Feral Magic

a roaring laugh, “Blitzer? What kind of name is that?”
“A gamertag,” Blitz answered. “It’s always been my gamertag.”
She stopped laughing. “Gamertag for what?”
He shrugged, pulling his knees into his chest. “For everything.”
Her gaze shifted to Anton. “And yours?”
“The same.” Gamertags, what the hell did that mean? She’d dabbled in a few games here and there, but most annoyed the hell out of her so she’d never played long. But she’d also used the name Vixin in an assortment of online forums and learning centers.
Silence filled their little camp again until Anton asked, “Care to share yours?”
“It’s Vixin.”
“Guess that’s better than Blitzer.” He tried to laugh, but it was strained, and she didn’t return it. How did any of this make sense? Why were they tagged to begin with? Did the bracelets have tracking devices in them?
Vixin examined the small stone and then ran her fingers along the braided leather. Smooth, nothing out of place. She tried to pull it off, but the material seemed just tight enough that it wouldn’t fit over her hand. She pulled out her knife and sawed at the leather. Sawed and sawed and sawed, cursing to herself as she tugged and pulled at the material to no avail.
“What the hell are these things made of?”
Anton shrugged. “I couldn’t get mine off either.” She tugged at it again, but some unseen force kept the bracelet intact and unmarred by her knife. Leather didn’t do that. Leather stretched; leather could be cut. So, what was this?
Vixin finally gave up and stared at the darkness beyond the trees. “It’s not important right now anyway.” She hoped. What if they were the game? What kind of messed up situation would she have to be in to become the hunted? Sure, human trafficking was a thing nowadays, but did some sicko want to hunt people for sport?
It still didn’t explain why the bracelets simply wouldn’t come off. Indestructible material didn’t exist, though her father might have disagreed with her in the moment. Maybe they’d found some—Vixin shook her head. Conspiracy theories weren’t going to help. Not right now.
Vixin threw another log into the fire, sending a mass of sparks through the air. She laid back and folded her hands behind her head. She could run through possibilities tomorrow. Right now, all she wanted to do was sleep.
Anton cleared his throat. “Um, Vixin?”
She sighed. “Yes?”
“Do you think you could teach us? How to defend ourselves I mean?”
She didn’t open her eyes. “Maybe. If you let me sleep.” Vixin heard his little sound of triumph and rolled her eyes. Maybe she’d lose them in the woods tomorrow, disappear behind a tree before they took notice.
Her father’s disapproving scowl appeared in her mind. She would have argued with him, but like always, he would have eventually won. Fine, she’d help them, but as soon as she found civilization, they were on their own.
~~~
Three days passed and Vixin seriously considered killing them herself. They complained endlessly. First it was food. Then it was water. Then food again. Then Blitz’s feet hurt. On and on and on. If a bear came their way, she’d welcome its ferocity. It’d get Blitz first and Anton would foolishly try to save him while she sprinted away to enjoy her freedom. They reminded her exactly why she didn’t mingle with people her own age.
“Need food.” Vixin hurled another rock at Anton, successfully hitting him in the shoulder. At least the two idiots gave her good target practice. He hissed and rubbed at the area then glared at her. She glared right back.
“Can you stop doing that?”
“Can you stop complaining?”
“But I’m hungry.”
“I don’t hear Blitz crying about it.”
They continued in silence, passing tree after tree with no end in sight. She knew how large forests could be, but the thought of spending more than a week with two crying fools following her had Vixin wishing she’d been stranded somewhere else. Maybe somewhere she’d be required to kill and eat them.
Vixin grimaced at the thought. Maybe that was going a bit far. Neither had much meat on their bones anyway.
She paused to examine a downed tree, the branches cut and dragged off. Another sat a few paces away, though it had been cut into manageable pieces. Tracks lined the area, human tracks.
“Finally!” Anton cried.
Vixin fetched a stone from her pocket and hurled it at him, striking the boy in the head. He turned on her, but Vixin placed a finger to her lips and panic covered his face. Both boys mimicked her actions and hunkered behind a tree.
Vixin crept forward until a wall entered her view. A wall that circled around what she could only assume to be a camp. Two armed men stood at the gate, both holding—spears? What was this, the middle ages?
Anton crept up beside her, leaving Blitz to look like a helpless child. Honestly, he probably was, but she wasn’t about to pick on the kid anymore. He still hadn’t said much, and that made him better company than Anton.
“Why are we hiding?” he whispered.
“Where do you think the boys who attacked you came from?”
His face paled. “I assumed they’d woken up out there like we did.”
She raised a brow. “With weapons? Without a care in the world?” She shifted her attention back to the guards. “I’m willing to bet this is their home base and if those are the kind of scoundrels they staff then I’m not walking in announced.”
“What are you going to do then?”
Vixin glanced down at her soiled clothes. She hadn’t had a bath in days and was sure she smelled just as bad as the boy kneeling beside her. “I don’t know about you, but I could use a change of clothes.”
Anton’s mouth gaped. “Clothes? That’s what you’re thinking about right now?