I struggle to open my eyes. But after a while it dawns on me.
Where's Precious?!
I feel around for any signs of heat, or at least a body. But I feel liquid, liquid everywhere.
Blood.
The red liquid stains my hand. I slowly sit up. I'm lying in a puddle of blood.
I've lost so much blood...
I start to feel woozy.
No. Get up, Kayate! You lost Precious again!
I use at as energy to at least rise to my feet. And a sharp pain in my leg. I instinctively clutch my leg, but just then I feel something sharp stab my hand.
I look to see a piece of metal stabbed into my leg.
Damn it...
I tense, readying myself to yank my leg off.
With a deep breath, I pull the piece out my shin.
I stiffle a yelp and once it's over, I slowly breathe out through my mouth.
There's nothing I could do about the bleeding, except tying the wound with my hankerchief.
Now to find Precious.
"Kayate-!" I hear a scream get interrupted. Then another scream in pain.
A scream alone that makes me wince.
I follow the sound of the scream through the thick dark forest, wet with the mist of last night's rain.
I ignore the sharp shocks that run through my body and the blood seeping through.
If I don't find Precious, she could get hurt. That was clearly an ambush, she could've got kidnapped.
"Welcome." Mr. Fox walks toward me from the depths of the fog. "Nice day, isn't it?"
"Where's Precious?"
"Woah, woah! I'll reveal that in just a sec." He glances down at my leg. "It looks like we're on the same level here. A fair battle we'll have."
"You still haven't recovered from the bullet?"
"It's only been a few days, but I still curse that damn hyena."
"I thought the queen would fire you after that."
"She would've done worse after hearing that lie, but I showed great potiential for Mrs. Lion's final show." He smirks. "It's my turn to be the decoy while Precious slips further from your grasp."
"Still following after your role model's footsteps. Should've known it was you and your silent bombs."
"It's more like ripping through and disturbing space, but whatever." He puts up a fighting stance. "Let's duel. And this time, I won't let you keep your life."
"Neither am I..."
I guess revenge can't be helped.
I draw out my sniper as he does.
"May the best win, once and for all." He smirks and submerges back into the fog."
Mr. Fox may be skilled, but he lacks experience and he's, not to mention it, injured, very much like myself, but he's not able to outmaneuver my attacks without the quickness of his legs.
As for I, my injuries don't stop me from using strategy, giving me the advantage.
I sigh, turning away to walk in the opposite direction of where he left from.
I care for my former student's well-being, hurting him will be difficult.
All the while, engaging in this invisible royale, I still have to keep an eye out for Precious. If Mr. Fox is still here, then she can't be far.
I climb the nearest tree, setting up my sniper to allow to be in prone position.
And it also means I'm near the zoo. Mrs. Lion could be apart of this, and could have Precious.
I spot the back of the large building of Mr. Bear's cave.
Mr. Fox did say he's the decoy.
Through my scope, I find a figure on top a tree near the window of a room on the second floor.
Then in a split second, a bullet rings in the air and glass shatters. Quickly, I shoot at the figure and it falls off the tree.
It may not have been a direct hit, wasn't aiming to, but the shot graze them, serving as an element of surprise.
I meet them on the way down.
But, to my surprise, they're not there. Disappeared.
But not gone.
I hear the silent steps of grass bending behind me and I whip around, attempting to hit the stalker, but they jump over my head.
Just as I look up, amidst the action, a see a blur hopping from tree to tree, a hooded figure.
Mr. Fox is only a divergion.
I regain my focus and I kick off the ground with a backflip, catching the attacker in the air, kicking him back behind me, but they still gracefully land.
"The scent of fresh blood." Mr. Fox smiles. "Perhaps you should go easy on yourself."
My wound is indeed bleeding through the cloth. "Your fracture will worsen from your need to be perfect all the time."
"So be it, my body should catch up to my quick mind. I don't let my physical body rule over me."
"Well, that's where you fail at, you must know your limits to understand yourself."
"I don't have weaknesses." He draws out his sword. "Except you, of course. You broke me, and now I want to fix it."
He charges at me, and I dodge to the side.
We keep this up the whole time, until one of us get tired.
Precious' POV
My head hurts, and I moan as I sit up.
Touching my head subconsciously, I feel a wet substance dripping from my head.
Blood... I look at my hand.
"Sorry, I don't have any rope or restraining mechanisms. So I'm just going to ask you to stay put for me." Standing in front of me is Mr. Fox.
"W-what am I doing here? Where's Kayate?"
"No questions, just be obedient. That's what you're good at, isn't it?"
I look around, we're in the middle of a forest. It's foggy and all I can see is a small radius around us.
As far as I know, I've been captured and I might get sent back to the zoo.
And I've lost Kayate.
I watch as Mr. Fox is tinkering with some sort of walkie talkie. Faint buzzes and static come from it.
I look at my hands again. I can easily just run away. He hasn't even went through proper measures to secure me.
But if I run, how long will it take for him to find me? How long can I run for? What will happen if I stay?
Then Mr. Fox wraps his cloak around me.
"Wha-"
"Wear this."
"Why?"
"I said no questions!"
Then I hear footsteps approaching. And from the fog comes Mrs. Lion.
"Well, you've outdone yourself, Mr. Fox. And I doubted you for a second."
"Haha, you shouldn't have."
"And you, dear Domino. I have a surprise for you."
"A surprise?"
"Do you remember your royal family? They haven't forgotten about you, in fact, they want you to come home."
"Really?" I gasp.
"But unfortunately... Your suitor... has arrived."
"Suitor? You mean..." Nathaniel... I can't get myself to say his name with my own lips again.
I grip the ground.
I should be happy he actually came for me. But... I don't want to go back... to someone who doesn't truly love me.
"Of course, going back will mean going back to that man. And you wouldn't want that would you? Especially after Mr. Hyena spoiled you."
Mr. Fox scoffs. "That hyena doesn't give a woof about you. To him, you're just another dog to protect."
"Hmm?" That caught my attention.
"That's right, he's given his full attention to many other dogs, you're not lucky. Why would someone who really cared about you just throw you on a train to get sent away?" He kneels. "Let me tell you, you're not special and he holds no place for you in his heart. He's the same cold-hearted dog who is all about his job."
"Th-that's... That's... Not true..." Is it?
"Oh, yes, it is. You want know how many others he treated just as he does to you. So, you're wasting your time." He stands. "When you could be spending your time on getting revenge."