“This is the fox shifter?” I wiped away a tear that formed at the top of my cheek. “TeaBagTitan, the one that everyone has hunted for?”
The fox growled and stomped his foot.
“You’re so tiny!” I snickered, holding up my index finger and thumb together. “Like this big!”
My laugh died as the fox's fur receded into his skin, like ink into paper. His limbs cracked and contorted, lengthening at impossible angles while his muzzle collapsed with a wet squelch. I froze, watching vertebrae shift beneath stretching skin. Romance novels had glossed over this horror with convenient phrases like "he shifted forms”, never mentioning the nasty sounds of popping joints and reforming flesh.
They only describe: they shifted, boom, done.
No, this was gross.
Especially when the transformation left TeaBagTitan standing before me in his birthday suit, glistening with sweat, his most private anatomy on full display like some kind of unwanted nature documentary.
I thought I might hurl.
“Nice to see you, Kassie,” he panted and stepped forward.
I took a step back and put a hand on my chest. “Nah, ah, step back, Titan. I do not need any of that near me. State your business and end the craziness that you have put on this town.”
He smirked and crossed his arms. Obviously, he had no shame in his nakedness, which most shifters wouldn’t, since they shift naked all the time anyway.
“The name isn’t TeaBagTitan, that is just my user name, obviously.” He rolled his eyes. “My name is Fenwick, and it is a pleasure to finally meet you in person.” He bowed, looking up in the process.
I couldn't help but stare at him, my eyebrows raised. "Fenwick? What kind of name is that? Sounds like a sneeze and a curse word had a baby." I snorted, trying to hide my nervousness. He was still naked, still sweating, and still way too close for comfort.
He straightened up, his smirk never fading. "I could say the same about Kassie. Sounds like someone tried to spell 'sassy' wrong."
I rolled my eyes, trying to keep my cool. "Yeah, yeah, very clever. Now, how about you tell me why you've been terrorizing the town and then stalking me in the forest?"
Fenwick, or TeaBagTitan, whatever he wanted to be called, took a step closer. I took a step back, holding up the pepper spray like a shield. He laughed. "Relax, Kassie. I just want to talk."
"Talk? You've got a funny way of showing it," I said, my grip tightening on the pepper spray. "Most people use phones or emails, not creepy, forest stalking."
He shrugged, nonchalant. "I'm not most people. And I needed to see you in person. I…" He rubbed his hands together and looked away from me, looking embarrassed for the first time.
I raised an eyebrow. "What is going on? You've been scaring everyone in town. The mayor has thrown a fit. You’ve made them think there is a rabid, undunked falls monster on the loose."
Fenwick sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's not like that. Not at all. And what do you mean ‘undunked’? I drank fromthe falls, I’m not some rabid, crazy monster like I once was! I was just... trying to fit in. To find a place where I belong. People don’t take kindly to fox shifters."
I snorted. "So, you thought scaring the crap out of people would make it so much better? Great plan, really."
He looked at me, his eyes surprisingly sincere. "I didn't mean to scare anyone. I just... I don't know how to survive on anything other than what I do. Which is to look exceedingly handsome, charm humans, and survive. I don’t want to hurt anyone, just make a living. The falls didn’t take away my magic, just like the Slenderman, but everyone respects him because of his power and strength. No monster respects me or my kind. I’m a joke!”
I stared at him, taken aback. This wasn't the arrogant, fox shifter I'd been expecting. This was just a guy, lost and alone, trying to find his way. I lowered the pepper spray, just a fraction. "So, what now? You think I can help you or something?"
Fenwick nodded. "You're different, Kassie. You're not afraid of me. You aren’t impacted by my charm. I can’t persuade you to help me. You are honest, and I need honesty because I can’t turn the charm off.” He smiled, but it was sad. “I need someone who can speak up for me. Tell the town I’m trying. I need… a friend. A real one. That sees me past the charm.”
I laughed, a sharp, sudden sound. "Me? How do you know I would help? For so long, you made fun of me, called me some harsh names.” I crossed my arms, no longer physically scared of the fox.
Fenwick's shoulders slumped. "Words cut deeper than any blade." His cheeks flushed crimson as he stared at his bare feet. "When you've spent your life as the smallest predator in a world of monsters, you learn to strike first. Online, I just... carried that same reflex. And you,"—he glanced up, then away again—"the one person who showed me kindness, I assumed was settinga trap. I couldn't imagine anyone seeing past my tricks until I realized you were immune to them."
I looked at him, really looked at him, and saw the vulnerability in his eyes. The loneliness. I sighed, my anger fading. "Okay, okay. So, maybe you're not the jerk I thought you were. But that doesn't change the fact that you've been causing trouble." I paused, considering his words. "But I get it. Being alone, being different… it sucks."
Fenwick looked at me, hope sparking in his eyes. "So, you'll help me?"
I pouted my lips and rubbed my chin. I knew foxes could be tricky, manipulative, but I wasn’t really getting that vibe from Fenwick. I could be kicking myself in the ass for this, but…
I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "I'm not promising some magical transformation where the whole town suddenly loves you. But..." I looked up, meeting his eyes. "I can show you how to exist here without sending everyone running and screaming. That's the best offer you're getting." I stepped forward, one hand settling on my hip, daring him to argue. "First things first, though. No more stalking, and clothes. Clothes are a good start."
