Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Twigs cracked below her shoes as Pearl ran, narrowly avoiding crashing into the trees surrounding her. The forest was an unfamiliar place, not too far from her farm. She didn’t go here often, but recently she’d been tormented by a certain fox.

Every morning, she’d go outside to check on her crops, only to find them trampled, holes dug deep into the soil. Her livestock - particularly the chickens - was going missing, and it wasn’t long before she met the culprit.

Tired of losing her crops and animals, she had stayed awake all night - not that she slept much anyways - to try and catch the pesky animal, and sure enough, a fox came creeping from the darkness of the forest to ruin her harvest. It was a beautiful creature, smooth red fur shining in the soft moonlight as it prowled, eyes scanning the area. It lunged for the chicken pen, slipping under a gap beneath the fence. Pearl had darted over to the pen, trying to stay hidden from the animal. It was crouched, staring at a chicken, ready to pounce, but Pearl was faster. She reached for the fox, arms outstretched — but it saw her just in time, whirling around with a hiss.

Its jaws wrapped around her wrist in a warning bite. Yelping, Pearl retracted her arm in pain, and the animal took flight into the woods. Something glinted between its teeth, something shiny. It turned for a moment, long enough for Pearl to recognise her bracelet - gifted to her by her father - hanging in its mouth. It was made from silver, a small red moon hanging from it. He had given it to her when she was a young child, and she’d worn it ever since.

She gave chase without a second thought. Her gaze was locked onto the fleeing animal as she stumbled through the lightless woods, the scent of pine overwhelming as needles pricked her bare arms. She wasn’t sure where she was going, just that she needed her bracelet back from that damned animal. Ducking under a branch, she was closer to the animal than ever. If she reached out now, she could catch it…

A sharp pain pierced her head as an overhanging branch she had missed made direct contact with her, halting her chase. She toppled over with the force, feeling the leaves crunch below her. Dazed, Pearl reached out beside her, hoping to find anything to lift herself up with. The ground was softer here, and it made an odd sound as her hand made contact with it.

That couldn’t be right.

Pearl turned her head in alarm to see the fox next to her, leg trapped below her where she had fallen. It made a strange sound again, somewhere between a bark and a yelp. Pearl rolled over, groaning with the effort and pain combined. The fox slipped away into the easing darkness of the woods, slowly becoming more illuminated as the sun rose. Pearl pushed herself up off of the ground, dusting her clothes off. Just as she was turning to leave - if she knew where she was, that is - she noticed a glint on the ground. The fox had dropped her bracelet! She put it back on her arm with relief - although there was a clump of fox fur that seemed impossible to dislodge from the metal. Sighing, she ignored the soft rub of the fur against her wrist, choosing to attempt to navigate back home instead.

Eventually, she recognised the shape of the familiar farmhouse she called home. Slamming open her doors, she lay down on her couch without another thought. She could afford to lay down for a little bit after the tiring encounter, right? She’d return to working immediately after. Raising her arm with the bracelet on, she stared at the clump of fur wedged into the metal.

This fox was going to be a problem, wasn’t it?

Chapter Text

Sighing, Pearl leaned against the wall of her barn, exhausted from a day of hard work. It had been a day since the encounter, and the fox hadn’t shown up since then. But Pearl was still wary — that fox was nothing but trouble. The clump of fur she couldn’t get out of her bracelet served as a constant reminder of that fact. But her chickens were safe, and her crops were growing, and that’s all she cared about.

Pearl decided that the best way to ease her worries was to head into town for a bit, maybe visit Grian down by the docks. The path to town was long, but it relaxed Pearl enough that she didn’t mind. She just hummed a simple tune as she walked.

“Hey Pearl!” a familiar voice caught her attention. She turned, grinning at the rapidly approaching Grian.

“Grian! What’s got you so excited?” she arched an eyebrow, a smug expression on her face. She already had an idea of what it might be. Grian had been planning to ask Scar — the local veterinarian — on a date for months. Judging by the look in his eyes, it had gone well.

“He said yes!” he bounced as he said it, and Pearl smiled.

“I told you he would. He’s been just as lovestruck as you, you know — which is a pretty big feat.” Grian blushed at her words, grumbling something about how he “wasn’t that bad”. Pearl just stared at him, amused, and he rolled his eyes. “I’m happy for you, though.”

He began to make his way towards the dock, calling out a brief goodbye. Her honorary brother had been in love with Scar for years, and she couldn’t help but feel proud at his confidence. He really had come so much further than when they were kids, back when he had just moved into town and accidentally stumbled into Pearl’s farm — though it belonged to her parents at the time.

She ventured further into the village, with no real destination in mind. She shot Scar a smug grin as she passed him on the street, and he waved at her excitedly before continuing to open the vet office. It was nice to come to the village and speak to people who weren’t chickens sometimes, just to clear her head. She had a few more idle conversations with people, before inevitably the sun began to set.

“Your bracelet has fur in it.”

Pearl turned to Cleo, smiling. “I know that,” she rolled her eyes playfully. Cleo just furrowed their eyebrows.

“Fox fur,” they observed. “Be careful. They always say to never go too far into the woods.” With that last piece of advice, Cleo turned away, retiring to their house for the night.

Their words echoed in Pearl’s mind as she walked along the path back to her farm, suddenly regretting choosing the scenic route. She had been told stories as a kid by her parents of what lived in the woods, but she’d dismissed them as a way to keep her from getting lost. Because they were just stories. Nothing more.

Chapter Text

The walk to Pearl’s farm was quiet. Eerily so. There were no birds chirping, no crickets buzzing, not even the occasional rustling of leaves in the wind. The air felt stagnant around her, like she wasn’t supposed to be here. The moon was already rising, yet the light it cast upon the forest didnt seem to make a difference to her vision, and she’s sure she passed that rock earlier.

Turning around in panic, it finally clicks in Pearl’s mind that she’s lost. How could she be lost? She’s walked this path thousands of times in her life, her feet knew the way without her needing to look at anything. There’s no way she could be lost now.

Unfortunately, one glance at her surroundings confirmed that she’s deep in a forest with no idea of where she is. She kept walking shakily, hoping for some sign of her barn, but to no avail. She just kept going deeper and deeper into the forest, and each step forward felt like she was straying further from the comfort of her town. Cleo’s words echoed in her mind, and she did her best to shake them away. The stories were just that — stories. There were no creatures in these woods. Just a few annoying foxes.

As Pearl tried to reassure herself, the bush next to her suddenly rustled; once, twice, then silence again. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she stared at the bush, desperately hoping that it was nothing.

The orange fur she saw emerging from the bush did nothing to soothe her worries.

It looked just like any fox, but Pearl knew deep within her that it was the same one. Maybe it was the fact that she had grown familiar with the fur wedged in her bracelet, or maybe it was the glint of recognition in the fox’s eyes, or maybe it was the fact that it had seemingly been following her. She knew this fox. And she knew it was trouble.

She stepped backwards cautiously, remembering the feeling of strong teeth just barely poking into her skin. But the fox didn’t growl, or take flight; it just stared at her for a long moment, before turning and beginning to walk away. Pearl stood there, paralysed, before the fox turned back around, and waved its tail. Beckoning her forward.

Blindly, she followed it — she didn’t have any other ideas, after all. She stumbled over roots and rocks for what felt like hours until finally, she emerged through the treeline at her farm, moon creeping lower in the sky. She turned to the fox, dumbfounded. After a moment’s silence, she spoke.

“Thank you.”

The fox just blinked at her before turning around again, disappearing into the woods once more.

———

A cacophony of sounds jolted Pearl from her slumber. After the haze of sleep faded, she managed to recognise that the sound originated from the chicken coop. Not again. Groaning, she pulled on her boots before jogging over to see what the uproar was about. Sure enough, the same fox was there, attempting to make its way into the coop. She sighed, and the fox’s head snapped to face her. It slowly backed away from the chickens, appearing almost sheepish. If Pearl didn’t know better, she’d say it understood the disappointed look on her face. At least she didn’t have to scare it away this time.

Except the fox didn’t leave; instead, it began to move towards her house. Pearl stood in front of it, attempting to block its path, but it ran straight through the gap in her legs and entered anyways. Pearl rolled her eyes, and chased after it. It made a beeline for her bedroom, immediately hopping onto her bed and curling up.

“No, don’t do that, you’ll get fur on my sheets!” Pearl protested, waving at the fox to scare it away. It just blinked at her, almost defiantly, and refused to move. She sat next to it, cautiously extending a hand towards it. It leant into the touch, it’s fur just as soft as the clump in her bracelet. They sat like that for a long moment, neither daring to move. Light filtered in through the window, the red hues of sunrise slowly fading as the sun rose higher in the sky. The moment was peaceful, a pause in the ever progressing flow of time.

Until it was broken by the feeling of a wet tongue running along her wrist.

“Hey!” Pearl exclaimed, jerking her arm away from the fox, who stared at her with something akin to amusement in its eyes. Despite herself, Pearl laughed, lightly tapping the fox on its nose. “Don’t do that again, silly,” she reprimanded, though her tone was more fond than anything. The fox exhaled, almost like it was laughing with her. Or at her.

A distant howl pierced the silence of the atmosphere, and the fox shot up, rigid. It bolted out of Pearl’s home without another thought. She watched it leave, dazed, before curiosity took over. Where could that fox possibly be running to — and why?

She knew she shouldn’t, but she really wanted to follow it. So she chased after it only a few metres behind, groaning internally when she saw it scramble into the trees. How many times would she have to enter this forest? Picking up the pace, she managed to spot a blur of orange nearby, switching course to keep up with it. The howl sounded again, noticeably closer this time. The fox ran faster, and Pearl huffed before speeding up, panting with the effort. The woods around her were a blur of green and brown at the edge of her vision, her mind focused only on the fox in front of her. She kept chasing it, passing through bushes and branches and spiderwebs and who knows what else, but she couldn’t take any time to avoid them. Finally, the fox seemed to slow down, scrambling into a hole. Pearl halted in front of it, analysing its size. If she put her arms out in front of her, she might be able to fit. Hesitating, she considered it. Was it worth it to crawl into what is probably a fox’s burrow, and either get stuck or eaten alive?

Just as she turned around to head home, another howl caused her to jump. It sounded like it was coming directly from the hole. Pearl stood still, then put her arms out and crawled into the hole. To her suprise, she fit — even if it was a little tight. She was able to crawl into it. The mud scraped at her sides, staining her clothes, but she chose to ignore it. She kept crawling deeper, and deeper, and deeper, until strangely, she saw something pierce the darkness. A light. As she crawled, it got brighter and brighter, until she was able to emerge in an entirely new place. She stood up, dusting herself off to the best of her ability and looking around. The trees grew high into the sky, light filtering in gently through the canopy of their leaves. The ground was made of soft moss, and the trickling of a lake nearby was the only sound beyond rustling. There were a few fallen logs, and what looked like dens constructed from sticks and leaves woven intricately together. The air was cool and refreshing, and Pearl thought it was a nice place to take a break from running non-stop.

The sound of a man’s voice caught her attention, and her head snapped to face the source. There, just to the side of where she had entered, stood two people. A man with short white hair, a black headband wrapped around the bottom of it, stood talking. He wore a mask over his mouth, and one of his eyes had a scar through it. Pearl wondered if that was related to his red eye.

The woman he was talking to was nodding along, her long ginger hair moving with her head. A sunflower rested in it, just above her ear. She had green eyes — Pearl thought they looked beautiful, shining in the light of the clearing. Her overalls were similarly dirty to Pearl’s own hoodie.

They talked for a moment, before Pearl cleared her throat nervously. Immediately, they both turned to face her. The man looked thoroughly confused, while the woman looked shocked.

“You’re not supposed to be here.” she told her, and the sternness in her voice only served to make Pearl even more afraid. She smiled nervously.

“Sorry about that, mate, but uh… where exactly is ‘here’?” she questioned, gesturing to the clearing they were stood in. The two others looked at each other, having a silent conversation, before the man turned to her.

“You’re in our home.” he explained, and Pearl raised her eyebrows.

“You live here?” she questioned, slightly concerned for the two. Sure, there were a few dens, and a source of water, but it didn’t seem comfortable to live in.

The man just nodded. “Yep. Supposed to be a hidden place. But now you’ve found it, so that sucks.” he said, narrowing his eyes. “How did you find us anyways?”

“That might be my fault,” the woman spoke up once more, her voice less stern than before. “I accidentally led her here — but it’s not really my fault she followed me.”

Pearl furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. She doesn’t remember seeing this woman before now, and she certainly didn’t follow her here. She chased that fox into here, right? Where did it even go? Unless…

The woman took note of her wide eyes, and simply nodded in response. Pearl gaped.

“You’re that fox?!” she exclaimed, shocked. The woman stood still for a moment, closing her eyes, and then her form warped, shrinking as orange fur grew rapidly from her skin, and suddenly the fox stood before her again. Pearl looked to the man in shock, and the only response she got was _his_ form shifting until a wolf stood before her. Pearl stumbled backwards, pinching her arm to confirm this was real. The people shifted again, until they stood before her as humans. The woman - fox? - approached her slightly.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she repeated. “It’s not safe. For you or for us.”

“Is she… one of them?” the wolf/man questioned, and the other shook her head.

“No, just a farmer. One who should really go home.” she narrowed her eyes at Pearl, and there was a warning in them that made her shiver.

“But… you’re… you’re a fox? And a person?” she questioned, thoroughly confused. The man nodded.

“We’re shifters-“ he began to spoke, but a loud crash cut him off. The shifters looked at each other in alarm, before a tree fell, narrowly missing Pearl.

“Shit. You were right. They’re here.” the woman muttered something under her breath, grabbing Pearl by the arm and shoving her towards the hole. “Go home. Now!” she yelled, and Pearl sensed the urgency of the situation. She nodded and scrambled back into the hole, crawling through dirt and darkness until she saw light again. The moment she emerged, she ran back home faster than she had run to the strange animal people and their strange burrow. The forest blurred around her until it thinned and she saw her farm again, the shadow of her house visible in the setting sunlight. She slammed the door as she entered, leaning against the wall. No way any of that was real. She’d wake up soon, she was sure. There were no shifters, no unknown threats, no strange burrows attacked by strange forces. Just an annoying fox who trampled her crops.

As the exhaustion began to set in, she faintly remembered Cleo’s words. ”Never go too far into the woods.” Oh, she wished she’d listened. Because now she had so many questions, and so few answers.