63 Perils of Miscommunication 5 (1/2)

Within Kyro, a tornado of negative emotions roared. He wanted to lash out at someone, but there was nobody around. By the time he got through the people standing around the sign pointing to the exit, he had lost sight of the fox. He ran ahead, trying to catch a glimpse of its sandy coat somewhere behind the bushes, but there was nothing there.

Worry mounted in his heart, but he pushed it down, telling himself it was going to be fine, he was going to find the little runaway. Backtracking, he called the fox's name but only the wind answered him. No little sandy creature jumped out at him with joy.

While calling its name again and again, he couldn't help cursing himself for his carelessness. The fox had been agitated since the morning—it had never run away from him like that—and then he let that stupid bitch take it out and scare it.

The whole sequence of events was stupid beyond belief in retrospect. He should have never gotten the fox out of the car, let alone allowed the woman to take it out right away.

Yet at the time it had seemed so logical. Once the woman came close, he could see if the fox showed any reaction. It would be better than any documents or words in revealing whether the two had met before or no.

'And look where it got you now!' He cursed himself again and began running faster. It would be fine if he was the one to suffer for his own stupidity, but now the little fox might be in danger. There would be nothing for it to eat here, and what if it met up with some of the larger dogs people brought here for a walk.

Those dogs would be on their leashes, but the fox wouldn't. With its innate inquisitiveness, it might come over to check them out, and that might be the last thing it would do. And this was just one of the hundred scenarios running in his head simultaneously, all of them ending the same way.

How could he have been so careless?

His phone rang, and he froze, then picked it up right away. ”Did you find it?”

”No,” Ted said. ”But I questioned the wo—”

”I don't have time for this, need to find the fox. Damn, where could it be?”

He was tempted to start running again, but now that he'd lost sight of the fox, there was no point to rush about blindly. Maybe if he didn't speed through the paths, he might see its sandy tail or a corner of its ear sticking out from somewhere. There was no reason for it to have run far.

But as he thought that, he knew was being obstinate. A frightened animal would run as fast as it could for as long as it could. By now, the fox could be anywhere in this park. Or maybe even out in the streets, dodging cars and bikes.

”I'll help, just sent those twats away. Where you now?”

”To the west of you. I lost it near the sign to the exit.”

”Right, I'll take this side then. It answers to Iris, yes?”