CHAPTER 2
Desperate Times
 
 
 
-Fatal Vore
-Blood
-Violence
-Feral
-Human
-Starvation
-Size Difference
 
 
  Alsek awoke to a light pressure covering his whole body, his head meeting a small amount of resistance as he unfurled and sat up. He squinted as he broke through the thick layer of snow that had covered him and the entire forest overnight, the sun seeming much more intense than usual as it reflected off the blanket of white. It had been nearly a week since the fox had been shot, his wounds having scabbed over nicely during that time. Although it still caused him a fair deal of pain, Alsek was able to walk around again, albeit not very quickly. He learned the hard way that he certainly couldn't run, which poised an ever-growing problem for the vulpine. He hadn't eaten since his encounter with the humans, and with every day that he went to sleep hungry he felt what little energy he had slip further and further away. Alsek wasn't sure what hurt more at this point; his bullet wounds, or the jabbing hunger pains that randomly stabbed at him. At least if he laid still enough his flesh wounds were reduced to a dull ache that he was able to sleep through, but an empty stomach was enough to keep him awake at night.
 
 The fox slowly limped his way through the woods, the world around him eerily quiet as much of the ambient sound was absorbed by the recent snowfall. It was only a few hours into the day, but Alsek was already starting to lose his desire to push forwards. Exhaustion forced him to stop regularly and lay down to rest for a while. On occasion, he would catch the scent of a doe nearby, and more than once he tried to track the scent. It seemed as though no matter how hard he tried, he could never catch up to the source of the tantalizing smell, always seeming to be one step behind them. He'd been moving upriver for most of the week in hopes of making his way back to his home territory. Maybe the humans had assumed him dead and he would be able to return to his den; maybe some of the food he had stored would have been spared the wrath of the other hungry predators that skulked around his territory.
 
 Alsek's eyes opened, surprised to find that in the short time he'd closed them to rest, dusk had settled upon the forest. How long had he been asleep? When did he lay down, for that matter? Hours seemed to be missing from his memory, and he could hardly keep track of time anymore, his head spinning as he struggled to lift himself off the ground. The fox's paws left little trails in the snow, barely leaving the ground as he limped his way towards the river he'd been following. Its icy water had been the only thing keeping him going thus far, the only familiar thing in a wholly unfamiliar area and the only shot he had at making it back to his home. At this point, the humans that had pursued him were an afterthought; if he didn't find food then he was good as dead anyways, so it didn't matter much if they got to him first. Assuming they even bothered looking for him after he was swept away in the current. Alsek lifted his head from the water, looking upstream towards the orange glow of the evening sun with a sigh. A light blanket of fog started wafting down river, creeping past the fox's legs as he licked his lips dry. It only took one breath for the fox's nose to wrinkle up, his eyes going wide as an entirely too familiar smell registered in his brain.
 
Fire. Where there was fire, there was almost certainly humans. As much as he had tried to avoid them, he couldn't help but consider the fact humans always had food with them. Alsek was also more than familiar with the predictability of humans. They maintained semi regular sleep schedules, usually resting at night and hunting or fishing during the day. As the smoke that moved down river grew thicker it started to carry with it the smell of cooking meat. The fox winced as his stomach tied itself in knots at the scent, and Alsek found himself contemplating actions that he would have never in a million years considered attempting had he had a full belly. It was nearly night, he could just sneak in after they had all gone back to their tents. Find where they keep the food… It would take him five minutes, max. A low grumble reverberated up the fox's chest, his stomach seeming to be in agreement with this plan.
 
 Alsek moved with a newfound energy, nearly jogging as he held his nose to the air. The smell was growing stronger with each step he took, and night had fully enveloped the forest. His mouth was nearly watering at the prospect of a nice juicy deer leg, the smell of roasted meat only getting stronger as he neared the camp. Soon he was able to hear the sounds of laughter and talking. Slowing himself down to a creep as he crouched low to the ground, he approached at a snail's pace. The hunters had set up a ring of tents around a campfire at the base of a steep rocky outcrop, the natural wall providing them a moderate amount of protection from the wind and snow. A few rifles laid against the semi-circular stone wall. He counted four men, sitting with their backs to the rocks as they told jokes and drank. A glass bottle was passed around the campfire, each man taking healthy swigs before it circled along. Over their fire, two hind legs from a recently skinned buck roasted on a crude spit, one man getting up every once in a while to rotate them. The men were all sitting facing Alsek, but he knew from personal experience that the light from the fire that stood between them would make it hard for them to see much further than the treeline. Humans were not particularly well known for their night vision, after all.
 
 An hour had passed since he'd began to stake out the camp, and Alsek's patience was growing thin. Two men remained near the fire, the remaining two having stumbled to their tent as the night grew later. The men had ceased conversation, both seeming lost in thought as they stared into the flickering flames. At the end of his rope, Alsek was heavily considering simply pressing his luck and attacking the whole camp. As bad as his stomach pains had been, they were amplified tenfold as a fresh kill cooked not 40 paces ahead of him. Before he had a chance to act, he noticed some activity from the hunters. One of them finished off the last of the bottle they had been sharing, heading to his tent after exchanging a few words and giving the his companion a pat on his back. All that remained between Alsek and his meal was one rather rotund man. Feeling a little more confident now that most everyone was asleep, he crept forwards with a cat-like stealth. Although his heart was nearly beating out of his chest, his breath was calm and steady.
 
 The hunter seemed to be drifting in and out of sleep, his snores being interrupted every once in a while as his head fell over jolting him awake. He'd rise to his feet on occasion, stumbling to the fire and tending to the meat as it cooked. This happened a few times before the man slumped down in his seat, his breath becoming slow and rhythmic. The campfire had also started to wind down, its flames little more than a heap of glowing embers at this point. Alsek observed the scene for a few more minutes, little shivers of anticipation going down his spine. He was ready, it was now or never.
 
 The fox was not sure he had ever moved so slowly before. Every single paw placement was strict and deliberate, making sure that he didn't step on any fallen branches or otherwise cause a single unnecessary noise. After what felt like an eternity, his head cautiously poked through the treeline. He stood there for a moment, getting his first real close up look of the small camp the humans had set up. Strangely, he didn't see the rest of the deer anywhere; the only signs of it sat directly above the smoldering embers of the fire. Had the humans eaten the rest already? His attention turned to the snoring human, creeping forwards to get a closer look. The man disgusted Alsek. His hair was greasy and unkempt, his coat and jeans splattered in various stains from who knows what. Alsek hadn't noticed until he was standing closer exactly how bad the man smelled, his musk mixed with the pungent scent of alcohol.
 
 The human didn't hold Alsek's attention for long, a sharp pain in his midsection reminding him exactly why he was standing in the camp to begin with. He quickly turned his attention back to the meat. Bits of fat dripped from it occasionally causing little sprouts of fire to grow from the embers. The fox had never liked fire, and the fact that humans used to make their food hot baffled him. Still, his mouth was watering at the idea of something in his belly, hot or not. He leaned towards the metal spit, looking it over with a rather confused disposition. A rod held the meat over the embers, and Alsek could see no clear way to remove it without the contraption falling into the fire. The searing heat also made it hard for him to get his snout anywhere near the food, his nose curling up in pain every time he tried. Being this close to a meal was doing the fox's hunger no favors, his gut noisily reminding him how long he'd gone without a decent meal. Before he had any more chances to attempt grabbing the meat, a loud crack echoed around the clearing as sparks flew from the fire. Alsek leapt back in surprise, a loud snort instantly drawing his attention to the human. The man sat upright in his chair, hands reaching up to rub drunken eyes awake.
 
 Alsek's heart sank as he and the man stared at each other with wide eyes. The fox had hoped he'd be able to simply sneak in, grab a meal, and sneak out. He hadn't planned on getting caught, but the thought had certainly crossed his mind. He didn't give the man a chance to call for help, or even react to his presence for that matter. Without hesitation, Alsek lunged forward, jaws clamping down over the man's torso as he sprinted towards the treeline. Alsek had hit the man hard enough to knock the wind out of him, and by the time he was able to catch his breath and begin struggling, the two of them were nearly half a mile from the camp. Alsek changed his gait, attempting to catch his breath as he trotted through the woods. The spike of adrenaline from being caught was wearing off, and the fox's already tired muscles burned in protest. He'd been so close to a meal, only to have it ripped away from him. The drunken man weakly thrashed around, arms and legs beating in vain against the dark muzzle as he spat incoherent slurred words at Alsek. As disgusting as the human between his jaws tasted and smelled, the feeling of something between his teeth was causing long strands of drool to drip from his gums. A foul, sour smell filled the air causing the fox to stop dead in his tracks, his nose curling up in disgust. Hearing the human retching, Alsek promptly spat him to the ground, the scent of alcohol filling the air as the man continued to empty the contents of his stomach on the forest floor.
 
 Alsek had stepped back, watching as the man wiped his mouth on his sleeve and slowly lifted his head. Once again, the two of them locked eyes. The human seemed to remember the predicament he was in, stumbling to his feet as he tried to scamper away. Alsek mentally prepared himself for a chase, surprised to see the man take two steps before tripping over his own feet, falling flat on his face in the thick snow. The fox took a few steps forwards, a puzzled look on his face. He'd never seen a human that was quite so clumsy before, nor one who drifted in and out of consciousness quite so easily. The man made no attempts at getting up, lying motionless in the snow as Alsek hovered over him.
 
It took a moment for the smell to reach him, largely overpowered by the still pungent aroma of fresh vomit. Alsek's damp nose twitched ever so softly, the metallic aroma nearly unmistakable. When the human had fallen, he'd managed to cut his head on a rock that was hidden by the snow. It wasn't a significant or life threatening wound, but due to his intoxication his blood was thin and he'd lost a decent amount before the bleeding slowed. The smell sent a familiar wave of warmth through the fox. His mind started slipping back to that day by the river, the smell of copper in the air, the sweet warmth that had filled his muzzle. The nearly unscratchable itch that had stayed squirreled away in the back of his head since that first real encounter with humanity. It only took one pained growl from Alsek's stomach to cement in his mind what he needed to do. Leaning down, he hooked his nose under the man's torso, roughly turning him over onto his back. The human remained unconscious, mouth agape as little trails of blood ran from the gash on his forehead down into his dirty brown hair. For as disgusting as the man had been to Alsek earlier, there was no denying how appetizing he seemed now. The fox couldn't help himself. His long pink tongue drug itself across the open wound almost against his will, the familiar taste making his fur stand on end.
 
He no longer felt any guilt nor sympathy for the man. For as long as he'd admired the humans from afar, he had never once considered them a viable source of food. They interested him too much, the way they worked together, how close they were with their families, the games they played together. Alsek had always seen himself as more of a human than a fox. He'd dreamed of joining in their games, living amongst them. From the moment he'd been shot he felt betrayed, but at the back of his mind he'd hoped that somehow, some way he could earn their trust. As his jaws parted, allowing passage of the hunter's head and shoulders through their drooling depths he knew none of that mattered now. Just like any other creature of the forest, they were prey to those larger than them. Alsek took a deep breath, tongue curling around the man's bloody head one last time before it reached the back of his throat, savoring the unique sweetness it held. He considered tearing into the man, ripping him apart like he'd done before in his blind rage. As tempting as it was, the craving for more blood was dwarfed by his stabbing hunger. He couldn't even remember his last meal, anymore. How long had it been? There was no time to savor his catch, he needed something inside him as soon as possible. As his head started to tilt back, he felt the man starting to stir, arms exploring the space that held them. The first gulp seemed to alert his meal to exactly what was happening. The legs that hung from Alsek's maw started kicking frantically, looking for trying to make contact with anything they could. Another gulp and the fox felt a tinge of pain as the man's shoulders pressed tightly against the walls of his throat. He'd eaten meals whole before, but a fat human was certainly at the upper limits of what could fit down his throat. Alsek closed his eyes, his tongue curling between his meals legs, using its strong muscles to pull the man further into his growling gullet. He'd found himself lost in the moment, tail wagging slightly behind him as his meal slipped further and further towards its inevitable destination. What he hadn't expected was a boot connecting with the tip of his nose, carrying with it as much force as the human could muster. Instinctively, Alsek bit down. He both heard and felt a distinct pop as his incisors clamped down on the man's lower back, following by the taste of blood as both the legs hanging from his muzzle went entirely limp. The man cried out in pain, his upper half still thrashing around as best it could in the tight confines of his throat, creating visible bulges and ripples on the outside of the fox's throat. Alsek's nose stayed curled a moment, still reeling from the blow as he took a moment to collect himself. His head still tilted back, fresh blood from the bite began running down the walls of his maw. As it pooled at the back of his throat, he was pleased to discover it aided him greatly in his swallowing of his prey, providing some much-needed lubrication. That combined with it's overwhelming flavor had Alsek swallowing as fast and hard as he could, and before too long the man's feet vanished from the outside world, a large set of vulpine jaws closing behind them. The last evidence of the man's existence manifested as a small bulge in Alsek's throat as he gave one last swallow.
 
Alsek was trembling, bent over panting as he caught his breath. A few drops of blood fell to the snow beneath him, mixed with long strands of saliva. His stomach ached and groaned, stabbing pains pulsing through him as his body adjusted to having food inside of it again. He was pretty sure he could still hear the man screaming, and he could certainly feel him exploring the tight confines of the churning stomach that entombed him. For someone who'd lost as much blood as he had, the human surprised Alsek with how much fight he still had in him. He wobbled to his feet, taking a deep breath as he stretched. A host of emotions filled Alsek's head, but mostly he felt calm. He'd done something that a very small part of him regretted, but he'd also ensured his own survival. As he walked through the forest he lost track of the man's movements, not even noticing when they had stopped entirely. Only when he stopped to rest over an hour later did it strike him that all was calm. As he stared up through the canopy at the winter stars, he realized a part of him died along with the hunter. Years of curiosity and apprehension snuffed out on a cold winter's night. He'd spent his whole life running from mankind, worried about what would happen if he ever ended up face to face with them. A little grin spread across Alsek's muzzle. Now he knew.