My heart is pounding, my head is pounding, my mouth tastes disgusting and now I'm a flocking murderer? What the hell? I'm gonna face the squad now I'm sure of it. Where even am I? This doesn't feel like the basement any more, there's wind in my fur… there's still roils of anger trying to surge out of me and it's freaking me out and all of this is not good.
Angry on the outside, that's all I'm feeling, my body is shaking and it's not responding to me… is this it? Am I going to die like this? Doug's gonna use me for sport, isn't he? I freaking know he is, who am I gonna have to go after? How am I gonna go out, other than as the psychotic villain fox who killed the mayor, who went nuts on- holy crap an I on a stage because those are sure as freaking hell TV cameras, and I'm seething right now, I feel myself chained, locked in a cage and the fox on the outside is rabid and frothing and fighting to get out and chewing on the bars and I'm in here screaming, screaming, let me out let me out let me the hell out of here I don't want to die like this!
"And for our main attraction," I hear a voice call out, almost like a circus announcer, a circus announcer whose sadism was unrivalled, "our dear old attempted murderer himself!"
I hear a roar rise up from the crowd, whistles and claps and then shots, gunshots and screams… doesn't sound like they got anyone but now they're all scared and quiet and I can't. Get. Out. OF. HERE!
The anger boiling around inside me wants out and it wants now and my jaws aren't going to break this bar but I blink and I find myself trying, I can taste metal and steel, damn it I'm chewing on the bars aren't I?
Damn. Looks like I am, flocking hell, me… she's going to use you to hurt someone and you know it and then they're going to sic someone on you… and then that'll be the end of poor little Nick Hopps...
"You want to try that again?" I can hear the person who's announcing trying to whip up the kind of support that they need the TV cameras to grab up so that way, Bellwether can keep that public support, that image that predators are bad, that prey should reign supreme…
...and I get to be the bait…
'Ladies and gentlemammals, prey of all ages, the attempted killer-'
It feels weird being like this, trapped inside my own head while my body rages outside my control…
Suddenly there's a bright light thrown right into my face and I'm apparently still trying to eat the bar, stop, me, STOP!
My body's ears tell me that the crowd is roaring now, and the seconds tick on and on and on and one and I'm still here, still in this cage, and my poor body that I'm stuck inside of doesn't want give up the goat and I can't stop myself, please, at this point I'm almost begging her with my look to dart me again, go ahead, Dawn, you say that predators dance to the beat of a different drummer, that we're naturally violent. You want to prove it? Then let me, I promise I won't leave you around to try and argue against it. Please, let me prove it.
She looks my way, green eyes glinting maniacally- flocking maniacally, and I'm shaking, waiting for it, waiting for it, waiting for it, waiting…
She sees the look in my eyes, and she laughs, head tilting back to let out a maniacal laugh… I don't know what surprises my mind more, the fact that I've never heard a sound so ruthless, or that she's decided to go all animal… and she says-
"So long, you f*cking pelt-"
...grr…
Was that me?
That stops the body, and I'm wondering if that was me, or-
Oh crap… whatever she's doing it's scaring all of me, right down to my core… I can't get my hackles down, why can't I get my hackles down?
There's a creaking noise, grinding gears, something, and smoke starts pouring from the newly opening gap in the floor. Always one for theatrics, eh Dawn?
I don't know what I'm expecting, but it's not what comes up… four scrawny mammals, all chained to posts-
The cage bar slides up and my body lurches forward- I'm really not sure what's going on, I'm moving, I'm angry-
What the scat am I- foxes can purr, let me out of this body, please!
"What the hell, he's not hurting them," I hear one of the rams say, words that elicit a mix of cheers and boos from the crowd, and I'm set flying… I crash into the surface, everything hurts, everything… and there's another smack and a hot bloom of anger, but there's something different about it this time… this time the drug's not in control… I'm in control here, Nick Hopps is driving this train and Celestials above is he pissed…
"Da- damn you," I manage to get out, startling the guard.
"What the hell?" I hear him mutter, Dawn shrieking for them to 'dart the damn fox already, dart him dart him, dart him, and in that moment I realize that words are coming out-
"Dart the f-cking fox!"
I'm off before they can stop the body- another round, another round.
They're trying to give me a heart attack, my brain realizes. Not today. There's a sheep that's not expecting me.
She's not paying attention, and I'm really hungry.
The pounce, the leap-
The scream! Oh such a thrill- this isn't right this isn't right...
"But he's on top of you!"
Oh good.
"I don't care, just do it!"
More red hot pain, more fury, scat, I think I might actually lose myself…
And lots of screams…
I think there's a ewe scream in there-
Oh good-
And then the red-
"Aaaauuuugggghhhh!"
Burning, tearing, all over, all over...
And then, the black is coming.
Thank the celestials above.
AN: Okay WOW it took me forever to get this chapter out, and I'd like to apologize for that- NaNoWriMo plus two weeks fighting COVID (I'm alright, don't worry about it), and I've had no stamina to write. This year has wiped me out, like I'm sure it has to plenty of other people too…. We're not quite done with this one yet, but we're getting there…. Thanks for bearing with me, folks!