In Our World

Author's Note: Well, it's Friday, and as promised, here's the second chapter. I appreciate the interest that has been shown by the various readers so far and I hope that I can appropriately reward you with another good chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 2: It Needs a Name

Blythe awoke, greeting the morning with a head still lost in a foggy haze of jumbled memories, accompanied by the occasional dull throb of pain. He stretched slightly, but quickly retracted into the fetal position when the cold air crept underneath his blanket. An annoyed grumble sounded from the little fox as Blythe's movements shook it awake. The fox shifted, turning about once before returning to its previous spot.

*Tap, tap, tap*

The noise came from one of the driver side windows. Blythe poked his head out from beneath the blanket, eyeing the source of the noise with an annoyed glare. There was a small circle of frost scraped away and the silhouette of a person pacing about outside was outlined in the early morning light.

Blythe lifted himself into a seated position, a motion that caused a wave of nausea to sweep over him. He fought off the urge to vomit long enough to reach over and pop open a door. Thankfully, the individual outside wasn't standing too close and avoided the mess that now pooled on the roadside.

"You okay, sonny?"

Blythe offered a sarcastic look up at the man. He was an older man, with a thick grizzly beard that hung well down the front of his checkered jacket. "I'm alive," Blythe commented with a groan.

The man chuckled as he wandered up to the front of the vehicle. He gestured towards the hood, "You hit something?"

"Nope… A moose hit me."

"They'll do that."

The few remaining intact brain cells within Blythe's head cried out in protest at the continued assault against sensibility, especially given that it was so damned early in the morning. He was tempted to shake his head in an attempt to make sense of the old man, but that would probably only cause more damage. Blythe gradually forced himself out of the vehicle, joining the bearded man outside. The old man was prying at the hood, trying to dislodge it from the crumpled mess that was the front end of the car. Blythe remained silent as the hood popped open and the old man intently studied the inner workings of the vehicle. "Is it as bad as it looked on the outside?" Blythe asked after a few minutes.

"Hard to say…" The old man shrugged his shoulders. "You're going to need some extensive body work to repair that damage. But beyond that, there doesn't seem to be any serious damage… As for you…"

Blythe waved a dismissive hand, "I'll be fine…" He trailed off as he noticed the dried blood on the backside of his glove. His hand instinctually went to his right temple, feeling the large bump that had formed overnight. He gave the old man a casual smile, "Damage has already been done, can't undo that. I doubt it'll be the death of me."

The old man nodded, although he looked rather hesitant doing so. "If you say so… Well, give her a go, see if she'll start."

Blythe returned to the driver's door, but paused before opening the door. He started patting his pockets, panic setting in when he didn't hear the telltale jingle of his car keys. "Oh wait…" Now he remembered… He had left the keys on the driver's seat last night. Blythe yanked open the door and found himself greeted by the fox seated on the seat. The car keys dangled from its teeth.

Blythe accepted the proffered gift from the fox and repaid it with a gentle pat on the head. The fox smirked happily and hopped across to the passenger's seat. Blythe froze up as he saw the fox's hind quarters, realizing that he wasn't the only one that was injured. Although he cast aside his own injuries as nothing more than an inconvenience, the fox definitely required medical attention, even though the fox appeared unbothered by the tattered limb.

"We're going to get you to a vet," Blythe commented as he stuck the key into the ignition. Muttering a quick wish, Blythe gave the key a twist. Surprising, the engine instantly responded with a healthy purr. "Booyah!" Blythe shouted, pumping his fist.

The old man dropped the hood back into place and had joined Blythe at the open door. He rested a hand on Blythe's shoulder, "I don't know if I feel quite right leaving you go on your own… But, you're old enough to make your own decisions. Just do me a favor… I'll give you my number. I want you to give me a call and let me know you made it home safely."

"I owe you my thanks, Mister." Blythe pulled his cell out of his pocket and input the number the old man gave him. "I don't really come down this way very often, but the next time I do, let me buy you a coffee. It's the least I could do."

Blythe extended a hand to the old man, who gladly accepted the handshake. "Sounds good. You take care of yourself, Blythe, and say hi to your old man for me."

Blythe was dumbfounded as the old man walked away from his car. He searched his memory banks, trying to recall where the old man knew him from, but was drawing blanks. The comment about Blythe's father didn't help any, seeing as his old man was one of those people that had a knack for knowing absolutely anybody and everybody. But as the old man drove by, waving as he did, realization dawned on Blythe. "Typical…" Blythe muttered, recognizing his father's company's logo on the side of the old man's truck. It seemed like the more Blythe attempted to distance himself from his folks, the more he found himself relying on them. With a grumble, Blythe put the car into drive.

(-)

A half hour later, Blythe stood in front of a dark building, muttering a string of curses as he pulled at the door, just to find it locked. "Closed for the fricking holidays… What kind of garbage is this?" Blythe had the fox bundled up in the blanket once again and held the small creature tightly against his chest. He looked down into the blue eyes of the fox, which simply looked back at him innocently. "Don't worry little guy, we'll try the next vet."

…

"Seriously, this one too?"

…

The third stop yielded similar results, leaving Blythe practically fuming as he sat back at the wheel of his damaged vehicle. The little fox sat regally in the passenger's seat, apparently completely unworried by the lack of medical attention that it was in dire need of. Blythe patted the fox behind the ears, offering a meek smile, "You know, you're a pretty tough little bastard." The fox cocked its head, offering up what essentially amounted to a smile of its own.

Blythe let out a lengthy sigh as he muttered "What to do, what to do…" to himself. He sat quietly for a few moments, trying to mull over his options. Wetaskiwin had always been a stagnant town and had seen next to zero growth during Blythe's lifetime. That being said, the chances that a new vet clinic had opened up in the last few years were nearly non-existent.

Then there were still the issues of getting his car into a shop for repairs and procuring a replacement vehicle for the time being… More than likely, Blythe would have the same kind of luck with both of those avenues. By the looks of it, the only businesses that appeared open today were the coffee shops. Well, he could take the fox to the hospital and cause a scene there… It wouldn't accomplish anything for the fox, but at least it'd put Blythe in better spirits.

"Wait a second…"

An idea had suddenly formulated in Blythe's mind. He reached into his jacket pocket and produced his cell phone. "Come on, still have her number…" He muttered as he scanned his contacts. "Ah! Yes!" There was the name that he had been looking for, Jewel, followed by a three-letter code 'DNA'. Blythe's thumb hovered over the 'call' button, questioning whether or not it was worth the potential trouble by bothering her. But one look at the innocent little fox made up his mind for him.

*Ring… Ring… Ring…*

"Come on… answer…"

*Ring… Ring… Click*

"You have some nerve calling me…"

Blythe swallowed, suddenly feeling a mixture of nerves, shame, and guilt. "Yeah, I know… Listen Jewel, I know I can't fix what happened between us with just a simple phone call and I'm still not entirely sure that I want to fix it…"

"Then why the hell are you calling me? Did you make a New Year's Resolution to piss off every jilted lover you've ever had?"

There she goes, being difficult, just like Blythe expected from Jewel. The two were a good two and a half years removed from their relationship, but it wasn't quite so easy to move on after over three years together. They had their problems, but what couple didn't? For the time being, at least, Blythe had to put aside the personal issues he had with the girl. "Look Jewel, I need a favor."

"This ought to be good." The voice on the other end was full of sarcasm.

"You're still studying Animal Biology at the U of A, right? You'd be… in your fourth year, right?"

"Yes…"

"I've got something that you've just got to see, but on a condition."

"Would you just hurry up and ask me the damned favor already?" Blythe allowed himself a smile. Jewel had never been one to show patience. Despite the annoyance she was attempting to portray, Blythe could detect a hint of curiosity in Jewel's voice. The fact that Blythe was willing to overlook their tumultuous past in order to ask for Jewel's help must mean this was important.

"I've got a fox cub with me; a super cute, white as snow, adorable little fox cub…" Jewel just loved animals, especially cute ones, "It's hurt pretty badly and all the vet clinics here in Wetaskiwin are closed for the holidays… So I was wondering if perhaps you'd be able to help it out."

"…"

The silence on the other end of the line was telling. Jewel was considering it, but needed one last little push. "Don't do this for me. Do it for the super cute baby fox."

"Damnit Blythe…"

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes it is… You remember where my parents live, don't you?"

"Of course I do. I figured you'd be back in town visiting them for the holidays. How are the folks and Jimmy?"

"Don't try to make small-talk with me Blythe. I'm doing this for the fox, not you. Get it over here as soon as possible, alright?"

"Will do, see you soon."

"Joy…"

The call ended and Blythe found himself wearing a strained smile. "At least I didn't have to sell my soul to get her help…" He looked over at the fox, which still wore a stoic expression. "You'll like Jewel. The two of you actually have more in common than I ever did. She's an ice queen… you're an ice fox… perfect for each other."

The fox's ears lowered against its skull as it dropped down into a laying position. Blythe allowed himself a laugh, "Yeah, that'd be my reaction too. I'm actually being nice calling her an ice queen. She's really just a bitch… Did you just roll your eyes? I didn't know it was possible for animals to do that…"

If you had told Blythe that he'd ever willingly be seeing Jewel again during his lifetime, he'd have called you crazy. Then again, he'd also have done the same thing if you had told him that he'd be taking care of an ice-breathing fox or have been the victim of a pissed off moose creating a crater in the hood of his car. Yeah, that settles it… He was having one hell of a strong drink whenever he got home.

Ten minutes later, Blythe found himself driving thru the rich part of town. Of course, with this being Wetaskiwin, the 'rich part' looked like the average section of any other town in the entire province. Although, it was nice to be out of the run down section with all the pawn shops and liquor stores and iron bars across every window…

He was surprised to spot Jewel standing at the end of the driveway of her family's home. She wore a lengthy black coat that practically glowed as the reflections of sunlight were captured within the coat's numerous silver buckles. A large silver case was resting on the ground beside her. Blythe couldn't help but smirk when he noticed she was wearing a black and white toque with little kitty ears. He had given her that toque as a Christmas gift a number of years ago. Blythe was honestly surprised that she had kept it, let alone was wearing it.

Jewel carefully stepped back as Blythe pulled his car alongside the curb in front of her. She was wearing a look of pure shock as her gaze stayed locked on the front end of the car. Blythe popped open his door and took a step outside, instantly greeted with Jewel's incredulous questions, "What the hell did you do to… Oh my god, you're covered in blood! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Good to see you too, Jewel."

"Piss off Blythe. What the hell happened to you?"

"I got hit by a moose."

"Before or after it destroyed your car?"

"…" Blythe gave Jewel a sarcastic glare, "I'm fine, thanks for asking. I just need to wash my face and I'll be good as new… Now this little…" He trailed off when he peered back into the cabin of the vehicle. The little fox wasn't in the passenger seat like it had been when the car had stopped. "Where did that little bastard go?"

"Oh my god! It's so cute!" That answered the question of the missing fox. Blythe looked back in Jewels direction to see her kneeling alongside the little fox, gingerly scratching behind both of the beast's ears. "And your eyes… and your fur… it's all blue! And your breath is so cold… Not surprising that the heater in that piece of crap doesn't work anymore."

Always with an insult aimed his way whenever she could manage it. "For your information, my car's heater works perfectly fine. The cold breath of his is natural. It's essentially made from ice."

Jewel glanced up as Blythe joined her. She gave Blythe a look that could very likely have killed a man, but Blythe had seen it so often that he had developed a resistance to it. "Are you high? There's no way a mammal can be made out of ice."

"That's what I thought too, but it's true. The little bastard can breathe ice. In fact, it encased its bad leg in an ice cast before it attacked the moose last night."

"Bullshit." Jewel repositioned herself to get a better look at the fox's wounded leg. She removed one glove and gingerly prodded the area of the wound. The fox grimaced slightly in discomfort at Jewel's touch but didn't vocalize its displeasure. "Holy shit that's cold… How can a mammal have an internal temperature that low?" She looked carefully at the fox, clearly not believing what was in front of her.

Blythe stayed silent while Jewel sat in a stupor. He was tempted to rub this in her face, but he also knew that the time for petty squabbles had ended. "So…" He began, breaking Jewel out of her trance.

"Oh, yes…" She stood back up, retreating a few steps to grab the silver case that she had left further up the driveway. Jewel motioned for Blythe and the fox to follow her as she walked back towards the house. "Carry the fox, I don't want my parent's carpets stained with blood… And as soon as you put the fox down, you're cleaning yourself up too Blythe."

"Yes ma'am." Blythe scooped up the fox and fell into step behind Jewel. A wave of nostalgia filled Blythe as he stepped inside Jewel's family home. He had been here so many times all those years ago, yet everything felt so familiar, almost as if he had been here just a day ago. The horribly ugly painting of a tree still hung just off the foyer. The adjoining living room was arranged the exact same way it had been back then. There was even the familiar smell of her mother's cooking wafting down from the kitchen. Smelt like fresh cookies if he wasn't mistaken.

Jewel caught Blythe lost in his memories and rudely brought him back to reality with a sharp jab to the shoulder. "The fox first, then you can have a cookie if I decide that I don't still hate your guts."

The pair kicked off their shoes and Jewel removed her coat, kitty hat, and mitts. Blythe couldn't help but stare at the bright green mane of hair that tumbled out from beneath the cat toque. "Green? Since when?"

"Since I gave up trying to fit in as a normal member of society, that's when."

"Uh-huh, sure thing, Miss Dean's List."

Jewel glared at Blythe, but refrained from commenting further. Instead, she proceeded down the nearby set of stairs, disappearing into the basement. Blythe followed, like an obedient little puppy, and once again resumed losing himself to nostalgia. A grin crossed his face as he spotted the couch where… "Get your mind out of the gutter Blythe…" Jewel punched him arm again. Yeah, she knew exactly what memory Blythe was recalling, a fact that was evident by the reddish hue that had taken to her cheeks.

They continued down a hallway, eventually arriving in a small room that appeared to be undergoing renovations. The floor was uncovered concrete and three of the walls were little more than the bare frames. A crudely constructed work table was stationed in the center of the room, a few random tools strewn atop it. Jewel removed the tools and motioned for Blythe to set the fox down on the table. As he did so, Jewel proceeded to hoist the silver case she had been carrying onto the table alongside the fox.

"I'll be right back," Jewel promised, aiming the remark mostly at the fox, before leaving the room. She returned a minute later with a cloth and an ice cream pail filled with warm water. She set the water down at the base of the table. "Okay, lift the fox up for a moment." Blythe obeyed and Jewel proceeded to wipe the table clean. When she was finished, Blythe set the fox back down. The fox appeared to detest the warm aura that rose off the table, but slowly settled into its usual regal seated position.

Blythe didn't bother waiting for Jewel to remind him that she wanted him to clean himself up as well. He removed his own jacket and toque and exited the room. "Really… You're growing a damned ponytail Blythe? Since when?" Jewel's call followed Blythe as he made his way back along the hallway.

"Since I quit giving a crap what other people thought. I think that's about the same time I dumped you."

A snort of laughter echoed down the hall, "You dumped me? Someone's delusional. I was the one that kicked your sorry ass to the curb."

Blythe ducked into the washroom and finally got a chance to take a look at the bump on his forehead. "Oh wow…." His wound looked a hell of a lot worse than he had expected it to. There was a fairly sizeable gash running just above his right eyebrow and a good third of his face was caked with his own blood. He turned on the tap and splashed a handful of water onto his face. The warm water stung his face, but it was a welcome shock.

Several minutes later, Blythe was ready to return to Jewel and the fox in their makeshift operating room. Long before he arrived, he could hear Jewel's raised voice uttering a string of curses along with a "God damnit, quit biting me!"

"Having trouble?" Blythe couldn't help but observe as he rejoined Jewel's side at the operating table. There was a small silver tray of bloodied surgical instruments off to one side and the bucket of water was now a murky red.

Jewel and the fox were engaged in a standoff. Jewel had a pair of surgical tweezers in one hand and a needle in the other, but both gloved hands were held high above the fox's head. The fox leaned back warily, its blue eyes following every subtle twitch Jewel's hands made. Its teeth were barred and it snarled threateningly every time the hands dipped within a foot of it.

"It's so much easier to take apart a dead animal than it is to try putting back together a live one…" Jewel glared at the fox, "And this little bastard started biting me when I tried putting the first stitch in."
Blythe smiled at Jewel's expense. "You know, I've been calling him a little bastard ever since I found him."

"Well that's what it is!" Jewel brought her elbows together and attempted to force the fox to lie down, but the fox scuttled out from underneath the pressure. "You'd better hold it down from here on out. It's your pet; you deserve to be the one being bitten."
"Pet? I don't think so. I just found him, that doesn't mean that he's mine!"

"Oh really?" Jewel stopped her attempts at pinning the fox long enough to glare at Blythe. "You've already seen how domesticated it is. Either you're taking it in as a pet and allowing me to study it, or else I'm taking it to the university and allowing the 'scientists' to experiment on it. They'll be real interested in opening this bugger up and figuring out which organs mutated to give it that sub-zero internal temperature. I'll be much gentler… Unless this bastard keeps biting me!"

Blythe stepped around to the other side of the table and gently placed his hands on the front haunches of the fox. "Oy buddy, calm down. Jewel's not going to hurt you…" He looked up, faltering momentarily in Jewel's emerald eyes, "Did you try giving it an anesthetic?"
"Of course I tried to. Emptied two whole vials of sedatives on the little bastard and it still is raring for a fight. I can't use any more on it or else I might risk overdosing…" She glared down at the fox, who returned Jewel's angered look in full. "I will punch you in the face if you bite me again, you understand?"

"You're a terrible vet."
"Animal biologist undergraduate. If you want to be ungrateful, I'll give this bastard the equivalent of a sugar high and send the two of you on your way."

"Understood." Blythe laughed nervously, trying to alternate between reassuring petting and forcibly pinning the fox's head to the table. It was gradually putting up less of a fight. Whether that was a result of the sedatives finally kicking in or the fox had finally accepted its fate, it didn't really matter. Jewel quickly got to work making repairs to the torn ligaments.

"So, have you decided on a name for this little bastard or is that going to stick?"

"I've never given the idea of owning a pet any thought, let alone spent any time picking a name for one… What'd you suggest?"

"Makoto?"

"Oh, go to hell Jewel. I still hate you for showing me Kanon. God that show left me feeling depressed for two whole weeks after."

"But it's such a good show! And the name works perfectly! Kanon was all about snow and Makoto was a fox…"

Blythe shook his head firmly, "I'm not going to name my pet after something that reminds me that I cried like a little bitch."

"Awww, that was so touching when you cried for Makoto…"

"Piss off…"

"How about Kitsune then?"

"Sticking with the anime theme, are we? You're such a nerd."

Jewel stuck her tongue out playfully at Blythe. "You know it and you loved it."

Blythe once again shook his head, more to block out the image of Jewel's new tongue piercing than to say no to the suggested name. "Kitsune is too… generic."

"Well, how about Yuki? It means snow, amongst other things."

"What's with all the girl names?"

"Oh, you didn't know that the fox was actually a female? Look!" Jewel set aside the tweezers and gently lifted the injured leg.

"I don't need to see that!" Blythe protested loudly, much to Jewel's delight, as she laughed at Blythe's embarrassment.

"Still the gentleman like always, aren't we Blythe?" Jewel smiled as she returned the leg to its previous position. She then reached into her case and produced a large roll of gauze and began wrapping it around the extremity. "I'm sure that Kityuki will try her hardest to gnaw this off, so you'll have to keep an eye on her and stop her from doing that."

"Kityuki?"

"Yep, Kityuki. Snow fox cub. And it sounds cute." Jewel sounded happy with the name she had decided on for the little fox. The fox still shot metaphorical daggers at her from under Blythe's restraint. Jewel leaned in close to the fox, leveling her gaze so that it rested barely an inch from the fox's blue eyes, "But, I swear to god, if you bite me again, I'll make sure that you aren't cute for much longer."

Scary…

Seeing as Jewel appeared finished with her administrations, Blythe eased up his grip on Kityuki. The little fox appeared ready to instantly pounce at Jewel, but eased up before launching itself. Instead, it let out a loud yawn directly in Jewel's face before dropping back to that table and curling into a tiny ball.

"See, she can behave! You just have to not be waving a scalpel in front of her face…" Blythe remarked smugly, "Now, about that cookie…"

Jewel scowled at Blythe as she removed the latex gloves. She studied him for a good twenty seconds before finally cracking a thin smile, "I guess hate's a bit too strong of a term… Go ahead, help yourself."

"Thanks Jewel. I don't hate you either."

"Piss off Blythe or else I won't ask you to stay for supper."

"Ooo, that sounds like a good idea. I guess you talked me into being nice to you for the rest of the afternoon."

Jewel put a hand over her eyes, shaking her head, "I'm going to regret this, aren't I?"

Blythe smiled wickedly, "Only if we wind up on that couch again."

"Piss off."

Author's Note: Well, there's chapter 2 in the books. It wound up being a bit longer than I had expected, but I just had so much fun writing the banter between Blythe and Jewel that I ended up getting a little carried away. Oh wells. Hopefully Jewel endears herself to you readers; I've got big plans for her involvement in the story. Oh, and as promised, we'll stick with the Friday update for next week as well!

Next chapter preview: Ok Jewel, all we're asking is for you to sit nicely and say a little something about the next chapter. Can you do that for us? "Piss off." Come on, its only nine words! All you have to say is 'I was wrong and I forgive Blythe for everything.' *Crack!* … Okay then… Next time on 'In Our World': "You're On the News!" Can someone call a medic, Blythe's unconscious…