I kneeled on the floor eyeing him sceptically. I edged closer and held out a hand. He stepped forwards gleefully and I petted him. He felt just the same. I really didn’t know what I had stolen today, but I knew it was something that I wanted to keep very much.
“How did you do that?” I demanded of him. He just wagged his tail and enjoyed the attention as I scratched behind his ears. My mind reeled. An intelligent, colour changing fox, which could possibly fly if his wings grew large enough. For now they just flapped pointlessly when he was happy. I wondered if he could change any colour at all. Maybe it couldn’t hurt to ask, though I felt ridiculous even thinking about it. A gently picked up the amazing fluff-ball and he licked at my face eagerly as I cuddled him lightly before placing him on the bed.
“Can you … I mean … the sheets-” I pointed to the musty grey bedding, “Could you do that colour thing again?”
He cocked his head to the side in wonder, his ears pricked up curiously. I smiled at the absurd adorability. The change came so suddenly I almost missed it by blinking. One second he was a dirty brown colour, he shivered and the next moment he was a bland grey. The same colour as my bed sheets.
I grinned, “Amazing.”
I stared in wonder and admiration, petting him absentmindedly. A low grumbling noise caught my attention and I realised he must be hungry. I frowned. I didn’t know what I was going to do about that. I couldn’t possibly be caught stealing food from the kitchens on my first night! Yet as I eyed my unnamed miracle I knew at once that I would give in and find something for him.
With a sigh I stepped from the room, locking it behind me and walked shakily to the kitchen. There were still some people here, mostly cleaning, and organising. I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to be here, but no one paid me any attention, so I assumed it was okay. Trying to be as subtle as possible, and attempting to make it look as though I was meant to be there, I hid a dish under my clothes before moving to a large pile of discarded food that looked like unwanted meat cuts. I grabbed a fist full and hurried from the room. My heart pounding in my chest, I rushed back to my room before anyone would notice.
Once I was securely inside I turned and saw the fox sitting on my bed, quite content. He was white again, and looked at me expectantly. I smiled and placed the empty dish I had stolen on the ground. I rummaged through my rucksack and found the flask of water I had brought to Frost Arch with me. I emptied half of it into the dish and a blur of white streaked past me, lapping up the water gratefully. I sat on my bed, and once he had had his fill, he turned to face me, tail wagging excitedly. I held up the juicy meat in my hand and he seemed to quiver with excitement. I sat there in thought for a while, feeding a sliver of meat to my fox at regular intervals. He chewed at it happily, the rumbling in his stomach subsiding. I would have to remember to bring some of my own meals back to the bedroom regularly for him.
Once all the meat was gone, he whined anxiously for me to pick him up and place him on the bed. I did so instantly, resuming the petting. I was so lost in thought I didn’t even notice his fur change to an exact replica of my skin colour for a few minutes. I yawned obviously and felt my eyes burn. It was definitely time to sleep. I folded the clothes from my rucksack and put them into various draws in my dresser before changing into the appropriate bed attire. As I settled into the bed, under the covers, I realised I had been right about the itchy sheets.
The Fox lay silently beside me on top of the sheets, yawning before putting his head on his paws. I stroked him some more before I felt sleep slowly taking over. My eyelids were heavy and I was being pulled under. One of the last thoughts I had before I fell unconscious was that I would call my new friend Hawthorne. Hawthorne the intelligent, chameleon fox.
Next to me Hawthorne’s breathing had become deep as he too fell asleep. Somewhere deep down I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep him for long. But I’d make the most of the limited time.
Chapter five
An Absurd Growth Spurt