The Surgeon and the Vet
Chapter 1
Leaves rustled as paws raced through the undergrowth, claws digging into the dirt to propel the creature faster. Rust orange fur could be seen in the gaps of the plant life that littered the forest floor. Light poured in as the creature lunged into a large clearing, gulping in heaving breaths as it surveyed its surroundings. The fox stood with its legs lightly spread in a crouch, ready to bolt at any given moment. Ears twitched and it lifted its head as the sound of human voices reached it over the breeze. Darting forward, it dashed into a hole at the base of a large boulder that stood in the center of the clearing.
The fox's tail disappeared into the hole just as the first human broke through the tree line. Amber eyes watched as more and more human flooded into the open space. The humans were looking around everywhere in search of the fox. "Where did that damn vixen go?" one man said. Black hair hung in greasy strands over his beady eyes. Rolls of fat jiggled as he jerked his head back in forth in vain. "Don't know sir! She disappeared." A younger, smaller man said timidly, scared to make the bigger man angry at him. The fat man growled and grabbed his pistol, only to shoot the unfortunate young man in the head.
The vixen trembled as she watched the scene unfolding before her. The fat man was willing to kill his men just because they lost her. Why does he want to find her so bad? Suddenly she heard something that made her heart drop in fear. Hounds. They had brought hounds to find her. She was doomed. The dogs would be able to sniff her out and possibly drag her out of her hiding spot. Would she make it if she ran now? The hounds sounded pretty distant so she may have time. Carefully, she looked around the clearing and noticed a break in the line of men. If she was fast enough she would be able to get through and get away. Taking a few slow breaths to calm her racing heart, she slowly got into position to run. Everything seemed to slow down around her and the noise seemed to fade out as she focused on springing forward and running as fast as she could.
The men cried out as the red fox blurred past them. The turned and ran after her as the hounds caught up and took the lead. The vixen ran and ran until suddenly she skid to a halt at the edge of a huge cliff, water crashing into the side far below. She panted as she wildly looked around for a chance to escape. It was not to be as she screamed in pain, huge jaws clamped down on her neck. The hounds had caught her. Her vision blurred as the men came up on her and the hounds. They managed to get the dogs to release her but she didn't have the strength to try to get away. Soon darkness was all she knew.
The men stood back as a light engulfed the vixen. A second later the light grew and faded to reveal a beautiful young woman laying unconscious on the ground before them. Her light skin reflected the setting sun, highlighting her generous curves. Her burning red hair framed her soft face. Soft, pink lips were slightly parted as she breathed lightly, unaware that the men were looking her up and down and leering at what they saw. They could have done whatever they wanted, however, they had orders to bring her back to their master. The fat man walked up with rope and hand and quickly tied her up. "Don't forget the seastone!" one of his men called out as they brought forward a small stone collar made of a material that could stop her from changing into an animal.
Seastone, The bane of a devil fruit user's existence, along with the sea of course. The fat man fastened the collar around the woman's dainty neck, locking it in place with a key he kept around his neck. Lifting her up, he positioned her on his shoulder and they began the trek to the castle that could be seen rising above the tree line. Its daunting spires towering over everything on the island, a reminder to all about who controlled this island. A truly horrible man, who had a fascination with unique women. Especially the beautiful ones. He sat in his throne room grinning evilly as he waited for his men to bring back his prize. A woman who ate the dobutsu-dobutsu no mi. The devil fruit that would allow the eater to turn into any animal they have come in contact with, speak to any animal they came across, and if the legend was correct, they could even control the animals they bonded with.
A great prize for any diabolical king.