No Rest for the Wicked, Part 2

The pair hurried through the forest, moving swiftly but silently, whipping through frosted underbrush and leaping from log to snow-dusted log. They were little more than shadows in the dark as Roe led the silver fox deeper and deeper into her domain. She circled around several times and doubled back on herself; ensuring no-one would be able to track them. Eventually she came upon a partly frozen river, and after crossing it twice in both directions she decided to identify a safe place to spend the night. A hollow tree trunk presented itself ahead, its cavernous opening curtained by thick strands of ivy. Roe pushed her nose through, shrugging off the snow that came tumbling from above, and inspected the hollow stump.

The interior was relatively dry, and the muddy floor had been mostly spared by the onslaught of winter weather. It was easily big enough to fit four or five foxes inside, so space was certainly not an issue, and the thick walls would retain at least a little heat from escaping. Her ears caught the sound of tired paws on snow and she returned to the riverbank to greet her companion.

Victor panted hard, his breath congealing into frozen mist before him. "You move fast." He breathed.

She smiled, "A necessary prerequisite in my line of work." Holding herself well, she trotted down the river and checked her reflection in the sheet ice.

"Oh?" said Victor, regaining his dignity. "And what work would that be, my dear?"

She paused her determined grooming and glanced across with mistrust. "None of your business, sir."

He moved over to join her by the water, also taking the time to preen himself. "Everything is my business, Miss. You can't be an entrepreneur in this country if you don't believe that."

"Is that what you call it?" she chuckled. "Hoodwinking weak and gullible country folk is a business?"

"Oh come now," he said between licks. "You called out to me, my dear, not the other way around. Now you offer me something for nothing? I am no fool, Miss Roe; there must be something you want from a lying, scheming degenerate like myself."

She paused and sat up gracefully. "Since you asked, there is."

"And what would that be?"

"I have good reason to believe you know the whereabouts of a certain Mr. Alopex…"

He raised his head and scrutinised her carefully. Thinking, he dipped under his neckerchief and retrieved two cigarettes, offering her one. She politely declined with a raised paw. "No thank you."

Shrugging, he placed the remaining cigarette in its ebony holder and brought it to his lips. He struck a match and lit it while he talked. "Whatever gave you that idea?" The flickering flame danced deceptively in his eyes.

"Darling, please. You honestly expect me to believe that you are who you claimed to be back in the saloon? You're far too intelligent to be involved with these yokels. If I had to wager a guess, I would stake that you are in fact a fox of many epithets, if you'll forgive the expression. You stand upon the precipice of a great deal of luck, sir, and I am willing to vindicate it."

He exhaled through his nose, thinking deeply. The smoky tendrils seemed to reach for Roe, yearning to touch her fur. After a few moments he replied, angling his head and narrowing his eyes. "What was that you mentioned about gold earlier?"

She smiled, recalling what she knew; the silver fox was playing right into her paws. "A few miles from here a dead man lies buried beneath the snow, killed by another two-legged over some trivial matter no doubt." She stood up and pranced back to the hollow tree stump. "He carried with him a chest of gold, one which he managed to bury before he was caught." She turned to Victor and looked him in the eyes. "Only I know where he lies, darling, and without me you won't get a sniff of that yellow metal you crave so much."

"I see…" he said, speaking slowly.

"And I also understand that the barkeep gave you something very important too, most likely pertaining to the chest itself. The combination, perhaps?"

The fox put a paw upon his neckerchief and smiled a smoky smile. "An astute deduction my dear. I admire your perspicacity."

"So, Mr. Victor, are you willing to answer my question? Do you know where Alopex resides?"

The silver fox chuckled and shook his head, evidently impressed. "It seems as though we can reach a mutually beneficial solution to both our problems, Miss Roe." He joined her atop the riverbank and circled around, leaving a trail of smoke in his midst. It smelled faintly of mint and aged oak. "You scratch my back, and I'll… scratch yours…"

Not to be outdone, Roe curled herself around him, enticing his senses with her lusty lavender scent. "What an excellent idea." She agreed. "Now why don't we seal our agreement with a nice fish or two, hmm?"

He snorted derisively and lifted his nose. "I'm sorry Miss, but hunting is not part of my contract."

"But dearest," she teased, resting her head on his shoulder. "Don't you want to catch your new vixen a meal? To prove yourself?"

He smiled and looked down, almost nose to nose. "Perhaps I didn't make myself clear; we are business partners, nothing more. I owe nothing to anyone, least of all you."

He exhaled, and Roe recoiled, coughing and spluttering from his smoke. She glared at him, but quickly regained composure. "Very well, I'll catch myself dinner."

It was late now, and the sun had all but disappeared beyond the horizon, leaving only a deep red glow in the west as its last goodbye to the world. The moon replaced it, full and bright, and the sky was devoid of cloud. To the foxes, it could almost have been noontime. Roe carefully leaned into the icy lake and admired her own reflection in the water, cast against the glittering sky like a heavenly stage behind her. Her ears traversed like radars, listening closely for the signs of an approaching fish. The air was bitterly cold, and despite her thick fur the vixen was loathe to be out at night.

"Any luck yet, my dear?" Victor teased, tightly curled up beside the hollow tree.

She ignored his cajoling; her mind was fixed on the task in hand. Suddenly, there was a tiny ripple from further upriver; she snapped her attention to it and sensed the fish's movement as it drew closer. She licked her lips hungrily and tightened her muscles in readiness. A shimmer of moonlit scales triggered her reflex. She sprung high into the air and dived down upon the fish in less than a second, her fangs and claws bared. There was a tremendous splash, and the icy water shot through her bones like lightning, but she felt relieved as the familiar tang of blood coated her tongue. She quickly abandoned the river and rolled in the snow, trying to relieve her shivering but keeping a tight grip on her fish.

Victor snickered as she passed, evidently amused at the dripping wet vixen. She growled and shook herself dry, extinguishing his cigarette in the process. She ducked under the ivy coated entrance and disappeared into the giant stump.

"I don't suppose you thought to catch me anything, my dear?" called Victor.

A few moments later, a fish head rolled out from the gloom and fell flat between his paws.

He raised a curious eyebrow. "Hmm."

Her hunger satisfied, Roe curled herself up on the bare earth and tucked her nose into her tail, trying to breathe some life back into it. Eventually Victor joined her, licking his lips.

"Did you enjoy your meal, darling?" she asked sardonically.

"Scrumptious." He replied, then lay down opposite her, his back turned and his nose
buried in his tail.

Both foxes struggled to sleep in the cold, but after awhile the tree stump warmed a little and they gratefully drifted out of consciousness.

****

Roe awoke early the next morning, very early. It was still dark, and only a faint haze that flickered through the foliage announced the coming of dawn. She raised her head and brought her ears to bear; it was windy outside, and the trees around them creaked and groaned, shedding their white coats. She could hear the trickle of the semi-frozen river and the tweeting of early morning birds, but also the steady breathing of her newest companion.

He was still fast asleep, his face completely obscured by his volumous tail. She cocked her head and regarded him. Unawares, he couldn't hide himself from her dark gift. She smiled as the truth was laid bare before her; this fox had committed all the atrocities expected of a con artist, but one crime stood out from the rest.

As if sensing her eyes upon him, he woke up, raising his ears and blinking at the ever-waxing light. He yawned and stood up, stretching his legs in the confined space. Roe eyed him darkly as he shook the dirt from his fur and ran a paw over his ears. He did a double take, apparently only just remembering her presence.

"Good morning my dear." He said cheerfully.

She gave no reply, uncurling and arching her back.

"Miss Roe?" he asked, confused.

"You sleep rather soundly for a murderer." She said, casually.

He stepped back a little, as if physically reeling from the declaration. A look of utter befuddlement contorted his features and Roe simply delighted. She trotted out of the den and greeted the morning sun as it crested the treetops, making them sparkle with gratitude.

"Excuse me?" said Victor, pushing through the hanging ivy.

Roe was pleased; she now had the situation under her control. "I'm simply remarking
at how easily your conscience prevents such things from preying on your mind. That is, if you ever had a conscience at all." She turned to him and flashed a wicked smirk, rubbing softly against him as she started off into the forest. "I'm jealous really, darling. That is quite an advantage you have there."

She melted into the early morning gloom, leaving Victor dumbfounded on the riverbank.

"Wait!" he called, rushing after her. He tore through the trees, only catching fleeting glimpses of her white-tipped tail. He slid to a halt in a snow dusted clearing; his eyes and ears darted about for any sign of the vixen.

"What do you know? Who are you?" he called.

A sultry voice answered from behind him. He span to face her, and Roe hopped down from her treetop over watch.

"That's not important." She drew nose to nose with him, looking deep into his eyes.
"I know who you are, Mr. Victor."

For several minutes, there was nothing but silence. The clearing was bathed in golden morning light and both fox's fur seemed to glow radiantly. Victor frowned, half angry, half confused. Breaking the tension, Roe licked him on the muzzle, chuckling daintily.

"Come on, darling. Let's go find your gold."

She set off into the forest again, tapping his nose with her tail as always. It took Victor a few moments to shake off his trance, and even then he stumbled in the snow. He matched Roe's pace, looking across with suspicion. They trotted through the trees, wind casting snowflakes down upon them. Through mossy clearings and over fallen logs Victor would not relent his calculating glare.

Roe chuckled, revelling in his confusion. "Please, dearest, a tongue so silver as yours should not fall quiet for so long. It is a crime! Weave your words, Mr. Victor; they are your strongest suit."

"You are a well informed vixen, Miss Roe." He began, slowly. "Treacherous I'm sure. I don't know who you are, but I intend to find out."

The scarlet vixen smiled to herself and walked a little closer beside her companion. "We shall see, shan't we?"

Roe led her silver stooge all the way back to the trail. By the time they arrived it was nearly noon, and the weak sun shone through dreary grey cloud which thickened with every passing minute. It looked like a storm was brewing, and with the increasing winds it was going to be a bad one. Roe hurried all the more; she stepped out onto the trail and was immediately met with a huge gust that nearly knocked her down. She unsheathed her claws and dug in deep; Victor tagged along at her heels, also struggling. They had to raise their voices to be heard above the gale.

"The body is in this ditch." Called Roe. "Start sniffing, it may have been buried."

Victor obliged, breaking off and beginning his search. Roe stuck close the tree line, putting her nose to the trail; through the manifold scents of the forest the faint stench of decay was difficult to follow. She marched down the trench in a zigzag pattern, her head bowed low and her ears alert for danger. She began to recognise the vegetation here; there was the same redwood, and the same peculiar shaped shrub, and the same weathered boulder, and the same-

Her eyes lit up as she noticed the unmistakable glint of metal poking through the snow. She rushed over and proceeded to dig, eventually unearthing the dead man's gun.

"Victor!" she called. "Over here!"

The silver fox's head popped up from behind a snowdrift, he bounded over with unalloyed greed in his eyes.

He recoiled. "Ugh, quite a stench."

"The treasure must be buried nearby; one would think he would've marked it somehow." She glanced about, nothing was obvious. "Let's see that wit Mr. Victor," she challenged. "Show me your intuition."

Victor pulled his quellazaire from under his neckerchief, lighting a cigarette despite the icy wind. He analysed the area, searching for any sign that the human may have left. He drew deeply on his cigarette, thinking hard.

"Ah…" His eyes glinted and locked onto something, he smiled. "Here we are."

He crossed the trail and gestured flamboyantly with his paw. Roe joined him, and was instantly struck by scepticism. He indicated a tower of pebbles, only four high, which stood upon a fallen tree. She raised an eyebrow incredulously.

"A rather convenient collection of rocks, don't you think, Miss?" he said. "Especially considering this wind…"

Roe rolled her eyes impatiently. "Do grant me insight, darling."

"Oh come now my dear," said Victor reproachfully. "Your faithlessness is most unbecoming."

He tapped the pile of rocks with his paw, and it became clear that they were, in fact, glued together. They toppled over and formed a crude arrow, arranged largest to smallest. Victor smiled smugly; Roe raised her forepaws and gave him a mocking applause.

"I suppose we follow the arrow…" she concluded, and set off into the forest again. Victor followed, thankful to be free of the howling wind.

The arrow pointed down a rough path in the trees, one generally free of vegetation by virtue of human feet. The pair of foxes treaded carefully, wary of what else might have come looking for the gold. Victor overtook Roe, his avarice driving him forwards with renewed vigour and his appetite for gold enlivened by the vixen. They came to a great boulder, rough and chipped from freezing. It stood in a wide clearing and seemed to command the trees away from it, such was its presence.

Victor sniffed the air, following the faint trace of man; it led him around the right side of the boulder to a small crevice within. He growled at what he saw. Roe quickly caught up and joined him; it was clear what frustrated him so.

The earth beneath the concave opening had been shifted, dug out by the claws of some animal. Judging by the lack of snow in the resulting depression they had not left long ago. Victor leaned close, his ears against his neck, and took a good whiff of their scent.

He stood up, his snarl replaced by a hopeful grin. "A fox." He concluded.

Roe took her turn and sniffed long and hard. "A male fox."

"A good nose you have there, my dear." Said Victor, impressed. "Come on, before the trail gets cold."

They redoubled their pace, dashing through the trees but stopping every now and again to reaffirm the trail. In some places it was weak and hard to follow, and in others it doubled back on itself; whoever this fox was, they didn't want to be followed. Despite the strangers most concerted efforts though, he could not lose Victor and Roe together, and before long they had him square in their sights.

He trotted cautiously through the forest, ears and tail low, lugging the huge chest with only his teeth. He jumped when a bird fluttered from its nest and every time there was a snowfall. It was evident that he was in way over his head.

"Another asinine treasure hunter." whispered Victor, hiding upwind, claws dug deep into the branches of a pine.

"Hm." Roe agreed, watching the nervous fox intently from the same lofty hideaway. "But what to do about him?"

Victor dropped soundlessly to the floor, and she followed shortly after. Ensuring their scents were undetectable, they stalked the stranger as he struggled back to town. He moved in a wide arc, apparently trying to find the trail.

Roe paused suddenly, her paw hovering in midair. Something was wrong; the air here reeked of humans, and the snow had been disturbed by boot and dog. Victor watched his prize so intently that he paid it no mind; but she stifled a gasp as she noticed where he trod. Grasping for ideas, she desperately bit his neckerchief and tugged
with all her might, pulling him to the ground.

He struggled from her grasp and whipped around, baring his fangs. "What on earth was that for?!" he hissed.

"Look where you're treading, you fool."

Victor turned and understood his folly. "Oh." He said. The forest floor was littered with foothold traps, their gleaming steel jaws half-hidden in the snow. "Oh." he said again, less gravely.

The two foxes smiled at one another, the same wicked scheme forming in both their minds.

"Oh…"

****

Cael panted hard, his tongue would have protruded from his lower jaw if it weren't for the massive chest which he hauled through the snow. He left a huge gouge behind him, only intensifying the stress that already threatened to overthrow his rationality. Anyone trying to follow him would have no trouble at all this close to the trail. He could almost see it through the trees; the path to his salvation, and he nearly killed himself with effort. His heart beat with trepidation but every time he wanted to let go his eyes would remain locked on the chest, burning greed flowing through his veins. There was not far to go now, he could almost taste the gold…

"HEY!" someone called from the forest. He gasped and dropped the chest with a loud thud, his eyes and ears scanning the shadows. Had he been found out? He prayed for his life.

"HEY!" The voice came again, but it sounded desperate, not angry. "PLEASE, HELP!"

A confused expression adorned his features and he squinted into the thick, snow covered vegetation. With as much wariness as he could possibly muster, he stepped forwards, each crunching footfall amplified ten times over to his ears. There was movement in the gloom; a silhouette with two large ears appeared, it was a fox.

"Mr.! Come over here, please! I'm beggin' ya!"

Hesitantly, he approached the stranger, pushing his way through the great plant fronds ahead. The sight which met his fearful eyes surprised and confounded him in equal measure. The most beautiful vixen he had ever seen lay wounded on the snow; her leg was caught in a vicious bear trap and her blood stained the snow a sickly pink. She moaned softly in pain and a curious silver fox with a red necktie tried fruitlessly to soothe her. He looked up with pleading eyes.

"Please, Mr. It's my wife, she's trapped. I-I can't get her out…" His voice was shaky
and uncertain. "You gotta get help, please!"

Cael stood bewildered, he glanced back to the chest – it was so close to the trail…

The silver fox persisted. "Please Mr. If she gets stuck out in this storm she's gonna die! Have a heart!"

Cale's eyes darted between the dying vixen and the chest, wide with indecision. He scratched at the snow beneath his paws.

"I-I can't, I gotta-"

The vixen turned her weary head, her perfect blue eyes were glazed and unfocussed, but she seemed to peer straight into his soul. He faltered.

"O-okay," he acquiesced, and met the silver fox's eyes with a grave glare. "But you promise me that you'll watch that there chest as if your life depended on it, you hear me partner?"

"Oh I won't let it outta my sight, Mr. Now please, hurry!"

Cael ran up onto the trail, his eyes drawn to the chest. "Goddamn!" he cursed, before sprinting away towards Coldfellows Reach.

****

Sure that the foolish treasure hunter was gone, the two tricksters laughed heartily at his expense.

"Oh the idiocy of the proletariat never fails to astound me!" chuckled Victor. "I must commend your acting talent, my dear. I had no idea such a performance dwelt within you; and the rabbit blood? Such a touch of finesse!"

He reached down and removed the large stick which propped the trap open; Roe swiftly withdrew her leg and allowed the trap to close fully.

"Thank you Mr. Victor. You are quite the distinguished actor yourself; a more convincing hayseed accent I have never heard!"

She stood up, shaking the snow from her fur, and began to lick the blood from her leg.

"And now, the fruits of our labours…" said Victor, entranced by the chest. He hopped over the undergrowth and slowly approached, wary of any challengers. Roe swiftly joined him, and the two foxes sat side by side before the locked container.

Victor dipped into his neckerchief and brought forth the slip of paper that the barkeep had entrusted him with.

Roe raised an eyebrow. "That thing really is an endless repository isn't it? It's amazing what you can fit in a one foot by one foot fold of velvet…"

He ignored the comment; far too busy inputting the combination. He twisted the padlock left and right to the corresponding numbers.

'1,8,0,3,1'

He held his breath for the last turn, but sighed in relief when the padlock opened with a click. It fell away, and Victor slowly nosed open the chest lid. Inside were a number of unassuming burlap sacks, but he hungrily unsheathed his claws and tore one open. Sure enough, out spilled scores of gold coins, bathing the two foxes in a rich, yellow glow. Beholding the glittering metal, suddenly Roe could appreciate why humans had such a propensity for it. Victor grinned so wide his fangs threatened to fall out; his eyes were wild with greed.

Their celebration was short-lived though. The golden glow was snuffed out as three huge shadows blocked the sun from view. They had approached from upwind, undetectable to the distracted foxes. The pair turned dreadfully, certain they knew what was coming.

"Hello there strangers." A great white wolf smirked smugly, flanked by his growling peers.

Victor raised his head to meet the wolf's eyes. "Oh dear."

****