the mythical fox

Chapter 1: The Escape

The forest was alive with the sounds of pursuit—boots crunching through leaves, the sharp crack of gunfire tearing through the air. Jacob’s heart pounded in his chest as he sprinted through the dense underbrush, branches whipping at his face. He hadn’t slept for days, hadn’t eaten anything but the scraps he could scavenge. But that didn’t matter. What mattered was staying ahead of the guards.

He veered sharply to the right, diving behind the trunk of a massive oak. Bullets shredded the air where he’d been just moments before. He pressed his back against the rough bark, breath shallow, muscles tense. His mind raced. He could hear one of the guards approaching, rifle raised, crunching over fallen leaves. Too close.

Jacob's instincts took over. As the guard rounded the tree, Jacob lunged, grabbing the barrel of the rifle with both hands. He yanked it down and to the side, twisting the guard’s arms with it. With a swift kick to the man’s knee, he heard the satisfying crack of bone, followed by the guard’s scream. Without hesitation, Jacob delivered a brutal knee to the man's face, sending him crumpling to the ground.

He didn’t stop to check if the guard was still conscious. He didn’t care. Every second counted. He spun on his heel and took off running again, dodging between the trees as the other guards opened fire, the bullets thudding into the trunks around him. The terrain was rough, and every step sent a jolt of pain through his already exhausted legs.

But ahead, just beyond the thick line of trees, he could see it—the cliffside. Freedom. It was steep, jagged, and led to nothing but a sheer drop into the ocean below. To anyone else, it might have seemed like a dead end, but Jacob had a plan. He just needed to reach the edge.

His lungs burned, and his legs screamed in protest, but he pushed through the pain, focusing on his one chance at survival. The water below was a hundred feet down, dark and churning against the rocks. He knew the fall could kill him if he didn’t land right, but it was a risk he had to take. It was better than being dragged back to that place. Better than the torture.

The guards were still on his tail, closing in fast. He could hear them shouting to one another, their voices rising in panic as they realized what he was about to do.

“There! He’s heading for the cliff!”

“Don’t let him jump!”

He was almost there. Just a few more feet. His body felt like it was moving through water, every step slower than the last. The sound of gunfire grew louder, closer. He could feel the bullets whizzing past, could hear them hitting the dirt at his feet. But he kept moving.

Then, just as he reached the edge, he leaped.

For a moment, time seemed to slow. The wind rushed past him as he plummeted toward the ocean below, the dark water rising up to meet him. The sound of gunfire faded into the distance, replaced by the roar of the waves and the thundering of his own heartbeat. He had done it. He was free.

But as Jacob fell, his mind raced with the question he had been avoiding since the start of his escape: What now? Where would he go? The guards weren’t just after him for sport. They wanted something from him—something they’d do anything to get.

And deep down, he knew this wasn’t the end. It was just the beginning.

The water slammed into him with bone-rattling force, dragging him under.
———————————————————
Chapter 2: The Transformation

Jacob’s lungs burned as the cold water enveloped him, dragging him deeper into the ocean’s depths. His muscles ached from the jump, the impact rattling through his bones, but he didn’t panic. He couldn’t afford to. He held his breath, forcing his mind to focus despite the sting of saltwater in his eyes.