Hello!
Thank you 42milesperhour for the review! I'm really glad you're enjoying my story and credit where credit is due, my beta reader helped me so much with character emotions and descriptions! But I'm glad you like my work!
The next update will probably take a week or two longer than this one.
Tails ultimately focused his frustration, grief, and anger on attacking the glass surrounding his enclosure, not that it did anything. He was still stuck here, now with duller claws and a corner of the wall covered in scratches. Great. Something else to convince Vharst's twisted mind that he was just a wild animal.
A day later, the mobian had just happened to have a phone call in the larger room during which the topic turned to Mancio. He hadn't directly spoken to the fox, but even without the hinting glances, Tails would have known that he was an intentional audience for the call. Apparently, the capybara had mentioned Tails on the way to jail, defending the "poor kid" who was somehow transformed into a wild animal. Of course, no one believed him.
He'd told them that the fox could talk, a rumor that was disproved by a few of Vharst's past guests never hearing such a thing, as well the absurdity of it all. In the end, Tails couldn't help but feel like he hindered what little defense Mancio had left.
Presently, he curled against a tree and willed anyone who passed to go away. Occasionally, a few mobians that he was beginning to recognize walked through, but it was a relatively quiet day.
It was only the next evening when Vharst had another guest over. Tails grumbled to himself as he watched the two talk in a relaxed conversation. The chameleon sat in the same chair Mancio had, but this time no guards came. Apparently he was friends with the fox's captor. Tails' eyes narrowed in disgust.
He found their conversation hard to follow but gathered from a few key words that it was probably about finances. A topic Sally had tried to teach him, but one that he thought was a little pointless.
At the reminder of home, Tails shifted over to stare back outside and quietly willed the freedom fighters to show up. Any moment now, they would come in and break him out. They'd get rid of this horrible, horrible mobian and they'd go back to Knothole. Maybe they would help Mancio and the fox would say sorry. When they did get back, he'd have bedtime stories with Aunt Sally again. Then he'd tell her everything that happened, and she'd make him feel better and he could go…
"What's this?" Vharst's friend stood outside the fox's prison. Tails jumped back in surprise, his fur automatically on end.
"The kitsune?" Vharst asked. His friend nodded, prompting an answer to the first question. "I got it almost a week ago, it's a pretty rare animal."
The chameleon nodded. "I've never heard of them before."
"Most haven't." Vharst leisurely walked to the enclosure. "They're a type of mythical creature from Yurashia, kind of like foxes, but with more than one tail. Some have control over an element and the ability to shapeshift." The other mobian's incredulous expression hinted at disbelief, but Vharst continued. "This one's really young, so it probably can't do much of that yet, and even if it could, the collar is designed to stop it."
At its mention, that awful leather bind suddenly became more present and Tails reached a paw to feel for any section that might be doing what Vharst claimed. The fox would rip it out if he could, maybe then, somehow, he'd be able to get out.
"It looks like the kits..un… fox, can kind of understand us?" the chameleon questioned in surprise.
Tails froze and faced the mobian. He doesn't know!? The fox stared at his bewildered face, building up courage to nod ever so slightly.
"I doubt it" Vharst snapped. He regained his composure and continued. "It's been doing that all week." He explained, giving Tails a warning glare. "The thing's still feral, hopefully it'll get used to all this rather soon. I'd actually like to let it roam the property when its tame." His reply came in perceived truth.
The initial question still had Tails' mind swirling. He thought all of Vharst's friends knew… that they were all just okay with it because he was. But this guy… Tails suddenly remembered Mancio. No, no, no! He suddenly stopped his barely visible nods and stared at Vharst in fright. Is he trying to do that again?
However, the fox's eyes only met fury. Vharst's muzzle twitched in rage that only slightly appeased when Tails froze.
All at once, it was gone, and the mobian turned to speak again. "Anyways, I've already had someone place the other files by the door, so you should be good to go."
"Right…" The chameleon agreed hesitantly. "Thank you for your time."
Vharst closed the door as the two of them left. It was quiet again, save for the fox's still breathing.
He shook a little as he walked to the glass, stopping only when its invisible surface brushed his nose. The sound of footsteps lingered in the hallway, far and faint; too late to get the chameleon's attention. Tails crumbled to the ground, teeth bared and unwilling whimpers escaping his muzzle.
He couldn't understand Vharst's reaction. If the mobian was so angry, then could the fox's attempt have done something? Had he missed his chance?
The single thought caused him to bury his head between his forepaws. I couldn't have! Tails was so very sure that he would've caught any opportunity to escape. He'd spent hours dreaming up scenarios in his mind, imagining a multitude of heroic scenarios, but now, given even the slightest chance he had missed it. Tails sunk deeper into the grass, filled with muddying tears.
Within all of his pitiful crying, he failed to register the click of a door, or smell the new presence. Even when footsteps brushed through nearby foliage, the fox paid no mind. Suddenly a force grazed past his whiskers and he twitched into reality, only to be yanked up as it suddenly pulled taut around his neck. He spun in chaotic strength and leapt against whatever was holding him. It was a stick, an abdomindable metal pole with a roped end around his neck. The bind naturally tightened as he fought against it, choking away his breath and causing him to stumble as he was carefully pulled forwards.
How had he missed the mobian's entry, right after his last mistake too!? Tails lunged his anger out on the intruder, only to be winded by that horrendous stick.
Without more than an irritated word from the guard, Tails was dragged out to a further room. He dug his claws into the wood floor but found the mobian's steady pace caused him to fall forwards. Desperately, he tried zig zagging away, biting at the pole, shaking it, and clawing at the floor. His resistance made no change. He was walked back to the room where he'd first been transformed. Somewhere along the journey, another mobian had met up with the first and they closed the entrance so Tails couldn't escape.
The fox clawed as he was scruffed forward. His heart flared with fear as he was pinned down. Something was shoved over his head and he yanked himself away before it could be secured, but not far enough. He was snagged back.
"Stay down you mutt!" one of the guards ordered. Tails felt something thrown again over his snout, the force used thrust his head back and he yelped in pain.
"Hey! Careful!" He heard a whispered shout "I'm not getting in trouble for you hurting this thing!"
Still pinning the fox, even tightening his grip some, the first grumbled "You do this then, don't know why Vharst cares so much about some stupid animal!"
The snare stick forced Tails forward as he was handed over. He felt dazed, and without much more difficulty, a leash snapped onto his collar. They had done it so fast, so easily, did nothing he did even matter!? He felt a light tug as the mobian moved him close enough to be attached to a large cage. Everything else in the room was out of his new range.
After removing their stick, the mobians left him to quickly test the limits of what could be accomplished. His leash was unbreaking, especially with the muzzle preventing any way to bite it. He fought off complete despair and tried to move his cage, but it was both too large and too heavy. All that was left was the hard floor that hurt his claws to try and dig through.
Tails paced the area, anxious, scared, and wanting hopelessly to get out. Each unsuccessful pull only reinforced his situation as he trotted faster.
After time passed, he eventually slowed. He was curled in a rather pathetic hiding spot when the door opened and he watched Vharst enter. The fox growled in rage. There was no wall between them, no cage, nothing! His fur prickled in anger as he got into a crouch, ready to pounce, the muzzle and leash's radius a mere speck in his mind.
Unfazed, the mobian walked towards the cage and sat near it, putting something down before speaking.
"Come here kit." He commanded with softness.
Tails flinched at the voice, from the emotions shown before, he'd expected anger. Still those words would not be obeyed. He backed off, clenching his teeth with a low snarl.
"Kit come." The command was more forceful, accompanied by a wrench of the leash that caused the fox to stumble forward. A steady force dragged him to his captor until he was by his side.
"There you go." Vharst spoke as he carefully held Tails to the floor. "Good boy" One hand kept him from escaping, while the other started long pets through his fur, sometimes stopping to scratch his jaw or ears.
"These past few days have been rough, haven't they?" The mobian asked rhetorically. Tails hardly heard the words, so focused on the movement above. He recognized its demeaning pattern, reminding him of how a wild dog is supposed to be pet. The fox kicked and twisted, but couldn't get away!
"Hey, hey calm down. It's okay, no more change for today." Vharst attempted to soothe him. The mobian fully meant his words. His pet had deliberately tried to communicate again and it'd be spending a few days in here as punishment. Threat of, admittedly much less time in the smaller cage didn't seem to do the trick. Though the mobian wasn't sure why a kitsune this young would be putting up such a fight.
Almost certainly, whoever owned it before had somehow convinced the thing that it was a mobian. That idea had to be ousted, even if it would be forgotten soon. The kit would be better if the thought was corrected twice, so he'd never think it true. He watched the struggling animal with a sliver of pity, giving what should have been a comforting scratch behind one of its ears. Its trainer would start at the beginning of next week, but the fox needed to tolerate where it was at until then.
Tails let out a fierce growl. That mobian knew change wasn't what this was about!
"Shh" he tried calming him again "I know you aren't used to looking like a wild animal."
Tails began to growl louder but paused. It was the first time… Did that mean he once saw him as…
"It's what you are though." He continued "and everything will be much better when you stop pretending."
'No! I'm not!' Tails barked and tried to shoot up, but the mobian's stone grip kept him pinned on the floor. He knew that Vharst knew it too, this guy was the one who was pretending! There was a pause of words before his captor eventually leaned back and started petting him again.
"That's why 'your family' gave you away." He suddenly spoke. "They realized what you were and thought the money I offered was more valuable."
Tails froze. Vharst cracked a smile he couldn't see and continued his story, reinforcing the message with slow dehumanizing strokes.
"You're nothing like a mobian, and when they found out, they hated you for lying to them."
The fox remained still, trying to think up a thousand fallacies in his argument.
Vharst pulled the kit closer and spoke softly. "Remember what I told my friends the other day? I was contacted first. They were looking for ways to get rid of you." He paused but found a potential hole in his story "They probably used some roundabout method of getting you here too, wanting to deal with you as little as possible."
Tails stared into nothing. Had they really been waiting to see him go? Was that why Sally told him 'no' on the mission, so he'd be alone to get kidnapped!? Aunt Sally wouldn't do that! Sonic wouldn't do that! Where were the freedom fighters!? He looked towards the window, it had been days since his capture, freedom fighters always rescued each other… was this why they hadn't come?
"Hey… it's okay" a kind voice soothed. The hand that had been petting him reached for the fox's muzzle and Tails felt himself turned to face the mobian. He eventually stared back, afraid and unsure of the warmth he found in Vharst's expression. "I know you want to go back, '' he spoke with a sad smile "but they don't want you anymore. I'll take care of you." Vharst promised. "You'll have to learn to behave, but I know you can do it."
Tails heard the words but wasn't sure he processed them. They, didn't want him? The Freedom Fighters sold him? Because he was a wild animal? They… they wouldn't! The Freedom Fighters were still coming. They loved him!
Then, why weren't they here? Where were they?
As Tails wrestled with his mind, Vharst gently pulled the limp fox into his arms, rubbing his fur rhythmically for a few minutes. After time had passed, the mobian reached over and placed him on a bed inside his cage. Tails could hardly tell what was happening, his mind overtook every sense. The muzzle was clipped off and two dishes were placed inside before he received a final scratch and the bars were shut.
Vharst left the room in smugness, closing the door lightly so as to not disturb the kitsune's thoughts. It was an intelligent creature and the mobian figured his story went as well as it could have, if the thing's reaction was anything to take notes from. He'd have to ask his contact for more information on the kit's family.
Well that's that. Let me know what you think, reviews are very appreciated!