Fox Life

For a moment, Kyro sat still, unwilling to process the woman's words. He was going to lose the fox now? It couldn't be. He wouldn't accept that. Not now. The little thing was already part of his life.

"I'm busy, call me later."

"Don't you dare hang up on me! That fox is mine and I'm coming for it right now. It shouldn't be forced to live with the likes of you for even a moment more. Tell me your address right this instant!"

Kyro considered dropping the call. It would be so easy. He could just pretend that it never happened. But reality wasn't that simple. If he ignored the real owner, a lot of trouble might come to his door, and as much as he didn't want to admit it, he couldn't afford it for the sake of the company.

But he wasn't going to give up just like that. "What's the fox's name?"

There was a slight hesitation on the woman's side, then she shouted out, "Candi! Of course it's Candi."

"Really?" Kyro could clearly remember the way the fox had ignored him whenever he called it that. To be truthful, the little one even seemed repulsed by the idea of being named that. It ran away the moment he mentioned it.

"Are you doubting me? Do you think I don't know the name of my own pet?"

The woman's voice kept rising with every sentence. Kyro even pulled back the phone from his ear a bit. Speaking with others from high up was one thing, but was there a need to keep screaming like a banshee?

"Yes, I very much doubt you," he stated, not caring one bit for her outrage. She started saying something, but he didn't give her the chance, cutting her off. "Can you show me the documentation for how you obtained the fox?"

"I-I- Who do you think you are, asking me things! Give me back my pet and stop this nonsense!"

"I see. In other words, you have nothing."

"I know my pet," the woman growled out. "If you don't hand it over to me, I'll bring you to court, and you won't like that."

Court? Could he afford that? If he won, sure, but if he lost… This was getting complicated. He needed to know what she knew and had to determine what were his chances to win.

After a moment's thought, he decided on the best plan of action. "Saturday. Call me on Saturday and we can meet to discuss the matter."

The woman chuckled, a high-pitched sound full of pride. She was obviously certain she had scared him into agreeing. "Not Saturday. Today. NOW. I can't stand the idea of my lovely fox having to live with your for an extra hour."

"You'll have to. I'm hanging up now, and if you call me again before Saturday, I'll just block your number. Bye."

Without giving her time to react, he ended the call.

But not fighting wasn't an option either. The little fox might have come into his life out of nowhere, but it was already part of it. The two of them had already started learning of each other, getting accustomed to the other's habits. He could still remember how the little one had come over this morning to say goodbye to him.

There was no way he could just give it away now. He picked up his phone, about to call someone, when the woman called again. He hadn't been kidding before. Her number went into his blocked list, and he called his lawyer.

"Hey, what's up? I don't think anything is happening now?" Jimmy said.

"No, not yet."

"Oh, so it's one of those cases where I get to know what's going to happen early. Tell me then, what do I need to prepare for."

"Have you ever dealt with disputes over pets?"

For a long moment, there was no sound on the other end. "Did I really hear what I think I heard?"

"Yes." This was a bit like asking the king if he knew how cow herding worked, but who knew, maybe he was of low origin.

"Right… I can't say I have."

The answer was as expected, but it had been worth a try. "Know anyone who works in that field?"

"I'll need to call around. Is it important?"

"Would I call you otherwise?"

"Point taken. I might know a guy. He was in my class but stars just didn't align for him. If he's available, will you want to meet him today?"

Today… Kyro double-checked his schedule to make sure he didn't forget anything. "If he's available. I need to talk to him until Saturday."

"'Kay. I'll get in contact. Anyway, is this something I should be aware of?" Jimmy asked, his voice getting more serious.

"I hope no. This might be just a random scare, but I'd like to be prepared. In case there's some meat to the threat."

"Ah, so what happened? Somebody wants to steal His Majesty The Devil?"

"No," Kyro answered with a chuckle. "Couple days ago I found a fennec fox on the street, and now got a call from a supposed owner telling me to return it."

"Supposed?"

"When I brought the fox to the shelter, there was nobody looking for it and its chip was empty of any information. The woman who called also doesn't seem to know its name."

"You're worrying too much then. Once this nonsense passes, I'll expect a party at your house. To celebrate your new pet, of course."

"What if Lucy decides to really claw your eye out this time?"

"Don't tell me you still haven't taught it any manners? I—" There was the sound of the door opening and some whispered words. "Right, have to go now. Talk to you later."