WHAT REMAINS

It’s been six days since I found myself in this strange place—six days since I was reborn here. I stepped out of the small house I shared with the Red Fox. From the outside, it looked like a shabby shack, with trees hanging at odd angles on the roof. The walls were rough and sharp, resembling tree bark, and the windows were peculiar—you couldn’t see inside from the outside, yet from within, the view was clear. Despite its eerie exterior, the inside was entirely different. The space seemed impossibly vast, lined with countless doors. The house held many things, but most were forbidden by the Red Fox, so I had little idea what lay beyond them. The air inside always smelled faintly of herbs and something else—something old and unrecognizable. There were symbols carved onto some of the doors, glowing faintly when I passed. I had asked Darius about them once, but he simply gave me a look and said, “Stay out.” I walked along a dirt path, stealing glances at the people around me—elves, fae, and once, even a werewolf. My destination was the home of a witch. She had a kind face, though it betrayed nothing of her strict and commanding nature—something I had personally fallen victim to. “There you are. I was starting to wonder if you’d show up at all.” I watched her carry a basket full of apples from the shed beside her house. For a witch, she had an unusual fondness for manual labor. “Don’t tell me Darius kept you from coming earlier. I swear, one of these days, I’ll turn him into a disgusting little rat. What do you think?” Darius. That was what they called the Red Fox. He was considered the leader around here. But did he name himself, or did the people here name him? There was so much I wanted to know about him. I had tried to ask him questions before. Where are we? Why am I here? What is this place? But his answers were always vague, half-truths hidden beneath riddles. “Rein.” I snapped out of my thoughts. “As entertaining as it is to watch you stand there, we have work to do. Hurry up.” I nodded and followed silently as she led the way to the farm behind her house. --- Chief Bazan was a man of iron hands. He had protected this village since the day he accepted his position. Many admired him, some resented him, while others were indifferent. Yet as he walked through the village, resentment clawed at his own heart. His grandson—the only kin he had left—was banished, forgotten, all because he sought the people’s approval. It had been two months since he last saw him. The boy had cried and fought every night in that shed, awaiting judgment. Until, one night, he fell silent. He had resigned himself to his fate. His grandchild—Rein. If only he could go back and undo what he had done. If only he could see the boy again—the child he had raised. But the damn rain hadn’t lifted since. There was a chance that… No. He couldn’t think like that. He had to survive. He would survive. “Chief!” He turned to see one of the village huntsmen approaching. “Archyrus. What’s the problem?” “Another family has left the village, sir. A farmer and his entire household. He claimed to have seen something in the fields.” “A wild animal, perhaps?” Archyrus shook his head. “He described a man. Said he saw him… eating the carcass of an animal.” The chief sighed and walked past him. “Gather your men. We’re taking a look.” --- "Are you done?" The creature growled at the Red Fox, who perched on a tree branch, watching him. “I found this on my own. I’m not sharing,” the werewolf snarled. Darius gave the werewolf and his meal a disgusted look before turning away. “For someone who claims to be an Alpha, you’re showing some weak traits,” Darius mused. “You waited days for this animal to weaken before attacking, and even then, you weren’t subtle in hiding your form. You scared the humans away.” Luca’s growl deepened. “If you’d seen what I’ve seen, those humans wouldn’t be your concern.” He tore into the flesh again, his hands shaking. Darius sighed. “I don’t care what you’ve seen, Luca, but you’re becoming a damn liability. If you bring harm to anyone in the sanctuary, I’ll be forced to take drastic measures.” Luca let out a low growl. “You already brought harm to us when you brought that human boy.” Darius’s cold gaze didn’t waver. Luca suddenly winced in pain, his body shifting back to human form involuntarily. He gasped, his body trembling from the forced transformation. “Look at the pot calling the kettle black,” Darius murmured as he gracefully leaped from the tree, landing in front of Luca. He studied him for a moment, watching his pained expression. “You’re lucky I’m feeling generous today,” he whispered before shifting back into his werewolf form and walking away. Luca finally exhaled, able to breathe again. --- Darius hadn’t gone far when he heard human voices. They were searching for Luca. Once again, he climbed into a tree, watching from above. Chief Bazan and his men circled the forest twice but found nothing resembling the creature Archyrus had described. “We should head back,” the chief finally said. “Whatever it was, it’s gone now.” The men began making their way back, but something nagged at Bazan. He felt watched. He turned, scanning the trees. His gaze swept over the branches—then stopped. There, perched in the tree, was a fox. A red fox, its eyes glowing faintly. For a moment, Bazan could have sworn it was looking at him, not as an animal would, but as something far more intelligent. “What…?” “Chief?” one of the men called. Bazan turned back to his men, shaking his head. But when he glanced at the tree again, the fox was gone. The chief hesitated before continuing his march back to the village. And above, hidden in the shadows, Darius watched him leave.