1 New Home (1)

Whoever said that life for animals is easy must have never been one, Iris was sure of that. She sat on her haunches next to some alleyway, staring at the passing cars with longing. And the shop windows. And the passers-by.

None of them knew just how lucky they were. Just this morning, she had went to college, listened to the boring lectures, just like every other person her age. And yet here she was now, sitting on the dirty pavement as a baby fox.

Unresigned to such a fate, she bit at her side, trying to wake herself up, but this only left her with a fluff filled mouth. While coughing to clear her throat, she returned her eyes to the street.

The questions of what the hell happened, how she could have possibly ended up as a fox nagged at her mind, but there was a more pressing issue at hand - she was hungry! Since morning, she hadn't had a bite to eat, and it was late afternoon now.

As if to emphasize her point, her stomach rumbled.

'No, no, no, I'm not starving no matter what form I have!' she swore to herself, then stood up with resolution. Since she was a cute little fox, someone would surely pity her and get her some food. There was no way anyone could resist her charm of a fluffball.

However, reality is cruel. The moment she walked out, she had to weave around people for dear life. Everyone was rushing while talking on phones, not caring where they were stepping. One person stepped on her tail, and just as she yelped in pain, another kicked her to the side.

"Dirty animal, what's it doing here," he muttered, glaring at Iris' crumpled form.

'Dirty? Me? You stuck up bastard, animal hater, I'll call PETA on you!' Iris shouted back, her temper rising. In her fury, she even forgot the pain, screeching at the man as loud as she could.

But he didn't pay any attention to her besides throwing her a disgusted look. Instead, many others on the street looked over, and Iris suddenly didn't feel that good anymore. Were they going to call someone on her? Lock her up in a cage in an animal shelter?

That thought spurred her into action. She dived into the small street behind her, disappearing from everyone's sight. Without care, she ran as far as her little legs would take her, stopping only when they gave out from exhaustion.

'What to do now? I'm so hungry… And this body is so small, can it even survive a day without food?' While lying on her side, she wondered about her future an if this was divine punishment. 'Is this due to something I did in my previous life? Or some curse my great great grandparents brought upon their descendants? It can't be for my life now, it's so average you'd find my picture in the dictionary when looking up that word.'

A shadow suddenly covered Iris. She looked up, still panting, to see a huge creature towering over her. Before she could understand what it wanted, it bent down and picked her up by the scruff.

'Hey!' she shouted out, flailing wildly, trying to reach her oppressor's hand or face, but the kid seemed smart enough to keep her at arm's reach.

The kid turned her one way, then another before nodding to himself. "Yeah, think Kevin will like you. He enjoys betting on losers."

That didn't sound like anything good, so Iris tried to escape even harder, but her limbs were just too short! The kid even took the time to mock her for it, bringing her close to his face to smile creepily.

He was too close, and his breath stank. This was too much. Iris screeched out at the top of her lungs, startling her opponent, then shifted to seriously attacking him with her claws.

Before this, she'd been trying to act like a normal fox, but the situation had escalated. The kid was disgusting, and based on his smile, he wasn't bringing her anywhere good. The faster she escaped, the better her chances to survive would be.

The kid screeched back at her, then flung her at the nearby wall. "You stinking piece of—" he begun, advancing toward her with a slightly scratched hand. Iris tried to get up, but her body didn't have the energy anymore.

She wasn't her real self now, after all, but just a little fox, and baby animals weren't meant to be thrown about. It was already a surprise that she was still alive.

Not for long though, judging by the gleam in the kid's eyes. He was seriously furious, ready to tear her apart right there and then.

"What's going on here?" a voice suddenly asked.

Iris looked up, and for a moment, she was mesmerized. Barely a couple meters away stood a man washed in the light of the setting sun. With a cold expression on his chiseled features, he looked like an angel of judgment.