Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 130955 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 655(@200wpm)___ 524(@250wpm)___ 437(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130955 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 655(@200wpm)___ 524(@250wpm)___ 437(@300wpm)
Her nostrils flared, and she spoke in a hushed tone, as if afraid of what might happen if someone overheard her. “I dreamt that I heard a baby cry. We lived in a house close to the farm at the time. I followed the cry all the way into one of those fox sheds, and when I entered—” her voice broke, and she swallowed hard, as if she found it difficult to speak. “One of the foxes had a newborn in her cage. Only one, all her other cubs were dead. I’d miscarried that same night, so seeing it broke my heart. Then, out of the blue, the vixen spoke to me. She offered me her child if I set her free. I didn’t understand what she meant, because it was a kit, but when I looked down again, the baby I heard crying before was lying in the straw. I took it with me, and set the fox free. And then, I woke up with you in my bed.”
Relief flooded Radek’s muscles when he realized his biological mother hadn’t been skinned for fur. She might have given him up, but at least she’d lived out her days in the wild. “I need to show you something, okay?” He got up and locked the door, glad that the other bed in the room was empty.
“Now? You’re not going to call the psychiatric ward?” she asked, shaking her head.
Unlike Yev, who ripped his clothes apart with the bulk of his wolf body, Radek didn’t even need to undress first. He sat on her bed. “Watch, and don’t be afraid.”
Shifting came naturally to him now, like holding his breath or running faster. He shrank in an instant, for a second, tumbling around in his sweater, but soon found his way out, nose first, ready to transform back if Mom screamed or called for a nurse.
But she didn’t utter a sound, staring at him with wide eyes, as if she’d never seen anything stranger. A few tense heartbeats later, Radek approached her and got to his hind legs to place his muzzle on the edge of the bed. She uttered a soft sigh and traced the top of his head with the gentlest brush of her fingertips. “So it’s true… I really do have a changeling.” She exhaled, and Radek wasn’t sure if it was with relief or worry.
He leaped on the mattress, and she touched his furry stump. In this form, he could hear the thudding of her heart, but she wasn’t freaking out and just watched him, as if she were seeing him for the first time. In some sense, she was.
“All your life, I thought I was crazy. Your father dismissed the color of your hair, said that it had to be a recessive gene, and that we just got lucky to have a baby this time.”
Talking to his mother was so hard, but with the ability to speak taken away, the only means of communication was straightforward, so he nuzzled her cheek, showing his affection in ways he hadn’t since being a child.
Petting him came naturally to her, and moments later, she enfolded him in a firm hug that smelled faintly of her favorite perfume. “I missed you.”
Radek’s heart twisted, and he pressed his forehead to the underside of her chin, overwhelmed by this reconnection he’d never expected and words he’d never thought he’d hear. Their relationship would never be perfect, but this was the beginning of something new, of a much-needed understanding. Because he’d missed her too, missed what their lives could be if they were open with each other.
They cuddled for a while, and Radek felt as if he were a baby again, receiving his mother’s affection without anything demanded in return. Eventually though, it was time to talk in earnest, so he shifted back, fumbling to get dressed.
He was putting on his hoodie when Mom spoke again.
“Wait. A fox with no paw. I remember you. You were Yevhen’s pet!”
Radek groaned and turned to face her. “He took me in after I got caught in snares. I shifted for the first time right before Christmas last year. He didn’t even know who I was but did his best to help me.”
Mom exhaled, blinking as if she were trying to get rid of tears. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. But it’s a good thing you didn’t come home. Since I found you in that cage… I couldn’t stand the sight of foxes. I was afraid of what they could be. That one of them could steal you away,” she whispered.
Radek sat on the stool by her bed, and they once again held hands. “I understand. I can see it must have been difficult to second-guess yourself all those years.”
Mom licked her lips, holding his gaze despite her eyes getting red again. “It’s so strange, but I’m happy I didn’t dream it. I know I’ve been strict, but I kept worrying for you, and now everything makes sense.”