alt title: that’s a pretty fucked up looking dog
hi guys! i made this post recently, and @onyxsarttrove’s comment was genuinely so cute to me so i ended up writing this. Enjoy guys! 😛 all dividers were made by @somebitchprobably-graphicdump (tysm for making these i love them) and thank you to @legney for the screenshot of Vere in full fox mode!! ❤️
there are multiple mentions of blood, slight gore, sexual themes, reader cusses like one time, soulless death, i’m probably missing something but it’s not too bad, your honour he did nothing wrong he’s just a fox!!
The Wet Wick was never quiet, but tonight it was particularly enthusiastic. You layed in your bed, forced to listen to the rhythmic thumping from the room next door. Then what sounded like someone getting thoroughly railed against the wall two doors down, their breathless cries reminded you of the trashiness of the Wick. You loved the Wet Wick. You did. But sometimes a person just needed some damn peace.
Sighing, you rolled out of bed and pulled on your clothes. The night air would be cool, and a walk might clear your head enough to actually sleep when you returned. You slipped down the back stairs, avoiding the main bar where Leander was boasting about God knows what to the adders, and stepped out into the midnight streets.
The city was quieter at this hour, though never truly silent. Distant voices, the occasional laugh, the sound of your own footsteps on cobblestone. You'd been walking for maybe twenty minutes when you saw him. At first, you thought you were just seeing things. But then the moonlight caught on metal and the glint of shackles around powerful legs.
He was massive, easily larger than a moose. His fur was dark and lustrous in the moonlight, and that thick ruff around his neck made him look almost regal despite the cruel metal bands around his ankles. They clinked softly as he moved, a sound that made your chest tighten with anxiety. Was he going to bite you again?
He was sitting very still, watching you with those piercing pink eyes, and at his feet…
The soulless’s body was twisted at an unnatural angle, throat torn open in a killing blow that had been swift and brutal. It’s blood pooled dark beneath it, and you could see where claws had raked across its torso, opening deep furrows in the purple flesh. One arm was nearly severed, hanging by threads of sinew.
Vere had laid it directly in your path. Like a cat bringing home a mouse. The absurdity of it hit you first, and you couldn't help it, you laughed. You grinned at him, stepping closer. "What, is this supposed to impress me?” You continued to mock him, he could handle a little teasing right? “'Look what I caught, aren't I clever?'"
The fox's ears flattened. You were still smiling, gesturing at the corpse. "I mean, I appreciate the thought, but I'm not sure what you expect me to do with-"
Vere huffed. It was a sharp, distinctly annoyed sound, and he turned his head away from you in what could only be described as a sulk. Your laughter died.
You looked at him again, really looked. At the way he sat so still, so carefully positioned beside his kill. At the tension in his shoulders, the way his tail was tucked close instead of swishing with his usual playful arrogance and at the blood on his snout.
You guess he wasn’t joking.
"Vere," you said softly, and his ear twitched toward you even though he didn't turn his head. "I'm sorry. let me look at it properly."
You crouched down beside the soulless, examining it more carefully now. The killing blow had been precise. The throat must have been torn out so quickly the creature probably hadn't even had time to cry out. The other wounds were defensive, they were places where it had tried to fight back and Vere had simply overpowered it.
Soulless were dangerous. You'd seen what they could do, how they moved with that uncanny wrongness that made your skin crawl. They were fast and vicious and they didn't stop until they were dead or you were. And Vere had killed this one. For you.
"You killed this, for me?" you said quietly. Your fingers hovered over the torn flesh, not quite touching. Vere finally looked at you again. In this form, he couldn't speak, he couldn't use that silver tongue to deflect or seduce or lie. There was only the directness of his gaze, the slight forward tilt of his ears.
You stood slowly and moved toward him. He was so large in this form that even sitting, he had to lower his head so that it was level with yours. Up close, you could see the individual hairs in his ruff, the way the moonlight caught on the metal of his collar. The shackles around his ankles were old, worn smooth by decades of wear. They clinked softly as he shifted his weight. His tail moved slightly. Not quite a wag, but acknowledgment.
You reached out slowly, giving him time to pull away if he wanted. But he didn't. Your fingers sank into the thick fur of his ruff, and he was so warm and fluffy… and kinda cute? Despite that, you could feel the strength in him, the predator that lurked beneath the playful facade he wore in his human form.
"Thank you," you whispered. Your other hand came up to cup the side of his face, careful of the blood on his snout.
Vere leaned into your touch, and the sound he made was almost a purr. His eyes slipped half-closed, and for a moment he looked almost vulnerable, this powerful, dangerous creature letting you hold his face in your hands, trusting you. He could absolutely demolish you in a second, but he chose to bring you something instead. It was a bloody gift, but it was sweet nonetheless.
You pressed your forehead to his, breathing in the scent of him, wild and clean beneath the copper tang of blood. "You're ridiculous," you murmured, but there was no mockery in it now.
Vere went very still. Vere made a soft sound, almost like a whine, and then he was pressing against you, nearly knocking you over with his size. You wrapped your arms around his neck, burying your face in his ruff, and felt him curl around you protectively. The metal of his shackles was cold against your leg where his paw rested. Your fingers drifted unconsciously through the thick fur at his neck until they brushed his collar.
Vere stiffened instantly. You froze too. “Sorry,” you murmured. His ears flicked back, but he didn’t pull away this time. Carefully, you let your hand settle lower in the ruff. His heartbeat was strong beneath your palm. Too fast. Adrenaline still lingered in him from the fight.
“You could’ve been hurt,” you whispered.
At that, Vere let out a a low growl and nudged his nose against your shoulder in obvious disagreement. The gesture was so offended that despite yourself, you huffed a laugh.
“Oh, don’t give me that look,” you said, pulling back enough to meet his eyes. “Soulless are dangerous, and you know it.”
He blinked slowly. He can’t speak, but you can practically hear him. ‘Me? Injured by those overgrown brainless eggplants?’ Okay, maybe he wouldn’t say eggplants, but it’s your imagination. Why not take some creative liberty?
Then, with unmistakable dramatics, he turned his head and licked blood from one massive paw as if to say they’re clearly not dangerous enough.
You sighed, “You’re so irritating in every form.”
His tail thumped once against the cobblestones. You smiled despite the knot tightening in your chest. Because beneath the ridiculousness, beneath the smugness and theatrics, was the reality of what he’d done. He had found the thing hunting near the Wick. He had killed it before it could reach you. The realization settled strangely warm beneath your ribs.
Vere lowered himself further onto the ground, resting his heavy head near your shoulder. The movement exposed a deep slash hidden beneath the fur along his side, dark with blood. Your breath caught. “Vere.” His ears flattened immediately.
“You’re hurt.” He shifted as though trying to hide it, which would have been more convincing if he wasn’t larger than you.
“Oh, absolutely not.” You grabbed his ruff before he could stand. “You do not get to drop a corpse at my feet and then pretend you’re fine.”
You narrowed your eyes. “I swear to every god, if you try to run from me I will personally drag your dramatic ass back to the Wet Wick by the ears.”
Vere stared at you. Then, very deliberately, he glanced down at the hand fisted in his fur as if to point out that dragging him anywhere would be physically impossible.
“You are not bleeding all over the alley because you’re too stubborn to admit you got wounded.”
Vere’s expression changed instantly. He looked deeply offended at the mention of the wound. He lifted his head with regal indignation, pink eyes narrowed as though the wound splitting his side open was merely a minor inconvenience unworthy of discussion.
“Oh, don’t start.” You pointed at the blood matting his fur. “That is not a scratch.” The more you looked at the wound, the deeper it seemed. It was hard to tell from all of the fur covering it, but you can see a gash,
Vere made a low sound in his throat. How did he manage to make the equivalent to a verbal eyeroll?
You pressed your lips together to keep from laughing. “You are unbelievable.”
He blinked at you once, slow and smug. Then he tried to stand. You caught the movement immediately. “Absolutely not.”
The massive fox paused mid-motion.
He huffed hot air through his nose and attempted another step anyway. He made it exactly half a pace before his front leg buckled. Your stomach dropped. Vere recovered quickly, too quickly, compensating with brute strength and stubborn pride, but you’d seen it. The tremor in his limbs. The slight hitch in his breathing afterward. His ears flattened against his skull.
“Oh, gods,” you whispered. “You idiot.”
This time there was no teasing in it at all. You moved to his side carefully, one hand pressed against the thick fur at his shoulder in an attempt to steady him. There was another slash along his ribs, but beneath his luscious fur, blood still seeped sluggishly from it, sticky against your fingers.
“No.” You touched his jaw gently, forcing his attention back to you. “Don’t do that.” His eyes met yours again.
“You don’t get to act invincible after scaring me half to death.”
For a moment, neither of you moved. Then Vere exhaled heavily and lowered himself back onto the cobblestones with the air of a martyr surrendering to unbearable oppression. “There,” you said softly. “Was that so hard?”
His tail thumped once in clear resentment. You smiled despite yourself and crouched beside him again. “Can you walk?”
Vere gave you a look. “Yes, yes, obviously you can walk,” you amended. “Can you walk without bleeding all over the street?” He paused, Then, with immense reluctance, he tilted one ear sideways in a vague maybe.
“That’s what I thought.” You glanced down the empty street, mind racing. The Wick wasn’t terribly far, but getting him back unnoticed would be… difficult. He was quite large in this state. You could barely see past him in the alley.
He leaned closer suddenly, pressing the side of his face against your shoulder with enough weight to nearly topple you sideways. The affection in it was blatant. Exhausted, needy, smug affection.
“You are manipulative,” you informed him, trying very hard not to melt.
Vere made that soft almost-purr again. It worked alarmingly well. With a resigned sigh, you scratched carefully beneath his ruff, avoiding the collar this time. “Fine. You win. We’ll get you patched up.” At that, his eyes slipped half closed.
“You’re entirely too pleased about this.” He blinked at you slowly, again. Before you could react, the enormous fox shifted forward and shoved his nose beneath your arm, nearly lifting you off your feet.
“You cannot possibly think I’m sneaking back into your cell with you”
Vere pushed his nose more firmly beneath your arm. The shove nearly lifted you off your feet again.
He did not stop. Instead, the giant fox leaned harder against you with all the subtlety of a collapsing building, clearly attempting to herd you into the wall where his hidden “home” was.
“You manipulative bastard.” His ears perked immediately at the familiar insult, looking almost pleased. “That wasn’t a compliment.”
The look he gave you suggested he disagreed. You groaned into your hands. “This is how people die in cautionary tales.”
Vere huffed. “Yes, yes, I know. ‘You’re perfectly safe with me.’”
His pink eyes narrowed. Then, with immense dignity, he turned his head and deliberately licked your wrist.
You yelped. “Your mouth is covered in soulless blood!” His tail wagged only once. But it was enough to make your chest ache in that awful, warm way again. Damn him.
u can find my other fics here.. #foxyfics
