It had been a particularly bad day. Vuhs was practising one of the intermediate spells with the elves' ancient tongue when he made a mistake due to improper pronunciation of an unfamiliar word. Not unacceptable, for someone so new to the realm. But it backfired and injured his own energy, earning him the rest of the day off from his mentor. On the way back, he was even caught by some rogue and masked elves, which despite training with Algrim, did little good. (1)
By dusk, a tiny bundle of white fur had hid itself behind one of the decorations by Algrim’s office door, tucked in a curl with its head under its tail. Its magical energy was far weaker and unstable than it ever was, wavering at a tenth of its usual strength. Its fur too was obviously roughed up in various places, though no wound could be seen. Either way, it had fallen asleep in such a place, its little belly rising and falling with the occasional shudder that belied its lack of caution. (2)
@whitefoxed
Vuhs had been scarce today. Usually, he’d stop by Algrim’s study whenever his schedule allowed it, updating him on his progress or spending a few moments chatting with the elder. Still, the fox’s absence was no cause for concern. Algrim had come to know him as a diligent, ambitious, and dedicated young man, always striving to excel at everything he did, and so the councillor went about his day without worrying much about Vuhs’ whereabouts.
When he returned to his study in the evening, having spent most of the day in the council room and away from his private quarters, the sight of the little white fox cowering near his door and looking rather worse for wear sent a jolt of panic through Algrim.
Stooping, he gathered the exhausted little animal into his arms and slid his fingers through his fur to check him for injuries, but found him relatively unharmed. Whoever put him through the mangle had done no serious damage, a discovery that sent a flood of relief through Algrim. It was a well-known but never-talked-about secret at court that even the ruthless king, who had no qualms about killing women and infants, had a soft spot for pups. Still, even with Malekith being ruled out as the culprit, there was no shortage of nobles and courtiers wishing ill upon Vuhs.
That the younger would come to him for protection, preferring to wait at Algrim’s door for who knew how long rather than lock himself in his own quarters to lick his wounds would have filled Algrim with astonished delight, had the situation not been so serious.
“What happened?” Hugging the little fox protectively against his chest, Algrim carried him into his study. “Who did this to you?”
