Caught in the Moonlight

Chapter Eighteen

A/N: Sorry the chapters are so short lately. I'm suffering from writer's block- in other words, I can't get that inspiration to write. Took me forever just to get this amount. Sadly, though, certain people are telling me to write more. So, basically, don't blame me.  

Bright crimson fur blew gently in the moonlight, claws sticking out from beneath it and deep yellow eyes glinting in the moonlight as they stared at me. I met the fox's gaze evenly though fear rose in my heart. A few wisps of hair fell across my eyes, trailing down beneath my bangs, but I was too frozen to react as the wind blew more. Lack of breathing drew me to shake out of the paralysis and I inhaled deeply and quietly. The fox noticed the motion, cold moonlight reflected in its eyes as it took a step toward me. I knew I could take it down if I really wanted to, but something stopped me. I reached up in a hesitant motion, my hand facing down and my fingers curled in, allowing the fox to sniff my hand. The fox tentatively nudged its head forward, brushing its nostrils across my hand. A few wisps of clouds breezed in front of the moon, distorting the shadows of the forest and reflecting in the amber eyes watching me with caution.  The fox finished sniffing my hand and turned around for a moment, its large, bushy tail dragging in the leaves for a moment. It turned around, casting a longing glance at me, before jumping up into my lap. Startled, I almost shoved it back off into the foliage, but when I realized it had a paw on each of my shoulders and was looking at me so ecstatically, I curled my arms around it. The fox's fur was soft under my hand, reminding me of Moonlight's fuzzy, velvety coat. The fox licked my cheek and a giggle escaped my lips. I stroked its back along its spine for a moment before scratching just between its ears. I picked it up, no longer worried about what Alex had done. I felt stronger- some kind of eustress had been drawn from the encounter with my new friend, who I held in my arms as I stood up. At first, it kicked a little; however, it didn't seem to mind being lifted off the ground. I carried the fox out of the woods, scratching the downy fluff on the side of its neck.   The fox was young, barely more than a cub, and I'd guess its age to be a little over six months. As I exited the soothing confines of the trees, I spotted a tall, thin figure making his way toward the forest, hands in his pockets and a frantic tone to his hurried pace. I knew who it was immediately, and the fox seemed to sense that I didn't want him here. The fox let out a hoarse noise, sounding similar to a growl. It practically leapt out of my arms, its fur bristling and its glare fixed on Alex as he approached us. I shushed the small animal, murmuring comfortingly to it and stroking its back as I stepped closer to Alex. Alex, now certain of who I was, dashed toward me, only to come to a sudden halt as he noticed the mammal I held.   "What is that?" Alex asked warily, a disgusted expression on his face as he studied the fox. It snarled at him, a throaty growl rumbling from the bowels of its throat as it peered at Alex through slitted, angry eyes. Its whiskers twitched and its the volume of its growl went up an octave.  "This is my new friend. Got a problem with it?" I asked, rubbing my hand down the animal's back. Alex shook his head at me, disapproval alive in his face. Cold moonlight washed over him, shaking the color out of his appearance- not that there was much to begin with. His pale skin was almost silver and his usually pitch black hair was a faded, bluish ebony shade resting in long, straight strands on top of his head.  "Do you even know where it's been!?" Alex exclaimed, fuming at me and his blue eyes alive again. It was a hot June night and the breeze calmed me, shooting down the anger that had begun to bubble up inside of me.  "Does it matter? Besides, it's not like you care," I replied, keeping my expression under control and my voice even. My voice echoed across the parking lot, empty and unexpressionless as the asphalt beneath us.  "Listen, Ronnie- I do care about you. Just let me explain," Alex pleaded, suddenly "kind and caring" again. I kept my eyes fixed on his, narrowing mine a little as the breeze swept a few wispy strands of hair across my face. I stood there waiting, using my expression to imply for him to go on.  "That was my cousin. Her name is Honey, and I was bringing her out here to meet you. Her boyfriend was in there and she saw me in the waiting room and called me over a few seconds after I realized you left. I would never hurt you," Alex continued, stepping closer as he spoke until he was barely a foot away. Sorrow and honesty were audible in his tone and guilt for accusing him of dishonesty and cheating on me swelled up inside me. I looked down and met the amber gaze of my new friend. Only now did I realize there were deep green flecks adding color to the golden shade of her eyes. I found a sense of stability in the depths of her stare and took a deep breath before looking back up to face Alex. I brushed a delicate finger across my face, sweeping my hair out of my eyes as I contemplated what to say.  "I'm going to trust you. You've helpd me enough for me to believe you and be willing to give you a second chance. I'll give you a chance, but if you screw it up it's on you," I told him, my voice echoing clearly across the parking lot. The soft, warm animal in my arms silenced at my words, every trace of its previous growl vanishing. A smile lit Alex's face, his eyes brightening.  "You won't regret it, Ronnie- I promise. I'll make it up to you. I'll even come up with a nickname for Honey so there's no more confusion with her," Alex promised, giving me a one-armed hug to avoid having his arm ripped off. The fox's growl sounded again as Alex reached for me, but it ceased once he returned to where he stood before.   "So, what would be short for Honey?" I asked, as we made our way back across the parking lot. The fox tensed up a little and I could almost taste the worry drifting off of it. Alex thought for a moment, his gaze drifting off as his thoughts wondered.  "Ho," Alex suggested mischievously. I laughed a little and shook my head at him before replying, "I don't really think she'd appreciate that. Not all girls like being called things of that sort."  "Oh, I know. But she's my cousin so I'm supposed to be mean to her," Alex responded, grinning at me. I elbowed him and shook my head at him once more. I sighed and, in a tone of mock disappointment, said, "To think, I was so sure you were all sweet and good and caring."  "Well, there's a lot about me you don't know," Alex told me, blue eyes glinting as he reached up a tentative hand, allowing the fox to sniff it. As its small nose brushed across his palm, Alex tensed, but it simply finished and went back to how it had been before- eyes looking ahead curiously and ears perked up, facing forward as it wondered about the hospital.  "Like what?" I asked, concern and curiosity clear in my voice and expression. I rearranged my grip on the fox as Alex took a moment, his eyes wondering off thoughtfully as he contemplated how to put whatever he was about to say.  "I'll explain that later- too much to talk about," Alex decided, studying my expression carefully. I sighed, but after a moment I shrugged- we were nearing the hospital. Honey sat worriedly on a metal bench just outside the doors to the hospital, her head resting on her elbows and her short hair fluffy around her head. As we got closer, I began to make out her appearance- almond-shaped amber eyes, pale, snowy, alabaster skin, short and petite, and a small, fairy-like, pointed nose. High, narrow cheekbones resting above thin, concave cheeks added to the elvish appearance, not to mention the deep green tank top she wore over white, ripped up skinny jeans and minty turquoise converse. As we approached, she stood quickly and began striding toward us. Despite her height, her walk was far from slow.  "Alex!? Ronnie?" Honey cried out as she got closer. Once we got closer, she dashed the rest of the way until she reached us and wrapped her arms around me, almost suffocating my fox. Apologies bubbled out repeatedly as she hugged me and I stood there frozen and unsure until she let go. She rested her hands on my shoulders, huffed, and asked, "Can you forgive me, Ronnie?"  "Um, sure, Honey," I murmured uncertainly. She finally looked down, noticing the crimson-furred mammal resting in my arms, just as frozen and shocked as I was. She had a sharp intake of breath, her eyes widening; however, a slow grin rose her cheeks.  "Is that really a... A fox?" Honey asked, smiling and looking back and forth between me and the fox. I took a deep breath and nodded, concerned about what she was about to do. I felt kind of awkward; she was extremely friendly and affectionate- two things I'm not. When she realized it really WAS a fox, she giggled and let out a squeak of delight, proclaiming, "I love red foxes! I know everything about them!"  "Oh- er, alright then," I stammered, hesitation growing within me. She was a little too bubbly and optimistic for my taste.   "Oh, that one's a boy, you can tell by the ear shape. He's about six months old and underfed," Honey continued to babble, going on and on about how the head shape means this, and the whisker length means that. It took everything in me not to flick a hand out and slap her happy face. My fox understood.  "Ronnie-Ann?" A deep, slurring, wavery voice called. I looked over, spotting a tall, slightly overweight man stumbling toward me, his hair grown long and messy, falling in choppy layers around his head. His beard had grown out some and his mustache pudged over his lip. No, no it couldn't be-  "Ronnie-doll? Iss tha' you?" The slobbering drunk asked as he stumbled closer. Alex took a small step forward, glancing at me protectively. As the man got closer, I began to make out what he looked like  better. I was almost positive when I saw the familiar upside down dagger tattoo on his flabby biceps.  "Dad!? What in the HELL are you doing here?" I exclaimed, taking a step back. Alex's intake of breath reminded me I wasn't alone. Honey gave me a puzzled look, but she seemed to be able to guess the situation as Dad stepped closer.  "Ronnie! It is you! Come give Daddy a hug," Dad slurred as he approached me, swinging an arm up to lay around my shoulders. I slapped him and backed up. Alex immediately stepped in front of me, his blue eyes fierce. The momentarily happy, reunited drunken father of mine  was instantly angered. He tried to slug Alex, whose hand instantly flashed upwards, catching Dad's fist. He turned it upside down and drew it over Dad's back in a second, disorienting my father so that he simply lost his balance, stumbled once more, and fell. As he crashed to the ground, landing heavily on his elbow in his dirty, off-white tank-top and ripped blue jeans, Dad groaned. The fox resting still in my arms made the same angry, growling noise as it had earlier, glaring over my shoulder as I began to steadily stride away, Honey and Alex close behind.  Dad attempted to flop over, missing pathetically and landing on his back. He laid there, drunk in the road, staring after me as I walked away. His hair was messy and dark, and his eyes were bloodshot as they gazed after me. I looked over my shoulder one last time as we approached the hospital doors and his eyes were closed. I sighed heavily before stepping into the hospital. A nurse stood nervously near the door, relief lighting her eyes as her gaze fell on us. I smiled at her until I noticed she was only staring at Honey. They looked around the same age, so it didn't surprise me. The nurse's boy-short, choppy black hair fell in her face, but her brown eyes were still bright behind her glasses.  As Honey walked through the doors in the lead, the nurse gave her a tight hug and grinned at her before leading her away. Honey gestured for us to go with her and I gave Alex a look, but he pulled me along anyways. The fox was still in my arms and we were inside the hospital- did he not realize that? However, as we walked through the hospital, all was well and nobody even gave us a second glance. Alex turned to me just before we were about to enter one of the rooms, whispering, "This is Allen's room. You know him better, you go in there while I make sure Beth is alright. I'll drag Honey with me, I'm pretty sure Allen feels responsible for the wreck. He could use a friend."  I nodded as he dragged a confused Honey into the next room down and then, taking a deep breath, opened the door and walked in. Allen was alone, a few small bandages here and there to patch up his wounds. He laid there, staring straight above him at the ceiling tile. His green eyes were unfocused and fear shot through me. What if his injuries were worse than I thought? What if there was something seriously wrong?  "Ronnie?" Relief replaced the fear as he muttered my name and shuffled upwards so that he could look at me. I closed the door and walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed and taking his hand in mine. I looked down at him, straight into his green eyes.  "Hey, Allen," I tried to sound confident and strong, but my voice came out a raspy whisper. He smiled at me before lifting his hand and caressing my face gently, brushing his hand across my cheekbone. I could see thoughts whirring behind his eyes.  "I had the strangest feeling earlier, Ronnie. Whenever I saw that drunk driver coming, all I knew was that I had to make sure you were okay. I knew Beth would be fine, but I didn't know if you would be. I got this feeling like I was needed, like you needed me. You told me once that we had two options- run away, or stay and try to ignore how we feel. I'm tired of pretending- run away with me?"