Harlan lingered a little longer, not wanting to disturb the sleeping phoenix foxes, knowing they likely hadn’t had proper rest in a while. Eventually, the rumble of his stomach reminded him that in the rush to care for the pup, he hadn’t eaten in nearly a day.

He gently placed the pup next to its father and struggled to rise, his body letting him know that he was far too seasoned to be sleeping rough. After a minute of awkward maneuvering and grunts, he finally stood, slowly stretching his stiff limbs to ease the sleep induced injuries. He limped over to where Pudding was snoring loudly, sprawled out on his side with his tongue hanging out.

“Oh, great and noble steed, move your fat butt so I can get some breakfast,” Harlan grumbled as he tugged at the saddlebag. Pudding responded with a snort of annoyance, shifting just enough to let the bag be pulled free before returning to his slumber.

“Much appreciated,” Harlan muttered.

He pulled out a piece of hardtack and a canteen. Normally, it wasn’t an appetizing breakfast, but hunger had a way of making anything taste better. As he stood eating, he realized he’d lost sight of the Mothman. Not seeing him, Harlan walked to the other side of the tree. Not seeing Frank there, he turn back only to bump into Frank’s wet, furry chest.

“You’re gonna give me a heart attack, Frank,” Harlan said, recovering from the shock. “And why are you wet?”

“Ggrgrggrggr,” Frank replied, holding up three largemouth bass and a flathead catfish.

“Well, damn, those are a sight for a starving stomach. Let’s get 'em cooking.”

Harlan gathered fallen branches and twigs from the massive tree they were under, arranging them into a simple teepee fire lay. His hobbling about woke the elder phoenix fox, who watched with curiosity. Harlan pulled out a flint and steel along with a small patch of char cloth, trying to start a fire. He set about trying to start a fire. Placing the char cloth on top of his flint in order to catch any sparks, he began to strike the flint with the steel. This drew the attention of the phoenix fox who tilted his head in curiosity before looking to Frank for an explanation.

“Ggrgrggrg rgrgrggrg” explain Frank

Just as Harlan managed to get an ember to catch on his char cloth, the phoenix fox approached the stack of wood and, with what could only be described as look of pity, spat some fire causing the wood to ignite.

“Hmpf, showoff,” Harlan muttered, holding his smoldering char cloth.

Using a short Bowie knife, he scaled and gutted the fish, skewering them on a sturdy branch before driving the other end into the ground so they were suspended over the fire. He placed small rocks around the sticks to stabilize them and adjust the height, ensuring the fish would cook evenly without burning.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Both Frank and the fox watched the fish intently. While waiting, Harlan poured some sheep's milk in the bottle and, noticing how cold the can had kept it, held it close to the fire, rotating it slowly to warm the milk. When the pup began to stir, Harlan picked it up, and it immediately started mouthing looking to feed. Harlan sat back against the tree roots as the pup eagerly gulped down the milk. The tiny creature’s newfound strength gave Harlan hope that he might actually succeed in caring for it.

The smell of cooking fish pulled him from his thoughts, and he walked over to the fire, placing the pup nearby to benefit from the warmth. The adult fox moved closer, gently grooming the pup with a mix of caution and uncertainty, still worried about harming it.

As Harlan checked the fish, he found himself empathizing with the fox, despite having no children of his own.

“Say, uhhh, Frank. Forgive my ignorance about beasts that only existed in legend until yesterday, but I didn’t think phoenix foxes would need offspring, what with the whole reborn-through-fire thing. Wouldn’t that make them immortal?”

“Grgrgrggrgrg, grgr grgrgr, ggrgrggrgrggr,” Frank explained.

“You don’t say? Ten lifetimes to form a bond and eventually have a pup. No wonder they’re so rare people think they don’t exist.”

Harlan placed two of the cooked fish in front of the elder phoenix fox, who devoured them immediately. He kept one for himself and offered the last one to Frank.

“Grgg.”

“Oh, right, no teeth. More for me, I guess.”

Pulling up a log to sit on, Harlan tucked into his fish breakfast. The only sounds were the crackle of the fire, the phoenix fox’s chewing, and the distant rumble of the Blackwater River. Despite having breakfast with a herald of calamity and an immortal, legendary beast, Harlan felt at ease. For now, his only concern was survival, both his and that of his eclectic group, and that was far less stressful than enforcing the law in a town full of people who believed the law didn’t apply to them.

Throughout the day, Harlan repeatedly filled the bottle with milk, warmed it, and fed the pup. Each time, he was sure he saw more life returning to the tiny creature, though the pessimist in him cautioned that he might just be imagining it.

After a few rounds of feeding the fire and tending to the pup, the phoenix fox began to understand what Harlan was doing and started helping out by drapping wood over to the fire. Frank would occasionally fly off to hunt or fish, returning with prey to be cooked. They eventually settled into a routine: Harlan feeding the pup, the phoenix fox feeding the fire, and Frank feeding them all.

On the morning of the third day, Harlan was woken by something wet repeatedly touching his face and scruffy gray beard. As the fog of sleep lifted, he looked down to see the deep amber eyes of the pup gazing up at him for the first time.

Harlan nearly jumped with excitement but was held back by his stiff body and the pup in his arms.

“Hey! HEY! Come look, the pup’s awake!”

Harlan’s shout woke the elder phoenix fox, who immediately spotted the now-awake pup and leapt over to nuzzle it. Between nuzzles, the fox let out joyful howls and began licking Harlan’s face as well.

Harlan raised a hand to fend off the licking. “Yeah, alright, big guy, alright.”

Still full of excited energy, the phoenix fox darted back and forth, as if looking for someone else to share the news with. After a few seconds, it froze, dropping its head as if a wave of sadness had overcome it.

Harlan realised that in his excitement the pheonix fox had been looking for his abducted mate “We'll find her, I promise. We’ll get the little fella up to strength, and then we’ll find her. You have my word.”

The phoenix fox looked at Harlan, then walked over and pressed their heads together. The pup joined in, pressing its head against Harlan’s as well.

When they pulled away, Harlan was startled to see glowing letters appear in front of his face:

“Congratulations, you have bonded with [Phoenix Fox] and [Phoenix Fox Pup].”

“You are now a level 1 [Beast Master].”