Blood & Carrots Ep. 15

"Yes, lady Lorelai." Both of the foxes answered in time together.

The sheep nodded, her curly white hair bouncing slightly on her head before moving to take the second seat of the five. "Terry, will you do us a kindness and take the fourth chair?" The boar gave a nod and took the fourth chair, creating a buffer between the two foxes.

Elias and Sarnai stood facing one another for a long moment. The white fox showed his teeth and opened his palm, motioning for her to choose a seat first. The black fox showed her own sharp teeth, her eyes filled with malice before moving to seat herself in the center chair.

Elias took the fifth chair and I took position up behind him, my arms crossed over my stomach. I cut my eyes to the mouse named Jennifer, seeing her look upon me as well. We both stood there for a moment sizing one another up before our attention shifted to Harold as he spoke.

Harold opened the hearing very similarly to how Elias had done with mine. The candidate was a young male cat, perhaps a breed similar to Katrina. I felt for the poor thing, imagining he probably had the nerves I had when this was happening.

The lion opened with the same question and Lorelai asked her same one as well. It stood to reason they would have the same inquiries, why change things up? It's not like the candidates would know.

When Sarnai asked her question, my ears lifted. It was the same one Elias asked me. I could feel the anger on my lord and swore I heard a growl from him. It was a minor thing to be sure, but a simple jab at him before the rest of his peers. The boar asked his and then my lord asked a different one without missing a beat as if he had expected such a thing.

Lorelai stepped forth after the process and spoke out. "We will now put things to a vote. The following portion is council only, I will ask that the seconds please step outside." She fixed me and Jennifer with a hard look. "I will remind you, any inappropriate conduct during this business will be met with swift and final consequences, am I clear?" We both gave her a nod and stepped away to move to the exit.

The mouse quickly slipped to the door and I cocked a brow as she held it for me. I gave her a nod of thanks and walked out into the autumn air. We were in the desert so it wasn't anything but warm and dry.

I put my hands on my hips and looked out over the small harbor that connected to the river. "Your name is Jennifer, yeah?" I spoke out casually and looked back at the mouse. She set me with a cold look and said nothing.

I sighed and looked back out over the river. "My name is, Alice." I clicked my tongue as I spoke the words. The air filled with silence and finally, I gave a roll of my eyes before I spoke out again. "Okay, or don't try to make conversation, that's cool too."

"I don't make it a habit to speak to the enemies of my lady." She spoke out in a dry neutral voice.

I showed my teeth and folded my ears. "Funny, I thought our houses weren't at war. Why am I your enemy?"

The mouse fixed me with her green eyes as if calculating my words. "I will not play your game, rabbit."

"My game of common courtesy? Yeah okay..." I mumbled the words and felt irritation building up in me. Her eyes stayed on me even after I had turned away, so I turned to glare at her. "What?" I snapped out.

"Just seeing how open and vulnerable you leave yourself." The mouse gave me a challenging grin.

"You'd be surprised, rat." I mumbled and crossed my arms. "Go for my back anytime, see how many limbs you pull away." I sneered the words and flexed my fingers.

She offered me a sympathetic smile. "You are a fledgling, I've centuries on you. You wouldn't blink before your throat was cut."

I folded my arms and grinned. "Older and bigger things than you have told me that, don't write checks you can't cash little girl."

The mouse showed her sharp teeth and put a hand to one of her blades on her back. "You will not speak in such a way to me!"

"Thought you weren't playing this game, bitch?" I snapped out, my eyes turning red as hers did.

There was a blur of motion, steel on iron, sparks filling the night air. She had both blades drawn, one holding my left gun away, her right to my throat. I had my second gun pressed to her temple, making sure to dig the tip of the barrel in nice and hard. "Silver rounds, blessed by a celestial... you want that in your brain matter, Minnie?" I spoke the words mockingly, my teeth showing and blue flames flicking at my fingertips.

The two of us stayed in that position for a heartbeat before the door of the warehouse slammed open and both Elias and Sarnai stormed out together. Obviously the two foxes had felt our energy churning up.

"Alice, are you alright?" Elias barked the words, his fire already lapping at his ears and tail.

"Jennifer, are you hurt?" Sarnai spoke in a commanding but motherly tone. She had flames flickering at her own tail and ears as well. My eyes widened at the sight of them, they weren't blue or white, they were black like shadows, with red flare ups in them.

"Well... you wanna do this together, or do I need to be the bigger female metaphorically as well?" I sneered at the mouse with a cocky grin, unable to pass on the chance to make a height joke for once. Jennifer fixed me with a glare and I felt her pullback as I did the same.

"What happened?" Elias barked out in demand.

"Just girl talk, Master." I spoke the words dryly while putting my guns away and tugging my blue dress back down over my thighs.

"Jennifer, did she attack you?" Sarnai spoke out. I could hear the eagerness in her voice to make it into something.

The mouse fixed me with a long gaze and spoke pointedly, "Just girl talk, my Lady..."

"Elias!" Sarnai spat out at him. "Can't you keep your goons under control?"

The white fox showed his teeth, his flames growing brighter. "You will not speak of her in such a way."

The black fox folded her arms over her ample breasts that were on par with Katrina's. I could see the fury in her eyes as she spoke, "You think I don't smell her all over you? This is the best you could do after me?"

"Ha ha... that's cute..." I laughed and spoke out as I casually walked over to the two foxes. I felt Jennifer tense upon my approach and Sarnai gave me a contemptuous glare. "Now you see... you keep talking like that, and we're going to have a little throw down right here, you bitch. No one talks to my fox that way..." I spoke the words jovially but my eyes were already red and crackles of blue energy were coursing through them.

Sarnai fixed me with a calculated look as I grinned up at her, showing my teeth. The black fox glanced to Jennifer and thrust her hand out. "Away with you."

I threw my own hand out. "Master... Please step back..."

"Both of you, that's enough!" Elias shouted out towards the two of us, his flames rolling in anger now. "I will not stand here and watch you two tear one another apart!"

"One another? You think this scrap of a female could touch me?" The black fox glared at the white one. "And who are you to give me orders! I could easily burn the two of you to ashes."

"Ha... well, you could try..." I spoke the words in a bored tone and summoned forth my own flames to match Elias's. That got Sarnai's attention and she gave me full focus.

"Not... How?!" She screamed the words at me, her teeth showing in a furious glare. Her own flames came to full now, shadows of black and red lapping at her ears. "You cannot have that power, this is trickery!"

By now the other three council members had arrived upon the scene. Lorelai folded her arms and looked upon the four of us for a long moment before calling out. "Elias, to me."

The fox flinched before showing a defiant glare at the sheep. "I will not stand down and leave my rabbit to die!" He shouted the words back at Lorelai and I heard his voice cracking with concern.

"Go to her, I will not be dying today." I spoke the words calmly and kept my gaze intent on the black fox before me.

Lorelai didn't wait and simply moved to us. "I grow weary of this, Sarnai and Alice. If you must duel for satisfaction you may do it, but it will be non-lethal this day. Will you agree to that?"

I showed her a grin, the eagerness in my voice evident. "Sure, I can avoid burying the cur this time for you lady Lorelai, just because I think you're so damn cute." My flames were white-hot now and the haughty succubus had full control of my dialog.

Sarnai snarled at my words and whipped her tail around, black flames slashing at the air. "Fine, I can kill her another day. Now away with both of you so I can put her in her place!"

Lorelai gave Elias and Jennifer a hard look. "You two with me... leave the rabbit and fox to their business."

Elias gave me a hesitant look and I nodded at him. "Go. I will bring honor to your name." He gave me a quick nod and moved with the mouse back to the others.

Lorelai rubbed at her temple and waved a hand. "Go on then, but if either of you strikes the other down, I will end you myself!"

"Oh ho... look at that bitch, we get to dance together after all! Shall we waltz, or perhaps a ballroom strut?" I showed my teeth, feeling the divine fires having full grip on me and feeling something else fueling them I couldn't put my finger on.

Sarnai fixed me with a level glare and said nothing before simply blurring out of sight. I felt her presence behind me and then a wall of force slammed into my back as she delivered a roundhouse kick to my head. I saw stars and slammed to the ground, catching myself on my palms and rolling forward.

I shook my head to clear my vision and showed my teeth. "One of those kinds of girls eh? Fair, fair..." I hummed playfully and summoned a small sphere of white fire and hurled it straight at her. The fox sidestepped but I had already moved. She gave me a shocked gasp when I was before her and delivered a fierce punch straight into her belly.

Sarnai coughed and clutched her stomach as she doubled over. I raised my foot and dropped my heel right on her head, forcing her to topple to the ground in a heavy thud that sent chips of concrete about from the impact. "Heel dog..." I cooed the words out mockingly.

She snarled and grabbed my ankle and I showed her a grin as I spoke. "Yeah, I guess I should have seen this one coming, eh?" The black fox hauled herself up and flung me several yards. I crashed into a parked forklift on the dock and gave a weak laugh as I slid to the ground.

My eyes blinked a few times as I saw a large flaming ball heading towards me. I pursed my lips and decided I should probably be more serious about this. I quickly darted to the side as the energy slammed into the forklift and didn't so much explode as just draw the thing into a void and crush it.

I bound back over to the fox and wagged a finger. "Pretty sure that was a very lethal attack." I hummed the words playfully.

"You will not continue to sully my honor!" Sarnai spat the words at me furiously and glared at me, her sharp canines fully bared. The black flames turned to full red as she thrust her hand out to me. "I am Sarnai Silverpaw, Marquess of house Silverpaw and I demand satisfaction!"

The momentum shifted and I was happy to have it. "You want it serious, fine!" I turned the flames of my fire up and thrust my own hand out, showing the fox a wide grin. "I am Alice Blackpaw, Countess of house Blackpaw! You have shown great disrespect to my lord, to MY fox!"

The black vixen screamed and launched herself at me. I met her charge and we exchanged a flurry of strikes and parries. We traded blows several times, flames of red mixed with white, bursting off each strike and block. "You are a fledgling, how do you have such strength!" She spat out at me.

"Nothing special, maybe age is just catching up with you!" I spoke the words mockingly and sidestepped a jab before slamming my forehead into hers with a wide grin.

We locked into a grab and she slammed her forehead back to mine. I grinned through the stars in my vision, our white and red flames spiraling around one another. "You can't beat me, girl! I'm your better!" The black fox snarled the words while fixing me with a hateful glare.

"You think I don't know that?" I laughed the words and dug my nails into her shoulder hard before showing off my sharp canines. "You're such a fool, Sarnai." I felt her blood well up at my fingertips and flashed my teeth, taking a snap at her throat.

She blinked her burning black eyes at me trying to make sense of my seemingly mad words. Her teeth then grit and she shoved hard against me, jerking her head away from my bite. With a snarl her forehead slammed into my own again and I could feel my feet being pushed back from her force, but I just kept grinning all the while.

She howled out furiously and broke from the grip and shoved her hand to my throat, holding me up off the ground. I felt the red flames threatening to quench out my white ones and made an amused choked laugh. "Why do you laugh, rabbit! Can you not see you are beaten?!"

I gave her a toothy grin and grabbed her wrist with both my hands, my fingertips covered in her blood from the deep wounds I left in her shoulders. "Ha... you haven't figured it out! Ever since you touched... my ankle!"

Sarnai glared furiously at me and released my throat, but I just kept gripping her wrist, refusing to let go. Her eyes widened and I showed her a victorious grin. "Let go of me!" She spat out and pulled at my grip.

I bit my lower lip and hummed cheerfully, wagging my own ethereal tail of white flames. She snarled and jerked from my grip at last, backstepping several paces before glaring at me, a pant of fatigue on her breath. My nails had torn large tracks through her wrist, blood pouring off her fingertips..

Dragging my fingers over my tongue, I tasted her fresh blood. "Out of breath already, puppy?" I showed her a coy smile and held my hand out. The white flames faded and then black and red shadows formed in their place. I gave a mocking huff as I admired the dark wisps drifting over my fingertips. "I could've danced all night..."

The black foxes mouth hung agape and most of the onlookers did as well. Everyone's but Lorelai's and Elias's.

"That... is my power... no one can have that but me!" Sarnai snarled the words in fury, her pupils jerking erratically.

"Well not any more toots." I hummed the words and held a hand up to Lorelai. "I tap out, she wins!" I gave Sarnai a cocky grin and started to walk past her, lapping her blood off my fingertips.

"You're not walking out of this rabbit!" The fox jumped on me and shoved me to the ground, her hands closing around my throat.

"Sarnai! Your opponent has yielded, stop!" Lorelai commanded the fox and she returned a glare to the sheep.

"I will not! Not until she returns what is mine!" She spat out the words and tightened her grip on my throat.

I showed my teeth and grabbed her wrists hard. The fox yipped out in shock and finally started to feel it. I spoke out teasingly. "Ha... you don't learn do you? Well, I'm drinking if you're buying..."

I heard a panicked bark escape her throat as she felt me pulling her life force away. She struggled against my grip before breaking away and stumbling back. Her tongue lolled out in a heavy pant as she tried to compose herself, her knees shaking weakly. I may have been a little cruel and been feeding her desires during the contact.

I stood and rolled my shoulder, giving the fox a coy grin. "Glad you enjoyed it, next time buy me dinner first, okay?" I hummed the words and put my hands on my hips.

Her teeth snapped in a furious growl at my manipulation of her body. "H-how dare you!"

"Enough!" Lorelai stepped between us, her own force of will pushing out over the two of us. I bit my lower lip and calmed my flames. Sarnai showed her teeth in a growl but forced the flames out.

"You had your fight and she yielded, your honor is intact." The sheep glared at the fox and folded her arms.

"Are you blind!? Did you see what she just did?" Sarnai spat the words out, her pupils shaking again in rage.

"I saw you pick a fight with a very powerful succubus, one that you just gave even more power to." She fixed the fox with a stern glare. "And one that just willingly ceded a duel you were on the cusp of losing."

"I was not losing to her!" Sarnai screamed the words, her composure shattered now. "She stole what was mine, I demand it back."

A bitter laugh was my reply to that. "Sorry honey, once I punch that card, there's no take-backs..."

The fox fixed me with a cold glare, drawing her composite bow and training it on me. A flaming black arrow formed in the pull string of it as she leveled the tip right at my chest. I showed her a defiant grin in response.

"You knock that arrow loose, Sarnai... and you will not leave this pier alive," Lorelai spoke the words in a cold tone of voice. "Please... my fox."

The fox glared at me before shifting to Lorelai's words, flinching at the 'my fox' part. I casually raised my hand up and shot her a one-fingered salute, my nails still covered in her blood. "Go on... I will deflect it and I get to watch you be butchered, win-win for me."

Her teeth ground together in a furious glare before she shouldered the bow. "Jennifer, to me! We're leaving!" She barked the words which sounded more like a scream and stormed off.

I showed her a contemptuous smile and then cut my eyes to the sheep who was now glaring at me with her arms crossed. "What? She started it."

Lorelai scowled at me. "You and Elias have a lot to explain." She spoke in an angry snarl as my heart sunk, then moved back towards the others.

"Harold, I apologize to you and your new family member for having to deal with this," Lorelai sighed out and gave him a polite bow.

"Ha! You kidding? This was great, now I want to spar with her even more!" He pointed to me and grinned. "Sandshore welcomes you at your earliest convenience, Countess Alice. I look forward to seeing you."

I flicked my tail and grinned. "Thank you, I will see you as soon as I can!"

Lorelai saw the other Marquis off and then I and Elias found ourselves alone with the sheep in the warehouse. She sat in the chair and crossed her legs before resting her palms on her knee. She had arranged three of the chairs to face one another. "Elias... explain yourself, now..."

He hissed out a breath through his teeth and rubbed the back of his head. "Alice is... she was-"

"Luciano was the one that sired me," I spoke out pointedly.

Lorelai parted her lips for a moment, then nodded her head and put the pieces together. "That explains, some things..."

"I did not intend to deceive you. It was after her evaluation we realized the extent of her powers," The fox spoke in a humble tone of voice.

"Yet you did not come to me after the fact, why?" Lorelai gave him a stern look.

"Fear..." He spoke the word simply.

"Elias... we are old friends and family, I would have done nothing to you." Lorelai frowned at him.

"Not me." He barked and clenched his teeth before jerking his gaze from hers. "I... I didn't want to lose her..."

Lorelai pursed her lips and looked at me in thought. "I had smelled it upon you two and felt how your energies had intertwined... Still, it is not unheard of for a lord to partake of their vassals. This is more?"

"I love him," I spoke without hesitation. "I love him, Katrina, and all of my family. He did not want to lose me and it is all my fault. Do not side any of the blame upon my lord."

"That's enough, Alice..." He spoke the words gently to me.

Lorelai sighed and shook her head. "This is a mess to be sure. Elias, we have not had a chimera in our court in over a millennium."

"Wait... isn't a chimera those mythical primitive lion things with snake and goat parts?" I asked curiously.