*BZZ* *BZZ* *BZZ*

The alarm was going off again. It was another crummy night of sleep, complete with tossing and turning, and kicking off the covers, only to find their absence distracting, and then pull them back on later. Maybe if I went to bed on time instead of staying up so late, it wouldn't hit me so hard when it was time to get up. The dawn sky was starting to light up the room, so going back to bed would have been hard even if the alarm wasn't going off 2 feet from my head. I groaned, rolled over and opened my bleary eyes long enough to find the snooze button before slumping back down. It didn't last long; I wasn't going to let myself doze off when it was time to go to work. Missing the bus wasn't an option. Letting out a sigh, I sat up and pulled off what blankets had remained on me throughout the night. Time to get the day started.

I sleepily walked over to the pile of laundry sitting in the corner of my room and picked out a t-shirt and jeans that weren't due for a washing just yet, and dragged them with me to the bathroom for my daily shower. The water was refreshing as it cleaned off the sweat from the night, but it didn't do much to get me excited for the day. All I had to look for was another long bus ride to a boring office job. At least I could take a nap on the bus for a bit, I thought to myself. I was going to need a little more than caffeine to make it through the day. Grabbing a breakfast bagel and clasping it in my teeth, I picked up my bag, walked out the door, and started my trek to the bus stop.

I lived in a small farm cottage on the edges of an old logging town. It meant that the nearest bus stop was just over a mile away, but I was used to the walk by now. Generally, it was a pleasant trip, since most of the forest had regrown, and while the road was paved and there were other houses and signs of civilization periodically, it wasn't common to see any other cars passing by. Ah, cars. It would be nice to have one of those instead of being a slave to the bus schedule. I could get to work in a third of the time, letting me sleep in more. Unfortunately, the small cottage was all I could afford, and I valued the quiet and privacy of the location. The sacrifices we make for happiness.

Maybe it was because I was more groggy than usual, but something felt off while I walked the wooded road. Like, I was being watched, or the birds were being too quiet, or not enough random cars passing by. It wasn't strange in a way that made me apprehensive, but it was enough to catch my attention. I eventually passed the feeling off as part of making good time, since the bus stop was just up ahead. Yeah, that's it, I was about ten minutes early instead of the usual three. I'm not sure how I managed to shave off seven minutes from my morning routine today.

No longer in a rush, I plodded up to the bench, sat down, and let my bag sag off my shoulder onto the ground. Almost out of reflex, I pulled out my phone to pass the time. The internet was slow out here, but I could at least check a few emails before the bus arrived. That way, I'd know what to expect once I got into work.

I was done with the email and doing some casual surfing, checking some of the latest memes and internet commentary when I saw out of the corner of my eye a quick flash of light, much like how lightning in the night sky can grab your attention when you're not looking for it. I looked up from my phone screen, and checked around for the source. The dawn sky was blue and yellow, and the air was crisp, so a storm or rain seemed unlikely. Standing up and glancing at the time on my phone, I saw I still had another 3 minutes before the bus was supposed to arrive, and the driver usually showed up a

bit late, because my stop was so far out. It felt like I could afford to walk away for a second without getting into trouble. I wandered across the road without really looking both ways, since not a single car had passed by since I had sat down. Starting to scan around the area, all I could see were trees and empty road. Suddenly, just off the side of my vision, I saw another flash, this time clearly purple in color, over towards some undergrowth on the far side of where I had been sitting. Seeing it clearly for the first time allowed me to see what I couldn't before: there was a red fox staring at me intently, watching every move I made.

Unease prickled up in the back of my head. Wild foxes aren't known for hunting humans, but this one seemed to be looking for something from me. Maybe it could smell the half-eaten bagel I still had in my bag. I wasn't hungry enough to finish it, so I turned to go get it. Right as I turned away, I saw another brief flash of light reflecting off the trees, followed by a loud yip from the fox. Turning back quickly, I was startled to see the fox had left its cover, and was standing out in the open with its bushy whitetipped tail swishing playfully in the air. In a streak of orange, it then darted back to cover, flowing in out of the brush like a fluffy twirling ribbon. After it was just out of sight, I heard another playful yip from the trees.

This was very weird. Not only did a wild fox just approach me out of nowhere, now it's clearly asking me to follow. I could always call in to work if I miss the bus and let them know I was going to be late. They could handle being without their data entry guy for a few hours while I discover what's going on with the fox. Maybe it needed help? I had heard a story or two of wild animals approaching humans to help their young, but that story was about ducks, not foxes. Reason gave way to curiosity, and I decided to follow the fox.

I quickly found I was being an idiot. While the fox had no problem navigating the forest underbrush, I had to stomp down every thorny bush and push aside every tree branch in my way. About fifty feet in, I decided I had enough and started to turn around. Much like back at the road, there was another flash at the corner of my eye, clearly purple again, in the darkening woods, followed by an excited squeaky bark from the fox. I looked down, and the fox had moved to about ten feet in front of me and was sitting on the earth. It looked up at me with golden slitted eyes, gave a playful snort with what looked like a smirk on its face, and spun around into the brush again, white-tipped tail trailing behind.

"What do you want?" I called after it. Another yip sounded out ahead. I sighed and started to pull out my phone to check the time, but thought better of it. I was likely to stumble and drop it with my current stance on the uneven ground, and I probably wasn't making it back to the bus stop before the bus arrived anyway. I continued on.

As we moved through the woods, the canopy became darker and darker. It never got too dark to see, but every time I started to question the wisdom of what I was doing, I would always catch another glimpse of the fox or see the reflection a distant purple flash at the edge of my vision. Sometimes it was the white tip of his tail, swaying in some brush, other times I would catch sight of its bright orange coat or its golden eyes peering at me through some bushes to see if I was still following. At one point, I passed a puddle of mud with a paw print in it to tell me the direction I needed to go. Finally finding even footing, I took out my phone and checked the time. I was already a half hour past my bus pickup time.

"Damn," I cursed. I had left my bag at the stop. Anyone could take it if they got off at my stop. There wasn't much in there, other than a change of clothes and the half-eaten bagel, but I didn't know how so much time had passed so quickly, and the thought of having to replace the bag was irksome.

Another bark from the fox sounded off in the distance, further away this time, but its excitement sounded like it was at the final destination I was being led to. I hurried after, and after pulling back one last branch, I found myself walking into a small clearing. Here, in the middle of the dense wood, there was a small cottage. A break in the trees was allowing sunlight to shine down in shafts of light, highlighting the moss-covered roof and whitewashed walls of an otherwise dilapidated building. The structure must have been there since before the loggers had taken half the forest. Despite its disrepair, it still looked inviting because of how the sun lit up the cottage. Out in front, the fox stood with its bushy tail swishing lazily, waiting for me to follow it inside.

The cottage didn't look very safe to enter. The door was fused shut, but the fox had found a hole in the side of a wall and scrabbled through. If I got on my hands and knees, I thought I could fit too. The door didn't look like it had a chance of opening, so I got down on my belly and carefully pulled myself through the same opening, doing my best to not disturb the walls or ceiling of the tunnel. My t-shirt was getting a bit dirty from the exposed soil, but I figured I'd have time to change after this was all over.

Once inside, I stood up and brushed myself off before taking a look around. There were wood floors being brightly lit by the yellow sunlight filtering in through wide gaps in the roof. All around me was fallen debris and wooden beams from the ceiling, but what caught my attention first was how clean the whole building felt. Normally, a building like this should be dank and moldy. Moisture, rot, insect infestations, and decay everywhere. Instead, the wood looked old but properly stained, and anywhere the structure had fallen, there were no puddles of rain water or moisture of any kind, almost like the cottage had been built to look like it was falling over instead of it slowly collapsing over time, and so was still impervious to the elements. A strong smell of dust and dogs or foxes lingered in the air, but it was more like being in a dusty attic kennel than a condemned rotting home.

The fox jumped up onto a raised living area, and laid down on a clearly pilfered cushion. There were other cushions laying around the room, as well as some collapsed furniture and a broken full-length mirror in the corner. Some of the upholstery had tears and chew marks in them, as did the wood around them. I would guess there were some pet dogs in the area that needed some new dog beds after this fox had stolen from them. Resting its white chin on the pillowed dog bed, the fox continued to stare at me with its golden slits, watching every move.

"Ok, I followed you here. What are you asking of me?" I queried. "I've already missed my bus, and I thought you were in danger. I didn't come all this way to watch you sleep!" I didn't know why I was talking to the fox like I expected a reply. I just needed to scold it for wasting my time. If it just wanted to show off its house, it was impressive for a fox den, but I didn't have much patience to appreciate it.

The fox raised its head and gave a long call that sounded like a barking laugh, and then resumed staring at me with its golden eyes, but this time, its expression had more expectancy in it. Suddenly, bursting through the many cracks and holes in the walls and floor, a blur of new foxes ran into the structure, each summoned by the strange noise that the fox had made. There had to be at least six more I counted, seven now, including the one I followed here. I spun around defensively, not knowing what this whole pack of foxes had in mind for me. I already was dealing with one odd fox; I was not sure what was going to happen with seven. Were they going to eat me, now that I was in their lair? Thankfully, none of them seem very interested in me directly. I had one or two wet black noses brush my hand as they pranced on by, but they each ended up plopping down in one of the spare cushions or dog beds that were strewn about.

I became very aware that I now had an audience. All seven pairs of gold eyes were fixed on me from each of the beds. "Uh, um, I guess I'll be going now," I said, as I started to back away slowly, feeling very out of place. I wasn't sure how I was going to get out without being completely vulnerable while crawling back through the passage. One of the foxes yipped commandingly, and the other foxes started to pair off and move toward the cleared center of the room. The fox that had brought me here trotted up and gently clasped my hand in its mouth and pulled it towards the center of the room with the other foxes. I hesitated for a moment. The six other foxes had laid down on the dusty wood floor in a circle, each paired with another fox, and they were all looking at me, waiting for me to join them. Looking down at my hand being gently held by the fox, I could see by the look in its eyes that it didn't want to harm me. Begrudgingly, I allowed the fox to lead me to the center of the room, being careful to not let its fangs snag my skin too hard. Work will have to wait just a bit longer. This was more important, if for nothing else, to witness this unheard of vulpine ceremonial behavior.

Once I got to the circle and sat down, I noticed something new: each set of foxes in the circle was a male and female pairing. They had taken to grooming each other after I took my seat, and it looked like it was starting to get intimate with a few of them. I looked down at the fox at my side, and I realized it had been a vixen all along. Like some of the others, she was starting to snuggle into me and sit across my lap. I obliged by petting her luxurious orange fur for a moment. My thoughts wandered, and I indulged stroking her for a while before she rolled over and let me pet her satin white belly. Satisfied by the contact, she got up on her paws and began to wag her soft fluffy tail across my face. I had to clench my lips so I didn't get a mouthful of fur from her wagging. Five or so facial tail-pats later, I had enough. I started to get up, and as I did, all of the foxes' golden gazes froze on me again, some of them in midmounting each other. "I have to go. I can't stay for... this," I said, gesturing towards the vixen first, and then the rest of the group. The fox that had started the proceedings slowly pulled himself off of his mate, but never let his gaze falter. "YIP!" he barked out, angrily. The other foxes all started to make a loud cacophony of yips, trills and high-pitched howls. The two other males had their hackles up and were showing some sharp white teeth. I had clearly angered them.

I began to panic. My eyes darted around the room, looking for an escape. I found the door, but from this side, it was behind a pile of debris heaped up to the iron door handle. One of the fallen beams looked like it could have been climbed up and out through a hole in the roof, had I the time and athleticism to attempt it. Stalling, I began to backpedal as the pack of foxes stepped towards me. A purple flash came directly from one of the foxes, and I found myself tripping and stumbling over backwards. That was all the pack needed to charge me while I lay on my back. Before I knew what had happened, all 6 of the foxes were piling on top of me, each grabbing me with their jaws and ripping and tearing off my shirt and pants. One grabbed the cuff of my pant leg and pulled hard enough that my belt slipped and the whole article flew off my legs entirely, taking my shoes off with it. I tried to roll over onto my stomach defensively, but somehow, the weight of the foxes on me proved to be too much to wiggle out. It was only a matter of seconds before I had been stripped down to my boxers. My pants across the room and my t-shirt in mauled shambles. Two foxes grabbed my wrists in their jaws and pulled my arms above my head. Resistance somehow was impossible. I was paralyzed, or at the very least, found my own limbs too heavy to move.

The vixen had not joined the fray, but stood back watching and waiting. Once I was properly subdued, she began to approach carefully. "What is this? What are you doing to me?" I yelled while my body refused to obey. The musty smell of fox was heavy in the air. She crept up to me and began to lick my stomach below my belly button with her warm pink tongue. I was scared, and I wasn't expecting this. By all means, I should have been a bloody pile of meat by this point. The vixen's tongue crept closer and closer to the waistband of my boxers, until shoved her cold wet nose into my crotch and inhaled deeply. "Uhh, please don't," I asked helplessly. Disregarding my request, the vixen raked her blunt claws and rough pads across my midriff until my boxers relented, leaving my genitals exposed. I could feel the breaths of the foxes holding my wrists get hotter as she positioned her head between my knees and began working my penis with long, slow, deep laps.

I'd never had a blowjob before, and I didn't want one from a fox, or any animal for that matter. With that in mind, I did my best to stay flaccid, despite the stimulation. I had to resist in any way I could if I couldn't move my body anymore. My resolve seemed to frustrate her, but then she began to switch tactics. She held her open jaws just above my member and began to pant hotly on my junk, while making lustful eye contact with her big gold eyes. _ She wants you. She wants you bad. _ A stray thought whispered in my mind. Despite her vulpine appearance, the eroticism of the situation and the warm heat of her breath started to get to me. I lost my resolve and started to get erect. She wasted no time and resumed lapping at my extending member, trying to get it to full height. My insides began to briefly twist in ecstasy as each hot lick brought me closer and closer to full attention. Fox drool started to run down my wrists from the other foxes holding me.

The licking continued, and as I became fully engorged, she started to take the entirely of my penis into her muzzle. Bobbing up and down, her tongue and teeth in her moist maw began to stimulate me closer and closer to orgasm, and right before I thought I was about to burst, she stopped suddenly. I looked down and saw the vixen staring at me again, continuing to make the same lusty eye contact. She seemed to almost have forgotten my member as she started to crawl past it, up my chest. Her soft belly fur rubbed on my knees and stiff penis as she slowly climbed my chest, and her paw pads were a warm, affectionate weight on me as she inched closer and closer to my face. Redish muzzle pointed down, she brought her face right up to my nose, never breaking her gaze. I could see every detail of the way her fur laid on her face. Her black whiskers and fluffy orange and white cheeks. Her smell was earthy, yet calming. She moved her paws off my chest to the floor at my sides to bring herself a little closer, and then her black lips parted to give me fanged smile and a gentle lick on the nose, as if to reassure me.

Then she suddenly sat down, taking my erection into herself with great force.

I couldn't breathe. The mounting orgasm was too much. Her vagina enveloped my member like a moist, slick, hot, fluffy glove. She began to thrust down causing bursts of pleasure to erupt all over my body. Each thrust stronger than the last. She arched her back and pointed her nose towards the ceiling while my whole body began to seize up from pleasure, yet still trying to find any strength to fight back as electric wave after wave coursed through every inch of my body in pure pulse-pounding bliss. The more she thrusted, the more her vagina throbbed, making it feel like it was a hot mouth sucking harder and harder on my erection. The foxes at my head released my arms and they fell to the floor, useless as noodles. I was completely helpless anyway. The vixen kept pushing down on me with her vagina, and her tail started to flail around from her pleasure, softly patting between my knees.

I wasn't finished yet, but I had finally managed to take in a very loud and deep gasp of air. The vixen with her eyes closed in bliss, bent forward to give me another kiss across my lips and nose. Taking the new angle, she rubbed her furry body against my bare chest as she rocked back and forth on my manhood, trying to milk it for all that it was worth. It was too much. "No. No. Noooo!" I couldn't stop myself. I came inside the fox. Hot blasts of semen spilled around inside her hot cavity. Her rocking stopped, but her vagina kept sucking on my ejaculate, pulling more and more from me as each blast of cum was released inside her.

I had never orgasmed so long before. Usually it's just a few spurts and I'm done, but her organ wouldn't stop pulling more and more of my seed from me. Ten seconds. Twenty. I pried my eyes open despite the ecstasy, and saw her eyes as they locked hard back onto me. An inferno of purple flames was reflected in her eyes as she stared, sucking me dry while pinning me to the floor. Thirty seconds. The orgasm started to hurt a little, like too much was being pulled from me. I tried to speak, but I choked on my words, trying to ask her to stop. The bliss wouldn't cease. I started to get an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach, like too much was drained from me.

Forty seconds. Just then, I got a little bit of motor skills back. I got my leg to twitch and lay flat, then the other knee down almost immediately after. The inferno in her eyes subsided, and worry crossed the vixen's face as her vagina continued to pull from me, but she didn't disengage just yet. My arms were now at my sides. The emptiness in my stomach started to grow into a void. Weakly, I brought a hand up and put it on her furry white chest and tried to push her off. She didn't budge. Hurriedly, she began rocking a bit more to pull the last drops from me. Fifty. With a loud squelch, she pulled herself off and trotted away to the other side of the room to lick herself clean. As she did so, the other foxes that had been helping and watching all fled the room, as if called outside. The vixen gave a quick snort from under her hind leg and slunk after them, leaving me alone and completely exhausted.

I laid there for a few minutes, breathing heavily. What. Just. Happened? I just had sex with a fox. A fox! I didn't even know that was physically possible. Every inch of my body ached, like I just ran a marathon, but I eventually found the strength to roll over and stand up. The emptiness in my stomach wasn't going away, and what was with her eyes shining with fire? I staggered around and started to root around the mess of the room looking for my tattered shirt and pants. I needed to call in to work, maybe even see a doctor after all that. I quickly located the scraps of my shirt in an area above where my head had been, but the pants were nowhere to be found. Eventually, I found my wallet and keys discarded towards one of the fox holes in the wall, as well as some streaks in the dust that made it clear they had fallen out as a fox had dragged out my pants with my cell phone still in it.

"Damn it all," I called out. I had to make it back to the bus stop almost naked, but at least my bag with my clothes were waiting for me there. Maybe that bagel would help fill the void in my stomach too. Dragging the remains of my shirt behind me, I started to walk towards the hole I had crawled in from. Before I made it half way to the hole, a furious itching sprang up in my loins. At first, I thought it was allergies to the dried sexual juices causing the burning, but then I thought maybe it was her fleas. I pinched at my skin through my boxers to try to alleviate the discomfort, but then went into full on scratching. The boxers were getting in the way, so I sank my hand down the front of my underwear to keep the scratching going. It worked for about two seconds, before I found it spreading outwards, up to the waistline and down the inside of my thighs. Worse yet, my hand caught on something that shouldn't have been down there. In a panic, I ripped off boxers to reveal a sea of white fur all around where we were making contact. White fur just like_hers_. "Shit, shit, shit!" with my boxers around my ankles, I waddled over to the broken mirror to see the damage she just did to me. Reflected many times over in each of the shards was an image of me with a fluffy white fox crotch. "This isn't happening. This isn't real!" I tried to pull at the fur, but it was anchored to my skin as well as any animal's coat. My scrotum was now covered in downy fur and the rest of it was anchored to my belly in a sheath. The void in my stomach churned, and filled a little, but it caused me to double over and fall to the floor. "Aargh!" I called out. I felt my legs begin to change next. More white fur started to push out of my skin on the inside of my thighs while orange fur started growing on my backside. My feet began to cramp and then black fur sprouted over every inch. Between toes and on the back of my heels. I clenched my teeth against the pain as my feet stretched thin and my toes began to reform into the leathery pads of a fox. I realized I wasn't going to be human any more.

"No! I don't want to be a fox!" I screamed. My legs continued to shift as my thighs thinned and shortened as well as my calves, leaving me with perfect fox legs. I tried to stand back up, but digitigrade paws are very hard to stand on, and the void churned again, filling up more and bringing me back to hands and hind paws. My tailbone started the throb and pulse, and then it extended out into a furry nub, before bursting out into a beautiful white-tipped fox tail. I was entirely a fox from the waist down. The white fur had had crept up to my chest where it was far fluffier than my loin region, and I could feel the orange fur creeping up my back. My hands started to ache and get stiff and inflexible, and black fur started sprouting on the back of my hands. I rolled onto my side, barely mindful to not crush my new tail, and pulled my hands in front of my face. Dark fur was started to grow between my fingers and my black pads were starting to grow in on my fingertips and palms. I put a paw-hand on the ground to try to push myself back up onto my hind paws, but a loud crack from my entire rib cage knocked the air out of me. My chest was sticking out past my chin and my arms were hanging forward, unable to reach anywhere at my sides. I yelled out again as my fingers sprouted ivory claws, and my thumbs receded into dewclaws, leaving me with normal fox forepaws ending on furry fox forearms.

I called out again, crawling closer to the mirror, but my voice started to sound a bit higher pitched, like the animal I was turning into. The changes started to elongate my neck from my shoulders so that my head could orient itself forwards. I called out again, and my voice was even higher pitched. I could see in the mirror that my eyes were now golden slits and that my nose and lips had turned rubbery and black with long whiskers, and there were long fangs in my mouth. My ears started growing fur as well.

Light orange on the inside, and black behind as they took on a triangular shape away from my head. Tears streamed down my face as more fur sprouted out of it, white under my chin and orange down the top. The longest hairs on my cheeks, making them as fluffy as the rest of my body. My brown hair fell out as the short orange fur pushed itself though the follicles in my scalp. Finally, my face started to push out into a pointy muzzle while I stood there on all fours, watching the last of my humanity drain from my sight. My maw hung open, revealing pearly white sharp fangs and jagged molars. I was a fox. No one would be able to recognize me ever again.

The void finished churning, and it dissipated completely.

I stood there, dumbstruck, looking at the many reflections of a bushy-tailed orange fox standing on four black paws in the broken mirror. How had this happened? Magic wasn't supposed to be real, and yet, here I was, a fox. High-pitched whimpers started to emanate from my muzzle after the trauma.

The rest of the foxes burst back into the room, now that they could hear my changes were complete. All seven of them rushed me and wagged their tails in the air and yipped happily at me while rubbing their bodies against mine. I found myself able to put words behind their messages now. Yes! Happy fox. Fun time! Mate!

I couldn't believe they were serious. Not after what they had just done to me. I tried not to emote, but it was hard since I just found I could understand Fox. I needed to get out of here fast, and bluffing or lying sounded like a good idea, but how do you lie in Fox? The six foxes finished their greetings, and returned to their mating circle in the center of the room, leaving my vixen sitting calmly in front of me. She cocked her head to the side and let her tail swish casually. You. Good? Ready now? Ready now.

I forced a wide smile and swished my tail. I hoped that was a convincing lie. She seemed satisfied and turned around to go back to the center of the room, clearly expecting me to follow and continue the mating ritual. Instead I bolted for the hole in the wall.

Running on all fours shouldn't have felt so natural, but somehow, I was fox enough to know how to do it right away. I was clear from the passage in the wall before I heard a confused yip from behind me. _Wait! _ I kept running as fast as my paws would let me. I had to get out of the forest.

Traveling the forest as a fox was a lot easier than a human. I would have thought being on all fours would have felt a little like crawling, but instead I was launching myself forward like a spring by pushing with my toes and entire legs. My new sharp claws dug into the forest soil as I darted ahead, trying to follow my human scent back to the bus stop. It was rubbed on everything out here. Now as a fox, I could dodge branches and bushes, and my fur kept me protected from any brambles. The cold earth on my pads was comfortable too, but I quickly found myself having to take a break and began to pant heavily, with my long tongue hanging out between my sharp fangs. My fur was getting very warm and I could no longer sweat. While I stood there panting, I heard something approach. It was her. Her golden eyes reflected concern, and she gingerly approached me, trying to not further upset me.

You. Good? She motioned again. I raised my hackles, pulled my ears back and gekkered loudly at her. I don't know what I actually said, but I think she got the point on how I felt. She didn't vocalize back, but cocked her head again and questioned What. Do?

I didn't know how to respond, so I just turned around and started to continue back to the bus stop. I

barely got a step before my right paw hit mud. I looked down and saw the same mud puddle I had used to track her earlier. Her fox print was stuck in the mud next to my shoe print. I lifted my paw out of the mud and saw the new fox print left etched next to hers, claw marks in the opposite direction. Every bit of me had changed, and the continued reminders of losing my humanity caused me to tear up. So, I replied in a determined growl,anything I can to stay human. Her gold eyes went wide and she began to scream frantically _NO! Stop! _ I left her standing there as I bolted off again as fast as my new body would let me.

Judging by the sun, it was close to noon by the time I made it back to the bus stop. I had been gone only a few hours and so much had changed. Thankfully, no one had been by to touch my bag. I had no idea if I could do the fox thing and carry it in my jaws, so I tried threading my foreleg through the arm strap, and rolled sideways into it to get it hoisted onto my back. It sort of worked, but my frame was too small for the tension I had left on the straps for my human body. The pack started to sag off my furry side, which meant the next mile back to my house was going to be an ordeal of tripping over my own cargo. Just then, while I was trying to figure out if I could tolerate my backpack in my jaws, the bus pulled up to let someone off. I clearly surprised the passenger, because he looked shocked to see a fox wearing a loose backpack at the bus stop. This was going to be my only chance. I didn't want to deal with this bag issue right now. I really, really wanted the bag on my back properly. Bowing and cocking my head at him, I asked in Fox to help me with the bag. I had to have the bag to fit on my back so I could walk back home correctly.

*WISH*

My intense desire flooded me, and my vision flashed purple for a moment. Then, the guy said, "Here, let me help you with that," and he kindly bent over to help tighten the straps on the bag around my small vulpine frame. Waiting patiently for the bag to be secure, I gave my fluffy tail a sway, yipped my thanks, and I trotted home, leaving the guy looking confused about what he had just done. Arriving at my doorstep, I shook off the bag and started to shove my wet black nose into the zipper hole. I had a bagel to finish. Just a little bit of that void in my stomach had returned while walking back.