’t get away from Konal. “Stop him. Stop him before he’s done!”
Fang took a step forward, but Oakbud delayed him with a solid double-kick in the face. Fang looked unsure and simply lowered his ears in response.
Talus shook her head and stepped protectively in front of Russet and Sylvia. “Fang, I don’t want to lose Chiron, but he’s already gone. I don’t want to lose the pack either, but this has to end. I’m not going to live in rabbit warrens forever.” She sighed and nodded at Oakbud. “And he deserves his daughter back. She’s in such pain... This isn’t right; we all know that.”
Oakbud hop-stepped away from Fang.
My—Konal’s brother looked longingly at Talus. “If Chiron is gone, you could leave with me. We don’t have to die.”
“No,” Talus said. She looked at the ground, ears flat. “I do care about you, but... I can’t.”
“Just a foolish dream.” Fang looked back at Chimera and us. “Brother, you’re with them?” He didn’t wait for a response, just turned and fled into the winter forest.
Without hesitation, Sylvia took off after him. I wanted to follow, but we had to keep Chimera held. Oakbud looked nervously between Talus and Russet.
Russet finally choked out the last of the dark shadow. It swirled and formed into a rabbit form. It–he opened eyes that seemed to glow—as the owls said—red. His voice was a whisper, but sounded like it was spoken directly into my ear. “The missing fox could be a problem. But we should begin.”
Chimera struggled harder, still unable to free himself.
The shadow moved closer. Even in the morning light, it was difficult to see his outline clearly. Lord Sun didn’t seem to care about Death’s form, or perhaps Death was beyond such things. He attempted a warm greeting. “Chiron, it’s time to go.”
“Not like this!” Chimera shook his head and feebly pushed against the ground. “Not the Black Rabbit. Not as prey!”
“Prey?” Death paused, those impossible eyes widened ever so slightly. “I was summoned by a rabbit, it’s no reflection on you.” His form shimmered slowly. His right forepaw started to bleed, turning the same red as his eyes. He grew, forming into an otherwise darkest-black furred fox. “You wanted the Fox with One Red Paw?”
Chimera gaped. He slowly nodded.
Russet forced his body to sit up. Whatever the Seerleaf had done, it looked like Russet had been drained to make it happen. His eyes wouldn’t focus, his movements were stiff, and his ears hung limply. “Sylvia.”
“I’m not here to collect her,” Death said. “Stop pushing yourself. They will be back.” He turned to the rest of us. “Talus, will you go with me?”
Talus managed to find the strength to speak, perhaps aided by Cinnamon. She said to Chimera, “I’m not leaving until I know why. What about this warren was so important? What could possibly be worth all of this pain? This unnatural revenge?”
Chimera tried once again to push us off of him. Finally, he sighed in defeat. “A rabbit, black fur frosted from age with a single white paw. He humiliated me, said he was going to tell me where easier food was, so that I could help the pack.”
White paw?
“He told you a story?”
“Bremen knows very well what he did,” Chimera growled, eyes closed. “He’s one of them.”
Was he crying?
Whitepaw told a story that made Chiron hate the warren and never forgive it, instilled in him such a terror at losing his predator’s soul that he could never be prey again.
I got Konal to let Chimera up. He let me shift back; the white rabbit and storyteller I was faced Chiron. I said calmly, “He made you think you were a rabbit.”
Chiron shuddered from the memory.
“You felt you belonged?”
Chiron whimpered, “Shut up.” He tried one last time to bite me. I didn’t dodge; I didn’t shift back to a fox. There was a gasp from my companions, but Death simply looked on with calm.
I brought a paw up and touched Chiron’s nose. I didn’t budge; my bond with Konal was strong. They had no strength to push me; Basil must hate being a rabbit so strongly that my words had them completely divided.
Shame at being a storyteller flooded me. Konal offered to help, but this was a matter of rabbits. The warren, the foxes; all of it was our fault.
“Whitepaw took advantage of me too; got me to attack Russet,” I said. “Oakbud, I was wrong. A storyteller did bring this to the warren.”
Chiron didn’t pull away. He stood still, strength broken, tears streaming down his cheeks. Our gazes met, and I gave a slight nod. I nudged his muzzle with mine. He shook, then leaned into me. He had not expected forgiveness.
It wasn’t enough, but I explained, “Whitepaw turned me against my brother last winter. He turned you against the warren, but at least you did not hurt those you loved.”
“I bit Talus,” he sobbed. “In the story, Milkweed–I went to the warren. They were so afraid. I couldn’t understand why. I didn’t fit in the runs; I couldn’t remember the escape routes. Then I realized what happened. That moment, all I wanted to do...”
Talus walked up and nosed Chiron, nuzzling along his side.
He growled, “I had to kill all of you. I had to, so I would never feel that way again. Like a... Like a...”
“Talker,” I said. “Chiron, there’s no one else who can do this. I am a storyteller and rabbit. My father was trained by Whitepaw and I was trained by my father. I ask you, forgive us. What Whitepaw did was wrong. From what little I know of him, he did it for his own sense of superiority. He intended for you to torment the warren until your death. Your obsession caused Hue to defend herself and her warren.
“It is not the warren’s fault. Whitepaw did this to you. My kind, storytellers. I will bear his punishment if it will let you move on.”
I leaned back and bared my throat.
My family lives charmed lives. These moments happen perhaps far too often. Chiron could have torn my throat out right there. Death wasn’t there for Russet or Sylvia, but He could have been there for me. It was, once again, the world of storytellers, where everyone was a friend. Perhaps, like Twitch, I would pay a heavy price for having no enemies.
Even Konal understood what that meant. We waited together.
Chiron shook his head in disbelief. He leaned heavily against Talus; the vixen supported him as best she could. I could feel her eyes on me as well. She didn’t know what he’d do. She didn’t want to see what would become of Chiron if he accepted my offer, but she let him choose.
Eventually, Chiron asked, “Why help me?”
“Whitepaw lives in a world where everyone is one of his paws. In my world, everyone is a friend.”
“Even me; you’re actually trying to help me.” Chiron looked at Death then back at me. “But I can’t be helped. I am a Talker. I haven’t been hunting prey. I’ve been murdering friends.”
“You should have told us.” Talus groomed Chiron’s neck lightly. She was crying as well, shame and relief clear on her face. “You should have told me.”
There was a long silence; everyone let the two foxes grieve. I could feel Konal’s divided feelings. Yet, Konal also felt my concern for Chiron. He was confused, but accepted that the young fox he once cared about had returned.
“Will I be punished for what I’ve done?” Chiron took a slow breath and looked at Death. “Will I be reborn as prey? Will I live as a rabbit?”
Death blinked those disturbing red eyes. “It is not my place to judge. Your heart’s desire will be granted, though not as you would have wanted.” He addressed Talus. “And you?”
“Konal, tell Fang I’m sorry.” She nodded to Death. “I’m going with Chiron, whatever he is reborn as.”
“One request,” Chiron said. “Regardless of what comes after, if your form doesn’t matter, then I will go with the Black Rabbit.”
“Very well,” Death said. Another shimmer of darkness and the fox shrunk back into the form of a rabbit. He hopped up to them and touched paws with each. Two translucent foxes flowed from their bodies, leaving Basil and Cinnamon behind. The two fox souls converged in front of Death and vanished into those impossible red eyes.
Basil collapsed into a limp heap while Cinnamon was caught by Oakbud. Chimera was gone. The warren was safe, but things were not finished.