So sorry I haven't updated, I got a new computer…that didn't have Microsoft office so I had to deal with that. I will most definitely continue this story! While watching Markiplier and doing some school work of course. Now, onto the story!
Feyre woke up the next morning to the sound of barking. It almost sounded like a dog, but lighter, and came out in sharp yips. It would bark three times, before going silent for a few seconds, and then went barking again. The High Fae sat up, getting up quietly, not wanting to wake up the other sleeping fae beside her. Looking out the window, she didn't see the owner of the parking, however it sounded like it came from the front of the estate, though far away, as if it was still in the forest. She turned around, deciding to wait until Tamlin was awake to investigate. When she turned around however, Tamlin's green eyes were staring straight at her and she jumped. "Something wrong?" he asked. Feyre sighed. "I don't know. I woke up to this barking sound, and I looked out to see what it was." Of course, when Tamlin woke up, the barking stopped. Tamlin sat up, stretching as he did so. "Well, after breakfast, we can go look." He said, smiling a little at her. Feyre smiled back, and then went to her wardrobe, getting ready to change for the day.
Tamlin kept true to his word, and after breakfast, took Feyre outside to look for the sound. She heard the barking clearer outside and followed it, going to the back of the estate as she suspected. The barking was getting louder, but then went silent as soon as she got close to it. She tilted her head, looking through the trees but finding nothing. "Am I going mad?" she muttered to herself. Turning around, she froze when she heard the bushes rustle. Tamlin braced himself for whatever as going to appear. Slowly crawling out of the bushes was a fox…or so Feyre had thought. It was slightly bigger, and did look like a fox, except for the feathers. Its pelt was solid black, with a silvery underbelly. The feathers it had were deep gray, with stripes that looked like they belonged to a hawk. The feathers were larger and grew out behind the fox's forefeet and on the top of its tail. The forefeet also were shaped like a canine, but had the skin of the feet of a bird-of-prey, as well as the talons of one. Glowing golden eyes looked up at her, and the strange fox let out a whine. It limped toward her, dragging its left hind leg. Feyre knelt down. "Tamlin, what kind of fox is this?" she asked. Tamlin shook his head. "Even before the evil came, I've never seen a fox like this before." He walked up and knelt down beside her. Feyre gently picked up the fox, examining its leg. "I guess something attacked it." She said. The fox's tail swayed and nuzzled her chin, licking her a little. Tamlin looked at its wound. "That's quite a large bite." He stood up. "I'm going on patrol; whatever could've attacked it could still be out there." Feyre nodded, standing up as well. "Be careful." She said, giving a smile. Tamlin smiled back and gave her a soft kiss on her lips. "I will." With that, he left.
Feyre sat in the great room, watching the fox sleep on a pillow. With help from Alis, they were able to bind the wounded leg. She couldn't help but stare at the adorable creature, smiling as its ear twitched, gave a yawn, and rolled onto its back, throwing its feet up in the air. "Like a tiny dog…" she mused. As if responding to her, the fox woke up, and then padded up to her. Feyre noticed a silver ribbon wrapped around its neck, wondering why she hadn't seen it earlier. Kneeling down, she also found a small metal tag, with a name on it.
MEEKO
Feyre smiled. "So you're a boy." She mused. Meeko barked in response. She laughed, scratching his ears. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Meeko." Meeko nuzzled her hand, begging for more pets, before stiffening, his ears perked. The black fox bolted from her, running straight for the door. His paws scrabbled for it, and he whined loudly, circling a little before pawing again. Feyre approached, then opened the door. Immediately, she was hit with a blast of dark energy, and she gasped, holding the door to keep from being blown away. When it was gone, Meeko ran out, running surprisingly fast despite his injured leg. A feeling of dread washed over Feyre, for Tamlin. Something definitely wasn't right. Meeko waited for her at the tree line, giving a short bark as if telling her to hurry up. Shutting the door, she followed after him into a run. Meeko ran ahead of her and together they plunged into the forest.
Tamlin cursed as he was thrown against a tree. In front of him stood a large serpentine creature, with three heads. They hissed at him, moving their heads in different patterns to confuse him. The creature was bigger than a horse, and capable of swallowing a man whole. Blood dripped down the side of Tamlins head, the cut already starting to close up. He stood up, brandishing his claws. When he did so, the heads darted forward, smashing into the bark of the tree. The bark cracked, and parts of it fell off. Tamlin barely dodged the attack. Although the creature had three heads, it made up for it with its speed. Tamlin had landed a few scratches on the creature, but its hide was tough, and it barely affected the creature…merely managing to piss it off. He was about to lung for it again, but hesitated when he heard someone running in the woods. His face paled when he saw Feyre appear before him, Meeko leading the way. "Feyre?! What are you doing here?" He asked, but didn't hear her answer as he dodged another strike. Feyre took cover behind a tree, cursing herself for not bringing a weapon. The serpent moved forward, getting ready to strike the same tree, before it stopped, a howling sound filling in the silence. Meeko was behind it, howling loudly that it could be heard throughout the whole forest. Whirling its three heads around, the serpent slowly approached Meeko, stalking it's pray. Meeko stopped howling, and stared the serpent down. He then bolted from his position, charging straight towards the center head of the serpent. He leaped, landing on the head, biting and clawing. The head screeched, and the other two reared their disgusting heads, going to strike. They missed when Meeko leaped up and over the vile creature. Meeko whirled around, darting forward again and leaping, however, one of the heads caught him in its jaws, shook him a little, and then threw him against a tree. Meeko let out a strangled yelp, trying to get up, but he seemed to hurt his leg again, and he fell back down. The serpent went back to the two fae, slithering forward, forked tongues flicking forward. Tamlin held his breath, looking at Feyre. He was about to leap forward, when he felt the ground vibrate with heavy but silent steps. Relief washed over him when he thought that Lucien had come to help.
But it wasn't Lucien.
Instead, it was two large foxes, the size of horses. They had deep red fur colors, with solid black paws that turned into a swirl design the closer they got to the shoulders. Nine, long tails flowed from behind them. The one closest to him let out a loud bark, making the ground shake. Its ears pinned, it charged at the serpent, taking one head in its jaws, and placing one paw on the center head, pinning it to the ground. The second fox grabbed the last head, also pinning the center head with a paw. It was then the foxes began to pull, making the creature scream. The screams got louder the more they pulled, then gave a final shriek as the heads were ripped from the body. Black blood sprayed everywhere as the body writhed and flailed before going still. Tamlin looked around the tree, cautiously coming out from behind it. Feyre did the same. Staring at the large, nine-tailed foxes, Tamlin approached before he froze, seeing that two beings were riding them. His jaw dropped as he was met with smirks.
Furosia and Allysia.
"Ha-ha! You should see the look on your face!" Furosia laughed, pointing at Tamlin. Feyre approached. "What…" she didn't even have any words, she was rendered speechless. Allysia spoke. "Why don't we chat somewhere nicer?" They moved to the top of a nearby hill, Meeko lying down in between Furosia and Allysia. "I'll start." Furosia said. "We're from a continent to the east. There we have different courts and creatures here. An example of them would be these lovely beasts you see before you." She explained. Allysia then took over. "These large foxes are called Kitsunes. They're used as mounts, primarily for hunting and fighting. They're also said to be good luck and are faster than horses." One of the Kitsunes lifted its head and gave a short bark, as if confirming the statement. The other yawned, revealing rows of sharp teeth. Feyre pointed slightly at Meeko. "And what is Meeko?" she asked. Furosia smiled. "He's an Enfield. They're kept as pets most of the time, but they provide great traveling companions and hunters." She explained. Feyre nodded, staring at him. Tamlin spoke this time. "Thank you for coming to help us."
"Don't thank us, thank Meeko."
"You're right, Meeko was quite helpful. I'm assuming it's you two he called for?"
"That's correct."
Furosia smiled at him, then stood up, mounting her kitsune, with Allysia doing the same. Meeko jumped up on Allysia's kitsune, settling himself in front of her. "Well, we'll be off now. Good day!" they both said simultaneously, then bounded off.
Feyre walked back with Tamlin in silence. She could feel the anger radiating off of him, and it wasn't because of the tricksters. "Why did you stumble blinding into the forest like an idiot?" he asked, hissing through his teeth. She put her hands on her hips. "Because you were in trouble!"
"You came unarmed!"
"It was the spur of the moment!"
"You could've died."
Feyre flinched, then looked away. She didn't know she had hurt him that bad. Taking a deep breath, she spoke. "I'm sorry for making you worry, but you worried me too, so I had to come. I could feel that things evil energy from the manor." She explained. Tamlin was silent, before he looked at her. "It's alright." He said softly. She smiled at him before she asked, "What was that thing?" Tamlin snarled, his lip curling in disgust. "A hydra, nasty things to kill. It's hard to kill them because you have to rip off their heads at the same time. If not, they just grow back." He explained. Feyre shivered in disgust, the image of the writhing hydra body playing in her mind. "Well, I'm glad it's gone." Tamlin murmured his agreement. They sat in a comfortable silence the rest of the way, soon coming home. A strange presence met them, and Tamlin snarled again. "By the Cauldron, not him…" Feyre looked at the door, and her stomach dropped. A familiar figure, clothed all in black, his long black hair pulled back a little, met her gaze with a purple one.
Rhysand.
HAHAHAHA! Sorry, I had to do that. Rhysand is my second favorite character from the book, with Lucien taking the top spot, and Tamlin taking the third, so I had to let him in at some point. Besides, it was part of the book so I didn't want to leave it out…
So what shall happen next? You'll have to wait to find out! Until next time peeps!
