I'm a fox with crippling social anxiety. Just to get by, I had to trick a black-and-gold python—who was in heat, no less—into a cuddle session. After I'd eaten my fill, I made a swift escape. By a stroke of luck, I stumbled into a new line of work among humans, a sort of… "fur-for-hire" business. "Thirty dollars for a session! All the pictures and pets you want! I’m soft, I smell great, and I’ll give you the royal treatment!" I was having the time of my life. Until one night, the python's icy tail coiled around my waist. His voice was a low, menacing hiss. "You're right. You are soft, and you smell great." 1 I'm a white fox. My kind survives by cuddling up to others and absorbing their life force—what humans call ‘qi’—for sustenance. While we can get by on the qi of other animals, it's the qi from humans that's the most delicious and nutritious. Plus, by fox standards, humans are the epitome of beauty. Most of my peers choose human partners. I wanted to as well. But I am, without a doubt, the most socially anxious fox in existence. While other foxes my age were already mingling with humans—some even had litters of their own—I was too shy to even approach one. My family, seeing my malnourished, scrawny frame, finally had enough. They kicked me out, telling me to get over this "socially anxious" nonsense. But I’m a homebody. I rarely left my den, and now, after days of wandering aimlessly through the Silverfrost Woods, I was completely lost. The chances of running into a human were zero. My stomach was growling, my steps were unsteady, and my vision was blurry. At that point, any living creature that crossed my path would have become my dinner. Then, a stroke of luck—or misfortune. The path was slick, the night was dark, and I tumbled headfirst into a snake's den. And landed right in the lap of a male python in heat. I remembered my mother's warning before I left home: when a creature is in its half-human, half-beast form, it means they're in rut. Stay away. Especially from adult male serpents. The python before me was exactly that: half-man, half-snake. But I was so dizzy with hunger that my mother’s words evaporated from my mind. Instinct took over. I pressed my face against him. I took a deep, intoxicating sniff of his neck and let out a sigh of pure bliss. "Oh, serpent," I murmured. "You smell amazing." 2 He smelled absolutely divine. I couldn't help but lean in closer. But before I could bury my face in the firm plane of his chest, something cold and slick wrapped around my waist. I forced my heavy eyelids open and looked up, confused, at the black-and-gold python. His name was Kane. He narrowed his eyes, his tail tightening around me, pulling me away from him. His free hand wasn't idle either; he poked curiously at my head, sizing me up. "A cub?" I was already dizzy from hunger, and now this serpent was prodding my skull. The world swam. I fought back a wave of nausea, shook my head, and grabbed his long, elegant finger. I licked my lips. "Serpent," I pleaded, "I'm so hungry. Can we please… just cuddle?" He let out a soft chuckle and pulled his hand away. "I'm not interested in cubs." I was so starved I couldn't even maintain my human form. To him, I was just a scrawny, pathetic little fox kit, completely devoid of charm. I pouted, wanting to argue, but my underfed body was a testament to his words. I was tiny. "Just a little cuddle," I begged. "I won't do anything else." He wasn't the five-star meal a human would be, but he was all I had. He saw me as a child, so his guard would be down. Maybe I could sneak a little sip of his qi. I looked up at him, my eyes wide and watery, my fox tail swishing playfully behind me. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to," he said, though his tone lacked any real malice. He was clearly just humoring what he thought was a child. "You foxes feed on life force." Caught, I shrank back, embarrassed. "I have a really small appetite…" My voice trailed off as I saw the weariness in his eyes. He looked… uncomfortable. In pain, even. Serpents were supposed to be cunning, able to thrive in the human world. But here he was, holed up in this makeshift den, enduring his heat all alone. He must be an outcast, a serpent who got picked on. And if he was an outcast, he probably didn't have a big human house or a warm bed to sleep in. An idea sparked. I dangled a more enticing offer. "I can keep your bed warm for you." 3 "Winter is coming," I pressed on. "Don't you snakes hibernate? I can keep you warm all winter long!" He just shot me a cool glance, casually placing me on the ground beside him before smoothing out his messy nest of blankets and lying down. "Your tiny bit of fur wouldn't even be enough to warm my hands," he scoffed. It was clearly a temporary den, bare and lacking any comforts. Not even a proper blanket. As if he knew I didn't have the guts to get any closer, Kane closed his eyes, settling down to rest. And he was right. I was scared. The hunger had made me reckless, but now that my head was a little clearer, caution returned. Serpents were notoriously fickle. He could decide to skin me for my fur in the next second. I could only pace anxiously around him, occasionally "accidentally" flicking my tail across his face. "I can also bring you beautiful fox-sisters to help you through your heat! You're so handsome, the sisters would definitely love you." While black-and-gold pythons weren't typically my kind's preference, his human form was undeniably gorgeous. An androgynous, striking beauty that would make anyone's heart flutter. He was probably too intense for a serious relationship, more of a fling type, but still. I saw his eyelids twitch. It's working! I thought, and quickly changed my tune. "Or handsome fox-brothers! I can bring them, too!" He flicked his tail in annoyance. "Tsk. So noisy. If you're going to cuddle, do it quickly. And then shut up." Oh! So that was his preference! No wonder a virile adult serpent in heat could resist a "cub" like me. He was into men. He should have just said so. I splayed my paws and pounced like a starving wolf, burying my face in his chest. A droplet of drool landed on his chin. I took a huge gulp of the golden qi radiating from him. The sweet, intoxicating energy filled my senses, and I almost cried out in pleasure. No wonder my friends were so obsessed with cuddling. This was incredible. 4 I was so full yesterday that I must have fallen asleep. When I woke up, Kane's finger was still in my mouth. I spat it out and wiped a bit of drool from my fur. It was the most satisfying meal of my life. I was so full I almost didn't want to leave his embrace. It made me fantasize about what it would be like to cuddle with a human. It must be even more delicious. Lost in my daydream, a voice from above brought me back to reality. "Now that you're full, go home." I looked up at him, dazed. Perhaps it was because I'd drained some of his qi, but his voice was back to normal, no longer raspy like it had been yesterday. Kane looked at me with a sigh. "What? Still not full?" I shook my head, my attention drawn to his chest. I must have been quite rough yesterday; there were little scratches all over his skin. Yet, he hadn't gotten angry with me at all. Our eyes met, and a thought flashed through my mind. Kane was a good serpent. I licked my lips guiltily. The saliva of beasts has healing properties, and we white foxes are no exception. I began to gently lick the faint red marks on his chest. The taste of blood, sweet and metallic, filled my mouth. A soft chuckle rumbled from above. Kane poked my forehead with a finger. "You weren't so shy when you were draining my life force yesterday." I just grinned at him. He was my meal ticket, after all. I had to stay on his good side. I rubbed my head against his palm affectionately, my tail wagging with extra vigor. He seemed to like the feel of my fur, and didn't pull his hand away. But in the next moment, a searing heat shot through me, as if my whole body had been set on fire. No one could have predicted it. At that exact moment, I shifted into my human form. My head was still in his palm, and I was completely naked, sprawled on top of him. He froze. "You… you're not a cub?" His gaze started to travel downwards. I shrieked. "Ah—!" I instinctively pressed myself against him, trying to cover my body. 5 I was on the verge of tears. "Don't look at me!" Kane snapped back to reality and quickly shut his eyes. "Get off me—" "No! Then you'll see everything!" His ears were turning red. He blindly tossed a pile of clothes in my direction, and then his entire body morphed into that of a massive black-and-gold python, its girth nearly as thick as my waist. The great serpent was trembling, as if fighting some immense pain. I was in pain, too. My blood felt like it was flowing backward, my heart was pounding, my head was spinning, and I couldn't think straight. The only thing that brought any relief was pressing my face against his cool, smooth scales. "Waaaah… Kane… I feel so sick," I sobbed. "Your blood… it's poisonous… I think I'm dying. I'm going to die before I ever get to cuddle with a human. I haven't even been in love yet…" I had been so careless. He was a venomous snake. I cried all over him, my tears streaking his dark scales. "Stop crying," he hissed, his eyes squeezed shut in agony. "You're not dying. My blood just forced you into an early heat." My eyes shot open. I sat up and felt the fox ears on top of my head, then the tail behind me. Just as Kane said. I was in heat. It hadn't even crossed my mind. The very day I came of age, my mother had thrown me out, simply telling me not to come back until I found a partner. This was my first time. I had no idea it was this agonizing. "What do I do?" I pressed my head against his cool, serpentine body, rubbing against him miserably. He flinched away as if shocked. His voice was trembling and harsh. "Don't… don't move." I didn't hear him clearly. I just shifted lower, seeking another cool spot to press against. Before I could move my face, Kane forced himself back into his half-human form and pushed my head away. His ears were getting redder, like boiled shrimp. "Don't touch me there." I completely broke down, my voice thick with tears as I reached for him. "Kane, please help me. Please. I'll be good to you." I murmured all sorts of sweet nothings, my mind a complete haze. He just pinched my cheeks and, when I opened my mouth to speak, popped a small black pill onto my tongue. My vision started to blur. I looked down and saw my body shrinking back into its fox form. I looked up at Kane, confused. He just grabbed me by the scruff of my neck, holding me in his hand, and gritted out, "Remember what you said!" Soon, I drifted into a deep, hazy sleep.
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