Joshiah struggled to keep the spoils of another successful robbery tucked neatly into his coat pockets as he ran off into the deep wilderness of the forest outside of Tabernath. 
"Don't let that villain get away! I want every gold piece back, down to the dust!" yelled a voice through the thick, tall trees. The voice was almost overpowered by the trampling of footsteps on the ground, as a heavily armed police force gave way after the cunning wolf.
"Curse these stripes...I'm never going to get lost out here!" Joshiah exlaimed, trying to keep his voice to himself as he looked down at his bizarre patterns. Bright, neon orange slashes cut their way through what was otherwise jet black fur, in a completely haphazard manner. The only static appearance were the two thin stripes of orange over his muzzle, and the two over each of his ear tips. 
Those same ears flickered as Joshiah picked up on the noise of footpaws trudging into the dirt, leaving him no doubt that the police were catching up. He turned his head back to look behind him out of caution, and seeing no one there, he turned back around, just in time to dodge a tree.
"Shit! Badbadbadbadbadbad...gotta get free!"
The low branches of the tree had caught onto the tatters and slits in Joshiah's well worn coat, and running as quickly as he was, he was lucky he didn't get impaled on the tree. 
"I think I've got a clear shot, sir!" one of the police called out, and no sooner than Joshiah heard the words than did a bullet fly past him, scarcely missing his flesh, but shooting a hole in his coat pocket, clean through the gold. It poured out onto the dark brown forest floor, leaving a glittering pile of riches next to his footpaws.
Joshiah silently swore at his bad luck, before trying to rip his coat free, leaving it in complete tatters on his fur. Letting out an exasperated sigh, the theiving wolf left the tatters on the pile of gold, determined to come back for it later, but in that moment, he decided that now would be the time to run. He took off deeper into the woods before another shot could be fired.
The police force came to a halt in the group of trees where Joshiah had left the coat. "Sir, I think we shoud let him go. No one has ever returned from going that deep into Tabernath Forest. He's just a common thief with nowhere to go; we may as well let him enjoy a wooden grave."
The police chief kicked aside the tatters of Joshiah's coat in frustration, but his anger paid off, as the gold suddenly glimmered on the ground before him. "You're right, officer. Let him go. We've got all that we need from him anyway."
The police scavenged up the pieces of gold like vultures, as Joshiah fled further into the treacherous woods. Much to his dismay, the canopy of the forest had grown thicker, leaving him blanketed in something of a shroud of darkness. The area was so heavily wooded that it looked the same on all sides, leaving him no obvious path of return. It was as if the forest had closed behind him.
"That might not have been my best idea...damnit. A perfectly good heist completely blown by a tree branch!" he yelled out in frustration, slamming a clenched fist against a solid trunk. "And now I'm completely lost. Not sure how this could get much better."
Joshiah kept his head on a swivel, looking constantly to the left and the right as he moved slowly forward. Everyone knew about the legends of the depths of Tabernath Forest, and it was the sole reason why everyone stayed within the town borders. There was an exit out of Tabernath to the north of the city, through the Skivel Mountains, but that route was used almost entirely for trade. It was rare that anyone ever left Tabernath completely, and even moreso that they would return.
"And now, I suppose I get to join the others in the lore of the forest with a belly," Joshiah muttered sarcastically. His frustration mounted solely from the fact that he'd lost his treasure. As he started to calm down, he realized that it was a peaceful time of summer, so he was in no danger of freezing to death, and he had eaten earlier that day. The situation was only so desperate because he'd gone so deep into the woods, and it was true that very few people ever returned from even a hundred feet deep in. He could be close to half a mile.
The sights completely astounded him, as he finally took a moment to take in all he could see. There were trees that could easily be a a thousand feet tall; maybe even more than that. The grass was thick, lush and soft, and sometimes as tall as his ankles. The land was completely untouched by cultivated beasts, leaving the foiliage to grow unbridled. And just at the edge of his range of vision, Joshiah swore he could see a soft, bluish glow rising up from the ground.
"I wonder what that could be?" he asked himself, as he moved on cautiously. In Tabernath, magical power was something of a foreign concept. Though minor spells used to light candles, or conjure a glass of water, or even freeze food to preserve it were commonplace, actual power to be attained through magic didn't seem to exist. This glow, however, radiated pure magical energy. Joshiah was as quiet as he could be as he moved closer, having no weapons, aside from his sharp fangs and razor claws.
The glow grew brighter as the curious wolf approached, and a sense of pleasant warmth started to fill his body. Pure, clean moisture drifted into his muzzle, and he started to piece together what he was really seeing. "It's just a hot spring. I could really use a dip, though..." he thought, as he now approached in a more relaxed stride, aided by the air of comfort coming from the glow, which was starting to take shape as a small pond in the forest. 
Splish, sploosh...
Joshiah paused where he stood. He could've sworn he heard someone splashing around in the hot spring. A light veil of steam had filled the air, and through it, the wolf could clearly see a figure of a body. As he stepped closer now with piqued interest, it took shape; clearly female. A large, but fitting pair of breasts accented the upper half of the silohuette, resting over a slim stomach, and a well accented set of hips. Her tail was clearly raised up in the air, leaving her supple, round rump open to sight. 
"It's a woman..."
Joshiah bit his lip, realizing he might be within earshot now. In a hasty scramble, he ducked behind a nearby tree, hoping to keep himself hidden in the wooden maze. Keeping his breaths low and quiet, the thief waited patiently, keeping almost completely still, as he'd trained to do many times before. 
Yet, no one came. Again, Joshiah perked an ear to a quiet splish, just a short distance off now. His voice had likely gone unheard, as the female was content to continue bathing. "Well, I suppose that if I steal peeks at bank vaults, it wouldn't hurt to steal a peek at a pretty lady, now would it?" he thought out loud, though still as quiet as could be. In precisely silent steps, Joshiah moved out from behind the tree, and into the steam cloud surrounding the spring.
The figure seemed to pause in the steam, a pair of ears atop her head turning towards the sound of a stranger approaching. Joshiah stood still, but it didn't seem to matter.The cloud of steam disappeared entirely, seeming to be spirited away by a gust of wind. Suddenly, there was only Joshiah, and a stunning, pure white canid female in the pool before him, completely bare.
"You should have left when you had the chance, mortal. I let you go the first time. You will not be so lucky now."
Joshiah was frozen where he stood. "...Mortal?" he asked, clearly confused. Though the steam had faded, he did notice now that the bluish glow in the water wasn't the water itself. It was slowly changing to the same color as red rose petals, almost reminiscent of a pool of blood, yet, her fur remained a bright, snow white.
"What makes you think you have the right to gaze upon my beauty?" the female called out, as she started to rise from the water. As she stood upon the ground before Joshiah, she turned out just a little bit taller than him. Her height threw him off, but as he looked over her figure, still in pure shock at her pure, untainted beauty, it occured to him that she was actually a vixen, not a wolfess.
Joshiah tried to snap himself to sense. He was oggling a naked female, and apparently, one who could ruin him if she really wanted to. The magic he felt he was sensing was definitely coming from her, and she was simply overflowing with it. "I...I...I don't...I mean..."
"Silence."
The vixen took a step forward, and Joshiah tried to step back, but his legs were completely paralyzed. In all of the times he'd been in danger of losing his life as a thief, Joshiah had never been so filled with fear as he was right now. He knew about police, and how to evade them. He could pick locks, win fistfights, and hide when needed. He knew nothing about this woman, and she seemed to be in complete control of the situation.
"On your knees. Now."
The wolf couldn't even nod. He simply fell to his knees, as if he was no longer in control of his own body. The magical aura seemed to permeate his flesh and dictate his actions, as if he was drawn to it...to her.
"Pick a form."
"What...?" Joshiah asked, suddenly finding his voice again. He had been looking down to assume a bashful state, but as he looked up, the vixen had a single pawtip pointed at him, and it was starting to glow white, right before his eyes.
"Pick the form you would like to assume for the rest of your life. You will lose your voice, your free will, your bi-pedal nature. You will become feral," she explained, though her voice gave off more of the feel of an order.
Joshiah gulped. He couldn't imagine ever being anything besides a wolf, but the idea of being feral scared him. Though it was rare, a feral beast would occasionally rise from the depths of Tabernath Forest and cause all kinds of mayhem in the city. Usually, the police forces couldn't do anything to stop them, even with their pistols and rifles, and civilians were often hurt or killed in the process of returning the beast to the forest.
"Can I...keep this form?"
Joshiah winced his eyes closed, almost expecting to be killed for such an insolent answer, but the vixen standing over him stopped. She lowered her pawtip, and seemed to contemplate the question.
"Are you willing to accept the consequences that come with being my subbordinate?" she asked, as she gathered up her robe from the side of the hot spring, preserving her dignity. Fittingly, the robe was a pure, pristine white, almost a toga. It covered her chest and more delicate features, before opening in a slit around her ankle. The outfit seemed to fit her with an unreal elegance.
"Do you mean...like a servant? I can do that," Joshiah asked, trying to keep something of a dignified voice. He didn't want to sound overly pathetic, knowing that she would see right through it.
"Absolutely like that, yes. But you will learn to address me properly if you are to take the role. Now, close your eyes." The vixen commanded.
Joshiah did as he was told, and a moment later, the white energy gathered around the vixen's pawtip yet again. This time, Joshiah felt a strange, calm sensation fill his body, until he felt the pawtip gently press against his chest, against his right pectoral muscle.
"Open your eyes and rise, my new servant."
Joshiah took in a nervous breath, and stood, opening his eyes. Nothing looked different at all, save for the smile that the vixen now wore. 
"There. That's much better suited for me," the vixen said. Her voice suddenly seemed softer, as if whatever she'd done had changed her mood towards the stranger.
Joshiah blinked for a moment as he noticed that the tendrils of hair in front of his eyes, previously white, were now black. As he raised a paw, he gasped. He was completely devoid of color, his fur turned a completely snow white, just as the vixen in front of him was. The only exception was his headfur, which took on the jetblack of his old fur, and a small, black rose, emblamized in his fur, where she had touched his chest. 
"You will call me Rose, mortal. I'm a Vixenelle, and your new mistress. Now, come. You have much to learn."
Joshiah nodded silently, still too awestruck to find his voice. He simply followed as Rose turned around and faced away, walking deeper into the woods, her hips moving with a seemingly intentional sway.
"What in Tibera have I gotten myself into -this- time?" Joshiah asked himself, keeping the voice in his mind, this time.
Nothing he'd ever experienced in his life could ever prepare him for what waited beyond the trees.