Feral Magic

of sweat from her brow before marching over. Her attackers still hadn’t moved, and if they remained where they were, then she wouldn’t bother with them. She had more important things to do anyway.
Taking pity on his bound state, Vixin sawed at the ropes binding his wrists, then dropped the knife in the dirt for him to do the rest.
She turned toward loudmouth and could have sworn he’d taken a few steps behind his nearest companion. “If I see you again, I’ll be splitting that artery of yours and you’ll get to see first-hand exactly how long it takes someone to paint the ground.” He swallowed hard and she spun on her heel before stomping away.

Chapter Two
Vixin rubbed her temple. Dusk was settling fast, and despite the distance she’d placed between herself and the boys that’d formed that pitiful excuse for a gang, she couldn’t shake the two she’d rescued.
They’d been following her for hours, maintaining a safe distance as they strolled through dense foliage and thorns. Vixin purposefully tried taking difficult routes, hoping it might deter their pursuit. Sadly, it didn’t.
She glanced toward the setting sun. She couldn’t keep going if she planned to make camp, and she hadn’t found any clues that might help her solve the mystery at hand.
Vixin stopped and turned with a huff. “What do you want?”
A long pause, then the two approached her carefully. The one with a black eye wrung his hands together, seeming to look everywhere except at her. “We didn’t really know where else to go.” He gestured at their surroundings. “I thought we could tag along with you?”
“Why?”
Excitement bloomed in his gaze. “Because what you did back there was badass!” When she didn’t respond, he cleared his throat and gave her a sheepish smile. “And we don’t really know what we’re doing.”
“So your plan is to use me as a bodyguard? Hate to break it to you, but if we’re attacked, I’m not saving your sorry asses.”
Fear flickered in his gaze. “We’ll put ourselves to use. Do whatever you tell us.” He glanced at his companion. “Won’t we?” He looked back at her. “Please, just let us tag along. Whatever you need, we’ll be happy to do it.”
Vixin sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She was tired and the thought of having someone do the heavy lifting didn’t seem so bad. “Fine. Go gather firewood and if you can manage it, try not to sound like a herd of elephants in the process.”
He saluted her. “Yes ma'am.” He crashed through the forest, dragging his friend with him. There went her stealth. At least they’d make a good decoy.
Less than twenty minutes later, and with far more noise than should have been humanly possible, the two deposited their third armful of wood at her side. She gave it a sidelong glance.
“I take it neither of you knows how to start a fire?”
“Uh, not really.” She huffed and he quickly added. “But I can learn.”
“By the time you learn it’ll be morning.” She headed back into the woods, pulling apart bark and gathering a small pile of twigs. They watched her with the intensity of a cat stalking its prey. Within a few minutes she had a spark, then the fire was roaring. Both looked at her as if she were some kind of alien creature left behind for their entertainment.
She poked the fire with a stick, shifting the logs to let it breathe. “Can either of you hunt?” Black eye shook his head. “Find water?” Again, a shake of the head. She huffed again. “Then what good are you to me?”
“We can learn. We’re willing to learn.” He elbowed his companion. “Right?”
She glanced at the silent boy. Now that she got a good look at him, he seemed younger than the others. Fourteen or fifteen, if she were to guess. He still had his head down, hung in defeat and his eyes were red, likely from crying. Vixin turned back to the fire. “Is your friend a mute?”
“Huh? No, he just...isn’t sure what to make of all this.”
“Did he tell you that?”
“Not in so many words.”
“Hey kid.” He glanced up at her but didn’t hold her gaze. “If you think getting beat up is the worst thing that could happen out here, you’re dead wrong. Suck it up, we don’t have time for your crybaby nonsense.”
“Hey—”
She interrupted him. “I’m not going to coddle either of you. If he doesn’t learn to speak for himself, then he’s going to die out here. Plain and simple.”
He opened his mouth to argue but changed the topic instead. “Do you know where we are?”
Vixin used one of the knives to pick at her nails. “Not a clue, but I know survival. I know I haven’t seen a human track for miles apart from the winners you ran across earlier. I know this place seems strange and I know the animals around her haven't been hunted.” She threw another log on the fire. “I don’t suppose you know any more than that?”
He shook his head. “Just woke up here this morning and he was by my side.” He tilted his head toward the silent one.
“You don’t know him?”
“Not really, we just met this morning. Walked a bit then those guys jumped us.”
“Why?”
“Said they wanted our money, but neither of us had any, so they started beating us. I don’t really get it.”
“People like that enjoy making others feel powerless.”
“That’s terrible.”
She shrugged. “It’s nothing new.”
Silence stretched between them and the fire popped. “I’m Anton by the way.” He gestured to his silent companion. “And this is,” he hesitated, and Vixin raised a brow. “Well, I’ve taken to calling him Blitz.”
“What?”
Anton scratched the back of his head. “His bracelet says Blitzer.”
Vixin let out