Trust. No. One.

I remember this feeling. My body is numb. I can't move any limbs but I'm aware that they are there and what's around me. I can't see clearly. Everything is covered in a haze as my eyes try to adjust to what's going on. It reminds me of the hunting lodge where they kept me drugged for a time to keep me from using my abilities.

This feels much different though. I'm more… aware of what's going on around me. I hear talking. I can feel what's under me shifting around. I'm in a vehicle. Did the person who met me in the driveway have one? I don't remember seeing it. Was he the one who did this to me?

I close my eyes to try and listen. Everything sounds like it's underwater but the voices are there. I pick out a few sentences here and there.

"Don't you think this was too easy?"

"We're going to be treated like kings for this!"

"Remember, we are doing this for the world."

I can't piece together everything or what they're talking about. They're just excited about something while being nervous about another. I roll forward as we come to a stop. The doors open and slam shut. The door next to me opens as I feel someone grabbing at me. They run around trying to drag me out of the vehicle. I'm dropped, I'm rolled, and treated with no respect. I have no way to fight back. I have no way to voice up. I also have no idea what they are doing!

I'm propped in a corner as they discuss something. I'm going to have to do something. At the hunting lodge, they gave me something that brought me back into some functional state. I don't think these folks want that.

Someone comes up and grabs my face, looking into my eyes. The grey fur is blurry but I can tell it's another rat like the others. The smeared colors made it hard to see details, I could see the grin on his face and the excitement he had at seeing me. Their intentions came through as he shouted to the others, "We have found him! We can end him and his destruction here!"

There's a roar of screaming and cheering as his words reach their ears. I hear clamoring and violent excitement. The yelling only increases as I feel myself being dragged. The environment changes. I go from inside to somewhere outside. What little I can see tells me this is a courtyard. I'm dropped again while so many faces pass by me. Everyone wants to get a look before something happens.

The call comes from the rat that seemed to be in charge, "Grab him and get him steaked!" I'm jostled and thrown around. Something heavy hits me from behind. My arms are twisted around and strapped to something hard and sturdy. I have no control over what's going on with me. I can feel my spine moving in ways it shouldn't as I'm shuffled around again. I'm leaving the ground as the strain on my shoulders increases.

Something begins to burn my nose. A smell that I recognize from day-to-day life. It's gasoline. The fumes don't help with the spinning of my head. The smell of gas is quickly replaced by the smell of smoke. There's a flare of light underneath me that begins to slowly grow.

Once voice rings out above the others quickly hushing the rest to just his, "Today! We bring a demon to its demise! The impending destruction that this fox would bring will be avoided and we are the first to bring him to judgment!" There's yelling and celebration from the many blurs in a crowd gathered around me.

One thing I have learned in the year is that I've been dealing with this magic inside of me. Adrenaline is one hell of a drug. And when that gets pumping, and it gets amplified, it's almost as if nothing else can touch me. The blurry vision fades. My hearing and senses begin to come back. My body is forcing the drug to be suppressed. This is the absolute basic instinct of any animal. Survival.

I can feel the heat from the fire reaching my face. The bottom of my feet are feeling the heat but with my head clearing up, I have no fear. Fire is a basic element. As basic as it can get. And one of the first that I learned about. I focused hard on this element because it can be so destructive. Absolute control of force and power was a must. I could not use it carelessly. It could harm others. I could harm myself. My understanding of it runs so deep that I don't have to focus. It's almost instinct.

The fire begins to die down. Their leader takes note and throws more gasoline on the fire but it seems to be dousing it like water. The cheering goes to silence as I chuckle. I'm strung up. I'm barely hanging on to this piece of wood they strapped me to. They think I'm helpless but they don't know.

The boat. The feeling of helplessness as I started sinking into the darkness of the cold ocean. It was death for me. A feeling that I remember deeply. A feeling that my body remembers so vividly that even the slightest touch or fear activates a response. I will not die here because I cannot die here. I will not allow it.

The crowd comes to an absolute silence as I look up at their faces. Clear as day, they're all there. They came to see retribution. "Do you think this is enough?" No one answers me. "Do you! Know! What I have been through?! This! Is! Nothing!" The boom in my voice causes them to step back. I can see their celebration turned to fear. "You all came here to destroy me but you have no idea what you are up against."

The flames that were suppressed rage again. The heat bellows outwards to the crowd as they try to clamor away. No one will make it though. They gave me the ammunition I needed. They set themselves up for this. They were their own downfall! The fire rages through the courtyard quickly filling the hallways to give chase to those that made it that far. The screams echo but go quiet as their own attempt to kill me backfires. The grass is charred. The stone is blackened with ash. But I'm free once again. Their "church" shouldn't be left standing. It's like the lodge. A symbol of something wrong in this world.

I walk around the halls to examine the place. I can only imagine that this isn't the only place like this. They seemed far too enthusiastic to just be limited to one gathering. My bare feet echo off the stone as I move around. They really did treat this place like a religious center. There are symbols everywhere. They have books on mythology specifically focused on many different mythical creatures but the bulk of it is on the history of the nine-tailed fox. Or at least as much as they could find. There still isn't a lot there.

They have their own books of scripture and doctrine. A quick browse through it confirms my worst fears. From what their leader said, they believe that I am a creature that will bring about destruction and ruin wherever I go and whatever I touch. Their belief is that they are chosen to kill me. They end my life to stop the destruction with the end goal of crushing the spirit itself to stop the cycle. What cycle? The inheritance of the power I have?

It's an interesting idea. I know that there can only be one nine-tailed fox at a time so it's been theorized that the power is passed on, so to speak. I'm not sure how that works. Maybe I'll get to find out one day. My mind focuses back on the task at hand. These maniacs tried to burn me alive. I don't think there are any left. Something as important to them would have brought all of them to that one area. I send out one large ping to check the area. There are no persons in the building. Everything looks clear except there is someone downstairs.

There's a set of stairs that lead to a rather small storage space under the building. There are boxes and racks of just stuff laid out. I'm more interested in the person that's down here. It's in a corner near the back where they have a metal cage bolted to the foundation and the brick wall. The lock is easy to bust open. It's just solid metal that breaks like glass if you know how. The door swings outward. The person inside reacts to the noise as she curls up in a ball, "Please, just leave me be."

I look around one more time. No one else is here. It's just us. I lean down to get to her level, "I"m not with them. Let's get you out of here." She's incredibly reluctant to come towards me so I'll have to go to her. I put one paw on her. The slight touch has her recoil in fear and whine. "No, I'm here to get you out." She whimpers as she hides her face, "Just leave me be. I don't know anything." I have to get her out of here.

She fights me but she's weak. I'm able to pick her up in my arms. She tries to kick and scream but she doesn't have the strength to commit to it. I don't have to wrestle her hard to get her upstairs and into the light. She grabs onto the little bit of cloth that covers her face as she starts to cry out. "Just leave me alone!"

"I'm not going to hurt you."

I put my paws on hers as she holds the cloth tight. I don't grab, I don't tighten. Just a soft touch to let her know I'm there. Her grip loosens as she begins to realize that I am not a threat to her. "Are you ok? What happened here?" She cries and sniffles but is giving me answers, "They kidnapped me and held me here thinking I knew something."

"Are you hurt? Can I help you?"

I get a hold of the cloth over her face pulling it back. She's a red fox, like me. She's young, she looks tired, and she kind of looks like… "Anne?" Her eyes widen at her name. Her breathing comes to a shocked stop as she locks eyes with me. There's a moment of panic as she tries to process what's happened. The moment passes as she realizes who she's looking at. The tears well up in her eyes as the stress is relieved. "Red…"

She falls forward into my arms grabbing onto me. "I'm… So glad to see you." Her body shakes from her trying to choke out the words. There's a lot to process here. I have far too many questions that need to be answered. I will deal with that in due time. She needs a moment o rest and recover. She's been through the wringer.

Her clothes are dirty and worn. She looks as though they tortured her but didn't beat her. They tried to strain her mind rather than her body. That doesn't mean she's any worse for wear. She needs a break. Maybe something to eat. There has to be something in this place. If there were so many fanatics around they would have had to have something or somewhere to meet and feast. I send out a ping to try and find such a place. I can locate a kitchen and off of that is a large dining area. It's on the other side of this weird building. "Anne, follow me. We'll get you something to eat."

"Please be careful. They're all over the place."

"No, no they aren't. Not anymore anyway."

One more ping confirms that the only ones here are us. I escort us to the kitchen area where they have cans of food stored away. They have a lot more materials for cooking but I don't want to right now. I need something quick for Anne. Just something warm and quick. There's a selection of quick soups that should work. That will be a nice comfort food that will make sure she starts recovering the missing nutrition.

It doesn't take long before I come back with a warm bowl for her. I drop a spoon into it, placing it on the table in front of her. "Take a seat, relax, and get some food in you." She just nods as she blows on the steam coming off of it. I take a seat to just keep an eye on her. There are so many questions that I need to ask. Now is just not the time.

The soup disappears along with some of the worries. She's starting to take it easy. She looks ragged. Well, I'm sure I didn't look my best when I was trapped in a basement by a bunch of freaks.

I break. I have to ask what she's doing here. The odds of us running into one another is astronomical. "Anne, I have to ask. How did you end up here?" It didn't seem to set her off or make her uncomfortable. She answered with authority and purpose, "I was assisting Madam Odette is looking for you. More specifically, I was acting as a personal assistant in keeping information and notes."

That was not the answer that I was expecting. Wait! If she was assisting Madam Odette then… Where is Madam Odette? "Anne, where is Madam Odette?" That was the question that made this hard. She interlocked her fingers as she looked down. "I… Don't know. They picked us up off of the street and separated us shortly after. I thought she would have been here but just in a different holding area."

I release one massive ping searching the entire area with fine detail. There are many different areas that are underground but there is no one else left. It's just Anne and me here. "Anne, are you able to get back to the manor? I'm going to search for Madam Odette but this has clearly crossed a line into danger that you should not be a part of."

"I refuse."

That caught me off guard, "Excuse me?"

"I promised Madam Odette that I would help her find you no matter what we had to deal with. I will fulfill my duty! To her and you!"

She's a strange one. But she's determined! And I get it. I've done a lot for that woman that I would not have done for anyone else. Plus, if Anne was taken along with Madam Odette, then I know that she would like to know that Anne is OK. I'll relent this time. I'll let her have her way but she's going to keep her role as an assistant but now to me. She'll help me with tracing the steps they took to get here and hopefully we'll cross some information that will lead us to Madam Odette.

The hunt is on!