Rill walked with a content smile on his face while strumming away on his well used wooden lute. He was playing no song in particular, more doing this for his own amusement or perhaps even to compliment the beautiful sunny day that had persisted into the late afternoon. Now the sky was slowly shifting from a forget-me-not blue to the fiery orange of dusk and Rill was setting his mind towards a soft bed in the nearby inn.

Rill took a deep breath through his nose, letting his lungs fill with fresh air before breathing out of his mouth with a content sigh. The life of a travelling bard often offered such simple pleasures though it wasn't without its downsides. His hand nervously fingered the hilt of his sword. The blade was long and thin, easily capable of slipping between a man's ribs from a safe distance if he had too. Yes he had taken the life of more than a few vagabonds looking to rob, and perhaps even murder, him though he always hated doing it.

The road was darkening quicker than he would have liked but there was no time to set up camp so he would just have to hope that his memory served him well and that he was nearing the small village nestled in the forest. He liked this forested area since it was unique compared to the plains and beaches of his home island nation.

Suddenly a cry came from the woods a little beyond the path. One of pain and surprise and altogether canine. Rill flinched in surprise, his blue eyes opened wide for signs of danger and his heartbeat racing as his body readied itself to fight or flee.

"Damn," he hissed under his breath as he swung his lute around to hang off his back, "Nearly jumped clean out of my skin." A trickle of cold sweat ran down his cheek which was covered by a light stubble after a week or so without shaving. Next a loud whimpering echoed in his direction, one that caused his heart to ache for the poor beast.

There was still daylight but he risked losing the road if night fell while he searched for the wounded animal. The dark did not scare him but the beasts of the night certainty did. The logical thing was to let nature take its course and continue onto the village where he imagined enjoying a cold ale, warm soup and a roaring fire before retiring to a real bed.

Still, try as he might Rill couldn't force himself to keep walking. Instead he moved into the forest and towards the sound of the whimpering beast. Every time a bush rustled or twig broke Rill was reminded that although he couldn't see any animals, they were almost certainly there and quite aware of his presence by now.

As the whining grew louder Rill felt he was but a few steps from the beast which he could now see was a fox. Rill faltered as he considered what to do about this.

"Surely if the beast can be saved I'll do all I can," he assured himself. "But if it is injured beyond repair?" Once again he lightly stroked the hilt of his blade. "Fuck, I would not like fox blood on my hands entering this particular village."

The locals here revered the foxes though he had forgotten why. Rill pushed through a large bush and finally came face to face with the injured animal. The small fox was digging into the ground and it took Rill a moment to notice the bear trap that had snapped onto the poor bugger's tail.

"Oh dear," he muttered which got the fox's attention. The beast went from desperate to defensive in a split second, its hide raised as much as it could with his teeth bared and ears flat as a high pitched snarl warned him to stay away. Rill held up his hands and took a step back.

He had heard that the foxes in this wood were smart but he was still surprised when the beast stopped growling and resumed its futile attempt to dig out of the bear trap. Smart sure but totally clueless about human traps. Rill studied the situation carefully and although it looked painful for the poor little fox, if Rill could pry open the trap the fox would heal albeit his tail might remain crooked. It was easy enough to open the trap but getting close without having a fox munch on his hand was the difficult part.

Rill reached behind him and pulled his travel pack off along with his lute. From the pack he procured some dried meat jerky, a handy preservative for long travel and tasty enough.

"Hey," Rill said gently, grabbing the fox's attention which didn't resume snarling much to Rill's continued surprise. "Look," he said, taking a bite out of the jerky, "Yummy."

The fox tilted its head, the pain in its eyes replaced by hungry curiosity.

Rill inched closer before moving to sit in front of the little creature. He offered the jerky to the fox which sniffed it tentatively before gobbling it down. "Good boy," he said, not really knowing its gender. "Here, have some more and I'll help you out of that trap eh?"

He procured a handful more of dried meat and dropped it in front of the animal. The distraction worked and Rill quickly moved to the trap. As expected he managed to open it with relative ease and by the time the feasting fox realised what was happening, it was already free.

Rill fell back into a sitting position, expecting the fox to run away to nurse its injury but it didn't. Instead the animal approached Rill and sniffed at his lap curiously.

Rill smiled down at the crooked tailed little fox. "Still hungry?" he offered, "I guess I can resupply in the village." He reached for his pack and offered more meat to the fox.

As it ate Rill noted how small it was. It didn't look very old, to be honest it looked like a kit. The fox finished his meal and moved closer to Rill again. He smiled, offering more meat which was ignored. Instead the fox moved onto his lap and sat down so that it could begin to lick its tail.

"I'll be damned," Rill said under his breath. "This is some gratitude, taken a liking to me eh?"

The fox ignored him of course. Rill eyed the fox's shiny fur, it looked soft and pleasant to the touch. Without thinking he reached down and ran his hand down its back. The fox's head snapped up with a short breath, as if he was surprised. Rill moved his hand away but when the fox resumed tending to its wounded tail he felt that the fox was okay with being petted.

"Hard to believe you're a wild animal," Rill stated, "You're almost tame."

The fox looked around at him and Rill noticed the intelligence in its eyes for the first time. "Not tame," he then admitted, "You really are smart."

As much as he would have liked to sit and pet the fox it likely had better things to do and he needed to get to the village sooner rather than later. But as he stood up he was shocked when the fox leapt up, clung to his arm and climbed up to Rill's shoulders so that it could sit in his hood with the fox's head on Rill's shoulder.

"You want to come with me?" Rill looked at the animal, smiling stupidly at the friendly creature, "I guess a little company won't hurt."

Rill fully expected the fox to leave him before reaching the village but surprisingly it wasn't so. As he walked towards the inn the fox remained in his hood, looking around curiously at the human world and receiving quite a few amazed glares back.

The Innkeeper was a friendly old lady and had no issue letting the animal in if it behaved and Rill somehow knew that he didn't have to worry about that. He almost felt like the fox could understand human speech.

As he ate his warm soup and drunk his cold ale a plate of scraps was brought over.

"For the little 'un," said the innkeeper. Though her name was Bertrie she was happy to be called Bert. "Poor bugger looks like he's been through a trial."

The fox hopped onto the table and happily feasted on the leftover meat, fruit and bread. Rill hummed in satisfaction. "Guess they'll eat anything?"

"Yeah, foxes are like that," he was then told by Bert, "They're not picky."

"Come to think of it, I had thought that trapping was outlawed in this forest?" Rill asked, "Did something change?"

"No, damned poachers are at it again," Bert sighed irately. "We'll organise a search party and run them out before long." Bert waved away the topic and looked at the fox. "It's a common belief that foxes are special in this forest so folks around here have always worshipped them, did you know that?"

Rill shook his head and so Bert indicated towards a wooden carving of a fox head that was nailed to the door.

"Though they enjoy mischief the foxes keep bad spirits out of our forest or so the tales go," Bert explained. "For one to take to you so easily is nothing short of a blessing in my eyes."

"It might be poppycock to an outsider but the foxes around here are unlike any other," she continued. "Some say they're magical."

Rill smiled at his new companion as it finished eating and returned to his shoulders. "Any idea what gender this one is?"

"He's a boy," Bert replied quickly, "Young too, not fully grown."

"A young kit," Rill reached around and stroked under the fox's chin. "Handsome young man even."

*

With his belly full of soup and bread and his spirits lifted by alcohol, Rill began to feel sleepy. Though he had planned on performing for his room he found his attention stolen by the fox which he had decided to name Chris. Bert had laughed, calling it unoriginal but he didn't care since it was easy to remember.

Rill urged little Chris off his shoulders so that he could remove his coat, boots and shirt. Rill was a young man in his late twenties. He had been travelling since he was thirteen and that had allowed him to build a healthy figure though he was far from overly muscular. Brown hair hung down his back which was usually gathered in a ponytail.

Rill climbed into the bed and Chris moved to lie beside him, pushing himself underneath the covers. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep what with the warmth of Chris pressing against his chest, his fur was so soft that it didn't itch him either.

*

Rill awoke with a content sigh. He was cosy and for a moment he wondered what was warming his chest so pleasantly before he remembered Chris. He rubbed his eyes and stretched before sitting up, causing Chris to shuffle underneath the thin blanket.

"Still here eh," he said with a smile, throwing the covers off of him, "Well time to get – WHAT IN THE WORLD?!"

Rill's eyes went wide with shock. Chris was gone but instead, lying in his place, was a young boy. Rill blushed, realising quickly that the young man was stark naked.

"What in the world," Rill said again, startled. "Who the hell are you?"

The boy looked no older than twelve. His pale skin was flawless on his back and as Rill's eyes wondered downward he noticed something curious.

Rill almost did a double take when the boy stirred again. From between his legs a bushy orange tail with a white tip freed itself. Rill could hardly believe what he was seeing but he came to one sure conclusion upon noticing the crookedness of the boy's otherwise magnificent tail. As the boy raised his head two fox ears poked up from a mop of untidy red hair.

Somehow… This naked boy was Chris…

Chris moved to sit up, his back was still facing Rill who couldn't help but stare at the fox tail protruding from just above the boy's cute little bottom. Chris's ears went flat as he yawned loudly, his smallish hands rubbing at his eyes. He then froze for a second before slowly turning to face the still stunned Rill.

Rill had no doubt that this was somehow the fox that had been sleeping beside him last night, they had the exact same eyes. Right now they had a surprised look but judging by the boys blushing cheeks he was also embarrassed somewhat. He had a cute face which was only complimented by the wild mop of orange hair on his head.

"Is that you Chris?" Rill still asked.

Suddenly a knock at the door caused both man and fox to jump. Chris stood up quickly, tail raised and fluffed out as he stared at the door. Rill could hear a slight snarling though it was much less threatening than when he was a fox. What did grab his attention was the boy's naked backside.

"Master Bard I heard you yell, is aught alright?" It was Bert, the innkeeper; a portly older woman who was both kind and generous.

"Forgive me the noise," Rill replied quickly, "I merely fell from my bed, it seems that Chris took up most of the space as we slept."

An amused chuckle sounded behind the door. "Don't let him push you around too much," Rill laughed in return. "Come have breakfast when you're ready, I'll set aside some scraps for the little kit."

Rill breathed a sigh of relief when he heard her walking away. He then turned his attention back to the naked boy.

"Can you speak?" he asked.

Chris finally turned around properly and Rill was greeted with the sight of a very well toned, but not muscular, little body. Between his legs hung a fairly generous flaccid cock for his apparent age though he was hairless. Chris nodded meekly at Rill's question and began to fidget uncomfortably.

"Hold on, let me get you some clothes," Rill made to pull out his spare cloak but he was stopped by Chris suddenly speaking.

"That would look strange on me," Chris told him. "Only you can see me like this right now, everyone else would see a fox in human clothes." His voice was youthful and sweet.

Rill sighed and stopped rummaging in his pack.

"So why are you like this now?"

Chris blushed a deeper shade of crimson. "You saved me and fed me so I – I…" he began and Rill sighed, he was clearly embarrassed to be seen naked like this. "I trust you is all and I'm still young so I can't control my form shifting if I lose focus," he admitted. "It's a little embarrassing because I thought I had it under control."

Rill felt like screaming into a pillow. Chris wasn't worried about his nudity but at the sheer fact he had turned into a human.

"Like when you're sleeping?" Rill said instead of screaming and Chris nodded. "So if anyone had lifted the covers last night…"

"They would have seen me as you see me now," Chris gave a small, cute smile from where he stood on the bed. "Don't worry though, I can go outside as I am and everyone else will see the fox so long as I'm careful."

"You're naked though?"

"I was naked when you found me remember," Chris interjected and Rill couldn't argue with that logic. "Clothes are for humans."

Rill then heard a loud grumbling and realised that Chris was hungry. "Can we go eat?"

Rill sighed but nodded.

After getting dressed he made for the door. Chris went ahead and Rill watched as the pale boy walked down the hall in front of him. He was indeed cute with his crooked tail, pointy ears and flawless skin. Rill went red this time, why did he care about the boy's skin?

Chris happily walked into the main seating area where hungover patrons where nursing a bowl of porridge and some watered down ale.

Hair of the dog, Rill thought with a chuckle. They didn't seem to mind the totally naked little boy in front of them, it seemed all they saw was a fox after all.

Rill watched as Chris climbed on top of a table and sat with his legs crossed. He wanted to say "get down" and urge him into a seat but he also had to remember that he was the only one seeing the naked boy. Chris smiled at him, uncaring for what side of him people saw. Rill sat down and five minutes later a warm bowl of porridge was set before him with more scraps for Chris.

"Eat up kit, got to get you big and strong," Rill watched as Bert stroked the boy's head. He nuzzled into her open hand and Rill blushed at seeing the boy act like, and be treated like, an animal. He fully expected Chris to eat like a dog at this point but was surprised when he sat back down and ate with his hands.

"Won't that look weird?" he asked him in a low whisper. "Seeing you eat like a human?"

"I was eating like this last night too but your mind only saw what you thought was normal," Chris explained. "My mama would say you humans don't question what you can see in front of you."

Rill didn't like how Chris said 'would say', it gave him a horrible feeling.

Chris finished his meal and quickly moved onto Rill's lap after like had done last night. He lay on his back, stomach exposed and little cock hanging flaccid between his open legs.

Rill swallowed heavily. "What are you doing?" he whispered to him.

"Getting cosy," Chris said simply. The boy had no shame. His arms were to his side, making no effort to hide his penis while his legs dangled off of Rill's lap. Chris then looked into Rill's eyes and he remembered getting a similar look last night which had urged him to pet the fox after eating.

"You want me to touch you?" Rill swallowed again when Chris nodded. "But…"

"I liked it when you petted my tummy," Chris readily admitted. "It's much easier to ask you like this isn't it?" Rill gave a small nod though he made no effort to rub the naked boy's belly, as cute as he was.

When it became clear it wasn't happening Chris sighed. "Do you not like me now in this form?"

"You were easier to handle as a fox," Rill admitted with a small shrug, trying to keep his voice low though he was sure someone had noticed him talking to a fox by now. Chris wriggled where he lay, a disappointed look in his eyes. Rill regretted looking into the boy's eyes at that point, in a word they were pathetic.

Rill couldn't help smiling down at Chris. Slowly he moved his hand to hover over the boy's flat stomach. Chris gave a shuddering breath of anticipation and in that moment Rill couldn't hold back. He gently placed his hand on the boy's warm belly and Chris gasped lightly at the contact. Rill looked into his eyes but he saw neither fear nor disgust, only glee, and so kept on going.

He let his hand travel along the boy's soft and smooth skin, stopping just short of his collar bone before moving back down and stopping again just shy of his groin. Chris closed his eyes as Rill repeated this action, enjoying the sensation. He was completely hairless as well, his entire body was a picture of adolescent youth yet to be ravaged by time.

Next Rill ventured to the boy's chest, stroking with two fingers around one of his nipples. Chris smiled now, a small fang appearing in his rows of teeth.

"Do-do you like it?" Rill asked, blushing a little and Chris nodded.

"You have nice hands," Chris assured him. "I could lie like this for hours."

Rill couldn't stop another smile. Fox or not the boy in front of him was undeniably cute. As he admired the fit and toned youth his eyes snapped down to his crotch and noticed that, ever so slowly, Chris was becoming erect under his touch. Rill blushed heavily, thanking the stars that all people could see was the young kit and not an erect little boy.

"Does being petted makes you feel good?" he asked, trying and failing not to stare though Chris didn't look remotely bothered by it and instead nodded. His small hand wrapped around his member, grasping it gently before pumping up and down. Rill almost snapped his hand away at that point, knowing that Chris was aroused, but a part of him urged him to persist.

Chris closed his eyes again, head back and almost dangling off Rill's lap, as he masturbated openly in this very public place. Rill wondered what people saw in this situation, it couldn't be that abnormal if nobody was staring though. Rill continued to stroke the boy's chest and stomach, even going as far as stroking further down his ground just short of touching the boy's shaft.

Chris began to buck his hips as the pleasure building up inside his small body started to erupt. With a loud sigh a stream of cum shot out of his penis and landed on his stomach. Panting for breath, Chris lazily turned his head and gave Rill another fanged smile.

"I like you," he said softly to the bard. "I'm going to stay by your side."

Chris scooped up the cum on his belly with two fingers and brought them to his mouth without hesitation. It occurred to Rill that he was grooming himself now. Once he was done, Chris shifted into a kneeling position on Rill's lap, facing the Bard with a look of adoration.

Rill's heart felt like it was about to burst with affection. He knew he should have been uneasy towards what Chris had just done but all he felt was arousal. Licking his lips, he placed his hands on the boy's backside and leaned forward to plant a soft kiss on the boys head.

Chris giggled happily at the contact.

"Well look at you two, already fast friends," Bert had arrived and she had a knowing look in her eyes.

"It's the scraps lady," Chris slid off Rill's lap and approached her. "Can I have some more?"

Rill's eyes went wide, he was showing himself to her?

"Of course," Bert said with a smile as she clapped him on the head. She took his hand and led Chris into the kitchen. Rill followed quickly behind them.

"You can see him?" he whispered to Bert who nodded.

"He must like me because I fed him," the woman chuckled merrily, gazing down at the naked fox-boy with a beaming smile.

"So when you petted him during breakfast…"

"I was well aware that he was in his human form," she eyed the naked Chris up and down. "Can't say I hate the look of him."

Rill sighed irately, if Chris was going to expose himself to every kind stranger who fed him then that could be a problem.

"I also saw what you did for him after you ate," Bert didn't look at Rill as she spoke, busying herself as she prepared a plate of food for Chris.

"I don't know what came over me," Rill said defensively. "I couldn't help…"

"Pleasing the spirits is a noble gesture," Bert had an assuring tone about her. "A happy spirit is good for the forest, you'll get no judgment from me."

Chris stared hungrily as Bert piled meat onto the plate, holding her apron tightly with drool threatening to run down his bare chest. His crooked tail stood on end, twitching occasionally just like his ears.

"I heard Chris say he'll stay with you, am I right?" Rill nodded to which Bert sighed.

"By all means take him beyond the forest," she said encouragingly, "But one day he will grow up and be drawn back here, a Spirit will always return to the place of its origin."

"Will the forest be okay without him?" Rill inquired, a little worried about the answer.

"Don't worry, he isn't the only fox spirit," Bert placed the food in front of Chris who sat down and began to eat quickly. "Nor is he the strongest, being a kit and all, but just be prepared for when he wants to return."

Bert slid a chair over beside Chris and began to stroke his wild head of hair gently…

*

Rill decided to stay an extra night at the inn before leaving. During that day he procured more supplies and Chris seemed to enjoy his time outside. He even turned back into a fox so he could sit inside Rill's hood comfortably though occasionally Rill would hold him in his boy form too. The villagers loved him to pieces and Rill was worried about how aroused Chris would be getting what with all the petting.

That night Rill managed to perform for his room. During that time Bert looked after Chris who seemed content to sit on the woman's lap while she fed and coddled him. His stomach was a bottomless pit it seemed and once again, when he was full, he got erect and played with himself shamelessly. That had made focusing on his lute playing difficult for poor Rill.

When they finally got to bed Chris was full and happy and Rill fully expected him to fall asleep. As ever, Chris was anything but predictable. He lay down right beside Rill, eye to eye, with a smile on his cute face.

Rill was the first one to break the silence.

"We'll be leaving the inn tomorrow," he told Chris. "And I plan on leaving the forest entirely, do you still want to come along?"

"Will it be an adventure?" Chris replied excitedly to which Rill nodded. "Then I'll go on an adventure with you and eat lots of different meat."

Rill chuckled and pulled Chris into a tight hug. Naturally Chris returned the hug, nuzzling his small head into Rill's bare chest. A small hand ran along his slightly hairy chest and Rill blushed at the soft, gentle contact.

In return he moved his hands down Chris's silky smooth back, stopping only to caress his soft warm butt cheeks. Chris gasped quietly though a cute smile and rosy blush decorated his handsome face. His penis became erect again quickly, pressing into Rill's bare stomach, but when he moved to relieve himself Rill stopped the boy.

"Let me do it," he urged the fox-boy. Without waiting for a reply he threw off the covers and slid down so that his head was between Chris's open legs. The boy clenched his fists over his smooth chest, his blush deepening as he took short excited breaths. Rill then leaned forward and took the boy's small penis into his mouth.

The sensation of his hard member between his lips was strangely comforting to Rill and as he moved his head up and down, caressing the boy's penis head with his tongue, he felt good for doing it. Chris groaned quietly, his voice naught but a series of little squeaks that only served to arouse his sexual partner.

Rill stroked up Chris's narrow hips, cherishing the feeling of his skin in his hands and suddenly glad that this beautiful boy forsook clothing. Chris came into Rill's mouth though he didn't spit it out and instead savored every drop. It tasted sweet like honey to him.

Chris was overwhelmed by the sensations it seemed and almost immediately fell unconscious. Rill chuckled as he moved back up to the pillow, embracing the boy once again before drifting off into his own blissful sleep…

His lonely road now had company…

And what beautiful company it was…

The End