#corvus lore

A branch slapped him in the bicep, but he didn’t care. His breathing was whack and his vision swam. He faintly heard Bensi barking and Channing calling his name way back at the house, and it made his chest constrict with guilt for a moment before Irwin’s familiar brown pelt darted through a clump of foliage and into Corvus’ line of sight. He almost had him.

He just needed to run and run, and eventually Irwin would tire. Right? Until then, Corvus’ only concern was keeping pace with the elite hound. A sharp whimper from the dense undergrowth distracted Corvus for a split second and he whipped his head around. His feet still carried him, though, and the toe of his boot wedged in under a rock. With a squeal of panic, Corvus lurched forward and slammed face-first into the forest floor. He barely missed a rock, but the crack of his little nose made tears sting his eyes.

Irwin had stopped and backtracked, sniffing Corvus’ trembling body. His ears flicked and swivelled, until his gaze fixed on a mat of bright orange under a fallen tree. He barked once. The animal wailed as Irwin stalked nearer.

Corvus groaned, pushing himself up, dirt and blood mingling uncomfortably on his nose and lips. He wiped it with the back of a hand, blinking. “Irwin?” He forced himself to his knees, following the hound’s focus. He gasped. “Irwin, stop, stop, it’s a fox!” He was on his feet in an instant, pain forgotten. He crept closer, making sure the fox could see him. “Hey…” He waved and knelt, gently pulling back the greenery.

It was a tiny thing, the fox. Barely a juvenile. Its fur was bright ginger and its eyes a siren blue. After Corvus noticed the arrow, it was impossible to shake from his brain. “Oh, baby, no.” His fingers itched to grab the arrow. It’s an animal, Corvus. A baby. You can’t pull an arrow from it and send it off and hope it lives. He clenched a hand into a fist and whacked himself in the forehead. “Come here, little fox.” He offered his hands, and the fox surprisingly licked his pale palms. Scooping it up, Corvus whistled for Irwin to run on ahead and alert the family.