Lyle glanced around cautiously before letting his guard slip. In a matter of seconds, the lad was replaced by a trim gray fox. It shook its coat out to rid itself of the tingling magic of transformation.
He barked with sheer delight. Nobody took notice of foxes; they were as common as clouds.
Oh, for the open trail! His heart sped at the thought. He wanted to run, but first, he sniffed the air. There was no unfamiliar scent, just the wind and the grass and the elusive smell of rabbits.
He trotted out from behind the oak, taking in the glorious vista of sky, grass and scattered trees.
Another fox hurried past. Good day, brother, he said as he went.
Lyle sneezed as the stranger's scent hit him. There was the taint of man in that wiff.
"Man," he muttered. "Man! Destroyers of nature. Hunters who give nothing back. Man!"
He shot like a bolt across the plains, away from civilization. Away from the taint of humankind.
