Sanctuary
SanctuaryI gripped the handrail and looked
out toward the horizon; I could hear thunder and see lightning in the
distance. I flicked my tail as the
impending storm drew me away from the reminiscing of my past. I adjust my coat and pulled my collar up. There was little light on deck, the sun had
set hours ago and seeing the storm, I decided to head back to my cabin. I adjusted my hat lowering it to where the
brim covered my eyes and kept my head low.
I did my best to stay in the shadows, to avoid being seen by other
passengers. There weren't very many on deck, but I did the best I could to stay
away from glances. It's funny how when I
was younger, I did everything I could to stay in the light, and now here I was
hiding in the shadows. Funny how things
change... I
picked myself up from the ground, tears were streaming down my face and I
immediately headed toward the sidewalk.
I jumped hearing thunder in distance and hurried under a lamp just to
have some light seeing how I was terrified of the dark, and especially
storms. It didn't start raining until I
made my way to the local tavern, Ray's Cantina. It wasn't like most pubs or
taverns, during the day it was a cafe, only in the evenings did it become a
pub, and was very open to the public regardless of age and tonight it was to be
my sanctuary. "Where do you think you're
going Laddie?" A voice behind me made me
jump. "I-I'm just l-looking f-for s-s-shelter sir." I stammered as I turned to
look at where the voice was coming from.
It was the owner, Ray Valencia, he knelt down to look at me and adjusted
his umbrella to where it covered both of us and I stood there looking at him
not knowing if I could trust him or if he was a villain. His fur was a reddish brown with glimpses of
grey on his muzzle as his tail wrapped his leg showing off the mixed greyish
white tip. "You wouldn't happen to be
Master Monroe now would you, Lad?" He
smiled warmly at me as he asked that question and patted my wet head fur. I just nodded trying to fight back the tears
and shame. "You're safe lad, my cantina is a sanctuary from your troubles,
let's go inside and get you warmed up and into some dry clothes. I saw what happened between your father and
you." He put a paw on my back and led me
inside where it was very bright and only in the corners of the sitting
area. Several of the patrons greeted him
with warm waves and several cheerful "hellos".
I did my best to stay close to Mr. Valencia. "Th-thank you Mr. Valencia," I said nervously
trying to regain my composure. He let out a hearty laugh. "Please call me Ray, I'm not old enough to be
a Mister yet, I'm still in my 30's." He
patted my head as a beautiful vixen made her way over to us wearing a grey
skirt and a cream colored corset that was barely covered by a black blouse and
red shawl that had an upside down Spade embroidered on it. Her fur was a rusty orange with cream colored
tint and a creamy white tipped tail with matching tips on her ears "Hello Ray,
who is this little lad?" She said as she leaned down looking at me. Her accent
was Scottish and I was very curious to know more. "I-I'm Alexzander Monroe." I bowed to her in respect. "A gentleman, I see." She curtsied awkwardly making me realize she
wasn't sure how to. "Pleased to meet you, I'm Rosette." I stood back up as I
flicked my tail some trying to get water off of it. I wanted to shake off the rest of the water,
but I knew better than to do that in a public area and did my best to get the
water off my fur and clothes the best I could.
"Do you mind taking care of him for me Rosette? He lost his way home and I was trying to give
him a place to rest for a little bit."
Ray looked at me rubbing my back, knowing the truth. "I'll be more than happy to take care of this
little bushy-tailed fox." I smiled weakly
hearing that, and tried to be cheerful about hearing a compliment. "That's Mr. Bushy-tail." I responded and
several patrons turned to look as Ray and Rosette began laughing and one nearby
patron almost spilt his drink hearing my response. I started smiling more seeing the responses
of the patrons and as Rosette led me past a table I noticed several foxes
wearing sashes and two foxes that had armbands with the exact same upside down
spade embroidered on them and they all wore the same outfit. "Take good care of him Rosette." One fox
jeered as we walked past. "Make sure
he's all nice and dry." Another one huffed out.
"That's enough from the lot of you!" An older fox walked over wearing a
sash, an armband, and a bandana all that had the same design as the
others. "We're going to need his aid one
day lads, and the best you can do is show respect to him. "Rosette, look after him, will you?" She
nodded to him. "I will Mr. Shade; he's not your average fox." She smiled and
looked down at me. "What do you mean; by I'm not your average fox?" I asked as we made our way to the back of the
cantina and into a side room that was just on the other side of the wall behind
the bar of the main sitting area. "Let
me tell you a story lad." She started to
remove my shirt and grabbed a nearby towel and proceeded to dry me off. "Once
upon a time, there was a king who had three sons. One son married a noble woman
and gave up his birthright to be king.
The other son, went into the military, and become a legendary hero and
also gave up his birthright." She sighed
deeply and looked deeply into my eyes.
"The third son was born a demon. He was cruel and evil. He married a French noblewoman who had ties
to the throne of France and did everything he could to obtain the English throne,
but his father wouldn't allow it. He had
a dark heart, and his father knew he would be corrupt and lead England to
turmoil." I stood there listening as my
fur was dried off and flicked my tail from side to side intrigued by this
story. "What happened to the third
son?" I asked wanting to know more
details about him and sat down on a cot where I proceeded to try and take my
wet shoes off. "He disappeared; nobody
knows what became of him." She looked at me as if she was hiding something from
me. I let out a small yawn and rubbed
my eyes as I heard Big Ben sound in the distance. "It is rather late for a young lad like you
to be up." She smiled weakly at me and helped me under the sheets. "Your
trousers aren't that wet are they?" I shook my head; they were relatively dry
compared to my shirt. "I think around my
feet they might be a little wet." She
smirked, well let's get you a night shirt then and dry your clothes by the
fire." She made me climb out from the
sheets and I turned my back to her to keep from exposing my delicate areas to
her and kept my tail straight down behind me for a minute and no sooner had I
removed my trousers, she placed a rather large shirt over my head as the bottom
of it reached down to the floor. "Now
off to bed with ye lad." I climbed back
under the sheets and I could the conversations of the patrons through the wall
as she covered me up. "May the sun rise
upon you with great blessings and may the stars protect you at night." She gave me a small kiss on the forehead and
whispered into my ear. "Goodnight, my
prince." I smiled hearing that, the only
other person to have called me that was my Nanny. I laid my head down to sleep and said a quiet
prayer to myself just as Nanny had taught me to pray. "Now I
lay me down to sleep I pray the Lord my soul to keep, if I die before I wake, I
pray the Lord my Soul to take, Amen."
I fell asleep a few minutes after I
said my prayer and hadn't been asleep for very long, when I awoke to yelling
from the other side of the wall and a loud thud that sounded like a cane
hitting wood. "Where is he?" It was my
father's voice. "Let him sleep, John.
He's tired and exhausted." Ray's voice
was calm in the midst of my father's anger.
I stood up and quickly grabbed my clothes as Rosette walked into the
room to check on me. "Shhh, go back to
bed little one." I was terrified and
started to get dressed. "But what about my father, he's angry?" "Don't worry
about him; Ray will talk some sense into him, just be patient." She hurried
over to me and pulled me close as I started to whimper in fear. We both turned toward the wall as loud crack
could be heard followed by a loud cry of pain.
"Know your place dog! I'm not spooked by numbers!" My father's voice was
full of anger and rage. I perked my ears and could hear him walking toward the
hallway to where we were. "Ms. Rosette,
please help me get dressed." She nodded
and assisted me in getting my clothes back and tied my shoes up for me. "May
the light shine on you in the morning lad."
She kissed my forehead just as the door open and my father stood in the
doorway with his cane in hand and I almost froze seeing a few spots of blood on
the handle of it where his paw was gripping it and his tail was flailing
wildly. "F-father w-what happened?" I stuttered out. "Get your tail home NOW!" He
shouted at me and with two quick steps he grabbed me by the scruff of the neck
and roughly pulled me away from Rosette and carried me out of the room. "Father, please you're hurting me!" Tears were streaming down my face,
from pain and fear. We made our way back
to the main room and several of the foxes were huddled around the one with the
bandana as he had a paw over his eye where blood was pouring from a wound. "You'll
pay for this John!" My father just turned and looked at him, and smiled evilly
at him as his started to tap his tail against the floor. The storm outside had become stronger and the
rain was hitting the windows like pebbles. Lightning cracked and thunder boomed
as my stood there and laughed sadistically.
I tried to curl up into a ball as my father held me by the scruff of my
neck. "I am no mere fox, I am Daemon
Incarnate, I am the epitome of Devil's delight, and I am the Devil himself!" My
father proceeded to laugh hysterically as his eyes became bright with
fire. I had no idea what I was
witnessing, I was scared out of my wits, and I felt a puddle form and I covered
my eyes in shame as I wet myself out of fear. It wasn't until we returned home
and I found myself on the floor of the nursery in complete darkness and the
storm hadn't improved. It proceeded to hail and downstairs there was a fire
that was becoming even stronger and far more dangerous than anything I could
have ever witness. I whimpered in fear and shame and pain as I felt a soft paw
on my back and saw a small flame burning behind me coming from a candle. "It's
okay little one, you're safe now." I turned and ran towards the voice. It was
Nanny, my nursemaid, the family cook, and maid.
She was older than my parents and often despised the way I was treated
by them. Her fur was a scarlet red with grey tips on her ears and tail. I wrapped my arms around a leg and brushed my
head against it trying to feel safe again.
She was in her nightgown at the moment and wore a robe. I finally felt safe again
"Sanctuary," I muttered as I started to cry." She put the candle down and
immediately helped me get out of my wet clothes. I had my eyes closed and covered as she gave
me bath and placed me in my night clothes and held me close as she started to
rock me. "No more tears my prince. You're safe now." She smiled to me and began
to sing a lullaby. "Far too long tears
have shed, far too long hearts have ached, far too long children cry. The
golden fox will sooth us all. He'll make things right, and put fears away. The
golden fox will rule one day." I fell asleep holding tightly to Nanny as
she continued to rock me and sing. "The
Golden Fox, with a heart of gold, will sooth us all. He'll make things right,
and put fears away. No more tears, for the Golden Fox sooths the aching heart,
he helps children sleep at night." I opened my eyes for just a brief second
as Nanny placed me into my bed and to this day I have trouble understand what
she said to me that night as she kissed my forehead. I know she said "My Prince" but she also said
something after that I have trouble remembering what. It had something to do
with the "Golden Fox", but I couldn't tell what though. I drifted off to sleep
and thought of the blessings of Ms. Rosette. The morning came, and when I awoke
I hoped her blessings would protect me from what was to come...