The ears twitched again.
Its eyes glanced at my sandwich.
My mouth bobbed. If it wanted my food instead of my arm to gnaw on, I was all for that. “Are you hungry?”
The animal kept his belly on the ground, dragging itself carefully out from under the seat. It peered at my sandwich again, and its tongue lolled outside its mouth.
I think it was smiling.
“All right.” I tore a piece of turkey off and tossed it down on the floor. “Try that.”
The fox stood up and ducked its head to sniff at the meat. It was a male with strong muscles under its coat. The little beast didn’t appear to be starving like most wildlife, his silver fur healthy and shining in the light.
He ate the turkey in one bite.
I tossed him another piece.
He caught it in the air and swallowed it whole.
Then he jumped onto the bed.
I skittered to a stand.
But all he did was trot to the end of the bed and lay down, curling his tail around himself. Then he closed his eyes. His breathing evened out…as he fell asleep.
“Okay, okay,” I muttered in shock.
The fox was healthy. He just wanted a nap.
I sat down carefully on the bed.
He didn’t move.
The sandwich smelled delicious, so I quickly took a bite and watched the fox for any indication that he was going to pounce. The little beast never even twitched. I eventually ate the rest of my sandwich and licked my fingers clean.
He still didn’t move, only his chest expanding with each easy breath he took as he slept on peacefully.
The thin mattress creaked as I attempted to situate myself on the bed, leaving the fox plenty of room below my feet. I rested my head down on my arms that I had tucked under my head, lying on my side pressed against the back wall. As an afterthought, I pulled one of my blades from its sheath on my thigh and held it close as I closed my eyes.
CHAPTERTWELVE
The dinging bell of the train woke me.
I tipped my head up and yawned. There was light streaming in through the window—a lot of light. It was mid-afternoon by the blinding sun pouring inside the cabin.
I had arrived in New City.
Or what history books used to call Lisbon, Portugal.
Either way, it was now part of King Central Province.
The fox was sitting patiently at the door.
I snorted and stuffed my blade away. “I take it you’re ready to get off this fun filled ride?”
His tongue lolled out, another grin.
I glanced at my bracelet.
