Feral Magic

hurt you.”
“Then what were you doing?”
He stammered and she pulled his hair, making him wince again. “Just trying to hold your hand.”
Vixin paused, her blood racing through her veins as though she’d just sprinted through the forest. After a moment she released him and backed away, her body still crouched with the knife poised.
Zak sat up slowly and rubbed his elbow before wiping the blood from his neck. “Jeez, haven’t you ever had a guy flirt with you before?” She blushed but when she didn’t respond Zak continued. “You haven’t. Have you even been with kids your own age?”
“Of course I have, I’ve just never gotten close enough to…” Her heart pounded and those weird feelings were stirring again.
“Don’t you have any friends?”
The pity in his gaze fueled her temper. “Does it look like I have friends?”
He continued massaging his elbow. “No, I guess not.”
For the first time in her life, she regretted. Regretted her reaction, her reflexes. It wasn’t her father’s fault she didn’t socialize. He’d tried time and time again, but all she wanted to do was impress him with her skills. Anything more was just a distraction, including friends.
Vixin slid the knife back in her boot and turned from him. “Sorry.” She stood and wiped the dirt from her pants. She could have killed him. Maybe that was why she didn’t have friends. If she treated them like this…
“Where are you going?”
She shrugged. “Don’t know at this point.” Had she ever felt worse than this?
Zak sighed. “You know, I’m not that easily scared off either.” She tilted her head toward him. “You don’t have to leave just because of a little slip up.”
“Little?”
Zak gave her that sideways grin that sent her heart pounding. “How about we start over and try the whole friendship thing first?”
“You and I?”
He shrugged. “Why not?”
Vixin chewed her lip. “I don’t know if—”
“Come on, what do you have to lose? Just think of it as another skill to add to your arsenal.”
Another skill. Yeah, she could do that. She’d read enough books to know how friendships were supposed to work, she’d just never applied that knowledge. Never wanted to.
Vixin offered him a small smile. “Friends then.”
Zak turned toward the barricaded village below. “Maybe you can start by teaching me a thing or two about what you know.”
A devious smile crawled to her lips. “I’ve found experience to be the best teacher.”
~~~
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Zak whispered.
Vixin pressed her back against the nearest house, peering around the corner in search for the guards.
“Stop complaining.” Vixin noted the tracks in the dirt, then pointed. “That’s where they were loading the supplies earlier.”
Zak peeked over her shoulder, close enough she could feel his breath on her neck. She bristled, her instincts telling her to step away, but she also noted his careful movements. He wasn’t touching her without permission a second time.
“And how, exactly, do you expect us to carry it all out?”
“I don’t. You wanted to learn.”
“This isn’t exactly what I had in mind.”
Vixin glanced both ways again, then darted across the expanse and pressed her back against the next house. She paused to listen, waited for a passing guard, then gestured Zak to follow. He didn’t hesitate.
“Your footsteps are too heavy. Run on the balls of your feet.”
“I’m sorry, not all of us are featherweights.”
She rolled her eyes at his tone. “My father isn’t either.”
“Your father was trained—”
“What do you think we’re doing?” She shuffled along the wall and Zak kept close. His eyes darted back and forth, but he was examining all the wrong places. He didn’t notice the subtle shift in the guard’s routine, or the one who’d been drinking too much and would have to relieve himself at—ah, perfect timing.
The man stumbled from his post, waving to another who only nodded, though she could have sworn he was shaking his head in disapproval. A night guard drinking on the job. She’d have skewered him if she was in control.
Vixin counted the seconds until the drunkard rounded a corner, then darted toward their target. The warehouse these people had moved their stash to. She crawled toward the side with a window, the side the drunk had been posted to watch, and Vixin gave it a quick look through before shoving her knife into the windowsill. The glass popped out easily and she lowered it before letting her plants grow into a woody stalk that would give them a nice lift. Once inside, she sank her plants back into the ground.
Vixin pointed toward the door and pressed a finger to her lips.
Zak whispered, “I still don’t see how this teaches me anything.”
Vixin huffed. “Because you aren’t paying attention to what I’m doing.”
“I don’t know what you’re doing if you don’t tell me.”
“You have to watch people. What side are their weapons on? Are they drinking? Do they favor a leg? The guard who left his post did so because he had half a bottle in his hand.”
Zak crossed his arms and a smirk played on his lips. “You’d make a great government spy.”
“My father would string me up himself before he’d let me work for the government. He claims they’re all corrupt assholes.”
“What do you want to do with your life then?”
“Asking me what I want to be when I grow up?”
“Maybe.”
Vixin shrugged. “Haven’t really thought about it. Dad asks me the same question all the time.”
“You can’t live with him forever.”
“Why not? Who else is going to cook for him?” She shook her head. “He’d eat beans straight from a can if I let him.” Vixin shuddered. “Men.”
“Hey, I’ve never been known to eat anything straight from a can.”
“Probably because your mom