Crimson Claws & Fangs ch.05

     In the scorching setting desert sun of southern California a lone figure sniffs the ground for prey. Her well toned crimson fur covered form crawls across the ground on her hands and feet as she sniffs the ground with her jackal like muzzle and twitches her long fox like ears for the slightest sounds of small game. Her long snaking semi-fox like tail dancing back & forth in a almost reptile like wag as she catches the scent of her prey.

 

   Her blue glowing eyes catch sight of a small rattle snake, the animal rattles its name sake tail to ward her off as she grabs it and snaps its neck with the ease of one breaking a twig, and with as much of fear knowing this animal despite its fearsome venom could do nothing against her. The female creature which had once called herself Samantha York devours her small meal as she lays down on a large rock to rest.

 

    As she slept a re-occurring dream she had been having for the last few months began to stir in her sleeping mind. More a memory than a dream really as it played back what had happened after her first transformation and fled from the church outside of Pine Ridge and back to her hotel in Brooksville. After she had passed out and reverted back to her human form she had fled in her truck from there. She drove past the ruins of the church where the Sheriff Peter Jones, a few ambulances, fire trucks, and towns people were sifting through them too busy to see her driving right past them.

 

    The dream skips ahead to the next day as she drove though the desert back towards San Diego. The stress she was going through from the events caused her to transform again causing her to crash her truck into a ditch in the middle of no where. Her transformed state was un-harmed but in an out of control animalistic rage she shredded her way out of the over turned truck tearing apart the truck like paper in the process. As she tore apart the air bags that startled her and ripped into the engine her scrapping claws on the metal caused a spark and caused the gas to explode throwing her from the truck. Despite not being harmed by this her feral mind was panicked and caused her to flee into the desert wilderness. She figures despite the dry conditions the sparse vegetation wasn’t thick enough for the fire from the truck to spread far.

 

      However this time the dream changes, rather than seeing the desert landscape and the rock cave she dug out with her own claws through her blue tinted night vision instead everything fades to black. Her vision returns to its blue tint but rather than continuing her memory instead Versa stands before her. Versa stands there in her full fourteen foot tall bipedal grey wolf like appearance, save for the long snaking tail and large fox like ears. Versa looks down upon Samantha and speaks, “You have idled here too long Crimson Vixen.”

 

    “My name is Samantha!” she screams back at the form towering over her.

 

   “Samantha York was a human scientist.” States Versa matter of factly, “While you have lived in the wild, you have lived as an animal. Samantha York would have died in one day, while the Crimson Vixen thrives, and you as the Crimson Vixen shall live forever.”

 

    Versa licks her muzzle as though enjoying the taste of her own words, “and there is a whole world, and many more worlds for you to explore. Even I hadn’t realized how interesting this world has become, I have wasted far too much time lazing about the forest of those mountains acting as a wilderness goddess for such a small part of my territory. I shall not see my latest creation make the same mistake.” She gestured to the Crimson Vixen as she said so.

 

    “how could I possibly do anything else?” argues Samantha, “you may be some god like being able to change your appearance but I’m this fur covered freak all the time.”

 

   Versa ignoring her comments calmly says, “Emotion is the key, this entire time you have been in this desert you have been in a constant state of stress and paranoia causing you to stay in your…shall we say Vixen form.”

 

     Versa gestures towards the west, “in the cities,” she says, “where food and shelter are more plentiful you may find it easier to calm down and control your appearance. You need only let go of your fears, fears of what you may do and fears of what may happen to you. In such a way we may begin your training to better control your transformations.”

 

    Versa shrugs her shoulders in a sudden change of emotional display, “besides, its not as if you are alone as you are. While you may be the first in a very long time of your kind I have created many more exist, an entire hidden community in fact. You need only seek them out in the cities and they will also be of great help to you.”

 

    “and how would I be able to find them?” asks Samantha.

 

    “by the scent” states Versa as she and the dream vanish.

 

     Samantha awakens to find her self sleeping inside her cave rather than on top of it as she had started out and by the temperature she can tell its now noon outside. “how long did I sleep?” thinks Samantha to herself. As Samantha thinks, “screw it, I’ll just go back to sleep.” She catches a scent in the air that kind of reminds her of Versa, but is more like her own scent; she shrugs it off. But as she is starting to drift back off to sleep a man’s voice from outside the cave startles her, “Crimson Vixen I presume? Shall we be on our way?”