Chapter 10

The three animals were following Darwin along the road, which goes out of the village they were before. Rocky sniffed on the ground, they were walking and in front of him walked the two tomato foxes and the black and gray raccoon.

"Sicily goes this road away," Told Darwin pointing at a white sign with the cities' name on it, including the kilometers it takes to there. "

"40km doesn't seem that far" Said Rocky looking at it.

"By car, it's faster, than by foot," Told Nathaniel. "That's usually told how long it is for cars?"

"The length is for everything the same, but the time isn't" Corrected Darwin. "A car can maybe take an hour, while we take like eight or a day"

"The other day before, we were taken by that human into that jail to fight other dogs by car," Told Lila. "We didn't see, where we came from"

"Right, right"

"That will be a long walk," Said Nathaniel looking at the others.

"Aww are you afraid?" Asked Lila teasingly.

"No, no of course not," Said Nathaniel walking forwards leaving the others back. "Come one, the soon we go the faster, we arrive"

"We see, how long it will take" Told Lila the other two gray animals, walking behind Nathaniel.

"I know many places, where we can eat or rest" Told Darwin following the foxes along with Rocky.

"That's great" Replied Lila. "The last place we didn't find anything eatable"

"You're the wild expert, aren't you to know that?" Asked Nathaniel.

"I owe you a diner if you find first food before me" Added Lila pushing him to the side with her back.

"And if not I owe you….uh..."

"Stop flirting you two" Demanded Rocky, making Darwin laugh,

"We aren't flirting!" Responded Nathaniel. "Do foxes flirt like this?" Asked Nathaniel looking at Lila, which shook her head.

"Definitely domesticated"

"Okay, okay...what do they do then?" Asked Nathaniel. "How do they get a mate?"

"Well the female screams for a few times, until the male answers with another scream"

"That sounds ridiculous" Replied Nathaniel.

"You're laughing at your own kind"

"I wasn't laughing, I said it was just weird."

"And what happens next then?" Asked Rocky.

"We mate and some months later we get our first kits and raise them,"

"Wait if one day a vixen screams around, she's looking for a mate?" Asked Nathaniel.

"Can you two talk about this another time?" Asked Darwin. "I'm getting sick of this conversation"

"We haven't even reached that far with it," Told the vixen looking back at the male raccoon.

"I know, but It's plain weird to talk about it"

Marinette sat on a couch searching through the internet for something. She sighed and pressed the home button of her smartphone, activating a software on her phone, which started to talk to her.

"Hello Marinette, what can I do for you?"

"Hello Siri, my best friend died. I need help"

"What's the name of your friend?" Asked the smartphone's software.

"Nathaniel Kurtzberg" Responded Marinette.

"I can't find Daniel Kurtzbörg in your contacts. Do you want to add it to your contacts?"

"I didn't ask you to look for it in the contacts"

"Calling Nathaniel"

"His phone is deactivated!" Shouted Marinette at the phone and threw it across the room, making it crash on the wall. "God damn it!"

Someone knocked on the door, which Marinette heard and made her yell across the room.

"Get out of here!" Shouted Marinette angry, while losing tears from her eyes.

"Marinette it's me Adrien," Said the voice behind the door. "Are you alright?"

"Leave me alone!"

"Can you tell me, what's going on?" Asked the blonde. "Is it because of Nathaniel?"

"Go away!"

"I promise, we find Nathaniel and Lila, don't cry"

"Adrien go away!" Shouted Marinette. "Please, I just want to be left alone"

"But Marinette..."

"Please, just go!" Shouted Marinette crying even more and sinking down in the couch while covering her face.

On the outside Adrien sighed and sat down in front of the door, thinking about, what was going on with Marinette.

Nathaniel, Lila, Darwin and Rocky had stopped by a gas station and Nathaniel was sniffing around looking for a place to empty his bladder. He passed by a bush, then sniffed on it and found various red berries on it.

"Hey Lila" Called Nathaniel. "Look I found some food," Told Nathaniel and Lila ran, followed by Darwin to him.

"Where?" Asked Lila and Nathaniel rolled his eyes at the bush,

"Here those red ones here," Said Nathaniel wanting to grab one with his mouth, then Lila pulled him away by his tail.

"They're poisoned!" Warned Lila causing him to turn around at her, looking face to face.

"They are?!" Asked Nathaniel surprised.

"Those berries are like certain mushrooms. Some are poisonenous, others aren't. You learn the differences when you're in the wild" Told Darwin.

"Look Nath, smell on them and tell me, what you smell" Asked Lila and Nathaniel hold his nose close to the red berry, soaking the scent of it, which only animals with a good nose can trace.

"They definitely have a tip of another scent in it" Replied Nathaniel looking at Lila.

"See?" Asked Lila. "When we find not poisoned berries, I let you smell on them and then you learn the difference between them"

"Thank you for explaining to me that" Thanked Nathaniel. "You have been very gentle to me, the other days"

"No problem, we're after all the last two of our breeds, right?" Asked Lila with a wink.

"Uh right" Agreed Nathaniel with an awkward smile. Lila giggled and nudged Nathaniel on his nose, making him blush.

"We have to leave now!" Exclaimed Darwin running on his four legs at the two foxes

."Why?" Asked Nathaniel looking at the raccoon.

"It's Brutus" Responded Darwin. "He's looking for us"

"We better go then," Said Nathaniel looking around. "What about Rocky?" Asked Nathaniel and looking at the other two.

"I don't know, but he's already here!" Shouted Darwin and Brutus stopped in front of the three animals growling at them.

"Look who I found here," Said Brutus. "Mr. and Mrs. Fox"

"What do you want?" Asked Lila looking at the tall Mastiff in front of her.

"Lorenzo wants your friend there and I need to take him. Alive!"

"Me?" Asked Nathaniel. "Why?"

"That's why" Responded Brutus pulling from the side of his collar a familiar para cord collar with three colors out to the ground, showing it to the foxes.

"Lorenzo needs the money of the reward they have set in finding you," Told Lorenzo. "Your owner sat 10'000 bucks on you and he's willing to get more from there"

"Marinette's looking for me?" Asked Nathaniel.

"He's not going anywhere with you," Told Lila. "Did you hear that Nathaniel? That's just a trick"

"Are you for sure?" Asked Brutus growling at the female. Lila growled at the taller dog, which then tried to bite her on the neck, but she quickly dodged away from him and jumped on top of him biting him on the ear.

"Lila!" Shouted Nathaniel scared and Brutus shook his head, causing Lila to slip off his ear and land on her back a few centimeters away from the others.

Nathaniel looked at Brutus, which looked now at Nathaniel, then the male fox growled and attacked the Italian dog on his other ear, then the Mastiff shook his head with Nathaniel on it around, then he got thrown away at Lila.

"Ouch" Replied Nathaniel and Lila stood in front of Nathaniel growling at the big dog, which growled back at her. Nathaniel stood up and joined Lila, doing the same noise as her.

"Do you think you two, could take it with me?" Asked Brutus glaring lurid at the two foxes.

"But I can," Said another voice and it was Rocky jumping at Brutus, taking him down.

"Go, follow Darwin. He will bring you out of here!" Demanded Rocky.

"But what about you?" Asked Lila.

"I'll find you two later, don't worry about me," Said Rocky, then both ran away and Nathaniel turned his head back, seeing Rocky fighting with the Italian Mastiff.

"I hope he will make it out" Said Nathaniel.

"Keep running guys," Told Lila and Darwin jumped on Nathaniel's back.

"You guys are way faster than me, I hope you don't mind" Said Darwin looking at Nathaniel, which wasn't really amused of carrying the raccoon.

"You need to go to the fitness, you're heavy"

"Don't worry, it's not for so long, but talking about that. Darwin do you know any other ways instead of this one to Sicily?" Asked Lila looking at the ringtail.

"I know a long one, but I can't promise to you to help you over there. I'm not very familiar with that place"

"It doesn't matter as long as Brutus doesn't find us, it be good" Agreed Lila.

"If anyone finds a bush, I really need to use it," Said Nathaniel making Lila chuckle.

"Don't worry, we will find a place for you to pee," Told Lila making Darwin laugh.